Matt's and my next list explores the best that the small screen has to offer. More and more, television is beginning to eclipse what feature films are able to accomplish. Their serialized format allows more freedom and time to establish and develop characters that more multi-layered and complex. Matt and I approached this list after contemplating what are the best shows on TV as of 2014. Some of these shows are new, some are not. Some of them have not necessarily finished their current seasons, but they represent what we feel is the pinnacle of what the medium has to offer. Enjoy . . . .
Jay's Picks
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The 4th season of HBO's fantasy mega-hit took us into what fans of the books already knew was fertile plot territory. There were even more deaths of both beloved and hated characters. This was always going to be Peter Dinklage's season to shine, though, as Tyrion Lannister had the best overall arc of the show. The little man found himself falsely jailed by his father and sister, having to us his infamous wits to try and negotiate a way out of a seemingly insurmountable mess. The scenes of him on trial, trading barbs with his dad, Tywin (Charles Dance), are some of the very best the show has ever had. Game of Thrones continues to elevate what a television show can be with its astounding production value and careful juggling of multiple characters, all with different agendas and motivations. Next season will be a real test for the showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as they catch up to the story being told in George R.R. Martin's bestselling novels. They are heading full speed into uncharted waters, but so far they have crafted one of the greatest TV shows of all-time.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
I think we should all pause and thank Jon Stewart for making the decision to venture into filmmaking when he decided to make Rosewater, because without him leaving The Daily Show to pursue his dream, we wouldn't have gotten to see how brilliant John Oliver is as a host. The rest is recent history, as Oliver left The Daily Show to helm his own show for HBO. It started off a little shaky for the first few episodes, as it was clear Oliver and his writers were trying to figure out what kind of show they wanted to be. Once they got it all figured out, though, there was no looking back as Last Week Tonight became consistently the funniest show on television. Oliver's approach was to not only comment on the biggest current events dominating the mainstream media, but also to focus on news that was not getting the attention deserved. Weather it be riffing on the hilarity of Space Sex Geckos, or giving us an inside look at the Supreme Court with the Justices replaced by dogs, or giving us an epic montage of almost every television personality getting blasted by a salmon cannon, this show had me in tears laughing almost every time it came on.
Hannibal (NBC)
Bryan Fuller's demented take on Thomas Harris's iconic characters has been one of the biggest surprises on television. The second season found Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), imprisoned for the vicious murders that were actually committed by his psychiatrist and friend, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). As Graham's tries desperately to convince everyone of Hannibal's guilt, he becomes more and more unbalanced. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite serial killer/cannibal continues to fool everyone. Everything culminates in a season finale that was so thrilling and shocking that I'm still counting the days until Season 3's premiere. I've written before, in a previous column here, why this show is so fantastic. Despite taking violence and gore to levels never before seen on network television, Hannibal is a strangely beautiful show. Scenes are composed so artistically that you feel like you are watching an art-house thriller, not a Friday night crime drama on NBC.
The Affair (Showtime)
I'll be honest, this was a show I had little interest in and only watched due to the interest of my girlfriend. We let the episodes stack up in the DVR as I successfully was able to avoid watching it for weeks and weeks. Finally, I sat and watched the first episode with her and from then on there was turning back. There is so much more to The Affair than the marketing would lead you to believe, that's for sure. The show tells the story of Noah (The Wire's Dominic West) and Alison (Ruth Wilson), two married people who meet and have an affair one summer in the beach community of Montauk, NY. Each episode is broken into two halves as the two lovers share their story with a local detective who is interrogating them about a mysterious murder whose victim is not revealed at the start of the show. The first part tells everything from Noah's perspective and the second from Alison's. You'll notice immediately that even though you are watching a repeat of the same events there are differences in the telling depending on whose point-of-view you are witnessing. Characters behave differently, events are skewed and some things that happened before never actually happen at all. The closest comparison I can find is Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurasawa's 1950 masterpiece, Rashomon, a film that employs the same narrative technique to cause the audience to question what is true and what is not. It works brilliantly as what starts off as a passionate affair turns darker and more sinister as secrets are removed, layer by layer. West and Wilson are fantastic in the show as well, as they bring a certain nuance to their portrayal of characters that change as perspective changes. Don't hesitate to check this one out.
