oh and I didn't read the review x

#2 - Game Of Thrones

 

http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article1788115.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Game-of-Thrones-Season-3-1788115.jpg

 

What is there to say about Game Of Thrones that hasn't already been said. THAT episode (YOU KNOW THE ONE) set social media ABLAZE when it aired earlier this year, most people knew something big was going to happen, but I didn't want to spoil it for myself and I genuinely sat for over a minute in stunned silence after watching the end of the episode. That SCREAM at the very end was truly harrowing, the sound of someone who had lost everything. I expected they would keep her alive just so she could be truly broken, once and for all, but mercifully she was put out of her misery. For now.

 

Games Of Thrones is well known for killing off big players left, right and centre, but that sense of nobody is safe is only one of the things driving it at such a pace. The sprawling nature means we don't spend that long with each character per episode, sometimes we don't see them at all! Yet somehow the majority are very well realised and you genuinely care for and root for them. I have been VERY careful not to spoil anything for myself so I have basically no idea where anything is heading, which I think is a large part of why I enjoy it so much. Season 3 did have one drawback though, unlike S2 it felt much more like a second part of a trilogy, moving things on from where they were, but JUST enough so that they are all in place for a big shake up in S4. It's made me more excited for next season for sure, but it also caused me to enjoy this slightly less than S2.

 

My top 5(ish) characters:

01 Cersei

02 Tyrion

03 Olenna Tyrell/Tywin (they can be a DUO, since their scenes together were electric)

04 Jon Snow

05 Daenerys/Marjory

I want to watch 'Game of Thrones' mainly because Gwendoline Christie (:wub:) is in it, so I shall check that out in the new year.

oh and I didn't read the review x

 

Good good, it just sort of reveals a MAJOR plot development from S3 and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you as it really is a great TV.

I want to watch 'Game of Thrones' mainly because Gwendoline Christie (:wub:) is in it, so I shall check that out in the new year.

 

You should just watch my entire top 5!

You should just watch my entire top 5!

PLAN.

SO then, where does that leave us?

 

20-02

 

Suburgatory

American Horror Story: Coven

NTSF:SD::SUV

Major Crimes

The Fall

Doctor Who

American Dad

Masters Of Sex

Parks And Recreation

The Borgias

 

Continuum/Archer

House Of Cards

Agents Of SHIELD

Hannibal

Dallas/The Americans

Veep

Scandal

Person Of Interest

Game Of Thrones

?

Here.

 

http://24.media.tumblr.com/86575811290871ca7c347b17e7c05e6b/tumblr_mrodxfK9El1regpz7o1_250.gif

#01 - THE GOOD WIFE

 

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/good-wife-season-5-premiere-everything-is-ending.jpg

 

Not just the best show of 2013, THE BEST SHOW EVER. That is an opinion I have been coming closer and closer to over the last 2 years, but every single episode aired in 2013 has been an utter triumph. The first half of S4 was hampered by a slightly dodgy plot with Kalinda's husband (he who shall not be named), but once that was dispensed with the show has been firing on all cylinders ever since.

 

Virtually every character and actor on the show is great, however Christine Baranski really brings it each and every episode as Diane Lockhart. Season 5 gave her a chance to truly SHINE, with her backstabbing of Will almost causing her to be kicked out of the firm, but in the end it also cost her her Judgeship, which brought about an all too brief, but perfectly acted breakdown in a bathroom. She's also had a chance to have a personal life too! It's been glorious

 

Season 5 episode 5 garnered HUGE online love, with near blanket 10/10 and A grades for the episode. It's so rare that a show is firing on all cylinders in its fifth year, yet here it is, better than ever! Things had been gradually building up for the first 4 episodes of the season, but the pay off was a truly believable and brilliantly realised episode featuring standout performances from Julianna Margulies (as ever) and a series best performance from Josh Charles too, as the heartbroken/betrayed Will.

