Creative Arts Emmy Awards Guest Acting Winners

The Creative Arts Emmy Awards were given out last night. Game of Thrones picked up the most hardware with 8 trophies followed by American Horror Story: Freakshow with 5 and Bessie with 4. For a complete list of winners, click here.

What I did want to talk about were the four Guest Acting categories which, like every year, are the only acting categories given out at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony. I wished I had posted my predictions prior to the ceremony, but I only would've gotten 1 of 4 anyways. Onwards...

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

• Mel Brooks, The Comedians
• Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
• Paul Giamatti, Inside Amy Schumer
• Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
• Jon Hamm, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Bradley Whitford, Transparent - WINNER

Was very happy to see Whitford get the nomination and the win. If I had been voting, that would've been an easy vote for an actor with a tricky role. He was also the only acting win of the night that I predicted as I think the Emmys will embrace Transparent wholeheartedly during the big night. With that said, I know I wasn't the only one wishing Hamm had won for his kooky cult leader character just so he'd have an Emmy since he's clearly not winning one for Mad Men (or is he?).

As for the rest of the nominees, they're fine if a bit shrug-worthy. Among my personal picks were Ki Hong Lee from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Zachary Quinto for his stint in Girls. Or anyone and everyone from Parks & Recreation, but that's a common refrain from me.

BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

• Pamela Adlon, Louie
• Elizabeth Banks, Modern Family
• Christine Baranski, Big Bang Theory
• Joan Cusack, Shameless - WINNER
• Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I have so much love for most of these actresses and yet other than Baranski, who is just so good in this role (what role isn't she good in?), none of them made my own personal shortlist which included no-brainers like Rhea Perlman for The Mindy Project, Kyra Sedgwick for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Kathryn Hahn for Parks & Recreation.

With that said, I'm totally fine for Cusack's win. With the constant question of her show being a comedy or her role being a guest role, hilarious this year her character did fit the bill for both. Plus it's a first Emmy to a longtime working actor who's always a treat to watch. From the nominees, I probably would've given my vote to Baranski. As for my prediction as to how the Emmys would've gone, I would've bet on Fey or Banks.

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA

• F. Murray Abraham, Homeland
• Alan Alda, The Blacklist
• Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex
• Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards - WINNER
• Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife
• Pablo Schreiber, Orange Is the New Black

Schreiber's inclusion was a bit of a surprise during nomination morning, but the others were less shocking. I wasn't even disappointed in them since I do think they're all good, but for most of them I would've picked other actors from their shows for example Corey Stoll for Homeland, David Hyde Pierce for The Good Wife, and Larsd Mikkelsen for House of Cards.

Mikkelsen especially really chewed scenery toe-to-toe with Spacey so Cathey's nomination and win is a head-scratcher for me in a season where he barely did anything (ditto Bridges whose win last season I championed). From this list of nominees, I would've personally picked and predicted Fox to win since shockingly to me he has yet to win for a juicy and complex role in a show that's rich with acting Emmy wins.

BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

• Khandi Alexander, Scandal
• Rachel Brosnahan, House of Cards
• Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
• Margo Martindale, The Americans - WINNER
• Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones
• Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder

My love for Martindale and The Americans is clear and I think it's great that the show got some kind of Emmy recognition, but Martindale did nothing special this past season at least not compared to someone like Tyson who I thought was the slam-dunk winner. Even on the same show, Lois Smith was the only who truly delivered an award-winning guest performance last year.

Other people I was rooting for to get nominations were Julianne Nicholson for Masters of Sex (should've won!), Linda Lavin for The Good Wife, and Courtney Love (damn right!) for Empire.

In any case, now all eyes are on the Big Night next week. Do any of the Creative Arts Emmy wins mean anything for it? Should Mad Men fans worry their show went 0 for 4? Will the 3 wins for Transparent mean it'll be the first show to unseat Modern Family for Best Comedy Series? Unfortunately, there's no direct correlation between early technical wins and winning the big prizes, so we'll all just have to wait and see.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2014 TV Shows, Part 2

Happy Monday! So, I already picked my favorite TV performances as well as listed Part 1 of my TV rankings. As we head into the second month of 2015, I can now present to you...

