End-Of-Year: Favorite 2014 TV Shows, Part 1

2015 is over three weeks old already and there are already fantastic NEW TV shows I've been obsessing over. All of that just means is that it's about time I finally post my list of favorite TV shows from 2014. So here's the first part...

Though a few honorable/dishonorable mentions first:

HONORABLE MENTION to Transparent which is technically a 2014 TV show, but I literally just saw it this weekend so I feel weird about including it in a list I finalized a couple of weeks ago. In any case, Tambor and cast are great and everyone should watch it.

DISHONORABLE MENTION to Gracepoint because even though I only managed to see its pilot and finale, it was still crystal clear what an unnecessary remake it was. Just watch Broadchurch, people!

DISHONORABLE MENTION to How I Met Your Mother whose rocky final season could've been completely salvaged by sticking the landing and instead they tripped and fell into a fire pit. If they had just aired the 'alternate' ending I'm pretty sure the show would've ranked for me.

HONORABLE MENTION to all the awesome reality TV shows (since I decided to stick with only scripted shows in my list) such as American Ninja Warrior, Amazing Race, Face Off, Fake Off, Masterchef, Masterchef Jr., So You Think You Can Dance, and The Quest. The latter was REALLY fun. Google it!

DISHONORABLE MENTION for networks cancelling good or potentially good comedies such as Enlisted, Trophy Wife, Selfie, A to Z, Suburgatory, The Crazy Ones, Benched, etc. Comedy isn't dead, but there's certainly been a lot of comedy murders lately.

Finally, HONORABLE MENTION to the brilliant actors in not-so-great (but still good) shows like Hayden Pannetiere in Nashville, Matthew McConaughey/Woody Harrelson in True Detective, Allison Janney in Mom, and Ian McKellen/Derek Jacobi in Vicious. I dedicate this to Cristin Milioti.

And now my list... starting with a shameless tie for #35!

35. Elementary/Sherlock - I kept going back and forth between the two Conan Doyle adaptations. Elementary is still my preferred Watson/Holmes duo, but Moriarty's brief appearance and Mary's introduction in Sherlock were hard to forget.

34. Once Upon a Time - There's still a large swath of the show I personally don't care for, but Regina as the reformed villain, Hook's sincere dedication to Emma, and the inspired Frozen arc made this an easy inclusion on my list.

33. Silicon Valley - A strong sense of place and characters helped overcome my hesitation over the weak pilot and in the end I honestly just wanted to keep following their journey.

32. Masters of Sex - Its pedigree and quality acting kept this in my list, but a muddled second half and an increasingly dull (to me) relationship between the two leads knocked this down a bit; the supporting characters are still aces.

31. You're the Worst - Got to this show late, but the critical love to this unlikely comedy gem is totally warranted. Full of heart and sarcasm in equal measures and isn't that always the best formula especially for comedies?

30. The Walking Dead - People have dismissed this as either too bleak or too disposable and while the former is true, the latter isn't. There were some nice character studies last year and all without sacrificing action and tense sequences the show is duly known for.

29. Orphan Black - The inimitable Tatiana Maslany was brilliant throughout, but the season as whole didn't quite reach up to her level despite some surprising developments to the increasing mythology of the show.

28. Homeland - It wasn't a home-run season like days of yore, but it was immensely improved from whatever last season was. Getting out of the US and having an actual mission to focus on helped a lot. And unlike most, I dug the quiet finale.

27. Downton Abbey - I particularly found the current season airing in PBS (and aired in UK in 2014) quite good especially in terms of my favorite characters. Still wish the beats were slightly more unpredictable, but this show is hardly going to win prizes for being groundbreaking now.

26. The Affair - The unique structure is a little gimmicky and sometimes got distracting and repetitive while the two leads together is probably my least favorite thing about the show. With that said, the acting is unimpeachable and the compelling family drama were the reasons it's on my list. Oh, and Pacey. With a gun.

25. Enlisted - God, this show was so damn good with a wonderfully quirky ensemble and lots of heart. I still don't understand why this didn't get more viewers, but at least its finale was pitch perfect. Hands on heads forever.

24. The Mindy Project - They did a reverse Moonlighting curse as the show improved greatly once they put Mindy/Danny together. The show finally had a stable focus and in the process gave Chris Messina more to do, which is always a good thing. Especially when it involves dancing/stripping.

23. House of Cards - I actually think they delivered a strong sophomore season with both Spacey and Wright going deeper and darker with their characters than even I expected them to. I'm already fearing what the third season will bring with them currently on top!

22. Black-ish - While the pilot was slightly heavy-handed, the series so far has been quite delightful and most of that has to do with the great family ensemble they've assembled. The youngest kids especially are too adorable for words.

21. Broad City - Apart from how ridiculous and funny the two leads are (and they're plenty both I assure you), I  think I just love the show because it just feels so authentically New York City. Plus I just envy their relationship with each other.

