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

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

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

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

Tyler Golden/NBC

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

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BEST 6. The Colbert Report

Comedy Central

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

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BEST 5. Mad Men

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

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

FX

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

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BEST 2. Breaking Bad

Lewis Jacobs/AMC

The half-season that paid off on Vince Gilligan’s original conceit: ”Mr. Chips will turn into Scarface.”

Read Ken’s review of season 5.

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BEST 1. Homeland

Kent Smith/Showtime

Super-tense, conventional-narrative-shattering, great acting from both Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

Read Ken’s review of the season 2 premiere.

NEXT: Ken picks the worst TV of 2012…

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WORST 5. Phillip Phillips wins American Idol

Michael Becker/Fox

A fitting end to a lousy season; tedious judging, little suspense, a fine-grade sandpaper-voiced but unfortunately bland winner.

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WORST 4. House of Lies

Jordin Althaus/Showtime

How could a show with such a talented cast be so boring?

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WORST 3. Anger Management

Greg Gayne/FX

Charlie Sheen makes a triumphant return to TV! Well, no, let’s just make that a ”return to TV.”

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WORST 2. Animal Practice

Neil Jacobs/NBC

Justin Kirk and Joanna Garcia-Swisher didn’t deserve to be stuck in these tedious monkeyshines.

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WORST 1. Work It

Michael Ansell/ABC

Bosom Buddies without the fun — the year’s most pointless new show.

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