Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #1

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#1: Banshee
This Cinemax series was just as awe-inspiring as it was violent, creating a cruel world in which Antony Starr’s criminal managed to assume a murdered sheriff’s identity and hide himself in a small town that was just as dangerous as the mobster from whom he was running. No show was as visceral and shocking as this one, and an early January return promises even more action and grittiness in season two.

Best Episode: A Mixture of Madness
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #2

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#2: Orphan Black
This BBC America original was a truly creative and exceptional series. There’s no topping Tatiana Maslany’s multiple performances, and it really did feel like each one was played by a different person. The show’s mythology only got more interesting as time went on, and I’m excited to see this show produce more intrigue and drama as it goes into season two and beyond.

Best Episode: Parts Developed in an Unusual Manner
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #3

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#3: Ray Donovan
Showtime picked a great new show to pair with the final season of one of its longest-running hits, “Dexter.” Liev Schreiber was born to play Hollywood fixer Ray Donovan, and the supporting cast was uniformly excellent, especially Paula Malcomson as his wife and Jon Voight as his father. The show managed to mix slightly entertaining episodic storylines with darker background themes, and each installment was gripping and immensely watchable.

Best Episode: A Mouth is a Mouth
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #4

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#4: The Bridge
This dark drama started off as a moody thriller and evolved into a deeply powerful look at two different personalities and the cultures that helped shape who they are. Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir were equally terrific as an American cop with social difficulties and a kindhearted Mexican cop with infidelity issues, respectively, and Annabeth Gish was fantastic in a supporting role that helped anchor and balance much of the show’s grimmer main plot.

Best Episode: The Beetle
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #5

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#5: House of Cards
This Netflix show used movie star Kevin Spacey perfectly, putting him in a juicy role in which he literally pulled strings to make Washington operate to his every whim. The show’s supporting cast, particularly Corey Stoll and Kate Mara, were well worth watching, and made it so that Spacey’s corrupt congressman wasn’t even the show’s most engaging element. The only question for season two is how quickly the streaming series should be watched.

Best Episode: Chapter 4
I didn’t review this one episode by episode, but I’ll aim to do that with season two!

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #6

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#6: Orange is the New Black
This Netflix offering seems to be considered a drama by many, and that’s certainly true considering the disturbing predicament in which its protagonist often finds herself. Yet in many ways it’s a dark comedy, showing the wild and wacky happenings at a female prison with fantastic supporting characters and some truly involving storylines.

A detailed season recap and review will be posted soon – I still have two episodes to go!

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #7

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#7: Hello Ladies
Stephen Merchant didn’t receive rave reviews for his first major solo outing sans partner Ricky Gervais, but I heartily enjoyed this look at lust and loneliness in Los Angeles. Merchant is terrific in the lead role as the eternally offensive Stuart, and Christine Woods was wonderful as up-and-coming desperate actress Jessica, who put her foot in her mouth and embarrassed herself almost as often as her landlord did. There’s still no word on a second season of this show, but let’s hope we’ll get one.

Best Episode: The Wedding
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #8

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#8: Family Tree
The infinitely endearing Chris O’Dowd was delightful in this offbeat series about an unemployed man looking into his ancestry after a relative died and left him money. His ventriloquist sister and curmudgeonly father were only the beginning of this tremendous web of wonderful wackiness, and this show demonstrated a true commitment to being unapologetically irreverent. No one knows if this show will be back for another round, and I do hope it will.

Best Episode: Indians
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #9

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#9: Rectify
This six-episode Sundance Channel series aired over the course of just a few weeks, but it was extremely memorable in a short time. Aden Young was magnetic as a recently-released convict ostracized by his community for a suspected crime years earlier, but the show was all about its supporting players, especially his fiery sister Abigail Spencer. This was a thought-provoking, contemplative series that should prove just as powerful in season two.

Best Episode: Plato’s Cave
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #10

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#10: Masters of Sex
Showtime’s latest offering was a bold and adventurous look at the 1960s and one doctor’s quest to make scientific breakthroughs in the understanding of human sexuality. Michael Sheen is a solid stoic researcher, but the true stars of the show were Lizzy Caplan as his ambitious assistant and Caitlin Fitzgerald as Libby, Bill’s long-ignored wife. The season ended on a less than satisfying note, but I imagine that year two will head in an innovative and intriguing direction.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #11

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#11: Welcome to the Family
This show has been off the air for a while now after being inauspiciously decommissioned three short episodes in. This fall’s “Ben and Kate” was a fun addition to NBC’s Thursday night lineup, and easily the best new broadcast network comedy of the year. Mike O’Malley and Ricardo Antonio Chaviras were great as fathers who hated each other, and the show’s entire ensemble was a committed and entertaining bunch. Hopefully any other episodes made of this show will someday be available.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #12

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#12: Almost Human
With only six episodes aired thus far, it’s hard to tell how this one will fare. After a strong start that showcased a thrilling future and a dynamic duo in the lead roles, the show has followed suit with other ambitious offerings like “Terra Nova” and “Flash Forward,” getting in over its head and failing to deliver the same kind of excitement, intrigue, and sophistication promised by the pilot.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 13 New Shows of 2013: #13

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. But this year, during both the spring and the fall, produced a handful of impressive new television series. As 2013 closes out and 2014 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#13: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I was incredibly excited to see this spin-off of “The Avengers” arrive on television, and its overly simplistic and family-friendly nature was disappointing. With time, however, this show has grown into something more engaging and exciting. It still needs some work, but I’m glad to see that it’s headed in the right direction. Its best asset is the amusingly-named Fitz-Simmons, actually two equally endearing characters whose scientific enthusiasm often gets the best of them.

Best Episode: “The Hub”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews