The Best Television Shows of 2011

TV Show: Happy Endings

Network: ABC

Cast: Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr., Casey Wilson

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Display Width: 200Happy Endings
ABC
A wonderful consequence of the ever-diluting niche audiences networks are forced to carve out is that they can be patient with shows that aren’t exactly out-of-the-box successes either ratings-wise or creatively. NBC let Parks and Recreation stumble through a misguided, shortened first-season before fine-tuning and turning into one of television’s best half-hours just months later. ABC has two such success stories — one being Cougar Town, which escaped it’s gimmicky title to become a fantastic hang-out comedy — and one of them is this season’s break-out, Happy Endings.

Stacked with an ensemble cast littered of semi-known television secret weapons — Eliza Coupe as tightly wound working wife Jane, Casey Wilson and merely spinning in circles Penny, and Damon Wayans, Jr’s bungling husband Brad — and genuine finds — I swear, Elisha Cuthbert has become a bankable comic actress and not merely Dion Phaneuf’s better half — and a powerhouse, potentially star-making performance by Adam Pally, currently TV’s most reliable funny-man (watch his work in this year’s Halloween episode alone, it’s the best stuff anyone’s done for as long as I can remember). Combined with ever-sharpening writing and characters who remain likable despite knowing that they’re usually headed towards doing the wrong thing, Happy Endings can’t be TV’s best kept secret much longer. Steve Lepore

 

TV Show: Falling Skies

Network: TNT

Airtime: Sundays, 9pm ET

Director: Carl Franklin

Cast: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Colin Cunningham, Connor Jessup

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Falling Skies
TNT

Falling Skies opens six months after a massive attack against earth, an attack that has destroyed major cities and wiped out long-range communications. Our ragtag band of survivors has been scrounging around in the suburbs of Boston, but by now they’ve picked the area clean and the aliens keep targeting progressively smaller groups of humans for extermination. Commander Porter (Dale Dye) decides to split the group in two and send them in different directions. Weaver (Will Patton), a soldier with extensive military experience, will be in charge of the 2nd Massachusetts Unit, with Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) as his second-in-command. Falling Skies‘ mix of compelling individuals helps to make its early use of formula less troublesome than it might have been. Later episodes develop interesting and diverse motives, as the 2nd Mass begins to figure out what the aliens are up to and how to fight them more effectively. Wyle’s earnest hero is flawed and sympathetic, as he struggles with his loss, seeks to save the world, and develops a relationship with a doctor named Anne (the excellent Moon Bloodgood). What’s remarkable is that he’s only one of many reasons that Falling Skies is good science fiction. Chris Conaton

 

TV Show: Beavis and Butthead

Network: MTV

Cast: Mike Judge

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Beavis and Butthead
MTV

You might guess that Beavis and Butt-Head, with their slacker attitudes and penchant for music-video-viewing, were wholly a product of their time. It turns out that the same dim-wittedness (and, in some cases, animation) work in any era. Sure, they’re now plopped in front of Jersey Shore and Teen Mom — shows that are basically their own self-satire, so you’d think there’d be nothing else to say about them. But writer/voice actor Mike Judge knows just what to say — something so profoundly stupid, it’s stupidly profound — to wring out the most laughs out of any situation, including The Situation. Marisa LaScala

 

TV Show: New Girl

Network: FOX

Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone

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New Girl
FOX

New Girl begins with a very typical fish-out-of-water premise: When Jess (Zooey Deschanel) breaks up with her long-time boyfriend, she needs to find a new living situation and winds up taking a room in an apartment with three dudes. The charm comes from how goofy all four roommates are. Sometimes the boys rightfully tease Jess for her quirky social blind spots, and sometimes they’re just as clueless as she is. And it’s always a good time watching Deschanel indulge her ultimate inner dork. Marisa LaScala

 

