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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

Tags Search My ratings Sign in

Best TV Series of 2012

Top 500 most popular series that started in 2012

Filter & sort

Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 263 Adult 59 Adventure 190 Animation 359 Biography 61 Comedy 1389 Crime 236 Documentary 574 Drama 966 Family 212 Fantasy 105 Game-Show 123 History 143 Horror 106 Music 107 Musical 26 Mystery 108 News 80 Reality-TV 646 Romance 249 Sci-Fi 99 Short 107 Sport 91 Talk-Show 241 Thriller 84 War 27 Western 2

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 40410 2010s 48704 2000s 24492 1990s 11139 1980s 6467 1970s 4272 1960s 2491 1950s 1251 1940s 163 1930s 34 1920s 9 1900s 1

Specific year

2026 2911 2025 6438 2024 6061 2023 6198 2022 6411 2021 6430 2020 5961 2019 5621 2018 5440 2017 5665 2016 5306 2015 5111 2014 4727 2013 4716 2012 4479 2011 4160 2010 3479 2009 3298 2008 3064 2007 2994 2006 2987 2005 2586 2004 2285 2003 2059 2002 1872 2001 1799 2000 1548 1999 1489 1998 1411 1997 1314 1996 1169 1995 1120 1994 1037 1993 987 1992 879 1991 871 1990 862 1989 838 1988 735 1987 718 1986 648 1985 677 1984 641 1983 626 1982 554 1981 495 1980 535 1979 535 1978 496 1977 471 1976 486 1975 421 1974 424 1973 386 1972 423 1971 332 1970 298 1969 339 1968 315 1967 300 1966 290 1965 252 1964 240 1963 213 1962 159 1961 188 1960 195 1959 188 1958 135 1957 154 1956 147 1955 143 1954 110 1953 92 1952 107 1951 74 1950 101 1949 74 1948 42 1947 18 1946 14 1945 1 1944 5 1943 2 1941 4 1940 3 1939 2 1938 5 1937 3 1936 7 1934 1 1931 11 1930 5 1929 4 1928 3 1927 2 1908 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 3 Stuck the Landing 1 Grew the Beard 4 Rock Solid 1 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 1

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 2 Gritty 6 Dark tone 14 Feel-good 7 Cozy 0 Wholesome 10 Melancholic 8 Tense 11 Unsettling 6 Whimsical 6 Campy 6 Cynical 5 Hopeful 2 Sentimental 7 Nostalgic 3 Bittersweet 8 Chaotic energy 10 Deadpan cool 3

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 4 Fast-paced 8 Episodic 30 Serialized 21 Procedural 7 Mystery box 7 Anthology 1 Cliffhanger-driven 5 Sprawling saga 7 Tight limited run 17 Puzzle plot 2 Vignette style 3

Humor style

Dry humor 9 Absurdist 13 Satirical 6 Cringe comedy 5 Slapstick 2 Witty banter 17 Dark comedy 8 Warm humor 16 Raunchy 5 Parody 4 Ironic & meta 7

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 8 Detective mystery 15 True crime 1 Heists & cons 0 Legal 1 Medical 5 Political intrigue 7 Espionage 1 War & military 8 Family saga 7 Coming of age 18 Workplace 12 School & campus 13 Love story 23 Friendship 10 Found family 10 Survival 3 Post-apocalyptic 1 Dystopia 3 Supernatural 10 Space & sci-fi 1 Near-future tech 3 Time travel 3 High fantasy 4 Urban fantasy 3 Monster horror 1 Psychological horror 0 Addiction & vice 1 Mental health 1 Faith & religion 1 Sports 2 Music scene 4 Food & cooking 1 Nature & science 0 Real history 11 Royalty & aristocracy 3 Small town 3 Big city life 2 Rural & frontier 3 Suburban underbelly 0 Class divide 5 Immigrant experience 1 Queer stories 4 Female perspective 11 Social commentary 10 Philosophical 3 Existential dread 1 Revenge 3 Redemption 0 Secrets & lies 20

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 6 Morally gray 10 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 19 Central duo 2 Strong female lead 18 Child's perspective 2 Outsider lead 4 Genius lead 2 Working class 2 Elites & privilege 7 Unreliable narrator 1 Character study 9 Banter chemistry 4

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 6 Adrenaline 13 Intellectual challenge 2 Comfort rewatch 0 Romantic yearning 12 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 2 Mounting dread 3 Warm glow 0 Gut punch 2

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 9 Visually striking 6 Stylized direction 3 Naturalistic 2 Big-budget spectacle 0 Lo-fi charm 3 Atmospheric 12 Distinctive score 4 Experimental 2 Deep worldbuilding 10 Tight writing 4

Format & audience

Sitcom 19 Adult animation 2 Anime 20 Kids & family 15 Young adult 7 Soap & telenovela 6 Event miniseries 9 Reality competition 2 Lifestyle reality 5 Docuseries 3 Sketch & variety 2 Game & quiz show 1 Talk & panel 4 Period piece 28 Contemporary life 5 Long-runner 3 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters

British TV 23 Nordic noir 0 K-drama 3 Turkish drama 2 Indian TV 1

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 6 Disturbing 3 Sexually explicit 3 Family-safe 19 Emotionally heavy 8 Easy watching 39

Sort

500 series (top 500 shown)

Jane by Design

11K 18 2012–2012

Young adult · Coming of age

Tron: Uprising

10K 19 2012–2013

Visually striking

The Untold History of the United States

10K 13 2012–2013

Docuseries · Real history

Last Tango in Halifax

10K 24 2012–2020

British TV · Family saga

Hunted

10K 8 2012–2012

Espionage · Serialized · Tense

Missing

10K 10 2012–2012

Strong female lead · Serialized

Catfish: The TV Show

10K 274 2012–present

Lifestyle reality · Secrets & lies

Bunheads

10K 18 2012–2013

Dialogue-driven · Witty banter

World Without End

9K 8 2012–2012

Period piece · Event miniseries

Avengers Assemble

9K 127 2012–2019

Kids & family · Adrenaline

The Neighbors

9K 44 2012–2014

Sitcom · Family-safe

GCB

9K 10 2012–2012

Campy · Female perspective

Lab Rats

9K 98 2012–2016

Kids & family · Family-safe

Men at Work

9K 31 2012–2014

Friendship · Sitcom

Saving Hope

9K 85 2012–2017

Medical · Hopeful · Supernatural

Almost Famous

8K 90 2012–2014

RWBY

8K 159 2012–present

High fantasy · Adrenaline · Anime

The Transporter

8K 24 2012–2014

Fast-paced · Adrenaline

The Hollow Crown

8K 17 2012–2016

Royalty & aristocracy

Hyouka

8K 23 2012–2012

Anime · School & campus

Dog with a Blog

8K 69 2012–2015

Kids & family · Family-safe

Satyamev Jayate

8K 26 2012–2014

Social commentary · Indian TV

Vegas

8K 21 2012–2013

Period piece · Criminal underworld

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

8K 59 2012–2017

Lifestyle reality · Working class

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Action Adult Adventure Animation Biography Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Family Fantasy Game-Show History Horror Music Musical Mystery News Reality-TV Romance Sci-Fi Short Sport Talk-Show Thriller War Western

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