TV Top 20 of 2012: 'New Girl' & 'Boardwalk Empire' lead the best of the rest
An abundance of great comedies and dramas marked the year in television
"Community," "New Girl" and "Boardwalk Empire" all made my top 20 for 2012.
Credit: NBC/FOX/HBO
11. Like I said, If I had recorded that video this week instead of last week, “New Girl” would have been in my top 10. It’s a comedy that really found its stride with the 2012 episodes, particularly starting around season 1’s “Fancyman.” What could have been a one-joke show — basically, the scripted version of the “SNL” “Bein’ Quirky” sketch with Abby Elliott as Zooey Deschanel — instead became a fully-realized ensemble comedy about the transition from your carefree 20s into the responsibilities of adult life. Max Greenfield as douche with a heart of gold Schmidt and Jake Johnson as old before his time Nick seemed to take turns stealing the show from each other (and from Deschanel, though she’s terrific so long as the writers remember that Jess is a human and not a fairy creature), and the chemistry across the entire cast is splendid. It’s a much smarter, funnier show than it was in its brief phase as an adorkable hit last fall. Hell, the fact that it briefly made me like Dermot Mulroney is almost worthy of this ranking on its own.
12. When “Boardwalk Empire” season 2 ended with the death of what, to me, was the show’s most compelling character, I worried that the third season might not be able to recover from his loss. And as we moved through the early parts of season 3 — with Nucky distracted by his relationship with Billie Kent, Margaret focused on a pre-natal health class, and the supporting characters taking turns appearing in episodes — it seemed my post-Jimmy fears were coming true. But the season’s final weeks not only picked up the intensity, but retroactively imbued some of the shaky earlier parts with more weight and meaning, in a fine example of the kind of novelistic storytelling possible in cable drama.
13. The best installment of “Community” season 3, “Remedial Chaos Theory,” aired in 2011, but the 2012 episodes were frequently splendid in their own right, whether they featured Troy and Abed being normal, Jeff turning into the Incredible Hulk, Abed and Annie digging deep in the Dreamatorium, or the entire cast turning into 8-bit video game avatars of themselves. There were some missteps along the way (Chang turning into the dictator of Greendale), and the show wasn’t quite as consistent at blending dark psychological material with laugh-out-loud comedy as it was in previous seasons, but the Dan Harmon era of “Community” still concluded in a way that reminded me of how special this show has been.
14. Season 2 of “Justified” was epic. Season 3 was just fun, as the show decided the only way to follow the quality of Mags Bennett was with a quantity of villains, including Neal McDonough’s sharp-dressed carpetbagger and Mykelti Williamson as wily Mr. Limehouse, plus previous members of the Ryalan Givens rogues gallery like Jeremy Davies as Dickie Bennett, Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy and Damon Herriman as Dewey Crowe. Add them to the usual charms of Tim Olyphant as Raylan and Walton Goggins as Boyd, and you have a season that was never dull, even if it ultimately wasn’t as deep as last year.
15. “Cougar Town” ended its run on ABC (new episodes begin on TBS on January 8) with perhaps its most consistent season, and definitely its most romantic, as Jules and Grayson marched towards a goofy and beautiful wedding, the Cul De Sac Crew helped Bobby land what seemed to be his dream girl, and Travis continued to wrestle with his feelings for Laurie. This is an incredibly sweet, ridiculous, warm show whose continued existence, even in a new home, makes me very much look forward to the start of the next year.
16. Something wasn’t entirely clicking for me with “Game of Thrones” season 2, but it actually wasn’t until I saw the show’s finest 2012 episode, “Blackwater,” before I entirely realized it. By spending an entire hour in a single location, dealing with a much smaller subset of characters than usual, “Blackwater” inadvertently shone a light on the frustrating structure the show usually uses, in which we bounce from location to location, story to story, in a way that very rarely lets any of them build up any kind of steam. The performances and many individual moments remain superb, but there were many times where the second season felt like producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff were simply checking off a list of incidents they had to feature from George R.R. Martin’s second book, without necessarily thinking how to best present it as a season of television.
