AFT Awards: Best Writing for a Drama Series

This is the fourteenth category of the 7th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2012-2013 seasons. Finalists and semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work done on television today. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Writing for a Drama Series

Last year’s nominees: Pilot (Alcatraz), Blackwater (Game of Thrones), Pilot (Homeland), The Weekend (Homeland), Guy Walks Into a Bar (Justified)

Emmy nominees: Dead Freight (Breaking Bad), Say My Name (Breaking Bad), Episode 4 (Downton Abbey), The Rains of Castamere (Game of Thrones), Q and A (Homeland)

Semi-finalists: A Mixture of Madness (Banshee), Beirut Is Back (Homeland), Blue Bell Boy (Boardwalk Empire), Conditions of Existence (Orphan Black), Gliding Over All (Breaking Bad), I Fought the Law (The Good Wife), I'll Try to Fix You (The Newsroom), In Care of (Mad Men), Kissed By Fire (Game of Thrones), Man with a Plan (Mad Men), New Car Smell (Homeland), Say My Name (Breaking Bad), Spaghetti and Coffee (Boardwalk Empire), The 112th Congress (The Newsroom), The Doorway (Mad Men), Through and Through (Boss), True Enough (Boss), What's In the Box? (The Good Wife), When Push Comes to Shove (Alphas), Wicks (Banshee)

Finalists: House of Cards (Episode 4), I'll Fly Away (Homeland), The Flood (Mad Men), Mania (Boss), Heroine (Elementary)

The nominees:

Helter Skelter (Dexter)
The Greater Fool (The Newsroom)
The Hatchet Tour (Justified)
Two Imposters (Boardwalk Empire)

These four episodes dug deep into each show’s characters and their interpersonal relationships in difficult moments, mixing suspense with emotional drama and great pacing.

The winner:

Parts Developed in an Unusual Manner (Orphan Black) reached a high point in its story as it captured the intricacies of its complex concept.

Next up: Best Directing for a Comedy Series