5 in '11: TV

2011 was a good year for TV. Even though Mad Men didn't air, and Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl stopped being appointment television, and Taylor Armstrong wreaked cringe-inducing havoc on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (only for Camille Grammer to rise from her first season ashes like the glorious phoenix she has revealed herself to be), it was still a good year for couch potatoes. We grappled with the frustrating humanity of Amy Jellicoe, we traversed the Seven Kingdoms with Ned Stark, and we did lots of secret, sexy things with Kalinda Sharma. It was a good year to be a TV fan! I'm still kind of mad about Taylor Armstrong (especially since I don't think any of the women will call her out at the reunion), but I'm working on it. Until then, enjoy my five (actually, six) favorite shows of 2011.

The Big Ten: TV

The Big Ten continues with a look at the ten television shows I considered appointment viewing over the last year. These are the series I watched religiously, the episodes I talked about obsessively and the moments that left a lasting impression. The grand total amounts to two reality shows, three comedies, and five dramas (NBC wins the network showdown with three entries). Some of the omissions surprised me (old favorites The Hills, Glee and True Blood are no where to be found), and I have a feeling some of the year's late entries (The Vampire Diaries, for instance) will have a strong case for inclusion come the end of 2011. Until then . . .

The best thing I saw on TV last week.

Community, S1, Ep. 23 "Modern Warfare"

"Come with me if you don't want paint on your clothes."