17. There are deeper comedies on television than "Happy Endings." There are more ambitious and warm and human and consistent ones. But no comedy out there (with the possible exception of the resurgent "30 Rock") packs as many jokes — clever, filthy, hilarious jokes — into a half hour as "Happy Endings."
18. The only disappointing thing about Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss’ 21st Century “Sherlock” is that there isn’t more of it. Then again, part of the reason the stories — and the performances by Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson — are so great and lively is that we only get three 90-minute episodes per season, so everyone pours all their heart and creativity into each installment. This year gave us a lively version of Holmes’ romantic rivalry with Irene Adler, a showdown with the reimagined Moriarty, and a Conan Doyle-inspired cliffhanger that fans will be arguing about until all involved can reassemble from their other projects to produce the next season.
19. “Nurse Jackie,” like fellow Showtime hit “Dexter” (which narrowly missed the cut for this list; see below), became very complacent in middle age, telling variations on the same stories over and over and always allowing Jackie to escape the consequences. In its latest season, though, “Jackie” (like “Dexter”) finally stopped to face the music, and the series became so much more entertaining as a result. Forcing Jackie to open up to her co-workers, her husband, and everyone else in her life opened up interesting new territory both dramatically and comically (Jackie’s less one-sided relationship with Zoey was a particular treat), and Bobby Cannavale was a great addition as the hospital’s new corporate boss, a character who turned out to be much more complicated than you would expect at first.
20. "The Walking Dead" started 2012 still stuck on Hershel's farm, though there were some good moments along the way in the back half of season 2, like Rick's showdown with two thugs in a quiet bar, or Shane finally showing his true colors. But it wasn't until the AMC drama returned from hiatus for the start of season 3 that it really came into its own. Its characters had finally started to master how to stay alive in the zombie apocalypse, and the show in turn had learned how to play to its biggest strengths of action, suspense and using humans as the main villains rather than mindless walkers. The new season hasn't been perfect — katana-wielding Michonne has turned out to have a scowl and little more in terms of characterization — but it's by far the most consistent, exciting stretch the show has put together to date.
Others considered (in alphabetical order): “30 for 30,” “Archer,” “Awake,” “Bent,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Chuck,” “Dexter,” “Doctor Who,” “The Good Wife,” “The Hour,” “Key & Peele,” "Phineas & Ferb," “Scandal,” “Shameless,” “The Simpsons,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Southland,” “Strike Back,” “Suburgatory,” "Wilfred."
Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupBgklein
December 19, 2012 at 1:47PM EST Reply to CommentI like how something like 3 or 4 episodes of Chuck were enough for the consideration. The final episodes were just that good.
chuchundra Seriously? I mean de gustibus non disputandum, but I found the entire final season of Chuck to be a giant pile of excrement.
December 19, 2012 at 4:18PM ESTClaudio I agree with bgklein even though IMHO the ending was very sad
December 19, 2012 at 9:27PM ESTthe minister No need to account for taste. the final episodes of Chuck were objectively good.
December 27, 2012 at 1:41PM ESTI will admit you had to be a bit of a fanboy to really enjoy the rest of the season.
Tyler
December 19, 2012 at 2:01PM EST Reply to Commentmajor props Sepinwall for putting Phineas & Ferb on the other considered list. A show that is wonderful for children, but also for their parents as well.
Farrah I'd love to here Alan's views on Phineas & Ferb!
December 19, 2012 at 2:37PM ESTFarrah **hear
December 19, 2012 at 2:37PM ESTchuchundra Alan first needs to work on his review-inator.
