|
Steven Universe is brilliant, fwiw (drat, that was a read. I had no idea you loved Rick and Morty so much. I still disagree with you that the plotholes in Fargo kill it or that Mad Men suddenly improved massively in the final half-season but I can't fault the way you present your arguments)
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2015 23:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 00:28 |
|
|
Thanks for doing this 'rity and Toxxy
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2015 05:30
|
|
|
I couldn't quite justify putting it into my top ten, but I still have to give an honorable mention to Agent Carter because it was a blast getting to see a post-war period piece about a female character who gets to be simultaneously an action hero AND run face-first into the brick wall of sexual/gender discrimination. Also it was only 8 episodes instead of the roughly 786 episodes that seem to make up a single season of the likes of Flash, Arrow or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, so there was very little bloat. I'm very pleased to hear it will be back in 2016. What Agent Carter shares with most (if not all) of the shows in my top 10 is the confidence evidenced in its production, something I find enormously attractive in television and which these shows all have in spades. 10. Narcos - Narcos opens poorly, with an almost smug narration from the DEA agent who I assumed at first would be the central character of the show, explaining how he was a loose unit who played by his own rules but got the job done. Thankfully, he very quickly takes a backseat in the action, though his narration returns regularly throughout each episode. Instead, the show seems to grasp that the true attraction is Pablo Escobar, and the bulk of the show takes the pleasant but still surprising (to me) direction of focusing mostly on subtitled non-white characters discussing politics, corruption, international diplomacy and, of course, the enormous drug trade. Any show that points out not only the ridiculousness of the so-called War on Drugs but also 1980s foreign affairs policies regarding communism is a winner in my book. But it's Wagner Moura as the charismatic, driven, relentless and often terrifyingly stubborn Pablo Escobar that elevates the show to something special. He also imbues Escobar with surprising humanity, despite all his many, many, many negative traits - I never had any doubt that he genuinely was devoted to his mother, his wife, and his children.... just not to the point that he would stop being a monstrous killer and peddler in human misery. 9. Wet Hot American Summer - Making a sequel to a cult-favorite 14-year-old movie as a t.v series was already a bold idea, especially considering the cast in 2001 were already far older than the characters they were cast as. Making it a prequel was even bolder, with actors now in their 40s playing younger versions of the teenagers they played back when they were in their 20s and 30s. But the show doesn't make any allowances for the obvious, just confidently striding forward as if everything makes perfect sense, working through a single day/night in the summer camp with a mixture of references to the movie and entirely new subplots. The excellent cast, many of whom now have pretty solid Hollywood careers, all seem to be having a blast, and they work around the scheduling issues in a far more effective way than Arrested Development did in similar circumstances. A welcome return to the infectious silliness of the movie, they even make a late reference to another earlier pivotal event in the characters lives that make me hope in 15 years we see 60-year-old actors back playing even younger versions yet again. 8. Show Me a Hero - David Simon (The Wire) and William Zorzi produce a six-episode mini-series about local council politics in the 1980s... and it's loving great. Helped by the excellent Oscar Isaac as the lead holding everything together, this is a fascinating and often maddening story about racism, bureaucracy, resistance to change and fear of the unknown. Peppered throughout with slices of life of various people affected in one way or the other by the legally mandated housing developments, it's really the story of a slightly cynical young politician who takes advantage of an opportunity for advancement and then finds himself reluctantly (and then eagerly) the face of integration decades after the Civil Rights movement. Nick Wasicsko's almost obsessive need for acceptance and how it destroys his life and career is just fascinating to watch, as he struggles to get past obstinate politicians, frightened and angry constituents, and a political party that only wants him for its own ends. If it wasn't all true it would feel like it was completely overboard and that Simon had taken things too far - instead it will either leave you furious or depressed at just how lovely politics (and people) can be. 7. Better Call Saul - While I was sure that it would be a good show, I didn't expect BCS to be as good as it ended up being. Taking a fun but supporting character and making him the star of a show all his own was certainly a risk even considering the pedigree of everybody involved. Happily, Saul was enough of a blank slate that it was easy to make up an entirely new backstory while still feeling true to the person we knew from Breaking Bad. The supporting cast put together (including the "origin" of Mike, the elderly enforcer from BB) were all solid and great for Saul (or rather, Jimmy) to play off. Michael McKean as Jimmy's successful "good" brother suffering from a delusional illness is especially good, as he serves first to show how devoted Jimmy is before proving how inevitable Saul's eventual arrival would be. Chuck's betrayal of Jimmy is one of the most heartbreaking moments on television in the year, and the fact that Jimmy is surrounded by a caring support structure that still works to achieve the best for him makes his final decision of the season all the sadder. You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family, something that Chuck and Jimmy both discover to their detriment, and neither can prevent themselves from letting their family destroy the life that could have been. Genuinely funny when it tries, poignant when it wants to be, revealing more of pre-established characters without diluting them, and standing alone as its own thing - Better Call Saul is an excellent show. 6. Doctor Who - Though it's not necessarily one of 2015's best, it's still one of my favorite shows. But I do think that season 9 of Doctor Who benefits as usual from the context of the entire season in hindsight. Apart from one remarkable exception (Heaven Sent), most of season 9's episodes struggled to raise above "pretty good" but also mostly didn't go lower than "okay" (Sleep No More being the exception there). But when all was said and done, there was a very important running theme being played out, one that focused on the two central characters almost to the detriment of everything else - which may itself have been a meta-reference to those characters being accused of that very thing in the final episode. In a show where the characters can go anywhere/anywhen and the only restrictions are the imagination of the writer, it was a hell of a risk to instead give so much attention to the (seeming) development of the increasingly dangerous obsession of two characters who had decided that they were going to continue together no matter what. Of course even if this was the intention of the series' showrunner (which will probably be argued for years in the Doctor Who thread), it doesn't change the fact that nearly every single episode this season was generally unremarkable. But whether intentional or not, I won't ever be able to rewatch any single episode of season 9 without the context of what I know is to come, and I think it will be all the better for that. 5. The Flash - Even though it was far, far, far, far, far too long (It feels like season one covered at least two and possibly three seasons) this was an incredibly fun show that just joyfully embraced its comic book roots and didn't for a second take itself too seriously. Telepathic homicidal super-intelligent gorillas? Sure, why not!?! A guy with an ice gun who teams up with a guy with a fire gun to beat up on the Flash because it's fun? Okay! A super-smug evil genius masquerading as the hero's mentor and taking every opportunity to smirk evilly when nobody is looking? Sounds good to me! Bring Mark Hamill in to play an older version of the same character he played in ANOTHER TELEVISION VERSION OF THE FLASH 20 YEARS AGO? Sign me the gently caress up! Everybody seems to be having fun on The Flash, there was none of the angsty drama that dragged down it's sister show Arrow, and while it very much looks and feels like the CW show that it is, that's not always a bad thing. 4. Hannibal - Always on the cusp of cancellation, the axe finally fell during season 3 of this beautiful, beautiful show. So while it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, Bryan Fuller was at least familiar enough with this type of situation to have ended the episode in such a way that I could be absolutely satisfied if there was never another second of this wonderful show made... which it looks increasingly like there never will be. I honestly struggle to think of any show that was more beautiful looking/well shot than this, even Fargo falls slightly short, which is not an indictment of that show at all but just an indication of how incredible this one looked. Embracing the dream-like/nightmare visions that built through the first two seasons, the third and final season was one all about people trapped in their own heads, and the way Hannibal infected them, wrapped himself inextricably into their sense of self and made them question everything they thought they knew and believed. Hannibal became a cancer, even when imprisoned and seemingly contained he ate away at the insides of everybody, until Will finally took the only measure he felt was left to him - it's easy to kill a cancer, it's just not easy to survive the process. Richard Armitage's take on the now familiar Red Dragon is excellent, it's only a pity that what we got to see of him was so truncated. But the final showdown between Will, Hannibal and the Red Dragon is exceptional and a fantastic way to end the season.... and the show. 3. Rick and Morty - The insane nonsense of Rick and Morty's life would fall flat if the show wasn't extremely careful about giving up the most tantalizing glimpses of something a little deeper going on beneath the surface, that Rick has just a bit more going for him. Whether it be his 1/64th decision to save 1/64th of Morty from oblivion, the photos on Birdman's wall, Rick's angry, drunken revelation of his time on the battlefield fighting for an honest-to-God cause, or his final decision to give his family some semblance of a life at the cost of the freedom that means everything to him. These little poignant peeks into his hidden depths could easily come across as saccharine sweet or otherwise fall flat, but the writers/voice actors do a great job of making them feel earned. And for the majority of the time, it's just a very funny show about a drunk old man who doesn't give a gently caress anymore spending all day hanging out with his grandson doing whatever he goddamn feels like. 2. Jessica Jones - Though it does stretch out about 10 episodes worth of content into 13 episodes, the quality is so high than even stretched thin it is better than almost everything else on television this year. It isn't as pretty looking as Daredevil, but it feels more cohesive with a better supporting cast and much meatier, grounded themes (considering it's a show about people with superpowers that's impressive). Plenty of people have raved all about David Tennant as Kilgrave, and quite justifiably so, but Krysten Ritter is excellent as well. Her performance isn't as showy as Tennant's, and the fact she's playing somebody emotionally repressed and suffering from PTSD means she has to pull back and let things play out far more subtly. The series doesn't offer any easy answers, it doesn't "fix" anything by the end, and the subplot of Simpson's effort to do just that makes for an excellent story all by itself. By the end, when Jessica has accomplished her goal but hasn't found the peace she wanted, it's the fact she was still able to forge connections with others in spite of her pain that proves the light in the dark. Even then, it doesn't pretend that things are going to improve, but Jessica is still there and in a better place than where she started - she may be in the same position as she was in the first episode, but now she has friends looking out for her and she is willing to let them do so. It's a show about fantastical people dealing with grounded issues, it's extremely well cast, and if only for its exploration of perceptions of masculinity and femininity it's one of the best shows of 2015. As a total package, it would take something absolutely, unbelievably amazing to beat it. 1. Fargo - It's absolutely, unbelievably amazing. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 08:22 on Dec 27, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 08:19
|
|
|
That's a hell of a list, although I have to admit the logic behind DW's placement - "only one episode is really actually especially good but the running thread throughout the season that may or may not have been intentional might make them better in retrospect, maybe" - made me laugh out loud a bunch.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 09:06
|
|
|
I actually seriously considered whether to include it or not, and in the end I decided that it's a list of my favorites and not necessarily the "best" (Flash wouldn't be on there otherwise!) and also that I really do think the last season of Doctor Who was one where the sum was greater than the whole of its parts. I do really need to watch Sense8 though, I heard it is great and I've just never gotten around to checking it out.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 13:26
|
|
|
I'm starting to gather together resources for the final list reveal. Get hype, people, it's going to be a blast.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 14:41
|
|
|
Starting to think i should of added The Muppets to mine.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 14:58
|
|
|
Sense8 is pretty drat cool and I can absolutely see it being your sort of show, Jerusalem. To be honest I'm actually surprised it isn't massively popular. If it had aired on a network it would have been one of the biggest TV events of the year and been way more up to the task than Wayward Pines. As it is it's just "another original Netflix show".
