The 8 Ball 12.20.11: The Top 8 Shows of 2011

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 12.20.2011

From The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones to Modern Family, American Horror Story and more, 411's Jeremy Thomas counts down the top 8 TV shows of 2011! Check out the full article to see what made his list and why!




Welcome, one and all, to the 8 Ball in the Movie Zone! I'm your host Jeremy Thomas and as always, we will be tackling a topic and providing you the top eight selections of that particular category. Keep in mind that this list is meant to be my personal opinion and not a definitive list. You're free to disagree; you can even say my list is wrong, but stating that an opinion is "wrong" is just silly. With that in mind, let's get right in to it!




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Top 8 TV Shows of 2011

2011 is just about over, and with it comes a lot of year-end lists. We here at the 8 Ball are no different, and before we delve into the top and bottom movies of the year in a couple weeks, I thought it would be a good time to look at the best TV shows of the year. Most shows are on their winter break at this point so the timing was right. There's been a lot of good and bad television in the last twelve months, both on cable and on network TV. I've been fortunate enough to avoid a lot of the bad while catching a lot of the good stuff, so with that in mind, let's take a look at the best of the year, shall we?

Caveat: Unfortunately, I do not have an infinite amount of time and as such, there are a fair amount of shows I have not had the opportunity to watch. I'm sure most of them will be pointed out in the comments, but among the ones that have a lot of critical and fan love that I have not had time for are Justified, Community, Homeland, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire and How I Met Your Mother. Not that I don't want to see them, but between work, writing, other TV, movies and personal time, I do need to include sleep occasionally.

Just Missing The Cut

Revenge, The Big Bang Theory, Dexter

#8: American Horror Story



American Horror Story is the new love/hate show of the season. You usually get that when Ryan Murphy is involved. There are those who can't stand the series' over-the-top nature but for my money, it's a hell of a lot of fun and brings the idea of horror back to TV in a way that we don't often get to see. The show got off to a somewhat rocky start as the first episode seemed high on shocks but low on cohesion; however as the series progressed, those who had a little patience were rewarded with really fun twists and turns involving both the living and the dead. A big part of the show's quality is the great cast; Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott make their characters believable and have real chemistry with each other while Taissa Farmiga, in her first acting role, shows that she has a lot of talent in the role of Violet. The stand-outs among the cast however are Jessica Lange--chewing scenery in a glorious way as the neighbor Constance--and Zachary Quinto in his recurring role as the gay ghost Chad. There is still one episode to go this season and a lot has been set up; this episode could be make or break but for my money it's one of the best new shows of the season.


#7: True Blood



True Blood is, much like American Horror Story, a guilty pleasure that you don't have to feel guilty about. The storylines are soap opera-esque, but it's done so in such a wonderfully twisted way that you have to appreciate it. That being said, the third season of this show really sagged in comparison to the first two. With the exception of Denis O'Hare (another AHS correlation) as the wonderfully evil Russell Edgington ripping out news anchor hearts and carrying around Jars o' Talbot, the show felt lost thanks to the unsatisfying werewolf plots, the even-worse werepanthers and the flat-out silly faery stuff. Season Four started out cleaning up some of that mess, which means that we got the stupid werepanthers for a little bit and the faery crap. However once that was (mostly) out of the way, we got the witches of Bon Temps. Marnie, as played by the wonderful Fiona Shaw, came in and threw everything for a loop. Eric forgot who he was, Pam started to decay and everything seemed to take on a new sense of urgency. Season Four of True Blood was by and large a return to form for a series that took the world by storm a few years earlier.


#6: Glee



And here's where I get the hate. Well, here and the fact that I haven't watched Community. Ryan Murphy's OTHER show on TV is not one that traditionally appeals to the demographic of our site. I get that, and it's cool. I, however, have friends who joke that Murphy had to have created the show with me in mind. And it's true, I do love the show. Season Two had some issues to it but I feel that it's come back strong in Season Three by going back to the ideas of character and story over guest stars and big pop hits. The songs are more seamlessly integrated into the storyline than they have been and make more sense; with the exception of only two numbers ("Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Little Red Cup") I've generally enjoyed them all. Santana's coming out storyline was well-handled and Naya Rivera really got to step up to the plate for it. This show is still far from perfect but it's a lot of fun and one that I make sure not to miss each week...well, each week that it's not pre-empted by The X-Factor, anyway.


#5: Supernatural



My love for Supernatural one is something I talk with fellow 411 writers Joseph Lee on a pretty regular basis about. There are people who believe that the show faltered a bit in Season Six and I don't necessarily agree, but Season Seven is definitely an improvement on it. Every season you're left wondering how this show can raise the stakes for the guys and put their backs against the wall without getting to the point of "We've handled worse." That's sort of what hurt Buffy's last couple of seasons; after you kick a god's ass, an angry witch and the First Evil are pretty ho-hum. The men and women behind Supernatural know how to keep things seeming like the new threat is greater than the old one on a regular basis though with the Big Bads, and the Leviathans are certainly in that league. What's more, Sam and Dean are without so much now. They've lost Castiel, their car, their identities and possibly Bobby as well. That gives this a whole new sense of urgency. Add into that the fact that Jared Padalecki is always improving his game to the point that he's one of the better actors on TV at delivering genre lines of dialogue and Jenson Ackles is just flat-out excellent on a regular basis and this is definitely one of my favorite shows running.


