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Just suggesting something a lot fiunnier not in your list, seeing as you like comedies. No need for attitude. Baby.
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Dec 28, 2014 09:05
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I'll watch all of Rick and Morty S1 by the end of 2014 if you watch all of Selfie S1 that exists now in that same timeframe.
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Dec 28, 2014 09:14
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SHUPS 4 DETH posted:I'll watch all of Rick and Morty S1 by the end of 2014 if you watch all of Selfie S1 that exists now in that same timeframe. i watched till episode 7,i don't generally slag off shows i haven't seen. You will thank me though. 
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Dec 28, 2014 09:38
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Rocksicles posted:i watched till episode 7,i don't generally slag off shows i haven't seen. You will thank me though. Apologies for my presumption, but you'll understand why I took that tone after the next 3 eps. Thanks for giving me a legit reason to watch R&M, and props for playing fair.
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Dec 28, 2014 09:44
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I'd follow Karen Gillan down a rabbit hole dude... i was always watching it. It got better but it was pretty cheesy
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Dec 28, 2014 09:54
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SHUPS 4 DETH posted:There is more than one poster in here saying that The Walking Dead is one of the ten best shows on tv right now for reasons other than ratings. Go bother them. hahaha ily SHUPS I'm really happy to see You're the Worst get a good amount of love in this thread. Was the joint thread it shared with Married that active when it was on?
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Dec 28, 2014 11:42
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First of all a thank you to the persons in charge of this annual thread. Last year's poll directed meto some fine TV and i'm happy to participate and maybe spread some joy to other users. That said, let's get the big fails out of the way: Both Arrow and Orphan Black failed to be interesting enough to win me as a new viewer. Onward to the honorable mentions: Helix: Special award for explicit stupidity. Gotham: Technically horrible; should be the Oswald Cobblepot Show ft. Balloon-Murder. Revolution: Farewell, i'd have liked to see where this could have gone. Longmire: As close as you can get to a modern western, grumpy old Sheriff included. New Girl: Got it's groove again, but out of the list due to better competition. So, finally the list: 10. Dr. Who I was a casual viewer over the years, but i think i watched every episode of the new series, despite not liking the new doctor that much. I'm just a sucker for insanely stupid ideas played out with a dose of humour, so i especially enjoyed things like the Robin Hood and the 2D-Monster episodes the most. Christmas-special was also great. Favourite scene: Clara pulling a sledge hammer out of her purse. The thread on SA about the show scares me. Also i'm a Clara-Fan and would like to see the show evolve into  9. Gravity Falls  So much clever insanity in such an innocent looking lovely small package. Would probably rank higher if it would air more consistently. Even the Youtube shorts were hilarious, you can tell the creator has a really fun time doing this and it shows. 8. The Legend of Korra After a very strong 3rd season, which culminated in a children-show hero going absolutely I'M GONNA KILL YOU ALL!! and hurling everything including mountaintops at the poor bad guys followed an almost as good final one, dealing with PTSD, learning from the "bad guys'" ideals and maturing as a person.  7. Brooklyn 99 Great ensemble comedy show with no weak links in the cast. Simply everyone is hilarious in their own way. Never failed to entertain on a weekly basis.  6. Agents of SHIELD I already liked season 1 and season 2 only got better. Does everything right as a comicbook-show what Arrow doesn't for me. Everything else about it was already said better than i could do. I'm in the minority here, but i wish there's still room for some one-off dumb-fun episodes in the future.  5. Banshee Recommended by last year's poll and the Strike Back-Thread to fill in. Started watching S2 "cold", was initially intrigued and after 3 episodes addicted. This is essentially a small-town-drama-show on crack. Lots of it. I think there's no episode without sex, violence, Hood getting his rear end kicked and consequently dishing out. Additionally to the daily cases there are several overarching plots that all get concluded without dragging out too long. A true sleeper hit.  4. Continuum Still sympathizing with the villains. Are they still? Who wants what? Who works for whom? Who turns on who? And how many who's are there? To be honest: I got lost somewhere between all the timelines which hampered my enjoyment of the show. Nevertheless there is still enough surprising stuff happening and the cliffhanger is something else. Can't wait for the concluding miniseries.  3 Z-Nation Blows The Walking Dead's brains out from the get-go. Despite going gleefully over the top in a lot of set-pieces (glowing nuke-zombies, Zomb-nado, Liberty-Bell Smash,...) the show stays surprisingly true to it's premise. And on top of that managed to made me care more about the characters (including side-characters like the traders) in 3 episodes than TWD in 3 seasons. And with the way the season ended they can positively go absolutely anywhere. Can't wait to see where we are going with Murphy, whose Lichking ex Machina ability will get turned before it could get boring.  2 Game of Thrones I'm surprised this show dropped from so many people's lists. As a now book-reader i had to stomach some adaptation failures and i guess for show-only viewers it was a mix of overexposure and high expectations, but at the end it still is a very very very good show driven by excellently portrayed characters and dialogue thanks to the source material. Yeah, it could have been better and there are some misses. But far more hits.  1 Person of Interest Again, due to recommendations i jumped into this at about season 2.5. And haven't left since, with the definite climax to this day beind the S3 finale. This show positions itself cleverly on the road from post-Snowden Internet to 1984 Big Brother. It's scary in detail. Also it delivers in action-scenes, dry humour and suspense. Plus - i think i'm developing a pattern here - gives enough time to side characters such as Elias and Scarface or Greer to care about or understand them and their motivations.  ... So this year's darling seems to be Fargo. Should i check it out on occasion even if i didn't like Breaking Bad at all?
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Dec 28, 2014 13:19
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it's not really anything like Breaking Bad, but it sure has it's fans. Also make sure to watch the season 3 origins on youtube for Banshee. Rocksicles fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Dec 28, 2014 |
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Dec 28, 2014 13:26
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Fargo is very different from Breaking Bad, so yeah
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Dec 28, 2014 13:28
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Ravane posted:Your son is only a year old and you've already had to create a rule restricting television for him? Jesus, he'll be morbidly obese and myopic by age three. Wait until he's three to let him watch tv, and then stick to a 30 minutes per day schedule for him. Allow him only to watch shows in foreign languages, so he picks up on them easier, childhood is the only time to learn other languages. The rest of his day, throw him into a fitness regimen that increases steadily in intensity. If your child speaks five languages and has a six pack by age ten, you have only me to thank. I think you misunderstood. 2 does not mean 2 PM, if means 2 years old. We instituted that at the recommendation of our doctor before he was born as the AMA has started to recommend it. We have music on all the time, but he's probably had less than 3 hours of television experience in the past year.
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Dec 28, 2014 14:39
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8. 24: Live Another Day Chloe becomes the world's oldest goth. Jack becomes a samurai. And Game of Thrones fans get the closure they've been waiting years for. 24: Live Another Day is a fun, exciting little miniseries and the best season of 24 in nearly a decade. Many people have pointed out that the shortened season really focused the narrative and contributed immensely to the season's overall jump in quality. Those people are dead wrong. Live Another Day is just as bloated as any other season of 24. There are, for instance, still a bunch of dull familial, mole and White House subplots, and a straight up villain rear end-pull eight episodes in. So what's the real reason Live Another Day is so good? Despite the season's typically 24-style meandering, it did a really good job of keeping Jack Bauer front and center. And let's be honest, we don't like 24 because of the twists and turns of whatever dumb poo poo is taking place at the CIA or White House. We like it because Jack Bauer is loving awesome. Live Another Day gives Jack plenty of opportunities to be awesome, and that's more than enough to make it top ten material. 7. Rick and Morty There's not much that can be said about R&M that hasn't already been said. It has a rocky pilot, a rocky finale and a few episodes that just don't work (Rixty Minutes), but the peaks far outweigh the valleys so its well worth a watch in spite of its flaws. Best cartoon on television by far* 6. Person of Interest I don't know what's going on with the plot, but drat do I love watching Sarah Sahai scarf down food like a feral animal.  Honorable Mention: You're the Worst  A decent enough show. The leads are strong. The supporting characters, less so. It occasionally gets a little too maudlin for its own good, but when it hits, it hits hard.