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 17:51
|
|
|
Escobarbarian posted:If it had aired on a network it would have been one of the biggest TV events of the year Not really, more likely it would have been canceled after three episodes. We should be eternally grateful for Netflix even giving it a full season and renewal in the first place.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 18:02
|
|
|
What's your logic behind that? It's an idea that lends itself well to populist trappings and comes from two well-known creators. It definitely wouldn't have been as good or as hella gay on a network but I absolutely think it would have been popular.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2015 20:21
|
|
|
Honourable mentions: Survivor, Narcos, Jessica Jones, Silicon Valley (which may have made my list if I didn't keep remembering that drat Delete key), American Dad, Veep (I am that person who does not like Hugh Laurie), Orphan Black, Mr. Robot, Arrow, Parks & Recreation, Agent Carter, and Revenge (for its series finale alone in which Emily unknowingly receives a heart transplant from her nemesis Victoria). 10. The Affair  This is the most frustrating show of 2015 and I'm giving it a spot so that I can write out my feelings about it. Like the tiny TVIV thread says, it is indeed poo poo. Vanity Fair calls it both the best and the worst show. At best, it is an in-depth character study exploring the way we perceive and remember events. At worst, it is a terrible soap opera featuring entitled yuppies, enough so that Vulture declared the main protagonist to be the TV Villain of the Year. This season, the Rashomon gimmick has opened up to include four viewpoints and it's been great. They also went further into making the characters' viewpoints of certain events to be completely, frustratingly divergent from each other. How can two people go through something together and yet tell entirely different stories from it? Rock bottom this season was a coked up Noah Solloway accidentally perving on his 17 year old daughter while somewhere else amidst the storm, his mistress/girlfriend gave birth to his (supposed) child. The best 30 minutes of this show came the next episode and featured Noah talking with a therapist in the style of In Treatment. Sprinkled throughout the show is a murder mystery which annoyed some viewers, but hey I had fun trying to piece together what happened. 9. Humans  I went in thinking that this was gonna be like an extended Charlie-Brooker-less version of Black Mirror. Midway through the season, the show became the awesome cylon BSG prequel that I had been waiting for, one that Caprica was not able to deliver (although I only watched the first season). Yes, there are annoying family dynamics complete with a bratty teenager, but it wasn't that bad. They blew through so much story by the end of the 8 episode season that I have no clue what kind of structure the second season is going to look like. 8. Show Me A Hero  This was a fun exercise in making me exhaustedly angry at dumb racist townfolk followed by watching the relatively quieter ramifications of a public housing policy being enacted. 7. The Middle  In its 7th season, this show gets the Most Consistent Award. What it excels at is showing moments that are recognizable in most family households, i.e. "That is so my mother!"/"You so do that!". You would think that a long running family comedy would have grown its characters stale by now, but they all continue to show new depths as they evolve. The formerly celebrated high school jock is now slumping into an existential crisis. The usually stable dad began his midlife crisis by wearing a Hawaiian shirt instead of flannel (am I selling this show or what?). The world and characters around them is well built as well, with low-key annual or semi-annual visits from Brooke Shields, Dave Foley, Jack McBrayer and Norm MacDonald. Its best episode this year was its last: "Not So Silent Night". It was a bottle episode featuring the family in their home. It blew me away with great character moments that could serve as the Emmy reel for each cast member, escalating physical comedy hijinx and a high-stakes crisis (which could be solved in the real world if not for these dumb Hecks). 6. Fresh Off The Boat  This show has: a typical yet specific American immigrant family story, 90's nostalgia, awkward pre-pubescent stories, and the absurd and hilarious voice of Nahnatchka Khan, creator of Don't Trust The Bitch In Apt 23 and writer of American Dad during some of its good years. If you have any memory of Grade 7 and/or Boys II Men, watch episode 2.02 "Boy II Man." 5. The Flash  Yes, there are a lot of groan-worthy moments and entire episodes where nothing makes sense and everything feels false, but none of that matters when things become so goddamn fun/scary/cool/emotional/awesome. 4. Kingdom  I know that my taste is not in line with TVIV's, but this show does not deserve to be slept on so much! Some internet commenters (or maybe even a legit internet article) have described this as Friday Night Lights but with MMA, swearing and the occasional tits. It is a goddamn good show with good characters and fight scenes. The season did start slowly, but it ended spectacularly. Jonathan Tucker as Jay Kulina is absolutely loving amazing. He gets my vote for best performance of the year. He gave his everything to the show. I think the writers were giving him scenes with every single character to take advantage of his ability to have chemistry with everybody. He lost 30 pounds for the show, and somehow stayed sane enough to still kick rear end in every scene. He went through the rigorous physical demands of portraying an MMA fighter. He loving crawled on all fours and meowed like a loving cat in a scene, which seems too random to have been written on the script. He stole every scene he was in. Matt Lauria (of FNL fame) also had a great season with crazy powerful stuff in the finale. Coincidentally, this season featured Mark Consuelos, husband of America's Sweetheart Kelly Ripa, taking a main character on a drug-and-booze-filled bender ending with hookers. 3. Broad City  This is one of the best portrayals of a genuine friendship. Watching these two girls go through crazy New York adventures is pure joy. Coincidentally, this season featured Kelly Ripa, wife of America's Sweetheart's husband Mark Consuelos, taking a main character on a drug-and-booze-filled bender ending with hookers. 2. Better Call Saul  So good. I don't need to say more. 1. Fargo  So crazy good. Judging by this thread, I may watch The Americans next, and then The 100. Yer Burnt fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Dec 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 02:07
|
|
Yer Burnt posted:4. Kingdom
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 13:57
|
|
|
Or you can skip FNL altogether. I was using it as a reference for people here. I never went past the first season of FNL myself.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2015 19:28
|
|
|
Just a heads up guys, I'm staying in a hostel that blocks the SA forums on my laptop until January 2nd so the results won't come out immediately on the 1st. I'm hoping to get them up over the 2nd and 3rd and they'll be worth the wait, oh yes.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 15:24
|
|
|
Sorry, I've just edited my list to insert series 3 of The Bridge at number 7. Sorry, Daredevil. And I mean the Danish/Swedish original by the way, I haven't seen any of the other versions. It maintains the standards set by the first two series despite a major change in the cast. The gimmick of this dark crime drama is that the cases take place on both sides of the Sweden/Denmark border, forcing detectives from two different departments to work together. Sofia Helin stars as Saga Norén, a homicide detective who probably has undiagnosed asbergers. She's loving fantastic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 15:59
|
|
|
It feels weird that Kimmy Schmidt, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Mr Robot, Master of None, Narcos, Wet Hot American Summer, Sense8 and OITB aren’t in my top ten, but that just shows how strong a year it’s been. Hell, I even considered including Homeland for its surprisingly high quality. That’s not to mention the fact that I still need to watch The Jinx and Show me a Hero and…… 10 - Jordskott Small town supernatural weirdness; mythology; a paranormal detective; scandi-noir investigation. This just ticked a lot of boxes for me. 9 - The Americans Every kink the first season had as now been ironed out and, although I think I personally enjoyed season 2 more on the whole, this was a cracking, tightly packaged season. 8 - The Leftovers I still don’t know if I like The Leftovers or not, but seeing as I found every single scene utterly compelling, I guess I must do. Reminded me of how a little bit of tinkering after the first season of Boardwalk Empire lead to pretty much the same thing there. 7 - Daredevil Daredevil managed to take the Marvel aesthetic and turn it into a show, without much apparent compromise, while at the same time doing stuff the movies couldn’t do. I enjoy Agents of Shield in a throwaway, watch-while-eating-dinner way, but Daredevil just completely blew it away and set the bar for superhero shows in my mind. Jessica Jones could have made my top 10 as well, so I can’t wait for what comes next in the Netflix Marvelverse. 6 - Parks n Rec Like a show further up the list, this probably gets a few bonus points just for being a satisfying conclusion to a show I love. It’s had some ups and downs over the years, but it’s still remarkably consistent over its 100+ episodes. A great send off, nothing more to say. 5 - Veep Makes my list every year. For me, still the best sitcom airing. Hugh Laurie was a good addition, and the way the plot built, in true Thick of It fashion to the fantastic hearing episode was great. 4 - Better Call Saul I didn’t pay much attention to the build up to this. I knew I’d watch it and I knew I’d like it, but I think, like a lot of people, I was expecting more of a sitcom rather than, well a Breaking Bad prequel. It’s absolutely more BB, but that doesn’t mean it’s derivative. It’s definitely its own thing but has that mix of crime, drama and comedy combined with the same great aesthetic. Which is a good thing. I can’t wait to see where this goes. 3. Making a Murderer The three Fargo stories ironically claim their preposterous tales are based on true events. Stephen Avery’s story might be even crazier, but it’s actually true. Some of the ‘characters’ and events in this actually came across as Fargo/Coen-esque to me, but without the comedy, unfortunately. Without going in to the greater discussion surrounding this; as a show, it’s one of the most gripping things I’ve seen. I watched three or four episodes over a couple of days then binged the rest the following day. I loved Daredevil, but even that took me three weeks to watch. 2 - Justified One of my favourite ever shows and, after a slightly iffy season 5 gave cause to worry, it capped it all off in a completely satisfying manner, giving all characters the send-off they deserved (well, apart from maybe poor Tim and Rachel) in a manner that felt true and deserved. And despite tying everything back to the beginning and calling in on most of the old cast left standing (and not, in one powerful scene), they still managed three new compelling Justified villains with a return to the best casting on TV. I liked you, Justified. D’you know why? 1 - Fargo For me, Fargo is the most cinematic experience to appear on TV. Both in that this could be a ten hour movie and ten separate mini-movies, with its one-off narrative choices and openings (that War Pigs intro, man!). It’s one of those seasons that people can’t help comparing to the previous one; I have no idea which I prefer, I just know I loved absolutely every minute of both. It's just got everything.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 17:01
|
|
|