 

I honestly cannot praise the show enough, it manages to spin about 20 plates storyline wise every episode yet each one feels well thought out, given sufficient screen time and feels like it has a purpose. There is a genuine sense of love put into each episode and the show raises some very interesting questions via the cases and stories. It also has one of the strongest rosters of guest stars on any TV show, with the likes of Mamie Gummer, Ana Gasteyer, Michael J Fox, Amanda Peet, Nathan Lane, Dylan Baker, Stockard Channing and Jeffrey Tambor PLUS MORE. Oh and David Lee is AMAZING. And I am team Peter. This could very well be the funniest show on TV!

 

I could go on, but I won't because I've already covered all this elsewhere and nobody has time to read 10000 words on why this show is so amazing. It just is.

snubbed :o

 

'The Good Wife' is FABULOUS in every way though. I watched season 1. Me, my gran and granddad were so into it, but after that I just kinda didn't go back to it. MUST, MUST, MUST get onto season 2 soon. :wub:

I wouldn't know where to begin with a TV countdown but Game Of Thrones would have easily been at #1. I went from knowing nothing about it to superfan in about a month chugging through it all. And the greatest episode of all is THAT season 3 one. I had exactly the same reaction as you, I had an inkling something huge was happening from having to catch up as S3 was airing but it still took me quite a while to comprehend. It does it just as well on repeat viewing too, in fact when you know what's coming it just hangs over the entire episode.

 

Overall though I did definitely prefer S3 to Season 2, everything felt a little bit more urgent, and I don't think I've ever anticipated a new TV season like Season 4, it really better deliver, I am reading the books but I don't plan to overtake (and won't at my current rate).

 

The rest of the shows on your list that I know I love, so I should probably just add the rest to my list at some point. Mainly the comedies/geeky ones though.

I do have GREAT taste in TV (if nothing else) *.*

Anyway yeah, ALBUMS up next folks, here are three that didn't make the top 20 but I still really liked:

 

AlunaGeorge - Body Music

Summer Camp - Summer Camp

Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady

HOW do you find the time to watch all this?!

It's really not that hard to keep up with 10 shows a week! But I do probably prioritise TV too highly really, but it's so much FUN.

#13 - Masters Of Sex

 

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Masters-of-Sex-cast.jpg

 

A period sex drama. Well, not really. It's about the experiments in the 1960's by William Masters and Virginia Johnson to understand human sexuality. Really though, that's just the backdrop for some wonderful characters and relationships. The main relationship is Bill and Virginia. We know they got married in real life eventually, but the show isn't rushing things and that makes the slow revelation that they have more than friend feelings for each other feel quite natural to the viewer. There are also issues dealing with homosexuality, feminism and a whole host of other very interesting and thought provoking topics. The show deals with them all in a mostly clever way too, though at times does feel the need to spell things out just a little too much, which is why it isn't higher on this list.

This the one with Lizzy Caplan in it? I've really been meaning to watch this.

 

 

#12 - Parks And Recreation

 

http://flavorwire.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/601-leslie.jpg

 

I must STRESS that this is only based on 2013 episodes! Overall the show, which I marthoned this summer, is probably in my top 20 of all time now. The real issue here isn't with the back half of S5, but rather with S6. The dynamic is missing, which can't be helped as Chris Pratt is off filming a movie, Rashida is hardly every there and Aubrey Plaza seems to be phoning it in (which might sound alright, but it takes a lot of skill to act THAT disinterested in life/everything going on around you!). Amy Poehler is as glorious as always, but the show does seem to have run out of steam a little.

 

Anyway onto the good stuff. It's still very funny, yay. Ron Swanson is just a truly glorious comic creation, as is Donna and Councilman Jam too, even though they might want to lay off using him a BIT given he's been in basically every episode this season.

Donna is life. LIFE.

