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Ben's Top 40 Albums of 2012
Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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The only one that I know is "The Walking Dead" but I really want to start watching Dexter, sounds so amazing.
Merry Christmas
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Member Since: 1/26/2006
Posts: 17,384
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2012 was my first year watching series, but I haven't seen many of those, though. From your list I've only watched Downton Abbey, which is in your honorable mentions, lol.
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Member Since: 5/3/2007
Posts: 30,533
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Merry christmas dude!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 12/29/2003
Posts: 6,311
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Boo to having to wait for an update until Friday. Booooo
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Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
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I'm finally familiar with some shows, but I was so late to wish you Merry Christmas.
I know and like "The Walking Dead" (my brother and colleagues are so crazy about it), "Dexter" and "The Office"
Do you like House MD? Its last season was this year and it one of my favorite TV series ever. Great update as usual.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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20. Happy Endings
Network: ABC
We are about a month away from losing 30 Rock, TV's current reigning king of the one-liner. The joke that sends you flying back, because it's something you could have never thought of in a million years. While i'm very sad about 30 Rock's loss (more on that in a little bit), I am at least glad that Happy Endings will still exist, and take its place as the next king of the one liner.
Happy Endings came up in the "Next Friends Sitcom" boom of 2011, and while it definitely shares some simularties with it, I think the show definitely resembles 30 Rock, more than anything. It's that same Anything For A Joke mentality, with characters acting completely insane at times (one episode this year had Adam Pally's Max act like a bear for the entire 22 minute episode), yet you still care about them, because the actors are so good. It's just a really fun show to watch. Casey Wilson as Penny? She's the best! Adam Pally as Max? The best! Elisha Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe, Damon Wayans Jr, Zachary Knighton, all tremendous on the show, and they keep getting better, if that is even possible. The show has amazing guest-stars (Rob Corddry as The Car Czar [He Knows What Cars Are] was a recent highlight), the writing staff is as strong as it gets (including former Andy Barker, P.I. [My avatar since 2007] creator Jonathan Groff as the co-showrunner). It's just, not to repeat myself, a really, really good comedy. You have to be watching it! It's so fun! Its ratings are not very good at all, and there's a chance this could be Happy Endings' last year on ABC, but i'm hoping a cable channel like TBS swoops in to save it, as this show deserves to stay on the air for many years to come.
19. Unsupervised
Network: FX
At #21, I was talking about NBC's Best Friends Forever, a sadly short-lived show that was trying for something original and different, but the network didn't give it a chance. Those qualities would also describe FX's Unsupervised, one of the most exciting and distinctive animated shows I had seen in a bit (excluding FX's Archer and a show that is still to come on this list).
Unsupervised was about two 15-year old best friends Gary (played by Justin Long) and Joel (played by series co-creator David Hornsby), as they try to make it through their teenage years, without the help of parental supervision (ergo, the title). You may say after reading that, what's so original about that? What set Unsupervised apart was that Gary and Joel were really trying to do the right thing, in every situation. These weren't your standard high school rebels. These were two dopey 15-year olds who said "frickin" a lot, and they displayed their love for each other multiple times an episode. It was an incredibly sweet and beautiful show about two kids, who live in the poor part of town, who had the shiniest outlook on life despite everything pointing to the contrary. It was sort of a mix between Freaks and Geeks and King of the Hill, which is an irresistible combination for me, as those are two of my all-time favourites. I mean, this was a show in which it had an episode where Gary and Joel got fake ID's. Typical, right? The reason they got the fake ID's? Because they wanted to give blood for the school's blood drive! That's the kind of show Unsupervised was.
For all the talk of the show being sweet and beautiful, the show of course was really, really funny. It was executive produced by RCG Productions (the production company of Always Sunny's Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day) and animation production company Floyd County, who do the animation for FX's Archer. The series also featured Kristen Bell as Megan, Romany Malco as Darius, and co-creator Rob Rosell as Russ, the possible breakout character on the show. All three characters were well-defined, and were more than just comic relief. You cared about them just as much as Gary and Joel. The series also featured characters voiced by Kaitlin Olson, Fred Armisen, Alexa Vega, Maria Bamford, Glenn Howerton, Sally Kellerman, and others. It's a true shame that FX cancelled this sweet gem of a show, as there was absolutely nothing else like it. It was earnest, optimistic, as well as it being as funny as any other show airing. I will greatly miss it.
