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2011: The year in television

Cable creates drama

But the networks still provide us with the laughs

By Matthew Gilbert

 |  Globe Staff  

  December 25, 2011

This year, the networks seem to have given up even trying to make good dramas. Meanwhile, HBO, AMC, FX, and Showtime were busy making superb dramas that aimed for more than easy entertainment, with the likes of “Breaking Bad,’’ “Game of Thrones,’’ and “Shameless’’ taking over. The network comedies, however, still have ambition. “Parks and Recreation’’ has taken off, and “Community’’ is a meta-sitcom that’s so brilliantly allusive it could double as a pop quiz.

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