The BEST shows of 2012

Every show that aired an episode in 2012, ranked

We've compiled the average episode rating for every TV show episode aired in 2012 to compile this list of best shows!

star
8.42
19530 votes

#1 - Gintama

Gintama is a story of a handyman named Gintoki, a samurai with no respect for rules set by the invaders, who's ready to take any job to survive. He and his gang, however, are also among the very few who have not forgotten the morale of a swordsman. Wherever they go, all they do is to create troubles.

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star
8.27
7090 votes

#2 - High School D×D

Hyoudou Issei, a simple-minded, lecherous second-year high school student is killed by an innocent-looking beautiful girl on his very first date. Issei is reincarnated as a devil, with the help of Rias Gremory, and so ends up as her Pawn from then on. Gremory is not only the president of the Occult Research Club, and the prettiest girl on campus, but also a high-ranking devil herself. Are Issei's days without female companionship finally over, or will life after death turn out to be a lot more complicated than he ever imagined?

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star
8.26
37288 votes

#3 - Fairy Tail

Lucy, an aspiring Celestial Wizard, becomes a friend and ally to powerful wizards Natsu, Gray, and Erza, who are part of the (in)famous wizard guild, Fairy Tail.

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star
8.21
47182 votes

#4 - Gravity Falls

Twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines are in for an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer helping their Great Uncle Stan run a tourist trap in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

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star
8.14
860206 votes

#5 - Game of Thrones

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and the icy horrors beyond.

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star
8.10
8976 votes

#6 - Naruto Shippuden

Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, adolescent ninja who constantly searches for approval and recognition, as well as to become Hokage, who is acknowledged as the leader and strongest of all ninja in the village.

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star
8.06
319572 votes

#7 - Breaking Bad

When Walter White, a chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of two years left to live, he chooses to enter a dangerous world of drugs and crime with the intent to secure his family's financial security.

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star
8.05
23792 votes

#8 - The Newsroom (2012)

A newsroom undergoes some changes in its workings and morals as a new team is brought in, bringing unexpected results for its existing news anchor.

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star
8.02
102182 votes

#9 - Teen Wolf

Scott McCall, a high school student who is bitten by a werewolf, must cope with its effects on him, his friends, and his family.

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star
8.01
6271 votes

#10 - Kuroko's Basketball

In the story, Kagami Taiga has just enrolled into Seirin High School when he meets Kuroko Tetsuya of the school's basketball team. Kuroko happens to be the shadowy sixth member of the legendary Generation of Miracles basketball team. Together, Kagami and Kuroko aim to take their team to the inter-high school championship - against Kuroko's former teammates.

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star
7.98
41233 votes

#11 - Line of Duty

A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.

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star
7.97
10155 votes

#12 - Psycho-Pass

In the near future it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed. The standard by which a persons' mind is referred to as the "Psycho-Pass".

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star
7.96
52394 votes

#13 - The Legend of Korra

Avatar Korra, a headstrong, rebellious, feisty young woman who continually challenges and breaks with tradition, is on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar. In this story, the Avatar struggles to find balance within herself.

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star
7.96
217751 votes

#14 - Person of Interest

An ex-CIA agent and a mysterious billionaire prevent violent crimes with the help of an all-seeing machine that can predict events before they happen.

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star
7.96
24426 votes

#15 - Louie (2010)

Louis C.K. stars as a fictionalized version of himself- a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two daughters in New York City.

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star
7.95
33693 votes

#16 - Young Justice

Teenage superheroes strive to prove themselves as members of the Justice League.

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star
7.95
8055 votes

#17 - Flashpoint

Flashpoint is an emotional journey following the lives of members of the Strategic Response Unit as they solve hostage situations, bust gangs, and defuse bombs. They work by utilizing their training to get inside the heads of these people in order to make them reach their breaking point (aka their flashpoint).

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star
7.95
24474 votes

#18 - Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Remake of the 1999 TV series of Hunter x Hunter based on the manga by Togashi Yoshihiro. A Hunter is one who travels the world doing all sorts of dangerous tasks. From capturing criminals to searching deep within uncharted lands for any lost treasures. Gon is a young boy whose father disappeared long ago, being a Hunter. He believes if he could also follow his father’s path, he could one day reunite with him. After becoming 12, Gon leaves his home and takes on the task of entering the Hunter exam, notorious for its low success rate and high probability of death to become an official Hunter. He befriends the revenge-driven Kurapica, the doctor-to-be Leorio and the rebellious ex-assassin Killua in the exam, with their friendship prevailing throughout the many trials and threats they come upon taking on the dangerous career of a Hunter.

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star
7.94
12407 votes

#19 - Shaun the Sheep

This is a show from Aardman Animations ('Wallace & Gromit') about a Sheep named Shaun. Shaun was originally a character in the movie 'Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave' where one of Wallace's contraptions sheared off all of Shaun's wool. For the remainder of the movie, Shaun wore a sweater made from his own wool. In this series, Shaun has many adventures with his barnyard compatriots and the rest of his flock.