10 - Gotham I didn’t really expect to like this, and I’m not sure how much I did. I stopped watching during this year’s season. I like two things about it: it isn’t overly concerned with the fact that it’s conceptually a prequel (so it’s arguable not) and it embraces the cheesiness in a different way from say, The Flash. It’s not afraid to try different things, but it might be afraid to commit to them. I dunno, I stopped watching it. 9 - The Walking Dead (second half season 5) The rules say to clarify which season if two seasons aired during 2015. I think Season 5 was probably the peak for this show and it’s all downhill from here. I like the character of Rick, and I feel like his most recent transformations are the most powerful and interesting. Despite this show’s dumb-drama-bs, I like when well developed characters like Rick struggle with what they want to be vs what they have to be vs what is most convenient for them. 8 - Daredevil The good in this show is really good, but there’s a few things that hold it back: Awkward pacing early on. As the first Marvel Netflix show, I feel like they tried to do a few more or less stand alone episode in the beginning, and these really didn’t work for me. Once the villain gets introduced, and we get backstory episodes for both the hero and the villain, things really kick off. 7 - Rick and Morty This continues to be good. I’m a sucker for scifi, and despite being an animated series full of vulgar toilet humor, this show also manages to include interesting science fiction concepts. The episode with the memory parasite specifically is a standout for me. 6 - The Flash Originally this was gonna be higher, but then I watched more better shows. While this is relevant to most of the shows on my list, it’s especially relevant here: Television special effects have finally reached the level where a super-hero show can do pretty much whatever it wants. There was a giant street-shark this season and it looked amazing. Despite it’s overall lighthearted tone, there were some good character moments that elevated this above a completely formulaic sitdramady 5 - W/ Bob and David I’m not sure if this is fair, but I can’t rate this higher on sheer content. Most of these shows have 13+ epsides that I love, this one has 4. As a longtime fan of Mr. Show, I feel like W/ Bob and David delivered beyond my wildest dreams. I liked basically all the sketches, with only small parts of them falling flat for me. David Cross’s “love to hate him” awkward character style of comedy shines on, and Odinkirk’s is great as usual. It would have been nice if they could have gotten some cameos from Mr. Show alums who’s careers took off, like Jack Black. This probably should be lower on my list, but it’s both fresh in my mind and surprise how well it’s made. It’s a simple formula, executed well. The A-Team is in space and they have amnesia. They fly their ship around to different locations trying to make sense how they got there, and what they should do next. I have to recommend this to the Firefly, Farscape, Stargate crowd. It’s fun and it’s funny. each episode so far (I haven’t finished the first season’s 13 episodes yet) stand alone pretty well but also advances the overall plot arc. Very solid, nothing exceptional. 4 - Orphan Black This is practically a one-woman show and that doesn't hurt it at all. While the overall plot is kind of lame, the characters are highly entertaining and the continuious stream of high-tension scenes makes this a shoe-in for my top 10. I simply can't get over the fact that when they have one character disguise themselves as another character, played by the same actress, you can actually tell that it's one character disguised as the other. There's so many ways this show could go wrong, and it somehow doesn't. At 10 episodes per season, it never outstays its welcome. They really need a plot besides "Kira got taken again" though. Holy poo poo. 3 - Jessica Jones I thought Daredevil was good. Jessica Jones has none of Daredevil’s flaws. It has a strong story out of the gate, although it lacks the lighthearted aspect of Daredevil’s humor. There’s still humor in Jessica Jones, but it’s much more sarcastic and/or dark. I hope that the serialized quality of this show is a trendsetter for Marvel Netflix and we can expect more like this going forward. Strong female characters are in vogue now, but this show is almost entirely about exploring human weakness. Fear, doubt, depression, and different types of dysfunctional and abusive relationships are explored here and it’s pretty great. 2 - Sense8 Did you like the Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas? Because this is kind of like that. This is a show about life and compassion. 8 Characters (get it?) help each-other explore the problems in their lives, but they also need to come together to fight a much bigger threat. This show has a revolutionary level of sex-positivity, as well as some great, if few and far between, action sequences. Probably what I like about this show the most is how optimistic it is. It’s a feel good show that celebrates our differences not as obstacles, but as the variety that makes humanity great. 1 - The 100 With a rocky first season, I had the lowest of expectations going into the season 2. This show has blow me away. This show succeeds where The Hunger Games and The Walking Dead fall short. This show is about growing up and how society gets the way it is. You’re going to have to turn your brain off for anything science-related, but that’s okay, because the drama and character development is where this show really shines. This season took the most pathetic, annoying, and hateable characters of the first season and showed that anyone can rise to an occasion. it is an inspired level of long-form, character-based storytelling. Don’t be fooled by it’s YA styling, it’s not as shallow as it looks, and while it might hammer some of the text into your head, there’s a large amount of subtext that it just. lets. be. And It’s loving brutal. Snak fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Dec 30, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 17:15
|
|
|
I hate lists, and even though I watch 1000x more comedy than drama (because I'm usually behind and binge watch dramas from 3 years ago), I still feel guilty about all the stuff I loved but have left out. Also I hate that I wrote this as 1>10 and now I have to reverse it. Or maybe I won't. Who knows what I did after all. 10. The Chris Gethard Show Ignored the thread for several years, watched one of the 'real TV' episodes and then proceeded to watch about 30 episodes in the space of a week. It's everything that public access should be, and more TV should break the rules as much as this show does. 9. Kroll Show Hard to choose between Kroll, Key & Peele, and Inside Amy Schumer. All 3 were great, and K&P and Kroll both ended on solid seasons. Kroll takes it just because of how clever it wraps everything together, it's really damned impressive. 8. Homeland Caught up finally, and I have to give them credit for essentially making a new show with existing characters. Not my favourite season, but not much "oh really?" to it either, which is surprising because it's Homeland. 7. Broad CIty Yaaaaas queen. 6. Last Week Tonight I forget to watch The Daily Show now, but I make sure I watch LWT each week. Perfect balance between humour and horror. 5. Veep Armando's last season, hard to tell if the show can be as strong without him. They definitely gave us a reason to wonder if it can be as good though, because this show just keeps getting better somehow. 4. Nathan For You Awkwardness extraordinaire, not every single episode hits but when it does - it's just genius. It feels too good to be legit, but its too legit to be scripted. 3. Review Andy Daly is the most unassuming comedy god ever, but somehow he's able to make an unhinged character like Forrest feel real, regardless of what he puts him through. 2. The Americans Can understand people not liking this year as much due to the fact the story moves slower, but top wig work always wins me over and it's a fantastic drama. 1. Better Call Saul Probably only pipping The Americans to the post due to the 'its new!' and 'its the Breaking Bad followup that doesn't disappoint at all' factors, but it's really good. It's as good as Breaking Bad pretty much. There's so many shows I haven't seen, so hey little silly comedy shows get points instead.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 17:49
|
|
|
10. Rick & Morty - Dan Harmon is the best writer on TV. I don't think anybody at all should doubt this. The problem comes from him playing with characters that are difficult to humanize. While the show eventually leads to incredibly human, philosophical moments and all the comedy bits have a whacky sci-fi concept that puzzles the audience on what's right and wrong, I still think the show and its potential have outgrown the style of presentation and it's time for Dan to really knock it out of the park by having the characters grow without turning back. 9. Last Week Tonight - This one is cheating, because it's different from other TV listed here in that it's more News-News, but if you show me one TV that has caused an internet-traffic induced DDoS-like attack, helped shape American National and Foreign policy, all while educating everyone who watches on food and drug regulation, and lesser-talked about border-silhouettes of different countries, then I might be convinced it doesn't deserve a spot on my Top 10. My only qualm is that it honestly should do a little better research on some of the topics it tackles. 8. Brooklyn Nine-Nine - B99 is faltering a little in its newest season, and that's okay. The writers and characters are comfortably settling into their roles and everyone is becoming one big happy family, like they always do on comedy sitcoms. The show still has some incredibly (incredibly) hilarious moments, and that's all that matters. 7. Sense8 - The Wachowskis followed Soderbergh to television and had equally as much success! The show is beautifully shot and well paced to the point where at some moments the audience is led down a garden path sequence, only to be reminded of the show's central conceit - 8 characters are all brain-connected to one another. It's hilarious, haunting and homely all at the same time. 6. Jessica Jones - Okay, while writing this list I was convinced Jessica Jones wasn't going to make it to my list. It just didn't break enough ground that I considered it anything but a well-acted, well-presented show. As I wrote the list, I realized how much ground it did break and was forced to include it. The paranoia coming from the audience wondering (alongside Jessica) whether everyone around her is against her is frightening. Realizing the true depths of how much Jessica has suffered, and how much everyone around her has either suffered through it, too, or have their own larger-than-life problems shows us that they all continue to care for each other because they know what others don't - the everyday heroic secrets of living in our society. It's a wonderful, intelligent show, that knows how to underplay every hand, thought and scene until it all erupts to the top in both the audience and the acting simultaneously. 5. iZombie - Veronica Mars has been reborn as a zombie with completely charming and not at all murderous side-characters (except for one). I think the potential of this show is ridiculous, especially because the big bad looks so much to be character progressing into becoming Spike from Buffy and that fills me with hope. The show is unexpected, funny, personal, surprising, and looks to have set up a kickass second season, free of many of the first season's writing limitations by virtue of being a new show. The show contextualizes comeuppance to many characters as being audience-justified and I kind of sort of hope that even though it's not that kind of show, that it tackles the moral negativity of being a murderous hero zombie in a smart way that doesn't blame the audience, or the show's main character Liv Moore (yeah, the show does funny things with character names all the time). 4. Daredevil - From the ending sequence of the first episode of Daredevil - one where tracking and panning shots show the entirely massive criminal underbelly of the city in about a minute - I knew I was in for a treat. Daredevil has set the blueprint for superhero/antihero shows for years to come. When a villain is written off, it's done in such a way that the entire existence of everyone on the show is affected, leaving viewers with an actual sense of loss. When heroes are fighting, the show puts everyone in every setting into a mood where they can't care about the bigger picture. It's like taking the greatest roller-coaster ride of emotions inside a comic book, and everyone needs to see it. 3. Silicon Valley - The crazy thing about Silicon Valley isn't that it can create a comedy drama out of people coding for a living, but that it increasingly puts them in situations where the (best) 'bits' (on tv at the moment), which on every other show would have no effect on the grand scheme of events, are increasingly important to the story with every passing episode, culminating in a season finale resolving or season finale destroying sequence. It's a show that understands that quotables can't just be witty one liners, they have to embody an entire character in their structure. And it has a ridiculously talented super-star cast of lesser known comedians on it. 2. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - TV shows are increasingly doing this thing where they move towards realism and grit (thanks to Christopher Nolan being a mostly misguided dunce). OR, when they're a comedy, they're trying to do a weird SNL-style thing where they comment on the news without doing it "really". That's why Kimmy Schmidt is so transcendent. It's created its own universe where the most important characters are women, gay, black, asian, indigenous, old or a combination of and then actually made them comment on news from the 90's. It's the one show that tries to do entertainment through positivity and sunshine and wonder and happiness and it nails it. 1. Bojack Horseman - Okay. This is a big one. It's the exact opposite of my #2, but it's more important to me. I've never before seen a TV show hit the perfect nuance behind depression so much, and contextualize the hosed up actions people do and justify by them fighting it or going along with it. At no point in the show do you watch Bojack and think to yourself that he's unredeemable, even though he gets himself into situations that on any other show would have sent him into the perpetually hated column of characters. The show isn't just about depression, though, it's about the hilarity of Hollywood (with multiple famous movie references being relegated to C-storylines in different episodes), it's about how other people don't get it ("Bojack what do you have to be unhappy about?") while the audience 'gets' Bojack (and through him, depression), and it's about hope. Hope is this weird thing that the show perfectly defines within the confines of depression as both being a good thing and a horrible thing. Bojack is the only show on my list that I very near destroyed a work week to watch, because I had to know if there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and trust the writers to show it to me if there is. This show, more than any other, epitomizes television. Bojack. Horseman. Is. Amazing. Ernie. fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Dec 30, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 17:51
|
|
|
