TV Series of the Month – Eastbound & Down

This month’s TV series: Eastbound & Down (2009-2013)

This HBO comedy is about Kenny Powers, a major league ballplayer who flamed out. Now, with no other options left, he must return to his hometown to gather himself and try and mount a comeback. Assuming, of course, he can ever get out of his own way.

The series is created by Ben Best, Jody Hill and Danny McBride. They are the team behind The Foot Fist Way, Observe and Report and Your Highness. Jody Hill and David Gordon Green direct most of the episodes.

Danny McBride also stars as Powers and is fantastically brilliant. Steve Little, Katy Mixon, Elizabeth De Razzo, John Hawkes, Jennifer Irwin, and Andrew Daly have supporting roles in the series. The guest star list is also great, including: Ben Best, Jillian Bell, Tim Heidecker, Ken Marino, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Sudeikis, Don Johnson, Michael Pena, Will Ferrell, Craig Robinson, Matthew McConaughey, Lily Tomlin, Adam Scott, and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Eastbound & Down is hilarious as Kenny Powers just gets himself into more and more trouble. He is an egomaniac but lovably so. We root for him to win in the end, even if he makes it hard on us. McBride is wonderful, but so are the supporting actors. Steve Little is so funny as Stevie, maybe the world’s most pathetic man. Will Ferrell’s cameo as Ashley Schaeffer is also a stand-out moment. This is a must-see series for fans of crude humor, as it is maybe the best the genre has to offer. The series played for four seasons.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

TV Spotlight – The 25 Best Series on TV – Part 5: 5-1

Hannibal

Rank: 5

Genre: Horror/Drama

Cast: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, and Laurence Fishburne

Channel: NBC

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: February 2015

Plot Summary: The relationship between FBI criminal profiler Will Graham and his therapist Dr. Hannibal Lecter is an interesting one – they are doctor-patient, friends, coworkers, and even cat and mouse. Will begins to investigate a series of murders, seeking Dr. Lecter’s advice. Little does he know, at first, that Lecter is right in the middle of the whole mystery.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Hannibal is maybe television’s most stylish production, as it is masterfully shot and designed. Creator Bryan Fuller is among the best on TV when it comes to writing series that are a bit odd but wonderfully put together aesthetically and feature full and interestingly complex characters. The show is fairly graphic, and thus it might not be for everyone – plus, it has a very black sense of humor – but for those willing to stomach its more colorful elements it is the best that network television has to offer (feeling very much like a cable series).

Sherlock

Rank: 4

Genre: Mystery/Drama

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves, Louise Brealey, Mark Gatiss, Andrew Scott, and Amanda Abbington

Channel: PBS

Current Season: Fourth

Season Premiere Date: 2016

Plot Summary: The tales of Sherlock Holmes and his crime-solving partner Dr. Watson (set in modern times).

Why It’s Worth Watching: I am not sure when Sherlock will return for its fourth season precisely, but early indications point to sometime in 2016 (there are also plans for a fifth season as well). With season three, Sherlock (which was already great) took things to a new level aesthetically, creatively, and in terms of storytelling. Episodes The Sign of Three and His Last Vow are among the best things I have ever seen on television. I cannot wait for more.

Mad Men

Rank: 3

Genre: Period Drama

Cast: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, John Slattery, Kiernan Shipka, Robert Morse, and Jessica Pare

Channel: AMC

Current Season: Seventh (part two) and final

Season Premiere Date: April 2015

Plot Summary: Donald Draper is an ad executive in New York City during the 1960s. He has had success and has a way about him, but like America as a whole during the 1960s Don too begins to feel his world change around him, bringing up complex feelings and emotions.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Mad Men has been among my favorite shows on television ever since it debuted in 2007. Lead by Matt Weiner, its writing is second to none and it features a tremendous cast (with actually well written female characters). It also continually creates amazing episodes that are the epitome of why today is called television’s golden age – episodes like this past season’s The Strategy and Waterloo (The Suitcase is my favorite of the series). This is a series that will be greatly missed when it ends (and it will thereby spell the end of AMC’s claim as the pinnacle of TV’s dramatic series, with Breaking Bad also coming to an end and HBO again turning out brilliant series after brilliant series).