20. How to Get Away with Murder - It was my favorite pilot of the fall season and while a lot of the show falls under "hot mess," it's still incredibly fun to watch especially when it's Viola Davis chewing scenery or when literal gay sex is happening on screen. Both occur quite a lot thankfully.

19. Mad Men - If they had continued with their final season, I have no doubt this would be ranked higher in my list because I felt the season was JUST starting to rev up towards the end. I still have high hopes for it and I'm confident they'll deliver.

18. Looking - This show was highly anticipated for me since I expected it to pretty much be the TV version of Weekend and it pretty much was with the adorable Jonathan Groff as the looking-for-love lead. I was bound to love it.

17. Vikings - They did not withhold anything with this sophomore season! If anything, they just did everything bigger and better from amazing battle sequences to heart-wrenching drama; the season had it all. I mean they crucified one of the characters! Also, Lagertha is my queen forever.

16. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - This show (barely) made my list last year mostly due to my undying love for Whedon and my appreciation for Marvel. Thankfully since then it has gotten SO MUCH better with the writers/actors clearly more in sync with most of the characters as well as the welcome throughline of an actual mission driving the plot forward. Hope they can keep this up!

Part 2 aka my top 15 shows of 2014 soon!

End-Of-Year: 2014 TV Winners

2015 has been a week old and there are already a few of TV shows and performances that have set the bar for the upcoming year. With that said below are my top performances of the year in their respective categories starting off with my pick for Best Ensemble...

Best Ensemble: Jane the Virgin
Runner-Up: Orange is the New Black
Other Nominees: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fargo, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, The Leftovers, Parks and Recreation, Shameless, Veep

The cast of freshman show Jane the Virgin is from top to bottom excellent. From the delightful title character played by Gina Rodriguez to the wonderful unseen narrator. The women are the MVPs and yet the men are pretty damn wonderful as well in what could've been trickier roles. In any case, I realize I had to pick this cast considering I wanted to nominate ALL of them below and I nearly did. Meanwhile my pick last year Orange is the New Black is still the prime example of diverse female characters on the air (or streaming, in this case) right now and their sophomore season just solidified how great they all are.

Best Actor, Drama: Hugh Dancy, Hannibal
Runner-Up: Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal
Other Nominees:
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Luke Pasqualino, The Musketeers
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

The one-two combination of Dancy and Mikkelsen enabled the sophomore season of Hannibal to reach the next level as their escalating cat and mouse games really heat up. Mikkelsen has been predictably delicious as the cannibal mastermind, but it's Dancy who really dug into a much darker place to match and even surpass his co-star last year. Hamm and Rhys expectantly did well in their solid shows by falling headlong into their fatherly ennui while Spacey chews scenery like no one else. Finally, Pasqualino is pretty and charming befitting someone playing d'Artagnan. Honorable mentions go to the McConaughey/Harrelson team in True Detective and Justin Theroux's penchant for shirtlessness and not wearing underwear in The Leftovers.

Best Actress, Drama: Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Runner-Up: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Other Nominees:
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Davis' line delivery alone of her show's title in the pilot is enough to push her to the top of this stacked category, but she also followed that up with her wig-removing crackling delivery of "Why is your penis on a dead girl's phone?" that had everyone talking. Meanwhile Maslany yet again does double, triple, sextuple, octuple duties playing god knows how many characters and does it so superbly. It's literal sorcery! Margulies went through a ringer this past year with her character going through a loss and building herself up to an almost different character while Wright delved deeper into her character's dark past in order to forge ahead even stronger. Russell and Moss continue to excel as well. Honorable mention goes to Ruth Wilson doing her best to make us believe that anyone could find Dominic West more attractive than Joshua Jackson in The Affair.

Best Actor, Comedy: Chris Messina, The Mindy Project
Runner-Up: Jonathan Groff, Looking
Other Nominees:
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley

I honestly think I'm giving Messina the win just for this scene alone as he channels his stripper past for all of our delights. But his elevated role on the show as Mindy's now boyfriend has been a wonderful delight through and through. Groff, meanwhile, like the other nominees, are playing a version of awkward/dorky that I find very endearing and it's nice to see this from him especially after his slight miscasting in Glee a few years ago. Samberg is a lovable doofus, Scott is sexily dorky, Middleditch is funnily awkward, and Freeman is hilariously disturbed. Honorable mentions go to the new and older Doctor Peter Capaldi, the queen bees of Vicious Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, and the horse-riding sexily dorky king himself John Cho in Selfie.