As it ended its 3rd season, Coven, and headed into its 4th titled, Freak Show, FX's cult hit send-up of archetypal horror tropes has established itself as one of the very best hours on television. If you don't scare easily, that is. Tapping into the very fabric of the genre, showrunners, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, have created an anthology series that uses a rotating cast of the same performers (Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Lily Rabe, just to name a few) to tell a separate distinct story each season. First it was the family that moved into the haunted house, second the Asylum that mixed a serial killer slasher with possession and aliens. Next, the show's 3rd season would be its peak so far as it explored a coven of witches in New Orleans. Coven elevated what Murphy and Falchuk had created. It confronted themes like racial tensions in the South and feminine empowerment through a gripping and often shockingly scary plotline. It deserved all of the accolades it received. Now well into its 4th season, AHS continues to play with tride-and-true, classic horror stereotypes that have been rehashed countless times over. It just manages to find new ways to play with the form and do it better.
Nic Pizzolatto's crime drama had a lot going for it from the get-go. First, the entire season's 8 episodes were directed by the same person, Cary Fukunaga. This leant a consistency to the overall tone, form and mood of the show that made it feel more like a feature film in segments. Just witness the great single-take tracking shot in episode 4. You'll know it when it happens. Second, the casting of Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey was inspired. They play homicide detectives, Marty Hart and Rust Cohle, estranged partners who lives become entwined during their 17-year pursuit of serial killer. Like Hannibal, this is a show that relies heavily on disturbing imagery, artfully shot. Taking place in the rural parts of Louisiana, the landscape is as much a character as Cohle or Hart. You can almost feel the humid heat of the Louisiana air. The story itself, though somewhat cliché now, is made more interesting by the dynamic between the two detectives and their rapport. While the killer and the murders he commits are compelling this show was more about these two men and their tumultuous relationship. True Detective was the best show of the year. As it heads into a second season which will feature an entirely new cast and new, unconnected story, it will be interesting see if it can sustain the same level of sophistication and solid writing that this inaugural one did.
Matt's Picks
Based on the DC Comics character Oliver Queen and his crimefighting alias, The Green Arrow, The CW has taken a character already previously brought to life on the TV screen in their hit series Smallville, and gives our favorite emerald archer the darker origin story only those of us who read the comic know. The story follows billionaire spoiled rich-boy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who is on the family yacht with his father and girlfriend Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) when it sinks and he is stranded on a seemingly deserted island. When he returns -- alone -- after five years, and his loved ones (his mother, sister, and girlfriend) all find out he is not dead, their happiness soon turns to questions, wondering what happened to him while on the island. The series almost plays out like ABC's Lost, shifting between the present day with Oliver back in his city and home, and the flashbacks to his time on the island. Currently in its third season, Arrow is, in my opinion, the best comic book show adaptation on TV right now. The writers and production staff at ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could definitely learn a thing or two about how to best utilize a universe full of legendary characters; S.H.I.E.L.D. has some of the best characters ever created in comics, but rather than using them -- even subtly -- they, for some reason, come up with minor villains no one cares about (even though, now, they are getting better). However, with Arrow and its spinoff, The Flash (another well done show this year), the writers and producers are dipping well into the DC universe, bringing to life some of the memorable heroes and villains fans love (Deathstroke, Arsenal, Shado, Deadshot, Huntress, Merlyn, Count Vertigo, Brother Blood, Dollmaker, Black Canary, Bronze Tiger, Amanda Waller, Nyssa al Ghul, Clock King, Cupid, Captain Boomerang, and Ra's al Ghul have so far all made appearances). Plus, the moral ambiguities found in the comic version are spectacularly brought to the screen, making the show feel more serious than what most would expect from a comic book adaptation.
