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My Ten Favorite Episodes of 2012

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The Final Page, Part One And Two

By Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

Last week I talked about my ten favorite shows of the year. And, of course, those shows had some wonderful episodes in 2012. “The Other Woman” episode of Mad Men  was my favorite episode of the year.

But this week I thought I would turn my attention to my ten favorite episodes on shows that didn’t make it to my top ten list (got that?). It’s the holiday season — I’m spreading the love around.

My 10 favorite episodes of the year:

1. “Stride of Pride,” 30 Rock (October 18, 2012): This is the episode where I fell even more in love with Liz Lemon.  In 22 glorious minutes, Fey took on the ridiculous argument that woman can’t be funny. Plus we got a fun guest appearance by Olympian Ryan Lochte and a scathing commentary about how Hollywood treats actresses in their 40s. What more could you want? If you missed the episode, NBC is repeating it next Thursday, December 27.You can read my review of the episode for Paste Magazine here.
2. “The Final Page, Part 1 and 2,” How I Met Your Mother (December 17, 2012): This is the episode that made me go, “Oh right. This is why I love How I Met Your Mother.” In the final moments of the episode, viewers learn that Barney has pulled a long con on Robin to get her to realize that she’s in love with him.  The episode harkened back to the show’s glory days with inside jokes and delightful rapport among the friends (the jinx rule was right up there with the slap bet).  Plus it managed to shock viewers even when we knew was going to happen. Here I was annoyed that the show was drawing out the Barney and Robin engagement AGAIN and then the show pulled off one of the best surprises of the season.  It really was legen-wait-for-it- dairy. Bonus points for a terrific performance by Ellen D.Williams.  YESI’MTALKINGABOUTYOUPATRICE!
3. “Handle Your Scandal,” Nurse Jackie (June 17, 2012): I tend to binge watch Nurse Jackie. I’ll watch an entire season in one week. Perhaps that’s why the season finale hit me so hard. The anguish on Dr. Mike Cruz’s face as his son is brought into the ER stayed with me for a while. As brilliantly played by Bobby Cannavale, Dr. Cruz was a great adversary for Jackie because, even though he was often awful,  you could understand his point of view. Jake Cannvale, the son of Bobby Cannavle, was fantastic as a lost teenager trying to find himself in all the wrong places.  Every character dynamic reached its peak in the show’s season finale.
4. “Pilot” Smash (February 6, 2012): No, the musical drama did not live up to the promise of its pilot (boo Ellis! Boo!) but the pilot was a fantastic hour that did everything right from character introduction to central conflict. Let me be your star, indeed.
5.“Jimmy’s Fake Girlfriend,” Raising Hope (February 14, 2012): First of all I should have given an honorable mention to Raising Hope last week.  The show is terrific and weird and terrifically weird.  Its humor is out there and hilarious. And this episode, which found Jimmy conjuring up a fake girlfriend to make Sabrina jealous, was genius. The comedy upended audience expectations by putting the will-they-or-won’t-they couple solidly together (a move which totally worked) and putting the couple together in the sweet way while staying true to the unique humor of the show.
6.“A Reunion . . . “ Don’t Trust the B____ in Apt. 23” (October 23, 2012): Everything came together in this episode that found James Van Der Beek desperately trying to stage a Dawson’s Creek reunion.  I love the glorious relish with which Van Der Beek good naturedly mocks himself and the show that brought him fame. Add in cameos by Busy Phillips, Frankie Muniz and Mark-Paul Gosselaar and I don’t want to wait to tell you how much I loved this episode.
7.“The Dream Team” The Good Wife (May 6, 2012): Let’s all think back to the time BN – before Nick. Before the show went all 50 Shades of Food Products on us.  In this third season finale, two of my favorite guest stars (Martha Plimpton and Michael J. Fox) return to try to take control of the firm. The episode also featured the fantastic ending of Kalinda starring at her door with her gun loaded as she hears a knock on the door. Too bad that didn’t work out.
8.“Always”/“The Final Frontier”  Castle (May 7, 2012 and November 5, 2012): I know I’m breaking my own rules by picking two episodes from the same show but I simply couldn’t decide. “Always” brought television’s best star-crossed couple together in a way the delighted fans and “The Final Frontier” had such fun with Nathan Fillion’s status in the science fiction genre.
9.“My Life/Your World Parts 1 and 2” Cougar Town (May 29, 2012): I love the wine-loving cul-de-sac crew and never did I love them more then when Grayson and Jules got married and Travis confessed his love to Laurie. The title sequence read “Welcome to Cougar Town: Hopefully this is only the season finale.” Lucky for us it WAS only the season finale. The show returns with new episodes January 8 on TBS.
10.“The Countdown Reflection,” The Big Bang Theory (May 10, 2012): Since adding Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik to its cast, this comedy has thrived. The fifth season finale, which featured Howard and Bernadette’s wedding and ended with all the cast holding hands as Howard launched into space, was the perfect combination of humor and sweetness.

