When I voted for The A.V. Club's Best Of Television list, I included notes on all the shows I voted for. But since we only published the notes of shows that didn't make the main list, most of mine weren't included. In case you want more detail, here it is:
Parks & Recreation (15) –
Parks & Rec had an absolutely stellar shortened 3rd
season, with maybe one episode of 16 being disappointing, and
including all-time classics like “Flu Season” and “Fancy
Party”, my pick for best episode of the year in any category. The
4th season has been a little wobbly, but not enough to
take the show out of the top tier.
Community (15) – A show this
audacious should have less to show for it, but Community's hits
vastly outnumber its misses. Even better, as its gimmicks have
become standard, Community has also developed much more of a soul
than it's given credit for.
Misfits (14) – Misfits'
combination of comedy, drama, character work, and utter absurdity
means that it, more than any other show, gives the impression that
anything could happen. The tension helps the show be both more
amusing and more emotional.
Justified (13) – You could
easily make the case that Timothy Olyphant, Margo Martindale, and
Walton Goggins were the three best actors on TV this year. I
wouldn't argue with you.
Game of Thrones (12) – Possibly
the most interesting show on television this year, thanks to
considerations both on the screen and outside it. Also one of the
best, although it did have its growing pains.
Louie (12) – Louis C.K.'s formal
experimentation is marvelous. His use of drama in a comedy show is
bizarre and intense, both in good ways. His willingness to dredge up
the darker side of his psyche is impressive. It doesn't always hit,
and it occasionally focuses too narrowly on a subject or scene, but
I'm glad someone is trying that hard.
Archer (11) – I may be in the
minority in preferring Archer's more grounded, lighter first season
to its second. But that's not to say that there wasn't some great
stuff, especially the three-part fall episode.
The Vampire Diaries (10) – At
some point the ride has to end, yes? A show can't be this tightly
serialized, with so many intense cliffhangers, and actually keep
getting better and smarter. Can it? It's working for The Vampire
Diaries so far. Why complain?
Mildred Pierce (9) - It's
deliberately old-fashioned in a way that you might expect from, say,
Masterpiece Theater, but Mildred Pierce has a distinct American
flavor that keeps it interesting.
Treme (8) – It's a little less
surprising in its 2nd season, and some of the story
decisions have been awkward, but Treme is as warm as ever.
Ricky Gervais Show (8) – Tighter
editing transformed the 1st season's occasional
so-funny-you-choke-on-your-drink moment into a regular occurrence.
Bob's Burgers (7) – Halfway
through its first season, Bob's Burgers switched from “potentially
interesting” into “possibly magical”. Thanks to animal anus
paintings, but hey, you take what you can get. If it can maintain
that level of quality, it'll be towards the top of next year's list.
Children's Hospital (6) – For
bite-sized dumb fun, hard to beat Children's Hospital. For clever
parody that shows just how manipulative TV shows can be, it's also a
good choice.
The Middle (5) – The Middle
deserves recognition for being consistently good and sneaky-smart
about class issues. It may never be one of the very best, but it's a
great show to have around.
American Dad (5) – Like The
Middle, it's a show deserving of some recognition for consistency,
although it does it from an almost totally opposite direction.
Yes I Know About Breaking Bad - I started my catchup too late and it became a choice between that or three or four shorter, easier to handle shows. Next year.
As a side note - I did the writeup for The Vampire Diaries on the main list, and also The Cape and cult-comedies-on-hiatus for the specific TV Club Awards.
"Rowan's Best Of Television 2011"
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