2011 could have been the riskiest year ever for the art of television: while we saw Entourage drive off into the sunset and sobered up from Mad Men for an entire year, someone thought it smart to bring Claire Danes back to television. After ruling reality, MTV tried not one, but two dramas on for size. FX called Ryan Murphy to make the craziest show ever while his current phenom Glee tried to mend its massive mistakes. South Park made us believe, even if only for a moment, that it could all be over. Could television really be this recklessly stupid? Were these all signs of an impending apocalypse? Was Ron Swanson next?!

Answer: a resounding ‘hell no!’ The biggest chances taken by the powers that be resulted in some of the most groundbreaking, riveting, hilarious, and incredible moments in TV in 2011. Homeland became a bonafide hit, American Horror Story was THE most talked about program of the year, and MTV landed a new pair of teen favorites (one of which appears here). No, we couldn’t fix Glee (and Dexter hasn’t worked out so well, either), but the picks of our all-knowing editorial staff showcase the absolute best that TV had to offer. Two shows couldn’t go without mentioning by our staff, but they’re preceeded by our official ranking of the 10 best shows of the year.

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Check out May's list of The 25 Best TV Episodes Ever 2011!

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10. TOP CHEF: ALL STARS (Bravo)
Top Chef: All Stars News & Recaps | Ology.com Interviews: Angelo Sosa - Carla Hall - Mike Isabella - Dale Talde - Fabio Viviani - Marcel Vigneron

Now reality shows rarely find themselves on any kind of top TV list—we get it—but after witnessing the amazingness that was Top Chef: All-Stars this year, we couldn't help but throw Bravo a big, fat, well-deserved bone. Not only did Season 8 of the show see the return of all your favorite crazies, but it brought the competition back to New York City and gave the super harsh and ever-eloquent Anthony Bourdain a permanent seat at judges' table. Between Marcel's arrogance, Jamie's shrimp scandal, Fabio's adorable accent, Carla's hootie-hoots and Angelo's hot… well, everything… there were too many reasons to tune in week after week. A season of bromances (Fabio and Richard, Angelo and Mike), infamous moments (Jen's b*tchy and surprisingly early elimination), cameos (Elmo!), and that time frenemies Antonia and Mike found out they were actually cousins. Oh, and let's not forget when Tom, Padma and Gail finally righted that really, really wrong by announcing Richard as "Top Chef." Yeah. That happened, too. – Sharon Tharp

09. TEEN WOLF (MTV)
Teen Wolf Recaps | Teen Wolf Season 2 | Ology.com Interviews: Tyler Posey - Dylan O'Brien - Dylan O'Brien (Video) - Holland Roden - Crystal Reed - Jeff Davis/Russell Mulcahy

There’s a sliver of Teen Wolf that isn’t much more than a bunch of really good looking Abercrombie cutouts running for their lives (I dare you to Google Tyler Posey and Crystal Reed as the tale’s ill-fated Romeo and Juliet and try to keep it in your pants). But outside of glistening abs and perfect bods, clueless Scott McCall dangerously juggles his first crush, lurking frenemies, lacrosse and growing hairy in MTV’s foggy spook town that never gets any light EVER. It’s equal parts thrilling, scary, well-crafted, and charmingly witty, especially with the discovery of the show’s breakout star Dylan O’Brien as sidekick Stiles. Wolf didn’t put all of its eggs in the main character’s basket—which is good, because that background eye candy puts on one hell of a show. – Terron R. Moore 

08. THE WALKING DEAD (AMC)
The Walking Dead Recaps | Robert Kirkman at New York Comic-Con

Even more than its two celebrated predecessors Breaking Bad and Mad Men, The Walking Dead is AMC's little boney disgusting zombie baby. After a stellar first season turned the comic book adaptation into a ratings powerhouse, TWD was ready to conquer the world. A now-infamous bout of Frank Darabont brouhaha threatened to cripple the series last summer, but as Rick Grimes and co. know all too well, you can't keep a good zombie down. TWD delivered this year with leaner, meaner storytelling, zooming in on an original arc while seamlessly splicing in events and characters from throughout the comic's continuity. It’s perfected its knack for introducing new grey areas and then drenching them with gore, with the finale among the strongest episodes yet. Once again, the series looks ahead toward a bright and bloody future. – Josh Harrison

