Inside TV+Movies with Daniel Fienberg

The Second 10 Best TV Shows of 2012 from The Fien Print

Zombies, vampires and handicappers all make the second cut

By Daniel Fienberg Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 1:00 AM

Second 10 of 2012

16) "Homeland" - The "24" comparisons which seemed to almost all be positive in its Emmy-winning first season became increasingly negative as "Homeland" became a knotty pretzel of narrative contortions in its second installment. Willing suspension of disbelief is a two-way street and, as the second season progressed, it became harder and harder to ignore the myriad convolutions -- Situation room texting, hit-and-run evading, surveillance-humping, tailor-dispatching, milk-spilling etc etc etc -- and it became harder and harder to ignore that the devotion to Carrie-and-Brody as a doomed-yet-destined romance was engulfing the rest of the show. And some viewers felt betrayed by this shift from Good "24" to Bad "24." It'd be a mistake, though, to let frustrations entirely supersede the frequently breathless suspense, nor the performances by Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and, even more-so than in the first season, Mandy Patinkin. This is still a proficient and efficient show, but maybe it fooled us with that first season into expecting too much.

17) "Luck" - Even when he goes down an esoteric wormhole, TV is always better when David Milch's words are being recited by actors on a weekly basis. While easier to philosophically process than "John From Cincinnati," the jargon-heavy world of horse-racing and handicapping took a while to feel natural, but even when I barely understood a word of it, I still relished Milch's peculiar cadences and his colorful profanity and respected the work of a tremendous cast led by Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. It took five or six episodes for "Luck" to feel fully locked in, which proved to be just in time for a top-notch finale and the drama's sad and untimely cancellation.

18) "Downton Abbey" - I'm watching "Downton Abbey" on its PBS schedule, so this placement is for the show's second season, which many viewers saw as a rather large come-down from its first. I agree! That's why "Downton Abbey" was in my Top 5 last year and barely snuck into my Top 20 for this year. But don't be so distracted by the slightly accelerated soapiness or the one or two conspicuously dead-end narratives that you ignore what a beautiful hour of TV the Christmas Special was, or that you ignore what is still one of TV's finest ensemble casts, working with some of the finest production values imaginable. Oh and guess what? "Downton Abbey" was all soapy and stuff in the first season. One character literally screwed another character to death! It's not what they do so much as how they do it and the upstairs and downstairs crews both still do it with wisdom and wit.

19) "The Vampire Diaries" - Still one of the most purely entertaining and exciting and unpredictable shows on television, "The Vampire Diaries" wrapped up a strong spring with a finale that was literally heart-stopping for one character. Following up on Elena's transformation into vampire-dom hasn't been quite as successful, even after a very good start to the fall that at least temporarily dodged the possibility of an Elena cop-out. I already didn't love the sire-based narrative shortcuts as related to Klaus' hybrids, but taking romantic agency out of Elena's hands could be one of the show's bigger mistakes. I assume that Julie Plec and the "TVD" writing team is smarter than that, since they've always been smarter than that in the past. Still, I can only judge the show's 2012 output on the basis of where I'm standing as 2012 ends, which is "slightly concerned." That concern takes nothing away from the jaw-dropping twists that drop at a rate of three or four per episode, nor from the performances by Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Joseph Morgan and the rest of the underrated ensemble. And y'all know I give bonus points for casting Phoebe Tonkin.

20) "The Walking Dead" - The second season of "The Walking Dead" closed strong, as the deceptive calm and quiet at The Farm eventually led to a series of shocking deaths and a hasty exit. The tension has only been amped up in Season 3, with The Prison and Woodbury. While Danai Gurira's Michonne has been undone by some poor writing decisions, I've liked the show's more pragmatic treatment of David Morrissey's Governor, who has proved to be a more interesting and nuanced villain than he ever was in Robert Kirkman's comics. And I definitely show tip my hat to Andrew Lincoln, who wasn't my favorite part of the show in the early going, but has stepped up his game with a couple powerhouse episodes. It took a while, but the potential of the pilot and the Season 2 premiere is finally being realized on a weekly basis.

A Solid 20 Honorable Mentions: "Bob's Burgers," "Sherlock," "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," "Community," "Veep," "Witness," "Cougar Town," "New Girl," "Ben and Kate," "Awake," "Raising Hope," "The Good Wife," "The L.A. Complex," "Suburgatory," "Bunheads," "Fringe," "Survivor," "Happy Endings" [These were in no particular order, but if you're curious... "Sherlock" was No.21 and HBO's "Witness" was No. 22. You'll get more details like that next year when I rank EVERY SHOW ON TV. (I'm not going to rank every show on TV next year.)]

