2. Parks and Recreation

The true test of a television comedy is whether it can sustain its basic premise and character relationships beyond a mere one or two seasons. It’s no small feat that “Parks and Recreation” completed its sixth season this year as strong as ever.

It somehow sustained its constant stream of ridiculous characters and saccharine drama without a lapse in quality, mainly due to its refusal to ever treat its central cast as simply a stream of one-liners, instead showing a respect for them rarely seen on television. Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) is as much an idol of masculinity as he is a reflection of the ridiculousness of such behavior at its extremes. And Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) is more a true nerd than the “The Big Bang Theory” nerd-caricatures could ever be.

But above all, the towering thespian abilities of Amy Poehler, both as improviser and dramatist, has sustained this comedy and steered it to its final season (starting later this month) without missing a beat.

– Dieter Joubert, Senior Staff Writer