18. Key & Peele
Network: Comedy Central
Sketch shows are hard. Sure, you may watch an OK sketch show that has one great sketch in its run, but what about a consistently great sketch show, that has a clear identity of what it is, that never has a bad episode? Last year it was IFC's Portlandia, this year Comedy Central's Key & Peele joins the mix. The show stars MadTV alums Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, and their sketch experience is the reason why K&P was great from the opening sketch. I never saw their work on MadTV (since I wasn't MadTV's demographic [13-year old boys] during their tenure), but it clearly was a great training ground for them. One thing that sets K&P apart from the other sketch shows in existence is their identity, of both being mixed-race. In their very first live audience bit (which I was initially tepid on, but grew to really like those parts of the show, as it really makes you love them more), that's the first topic they bring up. And it's an interesting topic, as of course one of their most popular recurring sketches on the show is Luther The Anger Translator for President Obama, as Pres. Obama is also of mixed race. It gets rid of those awful lines, of this show being a "white show," and this show being a "black show." It brings everything, from duelling MLK Jr. and Malcolm X one man shows, to Power Rangers parodies, all under the same gloriously absurd roof.
One of my favourite sketches from this year is this sketch titled "Movie Hecklers." You know where this is going, right? A stereotype, right? In bad taste? The sketch opens with Keegan's character saying these words as a movie is playing "Come on man, what are you doing? That's stupid. That's stupid, man, don't do that! Come on!" The white couple in front of him says to themselves "Are you kidding me?" Keegan continues: "DON'T GO IN THERE. DO NOT GO INTO A - CRANE SHOT RIGHT NOW, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Nice flip, right? Jordan's character in the theater joins in "THIS MOVIE HAS AN INCONSISTENT VISUAL LANGUAGE!" Then Keegan and Jordan have a back-and-forth, which includes references to the Dogme 95 movement, Nosferatu, and the line "This is a visual medium. Enough with this My Dinner With Andre ********!" I won't say any more about the sketch, beyond that you should watch it if you haven't. The "Movie Hecklers" sketch underlines what makes Key & Peele as special as it is: On its own, it is a really, really funny sketch. But it is also saying something! There's a point to it!
The showrunners of the show are Jay Martel and Ian Roberts, who is a member of the UCB 4 (which includes Roberts, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Amy Poehler). Roberts has already had his own Comedy Central sketch show (Upright Citizens Brigade, from the late '90s), so he's the perfect choice to help Key & Peele out, and help form the show. As while the show is clearly the voice of Key & Peele, and it wouldn't exist without them, you need someone like an Ian Roberts (similar to Judd Apatow's role on Lena Dunham's Girls) to help shepherd and protect the show from the awful execs. And in a rarity for Comedy Central: It's actually a hit! It looks like it'll be on the air for some time to come! Usually the great shows on CC get cancelled after one season, but that wasn't the case with K&P. It shows how great K&P is, that it's a big hit with the mainstream (Key & Peele got to meet President ****ing Obama this year!), and the comedy nerds. Long may Key & Peele run!
BTW: i'd be a fool to not mention quite possibly the most popular non-Luther sketch from K&P this year: "East/West College Bowl" When a list joke is great (like this sketch and SNL's Stefon), it is spectacular.
17. Veep
Network: HBO
During last year's year-end list, I wrote a little something on two upcoming shows that were set to premiere in 2012. One was Girls and the other was Veep. I'm not going to say if Girls is still to come on my list (oh **** it, of course Girls is still to come on my list), but I wanted to C&P this passage, from what I wrote about Veep. From December 13th, 2011:
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It’s going to be on everyone’s top 10 (or higher) best TV shows of 2012 list. I’m just letting you know this ahead of time.
