Twelfth Day of TV Christmas- Twelve Eps of Gangsters

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Twelfth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...twelve eps of gangsters, eleven family members, ten weeks a fighting, nine flashes sideways, eight minutes breathless, seven kids a studying, six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

So this is it, Christmas morning. And how better to celebrate than with the final day of TV Christmas. Earning recognition today for its performance in 2010 is HBO's Boardwalk Empire. The complaints that I have heard about the series are that it was slow, confusing and there were too many characters. My response to that is that the two shows that are currently thought of as the two best dramas in the past decade, The Wire and Mad Men, started out much more guilty of that. I literally couldn't keep going with The Wire after four eps because it was so slow. With Mad Men I never stopped, but I wasn't enjoying it the pace was so slow. The first season of Boardwalk was not anything like those. It is a slower pace than some other shows, but it definitely kept my interest throughout. I got excited to see what Nucky, Jimmy, and the crew were going to be up to form week to week. A great start to what should be an epic series over the next half a decade.

Eleventh Day of TV Christmas- Eleven Family Members

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Eleventh Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my tv gave to me...eleven family members, ten weeks a fighting, nine flashes sideways, eight minutes breathless, seven kids a studying, six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

Since the days of TGIF there has not been a family sitcom that has gotten me excited. By the end of 2009, and then throughout 2010, ABC's Modern Family has changed that. The eleven members of the Pritchett family tree - that's Jay, Gloria, Manny, Phil, Claire, Haley, Alex, Luke, Cam, Mitchell, and Lilly - have earned a spot in the best of 2010. The mockumentary style is nothing new after watching The Office for many years now, but the people at Modern Family have managed to make it work magically once again. As has been said many times before, the numerous dynamics that can be created with this large group make for new hilarious situations every episode. Whether it was Cam and Gloria at the Mexican restaurant, Manny and Claire chatting about kids, or Phil and Jay trying to get along, the strange relationships that make up this modern family have proven to be one of the funniest shows on television.

Tenth Day of TV Christmas- Ten Weeks a Fighting

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Tenth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the tenth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...ten weeks a fighting, nine flashes sideways, eight minutes breathless, seven kids a studying, six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

After struggling through the most recent season of Survivor it has become more and more obvious how great Big Brother is. The ten weeks of arguing, game playing, and back stabbing we were witness to in 2010 are definitely worthy of recognition. Unlike Survivor, Big Bro doesn't depend on its cast to have a good season. The Nicaragua version of Survivor has failed mostly because there were no interesting contestants, but over the past few seasons of Big Brother, there have been times where I found nobody compelling and still really enjoyed the season. 2010 was highlighted by a Guido and a couple of juice heads, and I'm not talking about Jersey Shore. Enzo, Hayden and Lane, or the Brigade as they liked to call themselves, created an unstoppable alliance at the very beginning of Big Brother, and stayed strong until the final three. It truly was one of, if not the best alliance I've witnessed on reality tv. Congrats to the three of them, Hayden for winning, and CBS for continuing to put on a great show three days a week every summer.

Ninth Day of TV Christmas- Nine Flashes Sideways

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Ninth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the ninth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...nine flashes sideways, eight minutes breathless, seven kids a studying, six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

It has been over half a year since Lost aired its series finale, and my love for the show, the final season, and the finale itself has not changed. The season did everything I could have asked of it. Was it as good as say seasons four or five? Maybe not, but it was so much more epic. Every episode I watched, I knew everything was that much more important. Kate's last ep, Hugo's last ep, the deaths of many main characters. There are many people out there who complained about it for God knows why, but the final season of Lost and especially the finale worked like gangbusters. They hit every emotional note I needed, and answered or failed to answer anything I cared or didn't care about. As much as people hated on "Across the Sea," it, along with "Ab Aeterno" answered everything I needed on Lost. As the 2010 version of Lost went along, we watched as nine of our favorite characters flashed "sideways" as we called them, into a purgatory like world. These sideways flashes were ruined for some once the big reveal came around, but I enjoyed them more once I realized what was going on. All in all it will continue to be my favorite television show of all time.

Eighth Day of TV Christmas- Eight Minutes Breathless

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Eighth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the eighth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...eight minutes breathless, seven kids a studying, six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

I really had no place to put it, but Breaking Bad needed to be recognized for its outstanding performance in 2010. The episode titled "One Minute" was filled in tv time by multiple minutes of excitement, hence the "eight minutes breathless." Watching as our boy Hank hung on for dear life as the crazy Mexican brothers attempted to murder him horror movie style, was absolute brilliance. Not only was the ending to that episode so great, but looking back on it, the entire season was fantastic. At the time I didn't think that great of it, but after watching how disappointing some of my other favorite shows have been, Breaking Bad needs to receive credit for showing up to play this year. Other than "Fly", which some critics are touting as a great episode but in reality was God awful, every ep brought excitement and drama. It won't be back until this summer, so we have to wait a while to get Walter, Jesse and the gang back in our lives.

Seventh Day of TV Christmas- Seven Kids a Studying

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Seventh Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the seventh day of Christmas my tv gave to me...seven kids a studying, six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

All I want for my seventh day of Christmas is Jeffrey, Troy, Pierce, Annie, Abed, Britta...and even Shirley; the seven kids from our favorite Greendale Community College study group. Community is the next series to earn the recognition for its performance in 2010. Although the start to its second season has been a bit disappointing, you can't argue that the second half of last year's first season was absolutely fantastic. All of these community collegers, besides Shirley at times, has been awesome. Between the mafia/chicken strips episode and the paint ball episode, they concocted two of the funniest half hours on television in 2010. While they have pretty much failed to recreate these epic moments with attempts like the astronaut and zombie eps, they still make me laugh on a regular basis, and that's all I can ask for.

