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The Fien Print's TV Top 10 of 2011

Where do 'Game of Thrones,' 'Justified' and other favorites fit in?

By Daniel Fienberg Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011 5:23 PM


If you're a regular podcast listener, I already revealed my Top 10 of 2011 in this week's Firewall & Iceberg. If you're not... This'll be new for you. And even if you already know the listing, you haven't seen my Top 10 with studio-recorded voiceover and superior editing from our video guru Alex Dorn.
 
As I discussed on the podcast, my Top 9 was pretty easy to put together. Other than specific placement between No.6 and No.9, there was almost no deliberation at all. 
 
The issue arose at No.10, where I had five or six shows that I wanted to place in that position. If you're going to cheat -- SEPINWALL!!! -- it's easy to find an extra place for an extra show and I could have come up with thematic reasons to pair, for example, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Archer." If I'd had the chance to see the "Boardwalk Empire" finale before the list was locked, it might have also made a stronger case than it did when the season was unresolved still.
 
But no matter. I'm happy with the show that rounds out my Top 10 list and many of the shows I regretted excluding will appear in my Second 10 blog post later this week and darned if I'm not going to cheat to find a way to get 13 or 14 shows into that Second 10. 
 
This list has what I think is a good mixture of the various types of shows that made 2011 such a solid year on the small screen. I've got a couple comedies, a couple costume dramas, a couple thrillers, a fantasy, a sports drama and TV's *best* show about vampires and werewolves [Suck it, "True Blood"].
 
Anyway, sound off on my Top 10 below. I'll post my Second 10 on Friday, I think.
Related Searches: Top Ten 2011, Game of Thrones, Homeland, The Vampire Diaries, Friday Night Lights, Downton Abbey

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  • Default-avatar

    Eric

    Yay Ringer!!!!

    December 21, 2011 at 6:34PM EST Reply to Comment
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    troll

    The Vampire Diaries? Really? Where is Dexter?!??!?!?

    December 21, 2011 at 6:45PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Bitch Fuck off, asshole.

      December 21, 2011 at 7:01PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Jim Your right Vampire Diaries should have been number 1.

      December 21, 2011 at 8:12PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Tampopo's Noodles Jump into a time machine to a few years back when Dexter wasn't a total shitfest

      December 22, 2011 at 10:27AM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Sareeta Just want to say Bitch's comment made me laugh out loud at work.

      December 22, 2011 at 6:49PM EST
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    mgdunn

    Why does Dan sound like he five minutes away from ending it all?

    December 21, 2011 at 6:51PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Tausif Khan Because he sounds like he was recording this piece for This American Life?

      December 21, 2011 at 9:52PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Tausif Khan Also, given this voice over I would be thinking that Louie would rank higher on the list.

      Louie two me is now on my list for two of the best all time comedies. Arrested Development is the other.

      I love Community more but Louie has done so much to change the way we think about comedy that it is definitely television that it worth studying for posterity.

      Louie's work is so unique and personal that I doubt that even the form can be replicated by anyone else.

      Arrested Development is similar in this regard. 30 Rock has been compared to Arrested Development and while the joke delivery is close to Arrested Development, Arrested Development did so much to get us to care about vile unlikeable characters in a serialized format that it is a show for me is a show that changed the way we think about comedy and more importantly how a story can be told.

      December 21, 2011 at 9:57PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Phil Haha, it sounds like he's hitting on the nominees or something.

      December 22, 2011 at 6:32PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Sareeta No, Dan sounds like a nice guy in this video whereas on the podcast he sounds angry.

      December 22, 2011 at 6:50PM EST
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    Karyn

    I support this list over Alan's because this list follows the rule of a top 10. Woe betide rule-breakers and cheaters! :)

    December 21, 2011 at 6:57PM EST Reply to Comment
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    daq

    Is it not possible to actually put this as a list in the article, rather than having to watch a 9 minute video?

    December 21, 2011 at 7:08PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Matt Seriously, how does submitting readers to the site's faulty video format in order to hear writers read pre-written lists (with voices that make you wonder if they're being held hostage) benefit HitFix at all?

      Aargh.

      That being said, this is a great list. You've clearly picked shows for which you have great passion, making this list far less generic and more dynamic than the usual assortment of established critical favorites.

      December 22, 2011 at 2:17AM EST
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    Mia Monroe

    Aw I totally agree! Head = Breaking Bad. Heart = FNL. And I love that you included TVD, obviously people are skeptical, but it's SO entertaining! Not a dull moment, visually gorgeous cinematography, Nina Dobrev is sexy as hell as Katherine, it's just such a fun show that deserves to be taken more seriously. Dowton Abbey surprised me too, it's kind of a brittish Mad Men, every character is fully realized and interesting and the writing is honest and smart. LOve this list! I need to check out Louie.