Those were my favorite episodes of the year. What were yours? Talk about it below.

Congratulations to Charley S., Sage Y., and Kim R. the day 10 and 11 winners of the TV Gal December Swag Giveaway

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Congratulations to Charley S. of Woburn, MA who is the Day 10 winner of the TV Gal December Swag Giveaway. Charley chose the Faceoff Make-Up kit as his prize.

Congratulations to Sage Y. and Kim R. who are the Day 11 winners of the TV Gal December Swag Giveaway. They chose the Kirstie Alley nesting dolls as their prize.

My Favorite Shows of 2012

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PATRICIA HEATON, EDEN SHER, NEIL FLYNN, CHARLIE MCDERMOTT, ATTICUS SHAFFER

By Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

When I first started writing about TV, I could list my ten best shows of the year with confidence. Sure one viewer’s trash is another’s treasure (some think American Horror Story is brilliant, I find it rather laughable). Lists are always subjective and my opinion is just my opinion. But, back then, I had at least watched one episode of every show and felt I had given every series its fair consideration.

That, my friends, is no longer the case. Even if I did nothing else but watch TV, I don’t think I would be able to say I’ve seen everything the medium has to offer. There are way too many shows on the air. For example, I will admit to you that I’ve never seen a single episode of Justified. It’s been on my “I need to watch this show” list for years. There are other shows I liked –The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad among them – that for whatever reason I haven’t kept up with. The second season of Downton Abbey is just sitting on my desk waiting to be watched. Do spa/TV viewing vacations exist? Because that’s what I need.

My other issue is the rise of what I like to calls shows that are rated NFA – Not For Amy. For example, I can appreciate that Lena Dunham is creating something unique with a distinct point of view with Girls. However, from the opening moments, I couldn’t stand the show. I found the characters to be whiny, obnoxious and self-centered. And series such as Game of Thrones are also NFA.  With its gratuitous sex and violence, I didn’t even make it through the series premiere of Game of Thrones.

What I can offer you are my favorite shows of the year. The shows that have been consistently high in quality. Show that each week offered thoughtful, moving performances and strong writing. Shows that make me laugh, cry or both. Shows that are among the best TV has to offer. I have ranked them in terms of what I would choose to watch first on my TiVo.

1.Homeland (Showtime): So we’re all kind of in a fight with Homeland and I totally get that.  The show is cutting corners and sacrificing realism to advance the story and get the characters where they need them to be. I mean we’re going to have to ask Carrie more follow-up questions about how she escaped from Abu Nazir, right? An acceptable answer isn’t “I got lucky” when it comes to freeing yourself from the world’s number one terrorist. But all my quibbles aside, no other show surprises me and keeps me engaged like Homeland does.  Especially in season two, I never knew what the show was going to do next. Every time I lulled myself into believing I knew what was going to happen, the series zigged in a totally different direction.  But what really sets Homeland apart is the incredible acting. Clare Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin are breathtaking every week. They rise above the most inane writing and ridiculous plot twists.  Danes and Lewis have made me believe in TV’s most unlikely and unhealthy romance. It’s been a long time since I’ve looked forward to a show as much as I look forward to Homeland. And that means, despite the ridiculousness of late, the drama is doing a lot of things right.

2.Parenthood (NBC): This is the season Parenthood transitioned from a good drama into a great one.  I wrote about Parenthood being one of the best shows for Paste Magazine. You can read what I had to say here.

3. Southland (TNT): The best cop drama on TV. With gritty realism, Southland pulls the viewer into its world each week.  This past season the drama added Lucy Liu and, as much as I enjoy Liu on Elementary, I am really going to miss her on Southland. Her performance was transformative. I could write paragraphs about the brilliant acting that occurs each week on the show but I want to especially praise Regina King, whose Detective Lydia Adams is one of the strongest female characters on TV. Bonus points to the show for having C. Thomas Howell in its cast. When I was a girl, pictures of Howell adorned my bedroom walls. How wonderful it is to have him on TV. Some things that are gold can stay.