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Ummmm, woops? Now, VEEP had a fantastic first season. I really have nothing at all negative to say about the content of its 8 episode first season. I mean, it is ranked at #17!!! Above plenty of wonderful shows! I guess the only thing I could say is that Armando Iannucci's prior work put skyhigh expectations on this show for me. So it just landed on "Very Great" instead of "Instant Classic First Season" which is what some of his prior shows had (I'm Alan Partridge, The Day Today, The Thick of It, etc). If I knew a lot about baseball, i'd say that VEEP was like hitting a triple, instead of the grand slam, which is what his previous shows' first seasons were.
So, what about VEEP? If the show did anything, it reminded us how ****ing amazing Julia Louis-Dreyfus is. Her win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the Emmys this year was very well-deserved. Her peformance throughout (especially in "Baseball" and "Tears") was really amazing, both funny and it carried the proper weight needed for a Vice President. The supporting performances were across-the-board great, from Matt Walsh as Mike McLintock (the running gag involving the imaginary dog was hilarious), Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer, Tony Hale as Gary Walsh, Timothy Simons as Jonah Ryan (so good!), Reid Scott as Dan Egan, Sufe Bradshaw as Sue Wilson... Every single one of those characters are wonderful, and the performances are all great.
Season 2 premieres in April, with 10 episodes this time around, as opposed to 8 episodes in season 1. Recurring guest-stars for season 2 will include Gary Cole and Kevin Dunn, and they should help make this show even better than it was in season 1. Because, I am sure that season 2 will be even better than season 1, as Iannucci and his all UK comedy writers writing staff now know more about how U.S. TV is put together. I'm not going to make any grand statement this time, saying it is guaranteed to be top 10 or higher, but.... I can say for certainty that season 2 will be another big step-up for VEEP, and if you aren't watching yet, you ought to be. "Sue, did the President call?"
16. Community
Network: NBC
Hey, remember when Dan Harmon was fired by NBC? I'm not saying that as a joke, I genuinely wonder if people forgot about it. With NBC's constant moving of Community's fourth season (from Friday, October 19th, to now the beginning of February on Thursday), I think a lot of fans have forgotten about Harmon's removal from the show. I'm hopeful that these new episodes will be good, as key writers such as Megan Ganz are still writing on it, but yeah, i'll be completely honest when I say i'm not as excited about the new season of Community as I have been in the past. Though I am definitely curious about the new episodes, without a doubt. My curiosity meter is through the roof!
So yeah, since Community only aired for the first half of this year, that's why it is lower than you may think it should be. I thought the last half of Harmon's final season was rather good, with some really good episodes. I particularly loved the season finale, which could have easily have served as a series finale if the show was cancelled. Though, to be perfectly honest, as a whole season 3 was not my favourite Community season. I think the back half of season 1 and front half of season 2 remains my favourite run of Community. I hope the new season is great, and who knows, maybe it'll be better than season 3? Probably not, but who knows! This is not my best write-up, as I have nothing really to say about Community beyond "Really liked some episodes from season 3! Some, not so much! Sad that Dan Harmon was fired! Hope season 4 is good!" That's the TL;dr version of my write-up.
15. Delocated
Network: Adult Swim
Season 3 of Jon Glaser's masterful adult swim series DELOCATED was another 10 episode blast of absurd fun. The premise of the show, for those who aren't aware:
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After testifying as a witness against a Russian mob family, "Jon" and his family are uprooted and start living undercover through the witness protection program. After existing quietly in an anonymous suburb, "Jon" accepts an offer for the family to participate in a reality show based on their current lives. In order to protect their identities from viewers -- which could include the Russian gangsters who want him killed for testifying against them -- they wear ski masks and have their voices surgically disguised. As part of the deal, the family is relocated to an upscale loft in New York City, where the series will be filmed. Not only does "Jon" find out that the "sweet" loft was not as advertised, his wife "Susan" promptly concludes that the life of a ski-masked, voice-disguised reality TV star is the wrong environment for her and their teenage son "David."
