5. Californication
Meaghan Good, Eva Amurri, Addison Timlin… Just another day in the life of “Californication’s” nefarious novelist Hank Moody. Threesomes gone wrong, projected female ejaculate, and bare-naked Duchovny bottom await you in this twisted tale of a man trying to hold it all together while simultaneously falling apart. While I love watching all manner of hedonistic debacle unfolding on screen, it really is the underlying love story between Hank and Karen plus the lovable cast that keeps me coming back for more. Here’s to hoping that Hank can dodge the reaper one more time in the upcoming season.
4. Homeland
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One sentence can sum up Showtime’s original series “Homeland”: “An American prisoner of war has been turned.” Simple enough premise, right? Wrong. “Homeland” is one big global political mindfuck that will have you quadruple-guessing your theory about what the heck is going on right until the very end of the first season. I’m generally a watchdog for continuity errors, but even with all 9,000 simultaneous plot lines spiraling around one another it all comes to a pretty shocking conclusion at the end of season one. After winning an Emmy for being the best dramatic series on television, I can only pray that season two can hold a candle to the sheer brilliance of the show’s first season.
3. The Walking Dead
Alright, I’ll admit it: I gave AMC’s “The Walking Dead” a pretty scathing review of the first half its slow-paced second season. I felt like the show was turning into “The Young and the Zombie Restless” with very little story advancement or action. I’m sure the writers took my advice into consideration, as the show really ramped up toward the finale and finally ascended to the levels that made season one such a hit in the first place. Now that the stage is set for season three, I can honestly say that this is probably the show that I am most anxiously awaiting the season premiere. Here’s to another season of seeing characters that you’ve become emotionally invested in being torn to pieces by carnivorous legions of the undead.
2. Justified
US Marshall Raylan Givens has a unique problem. Bad people want him dead — but that’s not his problem. His problem is that he is extraordinarily efficient at killing them. Fx’s “Justified” is the story of an old school lawman who is trying to walk the fine line of justifiable law enforcement while being constantly coerced into crossing it. And while the dichotomy of Raylan’s internal struggles are entertaining enough, it is the relationship with longtime friend/enemy Boyd Crowder that really gives the shows its legs. Boyd Crowder is the antihero of all antiheroes: a charismatic smooth talker with a mastery of C-4 and Emulex. Here’s to hoping that Raylan and Boyd can make it through to the end of season four.
1. Luther
While tacking themes so twisted it would make the “Dexter” writers squeamish, the journey of detective chief inspector John Luther is not one to be viewed lightly. This show gets very dark, folks — people will die, I’m a man of my word. The show explores some pretty intense subject matter and there isn’t much light to hold on to as the main character plummets down a self-destructive whirlwind past the point of seemingly no return. Luther may be on an eventual highway to hell but he has company, and none more load-bearing than the malignant, narcissistic sociopath Alice Morgan. The unpredictability of the series-long game of cat-and-mouse is something that I won’t deprive you of by revealing any spoilers. BBC has a real hit on their hands with this one, and they seem to know it as the show receives adulation from President Obama, to The Golden Globes and everywhere in between. Assuming that you can stomach the grittiest of gritty crime dramas, do not walk but run to your nearest Netflix-connected device and strap yourself in for the ride. It’s the best show you’ve probably never heard of. Well there you have it. Did I rate “Dexter” too high? “Breaking Bad” too low? Have no idea what “Luther” is? Give me your thoughts or give me your list. F MY L.