TV Show: Bored to Death

Network: HBO

Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson, Heather Burns

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Bored to Death
HBO

Despite gratuitous nudity, double-crossing gunplay, and a pile of corpses, Bored to Death was a remarkably gentle show for most of final season (HBO canceled the series on December 20) and its characters surprisingly lovable. An especially engaging episode, like “Gumball”, could make you want to give its tush an affectionate squeeze. But in the final hour, creator Jonathan Ames threw the audience an icky curve ball, and viewers had to decide if they could keep on loving bumbling detective Jonathan Ames (Jonathan Schwartzman) after learning he had decided to hide a whopper of a secret from his girlfriend (Ames explains his creative choices here). I’d like to extend Jonathan the benefit of the doubt, just as he did for all the eccentrics who populated Bored to Death’s madcap universe. The show’s deft, absurd humor was one of its hallmarks (introducing her fiancé, one woman explains, “I met him at a séance where we were trying to communicate with the original designer of Fiestaware”), but the relaxed, poignant rapport among the three leads was its main draw. Ted Danson was loose and funny as the urbane George, Zack Galifianakis was a hilarious live wire as the infantile Ray, and Schwartzman injected the neurotic, self-obsessed Jonathan with such good-natured naiveté, it was difficult not to find him endearing… even after that head-scratcher of a finale. Marisa Carroll

30 – 26

TV Show: Men of a Certain Age

Network: TNT

Airtime: Wednesdays, 10pm ET

Cast: Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, Scott Bakula, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Penelope Ann Miller, Melinda McCraw, Jon Manfrellotti

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Display Width: 200Men of a Certain Age
TNT

The illusion of a bountiful US economy and the promise of upward mobility dissipate for good in Series Two of Men of a Certain Age. That such a topical, serious premise also produce in Men of a Certain Age a witty, tender, and thought-provoking drama attests to its subtle writing and exceptional performances, exposing both the intimacy and broad themes in any given moment. As the scripts counterpoint light with dark, threat with the elusive promise of contentment, Men of a Certain Age peers ever deeper into the men’s psyches. And just as they’re unsure of their roles, their feelings, and the futures ahead of them, so, too, are viewers who join them on the journey. While the show clearly targets boomers and near-boomers as its audience, younger viewers might also want to tune in, and find out just how hard they will need to work to live in a world without certainty and short on optimism. Lesley Smith

 

TV Show: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Network: Comedy Central

Cast: Jon Stewart

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The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Comedy Central

The persistent debate about what exactly The Daily Show is continues on. Is it, as its detractors insist, a political, partisan outlet using comedy as a guise for its liberal bias? Or is it, as Stewart maintains, first and foremost a comedy show, but one with important satirical criticisms to make about American culture and politics? While the former’s criticism is facile and disingenuous, Stewart misses an element of truth in that criticism. The Daily Show is not just a comedy show, nor is it “comedy first, criticism second”. Over the course of the show’s evolution, from its beginnings with Craig Kilborn to the direction Stewart has taken it over his tenure, it has stopped being a “fake news show”. The Daily Show is a bona fide, hypocrisy-exposing machine. Yes, it’s comedic, but that doesn’t detract from the serious quality of the show. Stewart wants his audience to laugh, but he wants them to think simultaneously. Though the country may be getting worse politically, Stewart and his team of correspondents only keep getting better; and, with the ridiculous reality show that is the Republican race, things are only looking up from here. The Daily Show is unlike any other news or comedy show ever to exist in the history of television, and for that reason it remains one of television’s most shining programs. Brice Ezell

 

TV Show: Misfits

Network: Hulu

Cast: Joseph Gilgun, Iwan Rheon, Robert Sheehan, Lauren Socha, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Antonia Thomas

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Misfits
Hulu

The third series of the UK’s Misfits might remind viewers of the old Carry On! Films. In its latest incarnation, the series delivers a steady barrage of zaniness, a punk-like anarchy, a good sampling of cockney low farce, as well as mayhem and blood. This zaniness began two years ago, when five 20somethings doing community service in the Docklands area of East London were caught up in a sudden storm that left them with superpowers. This bit of sci-fi serves as it does in Phillip K. Dick or Rod Serling, compressing and accelerating classic themes, like individuals finding their destinies or communities being forged, while allowing for some Monty Python-esque hilarity. Misfits adds another ingredient to this amalgam, recalling Big Brother, but with more intelligence. I mean that the show creates a world riddled by chance, mystery, inexplicable good and evil, and an ongoing irrationality, interrupted by the bonds of face-to-face friendship. Joseph Natoli

 