December 19, 2012 at 4:19PM ESTzcsilverman I agree, as a parent, I spend almost as much time suffering through my kid's TV as I do watching my own, but I am truly entertained by my daughter's marathon Netflix sessions of Phineas and Ferb. I would love to hear Alan's thoughts.
December 19, 2012 at 10:20PM ESTAnthony Foglia I've seen a bunch of "Phineas & Ferb", but every time I do, I'm struck by how formulaic it is. It feels very shallow. It's better than most children's shows by far, but I don't think it would put it my top 40 of all TV. Even among kids shows, I'd rank it below "Gravity Falls" and "Adventure Time."
December 20, 2012 at 12:07AM ESTBut I think an article about the best children's TV is a great idea.
Farrah Oh a best of children's TV! SECONDED!!
December 20, 2012 at 12:42PM ESTKen Raining Alan talked about P&F on a podcast a while ago; his recommendation is actually what got us to check the show out for our daughter.
December 21, 2012 at 12:26PM EST@Anthony Foglia: Yes, it's formulaic; THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT.
Chanter
December 19, 2012 at 2:28PM EST Reply to CommentNice list!
Bob's Burgers is something like #4 on my list. So funny and heartwarming and totally weird-embracing.
nath Yeah, Bob's Burgers has become one of my favorite shows on TV. I'm surprised Alan didn't rate it higher, since he seems to like that blend of heartwarming and character-based comedy.
December 19, 2012 at 2:43PM ESTAlso curious, Alan, have you watched the season-to-date of Ben and Kate?
December 30, 2012 at 7:52AM ESTahouston32
December 19, 2012 at 2:49PM EST Reply to CommentI would have liked to see Bob's Burgers make the cut, if only because I think a stronger endorsement from Sepinwall may drive more people to watch it. It's rapid-fire comedy is on pace with, if not better than, 30 Rock.
sepinwall I'm too far behind to feel comfortable putting it in the top 20 (though have still seen more overall than Sunny, for instance).
December 19, 2012 at 2:51PM ESTMulderism
December 19, 2012 at 3:19PM EST Reply to CommentDexter? The Simpsons?? Did Dexter improve greatly this season?
I decided this year to cue up Dexter and watch them all at once rather than once a week. I've been avoiding spoilers so I don't know what's I store for the season but my expectations are low from the past 3 seasons.
Jared K Season 7 of Dexter didn't reinvent the wheel, but it did introduce some new elements that made it far more compelling this year, namely letting Deb in on Dexter's secret (which shouldn't be a spoiler if you've seen Season 6) and mostly ditching the 'Big Bad' structure as the ultimate narrative driving force. Overall, it's by far the best year the show has had since Season 2 (depending on how you feel about just how much John Lithgow elevated Season 4), and one of the better seasons overall. Of course, I don't want to get your expectations up too much.
December 19, 2012 at 4:02PM ESTAs for The Simpsons, it's still capable of being remarkably sharp and funny even as it puts minor twists on stories its told several times before. I'm not surprised Alan still considers it one of the best 40 shows on TV.
Delta1212 "Did Dexter improve greatly this season?"
December 24, 2012 at 11:40AM ESTYes, considerably. It still had a lot of the same issues as it always does, but it managed to reign them in a bit and it dealt with certain things significantly better than I expected them to be able to going in to the season.
I wouldn't consider it one of the best shows of the year, but it was improved enough that I'd have at least considered it long enough to dismiss it, which I wouldn't have done for a number of seasons of the show.
chuchundra
December 19, 2012 at 4:28PM EST Reply to CommentStraight kids' shows are a little outside of this blog's coverage area but, since you mentioned Phineas and Ferb, I wonder if you've had a chance to watch Gravity Falls?
sepinwall I have not, no.
December 19, 2012 at 5:01PM ESTodessasteps I would have said Legend of Korra was best US Animated Show this year and a worthy successor to Avatar.
