The Best TV Shows of 2013 (So Far)

This isn't hyperbole—the first half of 2013 was one for television's history books. Mark our words: Decades from now, pop culture experts will talk about that shocking "Red Wedding" on Game of Thrones, and about how the legacy of Mad Men changed once Don Draper officially began his moral and emotional descents in season six. Moreover, 2013's front half introduced the world to a whole new form of episodic consumption via Netflix's ambitious, and ultimately triumphant, slate of original programming (House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, Arrested Development).

Yes, it's been an exceptional half-a-year on the small-screen, with old favorites reaching their highest points of excellence yet, a couple of beloved sitcoms ending their runs (30 Rock, The Office) and several new shows defying this-will-suck expectations (see: Bates Motel). Because of that, the following list of the best TV shows of 2013 (so far) was quite difficult to finalize, but we stand by every inclusion and each ranking. See if you agree.

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25. Legit (FX)

Stars: Jim Jefferies, Dan Bakkedahl, DJ Qualls

If you love God and hate a certain word for female genitalia that rhymes with hunt, Jim Jefferies is not the comedian for you. The Australian atheist made a name for himself on stand-up stages in Britain and the U.S. dropping c-bombs while joking about coke binges, child molestation, and why God would be an insufferable, egotistical, hate-filled asshole if He actually existed. (In a famous 2007 incident that went viral, one man who didn't appreciate his perspective attacked him at a Manchester comedy club.)

Many of Jefferies’ best bits made their way into his semi-autobiographical FX series, Legit, where he plays a stand-up comedian who gets into sticky situations with his pathetic roommate Steve (Dan Bakkedahl) and Steve's brother Billy (DJ Qualls), who has muscular dystrophy and an impressive penis he's physically incapable of handling. Longtime fans surely recognized the stories about taking Billy to a prostitute to lose his virginity, or pretending to be gay to win an argument on a plane. Unlike Jefferies' stand-up shows, though, Legit balances all the unapologetic shocks of rape and handicap jokes with occasional sincere sentimental moments that make it even more effective when it's time for one of the guys to wipe Billy's ass. —JM

24. Workaholics (Comedy Central)

Stars: Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm

When your season premiere features Blake and Adam surprising 'Ders at a TelAmeriCorp business convention only to end up tripping on acid with their tight-as-fuck boss, Alice, you know things are only getting better for the recent college dropouts turned degenerate telemarketers. Comedy Central ordered 20 episodes of the third season due the semi-cult following of the show that delivered a plethora of episodes as dank as the bud the "brothers" get from Karl (oh, and, that one time, Rumer Willis).

Blake Anderson, Adam Devine and Anders Holms, who star and co-write Workaholics, are able to fully develop the characters of Henderson, DeMamp, and Holmvik not only behind the script, but on camera as the actors. The show still revels in heinous situations, hilarious dialogue, and the copious amount of drinking and drugs the audience consumes with them, but with the third season, the machine runs more smoothly than ever.. As the gang would say, Workaholics season three gets a rating of very tight butthole. —SG

23. Banshee (Cinemax)

Stars: Antony Starr, Ivana Milicevic, Ulrich Thomsen, Frankie Faison, Rus Blackwell, Matt Servito, Trieste Kelly Dunna, Lili Simmons, Ben Cross, Ryann Shane, Demetrius Grosse

To leave True Blood, one of HBO's flagship shows and a consistent ratings victor, acclaimed showrunner Alan Ball needed a legitimate, worthwhile reason. When word came out that his reason was to executive produce an original Cinemax series about a criminal hiding out in Amish country while posing as a hard-nosed sheriff, the show's wild premise didn't exactly promise that Ball's move would prove to be the correct one. But he was clearly knew just how ridiculously badass Banshee could, and ultimately, would be.

Serving logic with a dismissive left-hook knuckle sandwich, Banshee is the most addictive and entertaining manly-man series in years, a strange brew that mixes the modern-day nihilism of Sons of Anarchy with the shamelessly barbaric edginess of Spartacus—all with an admirable self-awareness. One episode, for instance, stretches out the bloodiest man-versus-woman fight scene imaginable for the hour's entirety; another episode pits the show's main antihero, Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), against an albino muscleman in a excessively brutal prison scuffle.

