THE WORST
1. True Blood, ”Sunset” — Aug. 19, HBO
True Blood has
sold many improbable things. But nothing felt more ridiculous[MDASH]or painful — than hearing Sookie (Anna Paquin) yammer
on about Ke$ha
and Boyz II Men
in a magical
burlesque club.
If only it were
all just a vampire-blood-induced
hallucination.
–Tim Stack
2. The Newsroom, ”5/1” — Aug. 5, HBO
What aging hippie wrote this episode? See: Jeff Daniels’ stoner newsman Will playing ”Sunshine” on his guitar; Kelen Coleman’s Lisa trying to make ”It’s a gas!” happen; and Alison Pill’s Maggie quipping, ”Do not take a tone with me, American Gigolo!” But seriously: ”It’s a gas!”? Never gonna happen.
–Melissa Maerz
3. How I Met
Your Mother, ”The Autumn
of Break-Ups” — Nov. 5, CBS
The ultimatum
Victoria (Ashley Williams) gave Ted (Josh Radnor) was ripped straight from Friends: Drop Rachel — sorry, Robin (Cobie Smulders) — or
else. The belabored journey toward the
mother is getting
exhausting. Are
we there yet?
–Erin Strecker
4. Liz & Dick — Nov. 25, Lifetime
While it may not technically be an episode, we can’t ignore Lindsay Lohan’s not-even-community-theater-level performance as Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime’s TV movie. She was believable at waving cigarettes around and swilling prop vodka, but Lohan — poor girl — managed to succeed at little else. –Tim Stack
5. New Girl, ”Models” — Oct. 23, Fox
Also known
as ”The One With the Ford Fusion.”
In a halting scene,
Jess (Zooey Deschanel) — or ”Gigglebangs
Riceball,” if you
prefer — takes a modeling gig while a Ford flack rattles on like a human Carfax report. Modeling may be hard, but successful ”product integration” is even harder.
–Ray Rahman
For more of our best & worst picks of 2012, buy our year-end double issue on newsstands now or subscribe to EW.
Related:
All of EW’s Best & Worst coverage
