The 25 Best TV Shows Of 2012 (So Far)

In only two months’ time, both cable television executives and those manning the basic channels will bombard us with an influx of new shows, some good but most bad and primed for limited on-air life spans.

That’s right, the fall TV season is nearly here, which also means that, after Breaking Bad’s big July 15th return on AMC, most of our favorite shows will be back on the air: Boardwalk Empire, Homeland, and, yes, even the frustrating mess that Dexter has become. For many, September marks the time when TV officially kicks into quality overdrive, but, as evidenced by the last six months, 2012 is already off to an excellent start.

It hasn’t been all good—the less said about this year’s mid-season premiere disappointments (House of Lies, Alcatraz, Touch) and outright flops (Work It, The Firm, Are You There, Chelsea?) the better. But as a whole, the year’s first half has been steered into distinction through several returning favorites and a couple of HBO debuts that helped save Sunday night’s 10 p.m. through 11 p.m. EST slot from AMC’s The Killing’s web of irritation.

Without further delay, we present to you, idiot box fiends: The 25 Best TV Shows Of 2012 (So Far).

Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone) and Tanya Ghahremani (@tanyaghahremani)

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Stars: Joe Anderson, Leslie Hope, Eloise Mumford, Paul Blackthorne, Thomas Kretschmann, Daniel Zacapa, Bruce Greenwood, Paulina Gaitan, Shaun Parkes

If we were counting down the year's most infuriating shows (so far), ABC's frustrating grab bag known as The River would certainly rank at the top. From its exceedlingly safe approach to characters' fates (i.e., nobody ever dies) to its worst characters existing only to conveniently spit out exposition and dictate mythology (i.e., Paula Gaitan's contrived Jahel), the first found-footage TV project from Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli constantly shot itself in the proverbial foot.

But damn was it fun to watch. Even at its weakest points, The River kept us hooked with its undying promises of freaky things to come. And by its sixth episode (out of eight in total), the show thankfully went off the rails, firing zombies, reincarnation, and other creepy ish at viewers as it mad-dashed to the satisfyingly downbeat conclusion. Simply for ending strongly, The River gets a (somewhat reluctant) seal of approval.

Stars: Jason Isaacs, Laura Allen, Steve Harris, Dylan Minnette, BD Wong, Michaela McManus, Wilmer Valderrama, Cherry Jones

Kyle Killen really can't catch a break. After creating the critically praised but quickly canceled Fox series Lone Star, the experienced showrunner took a second stab at backing an intelligent, slow-burning character study—you know, the kind of program that most network executives love to bypass. And, wouldn't you know it, Awake, poor Killen's latest show, met a similar unfortunate fate, getting axed after only airing 11 of its 13 shot episodes.

Our guess: The ratings never beefed up due to many people tuning into the pilot, seeing how methodically the narrative was unfolding, and checking out. Those who hung in for the whole 11-hour ride, however, were rewarded with a formidable leading man (Jason Isaacs), uniformly solid acting, and a difficult plot that gradually revealed its transfixing inner workings.

As for that plot, maybe it was a bit too transgressive for its own good. A police procedural show in which the main character shifts from one reality (where his wife lives and son is dead) to another (vice versa)? Doesn't Mr. Killen know that procedurals aren't supposed to be so intelligently ambitious? For shame.

Stars: Elisha Cuthbert, Damon Wayans, Jr., Zachary Knighton, Casey Wilson, Adam Pally, Eliza Coupe

When it premiered back in April 2011, Happy Endings showed all kinds of potential, leading sitcom experts to believe that non-cable programming had finally found its worthy Friends successor, albeit on a different network (ABC, not NBC) and an actual black dude (Damon Wayans, Jr.). But there was an initial downside: Happy Endings, at first, fancied itself as a series based around a failed relationship, that of Dave (Zachary Knighton) and Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), and the other characters were basically just there for funny reactions and peanut gallery commentary.

But a funny thing happened to the year's most improved sitcom: Apparently realizing that the folks surrounding Knighton and Cuthbert were their strongest assets, the show's creative squad shifted the bulk of the material onto breakouts Adam Pally (Dave's gay yet frat-boy-ish pal Max), Eliza Coupe (Wayans' domineering wife), and Casey Wilson (who needs her own Judd Apatow-produced movie, stat).