4. The Middle (ABC): This week Frankie (Patricia Heaton) woke up in the middle of the night to fight with Mike (Neil Flynn) and you know what I loved best about that scene? Frankie was in mismatched pajamas. That, my friends, is real life. (My biggest complaint with Homeland this season remains that Jess packed a negligee to go to a safe house). While Modern Family may be the show all the cool kids watch, The Middle is the show that truly captures the humor of family life. The comedy has the best teenage characters of any show. Each week Eden Sher and Charlie McDermott are perfect as the ever enthusiastic Sue and her older, slacker brother Axl. (For real fun, follow these two on Twitter to see how they interact in real life).  When people ask me what’s the one show they are not watching that that they should be watching, I always say The Middle.

5. Scandal (ABC): From her first power-suit strut into the office, I was all about Olivia Pope and her not-so-merry band of Gladiators. The show provides a juicy soap opera and intense mystery while, without making a big deal about it, has built a show around a successful woman of color. Plus nobody enunciates quite like Kerry Washington enunciates. I want to be a client of Pope & Associates just so I can hear Olivia say my name. Most of the time, I have no idea what the Huck the show is going to do next and I love that.

6. Parks and Recreation (NBC):  What other series could make local politics so utterly compelling? I literally love this show. Parks has the best ensemble cast on TV. There are no weak links. I adore every single character on it.

7. The Glee Project (Oxygen): The Glee Project is the only reality competition that is truly rooted in reality.  The audition process is grueling and, in the end, no matter how much the casting director, vocal coach and choreographer may love you, it all comes down to the executive producer’s capricious decision.  I love that this is a tough competition but one where none of the coaches are mean-spirited or nasty. If you’re not performing well, they will tell you but in a way that allows the performers to flourish. Bonus points to the show for 1):  Totally making up words.  We all need a little glee-ality and romanticality in our lives.  2): Giving me my new secret boyfriend Zach Woodlee. His proud papa face when he watches the kids perform makes me tear up every time.  3): Giving Glee Blake Jenner and Alex Newell. They’ve both been great additions to the series.

8. Mad Men (AMC): Not everything worked this season but when the show worked, it worked brilliantly. Joan finally telling her husband to get out. Peggy leaving the agency and coming into her own. Joan becoming a partner in the worst possible way. These are TV moments indelibly inked in my mind. Mad Men continues to create a world that is mesmerizing.

9. Awkward (MTV):  Yes I know I’m way too old to be watching this show. But what I love about Awkward is that although the technology has changed (no one had a blog when I was in high school), the experience of being a teenager hasn’t. Awkward takes me right back to the not-so-glory days of high school. But it’s not just nostalgia that makes me love the show – it is witty, hilarious, poignant and heart-breaking.  While I always rooted for Jake, the Jake/Matty/Jenna love triangle is one of the best ones out there.

10. New Girl (FOX): For a show ostensibly about a girl, it’s the men who have made this comedy flourish. The rapport between Schmidt, Nick and Winston is the stuff of TV magic. If Schmidt is the series breakout character, Nick is the sleeper breakout character. I still laugh every time I think about Jake Johnson’s “I give you cookie” diatribe.

Honorable Mentions:

The Good Wife (CBS): I adore this show. The only reason it isn’t part of my top ten is due to the mandatory “Nick is a bad husband” deduction. May we never have to see a fight involving raw eggs again.

30 Rock (NBC): As always, I want to go to there. In its final season, this smart comedy has enjoyed a greater and more hilarious freedom as it mocks its corporate parent and takes Liz Lemon through some major life changes.

Switched at Birth (ABC): Bunheads may be Gilmore Girls Redux but it’s Switched at Birth that has filled the hole Gilmore Girls left in my viewing schedule.

Go On (NBC): This comedy is doing exactly what a freshman comedy should be doing: It gets better every week as Ryan (Matthew Perry) continues to grieve his wife’s death with an unlikely support group. It can’t be easy to make a comedy about people continuing on with their lives after a great loss, but Go On is doing an excellent job.

Those are my favorite shows of 2012. What are yours? Talk about it below.

Congratulations to Jaime M. and Diane B. the Day 8 and 9 winners of the TV Gal December Swag Giveaway

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Congratulations to Jaime M. of Rochester, NH who is the Day 8 winner of the TV Gal December Swag Giveaway. Jamie chose the Duck Dynasty Chia Pet as her prize.

Congratulations to Diane B. of Silver Spring, MD who is the Day 9 winner of the TV Gal December Swag Giveaway. Diane chose the Bones mouse pad as her prize.