Best Actress, Comedy: Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Runner-Up: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Other Nominees:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Rita Volk, Faking It

To be honest, this category is as close as to a 6-way tie for me as it gets since these six wonderful actresses deliver six such indelible and incredible performances that I really hesitated picking a winner, but Kudrow's biting and welcome return to television takes my top honor especially after that absolutely breathtaking (series?) finale. Of course, I can't talk enough about how fantastic newcomer Rodriguez is on her show which seems like the perfect match of actor and program, both so full of heart and charm. I've talked about the awesomeness of Rossum, Poehler, and Louis-Dreyfus before (all previous winners of mine) so I'll just say watch Faking It if you haven't and you'll see how great Volk is in it as well. Honorable mentions go to the very funny ladies of Broad City and Tracee Ellis Ross' colorful Rainbow on Black-ish.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Runner-Up: Dylan O'Brien, Teen Wolf
Other Nominees:
George Blagden, Vikings

Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife
Jack Falahee, How to Get Away With Murder
Joshua Jackson, The Affair

Yes, I know what you're thinking. I just created a Guys I'd Like to Fuck List. There are some very, very attractive men here not going to lie. My top pick is of course the brilliant Dinklage who was constantly on the defensive this past season until he went on the offensive and blew everyone away. O'Brien was my next pick since I highly enjoyed his time possessed by an evil spirit enabling the actor to really stretch himself in new, fun ways. As for the others... all talented, all cute. Blagden was crucified, Jackson was cuckold, Czuchry was framed, and Falahee was rimmed... a lot. Honorable mentions go to Jordan Gavaris' ass, Josh Charles' dramatics, Robin Lord Taylor's limp, and Iain De Caestecker's hallucinations.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama: Melissa McBride, The Walking Dead
Runner-Up: Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Other Nominees:
Annaleigh Ashford, Masters of Sex
Carrie Coon, The Leftovers
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Katheryn Winnick, Vikings

Sure McBride played such as bad-ass hero in the fifth season premiere, but it was her gut-wrenching scenes in the late fourth season episode "The Grove" which haunted me all year. She's also been a consistent highlight this season and it's been great seeing her character's development most of all. Then there's Panettiere who is literally the best thing about her show and she handles all of its soapiness with such real emotion that you just feel for her. Ashford's role was thankfully expanded this season though I wish she was actually in more while Williams, Coon, and Winnick all displayed such resiliency amidst sucky circumstances. Honorable mentions go to the most sympathetic Evil Queen Lana Parilla in Once Upon a Time, the fiercest fish Jada Pinkett Smith in Gotham, and the liveliest zombie Emily Bevan in In The Flesh.

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy: Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin
Runner-Up: Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Other Nominees:
Reid Scott, Veep
Jeremy Allen White, Shameless
Michael J. Willett, Faking It
Parker Young, Enlisted

Braugher should get all of the awards, but he's had a season and a half to delight us all with his increasingly more expressive Captain Holt so that's why I gave this to Camil who, in just a handful of episodes, turned what could have been such an irritating one-dimensional character into someone completely opposite of that. He has great writers, of course, but there's just something so natural and straightforward in how he plays his ego-driven telenovela superstar making it so much fun to watch. White really doesn't belong in the Comedy category, but he was SO affecting this season that I would've nominated him in Best Actress. Young, Willett, and Scott are witty bon-mots machines in already fantastic shows. Honorable mentions go to steamy Raúl Castillo in Looking, Tony Hale's bathroom scene in Veep, and Billy Bob Thornton's weird hair in Fargo.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy: Cristin Milioti, How I Met Your Mother
Runner-Up: Samira Wiley, Orange if the New Black
Other Nominees:
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Andrea Navedo, Jane the Virgin
Chelsea Peretti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Lorraine Toussaint, Orange if the New Black

While the final season of HIMYM was largely a failed experiment, it at least gave us Milioti. My favorite episodes last year where ones that featured her, especially the 200th episode where we saw 9-years worth of her stories condensed in one beautiful, way-too short episode. As I was making my picks for this category, I realize I could've easily filled this up with actresses from Jane the Virgin, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Orange is the New Black. I split the difference picking one for each show (two for OITNB). Wiley is my MVP last year as she really stepped up though Toussaint came so close playing such a great villain. Navedo's scenes with Gina Rodriguez are my favorite aspects in that show and Peretti is always, always a highlight. Chlumsky as Selina's campaign manager was expectantly hilarious. Honorable mentions goes to ALL of the other ladies from the aforementioned shows, because seriously wow.

Best Limited Role, Actor: Pedro Pascal, Game of Thrones
Runner-Up: Michiel Huisman, Orphan Black/Games of Thrones/Nashville
Other Nominees:
Noel Fisher, Shameless
Anthony Mendez, Jane the Virgin
Conrad Ricamora, How to Get Away With Murder
Andrew Scott, Sherlock

Damn, I made a sex list again. I mean, yes all of these men caught my attention for one reason or another. Pascal was the easy top pick for me as he was unforgettable in the role, but Huisman did his best appearing briefly in three shows the past year with hot and bothered ladies in his wake. Mendez's role as the unseen, but sassy narrator in Jane the Virgin is a delight as is Ricamora's brief (usually shirtless) scenes in his show. Scott probably appeared not even 30 seconds all season and yet he still made the requisite impact. Fisher's character's evolution was my favorite part of the show last year. Honorable mentions goes to the Super Bowl Prince in New Girl, Michael Pitt eating his face on Hannibal, and Russell Tovey's huge... ears in Looking.