At first, critics rushed to compare this nostalgic-trip-down-memory-lane-of-the-1980s to the amazing, incomparable series, The Wonder Years (truly one of the best TV shows ever made)! While Wonder Years -- which ran from 1988 to 1993 -- actually took place from 1968 to 1973, Goldbergs does not take place in a specific year insomuch as it does the overall decade of the '80s. In the series, Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) is a geeky 11-year-old youngest child living in "1980-something" with his family: his grumpy father Murray (Jeff Garlin); his overprotective, overbearing (s)mother, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey); his older sister, geek-turned-popular girl, Erica (Hayley Orrantia); his big brother, the desperate-to-be-popular, thinks-he-knows-it-all Barry (Troy Gentile); and his loving lothario grandfather, Pops (George Segal). The show follows Adam as he tries to brave the pitfalls of life with his loud family and making his way through junior high -- overcoming obstacles such as girls, gym class, and getting through each day with as little humiliation as possible. One of the best things about this show is how it is appealing to both kids and adults, even though the storylines are more adult-oriented; but kids can watch too (which is saying a lot nowadays as most sitcoms on primetime TV have too much sexual innuendo). And for any adult now who was a kid, growing up in the 1980s, watching this series is a must! Because of the show's unidentified year, the '80s references are open for interpretation. For instance, there can be an episode featuring referencing When Harry Met Sally ... (on VHS tape!), but, a few episodes later, the main story deals with going to see E.T. when it was first released in theaters -- an impossibility seeing how the VHS of When Harry Met Sally was released in late 1989, and E.T. first premiered in theaters in 1982 and was later re-released in 1985. No matter! Sean Giambrone has great comedic timing for a younger actor and he plays off well with his entire family. While I knew Goldbergs could not come close to Wonder Years and thought it awfully pretentious of anyone to compare it to such an all-around great TV show, nevertheless, I tried the show when it first premiered and it didn't grab me. But, at the behest of my wife, I tried it again, and, myself being a child of the 1980s, I found myself loving the 1980s references and all-around feel; I also feel a sympatico with the protagonist Adam (Giambrone) -- I too was the dorky little movie fanatic! The fads. The styles. The music. The pop culture. The movies (watch the episode about the video store and you can definitely relate!). It's all in there. While the show is no Wonder Years, it does have an older Adam narrator, played by pop culture geek icon and comedian Patton Oswalt, and the stories are appropriate for a younger audience -- something all too rare nowadays, even on primetime channels and broadcasts. Also, I love that at the end of the show the creator -- the real Adam Goldberg (creator of the show) -- shows actual video footage he took in the 1980s, often showing the real characters shown in the night's episode.
I came to viewing this series late in its run: after the entire second season had aired. So for the few days I had to myself (due to the birth of my niece), I binged on the first two seasons and ever since, I've become addicted to this show! I can't wait for the third season in 2015! Lead actress Tatiana Maslany is an acting-force-to-be-reckoned-with as she takes on the roles of five clones -- all with distinctive personalities! The main protagonist of the series is Sarah Manning (Maslany), a troubled young woman who returns to her hometown city (the show is filmed in Toronto, Canada) to get back her young daughter and start a new life together with stolen money from her drug dealer ex-boyfriend. However, she sees a woman who looks identical to herself commit suicide by walking in front of a moving train, and so, Sarah steals her identity with the hopes of gaining some additional cash. What comes with stealing the dead woman's identity is a journey down the "rabbithole," discovering a conspiracy in which she is a part of a genetic cloning program, meaning she has several clones of herself -- albeit, all with different personalities -- all throughout North America and Europe. With the help of her foster brother, Felix, and two of her clones (Alison and Cosima), Manning attempts to keep her daughter safe as well as get to the bottom of who cloned her and why. The best thing about the series is watching Manning's attempts to getting to the bottom of who's truly after her and her daughter, and figuring out why. Plus, the clones have their own story lines as well. The show has so many twists and turns that it is difficult to figure out who is on Manning's side and who is the enemy. You may think you know how things are going but then the slightest event triggers consequences you didn't think of. That's what makes a great show. And it's the writing, acting and direction which make this, hands down, one of the best TV shows right now.