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Dec 28, 2014 14:49
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Pillowpants posted:I think you misunderstood. 2 does not mean 2 PM, if means 2 years old. We instituted that at the recommendation of our doctor before he was born as the AMA has started to recommend it. Well if a doctor on reddit said it, it must be true!
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Dec 28, 2014 14:51
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OP asked you to keep it all in one post dude.
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Dec 28, 2014 15:10
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Pillowpants posted:I think you misunderstood. 2 does not mean 2 PM, if means 2 years old. We instituted that at the recommendation of our doctor before he was born as the AMA has started to recommend it. Oh thank god, I genuinely thought you meant 2 pm. Phew, I am glad you are not terrible parents.
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Dec 28, 2014 15:15
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Ravane posted:Oh thank god, I genuinely thought you meant 2 pm. Phew, I am glad you are not terrible parents. Haha, honestly I'm a little surprised at the backlash we've received. Friends with kids who think we are silly for doing it differently and get all up in arms about it, my father in laws girlfriend refuses to come without her tablet because of how bored she will get. I know this isn't the thread for it, but my son is more inquisitive and has more words than all the kids at his daycare who all watch tv at home. I'm a proud dad for that. Now, let's get back to talking about how the CW has become my favorite network channel.
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Dec 28, 2014 16:00
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Rocksicles posted:OP asked you to keep it all in one post dude. He definitely knew that.
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Dec 28, 2014 17:08
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Pillowpants posted:I know this isn't the thread for it, but my son is more inquisitive and has more words than all the kids at his daycare who all watch tv at home. I'm a proud dad for that. I know this isn't the thread for it, but my cat is more inquisitive and has more words than all the cats at her daycare who all watch tv at home. I'm a proud dad for that.
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Dec 28, 2014 17:44
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Irish Joe posted:If Marvel's Agents of SHIELD hits #1 I swear to god I will never post on Something Awful again. You guys better start voting for some good shows If my vote would make the difference then please change my 1st place to Agents of SHIELD. Thanks.
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Dec 28, 2014 21:08
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10. Bojack Horseman Going into it, I was expecting something dumb, kinda Adult-swimmy, but entertaining enough as a timewaster. And for the first few episodes, it met and only slightly exceeded those expectations. And then it took off like a rocket ship into a totally unexpected direction that showed it was interested in far more than just silly animal as people gags and stock material about how awful being rich and famous can be psychologically. Bojack became more than just a standard issue Will Arnett Jackass Character, as the show depicted his desperate attempts to sabotage Diane's engagement, his desperate and successful sabotage of his roommate, and his past betrayal of his former producer/best friend. At the same time, while finding its dramatic core, the show also got progressively funnier. My favorite bit was the whole movie plotline, and how it devolves into a monthly gift basket. That or Vincent. You would not think a character who is actually three kids standing on each others shoulders, in a trenchcoat, would achieve some degree of poignancy. but somehow it works. and the gag of Bojack constantly pointing out what Vincent is, and EVERYONE always ignoring him never gets old. God, and I haven't even mentioned Mr. Peanutbutter, who Paul F. Tompkins plays perfectly. The joke of animal people is good for some cheap gags, but Mr. Peanutbutter is an ongoing elaborate bit of comic brilliance. He behaves exactly as you might imagine a golden retriever man would, and it never gets old. 9. Alpha House I don't understand how this show has been so underappreciated. John Goodman is of course brilliant, but he's brilliantly supported by Matt Malloy, Clark Johnson, and Mark Consuelos, as well as a rogues gallery of great recurring character actors, and some inspired cameos from real politicians and media personalities. And the writing is brilliant, both for its satirical content, and the way it builds its punchlines. The MVP of the second season is Janel Moloney playing an unhinged Tea Party senator. Her insanity is the inciting incident in probably the show's best episode, Shelter in Place. 8. Brooklyn 99 The first set of episodes airing in 2013 were really promising, but it wasn't until the back half of the season where the ensemble really gelled. Even before then, it was funny, but by the last episode of season 1, I knew B99 was on its way to "all-time great" status. This show is the new Parks, except that I don't have to tell people to skip its first season! also I have mad crushes on both Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz. 7. Transparent I haven't yet finished this, but even so, just from what I've seen, this is the role of Jeffrey Tambor's life, and he makes you believe every moment of Maura's journey towards becoming her true self, and her often heartbreaking interactions with her rear end in a top hat children. Speaking of the rear end in a top hat children, Gaby Hoffman, Amy Landecker, and Jay Duplass play them incredibly well. They could have been totally unsympathetic, and with lesser actors, and less sensitive writers, they could have been irredeemable shitholes. But the show treats them with tremendous empathy. Landecker in particular makes her difficult character work. 6. Person of Interest I haven't completely caught up with Season 4, so this is mostly for season 3's incredible resolution. The series finally realized its full potential by introducing an amoral AI as the Satan to the Machine's God, with Uncle Nolan as Evil John the Baptist. I wish I could say more, but I have too many feels about it and too many thoughts to clearly state all of them. Root + Shaw = OTP  5. Gravity Falls In 9 episodes this year, Alex Hirsch has cemented his series' all-time classic status. IN MY OPINION. He not only fixed Wendy's character, but integrated her into the action. and Soos comes into focus not just as comic relief, but as a multi-dimensional character. That still provides loving great comic moments. We get the return of Bill Cipher, possessing Dipper's body for malicious ends, which leads to SOCK DIPPER. and then there's the terrifying, on-fire Grunkle Stan balloon. Neil deGrasse Tyson as Smart Waddles. GOAT AND A PIG. Guest voice appearances from Patton Oswalt, Mark Hamill, and Nick Offerman! also Alex Hirsch made a fake animation frame and leaked it onto the internet to mislead fans about the resolution of a mystery. I love him. I love Gravity Falls. 4. The Legend of Korra During its original airing, I abandoned this show five episodes into its run, because it didn't grab me the way Avatar: The Last Airbender had, and it wasn't at all what I'd expected. But then a couple weeks ago I heard some strong buzz about its ending, and I decided, gently caress it, I've got a lot of time to kill, and at the very least there will be a bunch of cool fight scenes. I found season one pretty decent, and season two fairly weak with a few bright spots. But both season 3 and 4 aired this year, although I use that term losely because apparently Nickelodeon treated the show like it was wet garbage and shunted it to streaming. Anyway, season 3 is everything the show was trying to be before, and more. It radically alters the status quo of the show, brings several supporting characters into strong focus, introduces several cool new characters, and possibly the best villain of the whole franchise. and it has the balls to end the season with the main character an emotional wreck confined to a wheelchair. Then season 4 goes even bolder, with a three year time jump, and Korra suffering extreme PTSD and isolated from her friends. Aside from a clip show made necessary by budget cuts, and an episode with a bizarre focus on two comic relief characters that didn't need it, the season was as much a success as season 3. Kuvira wasn't quite as cool a villain as Zaheer, but she worked extremely well as Korra's dark shadow. and then the grand finale involves taking down a gigantic robot with all the primary characters involved and getting cool moments (I love Varrick and Zhu Li so drat much), and then two incredibly strong progressive statements, the first when Korra demonstrates her willingness to lay down her life for Kuvira despite her being basically that universe's Hitler, and shows her so much compassion that Kuvira repents and surrenders; the second when...well, something happens that has made Ravane very angry.  3. The Good Wife Mostly on the merits of The Last Call, which, deservingly, won Julianna Margulies an Emmy. That episodes should go up in the pantheon right up there with the Buffy episode The Body in terms of great TV episodes about grief. Also I'm not sure there's a more complex, well-developed female lead character on TV than Alicia Florrick. 