If we’ve accepted, years later, that the world will never see another Sopranos, another Sex and the City, another LOST—hell, not even another Entourage—the TV landmarks of 2012 are the shows that stopped the focus on the past. When the brilliant dangers of Homeland arrived to shore, American Horror Story twisted fiction on its head, and Girls became twee-ly epic in all its polarizing mediocrity, they spearheaded a league of new series that took watercooler debate and discussion back to the main stage, making us fall in love with the small screen all over again. Even if the freshmen had to rival the brutal trials of Breaking Bad and the long-awaited return of Donald Draper’s Mad Men, they’re still responsible for forging new ground, reimaging and reinventing the ways we can be shocked, awed, challenged, gripped, enamored, and moved by television.
And yeah, cable may be responsible for the revival of must-see TV, but to count out critical wonder Modern Family, soap breakout Revenge, or The CW’s better-than-ever The Vampire Diaries would be a mistake. This year saw more reasons than ever to tune in, log on, watch live, record, stream, download, and get a season pass to all the incredible moments that jump off of the screen and into our lives. So enjoy our, um, very colorful list of the 50 greatest episodes for the class of 2011-2012. The television renaissance is alive and well. These are the moments that prove it.
(For this list, eligible contenders are any new episodes of original television that aired on an American network from May 24th, 2011 to May 23rd, 2012.)
Nos. 50-31 | Nos. 30-11 | Nos. 10-1
50. “A Land Without Magic”, Once Upon a Time (ABC / Season 1, Episode 22 / May 13, 2012)
Queen Regina's evil curse that took away all the love and happy endings and trapped every fairytale character in Storybrooke is finally broken. Emma Swan—Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter and the only person with the gift to break the curse—did the one thing viewers had been waiting for the entire season: she believed. After battling a beast and being betrayed by a deal maker, Emma kissed her son Henry's forehead as he rested in a hospital bed after being poisoned, releasing the only thing strong enough to break the Evil Queen's curse: true love. Then Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) used the only bottle of potion from the fairytale world to bring magic and power back to Storybrooke. But even though all of the fairytale characters remember who they are and happy endings were restored, The Land Without Magic will be consumed with a powerful force that could be a game-changer for everyone involved. Jaymie Bailey
49. “Death’s Door”, Supernatural (The CW / Season 7, Episode 10 / December 2, 2011)
The life of a hunter is the exact opposite of thrilling, no matter how great and easy Sam and Dean might make it look, and “Death’s Door” could be seen as a terribly haunting reminder of their futures through the looking glass. It’s a horrible examination of comrade/father Bobby Singer’s worst memories and the highs and lows of his haunted life with his wife and the adoptive sons he grew to love before he finally dies. It’s fantastic how removed the lead characters are from the episode, yet it’s still a poignant one, watching the man who has done so much for them leave the Earth, and casting another ominous reminder that the last enemy to be defeated is indeed death. Terron R. Moore
48. “Kim’s Fairytale Wedding”, Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E! / October 9-10, 2011)
Never is Keeping Up with the Kardashians on my Must-See TV list, but with the now-infamous nuptials of Kim and NBA goofball Kris Humphries, you were obligated to tune in. Little did we know, 72 days later she would file for divorce and this "marriage" would go down as one of the worst publicity stunts in reality television history, but at the time, Kim's wedding was naturally more drawn-out and understandable than Khloe’s, who got married within 2 weeks of meeting Lamar. But as soon as she started bickering about her name change, having kids, and the fact that she refused to live anywhere but L.A. because of her "career," you knew it was going to be a disaster--not to mention overprotective Khloe grilling Kris about his intentions. The couple argued right up until the walk down the aisle, which I admittedly teared up during. $20 million might not be able to make a marriage last, but it sure as hell makes for good television. Sharon Tharp
47. “Extraordinary Machine, Part Two”, Degrassi (TeenNick / Season 11, Episode 21 / August 18, 2011)
If you’ve stopped watching Degrassi in the post-Emma/Manny/Jimmy era, Season 11 gave plenty of reasons as to why it’s still a teen drama force to be reckoned with, tackling sexuality, violence, drug abuse, and all the usual love crimes in its glorious Canadian halls. But nothing resonated more in Season 11 than Eli’s struggle to get over ex-girlfriend Clare, which culminates in a fiery meltdown in the middle of the school’s play, where the boy who had it all loses every ounce of hope for himself. Combine that with KC and Jenna’s heartbreaking release of baby Ty for adoption, and why bother with any other high school drama? Degrassi is the place you never want to leave. Terron R. Moore
