The Best TV Shows Of 2011
FeaturesOur fervent TV watcher David Bedwell casts his (square) eye over the year's finest shows.
Posted 29th December 2011, 8:16pm in TV, by David Bedwell
With recognisable movie actors like Steve Buscemi, Kathy Bates, Sean Bean, Glenn Close, Sam Neill, and Zooey Deschanel now appearing in weekly shows, TV in 2011 is arguably stronger than it ever has been. Certainly the rise of HBO, Showtime and AMC has helped a lot in terms of breaking out of the boundaries and delivering the content we all deserve; they have forced other traditional American networks to raise their game, as well as our own UK channels.Whether it be Mildred Pierce, a mini-series starring Kate Winslet, or Game Of Thrones, a show akin to a weekly Lord Of The Rings, television in 2011 has had many highlights. I have gone through the pain and torment of selecting my top 10 highlights, covering the back end of the 2010-11 season, the summer shows, and the first few months of 2011-12. I'm sure everyone has their own Top 10s and I'd love to hear your thoughts too.
Honorable mentions: Once Upon A Time (beautifully shot, stellar cast); Black Mirror (unique, daring); Breaking Bad - Season 4 (every season is amazing); The Fades (the new Being Human?); Friday Night Lights - Season 5 (goodbye to the most underappreciated show on TV); This Is England '88 (superb acting and writing); Downton Abbey - Series 2 (addictive, best UK show in years).
10. SMALLVILLE - SERIES FINALE
Ten seasons. Ten. Over two hundred episodes. In what is a very rare occurance, Smallville actually got better with age. Specifically the final two seasons delved right into the characters available from the DC universe, and used these as the driving force behind the show rather than puppy love and the Luthors as villains. That's not to say that Michael Rosenbaum wasn't missed as Lex, but no show can rely on one central villain for ten straight years. The aptly titled 'Finale' finally gave us that glimpse of Tom Welling in the Superman suit, a returning Lex, and left me wishing it was this cast given an opportunity on the big screen rather than the constant use of other actors (first Brandon Routh, now Henry Cavill). The finale may not have given us a huge amount of actual Superman, but when you think of where the show came from, I think they did a pretty damn good job.
9. THE KILLING (FORBRYDELSEN)
Due to the increased hype brought on by The Killing (US) this year, we finally got to see the original on BBC Four in the UK from January through to March. The US version, while it had some good points, didn't really capture the essence of the Danish original, failing to live up to the promise of the source material. If anything it suffered from being too much of an American series, looking to hang on to viewers for a second season when really it should have focused on keeping us pleased during the first. If any of you were put off by the US adaptation, give the original a shot. I can't recommend it highly enough, and I've been deliberately vague as it's a stunning piece of TV that deserves to be seen and experienced without it being spoiled beforehand.
8. DOCTOR WHO
Taking the bold step of splitting the series into two parts (April-June then a return in August), the BBC let Steven Moffat weave an intricate web of time and space into Who this year. The Ponds and River Song plotline showed that a UK show can be just as creative and story-heavy as anything the US has to offer. With an episode by the legend that is Neil Gaiman, another spooky effort from Mark Gatiss, and The Moff handling the main stories, we were treated to one of the darkest and most dangerous series of Who in history. There was less reliance on bringing old characters in, and a heavy focus on current character development. Throw in a few surprise twists here and there, some comical moments, and fantastic guest stars, and you have a perfect recipe for success. Even the Christmas special was a perfect piece of family fluff.
7. THE MENTALIST - SEASON 3
While The Mentalist has had its fair share of crime-of-the-week storylines, the central theme of Patrick Jane wanting revenge on Red John always lingers in the background, occasionally taking pride of place as a central story. You can compare it to the 'mythology' episodes of The X-Files, returning the characters back to their primary focus and what brought them there in the first place. I expected simply another run-of-the-mill twist in the Red John saga. What unfolded in the last act of the two-part finale 'Strawberries and Cream' was one of the most stunning pieces of writing and acting seen on TV in a long time. Simon Baker has always been a solid actor but he really got my attention here. Genuinely one of the most tense scenes I've ever watched, Jane finally comes face to face with Red John. What develops after that is unpredictable, surprising and memorable, and guarantees you'll be back for the next season. A monumental finale, one almost worthy of a series ending rather than just a season!
6. FROZEN PLANET
The only factual show on the list - if there's one thing that the BBC has proved they can do well over the years, it's nature documentaries, especially where David Attenborough is concerned. HD cameras and TV sets were made for shows like this. Covering well-loved animals such as polar bears and penguins and their fight for survival, Attenborough's voice always has an authority and a warmth to it that makes you want to listen to what he has to say. He is as much of a star of the show as the animals involved. These are shows that manage to appeal across the board, to regular watchers and first timers alike, and that's a very special thing. I use Twitter for a lot of TV news and discussion - anything from X-Factor to American Horror Story - and the response to Frozen Planet was amazing.