Work/Christmas/Vidya Games has kept me from doing a list so I'm just gonna do a quick one so I don't miss the deadline. Honorable Mentions: Last Week Tonight, Flash, Daredevil, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, You're the Worst, Bojack Horseman, I could go on. Shows likely to factor in had I gotten around to them: Transparent, Rectify, Brooklyn 99, Shameless (I'll catch up on you some day, Shameless) 10)Jessica Jones Getting The Doctor to play the most terrifying man imaginable may be the most inspired casting choice of the year. Glad so much else works for the show, too. 9)The 100 A few of us have beating this dead horse in Couch Chat, but if there's a CW show I would recommend even to people who hate CW shows, it's this one. Just give it a few episodes to work the stupidness of its initial premise out of its system. 8)Rick and Morty I'm totally fine with this just being another Adult Swim cartoon that the creators get to make more of whenever they feel like it over the next 10-15 years. 7)Broad City Comedy Central has had some really good shows (and also Brickleberry) of late. For my money, this is the best of them. 6)The Leftovers Another show I still need to finish but based upon what I've read I expect it to stick the landing. I had a love/hate feeling for the show in S1 despite having no feelings about Lost/Lindelof whatsoever so I was glad so see this show figure out what works and roll with it. 5)Justified Ended about as well as I could have expected it to, especially after a dud Season 5. This show never got the love it deserved. 4)Mr. Robot USA clearly needs to step out of its comfort zone more often. drat, this show was fun. 3)Parks and Recreation There may never be another sitcom as oddly charming as Parks was when it was on its game. 2)Better Call Saul This one had potential disaster written all over it. But that's probably me not giving Vince Gilligan enough credit. 1)Fargo The winks and nods to Coen brothers movies got to be a little much at times. Whatever, still the best show on TV. hcreight fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Dec 30, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 18:09
|
|
|
Hope it's not too late to make my list, with the added caveat that there's a bunch of shows I haven't seen yet (Leftovers, Bojack S2, Jessica Jones, You're the Worst, etc.) 10. Steven Universe - The fanbase for this show is making it really hard to keep interest in it, but I still really like it. It's a cute, heartfelt show that's funny to watch and has a well-developed, likable cast of characters. 9. The Americans - Still quietly one of the best shows on TV. This show has been a really slow burn for me as a whole, but the performances are great and this season felt like everything coming to a head. Can't wait for the next season. 8. The 100 - Thanks TV/IV. Chalk me up as another person who wrote this off as YA chaff only to be surprised with how brutal and enthralling this show is. 7. Adventure Time - gently caress alla y'all, I still like it. I get why the later seasons won't appeal to everyone, but the combination of surrealist humor, insane design, and an experimental, complex approach to narrative and storytelling still makes it the best cartoon on television to me. 6. Person of Interest - Really sad that POI is on the chopping block but looking forward to what I presume is the final season. A really fun cyberpunk-action thriller that manages to explore some really interesting sci-fi concepts in between intense action sequences. 5. Better Call Saul - Was super skeptical of this at first, but ended up surprised with how close in quality it was to Breaking Bad. I don't think it's at BB's level yet, but it's definitely getting there. 4. Nathan for You - Nathan Fielder is a loving genius. It feels like each episode finds some new and clever way to be as awkwardly hilarious as possible. 3. Review - I got really disappointed with how tame Bojack Horseman was in regards to dark comedy (maybe season 2 will change this?). Now this is the type of never-ending vortex of comedic misery I can get behind. 2. Fargo - My top two are virtually tied and I consider both to be near-perfect seasons of television. Fargo gets #2 because I felt that Mr. Robot was slightly more consistent overall, but it's still some of the boldest television I've ever seen. 1. Mr. Robot - Surprise of the year for me. Sounds lame and derivative on paper, but the execution is completely immaculate and Rami Malek's performance is incredible. One of the most confident and consistent first seasons of a show I've ever seen. Honorable Mentions - Arrow, Flash, and Daredevil are fun but they're too fluffy for me to put on the list, and while I didn't love The Jinx as a whole, the ending will go down in television history. Also Off the Air is best television show absolutely no one is watching or discussing, anywhere.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 18:26
|
|
quote:5 - W/ Bob and David 
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 18:29
|
|
|
haha, It's not like I'm a fan of Jack Black, I just thought it would have been neat. edit: OH poo poo I forgot about Orphan Black. Sorry Dark Matter, bye! Snak fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Dec 30, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 18:30
|
|
|
10: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Tina Fey's creative sensibilities needed a refresher after 30 Rock, and this show was perfect for her. There were some missteps with Jane Krakowski's character, and it got far too cartoony near the ending, but this was still one of the funniest and most confident comedy freshman seasons I've ever seen. 9: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend With a full season and more episodes, this would probably be higher. But this sorely underrated and underwatched show is great at being a filthy comedy and a musical showcase. It's even more impressive that all the songs are original. Regardless of if this show survives the low ratings, I want to see more of Rachel Bloom and Rebecca Bunch. 8: UNreal Shiri Appleby's Rachel has a pretty iconic entrance, laying flat on a limo floor, coaching reality TV contestants wearing a ratty "this is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt. I've never watched a reality show that didn't involve food, so this was my first experience with these dating/true love versions. This was a brutal season of TV, even with the injections of dark humor in the periphery. But it's worth it, and it always hooked me to get the next episode as soon as humanly possible. Constance Zimmer is also pretty amazing in her own role as Rachel's other side of the mirror slash glimpse into the future. 7: Bojack Horseman It's probably cheating that this is animated, but it's still amazing how this show can pivot from a goofy animal pun one second into a crushing depiction of depression the next. Bojack Horseman had a tall order to top its first season, but the second season managed to deliver new comedy and drama heights. Lisa Kudrow delivered as much of a standout voice performance as I've ever seen (heard), too. 6: The Last Man On Earth This show started as an idea, a blurb that makes you go "huh?". Will Forte writing/starring in a show with him as the titular Last Man On Earth. I successfully avoided most anything about it until watching the pilot, which seemed like a great dark comic parody of Frank Darabont's Walking Dead pilot. The short first season had its great moments and growing pains, but the second has been pretty funny, great, and settled nicely into a groove. 5: Broad City Just the platonic ideal of the best friends buddy comedy show. Abbi and Ilana are now your new female comedy dream team, adios Tina and Amy. This show made me laugh hard and cheer harder for their deep roster of loveable characters to make it in this crazy world. 4: The Knick Is it cheating to include this? Steven Soderbergh is making 10 hour long films for Cinemax for some drat reason. The score evokes the best parts of Trent Reznor on The Social Network, and propels even the most banal scene. Clive Owen and Andre Woodard are amazing as the two main leads, and Eve Hewson has also been amazing this year. No hospital or medical show in TV history has ever looked this good. 3: Fargo Speaking of cheating, is Fargo really that good, or is it just riding down the trails that the Coens already blazed? I guess my answer's obvious, since it's so high on the list, but it's still something I think about. Some of the allusions to the Coens this season were more obvious than the last, but they still couldn't detract from the quality of this season. Nick Offerman as the Breakfast King of Loyola is just one of the incredible standout moments. It's a crime that there isn't going to be more until 2017. 2: The Americans It's rare to see a show lose its greatest secret weapon (character actress Margo Martindale) and still turn in its best season. The tension teased out over this season of the spy drama was almost unbearable, but most every subplot had a satisfying payoff by the end of Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech in the finale. It's wild that the fourth season could be even better. 1: Review This was the best executed version of the serialized comedy/half hour show that I've seen. While the first season dealt with the idea of Forrest ruining his life and having permanent consequences to his absurd reviews/job, this second season jumped in head first. It was like the change from a kitten batting a toy and a tiger chasing down an antelope. That gave all of Forest's adventures some weird combo of horror and hilarity. I thought this show would never top Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes, but I'm glad to be completely wrong.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 19:57
|
|
|
This list is a little difficult, since I tend to wait until shows are fairly behind or finished then binge watch them, so most things I watched in 2015 aren't actually from 2015. Also I tend to fall behind on shows I do like and haven't watched several of the latest seasons. So Agents of Shield, Parks and Rec, Community, The Genius, and Crime Scene would probably all be on my list, but I haven't watched the last few seasons of them. That said, I did watch some newer things. 10) Rick and Morty I binge watched the entire series recently, so I have a hard time remembering what happened in which season, but it's just a solidly funny show. It really hits that wacky crazy spot for me. 9) Master of None I'm slightly too old and/or not hip enough to totally identify with this show completely. I'm not really someone who is going to spend a long time looking up reviews for a taco place, but it still did resonate with me quite a bit. It was funny and heartfelt, and Aziz Ansari's parents were amazing in it. 8) Bojack Horseman Like Rick and Morty I watched both seasons recently so the differences between them blur. I put it off for a while, since I tend to hate shows with unredeemable assholes as the main characters, but Bojack just grew on me, and Escape From L.A. was just riveting. 7) Last Week Tonight One of the last things that kept me holding onto cable was The Daily Show. It was one of the only shows I'd consistently DVR and keep watching, even after I used netflix for most other things. Finding that niche of news/comedy was nice, but moreso having this type of longform journalism format makes me like it even more. The gags can get a little stale, and sometimes John can milk a joke a little too much, but overall it's still always both a funny and interesting watch. 6) Game of Thrones It's hard to leave this off because it is one of the only shows that I still watch the moment it comes out, even if it does meander. I'm hoping the fact that it's basically entirely its own show now (except the inevitable boringness of the kingsmoot) will let it grow. I'm excited for the new season in the spring. 5) Orange is the New Black I was very unsure after Season 2 completely stripped all these women of their complexity to introduce a villain for no reason, but Season 3 may have been the best season. The relationships were complex and the stories interesting, and I think making it more of a "Tales from Lichfield" rather than trying to shoehorn in a plot made it better. Some people seemed to dislike the season finale for not being more dramatic like the other two were, but I liked it for being quiet and simple. 4) Survivor I guess every season is considered together, but obviously I'm talking about Second Chances. I've seen most seasons of Survivor, watching the first few way back when they aired a thousand years ago, and this was probably the best season. The complete elimination of alliances in favour of "voting blocks" made each episode dynamic. Anything could conceivably happen because nobody felt obligated to anybody else, yet each move felt logical. Production did both some good and bad things this season. Screwing one tribe over for absolutely no reason by putting them on a dead beach with no supplies felt totally ridiculous and unfair, but the hiding of immunity idols in challenges was so brilliant I'm surprised it took them this long to come up with it. It not only made idol hunting interesting, it made challenges which otherwise were feeling a bit stale riveting as well. 3) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt I just love a happy show. A show that is about a good person just being joyful in the world. There were a couple of missteps, mostly focused near the finale, but Kimmy experiencing New York and loving life despite the cynicism around her is so refreshing. 2) Masterchef Australia (Season 7) I have binge watched this entire series this year, but season 7 is the latest one and it is amazing. It is basically unrecognizable from the Gordon Ramsay empire of yelling  It's a show about a good group of people who just want to cook spectacular food and support each other. The judges are firm, but kind, and genuinely want the contestants to do well. There is no sabotaging and fighting. It's not about manufacturing drama between regular people. It's just a genuinely nice show. It's also approximately a billion episodes per season, since pretty much each challenge gets its own episode and it's on 5 days a week, so you never really run out. If we go by sheer amount of time I've spent watching a show in 2015, this would probably double the next show on my list.1) Jessica Jones After talking about how much I like nice happy shows for my number 2 and 3 spots, it feels weird to put this in my number 1, but I found myself unable to feel comfortable putting it anywhere else. I haven't really been able to get into other superhero shows like Daredevil and Arrow, which felt both too corny and too artificially dark, bordering on angst. The darkness in this show feels justified by the subject matter, and the characters feel like real people reacting to a horrific situation. They don't overplay it, but are respectful to the complexity of dealing with an abuse past. Enough people have said enough words on this show for me to have to explain it. It's just good.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 20:07