Banshee transpires as if its co-creators, Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler, work with no directive other than, "Let's have every dude watching this shit saying, 'This shit's crazy,' to each other while high-fiving each other!" And with a great shows like Mad Men already offering higher levels of elegance and realism, what's wrong with that kind of bro-tastic alternative? —MB

22. Spartacus: War of the Damned (Starz)

Stars: Liam McIntyre, Manu Bennett, Dustin Clare, Dan Feuerriegel, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Simon Merrells, Todd Lasance, Christian Antidormi, Pana Hema Taylor, Ellen Hollman, Anna Hutchison

Sex, violence, and storytelling are why anyone pays for premium television, and since 2010, no network has gone more balls-out to deliver that than Starz, with its spectacular series Spartacus. A highly stylized re-imagining of the Thracian gladiator's famous slave revolt against the Roman Republic in 73-71 B.C., the show threw more blood splatter, severed appendages, and naked writhing bodies at viewers than the average male fantasy could contain. (This was not your daddy's Spartacus—the one directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas.)

War of the Damned brought the series to a close, and didn't disappoint. Noble freedom fighter Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) matches wits with Marcus Licinius Crassus (Simon Merrells), a cunning businessman who raises an army and hopes crushing the slave revolt will earn him the prestige and political power he craves. Using creative license to good effect, showrunners inserted a young Gaius Julius Caesar (Todd Lasance) into the conflict as a standout Roman soldier who infiltrates the slave army—one of many double-crosses to be found. Other historical details of the demise of Spartacus and his brothers-in-arms may be equally false, but the show sends its heroes off properly, with big, bloody, emotional moments that sting even though they were always inevitable. —JM

21. The Jeselnik Offensive (Comedy Central)

Stars: Anthony Jeselnik

Inappropriateness has a new overlord, and his name Anthony Jeselnik.

An aggressive blend of stand-up, sketches, and talk-show chatter, Comedy Central's The Jeselnik Offensive is what NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (which Jeselnik once wrote for) would be if Fallon didn't give a fuck about offending anyone and was able to act that way on the air. Instead of clowning on popular news stories, Jeselnik lays his vicious, deadpan snark into sensitive topics like suicide, rape, North Korea's international threats, and porn addictions. It'd all be reprehensible if it weren't so damn funny.

The Jeselnik Offensive's weekly high-points, though, come during the host's panel segments, when he invites his equally hilarious comedian friends (Nick Kroll, Aziz Ansari, Jeff Ross, and Natasha Leggero, to name a few) to join in on the insensitivity, as well as defend their most bizarre tweets. If you've been dying to know why Patton Oswalt once tweeted about his dead grandmother yelling "Hammacher Schlemmer!" whenever she came, The Jeselnik Offensive is made for you. —MB

20. The Walking Dead (AMC)

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Emily Kinney, David Morrissey, Michael Rooker, Chad L. Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green, Lew Temple, Dallas Roberts

Overall, The Walking Dead's third season was arguably its best, more consistently full-throttle than the previous two and powered by David Morrissey's multi-layered performance as the malevolent yet charismatic man known as "the Governor." Haters who'd complained that there wasn't enough zombie mayhem had to shut up, though the characters' emotional traumas also resonated, namely in the sudden, traumatic death of Lori Grimes.

With all of that positivity, however, why is The Walking Dead nowhere near the top ten here? It's a matter of unsatisfying payoffs. OK, so Merle, the show's resident asshole redneck, turns into a kind-hearted, self-sacrificing savior after a two-minute chat with (the black) Michionn—unearned, much? Yet that's not even the biggest problem, a dishonor that goes to the narratively flat season finale, in which little gets resolved.