Now, Happy Endings ranks as one of TV's best ensemble comedies, and its second season was a promising case study of an evolving boob-tube series figuring out its best assets and capitalizing upon them. The sky's the limit for season three.

Stars: Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, Adam DeVine, Kyle Newacheck

Yes, we know there have only been five episodes thus far of Workaholics' third season, and, OK, it's not entirely justified to give a TV show placement on a list of this nature before a season is completed. As you can tell from our recent digital cover blowout with our boys Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, and Adam DeVine, the Complex team is highly up on Comedy Central's funniest show. Five episodes is plenty—Workaholics is already worthy.

Plus, if the guys have crazier shit in store than the first ep's acid trip, or seedier jump-off points for edginess than switching drug dealers, we might wish we'd ranked them closer to the top 10. Only time will tell.

Stars: Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon, Jason Sudeikis, John Hawkes, Jennifer Irwin, Elizabeth De Razzo, Ike Barinholtz, Bo Mitchell, Lily Tomlin, Crispin Freeman

If there's ever been a comedy show with a built-in expiration date, it's HBO's Eastbound & Down, which is why we're a bit unsure about the shared decision of series runners Danny McBride, Jody Hill, David Gordon Green, and their other creative counterparts to go ahead and work on a fourth season. Had they kept the originally discussed tactic of ending things this year, Kenny Powers (McBride), the world's angriest, most delusional baseball has-been would've been sent off on a high note.

Confronted with fatherhood and finally having to grow up (read: stop chasing tail and getting shitfaced all the time), the hard-partying pitcher maintained his endearing obnoxiousness, chasing Minor League redemption alongside a like-minded new sidekick (Jason Sudeikis) and his trusty old one (Steve Little).

But, hey there are certainly positives about a fourth Eastbound & Down season: Now we'll be able to hear plenty more of his foul-mouthed one-liners.

Hoarders is a rarity in reality television; though it's both entertaining and riveting, it's also shockingly real, something that any casual reality television viewer can confidently say is not the norm for the genre. It's an attribute that works both for and against the show, in the sense that knowing how real the episodes are makes them simultaneously more interesting and more difficult to watch, considering the subject matter.

Hoarders follows real people with real problems, so watching their plight to overcome their addiction to hoarding—an inability to throw many things away because of an imagined future use or exaggerated sentimental value—becomes almost too heavy for the series to be considered reality television at all. At the same time, however, this same fact is what makes it so intriguing and consistently good season to season.

This past season (the show's fifth) saw a multitude of memorable episodes, including Claire and Vance's house of books (they slept in little nooks between their stacks of literature), and Verna claiming that her hoarding was a form of art rather than a psychological issue that needed to be resolved.

Stars: Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Rico Rodriguez, Nolan Gould

Quality-wise, the third season of ABC's Emmy-winning hit Modern Family was on par with its previous two; thus, it was still one of the best sitcoms on television, full of strong performances, vibrant writing, and heartfelt relationships. But there was a gaping problem, one out of the old Lost seasons two and three playbooks: an erratic airing schedule for new episodes.

Without any consistency, ABC premiered fresh Modern Family eps at a frustratingly unbalanced pace, sometimes taking two weeks off in between new ones, other times a whole month. Fortunately, whenever it was on, Modern Family didn't miss a beat.

Stars: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Karl Pilkington

It doesn't get much simpler than The Ricky Gervais Show: It's just British funnymen Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant chatting with their droll, hilariously opinionated buddy Karl Pilkington about random topics, and shown through animation. And it's an incredibly addictive time-killer.

In its third season on HBO, The Ricky Gervais Show has presented 11 more of the trio's U.K. podcasts (with two episodes remaining), and they've all been delightful. Highlights have included Karl's idiotic movie pitch for Tom Cruise, his reasoning as to why firemen do their job, and ruminations on the third wheel's less than cuddly wife.

Stars: Liam McIntyre, Peter Mensah, Lucy Lawless, Viva Bianca, Craig Parker, Manu Bennett, Katrina Law, Dustin Clare, Dan Fuerriegel, Brooke Williams

Entering the season premiere of Spartacus: Vengeance, the Starz network's first stab at furthering the Roman gladiator's story after the death of first season star Andy Whitfield, the question on every fan's mind was: Does this Liam McIntyre fella have what it takes? The answer: A less than ecstatic yes, as it turns out.