46. “At My Brother’s Wedding”, Parenthood (NBC / Season 3, Episode 18 / February 28, 2012)
After a full year of emotion, arguments and heartbreak, the NBC series leaves viewers in the exact same fashion with the added bonus that the very sweet moments will effortlessly continue into its fourth season. Adam and Crosby's disagreement about selling The Luncheonette comes to a head during the reception of Crosby and Jasmine's beautifully lit wedding. As the two make up, the struggle Crosby has endured all season to win Jasmine back finally ends on a very happy note. As Sarah says goodbye to Mark, Amber takes the right move in staying at her job with Bob but only as friends. Meanwhile, Drew loses his virginity and Zoe shows up to apologize to Julia for keeping the baby. In a very bittersweet and uncalled for moment, Julia and Joel do receive a special surprise though. After trying all year to have another child, the two welcome a young boy into their family that ultimately was taken away from his own. As always, even through the struggles, the idea in wanting to be a Braverman never gets old. Stephanie Webber
45. “Top 5 Results Show”, The X Factor (FOX / Season 1, Episode 21 / December 9, 2011)
Who knew that the first season of The X Factor could leave audiences with such a heartbreaking moment in reality TV? As the finale is fast approaching, the elimination round comes down to the very eager Rachel Crow, 13, and Marcus Canty, 20. Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul opt to save the bubbly teenager while L.A. Reid goes with Marcus. Instead of saying who she really thinks should go home Nicole takes the easy way out and asks for a deadlock to find out whom America has voted to kick off. As Rachel’s name is read it’s a quick bug-eyed shock and collapse to the floor. Heavy cries both from Rachel and Nicole ring through the small screen as Simon goes up to console the aspiring singer. The moment was so cringe-worthy yet worth a repeat (ultimately making us feel like terrible people). Stephanie Webber
44. “The List”, The Office (NBC / Season 8, Episode 1 / September 22, 2011)
After Michael Scott left Dunder Mifflin to be with Holly, we all had little faith that our once-favorite show could go on without him. My fears that this season would be a total trainwreck were calmed during the premiere, where Cornell's proudest member of "Here Comes Treble," Andy Bernard, is promoted to Regional Manager, much to his coworkers' chagrin. As Andy and the office find a list made by their new CEO Robert California, they are perplexed as to why their names are divided among two sides of this seemingly arbitrary lineup. He later invites one half to lunch deeming them "winners" and their fellow workers "losers." Upset , Andy stands up to Robert and insists that his employees are not only winners, but they deserve time off for Columbus Day. In this strange heroic moment, Andy earns the respect of his once-skeptical office friends and makes us viewers feel even the slightest bit at ease about this season. Sharon Tharp
43. “Punkin Chunkin”, Modern Family (ABC / Season 3, Episode 9 / November 23, 2011)
Those damn Pritchetts are always trying to keep down the rest of the world: Claire is always harping on Phil’s dreams (hey, we’re in full support of the HeadScratcher 9000 TM!), Mitch is always criticizing Cam’s whimsies, and Jay rarely assists Gloria in coddling Manny to manhood (and he understands her even less). So it’s about time that a Modern Family episode attack this issue, and does so pretty wonderfully, using the show’s signature tongue-in-cheek yet family-friendly humor and an aw-shucks closer that brings the dreamers and realists together. Who’d have the best family on television any other way? Terron R. Moore
42. “Spooky Endings”, Happy Endings (ABC / Season 2, Episode 5 / October 26, 2011)
Out of all the costumes stocked in stores, and out of all the Halloween episodes done over the years, no other show has ever created such memorable outfits like what this Chicago gang wore for “Spooky Endings”. Max went as Penny's 'wing' baby, which forced them to go back and forth between potential suitors during a party, a sick Alex went as Marilyn Monroe and later was mistaken for a man, and Dave went as his dorky self, aka, Austin Powers. Meanwhile, a bacon-dressed Jane house sat with Brad and got involved in a battle with trick-or-treaters because they had no candy to give out. When everyone got back together in the end for the big dance off, Alex inevitably got beat by Max because he finally decided to change into Penny's red bathing suit that she was wearing underneath their costume. He also won because he has "a big (...you know)." The storylines were odd and far-fetched, but that's what we love about this show. Stephanie Webber
