Leverage Goes Out on a High by June Thomas

Five seasons is a good run. I was surprised by the ending of the show and series in the finale the other night. And I was bummed out! (I had a bubble with "WTF?!?!" over my head as the last show ended and Nate proposed to Sophie, then Parker took over the remaining crew of three.) Shows how lame and old I'm getting. It also demonstrates how good basic cable shows can be and how the good ones can challenge you and make you think. What I really liked about "Leverage" was the combination of actors and the characters the show created for these actors. They were fun and clever.

We're getting spoiled with shows like "The Wire," True Blood" and "Game of Thrones" and then basic cable with "The Shield," "Battlestar Galactica," "Justified," and "The Walking Dead" among others.

The best TV series of 2012: The ballots (Onion writers make their picks) The overall results:

The Best TV of 2012 

To vote, 30 of our writers allocated 200 points among 15 to 20 shows, with no writer allowed to give more than 15 points to any one show. (You can see those ballots here.) What resulted was a mix of familiar faces, brand-new shows, and long-running favorites that finally cracked our list of TV’s best.

Never got into the top 2, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." Nor "Girls." I did watch "The Walking Dead," "Justified," "New Girl," "30 Rock," "Game of Thrones," "Parks and Recreation," "Homeland," and "Louie." I'm sort of a Sci-Fi dork so I loved "Alphas" and "Lost Girl." Good escapism!

(Update: I forgot "Always Sunny In Philadelphia" and "Spartacus.")