    December 21, 2011 at 7:21PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Sich

    lol at Vampire Diaries being better than Boardwalk Empire

    December 21, 2011 at 7:46PM EST Reply to Comment
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      Beau It is more enjoyable though. I'm 6 episodes behind on BE, TVD I watch right away!

      December 21, 2011 at 8:36PM EST
    • Annie8bit_talkback_profile

      Stormshadow4life Gotta agree with Beau...BE might be a more high brow show, but I kind of gave up on it half way through. I'll catch up on DVD. VD, however, I won't miss an ep!

      December 21, 2011 at 11:58PM EST
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      Joe I agree with you guys that enjoyment is, at least, equally important to quality. To me when you're trying to rank shows a good way to divide them is asking yourself how excited you are to watch each show. Boardwalk is good but it's also a show I can go weeks without watching.

      December 22, 2011 at 3:42AM EST
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    Niickk

    Just when I thought I was done crying about FNL, your segment makes me go and tear up about (East) Dillon again. Such a special show. Thanks for putting it on top.

    December 21, 2011 at 9:09PM EST Reply to Comment
  • 06994-1_talkback_profile

    Niickk

    Just when I thought I was done crying about FNL, your segment makes me go and tear up about (East) Dillon again. Such a special show. I don't know that there's another show that could make me react like I did when Kyle Chandler won an Emmy - like the Lions in S4, this show was always such an underdog, and to see it finally get recognition was really special.

    Thanks for putting it on top.

    December 21, 2011 at 9:15PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Avatar_18895_80_bigger_talkback_profile

      PopCandy Same thing here, this clip totally made me cry, and I'm usually not a crier. I will miss FNL so much...

      December 22, 2011 at 1:12PM EST
  • Annie8bit_talkback_profile

    Stormshadow4life

    There really is just no show better than Game of Thrones on TV today! Should be #1. Besides that, Parks and Rec is hilarious and awesome. Breaking Bad had an AMAZING season as well. Hell, I think Vampire Diaries is also one of the most watchable shows on TV as well! Never fell for Friday Night Lights though. Not gonna lie, I never saw of Downtown Abby, so I can't comment.

    December 21, 2011 at 11:56PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Puss_in_boots_320_talkback_profile

    JedyKnight

    Still dont get why Video Dan sounds like Podcast Dan, but Video Alan sounds like a whole other person.. was Alan also cheating on his voice? >; )

    btw, Dan.. Kudos for standing up for Vamp D's... although, i cant imagine a top ten list without Community.

    December 22, 2011 at 12:43AM EST Reply to Comment

    • "Community"'ll be in my Second 10. Not the same, I know...

      And I need to think about what it means that Video Dan sounds like Podcast Dan which sounds like This American Life Dan which sounds like Vaguely Suicidal Dan... Apparently...

      -Daniel

      December 22, 2011 at 1:30AM EST
    • Midnight_run_mca255950_talkback_profile

      sepinwall Jedyknight, Dan's just better at talking off the cuff than I am. Give me a script, and I'm a different man; give him a script, and he's the same guy as he is on the podcast.

      December 22, 2011 at 11:45AM EST
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    Paul Outlaw

    I. LOVE. THIS: Vampire Diaries - Best Network Drama of the Year. (I'm not counting that Direct TV show.)

    December 22, 2011 at 12:46AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Joanna

    I respect you for putting TVD on the list. Most critics wouldn't be brave enough to do that even though they love the show, they don't want to be judged. I guess it's the Twilight stigma, before Twilight, people respected the young vampire/horror genre, but the early comparissons hurt the show.

    December 22, 2011 at 11:13AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Singular

    Vampire DIaries but no Walking Dead

    December 22, 2011 at 2:54PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Sareeta

    Respectable list, but I am sad no one includes Fringe on these top 10 lists. Season 3 was so good!

    I definitely agree on Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. I'm surprised Homeland was included, but not Boardwalk Empire. I haven't seen The Vampire Diaries (it's on my list of TV shows to catch up on), couldn't get into Friday Night Lights (I hate football), and I don't watch comedies. I need to finish watching The Hour and Downton Abbey.

    December 22, 2011 at 7:01PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Heisenberg

    FNL forever. I agree with Dan on the top show.

    December 23, 2011 at 4:37PM EST Reply to Comment

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At the dawn of the 21st Century, Daniel Fienberg came out to Los Angeles for grad school. He hasn't left. "The Fien Print" is a blog about television -- reviews, interviews, analysis -- but it's also about movies and the business of Hollywood. It probably won't be a blog about the Red Sox, though it might seem like that at times.

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