If you don't watch The Walking Dead because "zombies aren't really my thing," then I feel so sorry for you! You're missing one of the best TV shows ever! The fact that major awards organizations -- such as the Emmys or Golden Globes -- don't give this stellar show its much-deserved win(s) prove that awards shows are b.s. Sure, TWD has gruesome deaths -- and special effects -- involving zombies -- or, as they're called on the show, walkers -- and the show's first couple of seasons did focus on the walkers and how the few humans left alive could survive them. However, now, in the middle of the show's fifth season, the focus is on our favorite group of survivors -- lead by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) -- as they try to survive the other humans with whom they come into contact. From cannibals (yes, cannibals!) to a priest with horrible secrets to a dictator-like policewoman, there's plenty of seemingly innocent "others" out there who have a very different agenda from that of the main group. Each time I've watched an episode of TWD lately (the past two years), sure, there's some gory moments, but I've been so damned impressed by the writing, acting, and overall production of each episode. Season four's episodes "After" and "Still" are some of the finest writing and acting I've seen, while the season four episode "The Grove" is one of the most unshakably disturbing. As for the current season, "Four Walls and a Roof" and "Coda" are so well done and some of the most intense television, they're unlike anything I've seen anywhere else on TV this season. And the season premiere "No Sanctuary" is badass defined for one of my favorite characters! Although I will never forgive the writers of this show for what happened to one of my other most favorite characters in the mid-season finale, I will still brave on as this show is simply too good not to! When it comes to the entire production and emotions of a TV series, The Walking Dead proves its brilliance!
American Horror Story (FX)
As it ended its 3rd season, Coven, and headed into its 4th titled, Freak Show, FX's cult hit send-up of archetypal horror tropes has established itself as one of the very best hours on television. If you don't scare easily, that is. Tapping into the very fabric of the genre, showrunners, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, have created an anthology series that uses a rotating cast of the same performers (Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Lily Rabe, just to name a few) to tell a separate distinct story each season. First it was the family that moved into the haunted house, second the Asylum that mixed a serial killer slasher with possession and aliens. Next, the show's 3rd season would be its peak so far as it explored a coven of witches in New Orleans. Coven elevated what Murphy and Falchuk had created. It confronted themes like racial tensions in the South and feminine empowerment through a gripping and often shockingly scary plotline. It deserved all of the accolades it received. Now well into its 4th season, AHS continues to play with tride-and-true, classic horror stereotypes that have been rehashed countless times over. It just manages to find new ways to play with the form and do it better.
True Detective (HBO)
Nic Pizzolatto's crime drama had a lot going for it from the get-go. First, the entire season's 8 episodes were directed by the same person, Cary Fukunaga. This leant a consistency to the overall tone, form and mood of the show that made it feel more like a feature film in segments. Just witness the great single-take tracking shot in episode 4. You'll know it when it happens. Second, the casting of Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey was inspired. They play homicide detectives, Marty Hart and Rust Cohle, estranged partners who lives become entwined during their 17-year pursuit of serial killer. Like Hannibal, this is a show that relies heavily on disturbing imagery, artfully shot. Taking place in the rural parts of Louisiana, the landscape is as much a character as Cohle or Hart. You can almost feel the humid heat of the Louisiana air. The story itself, though somewhat cliché now, is made more interesting by the dynamic between the two detectives and their rapport. While the killer and the murders he commits are compelling this show was more about these two men and their tumultuous relationship. True Detective was the best show of the year. As it heads into a second season which will feature an entirely new cast and new, unconnected story, it will be interesting see if it can sustain the same level of sophistication and solid writing that this inaugural one did.