At its storytelling worst, though, The Walking Dead is still far more entertaining and viscerally effective than most other shows on the tube nowadays, and season 3's brightest spots (that sudden bullet to Axel's head was one of the year's biggest "Oh, shit!" moments to date) definitely exemplified that. —MB

19. 30 Rock (NBC)

Stars: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Judah Friedlander, Katrina Bowden, Keith Powell, Scott Adsit, Lonny Ross

Most sitcoms end as such: Everything is neat and tidy and, by the last episode, all the character plot points and conflicts are resolved. That's why we appreciate 30 Rock's farewell season. The show was never neat and tidy, and rarely did the characters ever actually "win." Still, the folks we care for despite their insanity earned each their unexpected happy endings. Like—spoiler alert—Jenna marrying a man who cross dresses as her, and Liz adopting two kids who are identical to the two stars of her show. And we think that's kind of beautiful. —TA

18. Vikings (History)

Stars: Travis Fimmel, Clive Standen, Gabriel Byrne, Nathan O'Toole, Katheryn Winnick, Jessalyn Gilsig, George Blagden, Gustaf Skarsgård, Donal Logue

Everyone toasts that good Valyrian wine to Game of Thrones, and with good reason, but there's another epic Medieval sword-slinging series that you should be watching. Michael Hirst's Vikings probably lost some viewers simply because it's on the History channel, and in advertisements it seemed like it might be one of those lame documentary shows featuring crusty historians and reenactments. It's actually more like Sons of Anarchy meets the Vikings of Scandinavia.

Charismatic Australian actor Travis Fimmel plays real-life Norse hero Ragnar Lodbrok, whose exploration and raids of Britain and France inspired tales that were passed down orally and embellished for generations until they were eventually put to page centuries after his death. Season one revolves around the farmer Lodbrok's decision to defy his local leader, Earl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne), and sail westward to loot England, a place some have heard of but no one has seen. The conflict therein, and others amongst the higher rulers of Viking society and their neighbors, constitute their own game of thrones.

There are no dragons (or witches or dwarves), but Vikings benefits from the inclusion of fantastical elements of Norse mythology and the History channel's willingness to push the limits of sex and violence to the point that you forget you're watching a network you might have once considered only for old men with thick spectacles and elbow patches on their tweed jackets. —JM

17. House of Cards (Netflix)

Stars: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Corey Stoll, Michael Kelly, Kristen Connolly, Sakina Jaffrey, Constance Zimmer, Sebastian Arcelus

As expected from director/executive producer David Fincher, House of Cards oozes sexiness. Through smokey cinematography and double-entendre filled dialogue, Fincher can make anything, no matter how evil it is—in this case, an overlooked cabinet member (Kevin Spacey) trying to exact revenge by imploding the current presidency—seem utterly intoxicating. That's why the show makes so much sense on Netflix. Its wickedness is so addictive that you can't help but need fix after fix.—TA

16. Kroll Show (Comedy Central)

Stars: Nick Kroll, Jon Daly, John Mulaney, Jenny Slate, Andy Milonakis

Ever since Chappelle's Show went off the air in 2006, Comedy Central has been in serious need of a new, consistently funny, and culturally relevant sketch comedy show. In the first half of 2013, the network introduced two of them: Kroll Show and Inside Amy Schumer. Both are funny, but only one features Bobby Bottleservice.

From the twisted and witty mind of veteran comedian/character actor Nick Kroll, Kroll Show accomplished the impossible for any sketch comedy series: There wasn't a weak episode in its eight-installment lot.

To his credit, Kroll kept the big-name celebrity cameos to a minimum, instead relying on a trio of regulars who nailed it every time Jenny Slate (the SNL player whose "pubLIZity" skits with Kroll rank amongst 2013's funniest things yet), John Mulaney (SNL writer and Kroll's co-star in the old-Jewish-man bits "Too Much Tuna"), and Jon Daly, whose douchey sidekicks in the recurring "Ghost Bouncers" and "Rich Dicks" segments were pure gold. —MB

15. Scandal (ABC)

Stars: Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz, Joshua Malina, Jeff Perry, Bellamy Young

There are no innocents. Nowhere was this more evident than on ABC's gonzo-political thriller Scandal this past season.

Kerry Washington plays the never-not-fierce Olivia Pope. She's Washington's best PR fixer and a woman madly in love with the leader of the free world. But Pope's on-again, off-again romance with the president is just a small piece of the puzzle that shapes Shonda Rhimes' D.C. I've written before about the show's refusal to recognize race-perhaps its greatest triumph, but equally its Achilles heel.