Sixth Day of TV Christmas- Six Deads a Walking

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Sixth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the sixth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...six deads a walking, five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

On day six of this TV Christmas season, we at the Pool recognize AMC's The Walking Dead. After absolutely bombing with Rubicon as the stations first attempt to add to its dynamic duo of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, they came through in spades with The Walking Dead. It was only a six episode first season, hence the "six deads a walking," but it was fantastic. From the start, this series had me hooked. The pilot was riveting, and the quality maintained throughout. Although Alan Sepinwall blatantly disagrees, I believe the short first season was a blessing in disguise. They were able to get their story across without any filler. As much as I would have loved to seen a 12 episode season, each of these six eps packed a punch, and I think we were better off because of it. The finale, in which the gang of Zombie killers came into the CDC building and then fled it, was a perfect example of where they could have dragged it out but didn't. Sepinwall wanted that episode to be extended to a about three or four eps. Really? You wanted them to sit around that cave for three episodes...doing what? They celebrated, they learned how the zombies are re-born, they got sad, and then the building blew up. All of which were done succinctly and beautifully. It was a great first season and I am definitely looking forward to the second.

Fifth Day of TV Christmas- Five Deeeaaad Rapiiiiiists

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Fifth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the fifth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...five deeeaaad rapiiiiists, four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

Today's series to earn a spot in the best of 2010 song is Dexter. After a fantastic fourth season guest starring John Lithgow, which got me started on the Dexter train, they really backed it up with a great season five. There weren't as many chilling moments like we saw from the Lithgow/Michael C. Hall dynamic a year ago, but Julia Stiles brought all kinds of greatness to the show. Maybe it's my Stiles bias - I have definitely had a thing for her since my strange Down to You phase - but I thought she was fantastic as the leading guest star. Her relationship with Dexter created a whole new side to Dexter that we never got to see while he was with Rita, and we got to see him with a partner for at least half of a season. This year's big bad, Johnny Lee Miller's Jordan Chase, was also great. He and his four rapist buddies from childhood got got by the end of the season, and it was fun watching each of them react so differently to Dexter's madness.

Fourth Day of TV Christmas- Four Ad Partners

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Fourth Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the fourth day of Christmas my tv gave to me...four ad partners, three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

So the fourth show to receive praise for its performance during 2010, although it probably has been written about too much already by me, is AMC's Mad Men. Maybe it is because I was able to over-analyze the series on a weekly basis this year, but Mad Men went from a show that I watched and knew was quality television, to a show that I loved and enjoyed almost as much as anything on tv. My feeling is that Mad Men, like many serialized dramas, has the ability to get better and better as time goes on. Because the characters become that much more in depth as the years go by, their actions are that much more important to the viewer as each and every episode comes on. This year was full of changes. From Don's metamorphosis, to the new Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce trying to stay alive, things were different in 1960s New York. How long can this ride take us? I'm not sure, but I'll be there every step of the way, and so should you.

Third Day of TV Christmas- Three Jo Bros

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Third Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the third day of Christmas my tv gave to me...three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

The third show to earned accolades for 2010 is our second straight canceled series. Jonas concluded its second season during the year, and the bros decided to stop the show for what I'm sure are a ton of good reasons. In between the first and second seasons, Joe, Nick and Kevin changed locations, changed the tone of the show, and even changed the title. At first I was worried that tonal change, from a complete slapstick to a more melo-dramatic comedy, was going to be a problem. Although Jonas LA wasn't as funny as the first season, it was not any worse by season's end. The ridiculous drama they brought week in and week out put it up there with the likes of Mackenzie Falls for most drama on television. At the end of the day, I've grown to be a bit too obsessed with these brothers. Maybe it's because I have two brothers myself, and wish that we could in fact be the Jo Bros. Or maybe it's because they are just that awesome, that they deserve to be idolized by one and all. I will continue to listen to their music, and follow whatever projects they move on to in the future.

Second Day of TV Christmas- Two Terriers

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Second Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the second day of Christmas my tv gave to me...two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

The second show receiving credit for outstanding performance in 2010 is Terriers. The two private investigators of FX's Terriers, Donal Logue's Hank and Michael Raymond-James's Britt, really did burst onto the scene as a couple of dudes that were easy to root for. Sure it has since been canceled for lack of ratings, but that's not to say that it was not a terrific 13 episodes all on its own. Critics loved this thing, proven by Alan Sepinwall, Mo Ryan and Ryan McGee tweeting that we should be watching Terriers every Wednesday like clockwork. I wasn't as in love with the series as McGee, who placed it number one in his 10 Best of '10, but it definitely was in my top 12 of the year. Best of all was that they ended the thing in fantastic fashion. I'm sure they knew that a second season was in jeopardy, so they left things open. The arc of season one was summed up, and there was potential for a new journey from our favorite PIs. But unlike some other season finales, there wasn't too much anticipation for a second season premiere, that I got angry the show was canceled. Sad that it is not continuing? Of course. But happy with how it came together. There's nothing wrong with a solid 13 episode series done well.

First Day of TV Christmas- A Paper Boss In Scranton, PA

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the First Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the first day of Christmas my tv gave to me...a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

The first show earning recognition for its performance in 2010 is The Office. For as much complaining people have done about the show recently, especially the lame critics, The Office still provides as many or more laughs than any show on television. Especially at the end of the year here, the beginning of this seventh season has been fantastic. They have really gotten back to the formula that works; a lot of Michael Scott being obnoxious and hilarious, Dwight and Jim at each others' throats, and quality one-liners from the rest of the outstanding cast of characters. Will things change once Steve Carrell leaves for good at the end of the season? Absolutely. But for now, everyone should enjoy the ride as Michael Scott makes you laugh time and time again.