Most-Improved Bonus: "Dexter"

Most-Improved Honorable Mentions: "Sons of Anarchy," "Hart of Dixie," "The Office," "Person of Interest," "Teen Wolf"

[A couple shows I'm behind on, so don't ask: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Archer" and "The League." FX has stopped sending out post-premiere screeners and the network makes OnDemand a pain.]

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

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Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.

Related Searches: Best of 2012, TV, Luck, The Vampire Diaries, Downton Abbey, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, Shameless, Top 10

X

"At the time, I mentioned that I had a Season 10 coming at some point"

Should be "Second 10"

December 29, 2012 at 2:11AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Fixed... Thanks!
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 2:14AM EST
Rich

Chalk it up to "your opinion vs. mine" but especially after reading your second top ten and the honorable mentions, I cannot believe that you find The Newsroom to be not only worse than some of these mildly entertaining shows, but one of the worst of the year!? I appreciate someone apeaking their mind, but your support for that decision is totally weak. Not only that but to not appreciate the show enough to leave it off the worst list is just wrong.
December 29, 2012 at 2:37AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Rich - Sorry, Rich, but I've expressed my opinion on "Newroom" in four or five podcasts, as well as in my Worst of Gallery. I've supported that opinion in GREAT depth. If you feel that my support was "totally weak" in that one paragraph in the gallery, that's fine. If you feel that the support of that opinion over the course of a year in multiple media is "totally weak," you're wrong. You are MORE than welcome to disagree. Many flavors of opinion make the debate go 'round. And obviously many people agree with you [and some with me]. But my support for my opinions about "Newroom" has been quite thorough.
  
  And I find "Newroom" worse than ALL of these "mildly entertaining shows."
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 2:42AM EST
- V Danial I TOTALLY support you "20 honorable shows" for REEL however I would be very disappointed if you've ignored the most ROMANTIC show EVER "Scandel" or as I call "FORBIDEN LOVE"! Thanks Dan for your opinion so much appreciated! I selute you Man ^_• two thumbs UP
  December 29, 2012 at 5:34AM EST
- a Dan-Not to be totally judgemental or to come of as an ass, but is the pedigree of the Newsroom the reason for the show coming in your worst 10? Is it that we expected more from Sorkin than other writers/showrunners and the Newsroom failed to deliver or is the show really that bad???
  December 29, 2012 at 11:47AM EST
- dan V - Scandal's in my "honorable mention" field. I contemplated combining it with "Grey's Anatomy" to cheat and put it in the Top 20, but I decided not to.
  
  A - "Newroom" is in my Worst 10 because no show on TV annoys and frustrates me more and leaves me yelling at my TV with the same level of irritation.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:34PM EST
Kyle

I hope you're way behind on sons of anarchy or idk how u got your job.
December 29, 2012 at 5:52AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Kyle - Nope. Totally caught up. That's why it was in my "Most Improved" section.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:35PM EST
Alex_B

Is American Horror Story THAT bad to most of people? I think it was the best of the season and the most improved this season. It really grabbed my attention. I wished it was the same to everybody.
December 29, 2012 at 7:18AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Alex_B - "AHS" is absolutely improved this season. I still don't like it very much. But I also hate it less. It was in my Bottom 10 last year and this year it's just somewhere in the middle...
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:36PM EST
Jon

Vampire Diaries ahead of Sherlock and Walking Dead. This list is a joke.
December 29, 2012 at 9:39AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Jon- No it's not.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:36PM EST
Rob

Sir,
Are you sure this is the right list? I'm pretty sure this is the most overrated TV shows. 30 rock, Vampire Diaries? Might as well put Real Housewives on this list.
December 29, 2012 at 10:19AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Rob - You obviously haven't been watching "30 Rock" this season. And you obviously don't watch "Vampire Diaries." And the equating of "Real Housewives" with those two makes me wonder what you think "overrated" means.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:37PM EST
- troopermsu I don't get how anybody can call '30 Rock' overrated. One episode contains more jokes and laughs than the entire run of 'Two And A Half Men', for example. Or pretty much any other current CBS show....
  December 30, 2012 at 2:19AM EST
iva

I love that you've included TVD. I've just recently binged on it and.. frankly I've never seen anything better on CW (not counting the 3rd season of Veronica Mars with their "great" input)
December 29, 2012 at 10:40AM EST Reply to Comment
Cousin Larry Appleton

I have every episode of this most recent season of Fringe backing up on my DVR. Would you say it has been better, worse or equal to last season? Fringe was my favorite drama on network TV for a stretch, but last season didn't really work for me, and I've been hesitant to jump back in.

