The Top 10 Best TV Shows of the 2011-12 Season

Okay, so May is almost over and, with it, the last remnants of this past television season are starting to fade away. So all we have left is to sit down and look back at what came of it.

This is my take on the best shows to grace TV land this year:

#10 - Once Upon A Time

I didn’t know what to expect when this show was first announced. For starters, it had a few things against it.

It was the second show premiering in the Fall that involved Fairy Tale characters living in the real world (the other one being NBC’s Grimm). It was a show that starred Snow White and, seeing how the beloved character (to some; I particularly feel indifferent towards her) was just about to star in not one, but two high profile movies (you know which ones), it felt like we were being force-fed something that nobody was really asking for.

And, finally, it was being produced by ABC, who just happens to be owned by a little company called Disney, so whatever creative risks could be taken with the characters were going to be kept to a minimum by the Mothership.

Boy, was I wrong…

OUAT, admittedly, didn’t start off with the right foot. The first few episodes were somewhat meandering in their pace and the new interpretations of these Fairy Tale characters were nothing new or even refreshing, for that matter.

But they stayed with you. Episode after episode, you couldn’t help but find yourself immersing into the cheese-tastic ridiculousness of the story and its surprisingly endearing players. Everyone from Mr. Gold, to Queen Regina, to, yes, even Snow White and Prince Charming eventually found their way into the cold crevices of my heart and pulled at the strings until they eventually bought real estate and settled into a nice, cozy apartment complex with two swimming pools and a basketball court.

With strong ratings throughout the year and a heavy character-centric story-arc that has been building since the very first episode, I find myself anxiously awaiting September to come around and bring on the next 22 episodes.

My Sundays are simply not the same without it.

Best in Show:

'Skin Deep' by Jane Espenson

The episode spotlighting Beauty and The Beast was, far and wide, the best episode of the entire season. It was a highly entertaining piece of fluff that had more than enough heart and plenty of little twists and turns to keep the story moving at a brisk pace, all the while setting up future storylines that, thankfully, have paid off in the latter episodes.

In short, this series simply had no better episode this season.

#9 - How I Met Your Mother

After an uneventful sixth season, I was anxious to see what the last multi-camera sitcom worth watching anymore was going to do next.

I was nervous. I love this show and these characters in a way that defies logic.

HIMYM is one of those staples that you always can go back to no matter where you are in life and you’re guaranteed a laugh. It has always taken creative and narrative risks and has injected new life into a stale format that has been outdated for more than 15 years now. But after a considerably transitional sixth year, it needed to come back stronger than ever before, as we head right into its final years.

And, thankfully, it more than delivered.

The writers had to be more than aware of this because what we got was episode after episode of that same ballsy writing we had grown accustomed to way back since seasons 2 and 3. From the ducky tie to Robin’s Christmas revelation to the birth of Lily and Marshall’s baby (who, incidentally, has the coolest middle name ever), it’s been a very eventful season and, as we head into the show's final year, I can’t help but feel confident that the emotional investment will pay off wonderfully in the end.

Any other sitcom would’ve run out of things to say by now but after 8 years HIMYM keeps firing on all cylinders. And that’s as great a testament to the incredibly talented cast and crew behind this wonderful show.

Best in Show:

‘Ducky Tie’ by Carter Bays & Craig Thomas

Don't be fooled by the promo above. That is merely one of the two stories being told in this episode, and it's not the one that makes it stand out amongst the rest.

A quick trip to a teppanyaki restaurant turns into a war of attrition between Lily and Barney with unbelievably hilarious results for both of them, as they try to outwit each other. This episode marked a return to form in the ridiculous, over-the-top situational humor that has made this series a modern comedy classic.

#8 - Game of Thrones

At this point, who hasn’t heard of Game of Thrones?

If you’re looking for a quick synopsis, you’re out of luck. I’m here to gush about it and offer my impressions of the series this season, not write up a detailed account of the story so far.