Although the new Spartacus wasn't able to fully thrive in Whitfield's huge shadow, the show surrounding him carried on quite dutifully. Because, in the end, the Spartacus braintrust knows what brings viewers back every Friday night, and that's the promise of excessive violence, gore, and copious T&A, all of which Spartacus: Vengeance had in abundance.

It was recently announced that the next season, to be titled Spartacus: War of the Damned, will be the franchise's last one. We can't say we're devastated, though: The tale of Spartacus has a known end-game, and there's only so much obligatory debauchery viewers can take before "never enough" becomes "too much." For now, though, bring on the carnage.

Stars: Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong

If you're more concerned with reading about pop culture than actually experiencing it firsthand, the last few months have no doubt put NBC's Community in a troublesome light. News reports and entertainment industry gossip blogs have devoted much of their written words to the show's behind-the-scenes turmoil, mainly the feud between creator Dan Harmon and curmudgeon/star Chevy Chase. And it all boiled over, unfortunately, into NBC giving Harmon the boot in May.

All of the negative press has sadly overshadowed Community itself, but allow us to, however humbly, try to remedy that. No matter what goes on in the writers' room and NBC offices, Community always brings the funny in clever, meta, and reference-heavy manners.

Series leads Joel McHale, Alison Brie, and Donald Glover were all at the top of their respective games during Community's high-reaching, if not slightly uneven, third season. What other sitcom has the stones to devote entire episodes to video game aesthetics ("Digital Estate Planning"), a Hearts of Darkness-inspired faux documentary format ("Documentary Filmmaking: Redux"), and seemingly innocuous events presented in seven different timelines ("Remedial Chaos Theory")? Hopefully the show will continue to make such ballsy moves in its post-Harmon state.

Stars: Renee Graziano, Drita D’Avanzo, Carla Facciolo, Gina Marie Facciolo, Karen Gravano, Ramona Rizzo, Angela “Big Ang” Raiola

How do we explain our love for this past season of Mob Wives? Let us count the ways. One, for as insane and dramatic as it was, it never quite fell into the category of guilty pleasure viewing. For two seasons, the series has remained a legitimately interesting despite being mostly advertised for its fights between cast members, and actually remains relatively honest and true to its purpose.

That purpose being, of course, to depict how the lives of women associated with men who have ties to the mob are affected by that association. Two, though each cast member has done their fair share of unlikeable things, none of the women is actually unlikeable because we're given a chance to sympathize with them and understand their situation in each episode.

For instance, this past season saw the aftermath of the blow-out fight between Drita and Karen that practically headlined the first season finale. Though both sides had done their fair share of things that culminated in the altercation, it was difficult to decide just who was more at fault—near impossible, actually. When it comes to reality television, a genre built off of showcasing people's less-than-stellar life decisions, this is refreshing to say the least.

And, lastly, how can we not commend the season that brought us the queen herself, Big Ang?

Stars: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein

Irreverence is in no short supply on Portlandia, the strange comedic brainchild of co-creators, executive producers, and stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. In anything-goes fashion, the Saturday Night Live alum and Sleater Kinney guitarist/vocalist portray a wide array of eccenctrics, all living in a heightened version of Portland, OR, and all uniquely demented.

A sketch comedy show in ways unlike, say, SNL or Chappelle's Show, Portlandia seamlessly weaves its offbeat skits into one overarching depiction of city life. And this year, Armisen and Brownstein welcomed guests like Andy Samberg and Miranda July into their melting pot of weirdness.

Though it's a decidely acquired taste, once you've settled into its subversive groove, Portlandia is charmingly one-of-a-kind.

Stars: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Sufe Bradshaw

Even if you couldn't give a shit less about politics, HBO's joke-per-second success Veep had the kind of breathless humor and snappy writing that could make those who know Santigold better than Rick Santorum laugh. Which came as no surprise, since the show's creator, Armando Iannucci, is the same guy who wrote and directed the razor-sharp 2009 political satire In the Loop.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus gave Girls star Lena Dunham serious comp for "the year's best female comedic performance" as Vice President Selina Meyer, an easily annoyed chief amongst a group of problematic underlings. The gist of Veep is, frankly, that most people working in her field are morons, or at least sympathetically incompetent. More importantly, though, in Veep's case, they also come equipped with rapid-fire senses of humor.