2. Doctor Who I could go on a long-winded rant about how no season of the revival has had as strong and consistent a plot arc as season 8, or as perfect a Doctor-Companion dynamic as between Twelve and Clara. I could talk about how Listen, Mummy on the Orient Express, Flatline, and Last Christmas are masterpieces of television. I could rave about Michelle Gomez for a thousand words. but instead I'm just gonna say that Peter Capaldi is MY Doctor, and leave it at that.  1. Hannibal I should preface this by saying although I like Silence of the Lambs the movie quite a lot, otherwise I had no interest in the Hannibal Lecter franchise. There are two names that got me to start watching: Bryan Fuller and Mads Mikkelsen. I knew Fuller from Pushing Daisies, and Mikkelsen from several films including Casino Royale and A Royal Affair. What emerged from the combination of Fuller, the Lecter franchise, and the subtle brilliance of Mikkelsen is beyond what anyone could have expected. Yes, it's a show about a cannibal psychologist, but it's also a plunge into the depths of the human psyche, and a strong examination of trauma. I expected Mikkelsen to do well, but Hugh Dancy came out of nowhere. and then the second season happened, and the show rose even higher, with Will crawling out of Hannibal's trap and then creating his own, only for it to collapse in spectacularly bloody fashion due to a goddamn SCENT. The finale was a devastating gutpunch. ugh and I didn't even mention how the cinematography is consistently prestige movie-level or better. The things they do with food, I just can't even express how amazing it is. Also they made a villain who drinks the tears of children compelling and plausible. HOW DID THEY DO THAT? honorable mentions: the three superhero shows, Arrow, SHIELD, and The Flash, all of whom I quite enjoyed, but have enough reservations to keep them off the list. Also Rick and Morty, which I love, but just missed the list. Spatula City fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Jan 1, 2015 |
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Dec 29, 2014 01:39
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I feel like I've watched a lot less this year than I usually do. I dropped a lot of shows last year. 10. Gravity Falls A very charming and clever cartoon. I love the sibling relationship between Mabel and Dipper and the show does a great job of balancing the creepy with the cute. 9. 24: Life Another Day My little brother made me watch this and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I have actually never seen the original 24 series but this was a pretty solid mini-series and it was nice seeing Yvonne Strahovski getting work. 8. Kingdom Kingdom is actually an original series from DirectTV which makes it kind of hard to track down. It’s worth the effort, though. I originally started watching because it featured Nick Jonas and I’m obsessed with boybands but he actually ended up being one of my least favorite parts. Jonathon Tucker and Frank Grillo are fantastic. The show also did the impossible and made me care about MMA. 7. Parks and Recreation It was a rougher season but I still enjoyed it. There’s not much more to say. 6. Orphan Black I think this may be higher on my list than it is on most people’s because I only discovered Orphan Black this year. Tatiana Maslany is incredible. The second season was a little slower than the first but I liked seeing more Helena. 5. Brooklyn Nine Nine I think I’ve loved just about every episode of this season so far. I love every character and the ensemble works very well together. 4. RuPaul’s Drag Race This season brought us Bianca Del Rio, Ben DeLa Creme, Joslyn Fox and Adore Delano. All amazing queens who left me gagging for more. 3. Arrow Ollie is a total dick but his supporting cast makes up for it. I even like Roy the Back Flipping Wonder. Plus, I think Ollie being a dick is kind of the point so I’m hoping it will turn around. The show is still just as fast paced and Thea’s storyline has the potential to go in a interesting direction. 2. Flash Even though I like everyone on Arrow, I like everyone on Flash more. Gustin Grant and Jesse L Martin have amazing chemistry and sell the hell out of their scenes. I prefer fun superheros who enjoy their powers over dark, brooding heroes which gives Flash the advantage over Arrow. 1. Hannibal Everything about Hannibal is fantastic. The cinematography, the acting, the food presentation, Will’s dogs and Hugh Dancy’s face are all highlights.
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Dec 29, 2014 03:18
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I've watched a lot of shows, and missed out on some spectacular ones. 10. Enlisted The only comedy on my list, and its a deliberate choice for how underrated the show was. It was essentially DOA because Fox tossed it's schedule around worse then Firefly and finally went on hiatus for a few weeks before burning off the last few episodes really quick. The cast work great together, and the show manages to occasionally touch on the struggle of a military life without being maudlin or sappy. Also, Keith David as a slightly crazy base commander. What more could you want? 9. The Leftovers This show started and immediately on the internet and in the forum thread it was "Where did the people go?". The fact that the show never tried to address it and rather focus on the effect made for some fantastic television. Yeah, Liv Tyler was a big disappointment, but she seems to have been cast more for star power then acting ability, and you had such great jobs from the rest of the cast it didn't even matter. 8. Dominion A typical low budget sci-fi drama, based on a movie of the same name from a couple of years ago, and while several episodes were hit or miss, once it got going it was a sprint to the end. I personally loved the show, even though it had quite a few faults, but the world they built up around it and the amazingly cast Gabriel made ever scene he was in great. 7. Almost Human A sci-fi serial on Fox that was expensive as hell was almost sure to get cancelled. Nevertheless the chemistry between the 2 leads was great and that best way to describe it would be Blade Runner meets the buddy cop genre. Aired out of order (of course) and the big "mystery" was left until the finale to mention, so at least the series can stand on its own as a fun single season show to binge on Netflix. 6. The Flash Already mentioned before, but the CW is doing an amazing job with comic book to TV transitions even with the Batman/Superman shackles around their neck. The SFX are incredible for a low budget show and it seems like everyone involved with it absolutely loves their job. Also, the are moving the plot forward at the speed of light, in 10 episodes they've gone through stuff you'd expect to take an entire season on other networks. 5. Arrow Not much else to say, say as the Flash, the drama still remains pretty good, and the few missteps are quickly forgotten by the next episode. They keep expanding the DC television universe with this show and it looks like the sky is the limit so long as Gotham/Batman and Metropolis/Superman aren't mentioned. 4. The Knick I normally hate Clive Owen, but holy poo poo does he nail this role. Andre Holland brings some incredible talent to the table as well. I love period piece shows and this ranks as one of the best in quite some time 3. True Detective Not much I can say that hasn't already been said, but watching the show as it aired and following the massive speculation that went on was a huge part of my enjoyment of the show 2. Z Nation SyFy decides rather then simply copy the success of TWD they'll make a low budget zombie show and just have a blast doing it. In one season I'm already way deeper into this show then I ever was with TWD and absolutely loved every insane episode. 1. Manhattan Some of the best television that aired last year. There were several episodes that easily qualified as Emmy worthy, and the sets and costume designs place you squarely in 1940s rural New Mexico like Mad Men did with the 60s. The acting talent is through the roof, and the writing is at the same level for the most part. Honorable Mentions Gang Related: This was a hilariously bad attempt at The Shield meets Training Day that is enjoyable solely for how hard it tries to convince you its serious business while almost every other scene you will laugh at the attempted drama. Silicon Valley: An actual comedy that feature one of the best dick jokes ever written Psych: A delightful show that managed to actually end its run really well. I also loved the musical. Boardwalk Empire: The quality had definitely picked up since some lackluster seasons, Agents of Shield: After a dismal season 1, it got way better. It has the potential to go even higher after the mid-season finale/reveal Reign: A CW teen soap opera covering the reign of Mary and Francis II. History's not really a concern with this show, but holy poo poo is it fun to watch Sleepy Hollow: Still manages to do the kind of insane crazy mystical stuff that kept it interesting in the first place
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Dec 29, 2014 03:32
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Pentyne judging by the shows you enjoy I think you would like Person of Interest a lot.
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Dec 29, 2014 04:18
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I just last fortnight caught up after 3 years of giving it the cold shoulder. It's loving great after season 1.