True Detective

Rank: 2

Genre: Mystery/Drama

Cast: Unknown

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Second

Season Premiere Date: January 2015

Plot Summary: Set in California, three characters investigate a new mysterious crime.

Why It’s Worth Watching: While we do not yet know many details of what season two of True Detective will look like and who it will star, there is no doubt that it is television’s second most anticipated series. Season one, led by Nic Pizzolatto’s great writing, strong performances from Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Michelle Monaghan, and the absolute stellar directing of Cary Joji Fukunaga (of which only Pizzolatto is returning for season two), seemed to take what was possible of a TV-crime-drama to a new level. Personally, I think it will be very hard for them to match season one’s brilliance, but I am sure excited to see what they do and what story they tell now. True Detective has claimed its spot as television’s best new series and very well could run the table come awards season.

Game of Thrones

Rank: 1

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Period Drama

Cast: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Iain Glen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Charles Dance, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Rory McCann, John Bradley, Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Jerome Flynn, Gwendoline Christie, Natalie Dormer, Stephen Dillane, Rose Leslie, Liam Cunningham, and Carice van Houten (among many others)

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Fifth

Season Premiere Date: April 2015

Plot Summary: Seven noble families fight for control of the throne of Westeros (some faring better than others).

Why It’s Worth Watching: Game of Thrones is the quintessence of event television at its very best. Every episode has become an eagerly anticipated weekly ritual. The series succeeds on its blend of great characters and writing along with violence, suspense, intrigue, sex, and adventure/fantasy elements. It really has a little bit of everything, plus a sensational cast. It is able to grab its viewers because (for once) it is a series that is truly narratively shocking and absorbing, constantly defying expectations and breaking all the rules (the series did kill off its main character in the first season after all). It is also endlessly re-watchable. Planned to be seven seasons, Game of Thrones seems to only get more interesting and more exciting as the series progresses.

TV Spotlight – The 25 Best Series on TV 2014 – Part 4: 10-6

Veep

Rank: 10

Genre: Comedy/Political

Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Matt Walsh, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, and Sufe Bradshaw

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Fourth

Season Premiere Date: April 2015

Plot Summary: Selina Meyer is an ambitious politician who is stuck as Vice President of the United States of America. It is a completely unfulfilling role, as Selina has no real power and has to constantly play nice, but it also puts her in a good position to run for President in the future, as she is one of her party’s most recognizable figures. So, she has to bide her time as the Veep, putting up with all the nonsense hurled at her door until it is her time to shine – a time she so dearly wants.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Veep is hilarious. Creator Armando Iannucci is a master of political satire that also poignantly touches on real issues as well (like the scary incompetence of many people in our government and the overall corruption of the whole system). His feature In the Loop is also a very worthwhile viewing for fans of this series. The cast is also wonderful, led by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, doing what is probably her best work. There is not a better political show on television.

Girls

Rank: 9

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Adam Driver, Zosia Mamet, Alex Karpovsky, and Andrew Rannells

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Fourth

Season Premiere Date: January 2015

Plot Summary: Hannah Horvath makes her way in New York as a young writer, trying to find her place and voice, while also struggling with everything else life throws at her (including things that she seems to bring upon herself). But, Hannah has an odd yet supportive boyfriend and three good girlfriends (although, they do seem to be drifting apart).

Why It’s Worth Watching: I have said this before – Girls feels like a time capsule for today’s urban culture; and, Lena Dunham is a prominent voice of/for that culture. I think Dunham’s writing is superb and her characters are very compelling and complex. Girls is in some ways a sitcom, but Dunham defies just as many genre clichés and troupes as she embraces. The show feels more vital and alive than almost anything else on television speaking to a young audience (15-40, something like that is what I mean by young). Also, I am very excited to see Gillian Jacobs join the cast for season four (how big of a role and how many episodes – I do not know).

Boardwalk Empire

Rank: 8

Genre: Period Drama/Gangster

Cast: Steve Buscemi, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael K. Williams, Anthony Laciura, Paul Sparks, Gretchen Mol, and Jack Huston

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Fifth and final

Season Premiere Date: September 2014

Plot Summary: Nucky Thompson is the ruler of Atlantic City during America’s Prohibition Era (1920s to early 1930s). He makes his money selling alcohol and turns to a life as a gangster to protect his interests; however, he has many rivals who constantly try to knock him from his throne.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Boardwalk Empire is one of HBO’s best dramas, and yet it just never seems to quite attain the status of event television like Game of Thrones , True Blood or True Detective. It is probably because the series is much more of a character drama than a series built around big and shocking moments. It has one of television’s best dramatic casts and a wonderful style and look. Season five promises to be very good and dramatically ambitious as the series comes to an end.

