The Young Folks’ Best TV Shows of 2013

[tps_title]Gabrielle Bondi’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2013[/tps_title]

Disclaimer: I think it’s important to note that I’ve never seen Breaking Bad.

10. The Newsroom – This is far from a perfect show, but I can’t deny that I always wanted to tune in each Sunday night to watch it. Season 2 was an improvement over the first season with a storyline that had us on the edge of the seat. Even the people who “hate-watch” the show couldn’t help but be interested in how the drama would unfold.

9. The Blacklist – With cable TV killing it, it’s easy to forget about broadcast television. So when a show as good as The Blacklist comes along, you watch it so that networks see the kind of television that deserves to be aired.

8. Hannibal – Completely chilling and riveting, Hannibal is the best thing to happen to NBC in years. Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen are immensely underrated talents in a series that shows what they’re completely capable of.

7. Mindy Project – After an okay first season, I was debating whether or not to continue with The Mindy Project. But luckily since it’s right on after New Girl, I decided to give it another chance, which ended up being a great decision. This season was full of random cameos, the weirdest situations and the best laughs yet. It’s so weird that it’s funny. It’s so funny that it’s weird. I love where Mindy and company is taking the second season. She’s toned down the more irritating aspects of her character, and it seems like everyone is much more comfortable with their characters. The chemistry is better than the first season. I hope this show continues on, low ratings have it in trouble, so it would be disappointing to have the show cancelled right when it was hitting its full potential.

6. New Girl – New Girl is better than ever. We had THE KISS finally happen this year, and since then, everything has been hilarious and oh-so-entertaining. Most of the love seems to go out to Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield, but Jake Johnson and Lamorne Morris were downright at the top of the game this year. This is the best comedy on TV right now. Don’t miss out on the hilarity.

5. My Mad Fat Diary – My dear friend, Luciana, passionately recommended this show to me. Like with all of her recs, it always pays to listen. My Mad Fat Diary is a poignant, funny and nostalgic journey of one girl’s teen years. It doesn’t fancy up or dramatize the ugly parts of being an overweight adolescent, but explores all the ups and downs with an authenticity that anyone can appreciate. If you’re a fan of Oasis, this is a must-watch!

4. Orphan Black – Never would have I thought that a show like Orphan Black would capture my interest. In fact, I’m surprised I even decided to give it a try. I guess one weekend I was just feeling super generous and decided to give the show a go. I’m so happy I did! Tatiana Maslany is a revelation. Playing clones from all different walks of life, she seamlessly transitions from a soccer mom to a deranged serial killer to a geeky scientist. Half the fun is watching her, the rest is thanks to a pretty good plot, an awesome sidekick in Felix (played by Jordan Gavaris) and of course, the brooding Hot Paul (Dylan Bruce). If you aren’t watching this show yet, watch it now!

3. House of Cards – I can’t say I was surprised by how much I love House of Cards. When I found out that one of my favorite directors was producing a new show starring Kevin Spacey, I was for sure going to tune in. Spacey is brilliant as the conniving and ruthless Frank Underwood and the rest of the cast more than holds their own, fine tuning their characters as the season goes along.

2. Homeland – At the beginning of this year’s season of Homeland, I was a bit worried. The plot slowed down, the show was losing traction, where the hell was Brody? Now that it’s over, the way this season pieced itself together and led to that emotionally resonating and quite perfect ending was more than I could’ve asked for.

1. Game of Thrones  – Season 3 had audiences on a tailspin. It was insane, awesome and devastating (Still reeling over the Red Wedding).  This show just keeps getting better and better, and there was no doubt when creating this list that it would take my top spot for this year.