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 Preview 2013/2014 – 25 Must-Watch Series, Part 2: 20-16

Part 1: 25-21

True Blood

Rank: 20

Genre: Horror/Fantasy Drama

Creator(s): Alan Ball

Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Alexander Skarsgard, Deborah Ann Woll, and Joe Mangeaniello

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Sixth

Season Premiere Date: June 16, 2013

Plot Summary: Sookie Sackhouse, a telepathic waitress in a small backwater Louisiana town, finds her life in constant peril when she starts a relationship with a vampire Bill Compton.

Why It’s Worth Watching: True Blood is a highly entertaining series to watch (with its often insane storylines). Creator Alan Ball’s writing is very interesting as he makes comparisons to the issues of our times using vampires, werewolves, witches, and all other manner of supernatural creature. However, season six will be the first without Ball in charge, as he has left to run his new series Banshee. Brian Buckner has taken over as the series showrunner. He has been a writer on the series since season one (working before on Friends and Spin City). Can the show continue to be as crazy, fun, and engaging without Ball?

Archer

Rank: 19

Genre: Action Comedy

Creator(s): Adam Reed

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

Channel: FX

Current Season: Fifth

Season Premiere Date: January 2014

Plot Summary: Archer is an international spy working for ISIS who often gets himself into trouble thanks to his extreme ego and pettiness.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Archer is hilariously genius. The cast of crazy characters all trying to undermine each other, bickering like spoiled siblings, is wonderfully brought to life by phenomenally funny voice-actors (especially H. Jon Benjamin as Archer). The shenanigans and inside jokes that build with each season are what make this comedy such a pleasure. While often over-the-top and ridiculous in its comedic endeavors, its characters are still rich enough for the series to also engage from a narrative standpoint. There is no finer animated series on television right now.

Parks and Recreation

Rank: 18

Genre: Comedy

Creator(s): Greg Daniels and Michael Schur

Cast: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Platt, Jim O’Heir, Retta, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe

Channel: NBC

Current Season: Sixth

Season Premiere Date: Fall 2013

Plot Summary: Leslie Knope is an ambitious public official in Pawnee, a small Indiana town. This is a documentary-style show about her life and political career.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Parks and Recreation, like Community, has again overcome low ratings (despite critical acclaim and adoring fans) to again be renewed. It is one of the funniest sitcoms on TV, with a fantastic comedic cast. The characters are also well developed – the viewers care just as much about the characters as the jokes (probably more). With The Office coming to an end (and really not being nearly as good since Michael Scott left), Parks and Recreation has taken over as NBC’s best comedy (that is not as weird as Community), and is a must-see for fans of The Office that have not yet discovered it.

Louie

Rank: 17

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Creator(s): Louis C.K.

Cast: Louis C.K.

Channel: FX

Current Season: Fourth

Season Premiere Date: Summer 2014

Plot Summary: The everyday life of Louis C.K. – a standup comedian living in New York City.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Louie has been off the air since 2012, and Louis C.K. took a hiatus to pursue other creative projects. However, it is finally set to return in 2014 (I assume in June). While Louie is very funny (especially his standup routines) with wonderful awkward humor and situations, it works wonderfully as a character drama as well. Louis C.K. struggles with relationships and taking care of his two young daughters, presenting his daily grind in a very relatable way. It is one of the best-written shows on television.

Girls

Rank: 16

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Creator(s): Lena Dunham

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

Channel: HBO

Current Season: Third

Season Premiere Date: January 2014

Plot Summary: Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna are four girls in their early twenties who live in New York City – Sex and the City, but set in Brooklyn and for a different generation.

Why It’s Worth Watching: Lena Dunham has such a fresh and unique voice. She is fearless in her writing. All of which seems to make Girls a very polarizing series. Some hate it, while other (myself included) think it is brilliant. The show also has a fantastic rawness to it – a vitality that makes it so compelling. For some it may just be a guilty pleasure, but for me it is a wonderfully written look into the pains of growing up and finding your place in the world.

Part 3: 15-11

TV Preview 2012/2013 – 25 Must-See Series, Part 2: 20-16

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Downton Abbey

Rank: 20

Genre: Period Drama

Creator(s): Julian Fellowes

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Brendan Coyle, Siobhan Finneran, Penelope Wilton, and Jessica Brown Findlay

Current Season: Third

Channel: Masterpiece Theatre on PBS

Return Date: September 2012

Plot Summary: In the years leading up to WWI, the series centers on the Crawley family and their servants, and the day-to-day workings of their lives.