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That's everything from the pilot, and while that may sound complicated, this is really just a show where Jon Glaser wears a ski-mask and has a voice modulator. That's his character. That's who he is for three seasons. The longer the show goes on, the funnier that joke becomes. Season 3 has the added threat of the Wang Cho chinese mob, on top of the Mirminsky family. Eugene Mirman plays Yvgeny Mirminsky, who is a stand-up comedian on the side, with his act consisting entirely of vodka jokes. New characters for season 3 include The Glaze, Jon's new therapist, Susan Shapiro (played by Janeane Garofalo!), the president of the network in which the Delocated reality show is airing (since Jerry Minor's Mighty Joe Jon: The Black Blond died at the end of season 2), as well as Trish (played by the great Amy Schumer), Yvgeny's girlfriend.
What I love about Delocated (enough for it to be my avatar on both Facebook and Twitter) is that the entire show is based around one of my favourite comedic concepts: "We have an insanely stupid idea. How long can we keep doing this?" That's Delocated. Delocated is a ridiculous idea for a TV show, and yet it has produced 29 episodes of television. Season 3 had some really hilarious episodes. One of my favourites was an episode titled "Skins," which was written by the great Joe Mande (who now writes for Parks and Recreation). This is the episode description from Wikipedia:
""Skins" February 9, 2012 302
"Jon" becomes so obsessed with a potato skins bar that he could lose custody of David. Appointed the new family boss, Yvgeny has to assert his authority over his men."
Hilarious, right?
Here's some other really funny plotlines from season 3 of Delocated:
"Midnight Munchingtons"
"Jon" develops a condition in which he not only sleepwalks, but also cooks fine meals when doing so. This situation is turned into an additional TV show that attracts a groupie (who can't stand "Jon" when he's awake)."
"The Mirminskys frame "Jon" using a fake "Jon", Mishka (also played by Jon Glaser), to flood the internet with sandwich-based ****."
""Jon" buys his freedom by living in a human-sized hamster ball."
If you are left stone-faced by those plot descriptions, Delocated isn't the kind of show for you. If, like me, you are currently laughing really hard reading those, then by all means, you MUST watch Delocated. It is unclear if Adult Swim will order it for a fourth season, but I really, really hope so. It seems like Delocated has become popular with creative types at least, as Jon Glaser has booked a recurring role on Parks and Recreation (as Congressman Jamm), and will also guest-star on season 2 of GIRLS. Whether it gets another season or not, Delocated will go down as one of my all-time favourite comedies. "FRRT!"
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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14. New Girl
Network: FOX
When New Girl premiered in September of 2011, it was billed as "The Zooey Deschanel Show." There were other people in the cast, but the pilot's focus was clearly on Zooey's antics. I thought the pilot was only OK, and found a couple other episodes that fall to be shaky. However, once the show started to become an ensemble show, with Max Greenfield's Schmidt being the first breakout, followed shortly by Jake Johnson's Nick Miller, and they started to give Lamorne Morris' Winston and Hannah Simone's Cece more to do, it became one of the undisputed best comedies on television. It is highlighted in the picture I chose, which is the key art for season 2. The entire cast is on the same footing. Whereas, in the pre-premiere art for season 1 it put the focus clearly on Zooey.
Now, in the talk of it becoming great as an ensemble show, I must state this: Zooey Deschanel as Jess is fantastic and one of the best performances on any network sitcom today. Early in season 1, she tended to overwhelm the show, and it made you think less of her performance. Now, with everyone being great, it only further shines a light on how good Deschanel is in this role. Comparisons to Lucille Ball may seem hyperbolic, but she definitely reminds me of Lucy Ricardo at points (such as the very funny sequence from season 2 where she was a model for the Ford Fusion).
Let me pointform the rest of this, as I fear I may go long:
- While Max Greenfield's Schmidt was the huge breakout of season 1 (and Emmy nominated!) for very good reason, I think Jake Johnson's performance as Nick Miller is really fantastic. I have such a familiarity with his character at this point that practically every line out of his mouth makes me laugh. That moment, from season 2, where he was fighting with the door? The cookie monologue! Nick monologuing in front of the silent old guy at the park bench! It's such a lived-in performance, and Johnson should absolutely be rewarded for it. It's as good of a supporting performance as you will see from any network comedy right now.
