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With Halloween upon us, I wanted to move away this week’s A-List from movies (as we covered great horror movies last week) to the world of television. Over the past two decades, television has become as dominant a force in creating great stories as film has. Yes, the ratings have declined in years for broadcast networks, but more often than not, if you want to watch a story filled with compelling characters, rich plots, and one-of-a-kind filmmaking, you might be better off with the small screen. Just a couple of weekends ago, AMC’s flagship show Mad Men ended its excellent fourth season. Though they took a week off from airing scripted television, AMC is back at it on the night of Halloween with the highly anticipated zombie-apocalypse drama The Walking Dead, based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, from Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd.

The word on The Walking Dead (which has, for its first season, only six episodes including the 90-minute pilot) is very positive. Even though, as I mentioned last week, I’m not a huge fan of gratuitous blood, good television is good television and even if I have to close my eyes a few times, a show from the director of my favorite movie of all time (The Shawshank Redemption, as clichéd as you may think it is) is a show I’m going to watch. So, as we wait and see if The Walking Dead meets praise from those who aren’t paid to watch, this week’s A-List will highlight five of the best shows currently on television. Some are new, some aren’t; all are worthy of your attention. Let’s get to the list.

Terriers

Partly because I don’t live with my parents any more (please, hold your applause) and partly because it’s unnecessary, I don’t read TV Guide. When I was a kid, though, I remember a feature they had every year: the best show on TV that you’re not watching. Take it from me that, unless we’ve got a very specific audience at Box Office Prophets, you are not watching Terriers, and it is a legitimately great show. There’s been rampant speculation about whether the show’s title or the marketing by FX, its network, has hurt the program. Here’s what you need to know: Terriers is ostensibly a show about two private detectives in Ocean Beach, California. Hank (Donal Logue) is an ex-cop with a penchant for self-destruction; his partner is Britt (Michael Raymond-James), a former cat burglar. They usually do small cases, but have a habit of getting involved in cases that are too big for any PI.

What makes Terriers better than a CBS, case-of-the-week procedural are the witty, yet sometimes heartrending scripts (among the show’s writers are Shawn Ryan, creator of The Shield, and Tim Minear, of Angel and Dollhouse), and the always exciting chemistry between Logue and Raymond-James, who are friends in real life. Since the show began at the beginning of September (Terriers airs on Wednesdays at 10 on FX), the ratings have flatlined but the stories have become more and more compelling, frequently surprising, and emotionally moving. Logue, as the hangdog Hank, has never been better; Hank pines for his ex-wife, but unlike other programs, Logue makes Hank’s desire more of a burden than a longing. Raymond-James (who I recognize from season 1 of True Blood) is a raffish co-star, whip-smart and funny, but mostly willing to deal with his buddy’s problems. Terriers needs to survive; you need to watch.

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