Best Limited Role, Actress: Julianne Nicholson, Masters of Sex
Runner-Up: Gillian Anderson, Hannibal
Other Nominees:
Ann Dowd, True Detective/Masters of Sex/The Leftovers
Rhea Perlman, The Mindy Project
Carrie Preston, The Good Wife/True Blood
Barbara Rosenblat, Orange is the New Black

We get to the final category and like last year I'm giving it to a veteran actress playing sick on Masters of Sex. Nicholson's plight wasn't any less harrowing than last year's Allison Janney and I truly was so emotionally attached to her character that when she left midway through the season I kinda stopped caring about the show. My runner-up I think only appeared in two episodes, but her brief scenes with the two leads crackled and popped all the same. Preston is an old-hat in this category and every day I wonder why no one has given her a leading role of her own. Perlman is as refreshing an addition to her show's ensemble as Rosenblat is needed. Finally, Dowd was busy, busy, busy this year with three very different and complicated characters. Honorable mentions go to the other ladies--"alive" or dead--on Hannibal, Palicki's heroic hair flip on Agents of SHIELD, Natalie Dormer's mischievous half smile, and Kate Walsh for sexily slaying it on Fargo.

Whew! And now all is left is my ranked list of TV shows which I hope to get posted before this weekend's Golden Globes. Refresh your memories on my pick for Best Drama, Comedy, and New Show here. Happy watching all!

The 2014 Emmys: The Winners

This morning I saw someone describe last night's Emmy Awards as "almost shocking predictability," which pretty much sums it up perfectly as the majority of winners went to those who have won Emmys before, most for the same category/roles they've won previously. In fact, all eight acting winners last night had won an Emmy before with only now 6-time Emmy winner Allison Janey winning for a new role. Meanwhile, Modern Family and Breaking Bad respectively won Best Series for a 5th and 2nd time fighting off buzzy newcomers such as Orange is the New Black and True Detective (both which a lot of people think were done in by category confusion).

It was a huge night for Breaking Bad in their last year of eligibility not only winning Best Drama Series but picking up hardware for all of its principal actors and for writing which went to only the third woman ever to win in this category for solely writing a TV script. True Detective did win Directing while Julianna Margulies won extending the wonderful streak of women from The Good Wife winning Emmys to five years. In the comedy side, it was no less predictable and yet more frustrating. Network TV stood tall here with Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, and Mom winning most of the awards while Louis C.K. (for his writing) and Veep's Julia Louis Dreyfus representing cable/premium. The latter by far had one of the best reaction to a win tonight as she got to hilariously make out with her previous Seinfeld beau Bryan Cranston on the way to the stage. Serious question though, when will the TV Academy tire of awarding Modern Family? With their win, they tied Frasier as the winningest comedy.

Fortunately/unfortunately, the miniseries/TV movie actually provided some surprises as presumed frontrunners Fargo and The Normal Heart only walked away with three trophies total including Best Miniseries and Best TV Movie respectively. The rest of went to Sherlock and American Horror Story: Coven. I actually went 0 for 4 in those Miniseries acting categories putting my overall prediction tally at 11 of 19 (with alternates 13 of 19).

The ceremony itself was okay even though there were a lot of skits and presenter banter/monologues that fell flat or went on too long. Unless you're Amy Pueblo (Poehler) or Julia Louis-Dreyfus, I don't recommend doing anything extra. Seth Myers was fine in his Weekend Update Late Night Show Host kind of way, but he really wasn't help by the lack of suprise winners or moments during the ceremony. The Weird Al performance of TV themes set to lyrics was equal parts genius and messy (would've help if they had provided captions). I also love Billy Eichner so his Emmy on the Streets routine was great, but I can see him being polarizing. The In Memoriam segment was beautiful and depressing and Billy Crystal's moving tribute to Robin Williams was perhaps the highlight of the night for a lot of people. The lowlight, at least for me, has got to be Sofia Vergara being placed in a rotating platform as Academy president ironically talked about diversity on TV.

The complete list of winners from tonight (plus the guest acting winners from last week):

DRAMA
SERIES: Breaking Bad (AMC)
ACTOR: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
ACTRESS: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
SUPP. ACTOR: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
DIRECTING: Cary Joji Fukunaga, True Detective (HBO)
WRITING: Moira Walley-Beckett, Breaking Bad (AMC)
GUEST ACTOR: Joe Morton, Scandal (ABC)
GUEST ACTRESS: Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (SHO)

COMEDY
SERIES: Modern Family (ABC)
ACTOR: Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory (CBS)
ACTRESS: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
SUPP. ACTOR: Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
DIRECTING: Gail Mancuso, Modern Family (ABC)
WRITING: Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
GUEST ACTOR: Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
GUEST ACTRESS: Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIALS
MINISERIES: Fargo (FX)
TV MOVIE: The Normal Heart (HBO)
ACTOR: Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock (PBS)
ACTRESS: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
SUPP. ACTOR: Martin Freeman, Sherlock (PBS)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
DIRECTING: Colin Bucksey, Fargo (FX)
WRITING: Steven Moffat, Sherlock (PBS)

Emmy Nominations and Predictions: Drama

Yesterday, I took a look at the comedy categories and talked about who the favorites are and who should've been nominated. With one day left until the Emmys, here are my thoughts and predictions for the drama categories.