TV Show: Downton Abbey

Network: PBS

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt

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Downton Abbey
PBS

Julian Fellowes’s series about a grand English estate and its upstairs/downstairs worlds is set during the period of the decline of the English aristocracy and is the most successful British costume drama since Brideshead Revisited. Season One — shown in the U.S. in January 2011 — is set in the two years prior to World War I, while Season Two, shown in Britain this fall, shows Downton during the war. A brilliant ensemble cast and exquisitely written characters make Downton Abbey obsessive viewing. Originally intended to end after Season Two, the show’s unexpected success has led to Fellowes to agree to do a third season, which will chronicle events at Downton during the ’20s. Robert Moore

 

TV Show: Enlightened

Network: HBO

Cast: Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Luke Wilson, Sarah Burns, Amy Hill

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Enlightened
HBO

To those who have avoided Enlightened on the grounds that the show wants to convert you into a patchouli-smelling new age hippie, you can rest easy. Enlightened’s rehabilitated/ self-bettered lead character, Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern in the performance of her career), is not even that likable. She’s stubborn, obtuse, and quite often single-minded (and she also sucks at her job). But throughout the course of the show, you come to realize that she kind of has to be this way in order to come up a demeaning, alienating corporate existence, not to mention a series of cold and distant relationships with her mother, her ex-husband, and her ex-best friend, and still retain any warmth or optimism. Amy’s path to enlightenment is not a straight line, but she’s also smart enough to realize that it’s not only about self-fulfillment. Her attempts to quell her ex-husband’s self-destruction and, in particular, her final decision to channel her anger into taking down Abadonn, her tyrannical employer, show that the path is just as much outward-facing as inward-guided. Timh Gabriele

25 – 21

TV Show: Wilfred

Network: FX

Cast: Elijah Wood, Jason Gann, Fiona Gubelmann, Dorian Brown

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Display Width: 200Wilfred
FX

Wilfred walks a precarious line in its plotting. At times, the show is primarily occupied by the surrealist humor of the situation Ryan (Elijah Wood) finds himself in; he, unlike anyone else, sees his neighbor’s dog Wilfred (Jason Gann) as an Australian man in a dog costume. The results are predictably hilarious; witness Wilfred’s excitement in coming upon a pelican at a beach, only to kill it a moment later as a young family observes in horror, or his delusion that his Monopoly money is, in fact, real money. In other moments, however, the show’s comedy takes sharp, dark turns, which involves the absurdist plot in deep personal issues like depression in isolation. The show sometimes fails to balance these two elements evenly, but when it does, it’s brilliant. The little moral lessons found at the end of each episode are never trite; clichéd, perhaps, but never trite. He may be a pot-smoking dog, but Wilfred has a lot to teach Ryan with his deranged sense of humor. Wilfred, like The Office before it, is continuing proof that an American version of a Commonwealth TV show need not be hackneyed or a carbon copy. Brice Ezell

 

TV Show: Torchwood: Miracle Day

Network: Starz

Airtime: Fridays, 10pm ET

Cast: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins, Bill Pullman, Kai Owen

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Torchwood: Miracle Day
Starz

At its core, Torchwood has always been a series about death. During its first three seasons on BBC, immortal hero Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) led his team against extraterrestrial visitors who were often intent on destroying humanity. As a result, Torchwood amassed a staggering death toll, a fact that Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) notes early in the 10-episode new season, subtitled Miracle Day. But for all the dying going on, Torchwood also is a series about life. During the controversial, critically acclaimed 2009 season, Children of Earth, Torchwood and its team were decimated. And fans were left asking what could possibly survive when the series was “reborn” as a Starz/BBC collaboration. Part of the answer is logistical: the new season offers a primarily new, mostly American cast, U.S. locations (although Wales is featured in the first episode), and, in many ways, a chance for Torchwood to start over. With the Starz-BBC partnership in place, Torchwood has returned, mixing old and new. Captain Jack’s fans hope that he lives a long time so they can enjoy those “bigger” stories Davies so likes to tell. Lynnette Porter

 

TV Show: Up All Night

Network: NBC

Cast: Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph, Jennifer Hall, Will Arnett