Why It Made the List: Downton Abbey has sort of taken America by storm, becoming one of the must-see programs of the last year. Writer Julian Fellowes is the perfect person to be leading the series with the fantastic period pieces he has done – things like Gosford Park and The Young Victoria. For fans of period dramas, this is the must-see series on television right now. It has a terrific cast playing a wonderful set of characters.

The League

Rank: 19

Genre: Comedy

Creator(s): Jeff Schaffer and Jackie Marcus Schaffer

Cast: Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Jonathan Lajoie, Stephen Rannazzisi, Paul Sheer, and Katie Aselton

Current Season: Fourth

Channel: FX

Return Date: October 2012

Plot Summary: Six friends play fantasy football.

Why It Made the List: The League takes full advantage of its writers (Jeff Schaffer wrote on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld) and cast (made up of mostly stand-up comedians). The show is hilarious, as most of the dialog is improvised with only the scenarios scripted. Even if you are not a sports fan and do not play fantasy football (though, admittedly the show is almost entirely centered on fantasy football), the characters and funny situations are enough to make this a great comedy and well worth checking out. That said, being a sports fan and playing fantasy football does add to the overall enjoyment.

True Blood

Rank: 18

Genre: Horror/Drama

Creator(s): Alan Ball

Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Chris Bauer, Nelsan Ellis, Jim Parrack, Carrie Preston, Alexander Skarsgard, Todd Lowe, Deborah Ann Woll, Kristin Bauer van Straten, William Sanderson, and Joe Mangeaniello

Current Season: Fifth

Channel: HBO

Return Date: June 10, 2012

Plot Summary: Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress, falls in love with a vampire Bill Compton, and her whole world is thrust into a constant struggle between all manners of monsters.

Why It Made the List: True Blood is an up-and-down show, as some storylines work much better than others. But, it is always highly entertaining and engrossing, with excellently drawn characters. Going forward however, the series faces a big challenge losing its creator Alan Ball as the series showrunner (after season five is complete). Vampires have oversaturated the TV and film market since the show premiered in 2008, but True Blood (along with The Vampire Diaries) remains one of the best vamp incarnations still.

Parks and Recreation

Rank: 17

Genre: Comedy

Creator(s): Greg Daniels and Michael Schur

Cast: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Platt, Jim O’Heir, Retta, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe

Current Season: Fourth

Channel: NBC

Return Date: September 22, 2012

Plot Summary: A mockumentary-style series looks at the public officials in the parks department of a small town in Indiana, centering on their day-to-day lives and capturing their antics.

Why It Made the List: Essentially, Parks and Recreation is exactly the same show as The Office, at least on the outside. However, once you dive in and get to know the characters, the two shows start to separate and the characters are different. After a very mediocre first season, the show has really found its way and is now among the elite comedies on TV. This is mostly due to it having possibly the best comedic cast (though, I would probably argue for Community having a better one) right now. Poehler, Ansari, Offerman, Plaza, and Pratt are brilliantly funny. If you like The Office, you will like this show (though I would say that the character relationships are not quite as good as The Office’s during its prime).

The Walking Dead

Rank: 16

Genre: Horror/Drama

Creator(s): Frank Darabont

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, IronE Singleton, Melissa McBride, and Lauren Cohan

Current Season: Third

Channel: AMC

Return Date: October 14, 2012

Plot Summary: People in and around Atlanta, GA, try to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Why It Made the List: Season one of The Walking Dead was not very good. Yes, it had some great moments (the pilot was fairly strong), but overall it was disappointing (to say the least). Then, AMC fired the creator and showrunner Frank Darabont, replacing him with Glen Mazzara. Without Darabont, many fans worried the show would be worse off. But, season two was fantastic and a lot better overall than the first. Finally, the series is living up to the extremely high expectations and hype. Horror fans will probably not do any better than this show on TV right now.

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TV Preview 2011/2012 – 25 Must See Series, Part 2: 20-16

Has television programming ever been better than it is right now? Not in terms of great individual shows, but in terms of lots of really great shows (many of which did not make this list, and I had some tough decisions) on the air right now. This is a list of the best twenty five series in the upcoming 2011/2012 season.

25-21/20-16/15-11/10-6/5-1/Anticipated New Shows

Wilfred

Rank: 20

Genre: Comedy

Network: FX

Creator(s): Jason Gann and Adam Zwar

Cast: Elijah Wood, Fiona Gubelmann and Jason Gann

Premier Date: June 23, 2011

Current Season: First

Plot Summary: The series is about Ryan, a depressed man who feels he has hit an insurmountable wall in his life and plans to kill himself. Then he meets his neighbor’s dog, who can speak to him. Everyone else just sees an ordinary dog, but he sees a man in a dog suit.

