The 10 Most Important Television Events In 2013 You Should Have On Your Radar

For television fans, it will be a Happy New Year, indeed. However, we will be losing so many amazing television series in 2013, it’s hard to imagine that this year will ever be again topped in terms of event television. Some of our favorites will still be around, but looking ahead, the drop-off in 2014 may do a lot of damage to the television landscape. Two of our favorite series will be ending their runs, plus Netflix will attempt to become the true equivalent of another television network with original programming. We will also be saying goodbye to AT LEAST four other long-running series, some of which we love, and some of which we used to love. Here are, tentatively, the 10 Most Important Television Events of 2013.

10. The Walking Dead Series 3 Finale (March 31, 2013) — If that date looks familiar to you, it’s also the same date as number three on the list, which is going to make March 31st the Super Bowl of scripted television. The season two finale wouldn’t have made this list last year, but after an incredibly strong first half of season three, this series finale — the last episode from showrunner Glen Mazzara — could be a doozy. Hopefully, it will allow us to add to the 10 Most Bad Ass Michonne Kills.

9. Fringe Series Finale (January 18th) — A lot of hardcore Fringe fans, blinded by their loyalty to the series and the characters, have not really picked up on the fact that the final season has been a muddled mess. The final season has strayed from what many of us love about the series — the mythology episodes mixed with quirky cases of the week, plus the entire ensemble of outstanding characters including Phillip and Lincoln — and focused exclusively on a quest to vanquish The Observers in the future. It was fun to see Walter trip on LSD a couple of episodes back, but it kind of feels like the 13 episodes could’ve been easily condensed into eight or nine, as much of the season has been slow moving. That said, it is a series that’s had some really great episodes, and through the good and the bad and the endless resets, we’ve never lost our affection for the characters, especially Walter Bishop.

8. Dexter Finale (December) — I couldn’t be happier to see Dexter come to an end, as it’s been a long three seasons since the Trinity Killer, and the finale of season seven was completely flubbed last month. It will be a relief, more than anything, to simply put the series out of its misery, although I wouldn’t dismiss a spin-off series starring Yvonne Strahovski.