Nice to see some love for Ben & Kate and Suburgatory, two comedies which seem to go largely ignored. Am I crazy for thinking Ben & Kate was the best new (network) show this year?
December 29, 2012 at 11:52AM EST Reply to Comment
- pog In my opinion, this season of Fringe has been the best so far. Freed from the constraints of having to either make episodes that stand alone or need to chase ratings, I think it's been one of the more daring science fiction plots seen on TV. I think there's only been one genuinely "Average" episode, and one plotline was resolved a little too neatly, but honestly, I'd love to sit and watch the whole thing as a marathon. You should get on it.
  December 29, 2012 at 1:17PM EST
- dan Cousin Larry - "Fringe" has definitely been better this year. I'd say that if you watched up to this season, you really ought to watch these last 13, just to close things off...
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:38PM EST
- FringeS5Crap Fringe season 5 is hrrible:
  
  Bad cliche setting, the men rule the world, the women are to be used.
  Cliche nazi etc.
  
  And season 5 has made me hate Fringe compeltely,
  
  especially for how they erased Olivia, every little iconic thing she had went to Walter or Peter,
  
  all the writing went to Peter and Walter, and bedieds the Robot acting of Josh Jackson
  we got the Overacting of John Npble in full force.
  
  Anna Torv , best actress on tv, gets no storyline, has to be the emotional aprt without getting any writing.
  
  Season 4 was a far better season, especially the Over There episodes and the double acting of foremost Anna Torv, second Seth Gabel and Jasika Nicole.
  
  The bad part of season 4 was with Olivia being sacrificed for Peters homecoming thing. where Anna Torv had to do all the hard work for Jackosn with playing 2 blonde Olivias at once,
  
  and the last part of the season was rewritten for Noble, so instead of olivias arc, we got another round of whining selfpity Walter.
  
  The end was the worst possible, but not one critic complained about that, as it was Olivia that was used:
  switching on Olivia (who used to be a hero) and killing her like an animal by Walter.
  
  December 30, 2012 at 4:09PM EST
- FringeS5Crap DO NOT WATCH SEASON 5 OF FRINGE.
  
  Season 5 is a horrible, sexist badly written , badly balanced, cliched crap.
  
  No one would watch it if it would be called Observer and had other actors.
  
  Stay away from it as far as possible, the recontextualizing will make you hate everything you loved about Fringe in the first seasons,
  
  Wyman has proven himself to be a first class Male Chauvinistic Pig,
  especially when it comes to the treatment of Olivia Dunham and Anna Torv.
  
  Olivia Dunham in the pilot and until middle season 3:
  Hero, fighter, chosen one, special , independent and strong, FBI agent,
  Olivia since middle season 3 more and more reduced to peters wife but still the FBI agent and part of the story potential,
  Olivia season 5:
  Peters wife, treated by Peter as dirt, and getting 4 episodes in a row these lines:
  I love you, I need you, I do not ant to lose you,
  
  Wyman spent all his time writing for his favorite
  boys Josh Jackson and John Noble.
  and Anna Torv has been asked to show all aspects of Olivia with non-verbal acting, at the service of Jackson and Noble.
  she does it brilliantly, but gets no credit,
  nothing from Wyman.
  
  If Wyman would do this to Noble or Jackson all would be outraged,
  but hey it is only Anna Torv, who cares ???
  
  So where is the tv media with their criticism, or does a female lead not deserve at least 5% of the
  material overload especially Noble gets all the time?
  
  I guess you had some presents from Fox/Warner Brothers/Wyman as well?
  In return the media has to praise this season and praise Noble, as he seems to be the only actor on Fringe that gets the material for needing his Emmy.
  Every other showrunner would love to have Anna Torv as the lead, and would give her all the material possible to get her the credit she deserves.
  
  So many people are hating season 5 of Fringe, they just watch because it is nearing the end,
  and especially Olivia fans are totally disgusted with what Wyman has done to Olivia.
  
  POG clearly is one of those sent by Wyman to manipulate, they are at other palces as well.
  
  Season 5 of Fringe is horrible, cliche, sexist,
  every bad B-C nazi movie is better than this crap.
  December 30, 2012 at 4:32PM EST
- zero @FringeS5crap
  Agree on the killing of Olivia. A total 180 turn around. As always, characters like her are assassinated in the end. I stopped watching it after the second-third episode of S5 because I couldn't handle it. I watched the latest episode aired and it was a sappy, cheesy mess. Don't get me started on cheesy Olivia which is not Olivia at all. Why people think that women are all cheesy needy creatures who always say "I love you, I miss you, I need you"?
  December 31, 2012 at 10:05AM EST
tigger500

Totally agree about the sire bond storyline. I loathe it.
December 29, 2012 at 12:35PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Tigger500 - It could get better! I have faith!
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:42PM EST
Sareeta

Nice list. There has been a lot written/discussed lately about the level of violence on TV's best dramas, so it is nice to be reminded of some of the great dramas with little to no violence at all (Bunheads is a good example).