My Top Fifteen TV Shows of 2014

15. The Americans - Everything I loved about the show in its freshman season--the cool Cold War spy stuff, the subtle period stylings, the interplay between work and family--was still around in its sophomore season. But this time around the actors are even better with even crazier, more emotionally hefty storylines that revolved around family and what that actually entails when lies and secrets take over. I would also be remiss if I didn't praise the phenomenal work that Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are both doing, in and out of their ridiculous wigs.

14. The Leftovers - This unique post-apocalyptic tale based on the novel of the same name seemed like a tough sell. It dealt with a world suffering from the effects of the disappearance of 2% of the world's population. It's a tough sell, because it's undeniably bleak and its initial focus on one small town created the added sense of claustrophobia. Weirdly, all of that worked for me and while it wasn't a perfect show by any means I was still awestruck by the imaginative storytelling and the commitment of the cast to bring this world alive in their small ways. This show wasn't for everyone, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

13. In the Flesh - Its first season was a top 10 pick for me last year and while this second season didn't reach the emotional high of the previous season, it still packed a wallop. The ebb and flow of the town's feelings to the PDS (or rotters) among them was still a great source of drama as we continue to see this world through Kieran's eyes. A little bit of romance and a little bit of a tragic end makes me even more disappointed that we're not getting a third season.

12. Faking It - This MTV show was a pleasant discovery via Tumblr and I'm so glad I tuned in. It revolves around two girls who are best, best friends who pretend to be lesbians to gain popularity at their super liberal high school only for one of the girls to realize she actually is a lesbian and is in love with her best friend. The concept is ridiculous befitting the show's mostly irreverent, sarcastic tone and yet most of its storylines, including the complicated relationship between the two leads, are handled with surprising deft and heart.

11. Parks and Recreation - I'm writing this in the midst of the series' final season (spoiler alert: they are killing it), so I may be biased but I still thought the latter half of season six was damn good. Maybe it's because no matter what I just enjoy hanging out so much with this show and its cast so even a weak episode or plot line here or there doesn't matter much. Plus the two-part finale was one for the ages with the Unity Concert, Ben and Leslie's trip to San Francisco, the Michelle Obama cameo, and of course the now infamous time.

10. Fargo - The movie is an all-time best so it was pretty brave of them to try and adapt it for television. Thankfully they just took the feel of the place and the characters and made it work for television to fantastic results. The technical stuff like directing/writing/cinematography are all top-notch, but I think it's the cast that really made this show work anchored by Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, and Martin Freeman making all of its quirky characters and dark comedy quite accessible.

9. The Comeback - Even though I'm a HUGE Lisa Kudrow fan, I admit that I didn't watch the first iteration of The Comeback a decade ago until this past year in preparation to see, well... its comeback. And both seasons are truly remarkable in chronicling every cringe-worthy misadventures of an older actress trying to get her mojo back. Kudrow and company don't miss a beat in the most recent season keeping the tone consistent with the first, but also displaying different and evolving stakes. The finale was a thing of beauty and, if we don't get any more of Valerie Cherish, a perfect series finale.

8. Brooklyn Nine-Nine - One of my favorite new shows last season maintained its high quality through the end of its freshman season and into this new season. The cast is still wonderful together and separately and it was enjoyable seeing some of the evolving characters and relationships. The handle on Boyle's character is especially inspired taking his early obsession with Rosa and segueing it with a thing with Gina. They also are giving Andre Braugher more to do as befitting his awesomeness. "BOOM! Did it both ways! No regrets!"

7. Veep - This group of potty-mouthed misfits continues to make me howl with laughter headlined by the always wonderful and game Julia-Louis Dreyfus. That bathroom scene alone with Tony Hale was one of the funniest things on TV all year. How this show does what it does in ten half-hour episodes per season is amazing to me and its brand of political satire is just going to be that much more needed in the years to come. I can't even imagine what they have in store next.

6. Shameless - I'm fine with this show changing its categorization to comedy especially if it means people are paying more attention to this lovely gem of a show. I do find it amusing that they did this during the emotionally bleakest season they ever had with Frank suffering from liver disease, Fiona going to jail, Lip struggling at college, and Ian spiraling. There are darkly comedic moments throughout, but drama/comedy really doesn't matter. This underrated show is simply great TV filled with a superbly talented cast. Everyone should watch it.