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
House of Cards
Mad Men
True Detective

Last year, I was fine with The Good Wife not being nominated, but this year I'm just ANGRY. There's just no excuse for that show to have been left off the list this year after its mind-blowing fifth season. I guess I should be satisfied that there aren't any real dogs among the nominees (maybe Downton Abbey a little?), but how great would it have been to see something like Masters of Sex or The Americans (this show in particular was largely ignored by the TV Academy as well as Hannibal) in the lineup. Breaking Bad is the slight frontrunner here after snatching the reins from Mad Men last year and delivering a nearly flawless final final season, but True Detective (in the wrong fucking category by the way) is the buzzy new kid on the block starring the McConnaisance so it's not a lock by any means.

Prediction: Breaking Bad
Alternate: True Detective
Should Win: Breaking Bad
Should've Been Nominated: The Good Wife, Masters of Sex, The Americans, Hannibal

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

The Oscars should beat the Tonys at this year's Emmys. I mean, I've made my peace that Oscar winner McConaughey will win and not undeservedly so especially since Tony winner Cranston already has won three times prior, so it's all good. And to be brutally honest, I'm pretty much just anti-Daniels this year whose win last year still confounds and angers me (over Cranston? over Spacey? over Hamm?). So everyone else can literally win as long as it's not Daniels. With that said, did the TV Academy not watch Hannibal with its stunning season-long two-man standoff between Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy? Because wow.

Prediction: Matthew McConaughey
Alternate: Bryan Cranston
Should Win: Bryan Cranston
Should've Been Nominated: Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Matthew Rhys

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards

The sheer happiness I felt when Caplan's name was called on nomination morning was tempered a bit when I realized that Elisabeth Moss was left out. Out of all last year's nominees, I would've pegged Moss to be the safest based on what she did on her show this season. Her non-nomination was one of those things that you didn't think about until it happened and then everything hurt. I am happy that Margulies came back after being left out last year, especially after such a brilliant season. I have no idea who the favorite is. Danes has won the past two years, but Caplan could surprise as could Golden Globe winner Wright. Write-in vote for Moss? Write-in vote for Tatiana Maslany! Who am I kidding? It'll probably be Jeff Daniels and I'll get angry all over again.

Prediction: Julianna Margulies
Alternate: Robin Wright
Should Win: Lizzy Caplan
Should've Been Nominated: Elisabeth Moss, Tatiana Maslany, Keri Russell

BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

I actually still like Downton Abbey and Carson is a hoot, but Carter's nomination is just ridiculous especially in such a seriously competitive and stacked category already. Very happy to see Charles nominated here and it does lessen the sting of his character's loss in the show (and the show's snub... yes, still not over it). Previous winners Dinklage and Paul upped their level making it really easy to see and want either one in the winner's circle again. Voight is the wildcard as he could swoop in as the veteran Hollywood actor to get his first Emmy win. Dean Norris probably should've gotten nominated as well as a couple of my genre picks Jordan Gavaris and Dylan O'Brien.

Prediction: Aaron Paul
Alternate: Peter Dinklage
Should Win: Josh Charles
Should've Been Nominated: Dean Norris, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan O'Brien

BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Joanne Froggat, Downton Abbey
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

The good news is that I heart all of these actresses so even if I think a couple of nominations are lazy (Smith, Hendricks), the TV Academy couldn't really do much wrong here. I'm rooting for Gunn and Baranski in equal measure as I want the former to win for delivering just an outstanding tour-de-force performance and the latter to win to continue the awesome Good Wife streak to five years of kick-ass actresses winning the Emmy from that show. With regards to who should've been nominated, there are a few names, but most are from genre shows so I didn't expect them too much. Though what does Maisie Williams have to go to get in on the Emmy love for Game of Thrones? Pay attention, people!

Prediction: Anna Gunn
Alternate: Maggie Smith
Should Win: Anna Gunn
Should've Been Nominated: Maisie Williams, Lana Parrilla, Katheryn Winnick

And if you're still reading here are just my predictions for the Miniseries/TV Movies categories:

BEST TV MINISERIES: Fargo
BEST TV MOVIE: The Normal Heart
BEST ACTOR, MINISERIES/MOVIE: Billy Bob Thornton
BEST ACTRESS, MINISERIES/MOVIE: Cicely Tyson
BEST SUPP. ACTOR, MINI/MOVIE: Matt Bomer
BEST SUPP. ACTRESS, MINI/MOVIE: Julia Roberts

Predicting Guest Acting at Creative Arts Emmy Awards

I keep forgetting that the Emmy Awards are being held a whole month earlier than usual this year, which means the Creative Arts Emmys is happening this weekend, tonight specifically. It's their way of trying to handle the approximately 100 or so awards they have to give out. The only acting awards being given out tonight are those for Guest Acting, so here are my thoughts and predictions on those...