Dan, have you been following the final season of Fringe and are you or Alan going to discuss the finale in a couple weeks? I feel like it has been an interesting final season, but that it is probably best reviewed after the whole thing is over.
December 29, 2012 at 12:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Sareeta - I've been following "Fringe" to the end. Alan checked out fairly long ago. I must confess, though, that part of why I've been enjoying this season is not needing to over-invest in it or think too heavily about things. The show frustrates me when I think too hard on it. So I'm probably gonna resist writing anything about the finale unless it's AWESOME or HORRIBLE. Anything else and I'll just try to enjoy it casually...
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:40PM EST
PC 2.0

So happy to see Shameless at #12! It's so well done and the cast chemistry is perfect, and the writing is fearless and Emmy Rossum is a delight.
December 29, 2012 at 12:44PM EST Reply to Comment
Morrie

I haven't kept up on Sons of Anarchy the last couple years, but is it on most improved because it actually had a bad season last year? Also I watch every show 11-20 except Luck and love them.
December 29, 2012 at 12:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Morrie - Last "SOA" season was a huge less. This season was more narratively focused, even with some bloated 90 minute episodes, so I enjoyed it much more. Personally.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:42PM EST
CC

GOOD GOD WHAT TV ARE YOU WATCHING.HOW DO LEAVE OUT SHOWS LIKE THE BIG BANG THEORY AND NCIS.ALSO ELEMENTARY IS ONE OF THE BEST NEW SHOWS,AS IS VEGAS.
December 29, 2012 at 1:01PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan CC - This particular list that you're looking at contains a listing of at least 36 things I'm watching on TV that I just happen to prefer to "The Big Bang Theory," "Elementary" and "Vegas," all shows I happen to watch (and often enjoy) regularly.
  
  No need to shout!
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 1:41PM EST
Andrew S

I know it's a little off topic, but the way FX deals with on demand completely baffles me. Are they trying to push people to buy the episodes on iTunes or other services, or are they just completely incompetent in this regard?
December 29, 2012 at 1:53PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Andrew - I think they're trying to push people to iTunes and also to the FX website, which I *think* has episodes available more conveniently? It's irksome, as is the entirely unrelated FX cutback on screeners to critics...
  
  It annoys me, because I love those comedies, but if I fall a handful of episodes behind, it becomes really, really hard to catch up.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 2:03PM EST
- GarySF Last time I checked, shows don't appear any faster on the FX site than on On Demand. Which means when I missed an episode of SOA, I basically fell one week behind for the rest of the season. Which means I didn't watch the season finale until 8 days after it aired. Not that I was missing too much.
  January 2, 2013 at 3:08PM EST
nym

Dan, can you expand on ranking Sherlock at #21? It's in my personal top 10, so I'm curious about your feelings on the show. I get the feeling that critics give it less consideration than other shows because of the 3 episode seasons.
December 29, 2012 at 4:08PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan NYM - I like "Sherlock" a lot. I do suspect that my consideration for it is *slightly* diminished by the reduced output, but in terms of time, "Sherlock" didn't have significantly less output than "The Hour," which made my Top 10. I thought two of the three "Sherlock" installments this year/season were terrific and I liked the Baskervilles just fine. "Sherlock" was comfortably in my Second 10 and then I kept remembering other shows that I'd forgotten that I wanted to be there more and so it got bumped and bumped and bumped and then I had 11 shows in my Second 20. I mentioned earlier in the comments that I thought about combining "Scandal"/"Grey's Anatomy" as a Shonda Rhimes double. Well, I also thought about combining "Dowton"/"Sherlock" in a PBS/"Masterpiece" double. But when I decided not to cheat, that's where "Sherlock" ended up...
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 4:14PM EST
Harry

"And y'all know I give bonus points for casting Phoebe Tonkin."
Oh please, that was so unnecessary. She's not all that. That was no need to mention her in there and I don't buy that she has anything to do with TVD being in that place in that list. I actually expected this in the 11-14 slots.

Also, Survivor makes the honeorable mention list, but not Big Brother? BB was great TV this summer!
December 29, 2012 at 5:01PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Harry - Twas a joke. Phoebe Tonkin has nothing to do with where "TVD" is on my list, but she's a nice bonus.
  
