• by Ed Martin , January 10, 2014

Concluding my look back at the ten best television series of 2013, here are the final three.

“Mad Men” (AMC) – Like “Downton Abbey,” “Mad Men” for the first time found itself on the receiving end last year of complaints from critics who had perpetually praised its earlier seasons. Was this sterling period drama losing steam? Had acclaimed series creator Matthew Weiner run out of grand ideas? The situation was looking grim … and then Don Draper and his ex-wife Betty hit the sheets, and poor Sally Draper walked in on her horn-dog dad boffing neighbor Sylvia, and Don had a meltdown of sorts in front of executives from Hershey’s, and “Mad Men” was breathtakingly engaging all over again. I think it would have won a fifth consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series had its network-mate “Breaking Bad” not become the hottest show on television. I still wish the Drapers had never divorced, and that the show had dared to depict one of the hushed dysfunctional marriages that were not uncommon (especially among the upper middle class) in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Otherwise, “Mad Men” is still an astonishing accomplishment that stands well apart from most of the rest of television drama.

“Orange is the New Black” (Netflix) – Speaking of astonishing accomplishments, did anyone see the supernova that was “Orange is the New Black” coming? Advance buzz for Netflix's entry into the arena of original programming put the spotlight on “House of Cards,” an Americanized version of the contemporary British classic starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright that looked to be the best thing Netflix might produce all year. Then along came the unassuming women-in-prison drama “Orange,” created and written by Jenji Kohan, the woman behind Showtime's pot-selling-mom comedy-drama “Weeds,” a show that had overstayed its welcome by at least two seasons -- and presto, the streaming service had its first bona fide hit. “Orange” was quite literally an overnight sensation, despite not having any big stars in its cast and due entirely to the work on the screen. With what may be the most diverse female cast of any show ever, and with story lines that never went where viewers assumed they would go, “Orange” proved to be the freshest new series of the year (even if we can’t call it the finest, on account of Showtime's masterful “Masters of Sex”). If nothing else, it made clear that original productions on streaming services were not only here to stay, but that they would take no prisoners in the process.

“Doctor Who” (BBC America) – This long-running British series, which has continued to spin stories about a continuously regenerating time- and space-traveling alien in a variety of media since its debut on the BBC in November 1963, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with stories (and a special episode) that acknowledged and respectfully honored the entire history of the franchise while using details from its past to propel it into an indefinite future. The only other series I can think of that incorporated storytelling that spanned six decades into a year's worth of compelling drama in 2013 was ABC's “General Hospital,” which marked its 50th anniversary last year by reloading its canvas with characters from its now-distant past. Under the auspices of executive producer Steven Moffat, “Doctor Who” did the same thing with mind-boggling results. Just to prove that it would remain more progressive than just about anything on television today while also revisiting stories and characters dating back 50 years, “Doctor Who” prefaced its 50th-anniversary special episode with a seven-minute mini-episode released online that tipped the full history of “Who” on its side and set up the surprising narrative shifts that would move the series forward. I think “Doctor Who” could run for another 50 years. It saddens me that I won't live long enough to enjoy its 100th anniversary.

That's it for the official Ten Best TV Series of 2013. But here are ten more that could have easily made the cut: FX's “Justified” and “Archer,” Sundance Channel's “Rectify” and “The Returned,” NBC's “Hannibal,” TNT's “Southland,” ABC's “The Middle” and “Modern Family,” Fox's “Raising Hope” and CBS' “The Big Bang Theory.” I'd also like to include a shout out to TV Land's always entertaining “Hot in Cleveland” (for reuniting the ladies of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” if nothing else) and HBO's somewhat maligned “The Newsroom.” The last two episodes of its second season, which played out over Election Night 2012, were a triumph of multi-layered writing, production and direction. (How fascinating was it just to follow everything that was simultaneously happening on all those background screens in the news studio while every character on the canvas worked through his or her personal dramas?) What series creator Aaron Sorkin did in those two hours was not unlike watching a master plate-spinner at work. Every member of the cast rose to the many challenges of the moment. Bravo to all.