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Dec 29, 2014 04:24
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Here's my Top 10 list. 10 - Black Sails (Starz)  This was a surprise for me because I wasn't really expecting to like it at all. I'm not huge on pirates but I liked the actors involved, the story was really well told, and the action was great. It also wasn't afraid to actually build up the story and didn't just give us action all the time. I appreciate that. 09 - Arrow (The CW)  If I was just judging on this current season alone this wouldn't make it and Agents of SHIELD would be in this place instead. Before giving us a fantastic mid-season finale with maybe the best 10 minutes of the show's entire run it it kind of meandered about. Which is usually not how this show goes. It's here completely on the strength of the back half of season two which is among the best comic book media I've seen. Let's hope 2015's half of this season brings the same. 08 - The 100 (The CW)  I love this show. It's gritty, it's astonishingly violent, and it lacks almost all of the "Typical CW" fare that people bemoan Arrow and The Flash for having. The writers are not afraid to take risks, they're not afraid to make characters unlikable, and they're good at making the actions have consequences. It's all anchored by strong performances from Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco, Isaiah Washington, and Henry Ian Cusick. Possibly the best show CW has ever or maybe will ever produce. It honestly doesn't even feel like it belongs on that channel. 07 - Manhattan (WGN America)  I was mesmerized by this show from the beginning. With the exception of a few supporting characters I was unfamiliar with the majority of the cast. Finding great acting in unexpected places is one of my favorite things and I found a ton of that in this show. Especially so from John Benjamin Hickey and Harry Lloyd. The episode with Lloyd's character meeting an old colleague of his over dinner and the problems it causes for him is one of my favorite single episodes of the year of any show. 06 - Rectify (SundanceTV)  There's not a show made with more heart and soul on this planet. Probably the most uniquely introspective and thought provoking show on TV. It's a shame this show isn't a huge hit. I know why it is isn't, but it's still a shame. Amazing acting is understatement. This show is simply art. 05 - 24 (FOX)  Long live the King! Jack Bauer returned in force this year. Literally. Leaner and meaner than any season before it they managed to not only resurrect this show, but make everything about it better. Easily the best season of the show from a plot standpoint. Also one of the most coherent. And that's something 24 has lacked in the past. After such a strong return it will be a shame if this was the end. Let's just let Kiefer make 12 episodes every couple years until he dies. I'm fine with that. 04 - Vikings (The History Channel)  A running theme on my list is shows that seem to fly under other people's radars. This show is the spiritual successor to Spartacus. It's not as over the top with its violence or as littered with flowery language, but it's very powerful in the same way. Combining amazing cinematography, great acting, and a plot that powers through and leaves you wanting more it's a very bold show. How something like this ended up on The History Channel is anyone's guess. I'm just glad it ended up somewhere. 03 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)  A tough year for comedies. My honorable mentions list has a lot, but this year comedy just wasn't quite as strong for me. This show however was the exception. As it has been since episode one. The show already came to us fully formed and this year it made good on the promise it showed last year. The only real laugh out lough every episode comedy I saw this year. I'm happy it finally found a place where it gets decent ratings, even if it is buried amidst cartoons long past their prime. 02 - Shameless (Showtime)  The last two years this has been my number one show. This year it's number two. And this year was probably the strongest season it's had yet. How did this happen? Well it's not this show's fault. This year brought a big shakeup to the show as Lip and Fiona both flipped. Fiona always the stronger older sister that was a rock for her family finally lets life get the best of her. Her downfall this season was hard to watch, but it always felt real. She made mistakes, big ones, and she paid for them. Lip on the other was forced to step up. And he did in a big way. Emmy Rossum has always been the real force on this show, but this year Jeremy Allen White was right her guiding the season. Another too often overlooked show. I'm not sure how it can keep topping itself every season, but I'm eager to find out. 01 - Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon)  I kept putting off this list because I wanted to see this show and knew it was going to be a very late release. I watched the pilot early this year and was immediately hooked. I figured it would slot in somewhere in the lower half of my Top 10 if it fulfilled the promise of the pilot. Boy was I in for a surprise. I'll note up front here that this series may not be for everyone. But I am exactly the audience it was looking for. Gael Garcia Bernal is flat out amazing in this series. The pilot makes you think maybe this guy is going to turn out to not be very likable when all is said and done and I was so surprised how they completely went in the opposite direction. While this show is labeled as a comedy, and does have a few good funny moments per episode, it's another show that's really full of heart. The sixth episode, titled The Rehearsal, is probably my favorite episode of TV this year. And if not that then it's probably the one following it. The Rehearsal was just a really enjoyable half hour of TV. It's good to have a half hour that just leaves a big smile on your face. Most of the half hours here did just that. The ending completely surprised me and left the biggest smile on my face. If the show ends here it'll be one of my favorite ever and I'll be disappointed, but happy that it got made in the first place. Thanks for giving me this show for Christmas Amazon as it was exactly what I wanted. Honorable Mentions 11 - The Americans 12 - Agents of SHIELD 13 - Benched 14 - Veep 15 - Hannibal 16 - Haven 17 - Review 18 - New Girl 19 - Sleepy Hollow 20 - The Flash 21 - Nathan For You 22 - Playing House 23 - Comedy Bang Bang 24 - Covert Affairs 25 - Key & Peele
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Dec 29, 2014 04:45
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Didn't mind Mozart in the Jungle, my good friend is Argentine and he's always here with his Mate (drink) and he's just as anal about it. Cracked me up... Also i'm a big fan of classical music, Malcolm McDowell is hilarious.
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Dec 29, 2014 04:50
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And there I was thinking "well at least Mozart in the Jungle isn't meant to be that amazing so I don't have to binge THAT before the new year" THANKS DEADPOOL
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Dec 29, 2014 05:33
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Bown posted:And there I was thinking "well at least Mozart in the Jungle isn't meant to be that amazing so I don't have to binge THAT before the new year" It's like two movie's worth of time, ten half hour episodes. If you're at all interested in the premise give it a shot. I'm not claiming it's for everyone.