The Newsroom

Rank: 7

Genre: Drama/Political

Cast: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Chris Chalk, Adina Porter, and Sam Waterston

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Third and final

Season Premiere Date: Fall 2014

Plot Summary: Will McAvoy was happy to just coast by doing a commercialized version of the news as cable’s number one anchor. That is until his former girlfriend and producer MacKenzie McHale comes back into his life and challenges him to really do the news. The question is – can Will forgive her for cheating on him, which ended their relationship initially, and let himself become the man he always hoped he would be?

Why It’s Worth Watching: The Newsroom is Aaron Sorkin’s way of showcasing what is wrong with the way stations do the news in today’s world. They are subservient to outside interests and thus do not deliver programs that inform, rather they are designed to entertain (and some are quite bias as well; when the news should have no bias). Sorkin also wants to highlight some of potentially terrifying political trends that are happening in America (like the rise of the Tea Party in American politics), which causes many to label the show as having a liberal agenda (but I would say, having Tea Party candidates in office is bad for everyone, regardless of political affiliation, in the long run). The series is incredibly funny and has television’s best back-and-forth dialog, thanks to Sorkin’s sharp and witty writing. It also features a stellar cast. Season three will be its last, and I highly recommend watching and catching up if you have not seen the first two seasons. It is informative and entertaining.

Justified

Rank: 6

Genre: Western/Action/Drama

Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, and Walton Goggins

Channel: FX

Current Season: Sixth and final

Season Premiere Date: January 2015

Plot Summary: U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is old-school, carrying himself a bit like a gunfighter in the Old West. As much as he would like to distance himself from his rural coal-mining hometown in Eastern Kentucky, he keeps getting dragged back.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Justified is not really a western, but it is similar in many ways and is about as good as it gets for fans of westerns on TV right now. Star Timothy Olyphant is brilliant as Raylan Givens, a performance that is almost completely overlooked every year, as is the series as a whole, which continues to be one of the best action/crime dramas. Walton Goggins is also excellent. Season six will be its last, which means that the action and drama should come to a very satisfying and compelling crescendo.

TV Spotlight – The 25 Best Series on TV 2014 – Part 2: 20-16

Silicon Valley

Rank: 20

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Amanda Crew, Zach Woods, and Matt Ross

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Second

Season Premiere Date: April 2015

Plot Summary: Richard Hendriks has invented a better way to compress data, forming the company Pied Piper. Billionaire Peter Gregory decides to invest in Richard’s company, but now the pressure is on. Richard and is friends actually have to produce something tangible.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Silicon Valley is a very funny satire on the modern tech capital and the people who inhabit it. It is in-part based on creator Mike Judge’s own experiences, working in the tech world in the 1980s.The series succeeds on a great blending of awkwardness and pointed parody. Richard and his friends may be caricatures, but Judge and the cast also breathe life into them, making the show more than just a one-note joke.

Louie

Rank: 19

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Cast: Louis C.K., Hadley Delany, and Ursula Parker

Channel: FX

Current Season: Fifth

Season Premiere Date: May 2015

Plot Summary: The day-to-day like of comedian Louis C.K.

Why It’s Worth Watching: There is so much to like about Louie – from the great snippets from his stand-up routine to all the awkward situations he finds himself in. Personally, I really enjoy his interactions with his two young daughters. While the show is very funny, Louis C.K. also delves into deeper sociological and philosophical questions, giving the series some actual gravitas and intelligence (things generally missing from modern sitcoms).

Archer

Rank: 18

Genre: Comedy/Action

Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, and Jessica Walter

Channel: FX

Current Season: Sixth

Season Premiere Date: January 2015

Plot Summary: Sterling Archer is an international spy working for ISIS. These are his adventures (as he ineptly blunders his way forward; also he is kind of a bully, misogynist and alcoholic).

Why It’s Worth Watching: Sterling Archer is a fantastic satire of the classic James Bond-like spy, wonderfully voiced by H. Jon Benjamin. This very well could be the funniest show on television, as its wacky antics often just go overboard to ridiculous degrees. It also features the most vapid and immoral characters, but in the best and funniest way possible.