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Up All Night
NBC

NBC has best comedies on television because the network broadcasts shows about people, not premises. Up All Night is proof: There are no wacky reasons these characters are together (sorry, 2 Broke Girls) and no contrivances keeping them there. Instead, the show — about a couple raising a newborn, simple as that — draws humor from its characters not through their circumstances, but by being who they are. And, with the comedic chops of Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph behind them, who they are is very funny indeed. Marisa LaScala

 

TV Show: Once Upon a Time

Network: ABC

Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Jared S. Gilmore, Raphael Sbarge

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Once Upon a Time
ABC

Once Upon a Time robs classic fairy tale characters of the knowledge of their previous identities and transplants them to a small town in present-day Storybrooke, Maine. modern While the premise could have easily turned silly or came across as a rip-off of DC/Vertigo comic, Fables; the show has become its own unique animal. Once Upon a Time treats the residents of Storybrooke very seriously — flitting between their magical past and their tangled present. Aside from Ginnifer Goodwin’s multi-layered portrayal of Snow White and her modern counterpart Mary Margaret Blanchard, the show’s most compelling characters are its villains. Lana Parrilla’s Mayor Regina Mills may or may not be aware that she was the once-and-future Evil Queen — but plays a smartly veiled sociopath that astonishingly wrings a molecule of sympathy from viewers. While Regina’s knowledge of her past is one of a many mysteries yet to be unraveled, Robert Carlyle’s Mephistophelian Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold is keenly aware of who — and what — he really is in all his diabolical glory. Lana Cooper

 

TV Show: Homeland

Network: Showtime

Cast: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, David Harewood, Diego Klattenhoff, Jackson Pace

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Homeland
Showtime

Along with Game of Thrones, the finest new series of 2011 was Showtime’s Homeland. Intelligent, brilliantly written, and even more brilliantly acted, the show centers on whether or not Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody (Damian), held in captivity for eight years by a Muslim extremist cell, as flipped to become a Muslim terrorist as CIA analyst Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) suspects. Danes’s Mathison is one of the more compelling characters on TV, brilliant but also suffering from an extreme form of bipolar disorder that she has kept secret from the CIA. The characters all inhabit a world of grays, not the blacks and whites that one might have expected given the creators’ 24 pedigree. Robert Moore

20 – 16

TV Show: Doctor Who

Network: BBC

Cast: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill

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Display Width: 200Dr. Who
BBC

The sixth season of Doctor Who was arguably its most ambitious since the Doctor’s 2005 return. Show runner Steven Moffat excels at crafting long-term arcs that weave in and out of themselves across multiple years. Individual strands aren’t paid off until much later, and he excels at pulling the rug out from under the audience. It’s ambitious storytelling, especially for a show that can be quite silly at times. Along with the complex plotting, the other highlight is the remarkable work of Matt Smith, who’s crafted a Doctor who’s much different while maintaining the show’s legacy. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvil are charming as Amy and Rory, the married couple who share the Doctor’s adventures. Finally, Moffat’s ace in the hole is Alex Kingston’s lively River Song, a key player in the long-term story. There were a few missteps along the way, but high points far outweigh any minor slips during this excellent season. Dan Heaton

 

TV Show: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Network: HBO

Cast: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman

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Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO
The “Social Assassin” with “Breast Vision”. A “Gentleman” who incites street riots over poultry and enrages battered wives, girl scouts, dying pets, a grown man called “Big Dog” and Ricky Gervais. Y’know, that guy who attends funerals with a smiley face sunburnt onto his forehead but “Selflessly” disarms drunks on planes. Sure it occasionally dipped to “Almost Genius” when our hero was self-exiled to New York but the episodes with ‘the gang’ (Funkhouser got funky, who knew?) and that pitch-perfect Michael J. Fox finale proved there’s no such thing as “Too Much Larry”. Curb Your Enthusiasm is God’s gift to us all. It makes the sunshine brighter, dark days lighter and provides an invaluable life lesson that no matter how much we ourselves screw up, no one does faux pas like Larry David. “LOL” indeed. Matt James

 