 

#8 - Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

 

http://i1.cdnds.net/13/32/618x407/marvels-agents-of-shield.jpg

 

My favourite new show of the 2013/14 season! I've seen a lot of criticism thrown at this show, some of it is probably true; it is a procedural at heart and I can see why it would be annoying to have such frequent mentions of the movie characters only to be continually reminded that they won't be on the show (bar Samuel L Jackson). On the other hand I think it sits very comfortably within the universe, unlike a lot of people who have been very disappointed with the content/style/storylines of the show. One thing that most people agree on though is that the characters are pretty well done. That's often a big selling point of Whedon shows and he's done a great job here. From episode 2 onwards we've had actual character development, which for most network drama's is something to be feared until at least mid S2. It's not a show without its faults, some of the dialogue is a little too sharp and soulless and the heavy use of gadgetry to solve almost every single problem is almost as bad as latter day Doctor Who and his magic fix all sonic screwdriver. It has tremendous potential though and I hope that the ratings stabilise between now and May so that we don't end up with the dreaded ''CHNAGE OF DIRECTION'' renewal blurb, which almost always ends up in the show having its soul ripped out and replaced with ratings winning crap.

:wub:

 

#5 - Veep

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-30JAKr9_yVw/T5byy799_6I/AAAAAAAAJo0/HgoZjj2pxBY/s1600/veep-cast_510.jpg

 

Season 1 of Veep was one of the funniest comedies I had seen in a long time, however S2 wasn't as funny, yet I ended up liking it MORE. It's interesting to see a show like this, whilst still very funny, striking a much more serious note, or at least send the show in that direction. It felt much more like a dramedy, which is obviously not a bad thing at all. The show now seems to have a very strong sense of direction which is also quite rare among comedies, which are very much episodic for the most part. Part of me really wants her to win when she runs for the presidency, but then that would pretty much be the end of the show, but I just want to see her overcome the SHIT that's been sent her way by the useless president she works with. Whilst it wasn't AS funny, it was still funnier than about 90% of other comedies on TV and glorious guest turns from Allison Janney and Sally Phillips brought many laughs with Selena once again faced with awful situations of her own making. The best example being a frankly HILARIOUS, yet utterly misjudged song Selena performed basically slagging off EVERYBODY, albeit in jest, coming back to bite her on the arse in the most glorious fashion possible. Oh and special mention to Amy's c**t family and sister for the many laughs derived from their scenes.

I'm floating my way through Season 2 at UK pace but this remains entirely flawless. It's just so bloody funny.

 

Veep *.* Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an angel sent from Heaven.

Truth

 

#4 - Scandal

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2012/09/scandal_season_2.jpg

 

Scandal started life in the 2011/12 season and it looked like it might be curtains after those first 7 episodes, but this is proof that a great show can thrive if given a push (and some great storylines). I've been a BIG critic of Shonda in the past for making pretty hateful characters and rubbish shows, but Scandal really is quite special. It's now one of the biggest drama's on network TV and rightly so. However a lot of people seem to love the show for the Fitz/Olivia relationship, which is fairly central to the show, but personally I find the other aspects much more interesting. They are NOT GOOD for each other, at all, and whether they love each other until the end of time it won't stop them destroying each other, sadly. The destruction also spread further than this though and the much hated Mellie has born the brunt of it and ended up being one of my favourite characters in the whole show. She acts like a bitch a lot of the time, but only because she's treated so awfully by most of the other characters!

 

Then there's the Defiance arc, which totally transformed the show. It's been replicated to less success with Albatross and now Remington, the highlight of which is Olivia's mother being brought into the show (and given the chance to eat her own wrists - literally!). Olivia's dad, the head of B613, needs to die, quickly. Not least because it feels like they are dragging out his storyline, but because he is a grade a c**t. The problem Scandal now finds itself with is that it built itself up so quickly based on a truly glorious back half to its second season that the expectation for this time round is even higher. I'm now sure how long the show can hold up, but if it manages another couple of great seasons then it'll be better than most!

 

Really need to watch the second season of this don't I?

#3 - Person Of Interest

 

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/person-of-interest-season-3-preview.jpg

 

DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW CALUM

 

Taking a page out of the Game Of Thrones book, Person Of Interest made an incredibly bold move in the 9th episode of its third season, to kill off one of the main cast. this is rarely done on network TV, for obvious reasons. When it is, it is often because the actor has been fired and is common knowledge in advance. In this case the producers made it clear SOMEONE would die, but the show itself made it look like it would be at least 2 of the other main cast members, and not until the last second did I realise who it would be. It was brilliantly handled though and felt believable and also felt like it had purpose. The followup episode is easily in my top 5 of the year, serving both as a tribute to that character but also as a means of closing off stories, providing us with some great character background and also setting the path for the future of the show. This third season and indeed much of S2 has been a masterclass in how to balance the procedural nature of a show with a truly gripping and interesting mythology and high concept. What was once a case of the week show has now transformed itself into truly must watch TV for me, with some of the strongest characters of any show on TV. It's the perfect mix of serious, funny, and dramatic, truly a joy to watch.