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star
7.94
17167 votes

#20 - Duck Dynasty

Series introduces the Robertsons, a Louisiana bayou family living the American dream as they operate a thriving business while staying true to their family values and lifestyle. Ask anyone in Louisiana and they'll tell you that the bayou state's favorite first family doesn't live in the governor's mansion but in the backwoods, where the Robertsons' rags-to-riches story is still unfolding. A homegrown mom-and-pop operation, Duck Commander has become a sporting empire by fabricating top-of-the-line duck calls and decoys out of salvaged swamp wood. This newly minted multimillionaire family is kept in line by business-savvy Willie, who runs Duck Commander with the help of his brother Jase, their respective wives Korie and Missy, patriarch and founder of the company, Phil, and uncle Si. Together they run a booming business that employs half their neighborhood, but at the end of the day, you can find the whole family around matriarch Miss Kay's dinner table.

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star
7.94
8429 votes

#21 - Dragons

Taking place between How to Train Your Dragon and HTTYD 2, DreamWorks Dragons follows Hiccup as he tries to keep balance within the new cohabitation of Dragons and Vikings. Alongside keeping up with Berk's newest installment—A Dragon Training Academy—Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of the Viking Teens are put to the test when they are faced with new worlds harsher than Berk, new dragons that can't all be trained, and new enemies who are looking for every reason to destroy the harmony between Vikings and Dragons altogether.

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star
7.93
8085 votes

#22 - Mock the Week

Mock the Week is a political comedy improv show from the producers of Whose Line Is It Anyway? The series features teams of comedians improvising sketches about current political events in a humorous and satirical manner. Mock the Week stars Dara O'Briain and features regulars Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard and Andy Parsons who are joined by celebrity guests each week.

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star
7.93
33819 votes

#23 - Spartacus

Spartacus, the gladiator who lead a rebellion against the Romans. From his time as an ally of the Romans, to his betrayal and becoming a gladiator, to the rebellion he leads and its ultimate outcome.

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star
7.93
9042 votes

#24 - Jessie

Jessie is an 18-year old girl from a rural Texas town who moves to New York City. She suddenly finds herself becoming the nanny of four children living in a multi-million dollar penthouse in a hotel after being pushed out of a taxi. One of the youngest children just asks her to be her nanny and now Jessie has to get them to get along by keeping them from fighting. One of the children has an imaginary friend and another has a pet water monitor lizard. Assisting her is Bertram, a mean, lazy butler and Tony, a 20-year-old doorman who secretly likes Jessie.

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star
7.91
30519 votes

#25 - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)

Follows an intergenerational feud between the Joestar Family and various forces of evil, the most prominent of which is Dio Brando and his followers.

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star
7.91
27879 votes

#26 - Heartland (2007) (CA)

Life is hard on the Flemings' ranch in the Alberta foothills where abused or neglected horses find refuge with a kind, hard-working family. Debts abound and the bank is about to foreclose. Can they keep the ranch running?

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star
7.91
198767 votes

#27 - Parks and Recreation

The series follows Leslie Knope, the deputy head of the Parks and Recreation department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Knope takes on a project with a nurse named Ann to turn a construction pit into a park, while trying to mentor a bored college-aged intern. However, Leslie must fight through the bureaucrats, problem neighbors, and developers in order to make her dream a reality, all with a camera crew recording her every gaff and mishap.

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star
7.91
175670 votes

#28 - Dexter

Dexter Morgan is a Miami-based blood spatter expert who doesn’t just solve murders; he commits them too. In fact, he’s a serial killer — but he only murders the guilty, so he feels justified with his lifestyle choices. His policewoman sister and his cop co-workers have no idea Dexter lives a double life; however, adoptive father Harry knows his secret, and does, in fact, help Dexter hone his “skills.” It’s a unique brand of justice for which charming Dexter feels a psychological hunger.

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star
7.91
56313 votes

#29 - Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

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star
7.91
13499 votes

#30 - Key & Peele

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele examine life in a provocative and irreverent way through a combination of filmed sketches and live stage segments.

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star
7.89
10023 votes

#31 - Wilfred (US)

Ryan, a young man struggling unsuccessfully to make his way in the world forms a unique friendship with Wilfred, his neighbor's canine pet. Everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, but Ryan sees a crude and somewhat surly, yet irrepressibly brave and honest Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. While leading him through a series of comedic and existential adventures, Wilfred the dog shows Ryan the man how to overcome his fears and joyfully embrace the unpredictability and insanity of the world around him.

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star
7.89
22647 votes

#32 - Call the Midwife

Chronicles the lives of a group of midwives living in East London in the late-1950s to mid-1960s.