  As good as "Big Brother" can sometimes be -- and this was ABSOLUTELY a good "Big Brother" season -- I'm incapable of forgiving the amount of time that the show makes me waste for those good moments. Did "Big Brother" had a half-dozen tremendous moments this past summer? Totally. Was it worth three freakin' hours every week? Nothing is, really... When there was legitimately nothing on TV in the summer, three hours of "Big Brother" was a fine way of twiddling my thumbs waiting for something better to come along. Now, it's an imposition. The filler-to-awesome ratio is just too biased towards the former.
  
  For me...
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 5:06PM EST
- Harry Fair enough, Dan.
  December 29, 2012 at 5:30PM EST
Lana

I really like both your top 10 list (except that I don't know those documentaries and i'm not a fan of sports) and your 11-20 list. I like that you didn't feel obligated to place Breaking Bad at the top of the list, this past season was a minor letdown for sure. I'm very happy with the Shameless placing. It pleases me when that show gets recognition, I really love it and can't wait for season 3. Maybe i'm a little surprised you didn't honorable mention Nashville, and maybe even Arrow, though that might be a reach. Also A+ for your photo choices, those are three hot people right there.

Well done, Dan! (Do you prefer to be called Daniel? I noticed you sign Daniel, but everyone calls you Dan - or maybe it's just Alan on the podcast and I made that up)
December 29, 2012 at 5:42PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Lana - There's no logic to when I'm "Dan" and when I'm "Daniel." I've always been "Daniel" in writing, but I seem to be "Dan" on the podcast.
  
  "Arrow" came closer than "Nashville" to making honorable mention...If I'd gone to *30* honorable mentions, "Arrow" definitely would have made it. But come on... 30 honorable mentions? That's just crazy!!! :-)
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 8:27PM EST
- Joyeful Really? Arrow over Nashville? That surprises me. I love both shows, but I thought Nashville was the critics' darling this year.
  December 29, 2012 at 8:43PM EST
- dan Joyeful - I'm my own man, darnit! Ultimately, "Arrow" comes much closer to achieving its weekly goals than "Nashville" does, even if I like elements of "Nashville" a fair amount.
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 8:59PM EST
Bailey

So happy to see LA Complex on this list! Now please send this to the CW and demand that they renew it!!!
December 29, 2012 at 6:18PM EST Reply to Comment
Alana

Uh, where's Castle?
December 29, 2012 at 6:51PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Alana - "Castle" is one of many shows that I watch and enjoy every week that just didn't make it. But I say nice things about it periodically!
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 8:28PM EST
- Joyeful I LOVE Castle, but I wouldn't put it above any of the shows on this list. Though I will say it has improved from its last season. It's way more fun than season 4.
  December 29, 2012 at 8:42PM EST
mitt romney

How is MTV's "Teen Mom 2" not on this list?!!?
December 29, 2012 at 7:53PM EST Reply to Comment
Joyeful

One of the most improved shows this year - I think - is Grimm. Apart from one really slow (and irritating) character and storyline, the show has started better utilizing its characters, the lead actor seems WAY more comfortable, and the stories are even more compelling and complex. How I wish someone would review it here!
December 29, 2012 at 8:39PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Joyeful - Sepinwall and I revisited it this fall on a podcast and yeah, it's better. It still just doesn't have enough to hook me. I place a lot of the blame on David Giuntoli. He's just too bland for me. I really like Silas Weir Mitchell. I'd watch a show about him!
  
  -Daniel
  December 29, 2012 at 8:46PM EST
- Joyeful Fair enough. I can see your point...Giuntoli was extremely wooden in the first half of the first season. I remember reading a post Sepinwall wrote mentioning that. I kept watching because of Silas Weir Mitchell and Sasha Roiz. Not so much so now....Giuntoli is so much better than he was before.
  
  He reminds me of Anna Torv from the first season of Fringe - I found her incredibly bland then. Wished I had given her more of a chance...found out afterwards how great she was.
  December 29, 2012 at 9:30PM EST
troopermsu

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see 'The Simpsons.' Has it simply gotten too familiar to be considered outstanding any longer?
December 30, 2012 at 2:26AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan TrooperMSU - If I'd gone to a next tier or 10 or even 5, "The Simpsons" would have been there easily. I remembered it after I'd finished the Honorable Mention 20 and I went back and couldn't find anything I wanted to pull. Sorry, "Simpsons"!!!
  
  -Daniel
  December 30, 2012 at 2:41AM EST
- troopermsu Ok.
  
