by Jennifer Bay, Editor

In a TV world of Honey Boo-Boos, Kardashian weddings/babies/divorces/boob implants, too many crime shows and questionable fishing habits, it can sometimes be hard to find the diamonds in the rough.  I often despair at what I see when I flip through TV channels nowadays, but there are still some gems that allow me my sanity and restore my faith in the entertainment world.  I present to you my top five favorite TV series and their most recent seasons to pick up this holiday season for your favorite couch potato.

1. Community: The Complete Third Season

Community’s had a tough time.  A three month hiatus from 12/2011 to 3/2012 had fans coming together to ask why terrible shows like Whitney are allowed to remain on TV while the hilarious and fresh Community gets sidelined.  Now again, the fourth season is being held.  WHY, NBC? Why do you hate us? Why do you hate the best school group since The Breakfast Club?  Who doesn’t love school-wide pillow/blanket fights presented as a PBS war documentary (narrated by Keith David), an army of violent 12-year-olds running a school under “dictator” Chang (Ken Jeong) and a monkey named after somone’s boobs (Annie’s)?  Weirdos, that’s who.  Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up this season. Pick up the last two as well, if you haven’t already.  Keep the Greendale Humans alive!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75vw4OyQZtA

Check out fellow ComicsOnline geek Kroze’s review of the season here!

2. Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season

I don’t know what the obsession with Snow White was this year (really? Two movies AND a TV show?), but I only bothered with the TV season, as I hate Kristen Stewart’s acting in everything she does and simply never got around to the Julia Robert’s lighter version of the tale. Once Upon a Time has some kinks to work out – it would be nice if the special effects and backdrops looked a little less green screen – but the idea is fantastic and new. I love thinking about all of our beloved fairy tale characters getting sent to a different realm via curse (Storybrooke, Maine) by Snow White’s evil Queen  with no concept of their true identities and only one hope to save them (Snow’s daughter Emma, sent out of the realm before the curse hit and therefore completely oblivious to her fate and one cynical, attitude-laden chick).  So far, the second season is just as enjoyable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rga4rp4j5TY

Check out fellow ComicsOnline geek Karissa’s review of the season here!
 

3. The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season

We here at ComicsOnline love our zombies, and this series is no exception!  As a huge fan of the comic series, I was thrilled to hear that AMC had decided to run a TV version of this gory story.  There are people who are frustrated with the adaptation, feeling that a lot of the most terrible and shocking things that happen in the comic cannot happen unless a premium movie channel like Starz or HBO picked it up, and there is some controversy that the producers are playing too nice with characters who have been dead from the comics for quite some time, but I think there’s been plenty of stomach churning action these last two seasons and there is no sign of slowing down in the third.  The Walking Dead should be winning awards for makeup and special effects, and I personally applaud them for the addition of Norman Reedus as Darryl, the crossbow-wielding biker, who seems to be the most complex character of this group and my personal favorite.  Pick it up on DVD, Blu-Ray or this fancy special edition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFEAX4sZIx8&feature=relmfu

Check out fellow Comics Online geek Matt’s review of the season here! 

4. How I Met Your Mother: The Complete Seventh Season

HIMYM has gone through a couple of slow seasons and for a while, fans have wondered if they’ll ever get around to meeting the mother before the show wears out its welcome. This season has brought a lot of what we love in the show – the slutty pumpkin returns, much loved gimmicks show up (the “ducky tie” bet, and the tie also shows up quietly at random points both in this season and the current season), Marshall and Lily finally have a baby and Barney falls in love twice.  For someone like me, who has always loved the writer’s attention to detail, bringing back past stories and finally finding explanation or closure in them is a treat. For those who have lost faith in the normally written comedy, rest assured that it’s been given new life and is again an enjoyable series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9J1vj7g2qU

5. Modern Family: The Complete Third Season

Never has family dysfunction been better.  The show is still going strong three seasons in, the wit is still sharp and the love is still obvious.  While I generally get annoyed with shows that have the brow-beating wife and the meek, intimidated husband (I’m looking at you, Everybody Loves Raymond), Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell play Claire and Phil Dunphy with such genius that I can’t help but love it.  All the kids are growing up to be hilarious in very different ways and the Mitch/Cam dynamic steals every scene.  You must catch yourself up on this show in the event that you’ve been under a rock these past couple of years, but if you’ve been smart, you can simply pick up and enjoy this most recent season and add it to your growing collection of awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka72kWlAjwQ

There you have it, ComicsOnline fans – the top five best seasons to own right now. Curl up with a blanket, pour some RumChata into your coffee and enjoy the marathon!

Happy Holidays, and keep coming back to ComicsOnline for more gift guides and everything geek pop culture!