[tps_title]Allyson Johnson’s Top Ten Shows of 2014[/tps_title]
- Please Like Me
There’s an episode in season two of Please Like Me that has been floating around in the back of my mind since it aired a few months ago. The episode, entitled “Scroggin,” is a stripped-down bare episode where Josh and his mother Rose go on a camping trip together. So much of this show has come down to the two and their relationship, and we’re left to decide if it’s a healthy one or not. A big elephant in the room had been Rose’s attempted suicide and we realize in the passing of season one to season two that she’d tried to kill herself two more times and the third attempt nearly got her. Finally Josh isn’t able to hide behind his self-deprecation or sarcasm, he can’t deflect, so instead he cuts straight to the point, and it’s a beautiful moment. Even more so by the episode’s end when we can tell that not all has been solved between the two. This is only one episode of the show and I could write an entire article on it. Please Like Me is a human show, it isn’t a comedy or a drama, but it’s an introspective and humorous coming-of-age story. It’s on a channel called Pivot. Check it out!
- Shameless
Of all the underappreciated shows out there, Shameless is the one that frustrates me the most because, in my humble opinion, it’s the best show on television. There have been some bumps, sure, but they’re few and far between. Emmy Rossum leads an impressive cast and this past year she got an ever bigger showcase as her character, and the show, found themselves down darker and bleaker paths. Her road to redemption, however slight, was beautifully conceived with family members such as Lip reacting the way any normal brother would who sees the marks of his father’s destructive DNA on his sister who’s supposed to hold things together. She along with Mickey (played by Noel Fisher, who just does remarkable work), Ian, and Lip all got some character building storylines, and the show has never been better.
- You’re the Worst
This show hadn’t even been on my radar until toward the end of its season one run, and then I binge-watched it and fell in love with the two leads and their best friends. Gretchen, Jimmy, Edgar and Lindsay are all, to varying degrees, damaged, and it’s the show’s refusal to shy away from it that makes it such an entertaining watch. Surprisingly, it’s the way in which the show sticks to Gretchen and Jimmy’s flawed, toxic and self-destructive ways that makes it so easy to root for them and what makes them such a compelling couple. Neither one is fixing the other and they aren’t becoming entirely new people; instead they’re improving, learning to let each other in and maybe even falling for one another. It’s also hilarious.
- Fargo
I don’t know what I expected when I started watching Fargo last year, but boy did I get more than I bargained for. It’s simply impeccable filmmaking that allows itself a grandiose tone that typically accompanies cinema rather than television. Alison Tolman, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and co. all delivered nuanced and unconventional performances, and the cinematography was beautiful, allowing the expansive landscapes to become a secondary character on the show. The struggle between good versus evil, the themes of the follies of man and the notion of embracing your inner monster were all explored with delicacy rather than forcing us into a head-on collision, and it left me wanting more while simultaneously wrapping the story up beautifully.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine
I think we all feared a potential sophomore slump but we were all wrong. Considering how strong out of the gate the show was, it’s not surprising it’s been able to maintain its momentum. It has the strongest ensemble cast on television, and each week I’m laughing because of the show. Few sitcoms have captured my attention like this one. Despite employing familiar tropes into storylines (like “Stakeout”) or sometimes missing the mark (like this year’s Halloween episode), it always has a fresh and fun vibe and again, they have a cast that’s always reliable to turn up the material.
- Broad City
Girls who seem like real people? Actresses who get to perform over-the-top physical comedy and gross-out humor? Absurdist humor that doesn’t try to alienate any certain crowd? Yeah, they had me hooked from the first two minutes. Abbie Jacobson and Illana Glazer are two of the funniest actresses currently on television, and below the surface of these two being put into situational heightened realities is a fantastic female friendship at the front and center of a television show.
Advertisement
- Arrow
People like to justify why they like shows on the CW: “Oh, it’s just mindless fun”; “I just watch it for the eye candy”; “It’s not awards-worthy but it’s entertaining”; rather than simply admitting that what they’re watching is a genuinely good show with fantastic payoff. With The Flash, Jane the Virgin and The 100 now on the CW, the channel is getting a bit more cred than it has previously, but it’s Arrow that paved the way and season two and now season three showcases a confident show, with a leading actor who’s gotten better each season, a supporting cast that creates a rich group dynamic, a world that has been fleshed out and is now comfortable to viewers, and action scenes that are better than anything else TV has to offer. Arrow is a fun, mindless show sometimes – I won’t deny that the entire cast is full of beautiful people, and it’s entertaining and likely won’t ever be up for awards – however, watch “The Climb” and tell me that any of that matters in creating a quality show.
- Hannibal
I truly don’t understand how this show is still on air, but I couldn’t be happier. I’ll be honest, some of the episodes this past season have caused me to become squeamish, so I had to watch in parts or with both eyes closed, but what I could see from my obstructed vision was a season that built on what it previously had created and finely tuned its best parts. Will and Hannibal’s relationship continued on its sinister, deeply connected tones, the visuals continued to shock, impress and induce nausea, and the story culminated in a flash of color, emotional climaxes and bloodshed in a way that only Bryan Fuller could accomplish.
- Game of Thrones
I’ve been pretty vocal about my disappointment with the past few seasons of Game of Thrones. I’m a book fan first of the series, so I’m guilty of nitpicking, but the amount of short cuts, forced nudity and female exploitation and poorly done characterization had begun to bog down any enjoyment I could take from the show. The fourth season wasn’t just a welcome upswing in quality, but was also the best season of the series so far. Peter Dinklage delivered a series best performance, individual storylines weaved together effortlessly, and weddings continued to have disastrous results, “The Watchers on the Wall” was an action-packed visual showcase, and the final episode had me anticipating the upcoming season to the greatest degree since the first season ended.
- The 100
I debated about whether or not I was going to put True Detective here or not. In all honesty, it’s the better show, and I don’t think that comes as much of a surprise. However, it isn’t the one that I latched on to. I will undoubtedly say that Matthew McConaughey gave the best performance of the year, but it was only three or four episodes of the show that truly sucked me in. The 100 had a rocky start with a pretty abysmal pilot episode, but following that stumble my excitement for the show was immediate. I love science-fiction and we don’t get a lot of it on television, and when we do it’s rarely worth talking about. The 100 has turned into an immensely well done show with intricate world building, characters who must deal with the consequences of their actions, and some strong and interesting characters. I’m never worried about shows like True Detective getting picked up for more seasons, but genre shows often get the shaft, and The 100 is a show worthy to come back to week in and week out.
Advertisement
Honorable Mentions: Teen Wolf Season 3B, How to Get Away with Murder, The Flash, True Detective, Bob’s Burgers, Selfie, The Legend of Korra, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Advertisement
