2011 in Review, TV Shows

I continue my look at the 2011 media in review with my list of the best TV series and performances I saw in 2011. The list appears in ascending order.

10. Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO – Larry David has unique comic stylings, and it's definitely an acquired taste. There are elements of the "Seinfeld" model here. This wasn't the best season of the show, but it did have some incredible episodes. The best of the season was "Palestinian Chicken," which I've seen about five times and laughed each time. Unlike traditional comedies, this is a show that moves at it's own rhythm, and it works well. Easily HBO's best comedy.

9. Treme, HBO — This show, from the creators of "The Wire," follows musicians and working professionals in New Orleans trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This second season wasn't as good as the first season, but it's still a fascinating and enjoyable watch. The show has good music, some comedy, and fine performances. It's not always the most linear storytelling, but it is a celebration of a region and culture that many probably aren't familiar with. It plays kind of like a love letter to New Orleans, and that's fine with me.

8. Chuck, NBC — This is "Chuck's" final season, and it's probably time. The show is still funny and fun, it's still the best show that doesn't involve the NFL on NBC, but it's starting to show it's age. This is the fifth year, and it feels like a natural wrap up point. "Chuck" is still a fun, light-hearted show, and hopefully it will stay that way through the last six episodes of the show.

7. Castle, ABC — This is my favorite procedural on television because of the humor, the storytelling, and the chemistry between leads Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. The show does follow the traditional crime solving model, but it goes above and beyond that model. It's as interested in developing characters and telling stories about those characters as solving crimes, and that makes a big difference.

6. The Hour, BBC America — And here come the Brits. There are two British shows on this list, and a gaggle of cable shows from America. This is a sign of the weakening power of Network Television. This show has been compared to "Mad Men," but I found it much more compelling. It is a behind the scenes show that follows a group of young journalists in the 1960s putting on a 60-minutes type show in England. There was also a season-long mystery to add intrigue to the story. This is much more compelling than "Mad Men," and was one of the best shows I saw this year.

5. Downton Abbey, BBC America and Masterpiece Theater on PBS — The second British entry, "Downton Abbey" captured my attention for it's great first season and followed that up with an excellent second season. The show features rich performances, an intriguing look at history (as this season went through World War I), and great storytelling. This show, from writer Jullian Fellows, shows you what "Gosford Park" should have been. This is a wonderful show that audiences should make an effort to find.

4. Justified, FX — I enjoyed the first season of this quirky show, but it was in this second season that "Justified" took the leap from fun to exceptional. Timothy Olyphant does excellent work, as does Walton Goggins in a supporting role. The season long villains in the second season were also great, lead by Margo Martindale's Emmy-winning performance. And she deserved it for creating a character that was fascinating and compelling. This is a great show that returns for a third season on January 17, so you have a couple weeks to catch up!

3. Game of Thrones, HBO — This was my favorite HBO show of the year. At first, I didn't know what to make of this sprawling epic based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy novel series. The first episode was mostly exposition, and seemed a bit slow. But it was really the beginning of a slow burn. There were some great moments, and the show wasn't afraid to go big with its story and sequences, drawn directly from Martin's book. It was lifted by some great performances and was one of the most memorable shows of the season. Season two returns in April, 2012.

2. Homeland, Showtime — The best new show of the season was also one of the best shows of the season, period. It featured great performances — from Claire Danes and Damien Lewis in the lead roles — and an engrossing story. If this had been what "24" had been like, that show would have been much higher on my list. As it was, this was a great showcase for an intriguing kind of storytelling and a great season long exploration of terrorism, mental disorder, and what it means to be a patriot. From beginning to end, this was a riveting television experience.

1. Fringe, FOX — This continues to be my favorite show on television. It is a show that explores deeper themes, offers engaging drama, features fascinating stories, and offers warm, rich performances. Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and John Noble do some of the best work on television. This is a fascinating show to watch, and continues to be one of the most creative and compelling shows on television. The way the mysteries have unfolded and come to life is brilliant, but the larger emotional, social, and philosophical issues the characters wrestle with are what make the show great. This is the best show on television.

Most Shocking Show of 2011: "American Horror Story" — from the creators of "Glee," this show is strange, dark, and twisted.

Biggest Quality Fall Off of 2011: "Glee" — During it's first season, "Glee" was fun and full of joyous musical performances. Now in its third season, this show seems to be a total mess, full of incoherent stories, a lack of character growth, and dedicated toward the political message of the week.

Best Comeback of 2011: "CSI" — This aging procedural is still not what it once was, but the show has bounced back in a big way this season with Ted Danson joining the cast in the lead role. For the first time since William Peterson left, the show feels like it's moved back toward its roots.

Best Performances of 2011:

Actor:

1. Timothy Olyphant, "Justified" — Great work as the lead character, Marshal Raylan Givens.

2. Damien Lewis, "Homeland" — Easily one of the best, most complex performances of the year.

3. Sean Bean, "Game of Thrones" — Great work from Bean in a tough, complex role. His work in the penultimate episode of the season was truly memorable.

Actress:

1. Anna Torv, "Fringe" — She is the heart and center of the show, and had an incredible third season. She has to play a lot of different variations of herself on the show and does a credit to each one.

2. Claire Danes, "Homeland" — Another incredible performance by a woman asked to do a lot in service of her character. She showed great range and depth in a complex show performance.

3. Connie Britton, "Friday Night Lights" and "American Horror Story" — No actress did a bigger 180 degree turn in 2011 than Britton, who won the Emmy for "Friday Night Lights" after five seasons of superb work then shifted gears to the dark, strange "American Horror Story" where she did equally fine, if not disturbing, work.

Supporting Actor:

John Noble, "Fringe" — Noble's Walter is another character that has to show a lot of range and do a lot of heavy lifting in service of the plot, and Noble is more than up to the task.

Peter Dinkledge, "Game of Thrones" — Easily the funniest of characters on the show, Dinkledge does some great work and truly stands out as part of the great ensemble cast on "Game of Thrones."

Walton Goggins, "Justified" — His Boyd Crowder is one of the most fascinating and complex characters on television, and Goggins is great in the role. He was the perfect compliment to Olyphant.

Supporting Actress:

Margo Martindale, "Justified" — She created one of the most memorable villains of the season, and helped make the season of "Justified" one of television's best.

Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story" — She turns in a creepy performance in one of the strangest, most creepy shows of the year.

Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey" — It's hard to pick one performance out of what it really an ensemble, but Dockery, who plays Mary, did a great job in the second season, carrying some tough storytelling sequences.