Parks and Recreation

Rank: 17

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Jim O’Heir, Retta, and Adam Scott

Channel: NBC

Current Season: Seventh and final

Season Premiere Date: 2015

Plot Summary: Councilwoman Leslie Knope does her best to make her small town of Pawnee, Indiana, a better place.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Sadly, season seven will be Park and Recreation’s last. The series started out as sort of a rehashing of The Office, but it has become so much more (and probably a funnier comedy series overall). The show’s greatest strength is its phenomenally funny cast lead by Amy Poehler. Now that Community has been cancelled by NBC, Parks and Recreation is network TV’s last great, smart sitcom.

House of Cards

Rank: 16

Genre: Political Drama

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Nathan Darrow, Mahershala Ali, Rachel Brosnahan, and Molly Parker

Channel: Netflix

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: February 2015

Plot Summary: Frank Underwood does whatever it takes to seize power and take revenge on those who betray him or get in his way.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Season one of House of Cards was excellent, but I found season two to be far too soap opera-esque. Yes, the series was always that way, but a lot of the smart, tactful writing and great supporting characters seemed to disappear as season two progressed. That said, the show is event television and highly addictive and engrossing. The HBO comedy satire Veep probably more closely resembles real politics than House of Cards, but it is nonetheless a very thrilling political drama (and who is not excited for season three?).

TV Spotlight – The 25 Best Series on TV 2014 – Part 1: 25-21

Special Miniseries Acknowledgement:

Fargo

Genre: Crime Drama

Cast: Billy Bob Thorton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman, Bob Odenkirk, Joey King, Keith Carradine, and Adam Goldberg

Channel: FX

Plot Summary: When a drifter named Lorne Malvo arrives in a small Minnesota town, he begins to rile things up with his malice and violence. Downtrodden insurance salesman Lester Nygaard is one of the first to fall under his spell of mischievous dissonance.

Why It’s Worth Watching: The miniseries inspired by the Coen Brothers’ brilliant film Fargo is one of the best things on TV right now (and would have made the top ten if it were an ongoing series). It is a glowing example of what FX does best: dramas that focus on gruff and rough, societally fringe characters who cannot seem to get out of their own way. The cast is wonderful and the writing is sharp. The Coen Brothers serve as executive producers while Noah Hawley handles the writing duties (some might remember his short-lived but fun series The Unusuals).

25-21:

Arrow

Rank: 25

Genre: Action/Adventure

Cast: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Paul Blackthorne, Susanna Thompson, and Emily Bett Rickards

Channel: The CW

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: October 2014

Plot Summary: Oliver Queen was once a spoiled billionaire playboy; but after a tragic yacht accident at sea claiming the life of his father and girlfriend, Queen reemerges, spending five years stranded on an island, as a changed man set on cleaning up the city he believes his father failed and let fall into the hands of bad men. He becomes the vigilante Green Arrow.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Arrow is about as close as it comes to a modern TV version of Batman (well until Gotham kicks off on Fox in the Fall – although, that does focus on James Gordon). It feels like a Batman narrative (I am completely unfamiliar with the comic book version on Green Arrow) and derives some of its initial charm due to this similarity (as we all love Batman). Arrow at first gets by as a better than average adventure of the week with big over-arching stories, but as the show develops it becomes something special, harkening back to the great shows from The CW’s (and its prior incantations The WB/UPN) past (particularly Angel). It is the best superhero-esque series on TV right now.

Sons of Anarchy

Rank: 24

Genre: Action/Drama

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Segal, Mark Boone Junior, Tommy Flanagan, Kim Coates, Maggie Siff, and Theo Rossi

Channel: FX

Current Season: Seventh and final

Season Premiere Date: September 2014

Plot Summary: Jax Teller has the dilemma of whether or not he wants to lead his motorcycle club (gang) or not. His wife Tara keeps trying to pull him out so that they can raise his two sons and his deceased fathers wrote letters to Jax detailing how he wanted more for his son, but the politics of the club and the draw of violence constantly pull Jax back in.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Sons of Anarchy has always found a great balance between drama and action, featuring strong engaging moments of excitement but with even more compelling characters – something creator Kurt Sutter learned writing and working on The Shield. The show is able to feel dark and gritty even with the restraints of being on basic cable, which is a credit to Sutter, the writing staff, and the actors. It is among the most interesting dramas on TV and will be missed when it ends.