And yes, before you say anything, I’m keenly aware that the second season of Game of Thrones hasn’t wrapped up its run yet. And yes, I’m aware that its first few episodes were somewhat uneven in their pacing and narrative structure. And yes, I know we haven’t had as much of Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister as we wanted (which is odd, because he was in just about 70% of the book in which this season has been based on).

But, in the end, does it matter?

Maybe.

Perhaps, more importantly, do I care?

No.

The fact remains that this show has maintained a level of quality and entertainment far beyond and above the vast majority of what you’d ordinarily find across all entertainment platforms. Every episode is brimming with enough subtext, great dialogue, rich and fully developed characters and engaging storylines to carry it comfortably above the rest of the pack.

Game of Thrones is a brilliant, fantasy epic that has plenty for even the most jaded of viewers. As we await next Sunday’s season finale, I can’t barely contain my excitement for what’s to be an incredible third outing.

A storm of swords is coming, ladies and gentlemen, and the fields of Westeros will be bathed in blood.

Prepare.

Best in Show:

‘Blackwater’ (for now) by George R. R. Martin

Plain and simple, this episode was all about Tyrion and Peter Dinklage did not disappoint. Martin’s script wasn’t perfect but it had enough tension and brilliant character moments to carry what is, essentially, a 55-or-so minute battle with plenty of blood and viscera to satiate our collective sadistic needs.

As we head into the last episode of this season, I can’t help but wonder if this entry might change. After all, coming up next is the House of the Undying, where a blue rose blooms from a Wall of Ice. I wonder if that’s significant in any way…?

#7 – Homeland

I had zero expectations regarding this show when I first saw it. All I knew was that Claire Danes and Morena Baccarin were involved and it had to do with the CIA trying to prevent a terrorist attack or some such.

What unraveled before my eyes as I delved into the the pilot was an intricate web of events so compelling, so intriguing, that it kept me glued to my screen for the duration of the entire series.

The story’s very simple: Claire Danes stars as Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent with bipolar disorder (which she conveniently neglected to tell her superiors about) who, on her last day in Iraq overseeing an operation to take down Al-Qaeda cells, learns that an American soldier that was taken hostage has been turned.

Cue to a few months later and, lo and behold, Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine sergeant, has been found by a team of soldiers during a raid after being presumed dead for eight years. He’s welcomed by an ailing nation as a hero and what follows is a complex game of metaphorical cat and mouse, as Carrie tries to learn the truth behind Brody’s imprisonment and if, by any chance, he happens to be a terrorist with plans of attacking U.S. soil.

I’m not going to divulge anything more about the plot because half the fun of watching this show is trying to figure out who Brody is, as opposed to who he was. The one thing I will say, however, is this: nothing is as simple as it seems.

Homeland was a great success. A second season is slated to air in late September on Showtime and, after the completely unbearable cliffhanger of this first season finale, I can’t wait to see it.

Best in Show:

‘The Weekend’ by Meredith Stiehm

As nerve-wrackingly intense as the season finale was, this episode simply takes the cake, eats it, buys another one and eats it too.

The relationship between Brody and Carrie takes an interesting turn and throws everything regarding for a loop. After this one episode, all the players involved are at markedly different places than they were when the story started. It’s one of those episodes that throws the entire dynamic for a loop (and successfully, I might add) and sets up an inevitable fallout from which no one will walk away clean.

#6 - New Girl

Talk about biggest improvement of the year. And in such a quick handful of episodes at that.

I was curious about this show from the start because I’ve always had a fondness for Zooey Deschannel’s dry and detached quirkiness. From Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, to Eulogy, to 500 Days of Summer, I’ve been a quote/unquote fan of her work for years now. So, needless to say, the thought of a sitcom starring her seemed like a really cool idea.

Sadly, the pilot disappointed me. It’s not that it wasn’t funny. It was simply a case of having too much all over the place and a main character that was a little too crazy, rather than quirky.

