Seven Best Television Shows From 2013

Back when television first began, there were minimal amounts of channels with a minimal amount of television shows. There were only certain shows on the air and most people watched the same ones. Nowadays, there are hundreds of channels along with hundreds of television shows running on the air currently. There's more quantity than quality and it's not always easy to weed out the best. Most television shows come and go easily and quickly these days as though the channels are a revolving door. Shows need to be unique or humorous to hook in the viewer. Though still it's originality that is rare and gives the newer shows its uniqueness to determine their shelf life.

Below is a list of the top seven best television shows that were on the air in 2013, focusing specifically on sitcoms and dramas. Some shows had been on the air for quite a few years and have proven themselves against the test of time. Some were quite new but show lots of potential as they are connected to previous show stories that we love or they were brought to us by the witty and talented actors/writers/directors whom we can’t get enough of.

“The Carrie Diaries” is connected to the previous television show “Sex and the City.” This is the prequel to the “Sex and the City” show and had lots of potential to be unique, original, and fashionably loveable. It is also based on the same book series “Sex and the City” is. “The Carrie Diaries” throws us back in time to when Carrie Bradshaw was a teen in the 80s, and how she began writing and was pulled into the allure of glamour New York City life. If you loved the “Sex and the City” television show and the two big screen movies then you will get ‘carried away’ with this show (thank you to the ‘Sex and the City’ movie for the pun connection), especially if your favorite character is Carrie herself.

The sitcom “Mike & Molly” is brought to us by the witty writer/producer Chuck Lorre, whom also has brought us another great series on this list (but we’ll get to that later on). “Mike & Molly” starred one of the wittiest and talented comedic actresses – the very funny Melissa McCarthy – along with a great comedic cast with great chemistry. This show is one that is taped in front of a live audience, as I have been a member of the audience myself for a past episode. It is just as funny live in person as viewing an episode on air. The sitcom is about a couple, who met at a club for overeaters anonymous, and fell in love. They deal with quirky friends and family while working on becoming a team couple. You will want to overindulge with the unique sweetness of this show, if you have a sweet tooth for quirky comedy.

“Melissa & Joey” is another sitcom that was brought to us by someone we love, and is witty and talented. It was produced by and starred the comedic Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence as the main characters. Both of their characters share the same first name as themselves. The team’s chemistry, along with the two younger actors, was naturally great and showed wonderful potential. This show is definitely witty and unique. The “Melissa & Joey” show was about the character Mel Brooks (Melissa Joan Hart), a young city councilwoman, who took in her niece and nephew after their parents were sent to jail when their company went down. She ended up hiring a manny, Joe (Joey Lawrence), a former executive from the company, to help raise her teen niece and nephew. You will want to laugh continuously when watching this show from all the antics and challenges that the characters find themselves in, and their approach to solving them. This show never fails to deliver feel good laughter.

Next on the list is the show, “The Big Bang Theory.” “The Big Bang Theory” was a show that had been on the air for quite a few years and had proven itself against the test of time. The show has proven it is witty and unique. “The Big Bang Theory” was the other show on this list, introduced to us by the writer/producer Chuck Lorre, besides ”Mike & Molly.” "The Big Bang Theory” sitcom was about a group of friends who are nerdy scientists, and a waitress who is an aspiring actress who lives across the apartment hall from two of the scientists whom were roommates. It followed their lives and how they interacted with the world in a humorous way being very literal. This show will always give you spontaneous laughter continually.

As an update in 2020, this show ended up running for a total of 12 seasons, with its final episode airing in May 2019. This show had definitely proven itself against the test of time!

In fact, also, this show ended up producing a spin off called "Young Sheldon," of which is now about to begin airing its fourth season! "Young Sheldon" is a prequel spin off that follows the life of the character Sheldon Cooper and situations he went through when he was growing up in Texas.