#4: Modern Family



I have to be honest here; I am a new convert to Modern Family. I didn't actually start watching the exploits of the Pritchett and Dunphy clans until partway through this season. However, when I start watching a show my habit is to watch everything up to current (See: Doctor Who) and in fairly short order I was caught up on what is one of the funniest shows on television. What makes Modern Family work so amazingly well is that even through it's a mash-up of two well-worn sitcom styles--the dysfunctional family and the mockumentary--it meshes those very well and delivers traditional sitcom-like laughs without the laugh track. Furthermore it manages to be dysfunctional and yet heartwarming and optimistic on various issues the series explores by the end of each episode. It's sort of like the anti-Married With Children. Don't get me wrong, the Bundy clan was just as funny as the Pritchetts and Dunphys, but for very different reasons.


#3: The Walking Dead



The first season--all six episodes of them--of The Walking Dead left audiences blown away. Seriously, there was nothing like that on television and people were screaming for more, bemoaning the fact that we had to wait a full eleven months for new episodes. Then, worryingly, bad buzz began to filter in about the second season. We heard that AMC was having disputes with Frank Darabont about money, having given too much to Mad Men. We heard that the network's proposed plans including filming mostly indoors and cutting down on the zombies for make-up costs. Yes, they were supposedly going to be cutting down on the zombies in a zombie TV show. Then, suddenly and shockingly, Darabont had stepped down and it was soon revealed that AMC had fired him, and that some members of the cast were livid but afraid to speak up because "This is an apocalypse show, they can kill off anyone at any time." Well, if all of those fears were real--besides the obvious Darabont one, we know that happened--than the budget cuts must be coming out of the second half of the season because Season Two has been great so far. Anything that could be levied as a criticism has a counter for it. Sure, they spent too much time searching for Sophia, but look at the impact it had as opposed to if she had been found and killed in a single episode or even two or three. Yes, they're deviating from the comics but that means now that no one knows what's coming and it makes the whole thing more suspenseful. Yes, Rick was being a bit whiny but he proved he sure could make the hard decisions in the last seconds of the Fall Finale. When it's all said and done, the show continues to be brilliant. I enjoy Mad Men but if AMC is smart, they'll know where to spend the money next time.


#2: Game of Thrones



I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to think of Game of Thrones after the first episode. The acting was great, the production values were amazing and the story was intriguing, but there was so much going on that I was completely lost on who was who; there were a LOT of characters introduced in that first episode. As time went on and the show began to unfold the various storylines, you then knew that there was something special going on here. Sure, Peter Dinklage is getting all the attention and award love for his work as Tyrion Lannister--and believe me when I say he deserves every accolade he wins and then some--but the rest of the cast is exceptional as well. Emilia Clarke has been underrated for her work as Daenerys Targaryen; she makes an important part of the storyline intriguing throughout the early parts of the season. What helps set it apart--not completely, but absolutely in part--is that the show has no small amount of balls when it comes to taking risks. How many shows do you know of that would cast your most recognizable actor, included as the face of the show in all of the marketing materials, in a role that will see him killed off? It was brilliance and I know people were pissed, but I loved it. I'm thrilled as hell with how the season ended and am definitely looking forward to season two.


#1: Sons of Anarchy



Your first hint on this should have been the fact that I did a Top 8 Sons of Anarchy episodes list last week. Like Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy has always been able to up the stakes season after season. However, where there were a coup[le slight dips of quality in some of the middle seasons of Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy has managed to improve itself every single season. This season the cards were laid out with Clay finally being set up as the villain, and even though we knew he had to die, he survived. Not only that, he survived in a way that made sense and didn't stretch credibility. The only potential flaw you can find in this show, which has been much talked about and in my eye amplified simply BECAUSE critics need something to pick at, is the storyline with Juice's racial secret, something which seemed a wee bit frivolous from the get-go but played out just fine overall. The performances are the best the show has ever seen; standouts are Katie Segal, Charlie Hunnam, Maggie Siff and especially Ryan Hurst. This is, flat-out, the greatest show on television and even if you don't dig it, you have to respect it.

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Current Doctor


Current Series/Season: Series 1 (2005)
Episodes Watched: 466
Last Serial Completed: World War Three - The Doctor, Rose and Harriet Jones are trapped in 10 Downing Street. The world stands poised on the brink of interplanetary war, and the missiles can only be stopped if the Slitheen can be unmasked in time.
Surviving Episodes Remaining: 158

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Apologies for no correspondence this week, I'm fairly sick so didn't have time. Generally everyone was just loving on the list anyway; nice to see we have some SoA fans around here!

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And that will do it for us this week! Join me next week when we'll take a look at the 8 Most Anticipated Films of 2012. Until then, have a good week and don't forget to read the many other great columns, news articles and more here at 411mania.com! JT out.