Stars: Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington, Kristen Hager, Dichen Lachman, Natalie Brown, Dusan Dukic, Deena Aziz

It's true, Being Human, the SyFy channel's crown jewel of original programming, resembles, on the surface, one of those teenybopper-friendly shows on ABC Family, albeit with a horror twist. It's the story of a vampire (Sam Witwer), a werewolf (Sam Huntington), and a ghost (Meaghan Rath) living in a house together, and they're all Tiger Beat attractive. But that's where the lameness stops; in every other way, shape, and form, Being Humanis a complicated, entertaining, and slept-on study of well-drawn characters.

And in the show's triumphant second season, things got really real. Aidan, the resident bloodsucker, ran across a governing class of ruthless vamps in an undead storyline stong enough to pump much-needed blood into pop culture's current abuses of vampire mythology; Josh, the lycanthrope, watched his monster ways bring death and sadness to loved ones; and Sally, the very sexy spirit, met the darkest sides of the afterlife head on, with mostly undesirable results.

Real talk: Being Human, with its mixture of supernatural elements and intimate drama, is the show that True Blood's least content fans wish it could be; meaning, there aren't any were-panthers, questionable acting, or ridiculous developments in sight.

Star: Warwick Davis, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant

Life's Too Short, a Curb Your Enthusiasm-styled show about "showbiz dwarf" Warwick Davis' delusional hope for a mainstream comeback, was, yes, a one-joke affair: Davis thinks he's a bigger deal than he actually is, and everyone calls him out on that. But when that sole punch line is so regularly well riffed upon, as it was in this uncomfortably funny series, overseen by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, that's not a drawback.

Wisely, Gervais and Merchant kept Davis' arrogance fresh through having him play off of several spot-on celebrity guest stars, most notably Liam Neeson (playing up his tough guy reputation) and Johnny Depp (tapping into his eccentric qualities).

By the end of its limited seven-episode season, Life's Too Short didn't necessarily show much progression in Davis' faux life, nor did it introduce any second or third thematic jokes. Considering how much we laughed each time, we're perfectly fine with that.

Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole, Blair Brown, Seth Gabel

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: God bless the Fox executives who've bravely kept Fringe alive. Despite consistently low ratings, the J.J. Abrams-produced science fiction series has garnered a very loyal, outspoken, but small cult following, and the network's brass hasn't ignored it. Probably because, like the show's fans, they're well aware that Fringe is powered by some of the most ambitious and crafty storytellers in the game.

It's also home to a few of the medium's most overlooked performers. Bouncing around through dimensions and timelines, Fringe's extremely heady fifth season focused on the love between special agent Olivia (Anna Torv) and the universe's salvation in human form, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson).

Theirs is a romance we can actually empathize with, set within a foreign, dystopian world that is as engrossing as it is haunting. It's saddening to think that we've only got one more season left of Fringe, but we should look at it this way: It's a blessing that it's even gotten this far.

Stars: Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Benjamin McKenzie, Regina King, Lucy Liu, Roxana Brusso, Dorian Missick, Lou Diamond Phillips, Carl Lumbly

Procedural shows about cops are, much like ones about lawyers and hospital workers, TV's most easily served comfort food. With new cases every week and a limited amount of narrative originality, hour-long dramas revolving around troubled policemen and women present channel-surfers with familiarity: action and modest suspense accompanied by stock characters.

Southland, TNT's LAPD series by way of NBC's premature cancellation in October 2009, is the exception. Given their usual scant 10-episode duration, Southland's creators didn't pull any punches in the show's fourth season. The signature grittiness propelled stars Michael Cudlitz, Benjamin McKenzie, Regina King, and newbie Lucy Liu to handle plotlines about teenage suicide, gangland murders, and precinct investigations with aplomb.

Using the presumptions associated with procedurals to its advantage, Southland continues to be TV's best cop drama.

Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Mac Greenfield, Hannah Simone, Lamorne Morris

When New Girl premiered last September, we, admittedly, were ready to pounce. As alternately funny and sexy as Zooey Deschanel is, her character, the "adorkable" (worst adjective ever?) Jess, started off slightly insufferable and grew even more irritating as the season moved forward and Jess' geekiness was enhanced. And, truth be told, we're still not all that in love with her, which makes the performances from Deschanel's co-stars that much more impressive.

