Best of 2013: TV Episodes

Here are the 10 best episodes I saw in 2013. The list appears in ascending order.

10. "Election Night," The Newsroom, HBO — Aaron Sorkin is a great writer. "The Newsroom" hasn't reached the heights of some of his other shows, like "The West Wing" and "Sports Night," but "Election Night" felt more like what we've come to love about Sorkin shows. Some didn't like the story, but I actually thought it was the best part of a better second season of "The Newsroom." This may never be a great series, but I really enjoyed this two part episode.

9. "Pilot," The Bridge, F/X — This was the series map for "The Bridge," and was perhaps the series best episode. It set the template for the show, introduced a rich world, and asked a lot of questions that subsequent episodes would tackle. This was the episode that hooked you for the show, and it was beautifully put together.

8. "Chicago," New Girl, FOX — I like the comedy in "New Girl," but my favorite episode from last year was this moody episode that dealt with the death of Nick's dad. I thought it did some nice things in exploring the Nick-Jess relationship and adding a little drama to a comedic series.

7. "Triathlon," The Mindy Project, FOX — This was one of the most ridiculous episodes near the end of the first season of "Mindy." It has a wild story and some iconic scenes you won't soon forget. It was a great episode for Danny and Morgan, which is what helped make it work.

6. "The Quarterback," Glee, FOX — I gave up on "Glee" last season, but like most people I wondered how the show would handle the death of Cory Monteith. I tuned back in for this episode, which was a tribute to his character, Finn. It was a beautiful and moving hour, and reminder of how great "Glee" can be when there is raw emotion behind it's trademark humor and music.

5. "Harry and Mindy," The Mindy Project, FOX — One of the best aspects of this show is Mindy and Danny's friendship. This episode featured one of my favorite moments of the first season, as Danny and Mindy enjoy a slice — and a touching dose of honesty — after one of the worst double dates ever. The "b" story involving Morgan trying to learn to pick up women is pretty hilarious, too.

4. "From Up Here," The Killing, AMC — "The Killing" is the show that can't be killed. I was angry after season two, and not surprised that it was cancelled. When the show was surprisingly revived for a third season, I tuned in. It was finally a season where the show delivered on the promise of the pilot. That was evident no where more clearly than in the penultimate episode of the season, where Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard) is executed. It was a powerful, emotional episode. It was the best episode of the season and one of the best episodes of 2013.

3. "Episode 3.5," Downton Abbey, PBS — Nothing was more of a gut punch in an emotional season of "Downton Abbey" than the death of Sybil. It was a beautiful, moving and heart-breaking hour. I think it was one of the finest of the series, though one of the hardest to watch. In a difficult season, this was the most difficult hour.

2. "Season one finale," Broadchurch, BBC America — There were two hours of TV in 2013 that left me stunned. One was this final episode of "Broadchurch." For most shows the reveal of the killer is the coda to a season, but for this series that was merely the beginning of a powerful emotional journey. The way the series wrapped up its stories, and the beautiful performances left me hooked and emotionally drained when it was over.

1. "The Rains of Castamere," Game of Thrones, HBO — This was the single most shocking hour of TV this season. In the penultimate episode, the landscape of "Game of Thrones" changed radically. Those familiar with the book knew it would happen, but "The Red Wedding" is one of the most powerful and shocking sequences ever. This was the best single episode I saw in 2013. And it was a great example of the bold storytelling that has made this series great.