Rectify

Rank: 23

Genre: Drama/Mystery

Cast: Aden Young, J. Smith-Cameron, Clayne Crawford, Luke Kirby, Jake Austin Walker, Abigail Spencer, and Adelaide Clemens

Channel: Sundance Channel

Current Season: Second

Season Premiere Date: June 19

Plot Summary: Daniel Holden spent nineteen years on Georgia’s Death Row, convicted of killing his girlfriend, before he is set free as new DNA evidence has come to light calling his conviction into question. He now tries to put his life back together.

Why It’s Worth Watching: The brilliance of Ray McKinnon’s Rectify is also why some will not like it – it has a fantastic slow burn to it, ever building and mounting tension, slowly revealing bits of information and character detail. Daniel Holden is also one of TV’s most interesting characters. He is oddly charming, though he very well might be the murderer many think he is and Aden Young’s performance is second to none.

True Blood

Rank: 22

Genre: Supernatural/Horror/Drama

Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Chris Bauer, Nelsan Ellis, Carrie Preston, Deborah Ann Woll, Alexander Skarsgard, and Kristin Bauer van Straten

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Seventh and final

Season Premiere Date: June 22

Plot Summary: Sookie Stackhouse and her friends may face their most daunting challenge yet: how to survive in a world overrun by infected hungry vampires unleashing a plague that could end mankind?

Why It’s Worth Watching: True Blood is an absolute riot. It is great fun to watch with its eccentric characters and its ambitious storylines, not to mention all the gore. The series has not really pulled its punches in the past, but this being the final season means that really anything can happen and anyone can die (and for once, the season will not end of a horrific cliffhanger – which generally gets viewers yelling at their televisions). Personally, I am most interested to see what happened to Eric Northman as the show left in in a rather precarious situation when season six ended.

The Americans

Rank: 21

Genre: Action/Period Spy Drama

Cast: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Holly Taylor, Keidrich Sellati, Noah Emmerich, Annet Mahendru, and Margo Martindale

Channel: FX

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: February 2015

Plot Summary: The Jennings seem like the typical American family, but they have one big secret: unbeknownst to their children, Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings are really Russian spies.

Why It’s Worth Watching: The Americans has a fun 1980s nostalgic feel while also delivering a strong spy narrative wrapped in an ongoing family drama. The show succeeds to a high level thanks to its great leading performances (especially Keri Russell who is fantastic). The series also features a great soundtrack of classic 1980s tunes. It is the best spy series in TV right now.

TV Series of the Month – Treme

This month’s TV Series: Treme (2010-2013).

Treme follows an ensemble of characters who try to put their lives back together in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The show is also about the city of New Orleans, its culture, politics, and music.

The HBO series is created by Eric Overmyer and David Simon. Simon previously created the HBO series The Wire and the miniseries Generation Kill. Overmyer worked with Simon on The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Street. Anthony Bourdain also works on the show as a writer (helping with the restaurant/food service oriented storylines).

Like most HBO shows, Treme features a wonderful cast (full of HBO alumni). It stars Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, Melissa Leo, Lucia Micarelli, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Steve Zahn, Michiel Huisman, India Ennenga, Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, David Morse, Lance E. Nichols, Jon Seda, and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine. It also featured some good guest stars and lots of musician cameos.

Treme is probably at its best when it takes its viewers inside the music of New Orleans, exploring all that the city has to offer (both in terms of genres and venues). I also enjoyed its look at the food and politics of the city as well. Creator David Simon is very good at putting together ensembles and stories that both engage the audience and inform them. The series led me to visiting the city myself (something I will continue to do on a regular basis, as it is a very fun place with fantastic food). The series lasts three full seasons with season four acting as a shorter wrapping up of the characters' stories. While it is not among the elite HBO dramas, Treme is very good and well worth checking out.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

TV Preview 2013/2014 – 25 Must-Watch Series, Part 5: 5-1

Part 4: 10-6

Boardwalk Empire

Rank: 5

Genre: Period Crime Drama

Creator(s): Terence Winter

Cast: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Stephen Graham, Grethen Mol, Paul Sparks, Vincent Piazza, Shea Whigham, and Michael Kenneth Williams

