Here is a confession that I should just get out of the way right now. I cried five minutes into NBC’s This is Us. Not a full fledged ugly cry. Just a little swelling of tears. I’m not sure what that says about me. That I’m not manly? That I appreciate cliched tropes? That this show is the new emotional pulse of broadcast television? Probably all three; but definitely the last.
Two of the best new shows on television debuted on the same network in the first week of September 2016. One was created and stars a black man. The other was created and stars a woman. The white man hierarchy of Hollywood must be wetting their beds. And they should be. FX’s Atlanta and Better Things aren’t perfect, yet. But they can be. And that’s a good thing.
Over the course of December, I’ll present a series of my own end of 2012 lists. Unlike many, I won’t give you a best of list because that’s no fun. Instead I’ll give you lists of my favorite things from 2012. Because let’s face it: the best stuff isn’t always what you love the most.
My favorite returning television shows of 2012:
I’ve seen a lot of pilots already, but haven’t seen past the first episode and am eagerly awaiting the premieres of a lot of new shows. Of course there are a lot more than this that I’m going to be tuning in for, but these are the five that stuck out the most.
ADAM VITCAVAGE 