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Dec 29, 2014 05:40
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10. Too Many Cooks gently caress the haters, it was brilliant. Continually kept you guessing where it would go next, only let down by a too-pat ending. 9. Too Many Cooks  There's been a glut of superhero shows that pride themselves on the swiftness of their plot progression, the latest gut-wrenching revelation. But this show lets itself breathe and is all the stronger for it. 8. Too Many Cooks  Who cares if Smarf is a puppet? He had the breakout performance of the year. I can only hope he makes the jump to movies as gracefully as Chris Pratt 7. Too Many Cooks  This show did what Gotham and Agents of SHIELD tried and failed to do: it showed the people out of their league compared to the superpowered stars without diminishing them or the universe they live in. 6. Too Many Cooks  The closest thing to art on Television today. 5. Too Many Cooks  Sure, this show's getting on in years, but you can't say too many seasons'll spoil the broth, but that is not the American way. This show's been serving a helping of freedom and resisting the forces of evil since before I was born and God willing it'll keep showing us how for decades to come. 4. Too Many C.O.O.K.S.  Been a bit of a down season with the BRotH storyline overwhelming the Science part of the show, but nothing else on TV has the imagination of this show when it's on point. 3. Too Many Cooks  Shows us the complexities of poly relationships without ever getting into pat advocacy for or against them. Bold, important work. 2. Too Many Cooks  beautiful, grotesque, thematically deft. What more needs to be said? 1. Too Many Cooks  Too Many Cooks Too Many Cooks Too Many Cooks T͇̦̯͍̟̠̟͑ͫ͒́ö͔̲̻͂ͦ̿̏̿ͯ͢o̖̭̺̩̜̮̞̪̐̿͊̆̽͋ͬ̚͞ ̸͊̉ͤ̉͆͏̠̖M̡̜͇͇͚͎͎͖̤ͯ͗̿a̶̢̩͖̯̖̤̳̬ͮ̌ͥͪ̋ͨn̨̝̖̳̬ͤ̋̂̄̐ͫ̎͋ȳ͍̯̓̆ ̴̝̘̱̣̻͖̫̆̄͋͊̾͜͡ͅC͚̝͕͉͕͇ͯ͑̋ͭ̿̐̓oͨͥ̑ͩ͑̂̽̍҉̥͖̠͓͞oͨ̐̿̈́̿̎̃͏̴̼̘̣͖́k̯͚͓̜̉͂̍s̳̤̆͛̾̾̚ ͗̚͏̙͘ͅ ͔̖̩̣͕̖͎̽̒ͯͧ̐͟͡ ̧͚̺̘͉̹̝̳͍̓ͪ̄͒͆̇ͥͪ͡T̥̺̻͔ͦ̾ͩ́͢͟ọ̥̄͋͒o̷ͥ̌̂҉̹̺͓͓̠͟ ̝̜̬͎̭͙̤̣̄̿̒̆M͉̝̖̻̽͛ͧ̓̋̃ͧͩ́͠ǎ̹̰̯̪̦̜̯̃̈́͋̑̔͛͟n̢̜̣̱͉̼̞̽̒͠y̖͎ͫ͌̐̑ ̧̟͙̝ͫ͡C̷̵̲̳̮̩̓̐̒͋̈́ͨ͝ơ̻̮͖̔̂̓ͥ͟ǫ̞͐͒k̷̩͚̰̩̤ͫͨͣͧ̃͛̕ͅs̴̴̢͙͕̯͖͓ͧ̓̆ͩ̓̊ ̪̗̞̥͎͎͉ͣ̀̿̋ͧ̊ ̧͒̔̔́҉̳̱̼̝͔̹̪̠ ̨̪͕̟ͭ̀̊ͬͤ̄͗T͑ͬ͌҉̜͎̱̰o̸̡͕͉̤͆̊oͧͬͭͫ͏̵̼ ̳̬̯͙̗̼̺̲̊ͨͯ͜͜ͅM̷͈̤̗̙̬ͦ͊̒̏ͧͫ̈̋ͯ̀a̴̘͚̓͋̊ņ̢̠̦ͥͪ̉̉͊ỷ̶̯ͫ̉͞ ̮̯͇̺̯̮͎̠ͥ̊̃C̲̭̞̙ͭ̒o̜̞̠͕ͬ̐̉̏͌̿ơ̛̩ͮ̽̉́k̢̹̃ͤ̅ͧ̓͗s̙͙̖͙͍͖͊͑̆͑͆͂ͥ̆ͧ͟ ̻̯̘͍̱̥͎͖̓ͩ̒͐͌̆̎ ̖̱̝̮ͤͩ͊ͪ͊̽ͥ͑͢ T̻̪̓̅̍͑̇ͪo͉͓̱̦͋̎̀ͭͫo̗͔̗͉̓̄̊ ̵͎̳̱̥͕͑̓ͯͤͮ̈́ͬM̸̘̙̖͇͓͉̳ͫa̧̻̟͔̰̱̹̝͗͒͋́̚͟n̶̰͈͖̘̟̼̣̞̍̈ͣ͛̾͢͡y̴̹̤̖̥͒͗ͪ̒̄̽ͤ̓ ̟ͩͨ͒̓̍͠C̴̼̜͐̏͒͆̿̿̀o̸̟̙̺̘͛̓̀̿̅̒̀͠o̖̼͇̲̗͍̍̍́ͫ̏͛̚͜͝k̷̵̖̫͗̇ͯ̿̂͂̈̄̏s̞͖̺̖̀ͯ͘͡
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Dec 29, 2014 05:41
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55 points! With just a single post, Too many Cooks jumped into top 
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Dec 29, 2014 05:49
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Wait, Harry Lloyd's in Manhattan? Fine.
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Dec 29, 2014 07:39
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Rarity posted:Wait, Harry Lloyd's in Manhattan? i wrote about this, wth rarity also he's great in manhattan but...um, how to put this. he's great but the way the season ends with his character is, um. hmm. disappointing, i guess.
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Dec 29, 2014 07:56
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Deadpool posted:It's like two movie's worth of time, ten half hour episodes. If you're at all interested in the premise give it a shot. I'm not claiming it's for everyone. I liked the pilot a lot when it first went up. It seems like it's most definitely for me.
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Dec 29, 2014 10:04
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here we go heres my top ten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fV5WNudPPU 10. Manhattan Manhattan had a loving mess of a first season. It's really hard to express how many plots were progressed inconsistently, poorly progressed, or just plain dropped as the season continued; What was the point of the private's relationship with Frank's daughter? Was there any thematic or narrative point to Frank's infidelity subplot? Why is so much time spent on Peter Stomare's character. especially when he ends up having no significant impact on the finale? So many aspects of the first season of Manhattan were just unbelievably loving poor, and as a whole the season was so violently, so infuriatingly inconsistent. So why is this still on my top ten list when so much of the show made me so annoyed when watching it? Because, when the show was on it was really on. The central conceit of the show- an examination into the desperate nuclear arms race that lead to the end of World War II -is inherently fascinating, and when the show focused on the desperate, important, secret work the scientists were doing and their moral conflict with potentially helping create a weapon that would destroy the world, it was wondrous television. Heck, even when the show diverted to the home life fallout- pun intended -of the scientists' work, namely Frank's and Charlie's wives, that stuff usually worked as well- it just sometimes got too caught up in the melodrama, too focused on soap opera-y plots and developments that were ill-conceived and worse, not serviced well enough by the overarcing narrative to make them feel like anything other than bare-faced stalling for time. Manhattan should've been the absolute, unequivocal best show this year, and in a world where it didn't so deeply gently caress up so many aspects of the plot and cohesion of the season it would've been, John Benjamin Hickey's performance as the deeply, deeply flawed protagonist Frank Winters is one of the best of the year, and as mentioned before the pilot is one of the single best introductions I have seen to a program since, like, LOST. The premise, setting, dialog, and most of the characters are absolutely great and work so well together, create a world so narratively rich from the very beginning. But the narrative doesn't hold up its end of the bargain, and so deeply fumbles what should've been an easy touchdown that Manhattan just barely edges in at the bottom of my list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53pQhJdi-sA 9. The Knick I love The Knick, but The Knick isn't really a daring or revolutionary show in any way. If I could sum up my feelings about The Knick in one word, it's "competent". The acting is stellar if, conversely, uninspiring- everyone turns in a great, but no-frills performance, Clive Owen included. The set design is great if quite Gangs of New York-y, the dialog usually does its job- and sometimes, but not enough, even more than that -and the plot progression is rather what you'd expect for a show about a turn-of-the-century hospital set in the 1900's- typical plots involve the casual racism/sexism/misogyny/drug (ab)use/scientific illiteracy that permeated the common culture of the time. The premise of the show, despite being all about being on the "burgeoning forefront of modern medicine of the early twentieth century", is mostly a veneer of cable respectability over a very obvious medical drama- there's some great stuff about early twentieth century hardships with surgery, electricity, et al, but the show is really, truly, honestly "House in 1900". That's what it is; the racism angle with Andre Holland's character gives it a bit of extra narrative weight, but it's at its core a period medical procedural with some grotesque, absolutely disgustingly accurate surgery portrayals. So. The Knick, as I have described it, is good but nowhere near distinctive enough to be put on any top ten list. Why is it on mine? Because the one thing that makes it distinct- its direction -is so wildly fantastic that the show's direction alone makes it a loving sea change in how TV is made. TV is a writing-driven medium- directors are essentially hired guns on an episode-to-episode basis, and have very little laterality in how to tell the story separate from what's written on the script, especially in stark contrast to, say, movies, where directors essentially call all the shots. Oh sure, you get your Rian Johnsons, your Michelle MacLarens, who can elevate material via their command over the camera, but this only makes great scripts better. In contrast, the work Soderbergh has done on The Knick, how he has directed every single episode of the first season, has made this show into a truly director-driven show, pretty much the first of its type ever as far as I know. His shot direction, his cinematography, his pans and the way he frames his shots tell a far more gripping, a far more important narrative than what the actors are saying, and his direction- and his direction alone -is what makes The Knick a great show. Soderbergh is why The Knick is on my top ten list; nothing else matters. As a side note, Cliff Martinez's synth-heavy score is so good and so dissonant from what one would expect for a period drama that it deserves some recognition as well. Don't get me wrong, Steven Soderbergh is why The Knick is great television, but Martinez is pretty much the only other performer who operates at the level Soderbergh is throughout this 10-episode first season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veBokK7K9vE 8. Community Let's talk about Dan Harmon. Fired from the show he created, he somehow got rehired to showrun Community's fifth season- a season it probably shouldn't have gotten in the first place -in a redemption story that brings to mind the greek myths of old. Which rather fits Harmon's Jesus complex, but here we are. He came in, and he didn't shy away from embracing the events of the fourth season, despite his complete lack of creative control over it, and how its oft-divided fanbase all came to the rarely-unified conclusion that it was a loving mess, at best. Harmon had to address the narrative of a season he had no control over, an almost total changeover in writers- nearly everyone who hadn't already quit or otherwise left after he was fired after season three ended up taking other jobs after season four was done, assuming reasonably that there was no loving chance that it would end up renewed -and the unceremonious, very contentious departure of Chevy Chase from the main cast at the end of season four. Then Donald Glover wanted out to pursue his rap career. Community season five