10 Best (and 5 Worst) TV Shows of 2012: Ken Tucker's Picks

''Nashville,'' ''Girls,'' ''Louie'' make EW critic's Honor Roll; see his No. 1. Plus: This year's Hall of Shame

By Ken Tucker December 09, 2012 at 05:00 PM EST

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BEST 10. Nashville

Credit: Chris Hollo/ABC

The best new show of the fall season, boldly soapy, seamlessly musical.

Read Ken's review of the series premiere.

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BEST 9. The Good Wife

Credit: Jeffrey Neira/CBS

Even with the frustrating Kalinda's-husband subplot (we're irritated because we care!), this is network drama's best show, with the best use of guest stars.

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BEST 8. Justified

Credit: Prashant Gupta/FX

The most hardboiled season yet, with an out-of-town hit-man giving Raylan his most formidable villain.

Read Ken's review of the season 3 premiere.

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BEST 7. Parks and Recreation

Credit: Tyler Golden/NBC

Beautifully unironic, carefully avoiding undue meanness, yet still gut-punchingly funny.

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BEST 6. The Colbert Report

Credit: Comedy Central

The funniest and most devastating political humor in an election year.

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BEST 5. Mad Men

Credit: Ron Jaffe/AMC

Unbuttoning in the 1960s, with characters taking trips both geographical and chemical, making risky business and personal decisions.

Read Ken's essay on Roger Sterling.

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BEST 4. Girls

Credit: HBO

The year's most impressive debut, and one of its most original sitcoms.

Read Ken's review of season 1.

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BEST 3. Louie

Credit: FX

Expanding sitcom conventions with storylines that allowed for dramatic moments, quiet moments, crazy moments, sometimes all in one episode (see: Parker Posey).