At Scandal's nucleus—really, what makes it a must-watch—is its absence of heroism. You'd be hard-pressed to find a character that hasn't lied to, cheated on, or framed someone else. There are no good guys in this D.C.—everyone plays the villain. Like clockwork, every week the show unraveled in dramatic, often unrealistic, fashion: the president murders a Supreme Court justice, a friend frames the love-interest of another friend, the White House chief of staff takes out an assassination attempt on a lobbyist.

We tuned in religiously, wondering what backdoor deal, murder attempt or life-altering lie would play out next. That's the hallmark of a great show: Amid all the chaos and deception, we somehow find ourselves rooting for the deeply-flawed, deeply-human characters who'd probably cross us to get ahead. —JP

14. Catfish: The TV Show (MTV)

Stars: Nev Schulman, Max Joseph

Before Catfish: The TV Show's premiere last November, some people would've said that the world didn't need a reality show based on a relatively obscure (in the mainstream, at least) 2010 documentary about a guy who got duped by a fake online love. Well, those folks must feel like dumbasses.

Ripe with powerful emotions and fascinating (and, most importantly, real) twists and turns, Catfish: The TV Show has turned out to be the perfect of-the-moment show for today's pop culture zeitgeist—Manti Te'o, anyone? With the easily likable pair of Nev Schulman and Max Joseph as hosts (and, yes, impromptu counselors), MTV's best reality program since The Real World's heyday is never exploitative.

The cyber daters in question—all young in age and grappling with relatable everyday problems—genuinely want to find love, and the ways in which Catfish is able to work as both scandalous oh-no-they-didn't entertainment and raw drama is no joke. Real talk, this is one of TV's most profound shows. Don't lump it alongside its MTV peers like Teen Mom and The Real World: Portland. —MB

13. The Americans (FX)

Stars: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Noah Emmerich, Annet Mahendru, Margo Martindale, Richard Thomas, Maximiliano Hernandez, Holly Taylor, Keidrich Sellati, Susan Misner, Alison Wright, Derek Luke

Of all the news shows that have premiered in 2013 so far, The Americans is the only one that can legitimately be compared to HBO's forever almighty The Sopranos.

Which isn't to say that FX's spy drama series is as good as David Chase's groundbreaking mob saga—we're talking about the story. Like Tony Soprano, The Americans' two protagonists, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) constantly walk the fine line between being heroes and villains, often leaping back and forth from side to side in any given episode. It's a daring conceit that, fortunately, series creator Joe Weisberg and his team have been more than able to handle.

The Jennings husband/wife team, along with their two children, are just trying to live normal suburban lives, but with one catch: They're also undercover KGB agents. Though they're America's enemies, Russell and Rhys' characters are difficult to root against, thanks to the actors' strong performances and the show's taut, smart, and challenging scripts.

The Americans isn't a two-person show, though. Russell and Rhys are surrounded by a stellar crop of co-stars, namely the underrated character actor Noah Emmerich (playing their FBI Agent next door neighbor) and Emmy-winner Margo Martindale (Justified). It's an across-the-board winner. —MB

12. Parks and Recreation (NBC)

Stars: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari, Jim O'Heir, Retta

The feeling you get watching Parks and Recreation is the same feeling you get when you pull your security blanket over your body. It's safe and comforting, and you know it will always be there to make you feel better when you've had a crappy day. Unlike most shows, the NBC sitcom stays consistently hilarious and delivers exactly what you want from it, e.g. the Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope nuptials of season 5. Sometimes being great just demands sticking to the script. —TA

11. Bates Motel (A&E)

Stars: Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Mike Vogel, Nestor Carbonell, Jere Burns

Can you blame anyone for expecting Bates Motel to be a disaster? The ambitious show's limitations were numerous—the fact that it's based on a classic movie (Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho), that it's a modernization in which high-school-aged Norman Bates befriends a bunch of present-day teenage pop tarts, and that its end-game is already common knowledge. Next to What Would Ryan Lochte Do?, Bates Motel was the year's sketchiest looking new show.