|
|
|
Damnit I forgot about mr robot, but I don't think it needs my help. It shouldn't do anyway.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 20:09
|
|
|
All of that said, I'm definitely going to watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend when I get home because it sounds completely my jam. I recognized the actress immediately from an old youtube video I still get stuck in my head sometimes. sorta-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1IxOS4VzKM
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 20:10
|
|
|
I didn't watch a whole lot this year, but here's an Honorable Mentions list in no particular order: South Park - A really well-done new season with some new ideas that freshened up the place. Nathan for You - My brother showed me this and I don't think I've laughed so hard at something so ridiculous. It's incredibly smart and is probably my number 11. Ash vs Evil Dead - Perfectly captures the spirit of the movies and Bruce Campbell's still got it. The Genius - A great, intelligent game show - weird! The second season almost turned me off the show entirely, though. Steven Universe - My number 12. Just a great show with worldbuilding underneath funny and charming characters. Rick and Morty - So snappy and so insane. I love my adult cartoons with a mix of dark. Adventure Time - I had stopped watching this for a long time and then just binged up to the current point. It's still pretty damned great, even if the main characters seem to matter less and less.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 20:38
|
|
|
I don't know what it says about modern television that literally half my list is Netflix, and over half of it is streaming-only shows. 10. The Walking Dead - A show that is still a joy to watch. Might have ranked higher if not for the agonizingly dumb and obvious Glenn fakeout. When the pacing is quick this show is great, but when it's slow it's SLOW. 9. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - 30 Rock reborn. Such a weird and crazy plot with some really dynamic themes interwoven. I can't wait for a season 2. 8. Last Man on Earth - Such an improvement. Making Phil a likable character seems to have been priority number one and it makes all the other characters better because of it. One of the most tense comedy mid-season endings I can recall. 7. Community - One of the show's best seasons in my opinion. The new cast integrated very well and the old cast was on fire. Even if you don't like the show the ending tags make it worth it. 6. Agent Carter - Just a pleasant ride from start to finish. Hayley Atwell is the hero we deserve and its post-WWII aesthetic was fantastic. The real standout was Jarvis, who was a weird character to introduce but it worked so well. 5. Wet Hot American Summer - Absolutely as genius as the original movie. The needless origins for things (can of vegetables into toxic sludge), the twists on cliche plotlines, and "He saved friendship with a song!" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIWOMpYD3AE 4. Master of None - An extremely funny show that also left me feeling very introspective and solemn. Each episode having its own theme yet dealing with a larger arc was genius and I find myself identifying with various characters throughout the show. Also I just love anything with Aziz Ansari. 3. Jessica Jones - Trigger Warning: The Show. A masterclass in every type of abuse you can imagine bolstered by a slimy and amazing villain and giving me faith that Krysten Ritter can, in fact, act. I'm a sucker for Marvel stuff, as this list will show, but Jessica Jones was great even removed from it as it was. Snappy dialogue and some scary, scary superpowers makes for an extremely watchable show. 2. Daredevil - Violent, visceral, and completely thrilling. One of the first shows I've ever bingewatched that I've wanted to watch again immediately afterward. While our protagonists are all excellent and deep characters, the shows real strength is seeing the slow burn origin of a supervillain. Fisk's speech at the end when he has finally given up all pretenses of being a good man and that moment where he emerges from the back of the truck, bathed in siren lights, finally: the Kingpin. Season 2 has a lot to live up to. 1. Agents of SHIELD - Each season of this show is better than the last, probably due to just how well the cast gels together. The show is imaginative and utilizes Marvel lore when necessary - and even sorta kinda tied in with the movies (but not really) - but focuses mostly on the power that is its cast. Iain De Caestecker especially is an absolute powerhouse in every dramatic scene he has, plus Ming Na-Wen, Nick Blood, and Henry Simmons are absolutely fantastic - the rest of the cast is great, too, but those are my favorites. Hell, even Clark Gregg got some real acting in this year! Of course, the real treat is Brett Dalton's Grant Ward. It's so amazing to see an ensemble cast show where there's someone bad within their ranks and they're not going to go back on that. I'm reminded of Buffy: Spike did horrible things, but in the end he's still one of the gang. Grant Ward is irredeemable and he quite frankly doesn't want to be redeemed. He's a villain and it's fantastic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2015 21:01
|
|
|
I do not watch a lot of TV. I think I'll be struggling to come up with ten shows at all but oh well here we go! later edit: nope I had more than enough, hooray go me. 10: The Walking Dead. I have quite liked the past two seasons (now that they finally, finally moved on from the Governor). Dumb and suspenseful, just what a zombie show should be. 9: Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Andy Samberg is really cute. 8: Kimmy Schmidt. This year was pretty hard for me for a variety of reasons, and I decided to watch the show at just the right time in the year to remind me that as hard as it's been I am still Unbreakable. 7: Gravity Falls. I started watching it on a sleepless summer night in the Pacific Northwest, and I soon watched almost the entire show before the Fall. Among the canon of "children's shows that appeal to adults for whatever reason," it's the most "clearly made for kids" of the bunch, so it was harder to embrace it as much as other shows in that category (cough SU cough), but it was still a lot of fun. I even hand-made a Vigenere Cipher key to use for the final credit puzzles. 6: Bob's Burgers. My roommate and I love the show so much we went as Tina and Louise for Halloween this year. 5: Game of Thrones. Melisandre is my favorite character in the show (and one of my favorites in television probably), and this season had a lot of her, which I really liked. I don't know what the spoiler policy is for this thread but I'll just say: I legit cried during Episode 9. It's not difficult to get me to cry but it happened and if fictional characters can make me feel emotions for their stories then it's a pretty good show. 4: Community. I have no idea why people don't like the show apparently (judging by the Dire Warnings in the OP). I thought the final Yahoo season was a proper return to form, balancing heartwarming comedy with experimental television in a really effective way. I've been watching it since a flame recommended it during Season 1, and I am flabbergasted happy to see it finally go in peace to love and serve the weird. 3: Jane the Virgin! I confess I haven't seen beyond Season 1 yet (hoping to catch up before the break ends), but since Season 1 aired partly in 2015 this counts. One of the most fun shows I've ever watched. By episode four or five I thought "there's no way they can keep the momentum of insanity going for a full season." AND YET. Also I once made a tweet about the show and the official fake twitter account of Rogelio de la Vega "liked" it and I swooned irl. 2: Steven Universe. Haters gonna etc. and its fandom and anti-fandom is appropriately awful for a kid's-show-that-appeals-to-adults, but the show is sufficiently wonderful in its characters, stories, and messages that it's easy to ignore lovely people on the internet. I love it a lot and it is definitely a highlight of the year for me re:television. 1: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. A wonderful musical comedy about a woman whose neuroses and experiences hit way, way, way too close to home for me, but that makes her so endearing and just plain fun. Honestly there's probably a recency effect with this one, since I only started watching it in November and have already gotten caught up, but it is genuinely a great show, and I suppose I want to do my part to boost its signal in whatever way I can, even if it's just among goons. Honorable Mentions That Just Plain Didn't Make It Because Making Lists is Hard But These Were Still Very Good Shows I Watched This Year: - Parks and Rec - Doctor Who - Gilmore Girls (I know it's old but netflix finally got me to watch it and it's so good) anyway that is my list thank you for your time god bless.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 00:31
|
|
|
10) Agent Carter A pleasant surprise during AoS’s winter break. 9) Doctor Who Not as good as last season, but the great Twelve/Clara dynamic was a highlight again. 8) Game of Thrones Down season for GoT, but “Hardhome” was one of the best hours of the show yet. 7) Parks and Recreation My favorite comedy bounced back with a good wrap-up season. 6) Daredevil A traditional superhero story done incredibly well. 5) Better Call Saul Was worried a prequel to Breaking Bad wouldn’t work, but it really does. 4) Jessica Jones The most ambitious thing Marvel Studios has done yet. 3) Bojack Horseman This show is so much better than it has any right to be. 2) The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst Probably the most captivating 6 hours of television that aired this year. 1) The Leftovers Perfection. Season 2 goes up there with the best seasons of any show in history.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 01:50
|
|
|
oh good it's midnight PST, not EST. jolly good then. My list is done because I can't be bothered to watch anymore shows on my list at the moment, and probably won't tomorrow. sorry, Hannibal, Sense8, Jane the Virgin. If I didn't see all your episodes, you can't be on my list.  but the writeups, well, I want to write at least 200 words for each show. This is peak TV times, I would feel remiss if I only had a short blurb. 3 down, seven to go, but I have to go to bed now. list will be up prior to deadline.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 09:11
|
|
|
To preface this, it's been a crazy year of TV. Just bananas. If the list were for 20 shows, I would still have trouble deciding what to leave out. There's absolutely an avalanche of good poo poo to watch right now, and there's going to be a lot of things I plain missed out on the year, as evidenced by my list below. No doubt my top 10 is going to change as I slowly attempt to catch up on it. Peak TV. PEAK TV. This is a list of my favorite shows of the year. Not necessarily the best, but my most favorite. Honorable Mentions: Daredevil (Steven Knight does it again, not as full of the thematic resonance as the ones that made it, some stumbling with the 13 ep format), Difficult People (so full of inside details I feel like I'm reading someone's snarky journal, doesn't quite bust out of the very good category), bob's burgers (the most likable family on TV, again, there's too much boundary pushing comedies to even mention), Wet Hot American Summer (a triumph over tired retreads and pessimistic nostalgia, a very specific sense of humor that results in misses as well as solid hits), Veep (as smooth and indecipherably efficient as a Tesla battery), iZombie (one of the best first seasons in memory, second season doesn't maintain the momentum), Silicon Valley , Brooklyn 99, Jane the Virgin (a billion plots a minute, does rely on the soap operatics a bit which is understandable considering), The Flash (unfettered imagination meets mainstream comic book level dialogue and characterization), Drunk History (informative and hilarious), Running Man (responsible for some of the biggest laugh out moments I've had this year, relies on a familiarity with the insane cast members engendered by years of episodes), Master of None (not quite laugh a minute, but a mature sense of writing I found surprising), The Brink (something always teetering on the precipice, brings it together by the end somehow), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (a less than ideal ending shouldn't tarnish a great first season), Transparent (empathetic as all hell, some plots and characters grate), Casual (not quite as meaningful as the show runners might think it is, but the blend of comedy/pathos was an interesting one to watch), The Grinder (surprisingly subversive for a conventional time slot and channel), Broad City (goddamit, why isn't a list of 10 shows), Hannibal (ditto, wildly creative, not as propulsive as previous seasons tho), Parks and Rec (a wholly satisfying and sentimental end to one of the greatest comedies in decades), Sens8 (incredibly ambitious with some of the highest TV watching highs of the year i.e. the end of ep 4, somewhat awkward at times dialogue and plot machinations), Scream Queens (my 11th choice for the absurdity of everything involved with it, and the fact that it somehow landed the ending), No You Shut Up! (the most underrated comedy around). Haven't seen: Mad Men (second half of S7), The Knick (S2), Nathan for You (latest S), Louie (S5), Mr. Robot, Show Me a Hero, The Genius (latest S), Ash v. The Evil Dead, Another Period, Bojack Horseman (S3), Rectify (latest S), Inside Amy Schumer, Versailles, 12 Monkeys, Humans, Documentary Now!, Banshee (latest S), Unreal, Catastrophe, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. 