Why It Made the List: Wilfred is an odd quirky show. It is based on an Australian series of the same name which also starred Gann as the dog. While this is not a show for everyone, for those that like very dry humor it is quite funny. Wood and Gann have great chemistry and the show works so well due to their ability to play off each other so well. Season one also has a great list of guest stars with Ed Helms, Ethan Suplee and Rashida Jones. FX is not afraid to make gritty and/or unique series, as this would never work on network TV – but if its humor works for you, it is utterly enjoyable and original.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Rank: 19

Genre: Comedy

Network: HBO

Creator(s): Larry David

Cast: Larry David, Jeff Garlin and Cheryl Hines

Premier Date: July 10, 2011

Current Season: Eighth

Plot Summary: The show is about Larry David; a man who has it all but cannot help but nitpick and get himself into terrible awkward situations.

Why It Made the List: Curb Your Enthusiasm is almost completely improvised. Much like the work of Ricky Gervais (who has also appeared on the show), this show creates very uncomfortable awkward situations. Some viewers find this show very uneasy to watch, while others find themselves in fits of laughter. Being a big fan of this kind of humor, I am bias but this has to be one of the funniest shows on TV. One criticism is that every episode is essentially the same, but again if you like the humor this is not a big issue. The show also boasts great guests: Richard Lewis, Ricky Gervais, Susie Essman, Bob Einstein, Michael McKean, J.B. Smoove, and Vivica A. Fox are all set to appear this season. This is not for everyone, but it is excellent for those that enjoy it.

House M.D.

Rank: 18

Genre: Medical Drama

Network: Fox

Creator(s): David Shore

Cast: Hugh Laurie, Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps, Olivia Wilde, and Jesse Spencer

Premier Date: October 3, 2011

Current Season: Eighth

Plot Summary: The series is about Dr. Gregory House, a top doctor is the field of diagnostic medicine. He and his team diagnose and solve the strange and most difficult medical cases.

Why It Made the List: House M.D. is fantastic because of Hugh Laurie and the character he has created. The rest of the cast is very good too. Sadly, Lisa Edelstein (who played Cuddy) is leaving the show, as her character was an important part of House’s life. Odette Annable is set to feature in season eight as a new doctor. The show is a procedural series and thus the narrative structure of almost all the episodes is the same, which does get tiresome. But the writers do enough to keep it fresh and the character arcs both within each season and across multiple seasons are very well done, making this the best procedural on TV. If you like well written characters and procedurals House M.D. is a must.

Supernatural

Rank: 17

Genre: Horror/Action Drama

Network: The CW

Creator(s): Eric Kripke

Cast: Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles

Premier Date: September 23, 2011

Current Season: Seventh

Plot Summary: The series is about two brothers who battle the forces of evil.

Why It Made the List: Supernatural started out as Sam and Dean battle this week’s big bad (monster, ghost, demon or whatever it may be), but over the series the characters developed and the narrative developed turning it from a fun horror show to watch into one of my favorite shows period. Seasons three through five are among the best seasons of any show. The series can be funny, terrifying, action packed, sad – it has such range. Creator and former showrunner Eric Kripke originally planned Supernatural to be a five season series, but season six changed things up and was quite good, and Kripke does remain hands on as the executive producer. Reoccurring actors like Jim Beaver and Misha Collins are also wonderful additions to the show. The chronicles of Sam and Dean Winchester is a must for all fans of horror, fantasy and supernatural style dramas.

Parks and Recreation

Rank: 16

Genre: Comedy

Network: NBC

Creator(s): Greg Daniels and Michael Schur

Cast: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, and Chris Pratt

Premier Date: September 22, 2011

Current Season: Fourth

Plot Summary: The series is about the employees of a small town in Indiana’s Parks and Recreation department and the antics that they find themselves in.

Why It Made the List: Parks and Recreation is a lot like The Office stylistically, as it is by the writers who developed The Office for America. While season one was not that great, seasons two and three were hilarious. I cannot even look at Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson without laughing now. While the show does not quite have the same level of character work as The Office, it is probably funnier with great comedians like Ansari, Poehler, Pratt, Offerman, and Aubrey Plaza. The guest stars are also great with Adam Scott taking a bigger role in the show and the always funny appearances by Ben Schwartz. If you like The Office you will also like Parks and Recreation.

25-21/20-16/15-11/10-6/5-1/Anticipated New Shows