2011 was, if nothing else, a great year for TV. Three of my top five favorite shows are adaptations of book series (which I highly recommend you read), while the other two are headlined by female leads that absolutely bring down the house.
And so – in no particular order – here are my picks for the top five shows in 2011. Let me know if you agree in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook.
New Girl.
Zooey Deschanel plays Jess, the socially awkward but completely lovable lead surrounded by a gaggle of male roommates (and her top model best friend) that’s adjusting to being newly single. The show is quirky and fun – definitely a great “turn off your brain and just enjoy” show.
Starring: Zooey Deschanel (Jess), Max Greenfield (Schmidt), Jake M. Johnson (Nick), Lamorne Morris (Winston), and Hannah Simone (CeCe)
Pretty Little Liars.
I haven’t met a girl yet who doesn’t love Pretty Little Liars. The plot line is intriguing, and the wardrobe choices are to die for. In fact, Possessionista does weekly recaps of the PLL wardrobe – and they’re almost as addicting as the show.
This is another series that is based on a book series and while the book series is aimed toward the tween/young adult set, the show definitely manages to keep more mature audiences intrigued.
Starring: Lucy Hale (Aria Montgomery), Troian Bellisario (Spencer Hastings), Ashley Benson (Hanna Marin), and Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields)
Revenge.
I. Love. This. Show. And so does just about everyone (male or female) that I know. It’s addicting!
Amanda Clarke has returned to the Hamptons to seek revenge on the people responsible for framing her father for a terrorist act, however things start to get a little hazy when she she falls for the son of her prime target.
It might seem like that was a fairly straight forward synopsis, and it was – but what actually happens throughout the show is so, so, so much more involved.
Starring: Emily VanCamp (Amanda Clarke), Ashley Madekwe (Ashley Davenport), Joshua Bowman (Daniel Grayson), Madeline Stowe (Victoria Grayson), Gabriel Mann (Nolan Ross)
Game of Thrones.
This show is currently on hiatus, HBO
I am absolutely obsessed with Game of Thrones. In fact, after watching the entire first season, I went out and read all five books (which are really, really long – about 1,000 pages each!). The series is set in a historical fantasy version of England that slightly (very slightly) resembles accurate historical events.
There’s a ton of main characters, and things get a little complicated at times, but the show is completely addicting. The show (and books) have everything: mystery, romance, and a little bit of comedy (uhm, even though the comedy is pretty dry, sarcastic, and sparse) to keep everyone on the edge of their seat and tuning in week after week. The 12 episode first season takes you through the entire first book, and leaves you wanting more. All of season one is currently available on HBO OnDemand – or you can go out and get the books (the show is almost 100% true to the books, which was great).
(There is literally about 20 main characters, so for the cast list go here.)
The Lying Game.
Everyone loves a “switched at birth” saga, but The Lying Game takes it in a whole new direction. These twins weren’t switched at birth so much as abandoned (well, put up for adoption) – with one ending up on the wrong side of the tracks, and one landing a sweet adoptive family with loads of extra cash.
Again, the clothing choices on this show are amazing – ABC Family needs to give their wardrobe department a raise, seriously, and Alexandra Chando does a great job of playing both Emma and Sutton Mercer, the twins in question and the stars of the show.
This is the third series that, as I mentioned, is a take on a book series – however, I haven’t read this series. It’s by the author of Pretty Little Liars, so I’m sure the books are just as much fun as the show.
Starring: Alexandra Chando (Emma and Sutton Mercer), Allie Gonino (Laurel Mercer), Kirsten Prout (Charlotte “Char” Chamberlin), Alice Greczyn (Madeline “Mads” Rybak)