Below, we collect every year-end Top Ten list published by major TV critics and publications. This page will be updated throughout December and January whenever new lists are published; be sure to check back frequently.

Critics pick the best TV shows of 2011

Added in last update (Jan. 11): PopMatters

Below is our updated running tally of the TV shows most frequently mentioned by individual critics in their year-end Top Ten lists. Note that if a critic ranks more than the standard 10 shows, we will not include titles ranked 11th or worse. In case of a tie for first or second, each show will receive the full points for that position. Our points system works as follows:

3 points for each 1st place ranking

for each 1st place ranking 2 points for each 2nd place ranking

for each 2nd place ranking 1 point for being ranked 3rd - 10th, or for being included on an unranked list

TV Show / Network # 1st Place # 2nd Place # Other Points 1 Breaking Bad (AMC) 9 6 20 59 2 Homeland (Showtime) 7 5 23 54 3 Downton Abbey (PBS) 2 5 16 32 4 Parks and Recreation (NBC) 1 6 14 29 5 Game of Thrones (HBO) 1 0 25 28 Louie (FX) 3 0 19 28 7 Justified (FX) 1 0 21 24 8 Community (NBC) 0 2 15 19 9 The Good Wife (CBS) 0 0 18 18 Modern Family (ABC) 1 0 15 18 11 Friday Night Lights (DirecTV/NBC) 2 0 11 17 12 Boardwalk Empire (HBO) 0 1 9 11 The Walking Dead (AMC) 0 0 11 11 14 American Horror Story (FX) 0 0 10 10 Enlightened (HBO) 0 2 6 10 16 Revenge (ABC) 0 0 9 9 17 Awkward. (MTV) 0 0 5 5 The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 0 0 5 5 Happy Endings (ABC) 0 0 5 5 The Middle (ABC) 0 0 5 5

Individual critic top ten lists

Below are the individual top ten lists used to calculate the standings above. Some critics may list ten shows without ranking them in order; such lists are displayed below, without numbers, in alphabetical order.