5. The Good Wife - Oh boy, all of us thinking that this show was just going to rest on its laurels had a shock coming in early 2014 when they unexpectedly (understatement) killed one its lead actors in dramatic fashion sending not only fans reeling but the characters as well--a harder Alicia, a lonelier Diane, a lost Kalinda, etc. This most recent season isn't kidding around either with Alicia running for state's attorney, Cary in jail, Diane leaving her own firm, and Kalinda... well it's the beginning of the end for her sadly. Perhaps the show is biting more than it can chew, but it's still been a thrilling ride.

4. Game of Thrones - I was excited to see what the post-Red Wedding season of this show would look like and it's pretty much more drama and more death! From Joffrey's Purple Wedding death to the epic battle on the Wall, it was a season of chess pieces moving and getting their heads smashed in, literally. Like every season of this show, there are new characters and new plot threads which could feel overwhelming. Taken as a whole though, it's still one of the most beautiful and ambitious shows on the small screens today. It helps that the actors are just as great as the locales they shoot in.

3. Hannibal - *BEST DRAMA* I respected, more than love, this show's first season, but something just clicked for me in the second season. Perhaps it was Hugh Dancy's Will going toe to toe with Mads Mikkelsen's brilliant portrayal of the title character and it all finally feeling like a fair (and bloody) fight. The deadly chess game these two played on each other as well as on the mostly oblivious people around them was a joy to witness and this isn't even mentioning the strong supporting characters and superb technical aspects of the show. With regards to the latter, no show has displayed food and crimes scenes in a more beautiful, grotesque way.

2. Jane the Virgin - *BEST NEW SHOW* There's always one show every season that just pleasantly surprises and for me this was it. I just didn't have any high hopes about a telenovela-inspired show on the CW about a virgin who gets accidentally pregnant. Its strong pilot sold me. It's hard to put into words my love for this small show. It's like someone mashed up everything that is wonderful about Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies, and Gilmore Girls and cast an amazing leading lady surrounded by a talented cast who can handle both the sudsy overdramatics and the sweet, quiet human moments. It also has, hands down, the best voice-over narrator in the history of television.

1. Orange is the New Black - *BEST COMEDY* It's hard to argue that this show broke ground when it debut in 2013 and last year it took advantage of all of that buzz to deliver an excellent sophomore season making my previously favorite new show to my favorite show overall. The diverse and large predominantly female ensemble was a continued highlight including a lead character who felt more at home, a new villain that really rocked the boat and added real stakes, and the many, many supporting and background characters that were duly given plenty of moments to shine and grow.

Final Note: In terms of the tally of my top 35, HBO comes out ahead with 6 shows including 4 in my top 15. Showtime and ABC tie with 4 a piece while FOX and FX has 3 each. Also in my list are shows from the following networks: Comedy Central, the CW, BBC America, History, PBS, AMC, and NBC. New shows, not including The Comeback, number at 12 while 2 shows have been canceled (Enlisted, In the Flesh) and another 2 will be ending their runs this year (Mad Men, Parks and Recreation).

Emmy Nominations and Predictions: Comedy

The Creative Arts Emmy were last Saturday. Fantastically, Allison Janney and Uzo Aduba picked up wins for Guest Actress for their amazing performances in Masters of Sex and Orange is the New Black respectively. I told myself that if those two wins actually transpired, I would be fine with whatever happens during the Emmys proper. But really, I have my favorites. So before the ceremony this coming Monday, I'm going to share with you my thoughts and predictions for the big categories. Today, I'll tackle the comedy categories and tomorrow the drama ones.

BEST COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Louie
Modern Family
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Veep

The Emmys really showed their love for the little Netflix show that could, Orange is the New Black, and I'm super happy for it. It might actually be the favorite to finally unseat 4-time Emmy champ Modern Family, which would just be amazing. With that said, I'd also be tickled to see Veep win after such a strong third season. I am shocked to see Silicon Valley in this shortlist especially over the more buzzed HBO show Looking or Golden Globe winner Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But the Emmys just doen't love Mike Schur shows of late (sigh Parks and Recreation). Also RIP Enlisted and Trophy Wife.

