'UnREAL' (Lifetime)

There's no question — this dramedy was easily the summer's most refreshing surprise. The show, which followed the making of a fictional "Bachelor"-like reality show, was a dark, thoughtful satire wrapped in a fun, silly concept. Kind of like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was in its day — which makes sense given that "UnREAL" was co-created by "Buffy" executive producer Marti Noxon. The action was elevated even further by the performance of its lead, Shiri Appleby, as a conflicted but manipulative mad-genius producer able to bend the reality show players — from the contestants and the suitor to her colleagues high and low — to her will. We played right into her hands, too… and can't wait to do it again in Season 2. — Breanne L. Heldman