TV Show: Archer

Network: FX

Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter

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Archer
FX
In its first season, Archer was an often wickedly funny spy parody that doubled as a workplace comedy. The show’s second season upped the ante in nearly every way, though. Series creator and head writer Adam Reed’s penchant for absurdist, referential, and bizarre humor has come through in his previous shows (Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo), but the folks at FX have pushed him hard in terms of character development and continuity. Nowhere was this combination of this absurdity and consistency more apparent than in the show’s exploration of its supporting character histories. In season two we discovered that plus-sized human resources manager Pam was in a fight club and that she has a Lord Byron poem tattooed on her back. We also found out that clueless receptionist Cheryl is actually a billionaire heiress who lives in a mansion with a pet ocelot. Both of those things are insane, but they make perfect sense within the world of Archer. This is the kind of show that can give its main (male) character breast cancer and treat it as a serious emotional issue, while still having the rest of the cast make fun of him for getting breast cancer. Holding all of this together is one of the best voice casts on television, anchored by the excellent H. Jon Benjamin and Jessica Walters. Chris Conaton

 

TV Show: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Network: FX

Cast: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
FX

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia goes where no other live action comedy dares to. After a lackluster season last year, Season 7 sees the gang taking their outrageous antics to new lows, including Facebook stalking, tax evasion, and stealing tour boats to make it to an action movie on time. This season also saw a personal de-evolution for many of the characters: Mac (Rob McElhenny) packed on 50 pounds and deluded himself that it was muscle mass. Dee (Kaitlin Olson) aired her “mommy issues” onstage at a children’s pageant. And Frank (Danny DeVito) simultaneously proposed to and eulogized a prostitute. The talented cast members (most of whom double as the show’s writers) take the group of unlikeable Philly bar misfits and turn them into a bunch of loveable losers that — against their better judgment — viewers can’t help but root for. Sunny is the much-needed belly laugh antidote to tame, polite titter comedy so abundant on network television. Lana Cooper

 

TV Show: Sons of Anarchy

Network: FX

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior, Dayton Callie, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Ryan Hurst

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Sons of Anarchy
FX

The fourth season of Kurt Sutter’s Hamlet-inspired drama proved, if there was ever any doubt, why Shakespeare’s play still has such weight. Amidst the familial drama (Wendy’s return; Piney’s death) government intrigue (government forces descending upon the Sons like locusts) and high personal stakes (Otto giving Bobby up to Potter), one scene stands out above all others. After Tara’s injury, her future as a surgeon uncertain, she loses her cool and snaps at Jax, who sits by her bedside. Blaming him for what has happened to her, she quite potently tells him to leave the room, with all the power of Hamlet telling Ophelia to leave for a nunnery. This perfectly-crafted inversion of a classic theatrical moment catapulted the already-brilliant Sons to a whole new level. Kevin Brettauer

15 – 11

TV Show: How I Met Your Mother

Network: CBS

Cast: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan

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Display Width: 200 How I Met Your Mother
CBS

In 2011, How I Met Your Mother did what many of the sitcom’s most vocal critics have been clamoring for, they pushed protagonist Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) cloying quest for love to the side in order to focus on the most interesting aspect of the of the series, the supporting cast. Beyond employing some of the most intricate narrative structures since Arrested Development, HIMYM presents the friends, now in their thirties, dealing with the hard facts of aging. Perpetual bachelor Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) considers his future and reconnects with his long lost father (John Lithgow); Lily (Alison Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel) move forward with their plans to start a family; Canadian reporter Robin (Cobie Smulders) examines her own life in new ways; and as a whole the group deals with sudden, traumatic loss. The show gained an emotional weight it lacked, adding depth and substance to the laughs. Brent McKnight

 

TV Show: Modern Family

Network: ABC

Cast: Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet

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Modern Family
ABC

Modern Family’s success, both critical and commercial, can directly be attributed to its varied and often outlandish cast of charactersrelating to each other in everyday moments. It’s a series about family and all that that entails, and its best moments come from the interactions between the sometimes unexpected pairings. Familiar, uneasy, antagonistic, and poignant, the Pritchett and Dunphy clans highlight the humor in the everyday lives of a large, close-knit family. With breakout characters such as Cam (Eric Stonestreet), Gloria (Sofia Vergara), and Phil (Ty Burrell) constantly stealing scenes, Modern Family almost always delivers on the laughs, but even when it doesn’t the series still manages to resonate in smaller, more thoughtful ways. J.M. Suarez

