Top 15 TV Shows of 2013

It was SO hard to narrow down my best of TV to a mere 15 shows. Why 15? Because if I capped it at 10, then there wouldn't have been room for the late, lamented Bunheads, a show that I never would have thought I'd become attached to. RIP Bunheads. Sniff).

What also surprised me is how many network shows -- five, and several from CBS -- that I wound up including. Speaking of five, there were also five new shows on this list.

My top TV of the year:

In case the pictures don't work for you, here's a list:



1.    Game Of Thrones
2.    Breaking Bad
3.    Justified
4.    Mad Men
5.    Hannibal
6.    The Americans
7.    The Good Wife
8.    Person Of Interest
9.    Boardwalk Empire
10.    Orange Is The New Black
11.    Orphan Black
12.    Masters Of Sex
13.    Elementary
14.    Bob’s Burgers
15.    Bunheads

Agree? Disagree? What were your top shows of the year?

Top 15 New TV Shows of 2013

2013 was a really good year for television. There were exciting experiments in form, like the return of miniseries (or, as they are called these days, "limited run events") and the rise of non-traditional outlets, like Netflix and Hulu.

Below are my picks for the 15 best new shows of the year. Among them, you will find shows that enjoyed surprising success with a new take on existing material (Hannibal, Bates Motel, Masters of Sex, and the this-can't-possibly-work-but-yet-it-does Sleepy Hollow), emotionally gripping procedurals (Broadchurch, The Fall, Top of the Lake), genre delights (Orphan Black and In The Flesh), pure unadulterated pulp (Banshee), and the return of the cop comedy (Brooklyn 99).

 

(click to embiggen)

In case the pictures don't work for you, here's a list:

1.    Hannibal
2.    The Americans
3.    Orange Is The New Black
4.    Orphan Black
5.    Masters Of Sex
6.    Broadchurch
7.    House Of Cards
8.    Sleepy Hollow
9.    Banshee
10.    Bates Motel
11.    The Bridge
12.    In The Flesh
13.    Top Of The Lake
14.    The Fall
15.    Brooklyn 99

 What are your top new shows of the year?