Prediction: Orange is the New Black
Alternate: Modern Family
Should Win: Orange is the New Black
Should've Been Nominated: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks & Recreation, Shameless

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Louis CK, Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Ricky Gervais, Derek
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
William H Macy, Shameless
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

This category just makes me so depressed, but maybe it's because I've only seen two of the performances here. But also because they just keep picking the same names over and over again. What does Adam Scott have to do to get noticed? Or newcomers Jonathan Groff and Golden Globe winner Andy Samberg? Macy is a "new" name, but not really. His show made the switch from Drama to Comedy this year and he benefited from a weaker field. And Gervais? In Derek? Seriously? Parsons is the favorite probably, especially this year with his show as popular as ever and being double nominated (The Normal Heart).

Prediction: Jim Parsons
Alternate: William H. Macy
Should Win: I don't even care
Should've Been Nominated: Adam Scott, Jonathan Groff, Andy Samberg

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black

I was really hoping that Emmy Rossum would breakthrough here after her show's category switch, but alas the only fresh name is Schilling and that's because her show is quite beloved as I already mentioned (and could help her cause to pull off an upset win). Another person I was hoping to be nominated was Mindy Kaling, but maybe next year if more people actually watches her show. Louis-Dreyfus is the favorite here and not undeservedly so, but I'm rooting so hard for Poehler to win her first Emmy since she didn't win last week for hosting the Globes. I love Louis-Dreyfus, but Leslie Knope CANNOT go un-rewarded like Michael Scott and Jenna Maroney.

Prediction: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Alternate: Amy Poehler
Should Win: Amy Poehler
Should've Been Nominated: Emmy Rossum, Mindy Kaling, Malin Akerman

BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Fred Armisen, Portlandia
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Adam Driver, Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Tony Hale, Veep

Modern Family is slowly loosening its grip on this category, so there's that. But actually this year I'm not too disappointed with their picks. The fact that they nominated Braugher is just stupendous and I'm hoping the 2-time Emmy winner will come out on top even if his show didn't get more love from the TV Academy. His biggest competition is last year's winner Hale (who has a great submission episode or, should I say, scene) and probably the Modern Family guys. Of course, I wish they showed more love to Parks and Recreation and Shameless or to two breakout actors from departed shows, Parker Young (Enlisted) and Albert Tsai (Trophy Wife).

Prediction: Tony Hale
Alternate: Andre Braugher
Should Win: Andre Braugher
Should've Been Nominated: Albert Tsai, Jeremy Allen White, Parker Young, Reid Scott

BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

Last year's winner, Merritt Wever, isn't nominated so it's a pretty wide open race. Mulgrew (aka Captain Janeway forever) might be the slight favorite just because her show seems poised to have a great night, but Janney is an Emmy favorite and could win a second Emmy this year. It also seems likely that before their respective shows end that Bialik and Chlumsky will pick up hardware, so who knows? Despite a less than optimal final season, I really was hoping for Cristin Milioti from How I Met Your Mother to make it in since she was the best thing ever. Was also hoping for more Orange is the New Black and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Prediction: Allison Janney
Alternate: Kate Mulgrew
Should Win: Kate Mulgrew
Should've Been Nominated: Cristin Milioti, Danielle Brooks, Chelsea Peretti, Stephanie Beatriz

So in summary, the field isn't as heinous as in previous years mostly because Orange is the New Black is around. There's still a lack of fresh picks especially in the male actor categories, but at least some of the people I'm rooting for aren't complete long shots. Here's looking to you Braugher and Mulgrew. Join me tomorrow as I discuss the drama categories.

Happy Pride!

Happy Pride everyone! This weekend many cities around the country and the world (New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, and many more) are celebrating pride events. To commemorate this on the blog, here are just a few of the LGBT characters from TV shows I watched the past year...

In order, the characters are... Captain Ray Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones), Simon Monroe and Kieran Walker (In the Flesh), Patrick Murray and Richie Donado (Looking), Poussey Washington and Sophia Burset (Orange is the New Black), Felix Dawkins (Orphan Black), Nolan Ross and Patrick Osbourne (Revenge), and Mickey Milkovich (Shameless).