41. “Another Ham Sandwich”, The Good Wife (CBS / Season 3, Episode 14 / January 29, 2012)
Firstly, Wendy Scott-Carr is the absolute worst. Secondly, Will's indictment for allegedly betting with other judges finally comes to a head in front of the Grand Jury in "Another Ham Sandwich," and what could be better than Will finally getting off the hook by duping Cary and Dana? Cary actually felt bad about the situation, Kalinda helped the case even though she got a smack for it and the jury raised questions on why Peter would have his wife put on the stand in the first place. Alicia's testimony was the guilty pleasure viewers were unexpectedly waiting for as was the sweet 'we can still be friends' Kalicia moment and Will dancing to celebrate his win. Of course, Scott-Carr got fired because of her terrible prosecution but that didn't stop her from telling Peter that she'll move on with the case herself. See? She's the absolute worst. Stephanie Webber
40. “Down In L.A.”, The L.A. Complex (The CW / Season 1, Episode 1 / April 24, 2012)
Despite the fact that you probably didn’t tune in, this sexy Canadian import dives into the lives of six wide-eyed hopefuls who live in a cheap apartment complex in Los Angeles, each with an ambitious desire to “make it”. At the center of it all is Abby, a broke aspiring actress with a boyfriend back home in Toronto. When we meet her in the pilot episode, she's living in her car after just getting evicted, but while temporarily shacking up with Nick, a struggling comedian living in a run-down, bargain apartment complex called The Lux along with (pseudo) friends Connor, Jewel, Alicia and their mutual friend Tariq, she immediately finds herself drugged up and sexing with Connor and facing her first big challenge: stripping in order to make money. The complicated relationships are miniscule to a genuine story about success and what you’ll do it get it, and even if the story doesn't last long on The CW, we'll still be tuning in online. Sharon Tharp
39. “Flight”, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC / Season 8, Episode 24 / May 17, 2012)
Seattle Grace Hospital—and hell, every doctor, nurse and person in it—has the worst luck in the world. We might have just grown accustomed to that fact over the years, what with the bombings, shootings, boat crashes, train derailings and bus accidents that have plagued 8 seasons. But forget all of that: a motherf*cking PLANE CRASHES during this year's season finale. Yes, Grey's went all LOST on us, but it's okay because we loved every minute of it. And even though we knew three of the characters in the crash already renewed their contracts (and hence, were NOT dying), we still waited (and SOBBED) while Mark said his final goodbyes to Lexie as she passed away. Meanwhile, back in Seattle, Bailey gets married, Hunt fires Teddy and everyone's unaware that Little Grey bit the dust and the rest of the doctors are now stranded in the middle of nowhere. Sharon Tharp
38. “Maya Rudolph/Sleigh Bells”, Saturday Night Live (NBC / Season 37, Episode 15 / February 18, 2012)
Turn away your Lindsay Lohans and Eli Mannings: leave it to veteran cast member Maya Rudolph to completely dominate as a host for Saturday Night Live. Every sketch was a winner, with Maya and Jay Pharoah's perfect Beyoncé and Jay-Z impressions, the hilarious “Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Laughs',” and even a surprise guest appearance by Amy Poehler for "REALLY?! with Seth and Amy". Let's not forget about Justin Timberlake (who should actually be a member of SNL himself), delivering one-half of a hilarious Bronx duo with Andy Samberg against Maya and Amy for “Bronx Beat”. With Sleigh Bells delivering the music for the evening, it was obvious that women ruled this episode, hopefully putting to bed that whole pointless "are women funny?" debacle. Yes, dammit! Yes, they are! Emily Cheever
37. “Parenthood”, Shameless (Showtime / Season 2, Episode 8 / March 11, 2012)
Shameless flows between tragic drama and tragic bliss so often—and so well—that it’s hard to pick the one moment where the series’ sophomore season supremely excels. But we’ll go with “Parenthood”, the perfect episode to display just how tumultuous being a Gallagher can get, where against Mickey’s refusal to accept being gay breaks Ian’s heart in the process (he’d rather kill Frank but settles for going back to juvie), Sheila finally ends matriarch Peggy’s suffering by smothering her with a pillow, only made awkwardly hilarious when Frank walks in to see Sheila sitting on his dead mother’s face. Worst of all is Lip, who’s been on an emotional bender all season, facing the school-or-out option from Fiona and walking out of the Gallagher house, leaving a stunted family in his wake. Terron R. Moore
36. “A Little Kiss”, Mad Men (AMC / Season 5, Episode 1 / March 25, 2012)