BEST DRAMA GUEST ACTOR
Dylan Baker, The Good Wife
Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex
Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards
Paul Giamatti, Downton Abbey
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Joe Morton, Scandal

I expected stronger showings for Mad Men and The Good Wife (and it's insane both shows don't even make it into Guest Actress). For the past two years, I kept wrongly predicting Michael J. Fox and I don't even think he submitted his name this year. That said I'm rooting for Bridges for his heartbreaking storyline, but they might give it to Morse or Giamatti. I wished Pedro Pascal had been nominated though for his fantastic work in Game of Thrones.

Prediction: Paul Giamatti
Alternate: Robert Morse
Should Win: Beau Bridges
Should've Been Nominated: Pedro Pascal, John Noble

BEST DRAMA GUEST ACTRESS
Kate Burton, Scandal
Jane Fonda, The Newsroom
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
Kate Mara, House of Cards
Margo Martindale, The Americans
Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones

A bit annoyed that last year's winner (yay!) Carrie Preston didn't repeat especially in a category with the a few repeats (Fonda, Martindale, Rigg), but I actually don't care because this category is ALL ABOUT Allison Janney for me. Her character and her performance is my everything. I might hurt somebody if she doesn't win this. Spoiler alert: I have similar feelings in the comedy category. Also to all voters, did you watch Hannibal? I count four women easy on that show who you should've nominated.

Prediction: Allison Janney
Alternate: Jane Fonda
Should Win: Allison Janney
Should've Been Nominated: Gina Torres, Gillian Anderson

BEST COMEDY GUEST ACTOR
Steve Buscemi, Portlandia
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
Gary Cole, Veep
Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live
Nathan Lane, Modern Family
Bob Newhart, Big Bang Theory

This category is pretty boring, which is why I really wished they had gone nuts and nominated Prince for his bit role in New Girl. It's also boring because I think everyone knows that Bob Newhart could very well repeat his (deserved) win last year. I don't even have anyone I'm really rooting for among the nominees. Maybe Cole just because he's in the show I like the most from the options.

Prediction: Bob Newhart
Alternate: Steve Buscemi
Should Win: Gary Cole
Should've Been Nominated: Prince, Andrew Rannells

BEST COMEDY GUEST ACTRESS
Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Laverne Cox, Orange is the New Black
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
Natasha Lyonne, Orange is the New Black
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live

I do love the TV Academy's love for Orange is the New Black and these specific nominations are pretty flawless. I would've even added Taryn Manning, but maybe that's a bit overkill. Of course even though her show change from Drama to Comedy, Cusack is still inexplicably in this category so whatever. But who cares because I'm putting ALL OF MY ENERGIES to making sure Aduba wins. Janney and Aduba are MUST wins. I will cry if they don't. I will throw pies. (If Laverne Cox wins, I'll be upset for like a second and then really happy though.)

Prediction: Uzo Aduba
Alternate: Laverne Cox
Should Win: Uzo Aduba
Should've Been Nominated: Taryn Manning, Romy Rosemont

Why I even make predictions in these categories is beyond me since year in, year out I've done horribly. I hope that doesn't jinx my picks. And just for kicks, three more random categories that will be decided tonight...

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"No Trouble," A Christmas Carol - The Concert
"Les Mis," Key & Peele
"Home For the Holiday," Saturday Night Live
"Merroway Cove," Sofia The First: The Floating Palace
"Day Is Gone," Sons of Anarchy
"Bigger!" 67th Annual Tony Awards

Even though I haven't heard of any of the other songs, I don't really care because "Bigger!" from last year's Tony Awards really needs to win. The song is great, but the performance by Neil Patrick Harris is EPIC. Just watch:


BEST MAIN TITLE DESIGN
Black Sails
COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey
Masters of Sex
Silicon Valley
True Detective

I would refer you to this post over at The Film Experience if you want to view all of these. I'm rooting for Masters of Sex, because it's just so fun (and to be honest I'm kinda over these deep, brooding title sequences that a lot of shows prefer to do now). And while it's not high art, I do love the fun and retro title sequence for Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

BEST SPECIAL CLASS PROGRAM
The 71st Annual Golden Globe Award
The Oscars
Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Opening
The Sound of Music Live!
The 67th Annual Tony Awards

This will be interesting, because I think it's a fight of the Award Shows with Cool Hosts (who get the Emmys if their show wins). On the one hand, NPH's Tony show was great (see above clip) but Ellen's Oscar was a viral hit. On the other hand, Fey and Poehler made the Golden Globes a must watch. Of course, I'm also assuming that while The Olympics is always a threat, Sochi being Sochi will make them not likely to win and The Sound of Music Live! was a joke nomination, right?