But then a strange thing happened—the pilot premiered in mid-March, and it wasn't half bad. And then, as each episode aired, and young Norman (an excellent Freddie Highmore) and his unhinged mother, Norma (the even more excellent Vera Farmiga), got more embedded into their new hometown's Twin Peaks-esque weirdness (random public hangings, huge marijuana fields, creepy teenage Asian girl prostitution rings), co-creators Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights) improved the series on a weekly basis.

The visual and narrative cues to Hitchcock's 1960 film unspooled cleverly, the acting remained crisp, and the many plotlines paid off in satisfying ways. To the point that, now, in early June, the next nine months can't fly by quick enough. We need more Bates Motel in our lives already. —MB

10. Girls (HBO)

Stars: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, Christopher Abbott, Andrew Rannells, Chris O'Dowd, Donald Glover, Patrick Wilson

On the first season of Lena Dunham's Girls, we watched the auteur turn into a full-blown physical comedian. Dunham used her body and face like a star of the silent era, perfecting dopey expressions and filling the screen with herself.

The second season of Girls, an improvement on the first, turned physical in a way that has more in common with modern performance art and Hannah Wilke. The overarching plotlines haven't always felt earned—Hannah's OCD emerges too suddenly, for instance—but within these stories there have been more than enough small moments of brilliance to compensate. The brutal sex scene in the penultimate episode was unlike anything on TV this year, fuck a Red Wedding. Watching Hannah pull a splinter from her ass, or dig in her ear with a Q-tip exposed something raw. We're told this kind of soul baring should be embarrassing, that it isn't art, that it must be self-indulgent. Those are all just defensive postures in the face of something uncomfortable and important. It's easier to call this masturbatory than to call it what it is: great.

Look at this artist. Look at her work. —RS

9. Orphan Black (BBC America)

Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan Bruce, Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Matt Frewer

If this is your first time hearing about BBC America's Orphan Black, know that you're not a slacker. Premiering around the same time as Mad Men, and unfortunately airing amidst that show's and Game of Thrones season 3's mutual dominance of all things PC social media, Orphan Black has been a slow burn in terms of gaining recognition. Mark our words, though: When this inventive, odd, and wonderfully executed sci-fi drama hits DVD, run, not walk, to the nearest store and buy it. And thank us later.

The name Tatiana Maslany isn't a household one yet, but give her time—Orphan Black's leading lady is going places. On this unpredictable suspense machine, Maslany plays a petty crook who assumes the identity of suicidal woman who looks exactly like her. And then she starts seeing several other women who also look just like her, and that's where Orphan Blackheads into full-on genre territory.

Maslany, tasked with portraying multiple characters per episode, is excellent, though, to her and the show's creative team's shared credit, she's been given A-grade material. Don't be surprised when Orphan Black becomes your next TV obsession. —MB

8. Arrested Development (Netflix)

Stars: Jason Bateman, Portia De Rossi, Will Arnett, David Cross, Tony Hale, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, Jeffrey Tambor

It was never going to be easy to be anything but disappointed by AD4. At first blush, the changes seemed to confirm our worst fears. Airing on Netflix, the episodes were now between 8 and 16 minutes longer than those of the first three seasons, when the show was airing on Fox and interrupted with regular commercial breaks. It changed the pace of the show from “how can make all the jokes fit inside of 23 minutes” to something slower that allow some bits to exist past their expiration date. And the premises for the episodes were now built around individual characters. Moving away from the dynamic of the family felt sacrilegious.

But with multiple viewings—and the show always demanded multiple viewings to best get the call-backs and long set-ups—it becomes clear how lucky we got. Early episodes that seem to have long jokeless periods help to explain some very rewarding parts later in the show. And the darkest moments from the first half of the season find a balance with a much cheerier second half and satisfying conclusion. We experienced a miracle, folks, plain and simple. —GT

7. Veep (HBO)

Stars: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Sufe Bradshaw, Timothy Simons, Gary Cole

So what if Veep's actual storyline is always an afterthought? Who cares if most viewers can't clearly explain what exactly happens during any given half-hour stretch? Narrative isn't the point on this foul-mouthed, sharp-witted exercise in political skewering—it's all about the assortment of mean-spirited characters firing off vicious, profane insults at one another with such reckless abandon that you gotta keep your finger on the "Rewind" option. One-liners zoom by like angry mosquitoes. Egos are smashed left and right. Quotables abound.