Finally, after the moment that we were waiting a year and a half for, the too-long hiatus of Mad Men ended with a bang in the season 5 premiere. "A Little Kiss" sets up the tone and journey for the whole season, where we find Don in a brand new, wildly enthralling position in life: the early stages of a mid-life crisis, obviously only worsened by the rousing cover of "Zou Bisou Bisou" by his hot new young wife (now that song is stuck in your head, and you're welcome). We see Pete start to become a steel headed ad man, pushing down any morality that he might have left. But most of all, the episode was probably the funniest (since "A Man Walks Into An Advertising Agency") and a home run on the ratings front for AMC. Matt Weiner, can you do no wrong? Emily Cheever
35. “Baby On Board”, Modern Family (ABC / Season 3, Episode 24 / May 23, 2012)
Modern Family spends most of its time being a knee-slapping riot, but when it goes for the heartstrings is when it really becomes one of the most affecting sitcoms on TV. The season finale didn’t pull any punches delivering both the painful (Mitch and Cam don’t get the child they so desperately wanted), the touching (Luke steals sister Haley’s acceptance letter in order to keep her from leaving for college) and the surprising (Gloria’s pregnant!) moments that only work so brilliantly because the show has earned them: three seasons in now, we’re more attached to this family ever, and the show takes a refreshing spin on its own future, turning growing pains into great opportunities for next season. Terron R. Moore
34. “To The Lost”, Boardwalk Empire (HBO / Season 2, Episode 13 / December 11, 2011)
It’s too often that television shows are dominated by forces outsider their own storytelling needs. Breakout characters have their roles inflated to please the audience, actors are written out because they are difficult to work with, and leads are bailed out of messes of their own creation because what are you going to do? Kill a main character? Well, actually, Boardwalk Empire showed that you can do just that when it carried the gang war between the show's two main characters, Steve Buscemi's Nucky Thompson and Michael Pitt's Jimmy Darmody, to its logical conclusion. In “To the Lost,” Nucky took Jimmy's advice, stopped being half a gangster, and murdered his former protégé, an ending that was only shocking because of how many TV rules it broke. Jonah Gardner
33. “Christmas Special”, Downton Abbey (PBS / Season 2, Episode 9 / December 25, 2011)
Oh, Downton, how did you become one of the most talked about shows of the year? Who knew we would just care so much about this estate in England? Well, the second season finale really didn't let anybody down: we laughed and we cried… a lot. First, Bates and Anna (Brendon Coyle and Jeanne Froggart, respectively) acted their faces off in the murder trial of the century, then finally we could breathe a sigh of relief when the insane sexual tension between Mary and Matthew came to a head. Well, it was relieved in the sense that any sexual tension can be relieved back in the olden times, but it's safe to say that everybody swooned. Emily Cheever
32. “At The Codfish Ball”, Mad Men (AMC / Season 5, Episode 7 / April 29, 2012)
As much as the gents run the Mad Men universe of the 1960s, "Codfish Ball" focuses on the world and expectations of women: we finally meet Don's wife Megan's parents while Megan finally proves her worth to the company by saving the Heinz campaign. Instead of engaging in rivarly, Peggy is legitmately happy for her coworker, while she's dealing with Abe: she believes he will ask to marry her, only to be slightly disappointed when he wants to move in instead, something her mom disapproves of. It's filled with discoveries for young Sally, surprising moments from Roger, and disappointments for Peggy and Don, who comes to term with his own weakeness. But this is a step above where Mad Men started as a mysognistic drama, slowly and surely proving that there's value in women at work. Terron R. Moore
31. “Pilot”, American Horror Story (FX / Season 1, Episode 1 / October 5, 2011)
Nothing quite blew my mind this year like the first episode of Ryan Murphy's dark and disturbing American Horror Story. We all wanted to watch it because Mrs. Tammi Taylor (Friday Night Lights’ Connie Britton, thank you very much) was taking a rather huge departure from the best marriage on television to the absolute worst. In the first episode we got a gimp rape, naked masturbation, bloody murder scenes and general bizarre editing. This was certainly not Murphy's Glee (thank GOD), plus: can we talk about how Dylan McDermott is still hot after all these years? How Jessica Lange is an amazing actress? It was perfect as far as the whole "WTF" tone it set to achieve, and it definitely hooked a certain brand of viewer for the whole season. Emily Cheever
NEXT: Nos. 30-11 >
Last Year’s List: The 25 Best TV Episodes Ever 2011
The 10 Best TV Shows Ever 2011
The 20 Greatest TV Pilots Since 2000
The 20 Greatest TV Finales Since 2000
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