Best TV Shows of 2012
The 40 most popular TV shows that premiered in 2012, most watched first, with a vote floor so obscure titles do not crowd out the ones people remember.
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40 titles · updated 3rd October 2026
1.Chicago Fire(2012)
8.4Drama
An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America's noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite…
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2.Good Mythical Morning(2012)
6.9Comedy
Two "Internetainers" (Rhett & Link) go far out and do the weirdest things, giving you a daily dose of casual comedy every Monday-Friday.
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3.Arrow(2012)
6.8CrimeDramaAction & Adventure
Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.
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4.Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu(2012)
8.0AnimationAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
When the fate of their world, Ninjago, is challenged by great threats, it's up to the ninja: Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd and Nya to save the world.
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5.Elementary(2012)
7.6DramaMysteryCrime
A modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson.
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6.Scandal(2012)
7.2Drama
Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the elite by keeping those secrets under wraps. Pope and her team are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for their clients, but it becomes apparent that these "gladiators in suits,"…
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7.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(2012)
8.3KidsAnimationAction & Adventure
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in an all-new animated series on Nickelodeon! Surfacing topside for the first time on their fifteenth birthday, the titular turtles, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello, find that life out of the sewers isn't exactly what they thought it would be. Now the turtles…
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8.Call the Midwife(2012)
7.6Drama
Drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth.
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9.Gravity Falls(2012)
8.6Action & AdventureAnimationComedy
Twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines are in for an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer helping their great uncle Stan run a tourist trap in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
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10.The Mindy Project(2012)
6.3Comedy
Obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri tries to balance her personal and professional life, surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small medical practice in New York City.
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11.Doc McStuffins(2012)
6.1AnimationKidsFamily
A young African-American girl aspires to be a doctor like her mom.
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12.The Legend of Korra(2012)
8.2AnimationAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
Avatar Korra, a headstrong, rebellious, feisty young woman who continually challenges and breaks with tradition, is on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar. In this story, the Avatar struggles to find balance within herself.
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13.Major Crimes(2012)
7.4CrimeDrama
Major Crimes explores how the American justice system approaches the art of the deals as law enforcement officers and prosecutors work together to score a conviction. Los Angeles Police Captain Sharon Raydor heads up a special squad within the LAPD that deals with high-profile or particularly sensitive crimes.
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14.Longmire(2012)
7.7WesternCrimeDrama
A Wyoming sheriff rebuilds his life and career following the death of his wife. Based on the “Walt Longmire” series of mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson.
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15.Veep(2012)
7.5ComedyWar & Politics
A look into American politics, revolving around former Senator Selina Meyer who finds being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about.
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16.Anger Management(2012)
6.3Comedy
Charlie is a non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management. He has a successful private practice and he performs pro bono counseling for an inmate group at a state prison. Prior to his career as a therapist, he was a major league baseball player whose career was put on the shelf for good by his own…
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17.Baby Daddy(2012)
7.1Comedy
Baby Daddy follows Ben, a young man in his early 20s living the life of a bachelor in New York City with his buddy, Tucker, and his brother, Danny. Their lives are turned upside down when they come home one day to find a baby girl left on the doorstep by an ex-girlfriend of Ben's. After much deliberation, Ben decides…
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18.Nashville(2012)
6.6Drama
Rayna Jaymes and Juliette Barnes face personal and professional challenges as they navigate their paths as artists and individuals. Surrounding them, and often complicating their lives, are their family, friends and, in some cases, lovers, as well as the up-and-coming performers and songwriters trying to get ahead in…
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19.Perception(2012)
7.2CrimeDramaMystery
Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor, is recruited to help the federal government crack difficult cases. His intimate knowledge of human behavior and masterful understanding of the mind give him an extraordinary ability to read people, but his eccentric view of the world and less-than-stellar social…
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20.Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man(2012)
7.7AnimationAction & AdventureComedy
While being trained by S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man battles evil with a new team of teen colleagues.
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21.Line of Duty(2012)
8.2CrimeDramaMystery
A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.
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22.Girls(2012)
6.4DramaComedy
The assorted humiliations, disasters and rare triumphs of four very different twenty-something girls: Hannah, an aspiring writer; Marnie, an art gallery assistant and cousins Jessa and Shoshanna.