- One of the secret weapons of New Girl: it is actually about Real Stuff. The show is just as good at delivering dramatic moments, as they are with comedic setpieces. The show follows these late '20s/early '30s people, as they try to figure out their lives, and it is just kind of incredible. There was that episode from season 1, titled "Injured," where Nick Miller got injured after playing a game of football, but he refused to see a doctor, due to his lack of health insurance. He gets treated by Jess' OBGYN friend (played by the wonderful June Diane Raphael), and he finds out that it's far more serious than he originally thought. What follows is Nick having to reevaluate his life and friends. It was really excellent. And the show continues to come up with fresh premises for these characters to be involved with, that all center on things that actual late '20somethings/early '30somethings actually go through. Creator Liz Merriweather deserves a lot of credit, as this is a unique tone that you often don't see on network sitcoms.
- This is more of the Nerdy Section, so feel free to skip: The directors that this show gets are second-to-none. New Girl gets directors who never do TV. Or at least haven't in a long time, especially a sitcom on FOX. The tone was set by pilot director/EP Jake Kasdan (who also did the Ben & Kate pilot, but is known for the movies Walk Hard, Bad Teacher, Orange County, Zero Effect), and the directors who followed Kasdan include: John Hamburg (I Love You, Man), Peyton Reed (Bring It On, The Break-Up, Down with Love, Yes Man), Jesse Peretz (Our Idiot Brother), Lynn Shelton (Humpday, Your Sister's Sister), David freakin' Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models, Wanderlust), Nanette Burstein (American Teen, Going the Distance), Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine), Larry freakin' Charles (Borat, Bruno, The Dictator, one of the great sitcom writers), Jason Woliner (Human Giant's main director, Eagleheart director, comedy nerd favourite), Neal Brennan (co-creator of Chappelle's Show), and many others. Isn't that an impressive line-up??
If you haven't watched New Girl yet, come on. You have to. Even at #14, I feel like I am putting it a bit low. If it continues at the rate that it is going, it is a definite top 10 contender for next year's list.
13. Comedy Bang Bang
Network: IFC
I cannot believe that this is a TV show. Let me explain - Scott Aukerman (host of Comedy Bang Bang) tweeted one day in May of 2009 that he was about to go LIVE on the first ever episode of Comedy Death-Ray Radio, a show he was doing at Indie1031.com. His guests were Tom Lennon and Rob Huebel. I heard the very first episode of what was then known as CDR Radio live, and I thought it was incredibly funny. But then, any show that has Aukerman, Lennon, and Huebel riffing with each other for an hour was always going to be a delight. I listened to the live radio show every Friday that I could, at noon mountain time. It didn't become a podcast until that summer, which is when it really started to blow-up. The guests also got much bigger (I believe guests during that summer included Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis, and Andy Samberg), and it was really becoming its own cult thing.
Fast-forward to 2012, and the now-named Comedy Bang Bang is one of the most popular comedy podcasts around today. It's one of the few podcasts I listen to every week, and I think it has only gotten better with each passing year. In June 2012, IFC debuted Comedy Bang Bang, the TV series, which is a loose take on the podcast. It includes some elements familiar to fans of the podcast (Reggie Watts' theme song, the nicknames for Scott Aukerman, the games that the guests play, certain recurring characters), but is mostly its own thing. Which I think was the best call, as Comedy Bang Bang the TV Show is its own beast, and many people can enjoy it without having any prior knowledge of the podcast (which is a good thing, as while CBB is a very popular podcast, it is still a ****ing Podcast).
The TV show featured one main guest each week (similar to the podcast), with those guests playing themselves. The main guests for season 1: Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Jon Hamm, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Ed Helms, Elizabeth Banks, Adam Scott, Weird Al Yankovic. And that's not including the many other guests that would appear in character, which is a huge list that includes Will Forte, Tom Lennon, Gillian Jacobs, Andy Daly, David Koechner, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, Andy Richter, Paul F. Tompkins, Bob Odenkirk, Casey Wilson, Will Arnett, Topher Grace, