8. Justified (FX)
If the entire “crime of the week” genre were put in a winner-take-all fight to death, it would surprise exactly no one to find U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens as the last man standing. Deftly fleshing out the tiny nooks, and smalltime crooks of the Kentucky criminal underworld, Justified’s method of setting the season’s table with tragicomic short stories in its first half, then building toward a finale that clears the table with a hail of gunfire, is old hat by now. That its third season could stand up admirably to the sublime one that came before it was no minor feat though.
Opting to tackle the expectations for season three’s big bad with quantity, an off-his-game Raylan was put at the center of a free-for-all scramble that attracted many of Harlan County’s lowlifes. All were trying to get their hands on a hidden stash worth millions, and the volume of stories being told would sometimes make the show feel like it was inspired by It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, instead of Elmore Leonard. This year’s overarching plot didn’t cohere quite as smoothly as 2011’s, but it was still a great ride, and the tales Justified tell each week are always a rich source of pulpy dialogue, and honed gallows humor.
- Best Episodes: “Thick as Mud,” “Loose Ends”
7. Community (NBC)
For a show that’s built its reputation on being divisive, it seems only fitting that half of Community’s excellent third season doesn’t technically qualify for the list. Episodes like “Remedial Chaos Theory,” and “Regional Holiday Music,” will go down as classic examples of the show’s devil-may-care attitude toward accessible structure, humor, or inspiration. But they all aired in 2011. Thankfully, the half season we got in 2012 was almost as good. The show charted new territory in its exploration of the TV and movie clichés it both mocks, and reveres (often at the same time), while also delivering one of the highest laughs/minute ratios of any sitcom.
Were it not for the specific knowledge needed to truly appreciate the extent of its Law & Order parody, “Basic Lupine Urology” would be the uncontested funniest half-hour of television this year. Then again, Community’s M.O. has always been to combine elaborate references with a liberal dose of self-awareness, just to see what kind of hilarious nonsense comes out the other end. As dismal ratings, and the rabblerousing of showrunner Dan Harmon became increasingly entwined with the show’s comedic perspective, Community could feel more and more like one big inside joke. That just meant that, when you got it, you laughed your ass off.
- Best Episodes: “Pillows and Blankets,” “Basic Lupine Urology”
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