Top 20 TV shows of 2012

10. Sherlock

Channels: BBC, Netflix
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman

If you saw any of the first series of Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat's modern-day take on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, then you'll know that reverence is hardly their cup of tea. If you didn't, here's a quick summing up: it was fucking mental. Guy Ritchie may have brought the 1800s back to the big screen in all its dull brownness, but the BBC's Holmes is a reinvigoration determined to blow the cobwebs out of his dusty old deerstalker by not just modernising everything, but ULTRAMODERNISING EVERYTHING. And then some.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman revel in their roles as Holmes and Watson respectively, furrowing their brows and chewing the scenery like men possessed. Not that I'm saying they were acting badly or anything: hamming it up is what the series requires – nay, demands – of the two actors to make the far-fetched plots seem within their characters' remit. The return of Moriarty (Andrew Scott) and the introduction of Irene Adler (Lara Pulver) are welcome nods to the Holmes canon but, as expected, neither are used in the traditional old-fashioned ways, and their episodes are all the more fun for it.

As before, each episode is based on one of Conan Doyle's stories. Unlike the first series cliffhanger, this time around we're given real food for thought, having witnessed a finale that set the internet on fire discussing the possibilities. A third series due this year kind of puts part of that debate to rest (ie of course Sherlock isn't dead), but finding out how he accomplished his act of high-flying face-swapping dare-devilry is going to be fun.

And that's this new interpretation in a nutshell: fun, and lots of it. Bet you never thought you'd be saying that about Sherlock Holmes. Luke

Defining moment: Holmes and Watson are summoned to Buckingham Palace to be briefed on some compromising pictures that need recovering. Of course, they steal an ashtray.

More Sherlock stuff


9. Red Dwarf

Channels: Dave, Netflix
Starring: Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn

I've written this opening paragraph a few times and this is the least cynical version, so please stick with it: there is a point. I think/hope.

The thing about sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf is that it isn't very funny. I know, I know, that's a terrible introduction for one of our top TV shows of the year, so let's try again: the thing about sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf is that it's more 'sit' than 'com'. No, wait: that still sounds twatty. Look, whilst the comedy aspect of Dwarf isn't for everyone, that's not what makes the show so great. Here. Look. Christ. I'll try to explain my complicated 25-year relationship with Red Dwarf in a couple of paragraphs.

Bringing the reluctant adventures of the surviving members of a derelict deep-space mining vessel set three million years in the future to TV was always going to be ambitious. The show requires elaborate sets, special effects and an audience willing to take on board some pretty wacky science-fiction concepts. Fortunately the UK has always been receptive to this sort of thing – Red Dwarf didn't rack up nine prior series, one three-part special, a chart single and a 'Just the Smegs' outtakes DVD for nowt. And goddamnit, we ruddy love a trier. (*tears up, cries into fist*)

It would be criminal to ignore a show so eager to offer something completely different. Where else would you find a plot involving time-travel, Jesus and lemons? Or a love triangle between the last human being in the universe and the artificial intelligence of two vending machines? Or a future cat-person trapped in synchronicity (because of quantum entanglement, duh) with a mechanoid? Nowhere, that's where. So what if the jokes aren't that great? There's more to appreciate in 30 minutes of Red Dwarf than a lot of big-budget science-fiction films manage in two hours. Here's hoping for a Red Dwarf XI, and all the crazy adventures we'll have. Luke

Defining moment: Lister records increasingly drunken and emotional video messages to send himself on Father's Day. Lister is his own dad, by the way. Don't ask.

Read our in-depth Red Dwarf discussion feature, Head-to-Head Dwarf


8. Girls

Channels: Sky Atlantic, HBO
Starring: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet

I'm not sure I care all that much what a gang of privileged Brooklyn hipsters gets up to. I spend enough time as it is avoiding going to Shoreditch. So why would I voluntarily watch a show about them?