should've been the worst. The season four finale, for better or worse, tied up all major loose ends for the show and made the central premise- a group of friends at community college- inherently invalid. Dan, going into breaking and then writing season five, considering he wasn't shying away from treating the previous season as canon, would have to find an at least somewhat justifiable reason that the group would go back to Greendale, then write out Chevy's character entirely- and do it without having him on-set at any time, so bitterly did Chase leave the program in the previous season that he was literally barred from showing up to the film set -then write out Donald's character entirely, in only five episodes. And that's not even counting how Jonathan Banks had to be introduced and immediately integrated into the group dynamic, without feeling like another old white guy who was signed on to replace the other old white guy who left. Or counting how Dan had only thirteen 21-minute episodes to tell whatever arcing story he wanted to tell, and close it on what would almost certainly be the for-reals, no second chances series finale, his return marked by his final goodbye to this show he adored immensely. Community season five should've been a loving trainwreck. A new writer's room, a quarter of the cast gone, a once-fired former showrunner known to be incredibly difficult to work with as boss again? With barely half the episodes he had before? On a network that barely tolerated it, with a studio that viewed it, justly, as that show that was only valuable when it hit syndication numbers? Coming off a terrible loving previous season? And yet...and yet...and yet. Community season five was good. It was often great. More than that, it was loving Community again. Sure, Chevy not being there sucked, and Donald leaving five episodes in hurt, but Harmon resumed his rightful place as captain of this ship and everything immediately became better- the jokes were funnier, the characters were written better, the dialog was on loving point again, the show regained its much touted and vaguely described "heart" that made it distinctive as a comedy in the first place. It wasn't a pale imitation of the man, it wasn't season four- it was Harmon, it was the real deal, and it was still great. Sure, season five was still messy- the second half was weaker than its first, and I think the two-part season finale is a bit weak- the first part is conceptually fantastic but executionally nonsense, and the second part is a bit too pat and forced (but has a great final five minutes/ending credits sting). But that's to be expected. Community has always been a messy show, a show that's consistently inconsistent, always the longshot, the underdog, the one that beat the impossible odds. And it did it in season five. It was great television despite every indication otherwise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7Kim1Gxg3w 7. Person of Interest Person of Interest is, in contrast to the show right below it on my top ten, the most consistently consistent show on television. The cast the show has assembled is so good, and has such good chemistry, and works so well together, and are so well defined that the show is always at the very least a joy to watch week-in-and-out. The serialized plotting is always on point, the antagonists are real characters, actually dimensionalized and empathetic, if not sympathetic, the dialog is often very emotionally resonant and knows exactly what sort of wavelength the show itself is meant to operate on. The action is tight; the cinematography is clever and intelligent. I could go on. But I won't. Sorry if this writeup comes a little sparse; at one time I was known as the guy who would spend his time evangelizing how great Person of Interest is. I don't, and don't have to, do that any more; everyone already knows that. My writing up the reasons why PoI is fantastic would be undercutting the whole point; there is no more confident and capable show on television than this. None whatsoever. It knows exactly what show it is, what show it wants to be, and how to accomplish those goals and it just does that. Constantly. That's it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve8orWqYzPU 6. Masters of Sex Season 2's first half is a loving mess. The show feels aimless; William Masters' constant flitting from job to job after he quits Maternity Hospital at the end of season one might've been realistic, but boy oh boy did it make the first half of the season feel like it was constantly treading water. And then we get to such fantastic plot developments as Virginia doing Cal-O-Metric, or Betty's married life shenanigans- which were great executionally, since her scenes with Greg Grunberg were some absolutely wondrous bits of acting on both his and Annaleigh Ashford's part, but conceptually were completely divorced from the central premise revolving around Masters and Johnson's intersecting lives. Or Betty's lesbian lover, which was one step removed from even her married life subplot. Or Libby. Christ, Libby. Caitlyn Fitzgerald's Libby could've so, so easily been the nagging, bitchy, hag wife character to William Masters, somehow justifying or making more morally acceptable to the audience that Masters was constantly cheating on his wife with his employee (and eventually, his work partner). Essentially, she could've been the Betty Draper of Masters of Sex. But in her first season, she wasn't; she was genuinely a good person, if a bit awkward and odd. She was even a friend of Virginia's, which made the affair that her and Bill eventually begin a betrayal on both their parts'. It was a neat, smart, and somewhat clever way to characterize the long-suffering wife character that is supposed to restrict the male protagonist's genius; Libby, in season one, is just a nice lady, making every moral and ethical line that Bill and Virginia cross all the more dubious, less and less justifiable. But then in the first half of season two, Libby gets the one-two punch of the whole "being a lovely mother" plotline and the Coral arc, which was so self-evidently pointless, cringe-worthy, and such a departure from her characterization as sensitive if awkward and a bit facile that it nearly ruined the show entirely whenever it was on. I honestly don't know what the point of it was; Coral's storyline in the first half of the season seems solely to introduce her brother Thomas to Libby, and that's it. The first half of the second season of Masters of Sex is just loving bad. The sex study doesn't go on, most of the serialized narratives are completely separate from each other, and many of them make no sense or are really poorly executed. But then the timeskip happens in the seventh episode, and the show somehow miraculously finds a narrative purpose it never had before. Changing the show to be about Bill and Virginia's struggles with growing their own practice, looping in the now-divorced Betty in the process, and setting the show in and around the building in which Masters and Johnson run their practice gives the show a narrative focus it needed, and desperately. Sure, everyone is still involved in their own little separate stories, but it doesn't feel so disparate from each other when all of the principle cast is in primarily the same location: that one building. The plot arcs in the second half of the season get much, much better too: Bill and Virginia struggling with trying to be successful and respected in the scientific community dovetails nicely with Bill's impotence angle. Libby got a much better arc in the second half of the season with all of the CORE stuff, including the affair she initiates with Thomas. I could go on, but you get the picture: the second half of the season is so much better and so much different from the first half they barely resemble the same show; the first half is Bill's boring struggles to hold down a job and Virginia's boring, weird struggles to sell diet pills. The second half is them trying to grow a medical practice and move from studying sex to trying to cure sexual dysfunctions. The quality jump is loving staggering. And, looking back, it's really hard to see the second half of season two as anything but a direct result of the first half; without the terrible, TERRIBLE Coral poo poo we don't get Thomas, and if we don't get Thomas we don't get CORE, which was a far more narratively satisfying and weighty arc for Libby's character than she's ever, really, had. Without Cal-O-Metric we don't get Flo, and Flo is honestly a pretty great and interesting foil to Langham, far better than that no-name burlesque lady he was dating in the first half of the season. Sure, the Betty marriage poo poo was stupid but it led to her being finally re-integrated into the main cast in a way that made sense (especially since she left the first season with no reasonable justification to returning for any significant length of time). Bill wandering from job to job might've been pointless and repetitive, but without it we don't get to be introduced to Betsy Brandt's character, the single best new character of the season, one who has a flat-out wondrous scene in the second half of the season with Virginia. Basically, my point is the first half of season two of Masters of Sex, outside of the third episode's bottle episode. is atrocious and completely ill-conceived and executed, and the second half is some of the best tv I've seen all year. The frustrating thing, of course, is that the second half is based entirely on the buildup from the first; it makes me question whether or not the quality jump was intentional or something; even if it was, the seven episodes in the back half being loving incredible (leading into its brilliant finale) doesn't justify the first six episodes- a full half of the season- being really, really atrocious to watch. If Masters of Sex had been a more consistent show, it would've ended at or near the top of this list; instead, its massive quality fluctuations knocks it down to sixth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyu_MdKBXic 5. True Detective People claim two things about True Detective: That Fargo is better than it, and that it's overrated. Both of these statements are largely true; neither of these denies the fact that True Detective was easily one of the best shows that aired this year. Yes, there are criticisms to