New Girl is like the TV equivalent of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, with its repeatedly overshadowed lead and top-notch side characters. In this case, the M.V.P. trophies belong to Max Greenfield (as the lovable douchebag Schmidt), Jake Johnson (Jess' cynical is-he-or-isn't-he love interest), and Hannah Simone (Jess' best friend who's, well, incredibly gorgeous). Together, they do most of the heavy lifting while Deschanel gives us conflicted feelings. It's a good thing that, despite those mixed emotions, we're always laughing.

Stars: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, Kathryn Hahn

Only 26-years-old, New York native Lena Dunham is a one-woman powerhouse, and HBO's Girls, easily the year's most polarizing new TV show, is her call to eminence.

Guided by comedy superproducer Judd Apatow, Dunham's uncomprising look at the modern-day lives of young women coming of age in NYC is unlike any other television program, both past and present. In addition to its emphasis on flawed yet sympathetic female characters, Girls also approches sex with an unusual fearlessness, depicting Dunham's bedroom experimentation without cutting away from un-Hollywood bodies bumping and grinding.

More than a brave provocateur, Dunham is a vastly interesting writer. The dialogue is sharp, the comedic set-ups are never obvious, and, as displayed by her character Hannah's complex relationship with oddball Adam (Adam Driver), the story lines all took unexpected turns.

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, IronE Singleton, Scott Wilson, Lauren Cohan, Michael Zegen

Remember all of the complaints and vitriol that were aimed at AMC's The Walking Dead last year? Kicking off its split-up second season with seven episodes, the zombie apocalypse drama opened with a ghoul-heavy first ep and closed with particularly grisly mid-season finale, but in between? A whole lot of talking, prophesizing, and walking around without many undead interferences, and bloodthirsty viewers weren't having it.

Something that new showrunner Glen Mazzara (stepping into Frank Darabont's role) was more than happy to fix. The six episodes that closed out The Walking Dead's harrowing second season were balls-to-the-wall, zombie-thick insanity, with an underlying grasp on character development and heart-wrenching tragedy to boot. Main characters died, graphically, and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) finally manned up and took the forceful leadership role.

And how about the seeds planted for the show's upcoming third run? Those final images of Michonne (newcomer Danai Gurira) with her samurai sword and the massive prison the survivors will attempt to shack up in were badass enough for any show-criticising fan of Robert Kirkman's original comic book series to stand up and cheer.

Stars: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe

What's the funniest sitcom on TV? It's not even a competition, folks: NBC's Parks and Recreation has it all, namely a spotless ensemble cast, intelligent and hilarious writing, and a subersive streak that never feels forced or distracting.

In its fourth season, Parks and Rec used the central story arc of Leslie Knope's (Amy Poehler) campaign for city council as an entry point to bring in a slew of first-class guests stars. All making the most of their brief playtime, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Rudd, Kathryn Hahn, and returning champ Louis C.K. kept regulars like Nick Offerman and Adam Scott on their A-games.

The show's biggest achievement, though, is its staggering consistency. Over a whopping 22-episode span, the normal non-cable sitcom length that typically results in several underwhelming filler eps for other programs, Parks and Rec never fails to supply several genuinely uproarious moments. Credit the presence of scene-stealers like Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, and Aziz Ansari, but also acknowledge the exemplary work of a writing staff that's second to none in the comedy world.

Stars: Edie Falco, Eve Best, Peter Facinelli, Merritt Wever, Paul Schulze, Dominic Fumusa, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Wallem, Bobby Cannavale, Ruby Jerins

Nurse Jackie might be the most unfairly misconceived show on television, mainly amongst the dude sect. Ask nine guys on the street if they've ever watched the dark Showtime comedy and you're likely to be met with blank stares and fuck-outta-here indifference. What's to blame? Perhaps a certain close-mindedness about a show centered on a middle-aged woman (the always stellar Edie Falco) and her mixture of workplace drama and domestic headaches.

Well, fellas in question, you're missing out on one of TV's best written, intriguingly complicated, and scathingly funny characters. As the titular pill-popper, Falco leads an eclectic cast of comedic talents, an ensemble that grew in strength during the half-hour show's fourth season, its greatest one yet. Bolstered by the addition of the underrated Bobby Cannavale as NYC's All Saints' Hospital tyrannical new leader, Nurse Jackie's wicked support team all brilliantly conveyed the hospital's eroding sense of order.