The next two episodes didn’t do much for me but, being a fan, I was determined to see it through against my better judgment. By the time the fourth episode swung by, however, I was hooked. And I’ve never looked back since.

So, what happened?

Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone and the inimitable Max Greenfield happened.

The show became a little less more about Jess (Zooey’s character) and considerably more about the ensemble. That decision alone changed what could’ve been a quirky, if sometimes annoying, and uneventful sitcom into must-watch television for me.

Even Zooey turned the crazy down a few notches and gelled with the cast to such an extent that, by the time the show wrapped up its first season, I found myself scouring through iTunes to download as many episodes as I could, just so I could hold on to those characters for a little while longer.

New Girl is an utter joy to watch. If you tried it when it first came on and gave up on it quickly, go back and watch it again. Believe you me when I tell you: it’s worth it.

Best in Show:

‘Secrets’ by Josh Malmuth

After discovering the horrifying truth between two of her closest friends, Jess realizes she can’t live in an apartment full of secrets and decides to open the floodgates. What ensues is the very best example of how far this show has come since its lukewarm inception into the burning ball of crazy, awesome hilarity it’s become in such a short time.

If you do watch it, look out for a comment about Indian food. If you don’t laugh out loud at what transpires immediately afterwards, then I’m afraid your soul is dead and you should buy a new one.

Also, raccoon hands.

#5 - Happy Endings

Now, a lot of people have called this show a single-camera HIMYM. Or I could just be making it up for added effect. Who knows?

The point is, however, they would be half-wrong. But Happy Endings is much more than that.

A relatively under-the-radar sitcom about a group of friends and the woes of the dating world, this show debuted to moderate ratings halfway through the 2010-2011 season, managing to score a full season order for September 2011 there but for the grace of the TV Gods. The show works with an ensemble (I’m starting to detect a pattern on this list) that consists of an SNL alumni, a Scrubs alumni, a son of a Wayans, the daughter of Jack Bauer (if you don’t know who that is and consider yourself a TV aficionado, you're in deep trouble, ‘cause even I know who that is and I hated 24) and two other guys that, up until that point, had been relative unknowns.

But, as is the case with all great sitcoms built around an ensemble cast, they are all incredibly talented and they all have chemistry with one another to spare. So much, in fact, that if their collective chemistry was able to be converted into actual energy, it could power New York City for an entire year. And that’s (not) a scientific fact (but it should be).

I realize I may be over-selling it, but the accolades are well-deserved. For a relatively new sitcom playing with a tried-and-true premise, who some might argue (myself included) has been used to death, this show has never failed to make me laugh nor stop caring about whatever mundane problems its unbelievably lovable cast may be dealing with at any point in its entire run.

Every episode of this season has been a genuine delight, full of laughter and joy and great little moments that still bring a smile to my face just by thinking of them.

The show’s ratings have improved considerably and it has a full season order for the Fall, so if you haven’t checked out one of the funniest sitcoms in a good long while (and trust me, there are plenty that, for lack of a more apropos expression, suck) you owe it to yourself to watch Happy Endings.

Best in Show:

‘The Butterfly Effect Effect’ by Jonathan Groff & Sierra Teller Ornelas

It’s time for Brad and Jane’s annual Spring Smackdown and the gang needs it more than ever before: Winter has been relentless and Max is slowly turning into Winnie the Pooh as he slinks further and further into Hibernation Mode. This episode is one of those rare cases where, no matter how absurd the premise may be, everything about it works.

Especially Max. Because now I want to live with a bear that sounds like Tim Allen too.

#4 - Fringe

Ah, FOX…

The network that has notoriously pulled the trigger on many a great genre show on what I can only presume to be a whim (and, of course, money but who cares…?), has been airing for four long and difficult years what I can only describe as the best drama on network television. Period.

Forget what you think you may or may not know about Fringe.