 

TV Show: Friday Night Lights

Network: DirecTV

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Gaius Charles, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Taylor Kitsch

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Friday Night Lights
DirecTV

What’s left to be said about one of the greatest television programs ever made? If you haven’t watched it after being implored for five years by critics to watch Peter Berg’s high school football/family drama, then I doubt there’s anything I can say here to change your mind. Instead, let’s continue as a “Fans Only” tribute to Coach, Coach’s Wife, Riggins, Saracen, Lance, and the rest of the exceptional cast that helped make these past five seasons some of the best ever aired. Sure, there were times during season two when I wanted to scream “What are you doing, son?!” at the show’s writing team. For the most part, though, Coach’s crew flowed flawlessly from title to title. Fans can harbor a bit of bitterness for seasons lost due to poor ratings, but even with a shortened lifespan everyone involved in Friday Night Lights can be proud in knowing they never jumped the shark. After all, clear eyes and full hearts can’t lose. Ben Travers

 

TV Show: 30 Rock

Network: NBC

Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander

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30 Rock
NBC

Thanks to scheduling issues, fans saw but a mere six and a half hours of 30 Rock in 2011, but the show made its airtime count, sprinting through the back half of its fifth season with typical energy. After five years on the air, Tina Fey can’t help but move her characters along developmentally — Alec Baldwin’s Jack with a marriage and baby; Jane Krakowski’s Jenna with a loving partner, and Fey’s Liz Lemon with her ongoing attempts to find stability in her life — but never sedates them. Instead, the show has made excellent use of recurring guest stars like Elizabeth Banks and Will Forte to broaden the show’s scope of relationships without skimping on the craziness. The ensemble could become overcrowded; instead, we watch talented actors passing the ball around and around. Jesse Hassenger

 

TV Show: Fringe

Network: FOX

Cast: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole

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Fringe
Fox

It used to be that the best way to summarize J.J. Abrams’ Fringe was to describe it, perhaps too simply, as a sci-fi Trojan War. The show’s recent episodes, however, have made the overall through-line of the narrative all the more clear. If the story was set into motion by an act of madness induced by love, causing a massive catastrophe, this was the year we learned that only through acts of sanity caused by love can plug the holes in creation. John Noble continued his Emmy-worthy performance as the tormented Walter Bishop, and Anna Torv found new ways to shine exploring the multiversal possibilities of Olivia Dunham. Few shows take the same kind of chances as Fringe, and thus, few are as good. Kevin Brettauer

10 – 6

TV Show: Boardwalk Empire

Network: HBO

Cast: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Aleksa Palladino, Michael Stuhlbarg

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Display Width: 200Boardwalk Empire
HBO

The sun seldom shines in the Atlantic City of Boardwalk Empire. Above the stretches of sand, the winter skies are dismal and overcast, creating the perfect backdrop for the shady dealings that take place in the city’s distilleries, backrooms, and speakeasies. We see that power isn’t just about muscle and money; it’s about the friends you keep and the favors you grant. If the violence can be shocking, it is also framed by a mordant humor. Marisa Carroll

 

TV Show: Game of Thrones

Network: HBO

Cast: Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Michelle Fairley, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Iain Glen

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Games of Thrones
HBO

HBO was never a network known for science fiction and fantasy (though one could argue Entourage fit the bill for posing Adrian Grenier as a movie star) but went about their biggest foray ever into the genre in a very HBO-ish way: shocking plot twists, terrific acting, and a desire to go beyond what the current crop of fantasy shows on television currently do to bring a mainstream audience to a somewhat cult-ish series of novels, and re-define the genre entirely.