Matt's Picks
Arrow (The CW)
Based on the DC Comics character Oliver Queen and his crimefighting alias, The Green Arrow, The CW has taken a character already previously brought to life on the TV screen in their hit series Smallville, and gives our favorite emerald archer the darker origin story only those of us who read the comic know. The story follows billionaire spoiled rich-boy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who is on the family yacht with his father and girlfriend Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) when it sinks and he is stranded on a seemingly deserted island. When he returns -- alone -- after five years, and his loved ones (his mother, sister, and girlfriend) all find out he is not dead, their happiness soon turns to questions, wondering what happened to him while on the island. The series almost plays out like ABC's Lost, shifting between the present day with Oliver back in his city and home, and the flashbacks to his time on the island. Currently in its third season, Arrow is, in my opinion, the best comic book show adaptation on TV right now. The writers and production staff at ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could definitely learn a thing or two about how to best utilize a universe full of legendary characters; S.H.I.E.L.D. has some of the best characters ever created in comics, but rather than using them -- even subtly -- they, for some reason, come up with minor villains no one cares about (even though, now, they are getting better). However, with Arrow and its spinoff, The Flash (another well done show this year), the writers and producers are dipping well into the DC universe, bringing to life some of the memorable heroes and villains fans love (Deathstroke, Arsenal, Shado, Deadshot, Huntress, Merlyn, Count Vertigo, Brother Blood, Dollmaker, Black Canary, Bronze Tiger, Amanda Waller, Nyssa al Ghul, Clock King, Cupid, Captain Boomerang, and Ra's al Ghul have so far all made appearances). Plus, the moral ambiguities found in the comic version are spectacularly brought to the screen, making the show feel more serious than what most would expect from a comic book adaptation.
The Goldbergs (ABC)
At first, critics rushed to compare this nostalgic-trip-down-memory-lane-of-the-1980s to the amazing, incomparable series, The Wonder Years (truly one of the best TV shows ever made)! While Wonder Years -- which ran from 1988 to 1993 -- actually took place from 1968 to 1973, Goldbergs does not take place in a specific year insomuch as it does the overall decade of the '80s. In the series, Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) is a geeky 11-year-old youngest child living in "1980-something" with his family: his grumpy father Murray (Jeff Garlin); his overprotective, overbearing (s)mother, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey); his older sister, geek-turned-popular girl, Erica (Hayley Orrantia); his big brother, the desperate-to-be-popular, thinks-he-knows-it-all Barry (Troy Gentile); and his loving lothario grandfather, Pops (George Segal). The show follows Adam as he tries to brave the pitfalls of life with his loud family and making his way through junior high -- overcoming obstacles such as girls, gym class, and getting through each day with as little humiliation as possible. One of the best things about this show is how it is appealing to both kids and adults, even though the storylines are more adult-oriented; but kids can watch too (which is saying a lot nowadays as most sitcoms on primetime TV have too much sexual innuendo). And for any adult now who was a kid, growing up in the 1980s, watching this series is a must! Because of the show's unidentified year, the '80s references are open for interpretation. For instance, there can be an episode featuring referencing When Harry Met Sally ... (on VHS tape!), but, a few episodes later, the main story deals with going to see E.T. when it was first released in theaters -- an impossibility seeing how the VHS of When Harry Met Sally was released in late 1989, and E.T. first premiered in theaters in 1982 and was later re-released in 1985. No matter! Sean Giambrone has great comedic timing for a younger actor and he plays off well with his entire family. While I knew Goldbergs could not come close to Wonder Years and thought it awfully pretentious of anyone to compare it to such an all-around great TV show, nevertheless, I tried the show when it first premiered and it didn't grab me. But, at the behest of my wife, I tried it again, and, myself being a child of the 1980s, I found myself loving the 1980s references and all-around feel; I also feel a sympatico with the protagonist Adam (Giambrone) -- I too was the dorky little movie fanatic! The fads. The styles. The music. The pop culture. The movies (watch the episode about the video store and you can definitely relate!). It's all in there. While the show is no Wonder Years, it does have an older Adam narrator, played by pop culture geek icon and comedian Patton Oswalt, and the stories are appropriate for a younger audience -- something all too rare nowadays, even on primetime channels and broadcasts. Also, I love that at the end of the show the creator -- the real Adam Goldberg (creator of the show) -- shows actual video footage he took in the 1980s, often showing the real characters shown in the night's episode.