Hope there are more characters I can list next year! Who were some of your favorite LGBT TV characters this year?

Thoughts on Shameless, Girls, and Other Recent Finales

It's been a few weeks since I talked about anything TV related and that was me talking about the divisive How I Met Your Mother series finale. But that wasn't the only show I watched that ended its run this season during the past month, so I'd like to say a few words on them.

Shameless is one of my recent favorite TV shows so when I realized that its season finale was last week and I still hadn't watch any episodes from the past season, I had to get myself together and finally watch what new shit the Gallagher family was up to. For the past week, I watched and with every episode I kept being more and more impressed. Certainly the cast, especially its younger members, has been quite good since the beginning but they all seem to be better. Emmy Rossum and Jeremy Allen White in particular were this season's MVPs with Rossum expertly handling Fiona's descent to rock bottom and White balancing Lip's new collegiate life with his family's troubles back home. Even usually odious Frank had a storyline that enabled William H. Macy to play his character with a bit more humanity than usual. Apparently the show has decided to submit itself as a Comedy this year rightly thinking that the Drama category is way too packed, but it's strange it's also doing this with its most dramatic season yet. But if there was a show (other than The Americans) that deserve all the awards and praise it can, then this would be it.

Girls actually had its finale earlier in March, but I only saw the finale just a couple weeks ago. In any case, I thought it was a pretty solid season in terms of seeing the next evolution of Hannah as a person--stable relationship with Adam, working a corporate job--which of course couldn't last. In terms of getting all of the "girls" together, it was a mixed bag. Apart from a few instances like Hannah's birthday and the Hamptons episode (a stand out), the girls were mostly isolated from the others which makes sense in the real-life sense of these people not having that much in common, but also makes for a disjointed show. As it is we didn't get much of Zosia Mamet until the very end, which was a bit disappointing. I'm intrigued to see how next season will play out.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been an absolute delight and while I wished it hadn't ended early, we still had a full season of laughs with minimal breaks. To say I'm excited about what they'll bring next season would be an understatement. For me, every single character is just so fleshed out as well as how they relate to everyone else making it so that there's rarely a weak scene in the show. It's a show of surprises for me. Andre Braugher in a sitcom? Andy Samberg as the lead character? Gina becoming one of my favorite characters? Rosa and Charles' friendship not creeping me out? Jake and Amy's relationship giving me FEEEEEELS? Just talking about the characters is making me miss them so much.

Teen Wolf is not a perfect show by all means. The pacing of its season-long arcs are oftentimes frustrating and most of that is because a lot of the characters who should know better don't bother sharing key information with each other that would solve everything in a day or so. Fortunately, the cast is not just MTV-approved good-looking, but also quite talented so it's not such a drag watching the show even when the plots are. Dylan O'Brien was definitely the season's MVP playing a Stiles that was possessed by an evil spirit giving the actor something completely different to do and it was simply a joy to watch. The heartbreaking ending with Allison was just that and with the knowledge that the actress was leaving the show all along, I now wished they had given the dark spirit story to Crystal Reed as much as I love O'Brien's work. That also would've given that nogitsune storyline more weight since that ending was slightly anti-climactic (Stiles is fine after all of that? I guess.).

Walking Dead split its latest season in two with the latter part focusing on what everyone has been up to since the Governor's raid on the prison forced the group to splinter off into smallers groups. It enabled the show to highlight different sets of characters, locations, and stories for each episode and the variety quite effective after a couple of stagnating seasons. All of the different stories were tied towards their one goal of going to Terminus, a self-proclaimed haven where all the train tracks meet. And while the reunion was brief and incomplete in the last couple of episodes, it was still well worth the wait (who didn't squee with joy when Glen and Maggie finally saw each other again?). Obviously answering what exactly Terminus is will be the focus on next season, but I'm also looking forward to our heroes reconnecting and seeing how they've all changed after being separated. For example, Rick has given in to his darker instincts while Darryl seems to have grown feelings for Beth. There's also the harrowing journey that Carol and Tyreese went through plus the new "save the world" characters to address.