  I think it would be cool if you had a category called something like, 'Shows I like to watch but don't merit distinction' or something like that. Maybe that's overkill. But, I'd find it interesting. It might also help illustrate your point about number of good shows available these days (a point with which I agree completely.)
  
  Good job with these end-of-year lists. And I think this has been your strongest year as a writer. I've really enjoyed your work in 2012.
  December 30, 2012 at 3:05AM EST
- dan TrooperMSU - That would be the "Everything I Watch And Kinda Like" and "Everything i Watch But Kinda Don't Like" categories. Those lists might expose me as a full-on lunatic, I fear.
  
  And thank you!
  
  -Daniel
  December 30, 2012 at 3:11AM EST
- troopermsu Daniel, I'm afraid that horse has left the barn. :)
  December 30, 2012 at 6:59PM EST
Peter D Wilson

I can't wait to see your rankings of every show on tv next year! (I cant seem to read the words in the parentheses).
December 30, 2012 at 11:33AM EST Reply to Comment
Jamie

Where is Pretty Little Liars? I LOVE THE SHOW. IT IS PERFECT!
December 30, 2012 at 8:03PM EST Reply to Comment
tvgirlnet

I'm surprised that Breaking Bad is #6, when it's one of the best shows in television history and just keeps getting better. Mad Men didn't even have its strongest season. It's a disappointment that you can't separate the comedies from dramas, because I just can't even compare a show like 'Girls' to 'Mad Men.' Not sure what you see in The Vampire Diaries. I watched the first season and it was terrible. I know not everyone is in love with 'Boss,' but not even an honorable mention for Grammer's amazing performance? If Grey's Anatomy gets a shout-out, I think Boss at least deserves one...
December 31, 2012 at 4:44AM EST Reply to Comment
- tvgirlnet I love this list though (although The Vampire Diaries puzzles me - did it get better after the first season?), and you made me want to watch a couple shows as well. I'm really glad you included Treme. It is so underrated and David Simon is just genius. Parks and Rec, another great one for the top 10 that constantly gets overlooked. I also think Homeland is vastly overrated this season and it's finally nice to NOT see it in someone's top 5 shows. Justified is another vastly underrated show....I'm so glad to see some of the underrated shows on a list! :) Also, I love Downton, but agree that is was a downgrade from season one, unfortunately. Thanks so much for sharing!
  December 31, 2012 at 4:54AM EST
- tvgirlnet Off to watch Shameless now....I've heard so many negative things about it that I've stayed away, but this got my attention.
  December 31, 2012 at 5:15AM EST
GarySF

Thought Sons of Anarchy became ridiculous and much of the time boring this season. Not on my honorable mentions.
January 2, 2013 at 3:04PM EST Reply to Comment
Mitch

I respect your opinion, but out of all this i think "Psych" should be number one, with "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" following behind in that order.
January 3, 2013 at 1:25AM EST Reply to Comment

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X "At the time, I mentioned that I had a Season 10 coming at some point"Should be "Second 10"

dan Fixed... Thanks!-Daniel

V Danial I TOTALLY support you "20 honorable shows" for REEL however I would be very disappointed if you've ignored the most ROMANTIC show EVER "Scandel" or as I call "FORBIDEN LOVE"! Thanks Dan for your opinion so much appreciated! I selute you Man ^_• two thumbs UP

a Dan-Not to be totally judgemental or to come of as an ass, but is the pedigree of the Newsroom the reason for the show coming in your worst 10? Is it that we expected more from Sorkin than other writers/showrunners and the Newsroom failed to deliver or is the show really that bad???

Kyle I hope you're way behind on sons of anarchy or idk how u got your job.

dan Kyle - Nope. Totally caught up. That's why it was in my "Most Improved" section.-Daniel

Alex_B Is American Horror Story THAT bad to most of people? I think it was the best of the season and the most improved this season. It really grabbed my attention. I wished it was the same to everybody.

dan Alex_B - "AHS" is absolutely improved this season. I still don't like it very much. But I also hate it less. It was in my Bottom 10 last year and this year it's just somewhere in the middle...-Daniel

Jon Vampire Diaries ahead of Sherlock and Walking Dead. This list is a joke.

dan Jon- No it's not.-Daniel

Rob Sir, Are you sure this is the right list? I'm pretty sure this is the most overrated TV shows. 30 rock, Vampire Diaries? Might as well put Real Housewives on this list.

dan Rob - You obviously haven't been watching "30 Rock" this season. And you obviously don't watch "Vampire Diaries." And the equating of "Real Housewives" with those two makes me wonder what you think "overrated" means.-Daniel

troopermsu I don't get how anybody can call '30 Rock' overrated. One episode contains more jokes and laughs than the entire run of 'Two And A Half Men', for example. Or pretty much any other current CBS show....

iva I love that you've included TVD. I've just recently binged on it and.. frankly I've never seen anything better on CW (not counting the 3rd season of Veronica Mars with their "great" input)

dan Cousin Larry - "Fringe" has definitely been better this year. I'd say that if you watched up to this season, you really ought to watch these last 13, just to close things off...-Daniel

tigger500 Totally agree about the sire bond storyline. I loathe it.

dan Tigger500 - It could get better! I have faith!-Daniel

PC 2.0 So happy to see Shameless at #12! It's so well done and the cast chemistry is perfect, and the writing is fearless and Emmy Rossum is a delight.

