The Year in Television: Our Three Favorite New Dramas

This is the third in a multi-part series, The Year in Television 2011.

For some time now, the networks have been trying to duplicate the success of Lost, a show that inspired incredible levels of obsession in fans. Not only did Lost leave viewers eagerly anticipating the next episode, it left them studying every detail of past episodes hoping to better understand the series and its mysteries. Of those shows which tried to emulate the Lost formula (Flash Forward, Rubicon, The Event, etc.) most failed to make it past a single season. However, in 2011, a handful of dramas did seems to inspire the kind of rabid interest those Lost clones dreamed of creating. And they certainly caught our attention here at AfterElton.

After four years in development, HBO debuted Game of Thrones in April. Based on a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, fans approached the adaptation warily. After all, Martin was once a TV writer who switched to novels when he got frustrated with the limitations of writing for television. His novels had large casts, the stories were filled with detail and the scope was huge, making up for all the times he couldn’t use an idea in a script because it couldn’t be created within a TV budget. Can you take a novel meant to escape the limits of television and make it into a TV show? It looks like you can do that on HBO.

Game of Thrones told a sprawling tale of seven kingdoms, its political intrigues as well as simmering threats across the Narrow Sea and beyond the Wall to the north. It wasn’t afraid to ask viewers to absorb a lot of information about how these characters were connected, the differences between the cultures of Westeros and the complicated history of the land.

Viewers had a good reason to try to keep track of all these details. Game of Thrones also delivered a compelling story. We quickly became invested in these characters as we watched them adapt to their situations, whether we were rooting for Daenerys, screaming in frustration at Ned’s naivete or hating Cersei for her cold deviousness. Each week also had its OMG moments, including revelations of treachery, madness and incestuous relationships. Most notably for those of us who didn’t read the book, the series dared to kill off one of its leading characters, a development that completely defied our expectations of how series television works.

Meanwhile, Wednesday became the most addictive night of television thanks to two dramas that debuted in the fall. On ABC, Revenge follows Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp) as she pursues the people who framed her father for treason when she was a little girl, an event that changed her life for the worse. Set in The Hamptons, that famous vacation spot of the rich and elite, the tranquil location created a sharp contrast to the disruption Emily creates.

Part of the fun of Revenge is watching Emily circling her ultimate quarry, Victoria Grayson (played by a subtle and yet scene-stealing Madeline Stowe) These two women are equally cool customers, equally matched, and neither are completely sympathetic.

After a couple of strong episodes, Revenge jumped from compelling show to full-blown obsession when Ashton Holmes debuted as Tyler, a villain who belongs in the Soap Whackadoodle Hall of Fame. He immediately tried to sabotage Emily's relationship with Daniel Grayson (the ridiculously handsome Joshua Bowman) and we quickly started to wonder what made Tyler tick. Not only did we start to suspect he was lying about his background, when he began an affair with Nolan (Gabriel Mann) we couldn’t figure out if he was gay, bisexual or merely a heteroflexible opportunist. Whatever he is, he's fascinating, and we can't wait for the show to return in January.

Also on Wednesday nights, FX blessed us this year with a bizarre ghost drama in American Horror Story. Telling the story of a family who moves into a beautiful but haunted house, the first episode of American Horror Story gave us a head-to-toe rubber suit, a loopy southern grande dame neighbor who seems to spend as much time visiting the ghosts as the residents (the amazing Jessica Lange), a housekeeper who transforms from old woman (Francis Conroy) to seductive young beauty (Alexandra Breckenridge) and plenty more. There were so many crazy moments in the pilot, we wondered where the series would go next.

It turned out that American Horror Story was just beginning to surprise us. We learned the house’s history included infamous murder victims, illegal abortions and high school shootings — earning it a spot on a macabre tour as the Midtown Murder House. Not since Twin Peaks has TV offered this kind of wild ride where we were thrilled, scandalized, confused and titillated all at once. American Horror Story took all the qualities that makes a scary story so compelling and turned the volume up to eleven.

Still, we got a lot more than a wild ghost story. For all its crazy elements, the series was grounded by Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton and Taissa Farmiga’s more subdued performances. Their characters may not always be the most sympathetic, but somehow they balanced out the craziness. The series finishes its freshman run next week. We can't wait for the scares it will cook up for us in the already confirmed second season.

So those are our favorite three freshman dramas. What new series have you become addicted to?