…And that’s as long as I can go in this piece on Game of Thrones without mentioning how great Peter Dinklage is. The guy lights up the screen in everything he’s in, and this is no exception. But here he is, almost an afterthought at times in a cast that includes a bizarre cast (the fat dad from Still Standing?) who all deliver each and every week. Sean Bean’s work as Eddard Stark will go down as some of the best acting to make such an impact in that short amount of time in the history of television. It’ll be a shame to not see him rise to the long-living mythos of great HBO characters, but it’ll certainly be a delight to jump back into Game of Thrones when it returns later this year. Steve Lepore

 

TV Show: The Walking Dead

Network: AMC

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs

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The Walking Dead
AMC
The Walking Dead had a turbulent summer, as its network (AMC) unceremoniously fired showrunner, writer, and director Frank Darabont just as production began on the second season. The show was left in what turned out to be the capable hands of Glen Mazzara and original comic book series’ creator Robert Kirkman. This is a show that still has its share of issues (meandering plotlines, stilted dialogue), but it really knows how to ratchet up the tension and deliver great zombie action. This season also filled out its supporting cast, giving beefier roles to Glenn (Steven Yuen), Shane (Jon Bernthal), and the self-sufficient redneck hunter Daryl (Norman Reedus). The series raised intriguing questions regarding survival in a zombie-infested world, characterized in the debate between Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) band of survivors and their host, Hershel (Scott Wilson). And let’s not forget that whopper of a midseason finale, a gut-punch that very nearly made all the wandering that came before worth it. Chris Conaton

 

TV Show: Louie

Network: FX

Cast: Louis C.K.

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Louie
FX

In FX’s terrific series Louie, Louie C.K.’s onscreen persona is socially awkward, susceptible to ill-advised suggestions, and ridiculously foolish when it comes to love. On at least two occasions, his school-age daughters have rescued him from imminent danger. But behind the scenes, the writer-director-performer is in total command of his vision and his medium. With a perceptive eye and finely tuned ear, he captures myriad truths about living in contemporary New York, with its flashes of transcendent beauty and material absurdity. Nowhere was this more evident than in the episode “Subway/Pamela,” when Louie’s attention is torn between a virtuoso violinist playing on a subway platform and the loopy bag man who suddenly appears and decides to give himself an impromptu sponge bath. But underlying the entire series is the divorced father’s quest to be a decent dad to his kids and a good man in the world at large, which makes Louie one of those special works of art that could inspire viewers to be braver, better people in their own lives (see “Ducklings,” about Louie’s experience on a USO tour in Afghanistan, specifically). All that, and wet-your-pants funny, too. Marisa Carroll

 

TV Show: Breaking Bad

Network: AMC

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk

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Breaking Bad
AMC

In a show which gleefully excels in spellbinding ‘WTF’ moments — from suburban acid baths and ‘Death by ATM Machine’ to Danny Trejo’s severed head astride an exploding reptile — there was one moment in this season’s climax that literally left me breathless. A moment I’ll never forget; the seemingly invincible Gustavo Fring stepping Terminator-like from the wreckage of his fiery grave, pausing to straighten his tie before the camera revealed his true ghoulish fate. Mind-blowing in more ways than one. Despite retaining some semblance of Gonzo hyper-reality, Breaking Bad remains truly the only TV programme which is utterly, brilliantly, unpredictable. The only foresight gripped viewers get to hold is that uncomfortable, inescapable certainty that the grim reaper’s shadow is rapidly descending on our anti-heroes, Walter and Jesse. Breaking Bad is fire for the imagination. Matt James

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TV Show: Being Human

Network: BBC America

Airtime: Saturdays, 9pm ET

Cast: Russell Tovey, Aidan Turner, Lenora Crichlow, Sinead Keenan

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Display Width: 200Being Human
BBC America

In the third season of BBC America’s Being Human, vampire Mitchell (Aidan Turner), along with the werewolves George (Russell Tovey) and Nina (Sinead Keenan), are looking for a new home in Wales, having been run out of Bristol. Missing is Annie (Lenora Crichlow), a ghost stuck in Purgatory, sending out desperate cries for help to Mitchell through staticky black and white television images. Time is running out for her, and Mitchell is frantically searching for a way to save her, by crossing over and back. As preposterous as this sounds, Being Human benefits from being reasonably self-aware as well as intelligent in the questions it asks. The four friends are determined to retain (or reclaim) that human part of themselves that may have been lost in their transformation to the supernatural. Much like other shows about other societal outliers (True Blood, Angel), this one asks where the line might exist between human and monster? What does “being human” mean, anyhow? Renée Scolaro Mora

 