Answer: everyone said it was great, and I'm idiotically suggestible. Turns out my fears weren't unfounded. The characters are just as unlikeable as some skinny-jeaned Hoxton bell-end, but it doesn't matter a bit, for they're all very, very funny. Lena Dunham's Hannah is self-absorbed, very probably without the talent to back up her dream of being a writer, and ducks responsibility for her actions. Do you like her in spite of it and want her to succeed? No, not particularly, but why should you? These days our TV screens are occupied by serial killers, gangsters and teachers-turned-meth dealers. We're in different territory, and Dunham, with amazing writer-director-producer-star creative control over the whole thing, knows it. All we're being asked to do here is observe a situation, engage with it and laugh. And if we're laughing at these characters, rather than with them, then that's just fine.

The female Entourage? A Sex and the City with real people? No, try a Nathan Barley that dares to present characters with issues underlying the douchiness, and you're just about there. Ed

Defining moment: Told in the pilot episode's opening scene that her parents aren't going to be "bankrolling her groovy lifestyle" any more, Hannah reacts with a shocked sense of entitlement. "I could be a drug addict. Do you realise how lucky you are?"

More Girls stuff


7. Peep Show

Channel: Channel 4, Netflix
Starring: David Mitchell, Robert Webb

Series eight of Peep Show may have started under the radar, and been met with shrugs by some. But it went on to become one of the best series so far and shows why it's still going strong after nearly ten years. Mark's trying to get Dobby to lock down a move-in date ("This cat's going to help me lure Dobby in, like a classic seventies paedo with a Ford Grenada"), and Jeremy has become a life coach. But it's Super Hans who's made the biggest transformation, finding himself honest employment as a bathroom salesman. Whatever happened at his New Year's Eve party at the end of series seven must have really straightened him out.

But series eight feels very streamlined compared to past outings. With the focus back on Mark and Jez's relationship there's little room for others, with Hans and Dobby the only mainstays of the series. Olivia Colman's off conquering the world so there are only fleeting mentions of Sophie, we see nothing of Mark's baby son, and there's one short, but memorable scene with Alan Johnson. But it all seamlessly clicks into place – brilliantly, as ever.

David Mitchell and Robert Webb have gone on to have success on other shows, but it's Peep Show where their – and our – hearts are, and here's hoping this continues for many more series to come. Rob

Defining moment: The argument in a field in Surrey between Mark, Jeremy, an electric fence, a stick and a rock in the final episode is a typical Peep Show moment.

More Peep Show stuff


6. The Walking Dead

Channel: AMC, FX, Netflix
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Sarah Wayne Callies

After the breakneck pace of season one, The Walking Dead returned with a pronounced shuffle in its step. Depositing Rick and his band of survivors safely in the middle of nowhere allowed proceedings to slow and tensions to build, as storylines reached dramatic – and long-reaching – conclusions. Perhaps the most shocking revelation was the fate of a certain long-lost character, whose return left you feeling like you'd been punched in the gut, whilst kicking yourself that you didn't see it coming all along.

Fast-forwarding several months to season three (Matt already covered the first half of season two in last year's top 20 – thanks, scheduling), and not only is everyone on the move again, they've also grown sweet redneck mullets. Wisely shifting up a gear, the daily tedium of the farm was replaced by the dank terror of their very own zombie-filled prison. Meanwhile, the introduction of a barricaded town ruled by the sinister 'Governor' expanded the scope of the series, and also set the stage for an explosive mid-season climax when the two parties inevitably clashed.

The genius of The Walking Dead lies in its ability to turn tense and potentially fatal for the characters at the drop of a hat. Out of toilet paper? Take a trip to zombie town. Need petrol? Watch your back while filling up. Going to the fridge for milk? You get the idea. Add to that the still-living getting a foothold on their surroundings and becoming more of a threat to each other than ever before, and you've got a pretty potent powder keg waiting to be ignited under anyone at any time.

And that's where the real genius of The Walking Dead lies: stringing along the audience by building up characters and relationships, and then *bam!* emotions 'n' shit. Luke

Defining moment: Upon discovering another group of survivors in their new prison lair, a machete-equipped Rick uses his well-tuned bullshit detector to sniff out a potential troublemaker. Let's just say it doesn't end well for him.

More Walking Dead stuff