The fact is, if you haven’t been watching it since its inception, you have missed out on a unique and compelling narrative that challenges the greatest dramas ever aired on this medium to a Free-For-All Deathmatch and holds its own remarkably well against the lot of them.

Fringe is an unapologetically complex show that plays the giant sandbox that is Science Fiction without sacrificing a single ounce of heart and believability. The characters are richly textured with complicated relationships and the situations they’re constantly being thrust upon are always exciting and suspenseful.

This show has battled against low ratings during its entire span, at the risk of cancellation on more than one occasion, but it never sacrifices its story for the sake of a bigger audience. Fringe is, for all intents and purposes, the smartest, most intriguing show in network television and this fourth season has been an incredible ride.

To talk about the specifics of the story would be a moot point, since we try to keep this a Spoiler-Free environment, and it would require me to explain an incredibly intricate maze of back-stories for you to understand it at all.

More to the point, it doesn’t matter if you don’t. At least not anymore.

Fringe is heading into its last 15 episodes staring this September. The story is reaching its inevitable conclusion and its cast and crew, who’ve tirelessly delivered incredible story after incredible story, are preparing for one last round before they ride off into the proverbial sunset.

The show has survived the claws of cancellation time and time again, and now it's time to say goodbye.

So if you’ve missed it, it’s your loss. Nevertheless, you're always more than welcome to join at any time the millions of devout fans that have kept this show on the air long after it stood to reason that FOX should take it off the air.

It is simply the best drama you’re going to find on primetime network TV and this past season, with all its twists and turns, has been an utterly fantastic thrill to watch. There’s simply no denying it.

And neither is John Noble’s long overdue Emmy.

Best in Show:

‘Worlds Apart’ by Graham Roland and Matt Pitts & Nicole Phillips

This episode was, for me at least, two things:

First, it served as a resolution of sorts to many lingering threads that had been weaved since Season 1. And second, it was a showcase of the incredible levels of talent of the production’s gifted cast. This episode had everything you could possibly want from a show like Fringe. That and so much more.

Its pacing, relentlessly brutal. Its story, moving, suspenseful and intriguing. Its cast, at the top of their game.

There were many great episodes on this season of Fringe but, in my book, none of them hold a candle to ‘Worlds Apart.’

#3 - Doctor Who

Before I start discussing why this show is on this list, I want to make one thing clear:

Doctor Who is my all-time favorite show.

I want you take that into account as we discuss not only why it’s here, but what that means regarding the top two remaining spots on this list.

Now that we’re all settled on that little fact, let’s talk about why Doctor Who, a show that only aired six episodes in the Fall and one during Christmas, deserves to be so high in this list.

Well, for one thing, it’s Doctor Who as run by Steven Moffat (SPOILER ALERT: more on him later) and secondly, it’s Doctor Who period (it’s my list and I can choose what I want, bias or no).

If you’ve never watched this show, it’s about a 900-or-so year old alien who travels through time and space in a ship called the TARDIS with people he meets during his (mis)adventures. The show has been around for almost 50 years, in one way or another, and it is, arguably, at its creative apex right now.

Out of the seven episodes that were aired last Fall, six were absolutely brilliant and unique in their own way, and only one could be argued to be disappointing (unless you know the episode’s writer’s history with the show, in which case, you knew what was coming).

From Tom MacRae’s beautifully-crafted, ‘The Girl Who Waited’, to Gareth Roberts bro-mantic romp, ‘Closing Time’, to Steven Moffat’s hilariously and misleadingly titled, ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’, this show continually raises its own stakes without so much as a hint of ever dropping the ball since the aforementioned Moffat (lovingly called The Moff by his legions of devout fans) took over the reigns as show-runner back in 2010 and brought along Matt Smith, a lanky genius of an actor, who’s currently playing the Eleventh (and, arguably, best) incarnation of The Doctor.

The show is returning this September with six new episodes (five during the Fall and the Christmas special) as it gears up for next year’s fiftieth anniversary extravaganza.