Am I Breaking Up with ‘Revenge?’

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MADELEINE STOWE, EMILY VANCAMP, GABRIEL MANN, JOSH BOWMAN, ASHLEY MADEKWE, NICK WECHSLER, HENRY CZERNY, CHRISTA B. ALLEN, CONNOR PAOLO

By Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

Sometimes when I break up with a show, it is dramatic and abrupt. I turned off the TV midway through an episode of the new 90210, announced “I’m never watching this stupid show again” and have never looked back. (Same thing happened with The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I announced during one of Amy’s hair-flip whines, “I can’t take this show” and immediately deleted the series from my season pass manager).

Sometimes I agonize over the decision wondering if I’ll miss something if I don’t watch. That happened last season with American Idol. I had watched the show since its inception. To actively decide not to watch anymore took a few months to come to terms with, but, once the decision had been made, I didn’t miss Ryan and the gang.

And sometimes the break up sneaks up on me and I don’t even realize that it’s happening. I think I might be breaking up with Revenge and I didn’t even know it. We’re on Day 13 of the Amy’s Not Watching Revenge Watch. I am two episodes behind but every time I sit down to watch TV, I chose something else. I can’t seem to bring myself to watch the drama. Maybe it’s because of the fast and furious but basically nonsensical plot twists (what is the Initiative and do I care?). Maybe it’s because the show doesn’t adhere to its own rules (seriously I cannot abide the lack of security on Nolan’s computer). Maybe it’s because of all the bad characters and bad acting (your names begin with D,C and FA). Maybe it’s because they changed Takedas on me without ever acknowledging it. Maybe it’s because of that insipid Neiman Marcus commercial. I don’t know. All I know is last season I enjoyed the show’s fun, soapy antics and this season, it seems like a chore to watch the series.

How about you? Are you still watching Revenge? What shows have you broken up with this season?  Should I watch the two episodes of Revenge that are sitting on my TiVo taunting me? Talk about it below.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Joe Nieves was one of the lawyers questioning Owen on Grey’s Anatomy. He is Carl, the bartender at MacLaren’s, on How I Met Your Mother.

Chelcie Ross was Harold Pierce, the CEO who was acting crazy as his son was about to take his company public on Scandal. He was Conrad Hilton on Mad Men . He also played Avery’s grandfather, Harper Avery on Grey’s Anatomy.

Becky Ann Baker was Alma,  the prosecuting attorney in the other county on The Good Wife. She plays Hannah’s mother on Girls, Karen’s mom on Smash and was Jean Weir on the wonderful Freaks & Geeks. Fun fact: Her real life husband is actor Dylan Baker, who plays the devious Colin Sweeney on The Good Wife.

Richard Gant was the lawyer at the beginning of The Mindy Project advising Mindy, Jeremy and Danny. He was Owen’s dad, Owen Thoreau Sr.,  on Men of a Certain Age.

Betsy Brandt was Hank’s ex-wife on Parenthood. She’s Marie on Breaking Bad. and she was also the abused woman Violet met at the airport last season on Private Practice.

Quotes of the Week

“You’re right. If those 40-year-olds on Glee can act like teenagers than so can we.” Virginia to Burt on Raising Hope.

“I told him you’re Italian so he might call you Tina,” Jack to Liz on 30 Rock.

“I’ll convert to Indianism.” Schmidt to CeCe on New Girl.

“I really love you but I can’t do this anymore.” Mark to Sarah on Parenthood. That scene hurt my heart to watch.

“We want different things. Every time we try to ignore that we end up hurting each other. We don’t work. That’s what we know and that hasn’t changed.” Owen to Cristina on Grey’s Anatomy. This one didn’t hurt my heart at all. I just can’t care about these two being together.

Exchanges of the Week

“I have been sure for a long time that this was never going to happen and I was fine with it. Ergo it couldn’t matter.” Liz to Criss about getting married on 30 Rock.

“It’s okay to be a human woman.” Criss to Liz

“No it’s not, it’s the worst.” Liz’s response

“What if he comes back?” Alicia to Kalinda about Nick on The Good Wife

“He’s not coming back.” Kalinda to Alicia.

“You sure?” Alicia to Kalinda.

“Yeah.” Kalinda’s response. So do we think Kalinda killed Nick and do we care? I”m just so happy that he’s off the show.

That’s all for today. I’m back next week to begin my favorites of 2012 lists. If you have a favorite episode or TV moment from 2012, let me know about it via my contact page. Have a great weekend.