Twenty Twelve: TV

 

Well, I’ve certainly put the hours in this year in terms of TV. My first full calendar year of writing and recording Telly Addict every week: that’s a lot of percentage in the Sky+ tank. Because I am now duty-bound to review all the exciting new stuff – and that means stuff I wouldn’t normally watch, like Red Or Black, TOWIE and The Apprentice – I find myself watching and analysing the first episode of everything, but not always bothering to watch the second episode. There are only so many hours in the day etc.

This, if you run a finger down my final list, accounts for the fact that Secret State, which I wasn’t sure about to start with, makes the list, and The Town, which I was sure about, doesn’t. I saw the former through to the bitter end, which means something, and I found myself unable to summon up the enthusiasm to see how The Town turned out, which also means something. My enthusiasm for The Great British Bake Off was entirely sincere: I couldn’t wait for the next episode. This is how I feel about the re-runs of Friday Night Lights: can’t wait. (Although the Guardian erroneously claimed that I judged The Bake Off to be “the best TV show of 2012″, when, in fact, it was simply my favourite.)

It seems obsessive and random to put these fantastic shows in any kind of qualitative order, so I’ll leave them in the order that they occurred to me. I’m not sure whether or not I ought to apologise for the proliferation of shows on Sky Atlantic. The channel has a deal with HBO; ergo, it’s where all the best imports turn up. Sorry (There, I apologised.) Oh, and by the way, I enjoyed some of the Olympics on the BBC, and Euro 2012, on the BBC and ITV, but found Gary Lineker a bit irksome on both.

The Great British Bake Off, BBC2

Game of Thrones, Season 2, Sky Atlantic

Boardwalk Empire, Season 3, Sky Atlantic

Hunderby, Sky Atlantic

The Fear, C4

Homefront, ITV1

Fresh Meat, Series 2, C4

Friday Night Dinner, Series 2, C4

Michael Portillo’s Great Continental Railway Journeys, BBC2

Sherlock, Series 2, BBC1

Borgen, BBC4

The Bridge, BBC4

Homeland, Seasons 1-2, c4

Twenty Twelve, Series 2, BBC2

Chatsworth, BBC2

Inside Claridge’s, BBC2

The Thick Of It, Series 4, BBC4

Eastbound and Down, Season 3, FX

The Walking Dead, Season 3, FX

American Horror Story: Asylum, FX

Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, E4

Friday Night Lights, Seasons 1-3, Sky Atlantic

Girls, Sky Atlantic

Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partidge, Sky Atlantic

The Newsroom, Sky Atlantic

Veep, Sky Atlantic

Secret State, C4

Top of the Pops, 1977, BBC4

Man About The House, Series 3-5, ITV3

Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss, BBC4

Loving Miss Hatto, BBC1

Downton Abbey, Series 3/Christmas Special, ITV1

Mrs Biggs, ITV1

Celebrity MasterChef, BBC2

Modern Family, Season 4, Sky1

Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, ITV1

The Bletchley Circle, ITV1

Feel free to nominate shows you loved. I fell out with Downton during Series 2, but was surprised to find myself back onboard with Series 3. I also thought that Gates, on Sky Living, came out very well, but since I was one of its writers, I am unable to trust my own judgement. We must try Sky Living’s judgement, though, and it won’t be returning for a second series.