10. Olive Kitteridge. A novelistic mini-series that does nothing short of examining the effects of diagnosed depression over different generations. The show would never deign to state that though, allowing the lush visuals, superb acting, and pregnant pauses fill in an entire psychology paper's worth of issues and the effect of parents on their children. Don't think this is just glum marathon though, its' lightened by points of humor that hit harder by how true to life the entire thing is. Definitely worth checking out. 9. The Jinx. A documentary that is more packed than anything you can find in fiction. It's not even the unbelievable ending, each episode leaves you grasping for the remote to find out what happen(s/ed) next. Robert Durnst is impossibly complicated individual, surrounded by so many questions that will never seem to be answered. I mean, what the gently caress was this?! 8: Rick and Morty. A sci-fi orgy of ideas and pathological cynicism, barking out laugh out lines every other second. Each episode a stew of layer and layer of inspired insanity, with an underlying beating heart of wounded human emotion. 7: Fargo. Better cinematography and directing than you would see in most movies today, with characters that leap out of the page, and heroes wrangling with the worst of people. Inundated by great actors chewing on great dialogue, rushing forward to an inevitable ending. I've still not finished watching all the episodes this season, but I'm glad to see that there's been no let-up from the first season'a stellar quality. 6. Jessica Jones A show intent on shoving its themes into your face. A sheen of noir barely obscure a tidal wave's worth of criticisms and musings on the machinations of abuse, seen from as many angles as they could stuff into its 13 episodes. Some small stumbles were more than made up by its obsessive focus on its main, pulsating, plot, and the abundance of three dimensional characters pushing their way through the entire enthralling run-time. The quickest 13 hours I've experienced in a while. 5. Review. A comedy that refuses to let up. Andy Daly is a goddamned genius, for somehow making all the insane happenings that occurs in this show, oh every five minutes or so, believable by imbuing his character with enough faults (and an insane and barely hidden ego) to justify it all. It'll make you laugh your rear end while rueing the existence of a cruel and malevolent god (or to be more exact, TV producer). 4. Kroll Show. A three season sketch show that finishes its run kind of invalidating the need to make any more. Three seasons of interweaving characters, borne on failed reality show after failed reality show, creates a solid as hell platform for a well of ideas and scenarios that pushed the format as far as it can go, along with a continuity and a level of character building not ever seen before. I understand why Kroll and company decided to not make any more season. I mean, what else is there left to do? Either way, we have three seasons of unmatched hilarity to enjoy. 3. Manhattan Where the hell did this come from. On a channel I never heard of, and basically a show that I've disregarded for years, I was astonished to see the level of intelligence and craft involved with this. The acting here is bar none some of the best I've seen this year, and the plotting ruthlessly efficient, pushing its themes and characterization to the fore while leaving any old hat writing crutches by the wayside. I'm only a season into this thing but it was definitely the biggest surprise of the year, and is told really, really well. 2. Last Week Tonight. Lit by a sense of fiery activism and sharp as hell comedic sensibilities. The actual effect of this show might be debatable, but each week the team behind it have pushed the boundaries of the road the Daily Show blazed, while seeming to top itself on a weekly basis. If you're not filled with a sense of outrage and an appreciation of nerdy comedy and felt mascots after a few episodes, I don't know what to tell you. Regularly putting other journalism in the shade, while packing the info loads with plenty of opportunities for laughter. A new, and positive, development for all of TV. 1. Better Call Saul. Perfect, from A to Z. Somehow vaulting over the impossibility of living up to Breaking Bad by charting its own path, utilizing both humor and drama to make pointed statements on evil, second chances, trust, and family, in all its permutations. Odenkirk is a revelation, and ably matched by everyone in this thing. Regularly putting me through a roller caster of laughter, horror, and dread every, I don't know, 15 minutes? Ends its first season strong enough, that if there weren't any others, would by itself be a landmark in TV. Recommended for absolutely everyone. I can't see how anyone can't find something to like here, you just have to wait a few minutes for something feverishly new tossed out by Gilligan and co. Shageletic fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Dec 31, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 22:49
|
|
|
I'm not making a list because I'm lazy, but I think everyone should watch Wentworth (on Netflix). It's like a better OITNB. Also The Genius rules and is the best game/reality show ever created.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2015 23:06
|
|
|
It's me! I'm the rear end in a top hat who waits till the last minute. 10. Orphan Black Season 3 isn't as good as Season 1, but it's a step up from the unfocused Season 2. Maslany adds another clone to her repetoir (Crystal) who's sharply drawn considering her limited screen time. The conspiracy plot also picks up. Also Maslany plays a scorpion. 9. Limitless What starts as a fairly conventional twist on the "Genius With Long-Suffereing Cop Partner" procedural, quickly goes full-on goofy in the best way possible. 8. Documentary Now! These spoofs are uniformly amazing. Sure, they're funny, but they're also as engrossing as the documentary styles they're mimicing. 7. iZombie Liv's still shifting personalities weekly, Ravi's still hilarious, Blaine's still an rear end in a top hat, Babineaux's gotten more depth, and Major is still screwed. 6. Jessica Jones There were some pacing problems and I sometimes think Ritter and Taylor should have switched roles, but this was a good meditation on abuse and power. Tennant is unsettlingly normal. 5. Broad City The second season was even stronger than the first. It feels as though it's poised to shift from comedy into something more. Similar to the shift in Louie from S1 to S2. 4. Daredevil Everybody rightly mentions the hallway fight in episode 2, but for me the scene in the confessional at the beginning of episode 1 really set the tone and had me hooked. 3. Person of Interest Still one of the most solid shows around. It's largely abandoned the procedural for the larger arc, which is expected, but a shame. I enjoyed how in earlier seasons, the larger arc seemed like more of an emergent property of the Case of the Week. 2. Better Call Saul I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it managed to deliver. Where Breaking Bad was an anxiety-inducing drama-thriller, Better Call Saul is a depression-inducing drama-comedy. Bob Odenkirk is a national treasure. 1. Z-Nation Goofus releases the zombies from the pit so they'll wander off a mile down the road in hopes that they'll leave everybody alone for some reason. Galant lights the loving pit on fire. The Zombie/Apocalypse genre is a navel-gazing, self-insert, power fanatsy at its heart, and trying to make it earnest High Drama is an effort in both futility and stupidity. Z Nation is B-movie action done to perfection. Just check out the second episode of season 2; it's a 40 minute running gunfight. While rife with cliches, they're the start, not the end point for the characters. The one-offs they run into each week aren't cardboard cutouts designed to make the cast look good; they're fully realized characters with plots of their own to which the regulars are largely incidental. And talk about world building! There's a real sense of a nascent economy and new spheres of power. Everyone has already adapted to the Apocalypse, so you don't get bogged down with endless speeches about How Things Are Different Now as though it's some new or useful insight. Episodes frequently begin mid-action, or at the tail end of the off-screen events between episodes, giving the impression of a lot more happening. While this isn't a prestige show by any means, it's far too well put together to dismiss as just dumb fun.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 01:57
|
|
|
well, I was intending to watch a bunch of shows to catch up with this, but that just turned watching shows into homework, which then made it psychologically undesirable somehow to my crazy brain. at least I finished Mr. Robot! HONORABLE MENTIONS: 25. Agent Carter - Haley Atwell  24. Rick and Morty - I know I SHOULD love it, but I don't. because I don't need its relentless cynicism right now. 23. Empire - caveat: I have not seen any of season 2. But I thoroughly enjoyed season 1, although I wasn't always paying attention because other people were watching it while I was in the room. 22. Doctor Who - I like individual episodes, but I'm not sure about the overall season. Heaven Sent would definitely make my top ten episodes of the year. 21. Another Period - this is an exceptionally silly show, and I love it to pieces 20. Brooklyn Nine-Nine - consistently funny, but that very consistency means it never reaches for greatness. 19. Catastrophe - I am now in love with Sharon Horgan. 18. The Flash - great end of first season, but the second season is...lacking in energy. 17. Survivor: Cambodia - if I could list only season 31 on here, I would, but it's been said that a mention of Survivor would mean both seasons aired this year, and I cannot abide that. 16. Hannibal - did not finish season, but that's not a referendum on show's quality. 15. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - watched this all last week, loved it, but I think it's taken a while for it to really find its footing after an excellent pilot. I'm hopeful that when it comes back, it will be firing on all cylinders. 14. Sense8 - same as Hannibal, did not finish season, but I love it. Just can't put show I haven't finished on my list. 13. Jane the Virgin - haven't seen any of season 2 yet. 12. Daredevil - juuuuust missed the list 11. Master of None - Oh my god how am I not putting this on the list, I loving hate myself. But there's no room. THE LIST 10. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - "That's gonna be a, you know, a fascinating transition." - Walter Bankston Last year, after a long time not watching 30 Rock, I bingewatched the last two seasons of it that I'd missed over two weeks in the summer. It was a wonderful time, returning to the wonderful wackiness created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. and it was crushing when it ended, although of course it ended perfectly (and with arguably one of the best series finales EVER). but I was hopeful when I learned Fey and Carlock would be producing another show. I was less sure about Ellie Kemper, who I'd seen in bit parts in other shows and movies. But the concept gave me serious pause. A show about a woman who was held captive underground by a creepy dude for many years? How is that a comedy? But I should have known - Fey and Carlock delivered. We may not have Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy back, but Kimmy Schmidt and Titus Andromedon are just as wonderful, and the show around them contains that same goofball energy. It has some weird moments and a few false notes, but the highs are high enough to place it on this list above more consistent shows. It's a ray of sunshine led by the unbreakable, unstoppable Kimmy Schmidt. She reminds me of one of my favorite film characters, Poppy in the Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky. She stays positive, dammit, as hard as she can, even when the world tries to force her into cynicism. During a time when I really needed cheering up, she was there for me.  also, PINOOOOOOOT NOIR! 9. Mr. Robot - "You knew all along, didn't you?" - Elliot Alderson What did you think when you first heard the title "Mr. Robot"? Did you think it was goofy? You probably did. It is goofy, but it has an important meaning, a meaning the series builds to over eight episodes before finally revealing, and then letting it sink in over the last two. but you have to trust it, and you have to trust that the show isn't going to go where you expect. You will learn, if you watch the show, that Sam Esmail is a magician, a master of misdirection. You think you know how this story goes; "oh, it's a reference to the movie _________!" you think it's a Gibson-inspired cyperpunk hacker fight-the-system thing. You come to expect the reveal, and the moment of triumph, but the magician has made you look in the wrong places. Rami Malek has landed the role of a lifetime with this, and puts his bulging, haunted-looking eyes to expert use. and this also might be the role of Christian Slater's career, as he proves that he doesn't deserve to be languishing in DTV wasteland or in lovely TV pilots when he's capable of this kind of layered, charismatic work. And I can't forget Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, or Martin Wallstrom either, who are all in their own way as essential to the functioning of the show as Malek and Slater, even if the former is the protagonist and the latter is the titular character. And the filming style of this show is unusually cinematic for television; the shot framing, the lighting, the movement of the camera, the tricky editing, and most memorably the choice of shot for the title drop. When you see that Mr. Robot logo, you know hours and hours of deliberation were put into where it was placed (Esmail says as much in interviews). That level of care and detail extends to the show as a whole. 