December 19, 2012 at 9:19PM ESTchuchundra Gravity Falls is a real gem and something I bet you'd like a lot. It's very smart and dark, especially for a Disney show. It has a real Twin Peaks meets the X-Files vibe. In the third episode the characters go to a restaurant that's obviously based on The Black Lodge.
December 19, 2012 at 10:44PM ESTThere are only twelve episodes so far, so it's pretty easy to get caught up. Linda Cardellini does one of the voices. How could you resist?
Cousin Larry Appleton
December 19, 2012 at 7:08PM EST Reply to CommentNice to see Suburgatory get a mention. When that show is at its best, it's easily one of my 10 favorite shows on TV. Of course when it's not at its best...it makes sense to slot it into "Others Considered".
The only shows on my personal Top 10 that don't appear anywhere on here would be Veep and Raising Hope. We got Garret Dillahunt resuming his spitting battle with the alpaca. That alone made it a lock.
Nick
December 19, 2012 at 7:37PM EST Reply to CommentGood list Alan! I would put Homeland much lower than you - I actually gave up on this season about halfway through, and what I've heard has not made me at all interested in returning. And I probably also would've pushed Justified up a few notches. But hey, that sort of thing is what makes these lists fun!
One note: I'd put Archer right up there with 30 Rock and Happy Endings for jokes-per-minute ratio. I really do love that show, so I'm glad to see it get a spot in the honorable mentions list.
the minister IMHO Archer is a pretty easy top-10 pick.
December 27, 2012 at 3:01PM ESTthe minister EDIT: It's a cut above Happy Endings (and I loves me some Happy Endings, if not to excess each and every week.)
December 27, 2012 at 3:02PM ESTodessasteps
December 19, 2012 at 9:21PM EST Reply to CommentSorry not to see Doctor Who make the Top 20. Other than the horrible Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, thought most of the this season's shows were in the class of some of the nest ones of the Moffat era.
Slushy
December 19, 2012 at 9:57PM EST Reply to CommentAs far as animated series go, I'm curious if anyone watches Adventure Time. It's probably in my top ten.
kevin M
December 20, 2012 at 4:23AM EST Reply to CommentFour of the "Others Considered" would've muscled their way into my top 20... Shameless, Sons of Anarchy, Suburgatory, and Wilfred.
JacopoBelbo
December 20, 2012 at 8:20AM EST Reply to CommentNo Lilyhammer? What do you have against Norwegians? Definitely better than some of the network schlock that made your top 20. Disappointing nobody is recognizing this great NetFlix show that debuted in 2012.
Brian
December 20, 2012 at 9:26AM EST Reply to CommentI actually a little surprised to see 30 Rock so high simply based on your weekly reviews Alan. I know you think this final season has been solid, but I had gotten the feeling that you like a show like New Girl better.
Brian
December 20, 2012 at 9:30AM EST Reply to CommentThis probably doesn't belong here...but Andy Greenwald thought "2012 Presidential Coverage" was the 3rd best TV show of 2012?
Ian I'm not surprised. When I saw that placement in his top ten, my reaction was, "Of course he does."
December 20, 2012 at 2:03PM ESTChester When did he say that? His Top 10 on grantland makes no mention of it. It does not surprise me though.
December 21, 2012 at 12:03PM ESTBrian Here is his list:
December 21, 2012 at 12:06PM ESThttp://www.hitfix.com/news/tvcriticspoll/critic/andy-greenwald
De Niro
December 20, 2012 at 11:08AM EST Reply to CommentI think Breaking Bad should've been number 1, but other than that, very good list.
Blake
December 20, 2012 at 11:54AM EST Reply to CommentThanks for this list, Alan, and I also want to take this moment before the end of the world to thank you for all the good reader service you provide on this blog. I have found several good shows I love through you, so thank you for that.