There’s no better time to be a Whovian. There’s a reason Doctor Who has lasted as long as it has and why it’s as big a phenomenon as it is. If you come into it with an open mind and a desire for great adventurous fun, you’ll understand why.

Best in Show:

‘The Girl Who Waited’ by Tom MacRae

First of all, yes, I know Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Doctor’s Wife’ was part of Series 6 of Doctor Who, along with this one. BUT it was released in the first half of the series, which aired during Spring, so it doesn’t count for the purposes of this list.

If there’s one word I can use to describe Tom MacRae’s ‘The Girl Who Waited’ it would be “BEAUTIFUL.” Just like that, all in caps.

This episode epitomizes the great dynamic this show has between The Doctor and the innumerable slew of people he’s had for Companions: the story, in the end, is that of the Companions, because we see The Doctor through their eyes. We can never be The Doctor. He’s too wonderful, too mad, too clever and too terrible for us to be him. But the Companions are people just like us.

And just like they are discovering The Universe in all its infinite splendor while traveling with a madman in a box, so are we.

In this episode, newlyweds Amy Pond and Rory Williams, affectionately called The Ponds, take center stage as they get separated on a world where timelines overlap one another at different frequencies with The Doctor stranded on the TARDIS, while desperately looking for each other.

And that’s as far as I go.

Watch the episode. If you can’t find the inherent charm, romance, whimsical sense of adventure and eloquent wit behind this show and be utterly enamored by it with one of its latest and greatest outings, then I really pity you.

#2 – Community

I dare ANYONE to find any comedy currently on the air that’s better than this show.

I do. In fact, I dare you to find that comedy’s best episodes and stack them against any single one from this season of Community.

The outcome, dear reader, will not be in your sitcom’s favor.

Yes, there was no paintball this year. Yes, I found that disappointing because, let’s face it, ‘Modern Warfare’ and the two-part paintball finale of last year are sitting comfortably amongst the greatest sitcom episodes of all time. But, considering the output of brilliant episodes this year, I’ll say that’s not as big an issue as one might think.

Don’t believe me? Watch them. Watch them all. And then slap yourself 71 times across the face for being an idiot (once for every episode of Community produced so far).

There’s just now way around it: Community is the most original, funniest sitcom on TV right now. It’s risqué, intelligent and it bears no qualms about being insanely absurd but, at its heart, it’s really a show about a group of friends who, on their own, are social outcasts, finding solace in one another, thus becoming a tight-knit family in the process.

Season 3 was jam-packed with incredible episodes, from the History Channel-type war documentary, ‘Pillows and Blankets’, the Law and Order tribute, ‘Basic Lupine Urology’, an 8-bit romp in Nintendo-land, ‘Digital Estate Planning’, the Hugo Award nominated (coincidentally in the same category as #3 on this list), timey-wimey farce, ‘Remedial Chaos Theory’, to what I can only describe as the most emotionally satisfying season finale of the year, ‘Introduction to Finality’.

The cast is, by an insurmountable margin, the single best ensemble on network television, comedy or no. These people, from Joel McHale to Chevy Chase, to Alison Brie, to Dr. Ken Jeong (yes, he’s a real medical doctor and, yes, that just makes him much more awesome), are so incredibly in sync with one another that not a single frame goes by that isn’t bursting with chemistry. Every joke is pitch perfect and the entire machine that is this show runs in wonderful unison. Take out one piece, and I shudder to think what would happen (something a bit closer to THIS, perhaps…?).

This show is coming back next year with 13 more episodes but, sadly, the creative voice that has steered the ship for these past three years is gone, creator and show-runner Dan Harmon.

That said, this may not necessarily prove to be an entirely bad thing. The cast is coming back and the new show-runners used to produce Happy Endings, so there’s a silver lining (or, at the very least, wishful thinking).

Regardless, I’ll be watching.

Best in Show:

‘Pillows and Blankets’ by Andy Bobrow

Out of all of the shows on this list, choosing just one episode for this series proved to be the hardest but, in the end, The Day The Feathers Flew won.

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about this episode is brilliant.

If you’re going to watch just one thing from this list, just one, then make it this episode. You will not regret it.

#1 – Sherlock

The Woman. The Hound. The Fall.

That’s all we were told by Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat months prior to the show’s return this January.

The first series (“season” in British) ended with a brutal cliffhanger and left us hanging for well-over a year and a half before its resolution.

Why so long, you may ask?

Because Sherlock is a show unlike any other. And that is quite literally, in more ways than one.

For starters, each series consists of three 90-minute long episodes. And, because that’s simply not enough, it’s set ENTIRELY in modern times. To which by modern, I mean 2012 (at least, as of ‘The Reichenbach Fall’).

Each episode is written by a single writer (two of which just happen to be the creators of the show) and then, over a period of a couple of months, it’s taken into production with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as the notorious consulting detective himself and his friend and colleague, John Watson, respectively. The problem is, these two actors are currently in demand.

How much in demand, exactly?

Benedict is currently starring in J.J. Abrams Star Trek sequel and Martin is playing Bilbo Baggins in the adaptation of The Hobbit, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. So, by the time their schedules free up in time to shoot the next series, quite a while has passed.

And that creates a bit of a problem.

We’re being starved for so long, only to be served a mere handful of what equates to breadcrumbs and then we’re starved indefinitely again.

But, great Moffat’s hair, what delicious breadcrumbs they are!

Those three episodes are packed with so much action, so much comedy, so much drama, so much emotion and so much clever dialogue that you’ll find yourself gushing over every nanosecond of every frame of the show.

This year we were treated to the three most popular stories in Sherlock Holmes cannon, and each was as brilliant as the one who came next. First off, we had Irene Adler (The Woman) courtesy of The Moff himself. He was tasked with getting the ball rolling after the incredible reception that the first series received. More importantly, perhaps, he had to find a clever way to get out of the pinch in which he left our two main characters at the end of the series 1 finale, ‘The Great Game.’

Did he deliver?

If you have to ask, clearly you’ve never watched anything by Steven Moffat. And, trust me when I tell you this: you should feel very ashamed of yourself.

Following the intense thrill ride that was ‘A Scandal in Belgravia,’ we came up against the legendary Hound. Written by Mark Gatiss, ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’ was a noteworthy adaptation of one, if not the most adapted Sherlock Holmes story.

Peppered with devilish humor and a dollop of sheer terror, the episode was as standalone as you could possibly get (in fact, Sherlock only takes the case because he’s bored), all the while preparing us for what’s to come next:

The series 2 finale, ‘The Reichenbach Fall.’

The episode that defied expectations, seeing how its writer had penned the worst episode of the show so far during its first series, and blew them all out of the planet’s face. This is what the previous five episodes were building towards and Steven Thompson more than delivered.

Sherlock Holmes V.S. Jim Moriarty.

And that’s all I will say, because you can ask everyone that has seen it already and they will tell you: the less you know going into this episode, the better.

The last five minutes will leave you cursing at the natural passage of time, begging it to move faster up until Summer 2013, when we’ve been told the next series is likely to air. That’s how utterly demented and brilliant they are.

In summation, if your entire experience with Sherlock Holmes begins and ends with the recent Robert Downey Jr. films, then this show is perfect for you.

Simply because, after watching these 6 incredible episodes, you’ll never want to watch them again and the world will be better for that.

Steven Spielberg once called Benedict Cumberbatch the best Sherlock Holmes he’s ever seen onscreen. Do yourself a favor and watch the show. Then you’ll understand why, at which point, you’ll be a “Cumberbitch” for life.

Best in Show:

‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ by Steven Moffat

Without a shadow of a doubt, the single best episode of any show to air this season.

Bold statement, true, but out of all the people that I know that have seen it, I’m quite sure most of them would agree with me without a moment’s hesitation.

It’s simply that good.