make. Yes, TD had a women problem- although I think it's slightly overstated, Michelle Monaghan's character had a decent (if still somewhat problematic) arc that could've used more exploration, but as it was- and this is important -it works well enough. It works adequately, and I enjoyed Maggie's scenes onscreen. Yes, the show ends somewhat less well than it could or maybe "should" have, but it's nowhere near a bad ending and nowhere near bad enough to ruin the show or whatever the anti-hype train people would have you believe. Yes, the philosophical leanings of Rust Cohle were ultimately empty and somewhat hollow verbal masturbation, but that was literally the entire point of those scenes- they're meant to illustrate how much of a pretentious, arrogant rear end in a top hat he is, not meant to be some Philosophy 101 lecture from Matthew McConaughey. True Detective was a show that was incredibly shot, performed, and for at least eight episodes- eighty percent of the loving season- was a brilliant and complicated whodunnit with a really clever framing device, and a rather interesting commentary on the failures of systems- whether that be organizations, groups, duos, or individuals. Plus, it had one of the single best scenes ever shot, maybe ever, not just in television. Sure, it didn't end as well as it could have, but it ended well enough, and it most certainly deserves to be on this list. The sins of hobbling the landing don't make the performance as a whole bad, no matter what people may claim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh10k2LPZiI 4. Rick and Morty Dan Harmon spent his time away from Community making one of the best cartoons ever. That's barely hyperbole. It's mind-blowing to think how strong a first season Rick and Morty had, how it was incredible from start to finish, how it was dark and hilarious and emotional and serious and awesome- as in, inspiring awe -frequently, often within the same episode. It's mind-blowing to think that this show started as a terrible flash cartoon centered around a Doc Brown knockoff exploiting a Marty McFly knockoff to suck his balls that somehow turned into this, this dark, cynical, and yet still emotionally heartfelt cartoon about a broken alcoholic man's adventures in time and space with his mentally impaired grandson. Rick and Morty is so good, and so effortlessly good it's downright bizarre to think that it's the first season, or that it's mostly episodic, because the two-episode serialized arc it has in the middle of the season- where Rick and Morty end up burying their alternate-universe dead selves and then living those stolen lives, and Marty's emotional confession of that fact to Summer, his sister, when she's about to run away from the family...you know what, gently caress it, just watch it. And remember that this happened in the middle of an episode where the main plot of this episode was about everyone in the family watching alternate universe TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iYO4T9iErs&t=1027s Rick and Morty is so good it transcends my distaste for genre fiction in general to illustrate to me in no uncertain terms how well it can be accomplished, how it can tell really human, emotionally resonant stories, ones that illustrate the mind-blowing infinity of the universe and its limitless potential and how that is a truly beautiful concept when done right. And it does it in twenty-one minute chunks, on adult swim, with two main characters that are just barely not infringing on copyright. That's how good this show is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzZsrGJJDH8 3. The Americans This show and the two above it are the only shows I would consider to have been "great" TV released. It probably stems from my bias for drama over comedy why Rick and Morty isn't on this list, but to me my top ten list is composed of two distinct groups: Shows that were great, and shows that were good but somehow missed the mark in some way. The Americans had a good first season, but holy poo poo alive was its second season loving incredible. It became a show that operated on all cylinders, that balanced the overarcing thriller elements and the tense home life scenes in a way that reminded us of what Homeland was like at its best in season one, before it became terrible convoluted nonsense. What surprises me the most, thinking back on season two, was how little work had to be done to make season two so incredible; all the show needed was a bit of narrative and character focusing. That was it, really; season two is a huge qualitative jump from season one, yes, but it feels like a natural progression from a solid base, and not some outlier jump in quality that the show would never be able to subsequently achieve, as is somewhat common in FX shows (Sons of Anarchy, Justified, etc). The Americans had an incredible, smart, tense, clever second season about the moral and ethical grey areas of the cold war, and the effects of what living a deep cover life would do to your sense of self, or the relationships you form, but it all seemed like an extension of the themes the show had always posited. Truly, a great show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM2l8TPzKmY 2. Fargo You don't sequelize the Coen brothers. You wanna talk about the most singular voice in Hollywood today, it's them. They, and only they, can make the movies they make in the way they make them. Their ouevre is as close to perfect as you can reasonably get, and there's a reason why in their, what, dozen-plus movies they've directed, that there's not a single sequel in there. They tell the story they want to tell, completely within a single movie. And they're done. I love the Coen brothers, but the thing that impresses me the most about their work- about all of their works -is how loving complete every film they've made is. There's no looseness to any of it, every movie is tight and ends definitively, with reason and thought and care put into how it wraps up. And of their movies, of all their wonderful movies, my by-far most favorite is Fargo. It's an incredible film, but the most important and crucial aspect of the film is that it ends. Jerry Lundegaard's failed kidnapping plot of his wife comes to its dark, painful conclusion in a way that states in no uncertain terms that although the world may continue, our time spent watching it will not. So along comes this no-name motherfucker Noah Hawley, whose most famous previous writing credit was for that FOX show Bones, claiming that he was gonna make a tv show set in the world of Fargo. Not only that, but everything about it- from its main anti-hero, Lester Nygaard, to having a capable female cop as the protagonist, to a similar premise of Lester covering up the murder of his wife- everything about it screamed that it was a ripoff of one of the greatest movies ever made. And yet...it's arguably better than the movie. That's how good Fargo the TV series is; it not only honors its source material, it not only feels like a true and natural and earned extension of the world established in the movie, it's not only incredible in its own right, removed from the source material, it might be the superior of the two works. That's how incredible Fargo is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PTNHQND6MA 1. The Leftovers The Leftovers is a show that is not for everyone. In fact, for many it may end up as one of the worst shows that they've seen this year. But to me, The Leftovers is an incredibly brave program, one that does something that most tv shows don't: it's in open conflict with its audience. Most TV shows want you to like them. By the nature of what a TV show is, by the time investment it demands, they try to create connections with their audiences, create a form of empathetic or relational layer to the show itself so that you, as a viewer, become invested into the show as well. They're trying to, subconsciously or not, honestly or not, sell you something: the show itself. The Leftovers does not care, at any moment, if you like it. Most of the characters are at least moderately unlikeable. There's no explanation for its central premise- 2% of the world's population disappearing with no explanation of where they went. The show will spend large stretches of time on no arcing progression, or progression that it (and not you) deems important. The pacing can fluctuate between sudden and nonexistent, seemingly at will. Many episodes don't even have a strong grasp on whether things are happening are 'real' within its narrative; the main character might be suffering schizophrenia. Or a religious experience. Or he may be dreaming. It's...never very clear. Many times plot lines are hinted at and introduced with zero followup or followthrough; the show decides when and how it wants to proceed. But above all, and most importantly, it's an intensely, unremittingly, intensely dark show. This is maybe people's biggest turnoff to why they don't like or even hate it; it's very bleak, 99.99% of the time. Happy endings won't and don't happen on this show; there's never a promise that things will get better or even explained. And this is why I love it so much. I love it so much because it was written not for me; it's not packaged to me, or to anyone. I am watching, purely and without compromise, the intentions of its creators. I am seeing, from a completely untainted viewpoint, the pure expression of what the show The Leftovers wants to be. And because this isn't for me, it paradoxically is; I think back to the emotional highs and lows I experienced when watching this and it's an unparalleled viewing experience. I think back to the finale, one of the most heart-wrenching and bleak season finales I've seen, and how the moment at the very end of the season, the little, tiny, near-insignificant win that the Harvey family experienced on their front porch, nearly made me burst into tears. The Leftovers is a hard, near impossible show to watch; one that by any conventional measurement is flawed to the extreme. But that's rather the point of it, I think; it forces its audience to think, really think, really dwell on the sobering realities of the rotten, dying universe it built. And in so doing, in doing the genuine hard work that is watching this show, I've had one of my most rewarding viewing experiences ever. And incredible show, and my number one with a bullet.