Anyways, those are just a small percentage of the awards being given out tonight. I'm sure the pundits are hoping to see which shows win those technical categories to figure out which way the TV Academy is going. The Normal Heart should be a big winner, but the regular series race is actually up in the air. Last year, Breaking Bad had this race sewn up, but True Detective is a tough challenger. And could this finally, FINALLY be the year Modern Family loses (to Orange is the New Black)? We'll all find out next week for sure!

Critics' Choice Television Awards Winners

On Friday, the TV awards season ramped up with the Emmy ballots being due and the critics giving us their picks for the best of the past TV year. Since this was only the fourth year of the Critic's Choice Television Awards, it's hard to take stock in how predictive they are with regards to Emmy nominations/winners. What is evident is the critics' willingness to champion shows and performers that might be too new or too niche for Emmy voters and I for one love that. My quick thoughts on the nominees and winners...

BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Americans
BREAKING BAD
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Masters of Sex
True Detective

Breaking Bad winning for its brilliant final season was expected and yet totally well-deserved even with the REALLY tough competition as it competed against shows I've loved the past year. I haven't seen True Detective and I don't question its quality. But I do question its placement here and not in Best Miniseries. I wholeheartedly believe that TV anthologies, especially with different actors featured each season, should not compete in Best Series. More on that later.

BEST COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Broad City
Louie
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
Silicon Valley
Veep

This is what I mean by the critics championing shows. Is Broad City and Silicon Valley even in the conversation? And as much pop culture and critical buzz winner Orange is the New Black has, I wouldn't be surprise if the TV Academy largely ignored them. I hope they don't. They would be damn stupid if they did. Though the critics are as bad as the Emmys. Four years in and Parks and Recreation is still awards-less with this group (though at least Amy Poehler won a couple years ago). Just FYI, previous winners were Modern Family, Community, and Big Bang Theory.

BEST MINI-SERIES
American Horror Story: Coven
Bonnie & Clyde
Dancing on the Edge
FARGO
The Hollow Crown
Luther

Oh look, it's the category True Detective should be in. Of course Fargo won and the race would've been far more interesting if it was pitted against True Detective, but whatever. I'm over it (no, I'm not).

BEST MOVIE
An Adventure in Space and Time
Burton and Taylor
Killing Kennedy
THE NORMAL HEART
Sherlock: His Last Vow
The Trip to Bountiful

It pleases me SO MUCH that An Adventure in Space and Time was nominated here (and got a few more nominations in other categories). Of course, this category went to The Normal Heart directed by Ryan Murphy who the critics decided to give EXTRA love this year by giving him the Genius Award. I don't actually care enough to debate whether or not Murphy deserves such an honor. What I do care about is how they completely ignored Popular (his first TV show) in his tribute. Fact: Mary Cherry is the greatest character has done and will do.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2013 TV Shows, Part 2

Sensing a pattern here as I posted Part 1 of my TV rankings more than two weeks ago, which I posted more than two weeks after I picked my acting winners. And it's already the middle of February, so without further a due...

My Top Fifteen TV Shows of 2013

15. Trophy Wife - Like Cougar Town, the title of this little-seen sitcom hides the gem within. Malin Akerman plays Kate, the titular wife to Bradley Whitford's Pete, his third wife to be exact. His relationship with his previous two ex-wives (with kids) are friendly enough that he still keeps in constant contact with them and it's this hilarious and awkward family unit that is on full display. The cast is uniformly wonderful from little show-stealing Albert Tsai to the deadpan genius of Marcia Gay Harden.

14. Doctor Who - I'm probably ranking this show a bit higher than I really think it deserves as a whole mostly because I was quite impressed by the 50th Anniversary episode, which really was the moment the show has been working towards for the past couple of years. The rest of the episodes, including the Christmas finale, ranged from meh to good to no fault of the departing Matt Smith who was game for so many things in his last few episodes.

13. Shameless - The last season aired more than a year ago and I still can't get certain scenes out of my head such as Fiona fighting to get legal guardianship of her siblings in court or Kevin having sex with Veronica's mother in an attempt to get a baby or Mickey's dad finding his son making out with Ian and the violence that follows. But it less about these unforgettable moments, which the show has in spades, and more about this talented ensemble of mostly young actors led by an exquisite Emmy Rossum that I find most worthy of praise.

12. Broadchurch - This is a perfect example of a show that was a slow and steady burn with a tight script, wonderful cast, and breathtaking production values. The whodunnit aspect  may have been the hook for the show, but it's the deft way the show handled the complexity of its grisly plot (a young boy's murder in a tight-knit small community) that impressed me. The emotionally gratifying resolution was simultaneously shocking and organic, a rare combination. It's no wonder a US remake is on the way.

11. Masters of Sex - Who knew adapting the real life work and personal lives of famed sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson would make for some compelling TV? It certainly helps that Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan are both so good as leads with the latter doing some career-best work. But as great as they both are, the show's supporting characters really does elevate the show from the heartbreaking story arcs of the elder Scullys to the more lighthearted situations with Teddy or Jane.