Yet it's always Falco who pushes Nurse Jackie into that upper echelon of cable television superiority. With Jackie's life in a tailspin, due to an erratic stint in drug rehab and a bitter divorce, the four-time Emmy-winning actress showed viewers why she's a foolproof lock for a nomination year in and year out. Per usual, she has our vote.

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Emilia Clarke, Alfie Allen, Aiden Gillen, Kit Harrington, Charles Dance, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Sophie Turner, Richard Madden, Maisie Williams, Jack Gleeson, Stephen Dillane, Carice van Houten

Someone should time how long the opening credits sequence for HBO's Game of Thrones runs—it has to be the longest on all of television. And that's because the gruesome, captivating sword-and-sorcery series, based on author George R.R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Fire and Ice book series, seems to average at least one new character introduced per episode. Somehow, perhaps through the kind of magic seen on the show, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss consistently weave a multifaceted and endlessly compelling yarn around Game of Throne's stacked cast.

During the show's debut season, breakouts like Peter Dinklage (as pint-sized shotcaller and ladies man Tyrion Lannister) and Emilia Clarke (the golden-haired dragon lady Daenerys Targaryen) received most of the attention, but season two saw a few previously limited performers step to the forefront in major ways.

Of special note were Alfie Allen, who gave the suddenly megalomaniacal Theon Greyjoy's violent quest for power a stark (no pun intended) vulnerability; Sophie Turner, the brave young actress who shares most scenes with that sniveling bastard Joffrey (Jack Glesson) and continually manages to hold her own; and Maisie Williams, the 15-year-old wonder who played little Arya's undercover survival within the Lannister family's guarded walls with a sympathetic toughness.

How Game of Thrones balances so many rich characters while delivering eye-grabbing moments of wild carnage and pricey visual effects is one of the show's many selling points. That just goes to show you the paramount importance of substance over style.

Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, Demetrius Grosse, Jeremy Davies, Natalie Zea, Joelle Carter, Raymond J. Barry, Jere Burns

One of these days, the privileged few who vote on Emmy nominations will wake up, acknowledge the cowboy hat, and give Timothy Olyphant a statue. This year, throughout Justified's thrilling third season, Olyphant, as US Marshal Raylan Givens, continued his small-screen reign of excellence. Charming, imposing, and able to crack wise better than most of his TV peers, Olyphant holds the Kentucky-set series down without falling behind his equally proficient co-stars. That's no small accomplishment, either, since, once again, Justified benefited from a remarkable supporting cast.

Last year, the show's flawless second season introduced us to an incredible antagonist, Mags Bennett (Emmy winner Margo Martindale), thus setting the bar sky-high for season three baddie Robert Quarles (Neal McDonough). Fortunately, McDonough nailed it, giving the unstable yet icy-cool Quarles a fascinating lunacy that grew all the more riveting as the season progressed.

Kudos to Justified's creative team for also amplifying the violence and gore without overshadowing the season's twisty narrative, a combination of various subplots that all congealed, explosively, at that.

Stars: Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Jessica Pare, Vincent Kartheiser, Jared Harris, Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, Kiernan Shipka

As expected, AMC's critically adored drama returned from its 17-month hiatus in tip-top shape. Starting off in 1966, Mad Men's superb fifth season brought with it a host of challenges for Don Draper (Jon Hamm, as great as ever). At home, his marriage to his loving, anti-Betty Draper spouse, Megan (the breakout Jessica Paré), inspired the known lothario to settle down and remain faithful; at work, the ever-changing times signaled his elder statesmanship, seen by his out-of-touch chat with a teenage Rolling Stones fan.

None of this hurt Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce as a whole, though, with the show's central ad agency scoring a few big deals. Beneath the company's surface, however, brewed discontent and self-hatred. Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) finally reached her Don-doesn't-respect-me-enough breaking point, while Lane (Jared Harris) let past mistakes and a lack of support from Don motivate him to commit suicide.

With Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) also going through his own self-evaluation, thanks to a tryst with an unstable married gal (Alexis Bledel), Mad Men's latest run tackled the series' usual brand of subtle psychosis and inter-office positioning (see: Christina Hendricks' excellent work handling Joan's promotion via sexual favor) with an increased level of elegance.

The flack that show creator Matthew Weiner catches for his closed-door dealing with AMC aren't quietly addressed; some say his demands for higher budgets ultimately led to original The Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont's animosity toward the network. But as Mad Men reaffirmed this year, Weiner and his staff tell mature and provocative stories with a singular grace.