12 Best TV Shows of 2012

2012 was a banner year for television, evidenced by the fact my preliminary Best of 2012 list was comprised of 26 TV shows.


But brevity won out over extravagance and I cut it down to the 12 Best TV Shows of 2012. So who made the cut? Keep clicking to find out!


Honorable Mention Goes To: The Vampire Diaries, Justified, Episodes, Dexter, Downton Abbey, 30 Rock, Pretty Little Liars, Nikita, The Walking Dead, RuPaul's Drag Race, Survivor, Raising Hope, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones.

Taking into account all the off-screen drama this comedy has endured only serves to make what's transpired onscreen all the more glorious.

Season three included several destined-to-be classic episodes – particularly the Law & Order homage Basic Lupine Urology, 32-bit game-centric Digital Estate Planning, the Ocean's 11-esque The First Chang Dynasty and Curriculum Unavailable, which almost convinced The Greendale Six (and some fans) that their experience had all been one giant shared delusion.

But the show's most astounding outing was undoubtedly Pillows and Blankets (Part 2), which was presented as a documentary so compelling, its inspiration, Ken Burns, would be proud.

Fox's trippy sci-fi series has long been the most daring, inventive and unpredictable show on television, but throughout 2012, the show added intensely emotional to their adjective mix as fans watched The Fringe Team lose friends and loved ones in their quest to right the wrongs of the past.

Now, in the show's final stretch of episodes, it's taken us into the future while simultaneously bringing us back to everything we've loved about the show since day one: the family at the center of this larger-than-life mystery.

In its first season, Ryan Murphy's gothic drama left us scared of the supernatural. But in season two, he forced us to fear a much scarier entity: ourselves.

Rules, ethics and common sense have no place inside the devilish Briarcliff Mental Institution, which allows AHS: Asylum to chill to the bone while examining topical issues like the perception of mental health and making astute assertions about how far we've come (or how far we have to go) when it comes to sexuality and gender roles.

Plus, it's given astounding actors Lily Rabe and Sarah Paulson the world stage they so justly deserve!

In its second season, the Masterpiece (both in terms of quality and its PBS home) import magnified every excellent element of season one, while also proving itself capable of flipping the script and casting a shadow of a doubt over everything fans had come to love about the detective series.

For the season finale, Sherlock's fiercest foe, Moriarty, first convinced the world that Sherlock was a charlatan. Then he nearly convinced fans they'd loved a lie all along. Not only an amazing feat, but an incredibly impressive display of narrative planning as it quickly became clear the writers had been working towards this ending since the beginning.

While Shameless is wonderful when reveling in the ridiculous schemes The Gallagher Family composes to snag that cash, I've always considered the show to be at its finest when focusing on their hearts, not their wallets.

And to me, the show's penultimate 2012 episode -- titled Just Like The Pilgrims Intended -- was its most flawless hour. Featuring the family enduring one blow (not Lip's kid) after another (Monica's suicide attempt) created its most heartbreaking, and oddly, heartwarming episode to date.

In just 16 episodes (7 in season one and 9 thus far in season two), ABC's latest Shonda Rhimes show has established itself as the most unpredictable and tension-filled hour on television. Loyalties are tested, backs are stabbed, hearts are punctured -- and that's typically just before the opening credits.

Kerry Washington has made a meal out of Olivia Pope, although that task is infinitely easier given the juicy material Rhimes supplies her -- and the rest of the stellar cast -- with.

This season took a lot of heat from critics for turning into The Megan Draper Show. I, for one, say, So what! I adored the character developments she rustled up in Don, Betty, Sally and Peggy as she navigated marriage, ex-wives, stepchildren and forgoing her career for family.

Plus, she turned a simple musical performance into a cultural event.

Elsewhere, this season gave us Fat Betty Draper, Roger's acid trip, Pete's fistfight, the emotional exodus of Lane, Sally's journey to womanhood and the most powerful kiss goodbye two colleagues have ever shared.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love Happy Endings and those who haven't seen Happy Endings. I firmly believe this because the comedy is endlessly ah-mah-zing, and anyone who thinks otherwise has simply never been exposed to the hyper-reality their taste of Chicago offers.

Jokes fly so fast and furious, a second viewing is often required. Although, that never feels like an obligation given the cast's splendid chemistry and ace comedic timing.

While the fourth season of Parks and Recreation continued to deliver laughs like few others can, it also showcased the comedy's uncanny ability to make profound statements on love, determination and all the wonderful attributes that lie just beneath Leslie Knope's whipped cream surface.

Her journey to city council was rife with speedbumps and detours, but all roads led to victory as Amy Poehler delivered her best performance to date and one of the most heartfelt speeches in fake political history.

Yes, Girls is smart, funny, heartbreaking and sexy; but certain shows tap so directly into the vein of our collective experience, watching them elicits empathy of the highest order as you know how painful these exact emotions are.

Girls' most essential success stems from the fact it beautifully brings these scenarios to life, making the audience care so deeply for the characters, reliving our worst moments sounds like the best idea.

One misguided storyline is often enough to derail an entire season, but knowing that The Good Wife can still thrives without its most enjoyable character is cause for celebration.

2012 showcased series-best work from Julianna Margulies, Alan Cumming, Christine Baranski, Josh Charles and Mary Beth Peil (I could watch Jackie & Veronica's kitchen showdown for hours), while we continued to be gifted with tremendous guest star turns; this year from Amanda Peet, Carrie Preston, Nathan Lane, Amy Sedaris and Maura Tierney.

And with Peter's campaign just heating up, chances are the great Good Wife will continue to win a spot on this list for years to come.

All television is supposed to evoke emotion, but great television will force those emotions out of you and no other series has inspired as much uncontrollable sobbing or infectious laughter as NBC’s refined family drama.

From Kristina's brave and beautiful breast cancer arc to the constantly evolving growth Amber has displayed, it's been a privilege to be an extended member of The Braverman Family. Which is, incidentally, comprised of the most talented actors on television.