8. Bojack Horseman - "It gets better. But you have to do it every day." - Jogger I am clinically depressed. It's not something I like to talk about, but not talking about it doesn't make it go away, and it informs everything about my life, including how I view the media I consume. For a long stretch of time, probably 2013 to late 2014, I had serious trouble even watching dramatic shows, and it's only gotten somewhat better since then. It'd be pretty hard for me to view a serious dramatic show about depression. Like, I hear about something like The Leftovers, and that sounds great, but I can't imagine myself watching it anytime soon. And yet, I still want to see narratives about depression. To me, it's only bearable when there's some sort of counterweight. For the show Bojack Horseman, that counterweight exists, and it is silly, mostly animal-based humor in a bright and wacky world. It makes the darkness bearable, but it doesn't diminish the condition of living your entire life feeling like garbage all the time, and not ever really knowing why. What Bojack goes through is a gradual, crushing realization that no external change to his life can allow him to run away from his own self-loathing. Not playing his childhood hero in a movie, not having a cool girlfriend that likes him, and not ditching LA and insinuating himself into the family of an old friend. Wherever you go, there you are. Bojack's friend and biographer Diane faces a similar darkness as a consequence of her faith in both her ability to make a difference in the world and her satisfaction with her marriage collapsing. god, just describing all this, can you imagine a live action version? Wouldn't it be absolutely crushing? Fortunately Bojack and Diane also exist in a world with Hollywoo Stars: What Do They Know?: Do They Know Things?: Let’s Find Out!, the best, most nonsensical game show, hosted by none other than JD Salinger. The episode centered around the game show touches some raw nerves, but also does a pretty good parody of both game shows and the work of Aaron Sorkin. And it brings enormous depth to Mr. Peanutbutter, who had previously been something of a one-note character (though that note was really good, and never really got old thanks to Paul F. Tompkins' consistently endearing voice work). I should also note that no show, or really anything has made a plotline about three children pretending to be one adult in a trenchcoat so compelling and moving. It's an enormous credit to the writing of the show and the voice work of Alison Brie and Amy Sedaris. 7. iZombie - "I know you can't fully control your actions when you're on a brain, but I really need you to try and rein in the bro. We would be in serious trouble if someone came in and saw how you arranged the medical skeletons. And this, this is unacceptable. What if someone came in to identify their loved one and the medical examiner had "fart" written on his forehead? It isn't funny." - Ravi Chakrabarti Most of these I'm writing sweeping, heartfelt praise. but I feel like I'm entitled to one show that I just flat out enjoy without needing any philosophizing, that I just go ''yaaaaaaay, this rules" the whole time. For me, that's iZombie. Generally, I don't like zombies. But...Rose McIver. I REST MY CASE. Well, actually a lot of it is also Rahul Kohli, who you can tell is just having the best time always. Most things Ravi says are funny even when they're not Buffy-esque quips. and David Anders has been an entertaining villain in everything I've seen him in, but here he's sleazy perfection. aaand, Blaine's World alone solidly pushed this into the top ten above other pure pleasure shows that didn't produce an episode as singularly good. and then after an excellent first season, there was no second-season slump! It's a miracle! 6. Steven Universe - "I'm still learning. I hope you understand. I want to understand. I'm sorry." - Peridot As a rule, I dislike fandoms. Devoting yourself obsessively to one media property, making fan art and fanfiction all the time, buying all the merch, speculating like crazy, getting whipped into a frenzy wondering when the next episode/book/film is coming? not my scene at all. But there's an odd recent tendency to judge media properties by their weird, insane fandoms. I don' think that's fair, and yet, driven by the GBS mockery mentality, a lot of people on this site have decided Steven Universe is garbage. I'm here to tell you that they are wrong, so very very wrong, but I don't think that type of people would like that show even if they bothered to watch it. Because it's a show that celebrates empathy and love and sincerity, the polar opposite of everything those jaded douches stand for. Many cartoons for kids, even the ones that aspire to be more, put less of a premium on character development than on wacky scenarios to entertain the children. And that's okay! But for a show to succeed in appealing to both a kid and adult audience, it needs to be more. Steven Universe succeeds as a show because it's always about its characters, and it never lets them remain stagnant. Sure, Steven starts out as an annoying kid with too much exuberance and naivete to spare. but poo poo happens. Throughout the first and second seasons, he's slowly matured, and the show has fleshed out what really makes him a good, heroic person - his boundless capacity for empathy, even for those that don't seem to deserve it. Steven wants to be everyone's friend, and sometimes that can get him into trouble, but he never gives up, and if one idea backfires, he tries something else. But Steven's journey wouldn't work if it weren't for the parallel development of his parental figures - the Crystal Gems and his dad Greg, the girl that becomes his best friend (and maybe more someday?) Connie, and the many eccentric residents of Beach City. The first run of episodes built up Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst a certain way, but the subsequent episodes have, slowly at first, and then rapidly dismantled those first impressions. Pearl seems like the responsible rulemaker, maybe a bit uptight and overprotective, probably the most mom-like. but her facade of having it together breaks, and we've seen now her resentment towards Steven (who on some level she blames for his mother Rose's death), her emotional fragility, and her state of being in deep mourning for the person who meant everything to her. Garnet's positioned as the leader, the stoic cool one. It takes a lot longer to break down her facade, but when it happens, boy does it happen. Amethyst I guess has the most predictable set of issues, but the way things happen, the reveals still feel surprising. and Greg is just the loving best dad. He has a cool van and plays guitar! and Connie has become more and more important to the series, cemented by Sworn to the Sword, where she learns how to use a frickin' sword.  also the show has a deep pool of fun supporting characters, including the cool kids Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream; the super-unsettling Onion; Lars and Sadie; and Jamie the Mailman/Amateur Actor. Oh, I kinda almost forgot the most important bit - PERIDOT (the character from my avatar). Peridot starts off as an ominous super-geek antagonist, devolves into a Team Rocket-style ineffectual antagonist, and now, through the power of Steven's empathy, may (or may not) be on a path to redemption. She remains a petty rear end in a top hat throughout. it is beautiful. ALSO ALSO, almost all the voice cast can sing, and so some episodes have awesome songs. Maybe a bit of a spoiler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpMSwgPKWd4 5. Gravity Falls - "I mean, who would sacrifice everything they've worked for just for their sibling?" - Bill Cipher When I was a kid, I didn't always have the best relationship with my younger sister. We'd fight, steal each other's things, badmouth each other to our parents, and sometimes go weeks without speaking to each other. But, dammit, we loved each other, and we still do. So for me, it's not really the conspiracies or the jokes or the terrific animation that make Gravity Falls so compelling to me. It's the unbreakable bond between siblings at the core of the show. Dipper and Mabel have their differences - he's more into solving mysteries, she's more into having a good time. Often those desires conflict, but at the end of the day, they have each other's back, and there will be an awkward sibling hug. And then the series dropped a bomb, something fans had been speculating about for eons, finally confirmed, and the show introduced a second sibling dynamic that was instantly effective, helped immensely by JK Simmons. Gravity Falls has had bizarre release schedule throughout its run, and this year was no different, with only eleven episodes aired, and the grand finale not until February. But of those episodes that did air, the quality of Not What He Seems, A Tale of Two Stans, Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future, Weirdmageddon Parts 1 & 2 are enough to warrant its placement on my list. 4. Fargo - "Camus says knowing we're gonna die makes life absurd." - Noreen What do we want out of television? Do we want it be a warm blanket that wraps us around and tells us everything will be fine? Do we want to turn on the TV and see the president reassuring us that we can get through this? Do we want neat endings where everything is resolved in the tidiest way possible, where the bad are punished and the good are rewarded, and the safety of the world is assured? Fargo season 2 denies us those comforts. It gives us what we need rather than what we want. It mashes up the work of the Coen brothers, late 70's pop culture, and existentialist philosophy to create a postmodern masterpiece of television. I could write a long sweeping explanation of why it's so great, but I don't have time (maybe if I hadn't decided to wait until the last day to do this, lol). I'll just touch on elements of it worth noting. First, the deep ensemble cast, anchored by Patrick Wilson in a role that SHOULD finally get him the wide mainstream attention he deserves. Kirsten Dunst is also a revelation, essaying a unique, complex character that easily could have come off as irritating and infuriating with the wrong actress, but in Dunst's hands becomes loving iconic. Bokeem Woodbine is the third great revelation. I can't say enough good things about the way he portrays Mike Milligan. But maybe showing is better than telling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr1XyVABabM And then major shoutouts to Zahn McClarnon, Ted Danson, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, Jeffrey Donovan, Cristin Milioti, Nick Offerman, Brad Garrett, Angus Sampson, Rachel Keller, Allan Dobrescu, and Emily Haine. Outside the amazing ensemble cast, the MVP of the show is the music, which is never less than perfect for the scene. There's a lot of 70's prog rock, like in this scene that uses Jethro Tull WARNING, SPOILERS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpljpQFIe_Q Also read this awesome interview with the music supervisor: [url] http://www.avclub.com/article/music-supervisors-treasure-hunt-found-70s-tunes-fa-229845 [/url] Obviously the cinematography, production design, editing, writing, and directing are film-level quality; and the show does right by its association to the work of the Coen bros. I don't know if they've said anything about Fargo in its second season, but if I were them, I'd be immensely impressed by what Noah Hawley has accomplished. 3. Jessica Jones - "It's called whiskey." - Jessica Jones I'm not a comic book guy, and yet, somehow I watch most of the comic book TV shows. I can't really explain it other than to say that they're pure escapism, light and fluffy nonsense that I can just sit back, relax, and wash over me. Granted not all of it is "light" really so much as it is surface-level. There may be "dark" plot twists, characters may die or suffer, but it's not in any way threatening or challenging, the way say, for example, Mr. Robot or Fargo can be. Which is a long way of explaining why none of Daredevil, Agent Carter, Agents of Shield, The Flash, or Arrow made my list. but, there was one comic book show this year that dared to be truly upsetting and at times confrontational - Jessica Jones. It's loosely based off a comic book story involving super-powered characters, but it grounds the superpowers with a complex story about control, addiction, PTSD, and rape. Jessica Jones would be the best female character of the year, were it not for the characters in #2 on my list. She's everything you could hope for in a female antihero, combining heroism, self-destruction, excessive alcohol consumption, and a relentless drive to defeat the villain by whatever means possible. Some people didn't think Krysten Ritter was the right choice for this part, and THOSE PEOPLE ARE MORONS. She proved not only right for the part, but that she deserves to be considered a terrific dramatic actress in addition to her already proven comedic chops (everybody watch Don't Trust the B-, now). and what is a hero without a worthy opponent? With Kilgrave, the show has created the most unsettling TV villain in years. David Tennant transforms his charm into something toxic; it's not Evil Doctor Who, but maybe somewhere close. It's narcissistic male privilege personified. and the show effectively portrays the menace of Kilgrave's powers in the paranoia it establishes. He can control anyone - anybody could be a danger. We become party to Jessica's mounting paranoia. The other best thing worth mentioning is the strong friendship between Jessica and Trish "Patsy" Walker (Rachael Taylor), the kind of close female friendship these shows pretty much never depict. It takes a bunch of risks, some of which don't pay off, leaving as a less consistent show, but gently caress it, consistency is overrated. Pound for pound, Jessica Jones is the best television show based on a comic book of 2015. 