 

SOMEONE DIED? WHAT? OMG!

#01 - THE GOOD WIFE

 

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/good-wife-season-5-premiere-everything-is-ending.jpg

 

Not just the best show of 2013, THE BEST SHOW EVER. That is an opinion I have been coming closer and closer to over the last 2 years, but every single episode aired in 2013 has been an utter triumph. The first half of S4 was hampered by a slightly dodgy plot with Kalinda's husband (he who shall not be named), but once that was dispensed with the show has been firing on all cylinders ever since.

 

Virtually every character and actor on the show is great, however Christine Baranski really brings it each and every episode as Diane Lockhart. Season 5 gave her a chance to truly SHINE, with her backstabbing of Will almost causing her to be kicked out of the firm, but in the end it also cost her her Judgeship, which brought about an all too brief, but perfectly acted breakdown in a bathroom. She's also had a chance to have a personal life too! It's been glorious

 

Season 5 episode 5 garnered HUGE online love, with near blanket 10/10 and A grades for the episode. It's so rare that a show is firing on all cylinders in its fifth year, yet here it is, better than ever! Things had been gradually building up for the first 4 episodes of the season, but the pay off was a truly believable and brilliantly realised episode featuring standout performances from Julianna Margulies (as ever) and a series best performance from Josh Charles too, as the heartbroken/betrayed Will.

 

I honestly cannot praise the show enough, it manages to spin about 20 plates storyline wise every episode yet each one feels well thought out, given sufficient screen time and feels like it has a purpose. There is a genuine sense of love put into each episode and the show raises some very interesting questions via the cases and stories. It also has one of the strongest rosters of guest stars on any TV show, with the likes of Mamie Gummer, Ana Gasteyer, Michael J Fox, Amanda Peet, Nathan Lane, Dylan Baker, Stockard Channing and Jeffrey Tambor PLUS MORE. Oh and David Lee is AMAZING. And I am team Peter. This could very well be the funniest show on TV!

 

I could go on, but I won't because I've already covered all this elsewhere and nobody has time to read 10000 words on why this show is so amazing. It just is.

I don't think the review contained nearly enough hyperbole. Rewrite please.

Anyway yeah, ALBUMS up next folks, here are three that didn't make the top 20 but I still really liked:

 

AlunaGeorge - Body Music

Summer Camp - Summer Camp

Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady

How does Summer Camp compare to their debut? I went off the lead single very quickly but I'm liking 'Two Chords' a lot at the moment.

Well, in general I've found people who loved the debut are of the opinion the new one isn't much cop, but then I wasn't huge on the debut and really like this one. It's definitely more along the lines of Fresh, which I know has been rather divisive too.

This the one with Lizzy Caplan in it? I've really been meaning to watch this.

Yes it is! She's very good in it, her chemistry with Sheen actually seems fairly genuine too which makes it all the better. A must watch for fans of shows with high (and genuine) emotional stakes!

 

Really need to watch the second season of this don't I?

 

YES! Never (that I have seen) has a show undergone such a rapid and brilliant transformation as Scandal did from about episode 9 of S2 through to 13.

 

 

SOMEONE DIED? WHAT? OMG!

 

Maybe... probably should have warned EVERYONE about that then (unless you're being sarcastic, t'internet isn't the greatest place for that)

 

 

I don't think the review contained nearly enough hyperbole. Rewrite please.

 

HA! I tried to reign myself in deliberately, I've already looned more than anything ever before in the thread.

 

Veep is the only one of your top five that I watch, so I'm gonna think of that as the winner. So so brilliant, Selena is already verging on an iconic character for me, JLD just brings it every time.