07. REVENGE (ABC)
TV Review: Revenge | Ology.com Interviews: Nick Weschler | Ashley Madekwe 

It’s juicy, seductive and enticing-- and that’s just describing hunky leads Nick Wechsler and Joshua Bowman. ABC’s freshman series is without a doubt the most addicting evening soap, where Emily Thorne as Amanda Clarke comes to the posh Hamptons to uproot the secrets and lies that the glamorous have tried to conceal, all the while seeking vengeance on those who’ve ruined her father’s life. Forbidden romances and unlikely enemies begin to unravel her plans and the surprise killoffs are just an added bonus. Revenge leaves you cringing before the credits even start to roll, and it’s incredibly rare and extremely gratifying. How long will we have to wait for the next? Doesn’t matter. Every episode is a 360 and we wouldn’t want it any other way. – Stephanie Webber

06. COMMUNITY (NBC)
Community Recaps | Community Cancelled? It's All Up To You!

Once NBC took the show off its midseason schedule, the internet revolted and dozens of hash tags and memes supporting the show were born. The fans have good reason to #SaveGreendale: Community consistently proves to be the most unique comedy on network television. With the show’s referential humor and irreverent comedic writing, the cast and show-runner Dan Harmon get to show off their talent in all of its comedic, heartfelt, and dramatic glory. Earlier this year brought us the epic two part finale- “A Fistful of Paintballs” and “A Few Paintballs More” that fully encapsulated what the show was about: unrelenting fun. While this season seemed to lag a bit in the beginning, it quickly proved itself yet again with gems like “Documentary Filmmaking: Redux”, “Remedial Chaos Theory”, and my favorite so far, “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism.”Community deserves a place on this list if just for the powerful voice of its fans alone. – Emily Cheever

05. AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
American Horror Story Recaps | TV Review: American Horror Story 

I have a love/hate relationship with Ryan Murphy’s work and was fully expecting pure camp and no substance from American Horror Story. I honestly thought it was going to be a soapy, cheesy show from the same guy who ruined Glee, but Horror Story quickly became one of the best shows of the year. Perhaps it is because of the terrific acting by Connie Britton and Jessica Lange, perhaps it is the jarring camera edits and surreal plot, but this FX drama is the most unique show to ever come across television, giving new meanings to the words “perversion” and “disturbing.” I think they really gained a fan in me when they added the dismembered baby/animal creature. Oh yeah. This show goes there. – Emily Cheever

04. PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)
Parks & Recreation Recaps | Ology.com Interview: Jim O'Heir

 At first glance, Parks seems like an outdoor version of The Office, but the NBC series proved that it’s more than hilarious confessionals and miniature horses. Greg Daniels took the simple storyline of a passionate politician building a park and turned into a half-hour comedic commentary on the government. But it’s not all about the politics: the love story of Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt makes viewers go “aww”, the Ron Swanson pyramid of excellence make us wonder “why the f-ck we don’t operate that way?”, and Tom Haverford’s luxurious lifestyle in this tiny town makes us laugh out loud. Watching Parks and Recreation is the ultimate way to treat yo’ self. – Leah Rocketto

03. GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
Game Of Thrones Recaps | Why Game Of Thrones Is The Greatest TV Franchise Ever

HBO's Game of Thrones proves that adapting a sprawling fantasy tale of warring (and whoring) medieval houses into a 13-time Emmy-nominated TV show is easy, or maybe it just looks that way with a cast led by Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams and who-am-I-forgetting-oh-yeah Sean Bean. Pro tip: If Sean Bean is an afterthought to multiple unknown actresses, your show has talent to spare, which is an especially handy asset for a show that likes to lop off heads every few episodes. Is HBO's take better than the novels by George R.R. Martin? No, not quite; as convincing as the acting and sets are, the directing is decidedly unremarkable. But the fact that I can raise the question without incurring the Old Gods' wrath is proof that epic fantasy has finally arrived on TV. – Matt Marquez

02. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries Recaps | The Five Best Damon/Elena Scenes Ever | Ology.com Interview: Malese Jow

If you’re still one of those too-good-for-The-CW television consumers, you’re losing ground fast: not only is The Vampire Diaries the fifth-place-network’s runaway hit, but it’s the fastest moving show on television, a breakneck saga in a town dominated by a dangerously coquettish collection of vampires, werewolves, witches, and villains all at each other’s throats for the life of the precious doppelganger Elena (Nina Dobrev). As she’s suddenly split from the now-evil Stefan (Paul Wesley, and that takes more explaining than you know), the other Salvatore Damon (Ian Somerhalder) goes from bad boy to hero while Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is determined to rule the world with his wolf-vamp hybrids. The witchcraft is complicated enough, but it’s all amplified by these tangled relations, and the ties that bind are just another brilliant layer to this intricately-woven saga of love, loss, and family. Dobrev, Wesley, Morgan and Smolderhalder lead a talented pack of actors with looks to die for. – Terron R. Moore

01. BREAKING BAD (AMC)
Breaking Bad Recaps | Ology.com Interview: Betsy Brandt

Every TV fan was practically sh*tting themselves over the penultimate year in AMC’s Breaking Bad—rightfully so, as this was perhaps its greatest season (yet). This time around, it’s all about the suave villain Gustavo Fringe and how one man singularly destroyed Walter White, or at least the whiteness, the purity, that was Walter. Never before have we been so excited for the bad guy, never before have we been so giddy by his demise. Plus we saw Jesse, a previous tool among tools really grow into a man—albeit, a man with an extensive amount of baggage. It’s hard to pick a favorite episode, but it just might be “Salud”, where the best characters of the season (Gus, Mike, and Jesse) go down to “take care of” the Mexican cartel. It’s a year of perfection from start to finish and had diehard fans salivating over theories of the looming final season. – Emily Cheever

HONORABLE MENTION: SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)
Sons Of Anarchy Recaps 

Yes, Sons is about a greasy, dirty biker gang running guns, fighting gangs, and dealing drugs. It's also a smartly written FX drama about balancing the anti-heroic life of a vigilante with the challenges of the real world. Katey Sagal won a Golden Globe as the Machiavellian "old lady" Gemma, but this season's best performance goes to Ryan Hurst as the mourning, continually conflicted Opie. Kurt Sutter (formerly of The Shield) is a master of balancing taut action with intense drama, as well as keeping the motorcycle club relatable as they fall further and further into moral grey areas. Of course, if you're not into all that "acting" or "plot" crap, there's still plenty of Harleys, explosions, and porn stars. – Jonathan Moormann

HONORABLE MENTION: FRANKLIN & BASH (TNT)
Franklin & Bash Recaps | Interview: Claire Coffee

My esteemed Ology colleagues doubt my claims that Franklin & Bash is one of the best shows on TV, but that's because they haven't bothered to watch it. It's a great example of a show taking known variables and making them function properly. You have a) Claire Coffee, who is the greatest thing since thick-sliced bacon, b) Mark-Paul Gosselaar, a.k.a. ZACK MORRIS, c) Breckin Meyer, and d) amazing guest stars. Bash utilizes guest stars better than any show on TV, and they already have Kevin Nealon, Sean Astin and Martin Mull in line for the upcoming season. Tommy Chong as a judge in a marijuana case? YES PLEASE! If you watch FnB without enjoying it, there's a solid chance you're either a Nazi, a robot or a Nazi robot. So watch it. And love it. – Anthony Schneck

That's our list! Agree? Disagree? Shout it out in the comments.

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