That Guy
December 20, 2012 at 12:43PM EST Reply to CommentWho is Ryalan Givens?
berkowit28
December 20, 2012 at 1:27PM EST Reply to CommentI can only wonder how many episodes Alan has time to watch of shows he has decided not to review regularly. He can't watch everything, he's just one guy, but I think that a few excellent shows can escape serious consideration because he may have only seen a few episodes. Otherwise, I cannot understand how The Good Wife does not make the top 20 while a popular pile of nonsense such as The Walking Dead does. (Though since I've long given up on that one, I suppose the same criticism could be directed at me if I made lists.)
Ben Kabak
December 20, 2012 at 1:37PM EST Reply to CommentPutting Treme in a top 10 is only because one remembers how good the Wire was. Treme is a snoozefest.
stephen absolutely! I haven't watched an episode after the first season because it was a snoozefest- and ironically, the music (which I love) ruins the shows narrative
December 27, 2012 at 3:26PM EST
December 30, 2012 at 7:47AM ESTEAS
December 20, 2012 at 2:47PM EST Reply to CommentGlad to see Archer at least get a mention. I think it's such a silly show that most critics are afraid to put it alongside weightier material, but very few shows on television are as pound for pound entertaining as an episode of Archer. I would also argue it's the single most rewatchable show on tv right now. I'll tune in whenever it's on, even if it's an episode I've already seen 2-3 times. It has such a breezy, joke filled pace.
Bobby I agree! I know a lot of people who find the show to be hit and miss to them but I've seen almost every episode multiple times with a few exceptions they just never get old to me
January 27, 2013 at 11:28AM ESTmiraclemet
December 20, 2012 at 5:06PM EST Reply to Comment2012 was one word: BANJO!
Bobby There's going to be two shots...me shooting you and than me taking this shot of whiskey
January 27, 2013 at 11:27AM ESTLoz
December 20, 2012 at 8:09PM EST Reply to Comment...and where is Shameless???
Dan Obviously, not on the list
December 24, 2012 at 10:47AM ESTJahn Ghalt
December 21, 2012 at 2:58PM EST Reply to CommentBravo for giving posthumous notice to the sleeper of the Season - Luck - a Dark Horse (hah!) if ever the was one.
Many have speculated that poor ratings (only 1/2-million viewers for first showings) was the real killer - not the not horses who died (one of which was cardiac as I recall).
Mike
December 26, 2012 at 6:15PM EST Reply to CommentAmerican Horror Story and Workaholics should have gotten consideration at the very least, although I don't think Alan watches either of those shows. AHS is much better this season than season 1, and Workaholics is better than a lot of the comedies he picked (seriously....Cougar Town?)
ghoti What's wrong with Cougar Town?
December 27, 2012 at 7:48AM ESTTT What's wrong with Cougar Town? It's unwatchable crap for one thing.
December 28, 2012 at 12:07AM ESTghoti Well, I find it highly watchable and un-crap-like, so maybe it's... the title?
December 28, 2012 at 8:39AM ESTMike Because it's supposed to be a comedy and it's not funny. The only reason I ever watch is for Courtney's boobs.
December 30, 2012 at 5:43PM ESTghoti
December 27, 2012 at 7:55AM EST Reply to CommentTwo shows that I don't see on many (any?) lists that I think should at least be considered are Awkward, which has some of the funniest female characters anywhere (especially the brilliant and hilarious Desi Lydic)and Suits, which was compelling and fun viewing until what I thought was one of the worst season finales of the year. I still think it's probably USA's best show.
Bobby
January 27, 2013 at 11:25AM EST Reply to CommentI really liked this list the shows I've seen I couldn't agree more on here, for my money I would have also included Adventure Time which I thought took huge steps forward in terms of animation and narrative this season, Always Sunny which still manages to be really consistently funny in its 8th Season, Archer which I actually like more than Bob's Burgers at least as a comedy and Portlandia which I sometimes question the quality of since I know a lot of people who don't like it but is my personal favorite sketch comedy on TV right now. I do understand FX has stopped sending advance copies though