Morrie I haven't kept up on Sons of Anarchy the last couple years, but is it on most improved because it actually had a bad season last year? Also I watch every show 11-20 except Luck and love them.

dan Morrie - Last "SOA" season was a huge less. This season was more narratively focused, even with some bloated 90 minute episodes, so I enjoyed it much more. Personally. -Daniel

CC GOOD GOD WHAT TV ARE YOU WATCHING.HOW DO LEAVE OUT SHOWS LIKE THE BIG BANG THEORY AND NCIS.ALSO ELEMENTARY IS ONE OF THE BEST NEW SHOWS,AS IS VEGAS.

dan CC - This particular list that you're looking at contains a listing of at least 36 things I'm watching on TV that I just happen to prefer to "The Big Bang Theory," "Elementary" and "Vegas," all shows I happen to watch (and often enjoy) regularly. No need to shout!-Daniel

Andrew S I know it's a little off topic, but the way FX deals with on demand completely baffles me. Are they trying to push people to buy the episodes on iTunes or other services, or are they just completely incompetent in this regard?

nym Dan, can you expand on ranking Sherlock at #21? It's in my personal top 10, so I'm curious about your feelings on the show. I get the feeling that critics give it less consideration than other shows because of the 3 episode seasons.

Harry Fair enough, Dan.

Joyeful Really? Arrow over Nashville? That surprises me. I love both shows, but I thought Nashville was the critics' darling this year.

dan Joyeful - I'm my own man, darnit! Ultimately, "Arrow" comes much closer to achieving its weekly goals than "Nashville" does, even if I like elements of "Nashville" a fair amount.-Daniel

Bailey So happy to see LA Complex on this list! Now please send this to the CW and demand that they renew it!!!

Alana Uh, where's Castle?

dan Alana - "Castle" is one of many shows that I watch and enjoy every week that just didn't make it. But I say nice things about it periodically!-Daniel

Joyeful I LOVE Castle, but I wouldn't put it above any of the shows on this list. Though I will say it has improved from its last season. It's way more fun than season 4.

mitt romney How is MTV's "Teen Mom 2" not on this list?!!?

dan Joyeful - Sepinwall and I revisited it this fall on a podcast and yeah, it's better. It still just doesn't have enough to hook me. I place a lot of the blame on David Giuntoli. He's just too bland for me. I really like Silas Weir Mitchell. I'd watch a show about him!-Daniel

troopermsu Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see 'The Simpsons.' Has it simply gotten too familiar to be considered outstanding any longer?

dan TrooperMSU - If I'd gone to a next tier or 10 or even 5, "The Simpsons" would have been there easily. I remembered it after I'd finished the Honorable Mention 20 and I went back and couldn't find anything I wanted to pull. Sorry, "Simpsons"!!!-Daniel

dan TrooperMSU - That would be the "Everything I Watch And Kinda Like" and "Everything i Watch But Kinda Don't Like" categories. Those lists might expose me as a full-on lunatic, I fear.And thank you!-Daniel

troopermsu Daniel, I'm afraid that horse has left the barn. :)

Peter D Wilson I can't wait to see your rankings of every show on tv next year! (I cant seem to read the words in the parentheses).

Jamie Where is Pretty Little Liars? I LOVE THE SHOW. IT IS PERFECT!

tvgirlnet Off to watch Shameless now....I've heard so many negative things about it that I've stayed away, but this got my attention.

GarySF Thought Sons of Anarchy became ridiculous and much of the time boring this season. Not on my honorable mentions.

Mitch I respect your opinion, but out of all this i think "Psych" should be number one, with "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" following behind in that order.

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X

"At the time, I mentioned that I had a Season 10 coming at some point"

Should be "Second 10"

dan Fixed... Thanks!

-Daniel

Kyle

I hope you're way behind on sons of anarchy or idk how u got your job.

dan Kyle - Nope. Totally caught up. That's why it was in my "Most Improved" section.

