Lately, Showtime has been going through a rough patch. This year one of their biggest shows Dexter finally ended, and one of their most successful new shows Homeland has lost a bit of speed; but this year Showtime debuted the dramatization of Dr. Williams Masters and Virginia Johnson controversial research on sex, and fortunately it's a winner. The show's a period piece taking place in the 50's where a gynecologist named William Masters and his assistant Virginia starts to research the act of sex using live test subjects. Bored with his regular work Masters noticed that there was very little information regarding sex itself, so hoping to expand on the field and possibly win a noble prize he studies what no scientist before him has studied. Masters of Sex is one of the best new shows of the year; it's like a combination on Mad Men, House, and Cinemax. While the material might not sit right with everyone, it's certainly worth the watch.
10. ArcherThe first time I saw Archer I really didn't like it, it had a strange sense of humor and I hated the animation style. I told my friend, who suggested the series to me, what I thought and he just said watch two more episodes. So I watched the second episode, still hated it; after the third I started thinking it was alright. By the end of the first season I was in love. It's an acquired taste, the more you watch the better you get; the show relies greatly on running jokes which just get funnier and funnier. The show follows the life Sterling Archer, an idiotic super spy with mommy issues working for an agency called ISIS. The show's pretty dumb and has a very raunchy sense of humor, but it's legitimately the funniest show on TV right now. After a very shaky start to the series with some pretty subpar ratings, Archer has developed a very strong following and will be heading into its fifth season in 2014.
9. The Walking Dead
There isn't a show on TV right now that's gained a following like The Walking Dead has. Based off the insanely popular comic of the same name, the walking dead follows a group of survivors through the first few years of a zombie apocalypse that has wiped out most of the population. A former police officer named Rick Grimes is charged with lead this beaten and battered group, which includes his teenage son and infant daughter, and keep them alive as long as possible. Everyone loves zombies and as far as TV shows go The Walking Dead does zombies better than anyone else. Bloody, violent, and intense; for the past three years The Walking Dead has continued to impress. And after season four's record breaking ratings, this show will be around quite a while longer.
For the last six years, Mad Men has been the king of the Emmy's; winning a total of 15 since the shows launch back in 2007. The show has received almost universal praise for the top notch acting, superb writing, use of themes and motifs revolving around the idealistic American 60's, and fantastic and authentic production design. The show revolves around a group of white collar employees working for an advertisement agency and their families. The main character, Don Draper, is one of the best in the business but has many personal demons. Whether it be his alcoholism, smoking addiction, or the almost compulsory need to have an affair, he is his own worst enemy; and watching him destroy his own life and the lives of those around him has made damn good television for six years straight.
Since its premiere back in 2010, Boardwalk Empire has impressed me every single season. Taking place in the early 1920's the story follows Nucky Thompson, the former treasurer of Atlantic city who used the recently put into place prohibition law to his advantage; with the help of his numerous connections to import and sell alcohol in the north east United States. With most of the cities law enforcement on his payroll with the help of his brother the sherif; and all his competition under his thumb, Nucky ruled the liquor trade. Great acting, an interesting premise, and some of the best production value of any show on TV has made Boardwalk Empire one of HBO's most intriguing and critically acclaimed shows. With season four just finishing up and a fifth on its way, it seems that Boardwalk Empire will have a long and successful run.
6. Justified
I've always thought that
Justified was the most underrated show on television. Despite near universal
acclaim from critics and dozens of awards and nominations over the years, the
show has never pulled the numbers I thought it deserved. The show follows US
marshal Raylan Givens; after an indecent on the job Raylan gets stationed
outside Harlan County in Kentucky, a crime ridden and backwater place where he
happened to grow up. His father as well as pretty much everyone he grew up
around was or is a criminal, so being a marshal he isn't exactly the most like
guy in town. He is tasked with keeping the county safe murderers, thieves, and drug traffickers by whatever means necessary, and Raylan is one of those shoot first and ask questions later. Justified is a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned every
season has been top notch and I can always rely on the show to be of the
highest quality. And with season five airing next year I'm sure it will
continue to impress.
5. Vice on HBO
Vice started off as a controversial
magazine publication back in 1994 that covered everything from pop culture to
international war stories. This year HBO decided to take a chance and gave Vice
their own show, each episode is half an hour long and would feature two 15
minutes documentary shorts. Some stories that were featured this season
included political assassinations in the Philippians, Al Qaeda's use of child
suicide bombers, and Nigerien oil pirates. They even sent a basketball team
with some of the Harlem Globetrotters to compete against North Korean national
basketball team, they even became the first Americans to meet supreme leader
Kim Jong-Un. Vice is my favorite news publication and I am so happy to see them
do well and make such a high quality TV show, and I can't wait for season two.
4. Orange is the new Black
This was undoubtedly the
biggest surprise of 2013. A new series from Netflix, the show’s based off the
real life story of Piper Kerman a young woman who was coerced into smuggling
money by her former girlfriend and is convicted and sent to prison almost ten
years later. While I didn't think much of OITNB when I first heard about it,
after watching the first season I can say that it was my favorite series of the
year. A wide array of funny and interesting characters accompanied by the shows
unique sense of humor works perfectly. OITNB is a brilliant show, and has
already done very well for himself. Apparently the show pulled more viewers in
its first week than House of Cards or the re-launch of Arrested Development.
With its success Netflix has confirmed a second season will air in 2014, and I
can't wait.
3. House Of Cards
Believe it or not
Netflix hasn't always been the powerhouse it is; at one point people weren't
even sure if it could survive in the market. Back in the day Blockbuster was
the big kid on the block; several years ago there was even an offer on the
table for Netflix to be sold to them. Blockbuster turned it down because they
didn't think Netflix was worth it and that they could make it in the online
market themselves and do better. But over the past few years Netflix has grown
to have almost 30 million subscribers and has even gotten into original
programming. One of their first major shows was House of Cards, a political
drama that shows the dirty side of Washington and even stars Oscar winning
actor Kevin Spacey. The show was met with much critical acclaim and even became
the first web based show to be nominated for a major Emmy. House of Cards is a
superbly acted and intriguing show about deceit and betrayal that always seems
to keep you guessing.
2. Game of Thrones
I remember when Game of Thrones first came
out everyone was going crazy, and I told myself I would watch it eventually;
two seasons later I hadn't seen a single episode. Right before the third season
started my friend asked me if I had been watching, I told him all I knew was
that it was a fantasy show. He told me it was like Lord of the Rings with more
characters and boobs, so I decided to give it a try. I watched the first
episode and thought it was very good, two days later I had watched every
episode and found one of my new favorite shows. The show has some of the best
production value of any program on TV. Filled with twists and turns you never
see coming, this complex and action packed series makes its viewers always come
back for more and count the days until season four.
1. Breaking Bad
I'll say it right now; Breaking Bad is the
greatest drama to ever air on cable television. I can count on one hand the
number of shows that are even on the same playing field as this show. And
amazingly the fifth and final season was the best the show has ever put out.
For five years Breaking Bad has captivated us like no show has in the last
decade. The writing, directing, and acting have been on a whole different level
from almost every other show on TV. Sadly the show recently ended, and like
every other person who loved the show I was nervous about the last episode.
After watching it I can say it was one of the most satisfying endings to a show
in recent memory. Breaking Bad has left a whole in my heart, and I'm not sure
it can ever be filled; it will be missed but I'm glad it ended on its own
terms. Breaking Bad was the best show of 2013 and very well might be the
greatest show of all time.
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