Co-creator Armando Iannucci's (a longtime purveyor of hilarious political comedy, as seen in his underrated 2009 flick In the Loop) signature brand of "fuck"-infested humor would be funny even if Hal-9000 were reciting it, but what makes Veep really soar is its always game, never tame cast. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is doing her funniest work ever as no-fucks-given Vice President Selina Meyer; surrounding her, meanwhile, is a murderer's row of recognizable character actors all blessed with spot-on comedic timing.

Together, they make Washington, D.C., look like hell on earth for anyone who'd replace the first word with H-E-double-hockey-sticks. —MB

6. Rectify (Sundance Channel)

Stars: Aden Young, Abigail Spencer, J. Smith-Cameron, Adelaide Clemens, Clayne Crawford, Luke Kirby, Hal Holbrook

Those ads selling the Sundance Channel's Rectify as "from the producers of Breaking Bad" were deceiving. Not because they lied in any way, mind you (two of show's six producers do, in fact, work on that exceptional AMC series)—rather because Rectify is, in many ways, the anti-Breaking Bad. It's at times gruelingly slow, without any jolting moments that'd even compare to the subtlest things that Walter White and Gus Fring have done. A patient, seething character study, Rectify has more in common with AMC's other flagship series, Mad Men, except that its main character, Daniel Holden (Aden Young), is an ex-con who's always on the verge of a disastrous lash-out.

Rectify follows the complicated and well-written Daniel as he tries to adjust to life outside of his cell after 19 years stranded on death row, and how most of his fellow Paulie, Georgia, citizens aren't too happy to see him in anything other than prison orange. In only six episodes (the show's second season will increase the story to ten), Sundance's first original series delicately establishes its ready-to-implode world and, best of all, doesn't disappoint when it's time for issues to pay off. Which shouldn't be a surprise, since, after all, we're talking about the work of Breaking Bad's producers here. They know a thing or two about dynamite season finales. —MB

5. Justified (FX)

Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Erica Tazel, Jacob Pitts, Natalie Zea, Raymond J. Barry, Jim Beaver, Jere Burns, Brent Sexton, Ron Eldard, Joseph Mazzello, Lindsay Pulsipher, Patton Oswalt, Mike O'Malley, Robert Baker, David Meunier

Heavy questions of fate loom over the proceedings of Justified's fourth season but despite that dark cloud, the crime drama managed to deliver it's most fun run yet this year.

Each season presents a shift in narrative tone, and this storyline was something of a mystery, with Harlan county's multitude of lawmen, feds, crime syndicates, and local bosses hunting for a long-missing mob fugitive, whose capture could be the golden ticket for everyone involved. In teasing out this complex tale, Justified retained its title for best dialogue on TV, and demonstrated that it does a better job of casting its colorful characters than most. (Who would've thought Mike O'Malley of all people could be the scariest guy in the room?)

Even with a golden ensemble, the man of the hour remains Tim Olyphant's Raylan Givens, the quick-witted, quick-draw US Marshal with a mountain of unresolved daddy issues. He's still ostensibly the hero of the story, but it's no accident that this season drew more parallels between him and his low-life father (Barry) and frenemy Boyd Crowder (Goggins) than ever before. —FT

4. New Girl (Fox)

Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone

Let's be real: the first season of New Girl was a bit underwhelming—the jokes were hit or miss, the characters underdeveloped, and the airing was so sporadic that the show was impossible to follow unless you watched huge chunks on Hulu. However, the second season has cemented why this show deserves to be on television. Its charm is fully realized, and the producers aren't messing with audiences anymore. Nick and Jess are finally together setting the stage for GIF-able Ross/Rachel-esque romantic comedy moments The Mindy Project is still trying to achieve, Schmidt has gone from typical douchebag to a douchebag you want as your BFF, and Winston—OK, well, we'll give them 'til next season to figure out him out.