-Daniel

Alex_B

Is American Horror Story THAT bad to most of people? I think it was the best of the season and the most improved this season. It really grabbed my attention. I wished it was the same to everybody.

dan Alex_B - "AHS" is absolutely improved this season. I still don't like it very much. But I also hate it less. It was in my Bottom 10 last year and this year it's just somewhere in the middle...

-Daniel

Jon

Vampire Diaries ahead of Sherlock and Walking Dead. This list is a joke.

dan Jon- No it's not.

-Daniel

Rob

Sir,
Are you sure this is the right list? I'm pretty sure this is the most overrated TV shows. 30 rock, Vampire Diaries? Might as well put Real Housewives on this list.

dan Rob - You obviously haven't been watching "30 Rock" this season. And you obviously don't watch "Vampire Diaries." And the equating of "Real Housewives" with those two makes me wonder what you think "overrated" means.

-Daniel

iva

I love that you've included TVD. I've just recently binged on it and.. frankly I've never seen anything better on CW (not counting the 3rd season of Veronica Mars with their "great" input)

dan Cousin Larry - "Fringe" has definitely been better this year. I'd say that if you watched up to this season, you really ought to watch these last 13, just to close things off...

-Daniel

tigger500

Totally agree about the sire bond storyline. I loathe it.

dan Tigger500 - It could get better! I have faith!

-Daniel

PC 2.0

So happy to see Shameless at #12! It's so well done and the cast chemistry is perfect, and the writing is fearless and Emmy Rossum is a delight.

Morrie

I haven't kept up on Sons of Anarchy the last couple years, but is it on most improved because it actually had a bad season last year? Also I watch every show 11-20 except Luck and love them.

dan Morrie - Last "SOA" season was a huge less. This season was more narratively focused, even with some bloated 90 minute episodes, so I enjoyed it much more. Personally.

-Daniel

CC

GOOD GOD WHAT TV ARE YOU WATCHING.HOW DO LEAVE OUT SHOWS LIKE THE BIG BANG THEORY AND NCIS.ALSO ELEMENTARY IS ONE OF THE BEST NEW SHOWS,AS IS VEGAS.

dan CC - This particular list that you're looking at contains a listing of at least 36 things I'm watching on TV that I just happen to prefer to "The Big Bang Theory," "Elementary" and "Vegas," all shows I happen to watch (and often enjoy) regularly.

No need to shout!

-Daniel

Andrew S

I know it's a little off topic, but the way FX deals with on demand completely baffles me. Are they trying to push people to buy the episodes on iTunes or other services, or are they just completely incompetent in this regard?

nym

Dan, can you expand on ranking Sherlock at #21? It's in my personal top 10, so I'm curious about your feelings on the show. I get the feeling that critics give it less consideration than other shows because of the 3 episode seasons.

dan Joyeful - I'm my own man, darnit! Ultimately, "Arrow" comes much closer to achieving its weekly goals than "Nashville" does, even if I like elements of "Nashville" a fair amount.

-Daniel

Bailey

So happy to see LA Complex on this list! Now please send this to the CW and demand that they renew it!!!

Alana

Uh, where's Castle?

dan Alana - "Castle" is one of many shows that I watch and enjoy every week that just didn't make it. But I say nice things about it periodically!

-Daniel

mitt romney

How is MTV's "Teen Mom 2" not on this list?!!?

dan Joyeful - Sepinwall and I revisited it this fall on a podcast and yeah, it's better. It still just doesn't have enough to hook me. I place a lot of the blame on David Giuntoli. He's just too bland for me. I really like Silas Weir Mitchell. I'd watch a show about him!

-Daniel

troopermsu

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see 'The Simpsons.' Has it simply gotten too familiar to be considered outstanding any longer?

dan TrooperMSU - If I'd gone to a next tier or 10 or even 5, "The Simpsons" would have been there easily. I remembered it after I'd finished the Honorable Mention 20 and I went back and couldn't find anything I wanted to pull. Sorry, "Simpsons"!!!

-Daniel

dan TrooperMSU - That would be the "Everything I Watch And Kinda Like" and "Everything i Watch But Kinda Don't Like" categories. Those lists might expose me as a full-on lunatic, I fear.

And thank you!

-Daniel

Peter D Wilson

I can't wait to see your rankings of every show on tv next year! (I cant seem to read the words in the parentheses).

Jamie

Where is Pretty Little Liars? I LOVE THE SHOW. IT IS PERFECT!

GarySF

Thought Sons of Anarchy became ridiculous and much of the time boring this season. Not on my honorable mentions.

Mitch

I respect your opinion, but out of all this i think "Psych" should be number one, with "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" following behind in that order.

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