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Dec 29, 2014 10:23
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True Detective only had eight episodes.
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Dec 29, 2014 10:56
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Gomorra knocked out Z Nation for me, OP i've edited it.
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Dec 29, 2014 12:33
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10 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine It's a sitcom with good character work where Andy Samberg is funny but doesn't overpower everything by Andy Samberging. Having a really broad performer like that and keeping him in line is not nothing, especially when you've got a strong ensemble with standouts like Andre Braugher and Melissa Fumero. I'm just hoping we get to see more of Holt's home life. 9. Faking it It's kinda dumb, and most of the characters tilt onto the "obnoxious rear end in a top hat" side of the teenager spectrum, but it's a fun watch. And at least that god-awful premise got put out of its misery entirely by the end of the first season. 8. Doctor Who - New Doctor, New Rules and New direction have given us some very excellent episodes (and few egg-shaped turds.) 7. Orphan Black Really just earning this slot on the back of Tatiana Maslany. We will probably all be tired of hearing about her (if you aren't already) by this time next year. 6. Hannibal: Season 2. Everybody dies except Hannibal. So much blood, so much violence, so much hunger, and food galore. I love this show. It's literally perfect. There's not a single thing wrong with this show. Probably one of the best things on tv right now. Mads Mikkelson is the loving sexiest man I've ever seen, I'm not gay, but I would touch his penis if he asked me. I don't want to say anymore. 5. Veep I love all the characters on this show. This season got me really hyped for the next season. Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selena Meyer is always great. 4) Agents of Shield “WHAT THE gently caress” I can hear the outraged voices now. AoS hasn’t exactly been the most popular show around these parts. I liked it well enough from the beginning, but I would definitely have agreed it wasn’t anything super amazing. At least not until near the end of Season 1. The reveal of Hydra’s infiltration of Shield in Cap 2 and the way it completely turned the show upside down was amazing. I’ve loved every single episode since that point. I think it’s a really strong show now and the only reason it’s not even higher on my list is that there are shows that are even better. I like the cast, I like the worldbuilding they’re doing for the MCU, I like the filler episodes, I like everything. It’s one of the shows I try to make sure I watch live almost every week. 03 the genius this korean variety game show is a lot of fun, unfortunately we've been missing the song Extreme Ways which generally came at the best moment of each episode, but it's still been great to watch. a good cast and i'm upset that my favourite didn't win but i'm going to watch to the end anyway[/b] 2)Over the Garden Wall A good story told perfectly. The two leads play off each other amazingly, the supporting cast is instantly memorable and the art style is wonderful #1 Joss Whedon's Firefly There is one big premise that you have to swallow in order to like this show. If you can't cope with it, you won't like it, because it will smack you in the face in every episode. It is like the James Bond movies, if you don't accept, as a premise, that Bond, James Bond, can do everything, fly, drive, shoot, use *every* piece of machinery on the planet, that he can shoot better than all his adversaries (who all miss, all the time) and gets *all* the babes, if you don't accept this, you have to hate James Bond movies, because they are ridiculous. We talk about suspense of disbelief. The one thing you have to swallow, without thinking about it, is, that in this particular science fiction universe, the future looks like this: You have core planets, which are like one would imagine future worlds: Big, beautiful buildings, hight tech gadgets, spaceships and shuttles, modern weapons (some that don't kill by using some kind of sonic boom), flat displays, a modern, digital credit system instead of localised currency, a totally diverse people influenced by every imaginable culture, heavily influenced by the chinese society, the only remaining superpower besides the USA and so forth. But, and this is a capitalized BUT: There are also the outer rim planets. They don't have a developed infrastructure and such. Settlers are dumped on planets with next to nothing, exploited to recover raw materials, used as cheap labor, trying to survive. Still sounds reasonable, no? The catch is: all these outer rim worlds look like you have been thrown into a cheap spaghetti WESTERN movie. They trade cows, they use old revolvers, drive horses and dress in western-style garments. You have little, old, dirty small villages with a saloon and stuff. These outer rim planets, out of reach of the civilised Alliance, are a no-mans-land, with superstitious, uneducated fools, where the strong fist rules - if you have the most men and guns behind you, you are the law. The poor grunt is like the cowboy in a typical western movie. Hard to accept? Partially yes, of course. But there is logic in almost everything: there are future references everywhere! Real food (as opposed to synthesized proteins) is a rare commodity, the RICH guys have laser guns or state of the art display devices. And - they stay true to this premise throughout the show, which is a rare thing in today's entertainment. But apart from this (for some) hard to accept premise, this show is the most entertaining, clever, realistic(!), funny, imaginative, creative, thrilling piece of entertainment I had the pleasure of viewing (by downloading it from the internet) in years (don't get me wrong: I downloaded it because I live in Germany and the show was never aired here, and I asked my brother, who lives in the USA, to get me the DVD as a christmas present - and he did) As for realism: Why do they still use guns to kill people, why not lasers like in Star Trek (which i am avid fan of)? I say: guns kill people, bullets are cheap. Guns get the killing done. (And there are modern (bullet) guns and lasers in the show, they exist, they are simply not widespread and only available to the rich. No sound in space - a little thing with big impact. Not only is it realistic, but it adds to the atmosphere. Instead of ridiculous sound effects the scenes in space are underlaid with vivid music, only emphasising the vastness and nothingness of space. The basics of the universe comply with our world. In the outer rim, where modern civilization hasn't gotten a foothold yet, things - which are to us - common, are valuable merchandise! Just imagine the third world... How much worth are medicine, guns, food there? There are (to us) barbaric customs in uncivilised areas of the world and all this is being portrayed in the show. The Plots are great, not like in Enterprise where you seem to have seen everything somewhere before, these plots are unique, thrilling and exciting. I have seen episodes where I thought "ok, I get it" and then *wham* the story turns into a totally different direction. Surprises at every corner. The show is so refreshingly politically incorrect, I don't want to give away plot details, but there are situations you know from your movie/series experience and think OMG there we go again (Hostage situations someone?) and then*boom* - the protagonist does EXACTLY what WE would wish to do but which every movie/series is afraid of doing because it is not PC. The characters are three dimensional and so well laid out. This "family" on board a little spaceship, a confined space(!), with all their motivations, quirks and problems, trying to get along and achieve their goals, are so believable and make for a hell of a ride. The creators of this show have, in the first 14 episodes, established plots, characters and atmosphere that other science fiction series have only managed to achieve - if ever - in the last seasons of their time on air. Such a pity that most American viewers couldn't see behind a bold, unique, hilarious - if difficult to accept at first glance - premise... and see the beautiful gem of a show behind it.
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Dec 29, 2014 13:41
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I know you realise Firefly is a whole bunch of years old. That's some dissertation though.
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Dec 29, 2014 13:45
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I really wanna sit anyone down who still goes on about Firefly's oh-so cruel and unfair cancellation and show em Freaks and Geeks.
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Dec 29, 2014 13:52
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Selfie was this seasons Firefly.
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Dec 29, 2014 14:01
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 06:43 |
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I'm legitimately upset that Arrow is going to be #1 this year. It's a fun show sometimes, but gently caress. Shut it down, shut it all down.
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Dec 29, 2014 14:08
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