10. Orphan Black - Tatiana Maslany was the breakout TV star of last year for me and she is the main reason why this BBC America sci-fi show became a crossover hit. The obvious hook was seeing one actress playing multiple characters, which Maslany deftly handles, but the show also goes deeper forcing viewers to examine their notions and preconceptions of identity, family, privacy, individuality, free will, and spirituality. Oh, plus lots of bonus ass kicking.

9. In the Flesh - This three-episode British miniseries about a post-zombie apocalypse world is definitely one of the smartest and most affecting show of its kind that I've seen. Newcomer Luke Newberry is brilliant as Kieren Walker, one of the millions of former "undead" who've been rehabilitated and allowed to resume their "normal" lives. Seeing the world, in this case Kieren's family as well as everyone in his small village, react to his return was something to behold. Plus I truly loved all of the various emotional twists and turns the story took leading up to a engrossing finale I couldn't have even imagined.

8. Parks and Recreation - If the entire year just consisted of Leslie and Ben getting married, it probably would've still been in my top 10, but thankfully the show is still doling out great episodes after another featuring one of the least celebrated ensembles on TV. I've quite enjoyed seeing Leslie go through the wringer this year--fighting with her fellow representatives, going through a recall vote, working with Eagletonians, accepting the fact that Ann is leaving--as well as seeing all of the other characters grow and evolve.

7. The Americans - I thought the pilot was quite good and it just got better and better as we got more entrenched in the lives of these two KGB agents, played magnificently by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, living in secret as a married couple with kids in the height of the Cold War. There's much to love about the show such as its superb cast, its subtle period stylings, and its rocking musical score. But it's its ability to balance the cool spy stuff with its fake wigs, assassination attempts, and crazy gadgets, with the family/personal lives of the characters that really elevate the show for me.

6. Veep - My pick for my favorite new show of last year moves up the ranking delivering a sophomore season that was just as funny and crazy, if not funnier and crazier, as its first brilliant outing. This time around I wasn't as shocked at the insane things the show would have the cast, especially a game Julia-Louis Dreyfus, do but I still couldn't help but laugh. I'm just really looking forward to seeing what off-the-wall stuff they try to do next season.

5. Game of Thrones - With its sophomore season, I feared the show was already spreading itself too thin. Thankfully, the show came roaring back with its strongest season yet last year doing a much better job of juggling and mixing its myriad characters, locales, and stories. It wasn't perfect (Theon's unending torture), but a season that brought us the infamous Red Wedding with its jaw-dropping development is something to be celebrated. And that's just one of a dozen or so plot developments the show unveiled this past season that made me so excited to know what's to come that I *almost* considered starting to read the books!

4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine - A sitcom about cops on FOX starring Andy Samberg? What in the hell? Thankfully, I listened to the critics on this one and gave it a shot, because if I didn't I would've definitely missed out on such a hilarious show. Samberg plays a cocky detective who butts up against the new gay captain with a penchant of deadpans reactions played by Andre Braugher. They work SO well together, but the genius of this show is how every character and every relationship/interaction seem fully realized and most importantly for a sitcom, funny.

3. Orange is the New Black - *BEST COMEDY* *BEST NEW SHOW* I went back and forth on this and Brooklyn Nine-Nine for my top new show/comedy, but I had to give this show the edge both for breaking new ground (along side House of Cards) with its Netflix debut and for its predominantly large female ensemble. And what an ensemble it is (my favorite of the year) consisting of mostly unknowns or newcomers brimming with talent and charm. The actors and the writers together make it nearly impossible to pick a favorite character, which is a sign that you're doing something good.

2. The Good Wife - Everything I love about the show is still present--the interesting court cases, the superb ensemble, the envious roster of guest stars, the interplay between work and home--but their decision to pit Alicia and Cary against Will and Diane catapulted the show to whole new levels of awesome shifting everyone's relationships and allegiances and giving new energy to many of the characters and thus the show. The episode when Will found out about Alicia leaving the firm is one of the best, and most tense, hours of TV all of last year.

1. Breaking Bad - *BEST DRAMA* This was almost too easy. How could I not give one of my favorite shows the top spot especially after it delivered an almost pitch perfect final season? From the get go with Walter threatening Hank, you knew the last eight episodes would take no prisoners and thankfully it all lived up to the deafening hype and buzz. I watched the final season finding myself holding my breath or on the edge of my seat as Walter's and everyone else's situations got worse and worse. And yet the ending was pretty much what it should have been and I still can't believe the cast and crew of the show pulled it all off in the end. TV will have big shoes to fill.

Final Note: Netflix has 3 shows in my top 35 including one in my top 3 while other new networks on my list include FX, History, MTV, and Pivot. The network with my most shows is CBS with 5, but it only has one show in my top 15 while BBC America is second with 4 shows, all of them in my top 15, but in terms of British shows there are a whopping 6 in my list. The big winner, however, are freshman shows with a tally of 15 overall and 8 in my top 15. The future looks good!