TV Show: Justified

Network: FX

Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts

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Justified
FX

One of television’s underrated gems during its first season, Justified breaks out during its second outing and wonderfully expands the world of Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant). Springing from the mind of Elmore Leonard, this crime drama effectively incorporates sharp dialogue and colorful characters into a violent criminal landscape. Olyphant is charming as the old-school lawman with his own set of rules for dealing with the Kentucky underworld. He’s matched by the compelling Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder, a lifelong heel who’s trying to figure out his place. The Emmy-winning Margo Martindale deserves all the acclaim playing Mags Bennett, a villain with relatable intentions. It’s a fun and stylish series that makes its surprises feel effortless, which is no easy task for modern audiences. Dan Heaton

 

TV Show: Parks and Recreation

Network: NBC

Cast: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Schneider

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Parks and Recreation
NBC

Bridging from its triumphant third season into its delightful fourth, Parks and Recreation could easily have faltered: its characters could’ve grown broader and cartoonier, as comedy characters often do; or the show’s pervading sweetness and optimism could’ve grown cloying through plot turns like Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) deciding to run for office and receiving unexpected support from her coworkers and her off-and-on boyfriend Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott). Instead, the show remains a delicate source of smartly written character comedy, less an Office imitator than a successor to that show’s style and subtlety, putting its own delightful spin on smallish-city life, including weddings (“April and Andy’s Fancy Party”), town rivalries (“Eagleton”), gender politics (“Pawnee Rangers”), and, um, almost everyone in town getting together and getting drunk (“The Fight”). Few other shows could wring such laughs out of getting along. Jesse Hassenger

 

TV Show: Community

Network: NBC

Cast: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase

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Community
NBC

At this point, there isn’t really much left to say about NBC’s hiatus-bound comedy Community that hasn’t been said better by others. From season one’s reliably hilarious “misfits form a surrogate family” sitcom that slowly discovered it could do things other shows couldn’t, to season two, where the show became the closest live-action television has come to re-create vintage Simpsons flexible reality, genre parody, and pure ambition. Now, we’re in the midst of a third season, which has worked hard to sort of fuse the two (see December’s “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism”, which featured a touching Shirley-and-Jeff story, but also delved into parodies of anime and the return of Abed-as-Batman) but is now headed for suspended animation, at least until whatever NBC throws on at mid-season fails.

It’s a shame, but really, like with Arrested Development we should be thrilled with what we’ve gotten. The season will be completed and, if the show is cancelled, we’ll be left with 71 episodes of wild, yet grounded television that gave us the magic of Donald Glover crying, the gutbusting laughter-meets-almost uncomfortable sex appeal of Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs, the solid-as-a-rock leading man quality of Joel McHale, Danny Pudi’s almost Avatar-ian shapeshifting, the ability to do more with less material than anyone of Yvette Nicole Brown, the career revival of Chevy Chase, and whatever the hell kind of awesomeness Ken Jeong and Jim Rash bring to the show any given week. Sure, it’s a show with a heart three sizes two large and a brain ten times too fast at certain moments. But when they get it all right — which the writers, directors and cast do, with alarming frequency — nothing on television brings me the pure joy Community can. You have up to four months to catch up on it folks, please do so. Steve Lepore

 

TV Show: Treme

Network: HBO

Cast: Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, India Ennenga, John Goodman, Michiel Huisman, Melissa Leo

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Treme
HBO

The story of creative types and ordinary people struggling through a ravaged post-Katrina New Orleans, Treme is far more sprawling and less morbidly tense than producer David Simon’s previous series, The Wire and Generation Kill, but it’s just as severe an indictment of the institutionalization of corruption and suffering as those shows were. Luckily, it’s also a program that illustrates how things like music, food, and community can transcend that misery and offer broken lives moments of pure joy. In Season 2, the national media’s gaze has shifted, but the city remains as volatile as ever. When sudden acts of violence break out in this setting, they are all the more shocking because the characters are not gangsters, cops, or soldiers. In the wake of this continued destruction though, the cast of Treme continues to try to create something new, be it new musical projects (Antoine, Davis, Annie, Delmond), new cuisine (Janette), new lives (Sonny, Sofia), or a new New Orleans itself (real estate developer Nelson Hidalgo). A tremendous ensemble effort. Timh Gabriele