Orphan Black (BBC America)
I came to viewing this series late in its run: after the entire second season had aired. So for the few days I had to myself (due to the birth of my niece), I binged on the first two seasons and ever since, I've become addicted to this show! I can't wait for the third season in 2015! Lead actress Tatiana Maslany is an acting-force-to-be-reckoned-with as she takes on the roles of five clones -- all with distinctive personalities! The main protagonist of the series is Sarah Manning (Maslany), a troubled young woman who returns to her hometown city (the show is filmed in Toronto, Canada) to get back her young daughter and start a new life together with stolen money from her drug dealer ex-boyfriend. However, she sees a woman who looks identical to herself commit suicide by walking in front of a moving train, and so, Sarah steals her identity with the hopes of gaining some additional cash. What comes with stealing the dead woman's identity is a journey down the "rabbithole," discovering a conspiracy in which she is a part of a genetic cloning program, meaning she has several clones of herself -- albeit, all with different personalities -- all throughout North America and Europe. With the help of her foster brother, Felix, and two of her clones (Alison and Cosima), Manning attempts to keep her daughter safe as well as get to the bottom of who cloned her and why. The best thing about the series is watching Manning's attempts to getting to the bottom of who's truly after her and her daughter, and figuring out why. Plus, the clones have their own story lines as well. The show has so many twists and turns that it is difficult to figure out who is on Manning's side and who is the enemy. You may think you know how things are going but then the slightest event triggers consequences you didn't think of. That's what makes a great show. And it's the writing, acting and direction which make this, hands down, one of the best TV shows right now.
Sherlock (BBC One)
This one is tough to call a series because there are only three (3) episodes in one season (and that season was in the month of January) ... but each episode is 1 hour, 45 minutes long! And, as much as FOX's Gotham (which came very close to making my list) and The CW's The Flash are impressing me this year, they still can't hold a candle to BBC's Sherlock! Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, Sherlock takes the classic stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous literary sleuth and modernizes them, placing them in contemporary London, with all of the classic characters also represented (i.e., Mycroft, Lestrade, Moriarty, Mrs. Hudson, and Irene Adler). In the third season, Sherlock reveals to Dr. Watson that he is indeed alive after his disastrous confrontation with Moriarty (a brilliant Andrew Scott) in the cliffhanger second season finale, and because of the time length of each episode, there is time for Watson's anger and resentment to be shown, all while having to solve a new case. The season also sees Dr. Watson getting married to Mary Morstan (Freeman's real-life partner Amanda Abbington), a visit to Holmes' parents' house for Christmas, and the introduction of a new cunning antagonist, Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen). While each episode is the equivalent of watching a movie, they are so worth it. And in a time when mindless television (particularly reality TV) rule the primetime networks, it's refreshing to watch Sherlock, which demands thought and evokes emotion all in one!
The Walking Dead (AMC)
If you don't watch The Walking Dead because "zombies aren't really my thing," then I feel so sorry for you! You're missing one of the best TV shows ever! The fact that major awards organizations -- such as the Emmys or Golden Globes -- don't give this stellar show its much-deserved win(s) prove that awards shows are b.s. Sure, TWD has gruesome deaths -- and special effects -- involving zombies -- or, as they're called on the show, walkers -- and the show's first couple of seasons did focus on the walkers and how the few humans left alive could survive them. However, now, in the middle of the show's fifth season, the focus is on our favorite group of survivors -- lead by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) -- as they try to survive the other humans with whom they come into contact. From cannibals (yes, cannibals!) to a priest with horrible secrets to a dictator-like policewoman, there's plenty of seemingly innocent "others" out there who have a very different agenda from that of the main group. Each time I've watched an episode of TWD lately (the past two years), sure, there's some gory moments, but I've been so damned impressed by the writing, acting, and overall production of each episode. Season four's episodes "After" and "Still" are some of the finest writing and acting I've seen, while the season four episode "The Grove" is one of the most unshakably disturbing. As for the current season, "Four Walls and a Roof" and "Coda" are so well done and some of the most intense television, they're unlike anything I've seen anywhere else on TV this season. And the season premiere "No Sanctuary" is badass defined for one of my favorite characters! Although I will never forgive the writers of this show for what happened to one of my other most favorite characters in the mid-season finale, I will still brave on as this show is simply too good not to! When it comes to the entire production and emotions of a TV series, The Walking Dead proves its brilliance!
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