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Fourth

Season Premiere Date: September 2013

Plot Summary: Nucky Thompson runs Atlantic City during Prohibition by controlling the selling of alcohol. He lives a bit of a double life. He wants to be seen as a respected member as the community (and family man), but he also must be a feared gangster in his dealings with the likes of Arnold Rothstein, Al Capone, and Lucky Luciano.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Boardwalk Empire has taken the vacated place that The Sopranos once held on HBO as their premier crime drama (and character drama). Creator Terence Winter also worked on The Sopranos, and has brought the same depth that Tony had to his lead Nucky. The entire cast is fantastic and all play wonderful characters. There is no better gangster series on television (or among recent films for that matter) balancing the graphic violence with strong storytelling.

Sherlock

Rank: 4

Genre: Crime Drama/Mystery Thriller

Creator(s): Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman

Channel: Materpiece Theatre on PBS

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: September 2013

Plot Summary: Set in present-day London, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson assist the police in solving their most befuddling crimes.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Sherlock, despite its famous name and characters, is really nothing more than another detective procedural, and yet it is wonderfully fresh and engrossing. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have made Holmes’s mysteries feel new and vital, while Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are completely brilliant as Holmes and Watson. The series has a long-episode format with each lasting ninety minutes, which allows each narrative to play as its own film exhibiting lush character development and story depth (unrivaled on TV by any other procedural) – A Study in Pink, The Great Game, A Scandal in Belgravia, and The Reichenbach Fall are all incredible episodes.

Game of Thrones

Rank: 3

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy Drama

Creator(s): David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Cast: Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Tuner, Jack Gleeson, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Charles Dance, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Fourth

Season Premiere Date: March 2014

Plot Summary: Four prominent families battle one and other for control of the Iron Throne and the Kingdom of Westeros.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Game of Thrones is the most entertaining series on television. That is due to its superb ensemble cast, production value, and excellent storytelling. Each new episode feels like an event. Plus, the series seems to be getting better with each season (as season three has been very strong so far), which is actually surprising given the sheer number of characters and storylines that the writers must manage. For fans of fantasy narratives, there is nothing better right now than Game of Thrones.

Mad Men

Rank: 2

Genre: Period Drama

Creator(s): Matthew Weiner

Cast: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, John Slattery, and Jessica Pare

Channel: AMC

Current Season: Seventh, and final

Season Premiere Date: March 2014

Plot Summary: Donald Draper is one of New York City’s best ad men during the 1960s. The series navigates the changing social and cultural climate of the era and how it affects Draper and his co-workers.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Mad Men is the best written series on television. It won four straight Primetime Emmys for Best Dramatic Series (and was nominated as well for season five, losing to Homeland) and five straight inclusions on AFI’s TV Program of the Year list. Plus, it has one of television’s best ensembles (with Elisabeth Moss beautifully playing TV’s best female character Peggy Olson). While season five was slightly polarizing (though, I would argue it is just as good as the first four seasons), season six continues the show’s strong run of critical acclaim. Television will be losing something special when season seven comes to an end.

Breaking Bad

Rank: 1

Genre: Crime Drama

Creator(s): Vince Gilligan

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, and RJ Mitte

Channel: AMC

Current Season: Fifth (part two), and final

Season Premiere Date: August 11, 2013

Plot Summary: After being diagnosed with cancer struggling, but brilliant, high school chemistry teacher Walter White decides to cook meth in order to make enough money to support his family when he is gone. He turns to a former student (and junkie), Jesse Pinkman, for help. However, Walter and Jesse seem to just fall deeper and deeper into the world of crime, forgetting their moral compasses and losing who they once were as they embrace the darkness.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Breaking Bad has the most compelling lead character on television in Walter White. If you have not yet started watching this series, start right now (it is streaming on Netflix). The show seemed like it might be burning out a bit during seasons three and four as creator Vince Gilligan turned more towards character development than story progression, but it has paid huge dividends when the action started to ramp up to a fever pitch. The show has been incredible from the latter part of season four through the first part of season five. Part two’s eight episodes are undoubtedly going to be amazing.

