Now, I want to make something clear. This is the list of my favorite shows of the past year. It's not the shows that I objectively think were the best made. It's not the shows I'm most likely to watch again or buy on DVD. It's not even the shows that I'm most likely to recommend to other people. I made the list almost entirely by asking one question: What would I regret not seeing the most? I have them ranked or ordered, but trust me, it's a fluid list.
You can looks at this list as "those shows that I couldn't find a way to fit in my top ten". It's a collection of new shows, fallen favorites, and rising veterans.
Top 10
Next Top 10
Everything in Between
Bottom 10
10 I Didn't See
Favorite Episode: Lena Dunham/The National
SNL isn't going through any sort of golden age (or even a silver one). Personally, I don't think it has to be to get a little attention. It's a volatile show in its nature, in that it's live and relies on guest hosts each week. Still, the cast is incredibly solid right now. What finally bumped this into my top 20 was a string of episodes this spring including Lena Dunham's and Louis C.K.'s which were some of the weirdest and funniest episodes I'd seen in a while.
19. The Walking Dead
Favorite Episode: The Grove
By deciding to split the cast up and spend several weeks focusing on only a few characters at a time as well as not keeping anyone in the same place for too long, The Walking Dead strung together the strongest calendar year of episodes yet. The fact that Terminus was only a factor for about an episode and a half is almost unfathomable by the show's previous standards. For me, the year will always be marked by "The Grove", which was one of the toughest hours of TV to watch all year (Kids + Of Mice and Men = DRAMA).
18. Parenthood
Favorite Episode: The Offer
In general, Parenthood has been frustrating in 2014. Too much Drew love triangle in the winter. Not enough of the characters in most episodes this fall. Joel and Julia being separated has been about as poorly handled as I can imagine. All it takes though is one family dinner, or a Harry Potter party, or Max crying over being picked on (the only time this year I'm admit to basically crying in my living room) to remind me why I watch this.
Favorite Episode: Danny and Mindy
Mindy and Danny finally got together. That was the missing puzzle piece. It's fun to see different failed romances for Mindy, but having them together has focused the show and allowed it to breathe. There's no guest star boyfriends who have to do any of the week to week heavy lifting. The other characters have settled into their roles more. Jeremy is the administrator. Peter is the fixer-upper. Morgan, as always, is the wild card. Tamra and Bev are there to fill time. What keeps me watching though is how much I love Mindy's comedic voice. She reliably has one or two lines each episode that slay me. And, as you'll see by the rest of my list, if you can make me laugh, you'll rank highly.
16. Community
Favorite Episode: Introduction to Teaching
This was hard to do. After a disappointing non-Dan Harmon season 4, season 5 was back to being the Community I love so I wanted to find room for it back in my top ten. I've said since season one, that I didn't want the show going past four seasons (preferably ending on the date Jeff mentions he has set a dinner reservation for in season 1), because anything more would force the initial pitch. Season five confirmed some of my reservations as the cast dwindled and the high concept episodes (formerly an occasional treat) took over. I still love this cast and it gives me moments like Abed as Nic Cage as a "sexy cat". It just wasn't in the top tier in 2014.
15. True Detective
Favorite Episode: The Secret Fate of All Life
Remember back in February when this was all anyone could talk about? There was good reason for it. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrellson were fantastic, sometimes magically making dense dialogue or diatribes sound like poetry. The last couple episodes deflated some of the love and too many comparisons to Fargo later did it no favors. There is so much to love in this and HBO couldn't've asked for a better beginning to this anthology series.
14. Game of Thrones
Favorite Episode: The Lion and the Rose
This is one of those model of consistency shows. The cast is huge. The story is even larger. The phrase "stand alone" is never going to apply to the series, so it's hard to rate any individual season fairly. 2014 had a lot of big moments, from the death of a King, to Tyrion's trial, and even one of the most brutal deaths of any character this year in "The Mountain and the Viper". Then there's "The Watchers on the Wall" that evoked season two's "Blackwater" in its singular focus.
13. Mad Men
Favorite Episode: The Strategy
Seven episodes is all I have to go off because AMC is annoying. Sadly, that leaves a very small margin of error. The final two episodes, "The Strategy" and "Waterloo", almost kept Man Men in my top ten because they were that good. The previous five episodes were more of a mixed bag though. Perhaps I'm just spoiled by how good Mad Men always is that I'm not appreciating it now. Regardless, I expect this to be setup the way that Breaking Bad's final season was. I'd be shocked if Mad Men didn't return to the top ten next year.
12. Girls
Favorite Episode: Beach House
Is that how tough it is this year? My former #3 falls to twelfth? Well, yes and no. Girls is not a show that was ever set to age well. I still love it and it's one of the few shows I make sure to get on DVD. I love all the characters and I hate them all at the same time. Hannah can't get out of her own way. Marnie's a mess. Jessa is determined to not grow up. Shoshanna got smacked by reality. The guys are all man-children. I can't wait to see Hannah in the MFA program next year.
11. Last Week Tonight
Favorite Episode: Episode #1.9
I tried so hard to fit this into my top ten, but I couldn't find anything to remove. I don't think any show made me break out in laughter more than this. He took the Daily Show format, which has been too imposing for me to regularly keep up with, condensed it down to a weekly show, and went in depth on topics that most shows wouldn't even touch (Ugandan anti-Gay Laws, The Death Sentence, the Indian Election). As you can tell from this list, I'm going to have a rough go if I lose access to HBO.
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