5. COMMUNITY/PARKS AND RECREATION
Two of the most underappreciated shows on air over the past few years, I've chosen to throw them in together as I believe they both deserve recognition. They remind me of 30 Rock in that they have always had the critics behind them, yet never caught on fire with a wider audience. Parks and Recreation was completely misunderstood from the start, often (mistakenly) spoken of as an Office spinoff, and Community has always struggled too. Why? I'm not sure. Whether the number of references to other TV shows/movies is off-putting to a wider audience, or the show isn't promoted enough, I have no idea. I just wish I could watch each season without fear of two cancellations in one year. Community is definitely a marmite show - one that can work slightly on a basic level but far more on a higher level if you know what they're doing. Parks on the other hand is straightforward human comedy. As far as the UK goes for these shows, Community aired on Viva (yeah, what's that?) and Parks And Recreation has never aired here as far as I'm aware - it's treatment like this that causes downloading and importing. Both shows have some of the smartest writing on TV today, and with characters like Troy and Abed, and Ron Swanson, these are 22-minute slices of comedy gold that should be served up to as many people as possible.
4. THE WALKING DEAD - SEASON 2
With all the hype surrounding AMC's The Walking Dead before its debut in 2010, it was always going to be hard to deliver, yet somehow it managed. Between the passionate fans of the graphic novels, and those who had never read it but simply just wanted a decent zombie series, Frank Darabont managed to do a pretty good job overall at pleasing the majority: The vibe was spot on, the FX believable, and the plot a tense mix of slow burning moments and gory action. AMC made a wise choice in renewing the show pretty quickly into its inaugral season, and giving the second a bigger number of episodes. We have just reached the mid-season finale, episode seven, and we've already had more than the first season. The focus this time was mostly on a child missing from the group, Sophia, and the pay-off delivered in the mid-season finale. Without wanting to spoil it, it made for one of the most memorable moments this year - emotional, hard to watch, and something that would not have worked nearly as well if it had been rushed. Beyond that, we have been given more characters, more tension between existing ones, and some answers/conclusions to things from the first season.
3. AMERICAN HORROR STORY
It takes a special kind of show to create a passionate vocal fanbase. There's no doubt that Ryan Murphy is a very talented and creative individual, but it's prolonging that creativity that seems to be an issue. Season 1 had one of the best casts of any series in recent years (particularly Jessica Lange), and it had that must-see factor that some other shows can only dream of. Yet it seems like we were only destined to get 12 episodes of perfection, as Murphy sees the show as telling a completely different story every season. So be prepared to say goodbye to the Harmons, Constance, Moira, Tate and everyone else. It hasn't been a show for everyone. Yes, it borrowed from quite a few well known horror movies, and relied on a lot of smut and cheap thrills, but that's exactly what I loved about it. It was never a high brow show, choosing instead of create an uneasy, dirty, horny, crazy life for everyone involved. Finding out the answer to 'who is in the gimp suit?' was just as fun as wondering what was in the hatch in Lost, or who shot JR, or countless other TV mysteries. The one thing to take out of a self-contained season is that the show didn't take a breather, and it was a rollercoaster ride where everything (mostly) was out in the open by the end.
2. GAME OF THRONES
To think that an epic so visually stunning is actually being made for the small screen is mindblowing. When you read a cast list and it starts off with Sean Bean and Mark Addy, your first thought would certainly be a Hollywood movie, not a weekly show, yet this is the standard which HBO sets these days. We've seen with Rome and Deadwood that the network believes in epics with strong characters and settings, driven by a few familiar faces and some new talent, and that's exactly what Game Of Thrones delivers. When a show starts with beheadings and mutilated corpses in the opening scene, you get a strong feeling that they mean business. The plaudits for Peter Dinklage and the cast/show in general are well deserved. There isn't a weak link for me in the show whatsoever, which is very typical of HBO. They just seem to turn everything to gold, and deliver shows that the other networks could only dream of. Game Of Thrones sets the bar higher than any other fantasy show.
1. BEING HUMAN - SERIES 3
Proud to be able to put a UK show at the top of my chart this year - there was no better central cast this year than the combination of Lenora Crichlow, Russell Tovey and Aidan Turner. They all have the ability to make you laugh or cry, sometimes even both. With no prior knowledge of Turner leaving the show, Being Human shocked its fanbase by delivering a stake to their hearts - and to Mitchell. If there was a more surprising and heartbreaking moment in all of 2011, I didn't see it. Despite complete despair at the end, everything that came before it was of such a high quality. The return of Jason Watkins as Herrick was worth the wait, with Watkins showing once again that he's one of the best actors on TV. His range between good and evil is astounding. It's hard to see how the show carries on without one of its main characters, especially when the bonds between them were so tight, yet we do get a fourth series starting early 2012. No one man makes a show after all. Whether that will be the final series is yet to be seen, but I almost feel like the Series 3 ending could have been a perfect finale for the whole show. Maybe once our version finishes, I'll get brave enough to try the US version...
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