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23.The Newsroom(2012)
8.1Drama
A behind-the-scenes look at the people who make a nightly cable-news program. Focusing on a network anchor, his new executive producer, the newsroom staff and their boss, the series tracks their quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles-not to mention their own personal…
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24.Continuum(2012)
7.5Sci-Fi & FantasyAction & AdventureDrama
The series centers on the conflict between a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, in 2012, and a police officer who accidentally accompanies them. In spite of being many years early, the rebel group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop corporations of the future from…
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25.Lab Rats(2012)
8.1ComedySci-Fi & FantasyKids
Leo is an ordinary teenager who has moved into a high-tech "smart'' house with his mother, inventor stepfather and Eddy, the computer that runs the house. Leo's life becomes less ordinary when, one day, he discovers a secret underground lab that houses three experiments: superhuman teenagers. The trio -- Adam, the…
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26.Saving Hope(2012)
7.0Sci-Fi & FantasyDrama
When Charlie Harris ends up in a coma, he leaves the Hope-Zion Hospital in chaos - and his fiancée and fellow surgeon, Alex Reid, in a state of shock. As the staff of Hope-Zion races to save lives, comatose Dr. Harris wanders the halls of Hope-Zee in "spirit" form, not sure if he's a ghost or a figment of his own…
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27.Key & Peele(2012)
7.7Comedy
Key & Peele is an American sketch comedy television show. It stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, both former cast members of MADtv. Each episode of the show consists of several pre-taped sketches starring the two actors, introduced by Key and Peele in front of a live studio audience.
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28.Ben 10: Omniverse(2012)
8.2Action & AdventureAnimationSci-Fi & Fantasy
A year after the events that took place during the "Final Battle" and equipped with an all-new completed Omnitrix, 16-year-old Ben Tennyson has to face new enemies.
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29.Ripper Street(2012)
7.4DramaMysteryCrime
A drama set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the "Ripper" murders. The action centres around the notorious H Division – the police precinct from hell – which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel. Ripper Street explores the lives of characters trying to recover…
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30.The Eric Andre Show(2012)
7.9Comedy
A comedic talk show from an alternate reality featuring unstable hosts, a variety of celebrities—both real and fake—and unusual studio action.
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31.Touch(2012)
6.6Sci-Fi & FantasyMysteryDrama
Martin Bohm, a widower and single father, is haunted by an inability to connect to his autistic, mute 11-year-old son, Jake. Their relationship and their lives take an extraordinary turn when he discovers his gifted son has the ability to see things that no one else can and the patterns that connect seemingly…
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32.Transformers: Rescue Bots(2012)
7.3Action & AdventureAnimationKids
A team of specialized Autobots not quite ready for prime-time battles against the Decepticons is given a vital mission by Optimus Prime. The goal for the Bots is to learn about mankind and how to help others to find out what it really means to be a hero.
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33.Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja(2012)
8.3Action & AdventureAnimationComedy
Randy Cunningham is an average high school freshman until he is chosen to become The Ninja. Now he must defend the downtrodden, save his fellow students and become hero to the good people of Norrisville.
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34.House of Lies(2012)
6.6ComedyDrama
Charming, fast talking Marty Kaan and his crack team of management consultants know how to play the corporate game better than anyone, by using every dirty trick in the book to woo powerful CEOs and close huge deals. In the board rooms, barrooms, and bedrooms of the power elite, corruption is business as usual and…
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35.Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23(2012)
6.8Comedy
After a naive Midwestern girl's big city dreams are dashed her first week in New York, she finds herself living with her worst nightmare in this hilarious, contemporary comedy about a female odd couple who are surrounded by an outrageous cast of characters.
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36.Beauty and the Beast(2012)
7.4DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Detective Catherine Chandler is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective. When she was a teenager, she witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of two gunmen and herself was saved by someone – or something. Years have passed and while investigating a murder, Catherine discovers a clue that leads her to Vincent…
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37.Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood(2012)
7.1AnimationFamilyKids
The life of 4-year-old Daniel Tiger and his friends as they learn fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for growing and learning.
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38.Mr. D(2012)
7.3Comedy
Based on Gerry Dee's real-life experiences as a high school teacher before he switched to comedy full-time, MR. D is a story about a charming, under-qualified teacher trying to fake his way through a teaching job, just like he often fakes his way through life.
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39.Smash(2012)
6.5Drama
Celebrating the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater, following a cross section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a "Smash."
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40.The Firm(2012)
6.0Action & AdventureDrama
As a young associate, Mitchell McDeere brought down the prestigious Memphis law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke, which operated as a front for the Chicago mob—and his life was never the same. After a difficult decade, which included a stay in the Federal Witness Protection program, Mitch and his family now emerge…
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