2. UnREAL - "I need princess fantasy footage out the rear end." - Quinn King Does it sound insane to say that UnREAL was more horrifying to me than the last season of Hannibal? Maybe it is, but where Hannibal trucks in body dismemberment, UnReal's thing is emotional apocalypse. A satire of reality television could go in a number of directions; a light frothy goof, a soap opera, an over the top parody, a futuristic satire. While the show does have soapy elements, it eschews the other options and goes for the jugular. It's about nothing less than how the media perpetuates destructive expectations of femininity, enabled by two powerful female characters. In the first episode, its protagonist Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby) wears a shirt that says "this is what a feminist looks like", which is a pretty funny joke that becomes something far darker as the show unfolds. For, despite her protestations and stated principles, Rachel's actions destroy women. Her singular talent is emotionally manipulating people into actions that will produce entertaining television, in service of a show that promotes unreasonable ideals about romance and how men and women should interact. After a long hiatus due to an on-camera meltdown, Rachel is dragged back into the business by the show's producer Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), a ruthless cynic - at least, that's the way it appears at first. Rachel and Quinn engage in a sort of dance between love and hate, in the most complex and compelling relationship of two women on TV in 2015. Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer should, and won't win Emmy awards. Together they show how women are equally capable of hurting women as men, and in more insidious ways. We see them ultimately triumph and produce a great show, but have to sacrifice their own personal lives, and the literal life of another, all for a false image of love everlasting. 1. You're the Worst - "I mean, the phrase doesn't translate easily to English, but it means... that there is not currently a problem." - Jimmy Shive-Overly Comedy often tends towards being mean, towards mocking and belittling others for the pleasure of the audience. Especially in this postmodern world, it's easy to be misanthropic and cynical. It's easy to lie about ourselves. It's easy to refuse to grow up. And perhaps the easiest thing for a comedy show to do is to become what its characters are. It takes tremendous grace to make a show about cynical, deeply hurting, immature people that isn't itself any of those things, and then, to make it funny on top of all that? I said earlier Sam Esmail is a magician, but Stephen Falk is a loving wizard. Fundamentally, You're the Worst is a show that loves its characters, even as they veer towards self-destruction. Falk's show represents the best of modern television because it knows that Jimmy, and Gretchen, and Edgar, and Lindsay, and Paul, and Vernon, and even Becca (uuuuugh) are the worst, but they can also be the best. I already talked about my depression in the Bojack Horseman entry, but I would have to admit You're the Worst wouldn't have the top spot if it wasn't for the way the show absolutely nails what depression is like. People that don't have clinical depression can't imagine how good it feels to see that condition portrayed accurately, in a way that people can understand. Depressed people often hold the conviction that they're garbage, and that they will inevitably disappoint or hurt the people around them. "I'm gonna leave you anyway" might just be a thought running through the head of a depressed person. They feel unlovable, and then through their actions create a situation where that's true. Gretchen doesn't explode at all those people because the depression's making her angry. It's a cold, calculated decision based on those bad cognitions. She wants them to leave, to abandon her. It's better this way. Because they can't fix her. They can never cure what's wrong with her. But ultimately Jimmy doesn't give up on her, and he builds a goddamn blanket fort. Hakuna matata. 
Spatula City fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jan 1, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 02:09
|
|
|
Yer Burnt posted:Or you can skip FNL altogether. I was using it as a reference for people here. I never went past the first season of FNL myself. I was going to watch this based on the FNL comparison, but you love this show and apparently didn't care for FNL, so your opinion probably sucks.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 03:08
|
|
|
I really hate making these lists, because I'm awful at comparing and ordering things like this. Also I run out of poo poo to say pretty quickly. I feel pretty happy with this, though. Honorable mentions go to Agents of SHIELD, which has killed it consistently this year, Bojack Horseman, omitted only because I never got around to watching most of the second season, which I am deeply ashamed of, Mr. Robot, which I liked a lot in a lot of ways, but didn't end up telling much of a story, and Steven Universe, which is just a cute, fun show. 10. Daredevil I feel like this would have been higher if I had managed to rewatch it, because most of the rest of this I watched much more recently. Looking at it from here I can see the flaws much more clearly but as I watched it Daredevil was a phenomenal experience. Great action and a fascinating villain made the show, and while what surrounded it ranged from good to merely serviceable, I never lost interest. 9. Rick and Morty This should probably be higher, but Rick and Morty's particular brand of cynically dark comedy never really resonated with me. Still, it continues to be one of the most ludicrously inventive shows on television. Even if its perspective leaves me cold I can still get behind insane, creative sci-fi rigamarole. Episode 4 in particular will probably stick out as one of my favorite episodes of anything for a long, long loving time. 8. Community I'm probably giving this show too much credit. But I can't help it. Community was really, really good this year. The new cast shines, the season is uniformly hilarious, and the ending poignant. My putting it this high is probably unfair and just me trying to give what was once my favorite show on television its due. It's not like it doesn't deserve praise, though, and I love this beautiful and still deeply flawed thing too much to ignore it. It's probably my second favorite season, all things considered, and that's high praise coming from me. 7. Parks and Recreation Parks absolutely killed it this season. I couldn't have asked for more out of it. In its final season Parks actually mixed things up, and managed to do right by its characters in the process. A phenomenal show to the end. 6. iZombie I caught three episodes of this show on a plane after hearing okay-ish things about it and realized there might actually be something to it. When I finished the first season I was absolutely blown away. How could a show, a procedural no less, with this dumb a premise and an even dumber name, actually manage to become this legitimately compelling? But it did it. It actually managed to be one of my favorite shows this year. 5. Person of Interest I like Person of Interest a whole lot. This season was good! I think I liked the last season more, but this one was really good too. Fusco still rules. 4. Better Call Saul I didn't know what to think when this was announced, but what I got was some of the best character work I've seen all year. Bob Odenkirk is sensational and Jonathan Banks continues to be incredible. 3. Hannibal I have to be honest. I didn't finish this season. Not because it was bad, but because I find it extremely difficult to watch this show timeshifted and I fell off near the end. This show is a loving nightmare and I love every minute of it. I don't even like horror, but this loving show, man. That I'm putting my favorite show of the last two years only at three is either a travesty or a miracle, because it's no less incredible than it was then. 2. Fargo Fargo should be #1. I know this. It earned its place. It's a loving amazing show. Everything is perfect. I have no complaints about this show in any form. But I'm an idiot who can't pick the easy option. Fargo effortlessly pulls off poo poo I would never accept in any other show. Fargo's so good I watched every episode twice. Fargo saved my dog from a fire and cured polio. It's still not my favorite show this year. 1. Jessica Jones gently caress it. This is my number one. Better than Hannibal, better than Fargo, was Jessica Jones. I can't defend this decision on any level, yet I know it's right. This was my favorite show this year. It's flawed. Amazingly so. And I love that about it. I love weird, broken messes. It's why I've been able to love Community for as long as I have And this show feels like it was made just for me in that way, and also in others. The thematic work is outstanding, the characters great, and the performances solid. Everything about it just works for me on a visceral level. It meanders too much? Whatever. The plotting is inconsistent? I don't give a poo poo! I can see the cracks, but they don't matter. I just appreciate how weird it is that we got this awesome, messed up thing from goddamn Marvel (who I love, by the way, that's not me attacking them) of all places. But we did, and this is seriously the best thing I watched all year.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 04:17
|
|
|
I've been keeping an eye on this thread because I don't watch much TV, but after watching through Bojack Horseman and falling in love with it, I've wanted to see if there are more shows like it that I'm just missing. So I've been checking the posts with Bojack in the top ten and seeing what else those posters recommend that look similar. It looked like You're The Worst fit the bill the closest (in terms of the type of tone I'm looking for, which is basically "depressed people attempting to forge better relationships") and tended to get ranked even higher than Bojack, so I've watched the first seven episodes of the first season, and... so far I'm just not seeing it. Like, I get that everyone is a mess in both shows, and the humor in both shows depends on that. But while Bojack makes it fairly clear from the first episode that no one in the show is healthy and that things are only going to go downhill for them from there, You're The Worst doesn't seem to have that level of self-awareness. It's like it's attempting to acknowledge that everyone is a mess, but it's also celebrating how much of a mess they are. Like it's implying that the characters can keep doing what they're doing and still be happy in the end. The overall tone seems to be, "Yeah, these people are 'bad', you know, if you go by what SOCIETY says. But society is full of ignorant sheeple unwilling to be honest with themselves. In reality, don't all the drugs and infidelity make life a lot sexier and more fun?" So for those that gave You're The Worst a high ranking, do you see what I'm talking about, and does the show move past this tone eventually? Or am I just missing something that other people are seeing in it, or what? Because right now, I'm not sure I have the patience to watch through much more of it. Wanton Spoon fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Jan 1, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 04:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 00:28 |
|
|
Wanton Spoon posted:I've been keeping an eye on this thread because I don't watch much TV, but after watching through Bojack Horseman and falling in love with it, I've wanted to see if there are more shows like it that I'm just missing. So I've been checking the posts with Bojack in the top ten and seeing what else those posters recommend that look similar. It looked like You're The Worst fit the bill the closest (in terms of the type of tone I'm looking for, which is basically "depressed people attempting to forge better relationships") and tended to get ranked even higher than Bojack, so I've watched the first seven episodes of the first season, and... so far I'm just not seeing it. I dunno, I ranked it for the second season, the one that actually aired in 2015. I personally liked the first season a lot, but the second season is an improvement in every way. and I don't really get what you mean by "celebrating how much of a mess they are". I don't think that's the intent at all; rather, the show has empathy for these hosed up assholes where another show might go "hahaha look at these loving assholes!". but if you don't like it, you don't like it. I would say you should finish the first season, because the last three episodes are fantastic, imo.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2016 05:07
|
|