In short, the second season gave off the vibe that every cast and crew member of the show wholly believes in it. It's as if producers sent all of them on some kind of retreat and they emerged as a family. Dare we say, no cast on TV has more chemistry. —TA

3. Hannibal (NBC)

Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne, Hettienne Park, Gina Torres, Gillian Anderson

If Hannibal doesn't make it past its recently green-lit second season, creator Bryan Fuller will no doubt be welcomed into the horror community with open arms and production budgets. Because somehow, by some act of network TV magic, he and the creative team behind NBC's Hannibal have conceived grisly and imaginative post-murder imagery that rivals, if not exceeds, what's being done in the genre film wise. There's the shot of victims' back-skin being elevated into angelic wings (seen above), the one where a young girl's lung-free body is mounted onto a deer's head, or the sight of a guy's throat cut open and vocal chords used as violin strings.

Again, this all aired on NBC, shortly after Parks and Recreation and The Office. It's no wonder that Hannibal—starring the great Mads Mikkelsen as the titular cannibalistic doctor and the similarly impressive Hugh Dancy as his long-time fictional counterpart, Will Graham—barely received its second season pickup, due to low ratings. As critics everywhere and the show's small but loyal following know, though, it's much more than a small-screen slaughterhouse—intelligent, fearless, cold-hearted, and shocking, Hannibal is an expertly crafted gem that's unlike anything else on television. —MB

2. Mad Men (AMC)

Stars: Jon Hamm, Jessica Pare, Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, Kevin Rahm, Rich Sommer, Kiernan Shipka, Linda Cardellini, Christopher Stanley, Ben Feldman, Jay R. Ferguson, Harry Hamlin

Coming off of the fifth and best season of Mad Men, expectations soared for the sixth. And yes, this season—though there's still one episode left—is not trumping the last. Still, bumpy moments like the brothel flashbacks shouldn't diminish the heights we've reach. Of course, on Mad Men the heights are often crushing lows, like the staff's misguided reaction to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or, more recently, Sally's discovery about her father.

Matthew Weiner and company accentuate the lows with brief spots of positive illumination; moments like Bobby talking to the movie theater attendant and a sing-a-long at camp make each and every failure of character all the more bitter and heart-rendering. Some critics have complained about the fall of Don taking too long, but the recent development with Sally has made everything feel sharper, as evidenced by last night's excellent episode. As Weiner almost always does finales right, there's no reason to be worried about next week. Everyone will get what they deserve. —RS

Check out our weekly Mad Men recaps here.

1. Game of Thrones (HBO)

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, Jack Gleeson, Richard Madden, Alfie Allen, Kit Harington, Charles Dance, Stephen Dillane, Carice van Houten, Michelle Fairley, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Sophie Turner, Natalie Dormer, Oona Chaplin, John Bradley, Sibel Kekilli, Rose Leslie, Liam Cunningham

Tuck your Emmy season in. It's been a great half-year for television, with many of your favorite shows adding more classic episodes to an already impressive roster. But there's only been one instant-classic season so far.

With the task of adapting the most acclaimed book from George R.R. Martin's revered series ahead of them, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss faced their tallest order yet—and boy did they deliver. In a world where magic has been dormant for thousands of years, the fantasy elements kicked into high gear in a season that included ice zombies, dragons laying waste to an entire city, cripples with mind-control, and immortal warriors.

But GoT wouldn't appeal beyond fantasy nerd circles if it only relied on the cool, eye-popping spectacle. The show is excellent because its sprawling cast puts you through the emotional wringer—think about how drastically different everyone (who's still standing) is now compared to the pilot. Three seasons deep, we're fully invested in these characters thanks to some truly fantastic acting, so much so that it's hard not to fist pump when Daenerys, once victim turned badass queen, scores another victory. Or feel anxiety towards the inevitable outcome of night ranger Jon's star-crossed romance with one of the very people he's supposed to defend against. Or get wrapped up in rooting for the most justified of the warring families to come out ahead, even though we learned long ago that this is a series sans protagonists, and too often, sans justice.

We can't think of the last time an episode of TV left us as slack-jawed as the season's crown jewel, "The Rains of Castamere," a devastating reminder that Game of Thrones houses the cruelest universe of all time. And yet, we can't wait to return. —FT