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!

Quick TV Thoughts...

Forgot to talk about TV last week, but it was mostly fine since many of my usual shows took their usual break post-February sweeps. But not those non-broadcast shows though which all kept chugging right along including one show I haven't nearly talked about all season even though I really should have been aka Shameless.

Give Emmy Rossum an Emmy Already

I had to really catch up on this show which is exactly what I did over the weekend marathoning the last five episodes. The fact that Emmy Rossum hasn't even been nominated for an Emmy yet for her role as Fiona Gallagher on Shameless is an absolutely travesty, but she has only gotten even better in this also pretty damn good third season of the show. Perhaps it's the case of both the show and the character working together flawlessly because the more the show keeps crapping on Fiona and her family, the more the actors and their characters are given a chance to show their mettle. But really it's Rossum who's the show's MVP with her most recent courtroom scene to try and get guardianship of her siblings a slam dunk for Emmy consideration in a perfect world. I also want to praise William H. Macy for really committing to playing one of the most heinous characters on TV I have had the displeasure of watching as well as the rest of the ensemble who give nothing about 100% to their roles. If you aren't watching this show yet, you're missing out.

But Wait! Keri Russell Kicks Ass Too!

Another show you should probably be watching is The Americans which I still maintain, after a few episodes in, is a hybrid of Mad Men, Homeland, and Alias in all the best ways. Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell's performances with or without the spy wigs are captivating especially in this latest episode that forced both of them to really think about their mission, their loyalty to it above all else, and to each other. Rhys this season seemed to have had the flashier role so far, but Russell is slowly catching up to him with one scene in particular as she expressed her "displeasure" to new handler played by Margo Martindale. And I haven't even mentioned Noah Emmerich and his tense subplot with his informant/kinda paramour Nina.

No One Likes Andrea, but Michonne is Funny

I'm not an Andrea hater or anything like many people are, but her affinity with the Governor irks me. I get that she isn't exactly privy to the same information us the audience have, but is she so seriously emotionally bonded to him that it has become difficult to actually convince her he's not right in the head even after all of the evidence? Thankfully we took a breather last week to follow just Rick, Carl, and Michonne into Rick's hometown to get more guns enabling us to not only get to know Michonne more finally, but to also reunite with Morgan from the pilot. It was probably one of the season's strongest episode mostly because Lennie James painted such a heartbreaking bleak character study.

Girls Delves Deeper Into Its Characters

So Hannah has OCD? I'll go along with it, especially since it's at least giving a dimension to Hannah that I actually don't find annoying plus I always love finding more about her checkered history with her parents. It was also nice to see Adam again and this time acting shockingly (and to be honest unnervingly) normal, even going on a relatively charming blind date. And though I love Shoshanna and Ray together, Shoshanna's impromptu make-out session brought a smile to my face. No real comment on Marnie's or Jessa's existential crises, but Marnie singing to Ray was definitely a highlight.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2012 TV Shows, Part 2

A mixture of laziness, writer's block, work, and tennis has conspired to delay this post of my top 10 favorite TV shows of the past year. I was supposed to have posted this a day after I posted the bottom part of my Top 30 list, but alas. So without further a due...

My Top Ten TV Shows of 2012

10. Fringe - This should probably be ranked higher, but this final season, which has been pretty good, isn't matching the highs I felt last season where the alternate universe arc reached its zenith. But those last few episodes last season makes this a worthy top 10 inclusion especially with the promise of major tears coming for the series finale airing tonight. I'm so not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

9. The Good Wife - Yes, Kalinda's S4 arc with her husband is perhaps the one blight in an otherwise another excellent year for this show with Alicia doing better than ever balancing the whole mom/lawyer/wife dynamics while everyone else experience some growing pains. The law firms' financial troubles have been particularly well handled I thought. This show remains the blue ribbon example of casting and ensemble work certainly in all of network TV.

8. Sherlock - The first season, which also had just three episodes, ended up in my top ten list two years ago for the seamless way Moffat updated the Holmes story for our times with pitch perfect acting from Cumberbatch and Freeman to bring the roles of Holmes and Watson to life. This season second was more of the same with higher, more personal, stakes and a couple of brilliant turns from Andrew Scott and Laura Pulver playing Moriarty and Irene Adler respectively.