TV Preview 2013/2014 – 25 Must-Watch Series, Part 4: 10-6

Part 3: 15-11

Homeland

Rank: 10

Genre: Crime Drama/Mystery Thriller

Creator(s): Gideon Raff, Howard Gordon, and Alex Gansa

Cast: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, and F. Murray Abraham

Channel: Showtime

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: September 29, 2013

Plot Summary: Carrie Mathison is an obsessed, driven CIA agent who believes missing Marine Segeant Nicholas Brody who has recently resurfaced in Iraq after eight years is not a returning hero but a sleeper agent for dangerous terrorist Abu Nazir.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Homeland’s first season was incredible, and while season two also played mostly to critical acclaim many where put off by certain aspects of the narrative (i.e. Carrie got annoying). Showrunners Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa seem to have received the message from fans and have promised that season three will see the series return to its critical status as one of televisions best dramas. They also have brought in a new writer James Yoshumura (in addition to shaking up the current staff). Yoshumura previously worked on Treme and Homicide: Life on the Streets.

The Newsroom

Rank: 9

Genre: Drama

Creator(s): Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr, Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, and Sam Waterson

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Second

Season Premiere Date: July 14, 2013

Plot Summary: Network new anchor Will McAvoy fell into a rut, putting rating above integrity. But when executive producer MacKenzie McHale, a former girlfriend/love-of-his-life, returns, she lights a fire under Will reviving his tenacity and principles. Now, Will’s new goal is to make a real news show (regardless of ratings and resulting enemies).

Why It’s Worth Watching: The Newsroom is brilliant for multiple reasons. First, Aaron Sorkin’s writing is unmatched – the quick, witty interchanges between characters are delightful. Second, the cast is top-notch across the board, including great guests. And third, the show allows Sorkin to comment on American politics in a manner that is sorely missing from actual news programs (as ‘news’ programs in America are an embarrassing utter sham).

Justified

Rank: 8

Genre: Crime Drama

Creator(s): Graham Yost

Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, and Walter Goggins

Channel: FX

Current Season: Fifth

Season Premiere Date: January 2014

Plot Summary: As much as U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens tries to escape his connection to his small, poor rural coal-mining hometown in Eastern Kentucky, he just keeps getting drawn back in resulting in confrontations with dangerous characters.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Justified has walked the line between being a procedural and a serialized drama – and it works as either (and both) really due to Timothy Olyphant’s great performances as Raylan Givens (sort of an old-school cowboy stuck in the modern world) and the strong writing. The series also seems to get stronger with each season (which is rare these days it seems). HBO and FX lead this list with five shows each, and Justified is FX’s crown jewel.

Dexter

Rank: 7

Genre: Crime Drama/Thriller

Creator(s): James Manos, Jr.

Cast: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, C.S. Lee, Desmond Harrington, and James Remar

Channel: Showtime

Current Season: Eight, and final

Season Premiere Date: June 30, 2013

Plot Summary: Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter expert who works for the Miami Metro Police Department – he is also a serial killer (but he only kills bad people).

Why It’s Worth Watching: After a very disappointing sixth season, Dexter saw its return to its high standards with season seven – for its first three seasons, it was the best series on television. But, it is time for the show to end, and season eight will conclude the series. Yvonne Strahovski returns as Hannah and season eight welcomes an awesome guest star in Charlotte Rampling. As it is the end, I expect the season to be extreme and fearless in its storytelling.

House of Cards

Rank: 6

Genre: Political Drama

Creator(s): Beau Willimon

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Kristen Connolly, Constance Zimmer, Mahershala Ali, Sakina Jaffrey, and Kate Mara

Channel: Netflix

Current Season: Second

Season Premiere Date: Spring 2014

Plot Summary: Majority Whip Francis Underwood expected to be a member of the President’s cabinet after helping him get elected into office, but he is politically dismissed. That betrayal will not go unpunished, as Underwood plots, schemes, and slithers his way back into a position of power – his goal: to destroy those that crossed him on his way to the White House.

Why It’s Worth Watching: With House of Cards and (season four of) Arrested Development, Netflix has given network television a friendly reminder that their time is over. The series is incredibly addictive and Kevin Spacey is brilliant in it. I cannot wait for season two’s release in another thirteen-episode chunk (which I will again be marathoning over one weekend). Netflix took a big step forward creating original content and hit a homerun (we have all forgotten about Lilyhammer right).

Part 5: 5-1