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2013 was a great year for craft beer and an awesome year for American television and particularly cable and satellite networks, which have blown past Hollywood to become the leading producer of innovative comedies and cutting-edge dramas today. Over the last decade, we have seen once unassailable networks like NBC, ABC, and CBS being forced to rethink their programming as they watched their market share erode to fearless upstarts producing important and visionary TV. The kinds of programming that made HBO such a premier and prestige cable destination have now spread to competitors like STARZ and Showtime, created new cable leaders like the AMC and FX channels, and inspired provider models like Netflix to get into the game.
So without further ado…Welcome to the first of ACB’s Best TV Shows of 2013 (you can thank us later).
Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel) – The disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old rips apart an isolated New Zealand community in the hauntingly evocative Top of the Lake. Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men’s Peggy) stars as a detective obsessed with finding the missing girl in this atmospheric crime saga from noted writer-director Jane Campion – but it was Peter Mullen’s Emmy-nominated performance as the region’s rural drug lord that blew us away!
Mad Men (AMC) – When a show remains as excellent as the Mad Men series has been throughout its run, it can sometimes be taken for granted. And this season, which follows the personal and professional adventures of an enigmatic 1960s advertising exec, was as brilliant as ever. John Hamm’s Emmy-worthy performance as the unknowable Don Draper is once again riveting and serves to tether a smart ensemble cast and multiple story lines.
House of Cards (Netflix) – Developed from a BBC mini-series of the same name, House of Cards tells the tale of ruthless political ambition run amuck in present-day Washington, DC. Kevin Spacey stars as Representative Frank Underwood, a man so hungry for power that he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Robin Wright stars as Clair Underwood, his wife and co-conspirator, and Kate Mara rounds things off as an impossibly sexy cub reporter, desperate to make a name for herself.
Game of Thrones (HBO) – The network that started it all continues to impress and the third season of the richly realized adult fantasy saga, Game of Thrones, was yet another example of why they remain an industry leader. Adapted from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, Game of Thrones has never been shy about going to some very dark places or killing off beloved characters at the drop of a hat. That said – nothing will prepare you for this season’s shocking Red Wedding episode. Game of Thrones is a landmark fantasy series that will be talked about for years.
The Walking Dead (AMC) – After a less than impressive first season, The Walking Dead has grown to become one of television’s smartest shows – and this season was without a doubt their best to date. Who knew that an apocalyptic zombie horror series (based on a popular graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman) could have such moral resonance?
Breaking Bad (AMC) – Walter White’s journey from high school chemistry teacher to methamphetamine drug lord ended this year with a conclusion that was appropriate, bittersweet, and masterful. And unlike David Chase’s non-ending to The Sopranos, Writer/Director Vince Gillian wrapped up his show in a manner that didn’t disappoint. It’s hard to say good-bye to something so good – Breaking Bad may be, at least for now, the best American TV drama ever produced.
Honorable Mention
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Veep (HBO)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Enlightened (HBO)
The Americans (FX)
Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
Downton Abby (PBS)
The Returned (Sundance)