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star
7.88
148429 votes

#33 - Sons of Anarchy

Single father Jax Teller finds his loyalty to his outlaw motorcycle club tested by his growing unease concerning the group's lawlessness. While the club protects and patrols the town of Charming, Calif., keeping drug dealers away, its activities also include a thriving -- and lucrative -- illegal arms business.

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star
7.88
13676 votes

#34 - Swamp People

Deep in the heart of Louisiana lies America's largest swamp–a million miles of inhospitable bayous, marshes and wetlands where nature rules and humans struggle to tame it. Many of its inhabitants are the hardened descendants of French refugees who were forced out of Canada in the 18th century and settled in this harsh yet majestic environment. Today, these people are known as the Cajuns, a group renowned throughout the world for their flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and vibrant culture. Resilient, self-reliant and fiercely independent, the Cajuns of the Atchafalaya Swamp still carry on many of their ancestors' trades and traditions.

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star
7.87
64284 votes

#35 - White Collar

A white collar criminal agrees to help the FBI catch other white collar criminals using his expertise as an art and securities thief, counterfeiter, and conman.

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star
7.87
12770 votes

#36 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

Four ninja turtles, mutated by a mysterious alien substance, must rise up out of the sewers and defend their city against evil forces from both the past and present.

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star
7.86
11417 votes

#37 - Ripper Street

A drama set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the "Ripper" murders. The action centres around the notorious H Division – the police precinct from hell – which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel. Ripper Street explores the lives of characters trying to recover from the Ripper's legacy, from crimes that have not only irretrievably altered their lives, but the very fabric of their city. At the drama's heart our detectives try to bring a little light into the dark world they inhabit.

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star
7.85
10953 votes

#38 - American Ninja Warrior

The heart-racing obstacle-course competition of ultra-athletes questing for a shot at the fabled Mt. Midoriyama. This American version of the Japanese show Sasuke (aka Ninja Warrior) televises a series of qualification courses across the nation, with the top contenders going to Las Vegas for the finals on the 4-stage "Mt. Midoriyama" obstacle course. In earlier seasons the show was a proving ground to find (and train) American athletes to send to Japan to compete in the original Sasuke tournaments.

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star
7.85
9076 votes

#39 - Being Human (US)

This remake follows three paranormal, 20-something roommates living in Boston as they struggle to hide their dark secrets from the world, while helping each other navigate the complexities of living double lives and trying to be human.

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star
7.85
8154 votes

#40 - New Tricks

Drama about a police unit, made up of retired detectives and a long-suffering boss, looking at unsolved crimes.

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star
7.84
31960 votes

#41 - Sword Art Online

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now...

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star
7.84
8390 votes

#42 - Dancing with the Stars

The American version of the British “Strictly Come Dancing” sees celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts and voted on by viewers. Enjoy sizzling salsas, sambas and spray-tans as they vie for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy!

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star
7.84
15615 votes

#43 - Vera

DCI Vera Stanhope is obsessive about her work. With her caustic wit and guile, the unorthodox but brilliant detective investigates chilling crimes set in Northumberland with her trusted colleagues.

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star
7.84
7892 votes

#44 - The Killing

Police detective Sarah Lund investigates difficult cases with personal and political consequences.

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star
7.83
385739 votes

#45 - Suits

College drop-out Mike Ross accidentally lands a job with one of New York's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. They soon become a winning team with Mike's raw talent and photographic memory, and Mike soon reminds Harvey of why he went into the field of law in the first place.

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star
7.83
49937 votes

#46 - Boardwalk Empire

An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.

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star
7.83
11840 votes

#47 - Eastbound & Down

Relief Pitcher Kenny Powers was poised to rule the Big Leagues, but two things got in his way: his fading fastball and his insufferable personality. After a spectacular career flame-out, Kenny came home to Shelby, NC and picked up a job as a substitute gym teacher (mostly so his brother Dustin would stop threatening to kick him out). He's spent every moment since then cashing in the last of his dying fame while plotting his inevitable comeback...one beer at a time.

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star
7.83
237232 votes

#48 - Chicago Fire

The lives of firefighters and paramedics working for the City of Chicago Fire Department at Fire Station 51, made up of Truck 81, Squadron 3, Ambulance 61, and Battalion 25.

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star
7.82
26291 votes

#49 - Red Dwarf

Three million years after the demise of humanity, third technician Dave Lister awakes aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf. Sentenced to a period of suspended animation for smuggling his pet cat on board, he is joined by just four fellow survivors: second technician Arnold J Rimmer, a sneering-yet-inept hologram based on his one-time superior; Holly, a ship's computer reduced to near-senility by eons adrift in space; a humanoid descendant of the cat obsessed with fashion and fish; and Kryten, a salvaged android programmed to serve his useless companions. Together, this bickering band must come to terms with an existence which, in terms of productivity and purpose, isn't that far removed from its old one.

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star
7.82
314377 votes

#50 - Homeland

A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.

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