Readers Poll 2012- Favorite TV Series –
We asked you what your favorite TV series was, and the results are in—and thankfully, no mention whatsoever of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. God is real after all. Let’s get started:
1. Breaking Bad (AMC)
This doesn’t come as a surprise: watching Malcolm’s father on his way to becoming one of the most evil characters in TV history is your favorite leisure-time activity. That’s quite amazing given the fact that Breaking Bad isn’t something you just watch – it’s something you feel. The tension is constantly palpable, and shit gets worse with every episode. But certain branches of television (American cable networks but also ARTE, if you remember Im Angesicht des Verbrechens) have been heading in this direction since Twin Peaks. A much more recent development concerns the mental state of modern day TV (anti-)heroes and their intentions. Walter White is just the spearhead of the league of extraordinary villains that consists of drug lords, real but thoroughly scheming lords (2nd place), psychopaths (3rd place) and terrorists (4th place).
2. Game of Thrones (HBO)
Forget Lord of the Rings. When it comes to fantasy, George R. R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire is the real deal. Set on the fictitious continents of Westeros and Essos, it’s an epic story about power, honor, and betrayal. HBO bought the rights, spent a huge amount of money on production and cast and turned Game of Thrones into the most spectacular fantasy TV show on earth. Surprisingly for an HBO show (though for the most part they stay true to the books) there is no meta-text, but it’s still one hell of an entertaining show.
3. Dexter (Showtime)
When Dexter premiered on Showtime on October 1, 2006 it was groundbreaking. Never before had the main character of a show been a serial killer with a nearly unquenchable thirst to kill. Add an extraordinary visual concept using excessively bright colors and an excellent actor who literary kills it (Michael C. Hall from Alan Ball’s Six Feet Under) to the equation and you have a modern day TV success with years of staying power.
4. Homeland (Showtime)
It’s Obama’s favorite show. It deals with terrorism. It has Claire Danes in it. The first season about an U.S. marine who was captured by Al-Qaeda and came back home after 9 years as a war hero was by far the most important TV show of 2011. You could argue that season two was full of flaws, but compared to most of what’s on TV today, it’s still pretty good. A statement made by Alex Gansa during a NYT Q&A sums up why:
“Our motto is, give up the secret before the audience expects it. Because you guys know it’s coming. The only way we can surprise you is to deliver it ahead of schedule. And sometimes letting a secret die with a character is the better twist.”
5. Girls (HBO)
When Girls aired for the first time on HBO, a lot of people were complaining that it was just a show about white people problems and really, it’s quite hard to argue against that. But once you accept it, Lena Dunham gives you the most funny, quirky and likeable TV show of 2012.
The eighth prize—one year subscription to EB Magazine and Slices—goes to Gemma G., Melbourne, Australia.
Your favorite venue of 2012 will be following on Tuesday, December 25th. Find all poll results in here.
Published December 23, 2012. Words by David Bogner.