2011 saw some amazing shows just get better as well as go above & beyond expectations. What seemed to be lacking were
new original series & what was available was not that appetizing. Shows like
Happy Endings,
Twentysomething &
Wilfred, which did not make the list, were that breath of fresh air & there were some rare new shows that stood out so much & were so damn good that they surpassed longstanding series by a mile.
11. Parks & Recreation
The third season of
Parks & Rec. really knocked it out of the park especially with Ben Wyatt & his eventual romance with Leslie Knope. While the fourth season has gone a bit stagnant in some parts it is still pulling shots like no other. In season three we start off with Ron Swanson introducing us to the ‘Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness’ & things only get better from there. We see the return of Tammy 2, Matt Besser & Nick Kroll guest star as ‘Crazy Ira & the Douche’, Li’l Sebastian, a secret wedding, Jerry’s painting, ‘Snake Juice’, & Entertainment 720. While there haven’t been as much high’s yet in the fourth season there still have been some great episode especially whenever Tom Haverford is involved.
10. Archer
While Adam Reeds previous show
Frisky Dingo failed to see a third season as their production company went under it is great to see him succeed on FX with
Archer. 2011 brought the second season of
Archer & a 3-part mini-arc for the third season which will be continued in 2012. In season 2 we saw some amazing things like little baby Seamus being brought into the world & Archer getting breast cancer. “Placebo Effect” probably remains one of the best episodes of the season just for the risk it took with Archer & its storyline. The episode was then followed up by “El Secuestro” & gave a hilarious backstory not only to Cheryl/Carol but to Pam as well. The 3-part mini-arc as well was just enough of a tease to make the wait for the rest of season 3 a living hell.
9. Boardwalk Empire
The second season of
Boardwalk Empire started off with a bang & continued to just get better & really take some risks unlike the slow burning first season. Immediately we see what has been wrought with the alliance of Jimmy, the Commodore, & Eli. This relationship however is immediately tested when the Commodore has a stroke & Jimmy is left in charge, or as much of it as he thinks with his mother continually trying to guide him. We also watched Nucky fall apart & almost lose everything after being arrested for election fraud. The season only goes on from there with the returns of Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, Bugsy Siegel, Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano, & the introduction of brutal Philadelphia butcher Munya “Manny” Horvitz played by William Forsythe. One of the most prolific episodes of the season & performances however comes from Jack Huston as Richard Harrow in “Gimcrack & Bunkum”.
8. Portlandia
IFC is no stranger to sketch comedy with
The Whitest Kids You Know but no one could see a sketch comedy series starring Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein centered around Portland coming. Described as a love letter to Portland,
Portlandia may have some in jokes but is relatable and hilarious on every level. From its introduction scene in “Farm” with ‘The 90’s Are Still Alive in Portland’ the series continued to pull off some amazing jokes from how ethical & humane a restaurants chicken dish is, Aimee Mann as a housekeeper, & a library hide & seek team called the Sherlock Holmies. At times the comedy does take an unneeded absurdist/surreal turn that comes off as too reminiscent of
Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! when the series already comes up with hilarious sketches & those little add ons are unneeded. The number of guests that also come through are as delightful as can be & only add to a nice worn-in feel that the show is able to pull off flawlessly.
7. Misfits
While the third series of
Misfits came off a bit rocky the show just tied itself together so well in the end it was almost hard to believe. The third series started off with a short episode being released on the
Misfits website writing off the character of Nathan as Robert Sheehan had decided to leave the series & in the end introduced us to the new character Rudy played by Joseph Gilgun. The rest of the regular cast is back as well but with all new powers. Kelly is now as smart as a rocket scientist, Curtis can change sex at will, Aisha can see through the eyes of others, & Simon can glimpse into the future. The series sees Simon continually trying to become his ‘future-self’ while Aisha tries to get him to give that up for their relationship. The character of Seth is also featured more prominently & has a budding romance with Kelly that is challenged in “Episode Seven” with the added use of zombies. It isn’t until “Episode Eight” however that things really come together & end in one of the best finales of 2011.
6. Doctor Who
Steven Moffat pronounced his love for
Doctor Who by passing on the chance to pen the Tintin sequels & the only thing that was as good as Moffat’s storyline in series 6, which dealt with the the origins of River Song, was the fourth episode of the series written by Neil Gaiman. The fourth episode entitled “The Doctor’s Wife” was a love letter all its own to the wonder not just of the
Doctor Who series but more importantly to the TARDIS. There we witnessed the TARDIS come alive in human form & her love of the Doctor as well as one of the scariest disembodied villains. The sixth series also brought some other great stories with the doctor visiting Craig again & stopping some Cybermen, more horrifying creates from the dark of space like The Silence, & a battle like no other seen at Demon’s Run. The series end with “The Wedding of River Song” only makes the wait for series 7 wish you had a TARDIS of your own.
5. Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad can be viewed as an expansive tale & season 4 was its climax. I don’t know what season 5, its official final season with a list of 16 episodes, could contain besides some wrap up of characters sending each on their way. From the start with “Box Cutter” it is clear that Gus is not just about chicken & meth & can be more ruthless than Tuco ever was. From Mike being a general badass in the beginning of “Bullet Points” to Gus’ past in “Hermanos” there was no lack of action, plot twists, & deviance from Walt through the season. The insanity of Walt also becomes clear that he will do whatever to protect himself & his broken family at all costs. Things only become crazier in the final four episodes starting with “Salud” & finally ending things with “Face Off”. The end of “Face Off” brought
Breaking Bad down to season 2 lows however with a final unneeded scene that could have been put off to season 5 or scrapped entirely.
4. Louie
It is hard to find a better comedian around than Louis CK. Outside of making headlines for releasing a highly successful stand-up show on his website that he recorded & produced on his dime to marketing success, he also wrote & directed the second season of his television show. On a recent interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, Louis described how he is able to take such risks by doing all the writing, directing, & editing of his series on a low budget for FX. Those risks he took were clear in season 2 & they brought some great reward as he created some of the most profound & heartfelt episodes a comedy show, nay, a show can have. With episodes like “Moving”, “Joan”, “Oh Louie/Tickets”, & “Country Drive” it is apparent the dedication Louis CK has for
Louie. Episodes like “Eddie” & “Duckling” come off as humbling for how beautiful like is & how we shouldn’t try to have control over it. While the stream of episodes may be clunky at times & make the season feel like it ends with one episode too many, the quality of the episodes are hard to beat.
3. Community
I disregarded
Community early on after the first episode of season 1 as being flat at best & never returned to the series until “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” one night after having nothing else to watch. What I witnessed was one of the most insane & daring episodes of network comedy on television. I immediately went back to watch every episode before continuing & was met with even more great episodes in season 2 like the insanity of Pierce in “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking” with guest start LeVar Burton. It wasn’t until “Critical Film Studies”, which continues to be my favourite episode of the series, that I really understood the potential of
Community. While the fate of
Community is now unknown due to the always questionable sanity of NBC one thing can be said is that the third season of
Community has been the best comedy on television in 2011. “Biology 101” not only started off with a large musical number but continued to throw us Michael K. Willaims, Chalky White/Omar Little for you HBO fans, as the biology professor, Jeff being ostracized from the study group & soon having Kubrick 2001-esque fever dreams & the introduction of Vice Dean Laybourne played by John Goodman. As well, every episode so-far in season 3 like “Remedial Chaos Theory” “Advanced Gay” & “Foosball & Nocturnal Vigilantism” have all been amazing & hopefully the fan support declaring the loss of
Community as the darkest timeline will help keep it alive.
2. Homeland
Series about espionage are just awesome. One of last years undeserved cancelled series
Rubicon can at the least feel like it was able to continue an interest in spy games & mystery with
Homeland. While touting one of the worst title sequences of the year, they just really tried to hard especially compared to
Rubicon, they scrapped it for the extended season finale & more than made up with it by bringing one of the best dramas of 2011 to premium cable television. While troops may have drawn out of Iraq, most Americans are still very aware of the events of 9/11 ten years ago & a series centered around a sleeper/manchurian candidate will get ones blood flowing & put you on the edge of your seat. Claire Daines gives probably the best performance of 2011 with her character Carrie Mathison. Mandy Patinkin also gives one of the best supporting roles with his character of Saul. The series really solidified in “The Weekend” & continued to build tension up to “Representative Brody” & beyond to its finale “Marine One”.
Homeland has set itself up as the best new drama to watch & the stakes could not be higher from its finale when it returns in 2012.
1. Friday Night Lights
The long beloved series by critics finally came to an end in 2011 & while it wasn’t necessarily 6 season & a movie it was a movie & five season, really four, season 2 has no real impact whatsoever.
Friday Night Lights took the simple game of high school football beyond just the game but to the lives of each of the kids on the team & their coach Eric Taylor. Season 5 saw Coach Taylor in his second year as head coach for the East Dillon Lions & everything seeming to line up for a great season. The season & series really come together for the final three episodes, “The March”, “Texas Whatever” & the extended “Always”. “The March” sees everything take a sort of downward spiral & almost turn for the worse. Tim Riggins is finally back home & having trouble adjusting, budget cuts threaten to close down the football program in East Dillon & problems finally come to a boil with Vince’s father. “Texas Whatever” which was directed by Kyle Chandler, only continues the build & set up the final dominoes for an amazing finale in “Always”. While watching the final episode, “Always”, I got a little dusty seeing all my favourite characters again & having their story lines tied up but the best part about it was Coach Taylor giving one more “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts”.