The show, “The Vampire Diaries,” is next on this list, cracking the top three shows. With this show, we leave the world of the comedy sitcoms and migrate into the drama shows. “The Vampire Diaries” had been on the air for a few years, since 2009, and also had proven itself unique across the test of time. The show started off being about a human girl, Elena, who is a doppelganger to a vampire named Katherine, and finds herself caught in a love triangle between two vampire brothers, Damon and Stefan. This show, like “The Carrie Diaries” and “Sex and the City,” is also based off a book series. “The Vampire Diaries” has vampires, witches, and werewolves (oh my!), along with humans, hunters, hybrids, and a doppelganger, to form an intricate world that proves anything is possible. The further into the series the show gets, the deeper and more complicated the situations become. It sucks you in from the beginning and once you’re bitten, you will be changed. If you want to have your eyes open and pulled into a world full of mystery and mayhem, being drenched in a supernatural world, you will fall in love with this show.

As update in 2020, this show ended up airing for a total of 8 seasons, with the final episode airing in March 2017.

This show has actually produced 2 spin off shows! The first spin off called "The Originals," which had followed the original vampires family, the Mikaelson family. This spin off show aired from October 2013 to August 2018.

The second spin off - a direct spin off from "The Originals" - is called "Legacies," in which this one follows the daughter of Klaus, Hope, and her two friends Lizzie and Josie (the twins daughters of Alaric). This second spin off is currently on the air, with its first episode having aired in October 2018, and its third season about to begin airing soon.

The next show on this list is “Bones.” “Bones” was a drama show that is comedic enough also, but in a unique way if you understand the characters’ jokes. This show was going strong, having been on the air for several years already before 2013. It is a crime solving type filled with mysterious cases each episode while also carrying on a story between the characters. “Bones” is about an FBI agent named Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) who is partnered with a world-renowned anthropologist, Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), whom is also a best-selling author. This crime case show is about when the victims are down to their bones, which are too far to be easily identified visually. Booth and Brennan always figure out and capture the culprit as their characters (and the actors) have a wonderfully balanced chemistry. If you want mystery, this is the show for you.

The reruns of this show are still continually being aired on the tv to this day. This show ended having completed a total of 12 seasons of episodes! Its final episode aired in March 2017.

This show also produced of spin off called "The Finder," however that show was short lived, having only aired a total of 13 episodes.

The final and top show on this list is the show, “Castle.” “Castle” is another drama, crime-solving show and is unique in its own way. It had been on the air for quite a few years and continued to have great episodes past 2013. This show also hit on the right amount of comedy between the characters on how they react to their own story, besides the case, and the world around them. “Castle” is like “Bones” in that besides the case, there is also a story woven between the characters. I discovered this well written show by mistake, and it was a great mistake. I admit had been watching “Dancing with the Stars,” when an episode of “Castle” followed after on the television. I watched that episode of “Castle” since I was curious as to what the show was like. Since then I’ve been hooked on this show, especially since being a writer myself. This show is about a female detective, Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), who is partnered with a best-selling mystery writer and author named Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion). If you’re a mystery literature fan and someone who loves case solving detective shows with a little comic relief penned in, this show will keep you hooked, wanting more.

As an update in 2020, this show ended up airing for a total of 8 seasons, which is still great for tv shows, with the final episode airing in May 2016. This show, like "Bones," also has reruns that still air on the tv today. The show also inspired two series of mystery books based off the main character Rick Castle appearing to being the author. These two series are the Nikki Heat series, and the Derrick Storm series. Books in these series are still being written and published till this day. I admit, since I loved the show "Castle," I have found myself reading the Nikki Heat series, especially since the characters in those books are based off of the fictional characters from the "Castle" tv show.

There you have it, the top seven television shows that were, in my opinion, the best that were on the air in 2013. There are other great shows out there too, no doubt about it. Some other great shows include “How I Met Your Mother,” “Hot in Cleveland” with the always-funny Betty White, “Once Upon A Time,” and “2 Broke Girls.”

Television shows may come and go, but it’s the unique, creative, and the ones that have the best combination of chemistry, writing and acting that can stand their ground and hit home runs. They can and have proven to the entertainment world that they are worth their airtime slot.