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The Best Current Dramatic TV Shows
The best dramatic shows of all time took us back in time, allowed us to visit far away lands and most of all, pulled at our heart strings as we watched our favorite characters deal with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. While some of the best shows on TV have been off for years (Mad Men, we're looking at you) others like Breaking Bad, Fringe, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones kept us interested, toyed with our emotions and certainly kept our DVRs busy as we followed along with the dramatic story lines.
As with previous years, many of the best, most acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning drama series from 2011 came from networks like CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX while others were only available from basic cable stations like AMC and FX. Even others were limited to those with the pay channels like HBO and Showtime. Regardless of network, these series got us interested and kept us hooked to all the action throughout the year.
The best drama series of all timeprovided a bit of something for everyone. Sci-fi and horror lovers had plenty of options like Terra Nova and American Horror Story while those looking for courtroom dramas could choose from the likes of The Good Wife and The Defenders.
There were plenty of shows for the ladies as well with the likes of Desperate Housewives returning for its final season and new shows like Hart of Dixie airing. Not to leave the gory shows out of the picture, there were several options for those liking bloods and guts with Dexter and True Blood making the list.
Of course there were also plenty of new shows, including remakes of old shows like a reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise and the return of Hawaii Five-0, as well as plenty of old favorites who returned for another seasons like the NCIS and CSI franchises.
So whether you're a fan of the warm and fuzzy dramas or the hard-hitting crime shows or any in between, one or another of the best dramatic series of 2011 is sure to keep you crying, cheering or simply entertained.
As with previous years, many of the best, most acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning drama series from 2011 came from networks like CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX while others were only available from basic cable stations like AMC and FX. Even others were limited to those with the pay channels like HBO and Showtime. Regardless of network, these series got us interested and kept us hooked to all the action throughout the year.
The best drama series of all timeprovided a bit of something for everyone. Sci-fi and horror lovers had plenty of options like Terra Nova and American Horror Story while those looking for courtroom dramas could choose from the likes of The Good Wife and The Defenders.
There were plenty of shows for the ladies as well with the likes of Desperate Housewives returning for its final season and new shows like Hart of Dixie airing. Not to leave the gory shows out of the picture, there were several options for those liking bloods and guts with Dexter and True Blood making the list.
Of course there were also plenty of new shows, including remakes of old shows like a reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise and the return of Hawaii Five-0, as well as plenty of old favorites who returned for another seasons like the NCIS and CSI franchises.
So whether you're a fan of the warm and fuzzy dramas or the hard-hitting crime shows or any in between, one or another of the best dramatic series of 2011 is sure to keep you crying, cheering or simply entertained.
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- 1Up 518Down 211Donald Sumpter, Maisie Williams, Harry Lloyd More
- 2Up 454Down 237RJ Mitte, Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston More
- 3Up 413Down 236Lauren Cohan, Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira More
- 4Up 324Down 241Julie Benz, Colin Hanks, James Remar More
- 5Up 277Down 224Damian Lewis, Diego Klattenhoff, Morena Baccarin More
- 6Up 282Down 198David McCallum, Cote de Pablo, Mark Harmon More
- 7Up 211Down 226Kelly Macdonald, Greg Antonacci, Steve Buscemi More
- 8Up 233Down 211Erica N. Tazel, Jacob Pitts, Raymond J. Barry More
- 9Up 134Down 61Seamus Dever, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Nathan Fillion Moreadded by: AriqFakhri
- 10Up 170Down 154Peter Cambor, Barrett Foa, Linda Hunt More
- 11Up 199Down 211James Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Emerson More
- 12Up 206Down 221Ally Walker, Titus Welliver, Kim Coates More
- 13Up 103Down 144Rich Sommer, Michael Gladis, John Slattery More
- 14Up 94Down 132Lana Parrilla, Eion Bailey, Robert Carlyle More
- 15Up 117Down 197Silas Weir Mitchell, Dave Giuntoli, Bree Turner More
- 16Up 178Down 212Kevin Alejandro, Chris Bauer, Kelly Overton More
- 17Up 170Down 196
American Horror Story
Sarah Paulson, Clea DuVall, James Cromwell More - 18Up 80Down 115Bruce Campbell, Alex Carter, Paul Blackthorne More
- 19Up 104Down 192Chris Noth, Michael J. Fox, Matt Czuchry More
- 20Up 81Down 133Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Misha Collins, Rob Benedict More
- 21Up 97Down 179Robert Newman, Jennette McCurdy, Michaela McManus More
- 22Up 90Down 90Mark Gatiss, Lara Pulver, Rupert Graves Moreadded by: IsabelBaker
- 23Up 7Down 15Rachel Nichols, A. J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler Moreadded by: bojanthebest
- 24Up 100Down 160Harry Endo, Scott Caan, Masi Oka More
- 25Up 63Down 91
Suits
James Morrison, Gina Torres, Meghan Markle More - 26Up 56Down 89Kevin Doyle, Hugh Bonneville, Brendan Coyle Moreadded by: IsabelBaker
- 27Up 43Down 51Jonathan Adams, Emily Deschanel, John Francis Daley Moreadded by: john1111
- 28Up 36Down 39Owain Yeoman, Tim Kang, Amanda Righetti More
- 29Up 75Down 90Peter Davison, Elisabeth Sladen, Billie Piper More
- 30Up 60Down 99
The Following
Natalie Zea, Nico Tortorella, Kevin Bacon More - 31Up 31Down 12
NCIS:LA
added by: cfletcher4956 - 32Up 94Down 175Louise Lombard, Eric Szmanda, Wallace Langham More
- 33Up 0Down 0Bill Mumy, Bob May, June Lockhart More
- 34Up 13Down 43
Chicago Fire
Merle Dandridge, Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney Moreadded by: JenniferM.Collins - 35Up 47Down 85Gabriel Mann, Christa B. Allen, Amber Valletta Moreadded by: LennyDiWilliams
- 36Up 103Down 187Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Steven R. McQueen More
- 37Up 29Down 62
House of Anubis
- 38Up 21Down 54Dulé Hill, Kirsten Nelson, Sage Brocklebank Moreadded by: tvranker98
- 39Up 18Down 40
Scandal
Katie Lowes, Henry Ian Cusick, Columbus Short Moreadded by: lonjagger - 40Up 65Down 161Billy Campbell, Annie Corley, Joel Kinnaman More
- 41Up 39Down 132Peter Krause, Craig T. Nelson, Monica Potter More
- 42Up 18Down 42Willie Garson, Hilarie Burton, Tiffani Thiessen Moreadded by: Micha FDY
- 43Up 10Down 38
Revolution
Tim Guinee, Anna Lise Phillips, Billy Burke More - 44Up 57Down 132Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes, Andrew Terraciano More
- 45Up 10Down 38
Nikita
Xander Berkeley, Devon Sawa, Shane West More - 46Up 32Down 63
House of Cards
Robin Wright, Kevin Spacey, Corey Stoll More - 47Up 52Down 124Rachel Bilson, Scott Porter, Tim Matheson More
- 48Up 7Down 30
Rookie Blue
Charlotte Sullivan, Travis Milne, Peter Mooney Moreadded by: JenniferM.Collins - 49Up 49Down 127Jane Curtin, Kevin Rankin, Michael Gaston More
- 50Up 55Down 131Hill Harper, Claire Forlani, Anna Belknap More
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