7. Breaking Bad - Coming off an explosive season and heading towards the finish line, this past season had a lot riding on it, but I think this transitional period went just right. Walter's devolution has reached its peak while everyone around him are really starting to suffer none more so than Skylar played devastatingly by Anna Gunn. The heat is on and things are reaching its boiling point.

6. Downton Abbey - It's very difficult to say anything about this show because most people on this side of the ocean haven't seen the latest season, but I quite enjoyed it, more so than last season which I also quite liked. With the war over, the show was able to focus more with its characters. Like most soap operas, and yes this show can be characterized as such with no shame, there are insane plots, but in the end it's also about whether you care enough about these people to put up with all the crazy and I really do care. Which is why certain developments make it that much more difficult to accept.

5. Shameless - I already gave this cast my Best Ensemble award, because I really do think the young actors making up the Gallagher family are doing something special. It helps that they are led by a very good Rossum who has found that once-in-a-lifetime role that was tailor-made to show off just how talented she is. We are continually rooting for them, for her, to suceed and when they inevitably don't you can't help but keep watching and hoping.

4. Homeland - Apparently the show jumped the shark, or so the internet is telling me. I do think the whole "Abu Nazir in the United States" plot line was a bit too much, but the rest of the season played out as thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, and nervewracking as the show's hailed first season. In fact, the first few episodes of this season pretty much gave me whiplash from how quickly things were progressing. Lewis, Danes, and Patinkin were just aces. The final episode only made me need the next season more.

3. Community - A part of me wondered whether or not my longing for the show's return had any effect on its relatively high ranking. But even if it did, the show can well damn stand on its own merit especially as still one of the most random and inventive sitcoms out there. An entire episode with the characters playing a video game? A tribute to Law & Order? An epic pillow fort/blanket fort war that leads into a Ken Burns-style documentary episode? An episode where the characters realized they might have been stuck in an insane asylum all this time? I miss you, show.

2. Parks and Recreation - *BEST COMEDY* My #1 show last year drops a spot only because there were maybe a couple of episodes that didn't live up to standards BUT the show is still so damn good. From Leslie's campaign and subsequent rousing win to Ben's Washington sojourn and eventual proposal to Leslie, it's been a year full of big changes for almost every character. The comedy is still gold and the relationships between characters have never been better developed. Basically this show is pretty much the moment when Leslie met Joe Biden: magical.

1. The Hour - *BEST DRAMA* It doesn't happen often, but sometimes shows have the perfect season where every episode is just as strong or better than the rest while characters and plots are working seamlessly with one another. I fully believe this latest season of The Hour was one such season. The first season was good, but was slightly unmemorable while this season pretty much destroyed me. Most of the change had to do with really narrowing the focus of the overarching mystery and making it more personally relevant to the characters. The acting has never been better from the leads and supporting alike with some familiar S1 faces getting much-deserved focus and air time this season along with some excellent casting for new characters. I'd watch it all again in a heartbeat.

Addendum: The network with the most shows in my top 30 is ABC, but none of its shows ranked higher than #17. PBS scored two top 8 shows, which are both technically British imports. Speaking of British shows, 4 made my top 11 including my best show of the year. The network with the second most shows in my list is NBC with 4 including two in the top 3. Only 6 new shows made my list.

Shows that I watched, but didn't rank: 2 Broke Girls, Amazing Race, Big Bang Theory, Don't Trust the B- in Apt 23, Elementary, Glee, Glee Project, Masterchef, Modern Family, The Mindy Project, Nashville, The New Normal, The Office, Project Runway, Raising Hope, Revolution, Smash, Supernatural, Survivor, Teen Wolf, True Blood, Wilfred

Cancelled shows or shows I've stopped watching: 666 Park Avenue, American Horror Story, Arrow, Bunheads, Grey's Anatomy, Grimm, Newsroom, Pan Am, Partners, The Killing, The Secret Circle, Touch, Up All Night, Weeds

And finally, just a brief word of a few shows that merited Dishonorable Mentions...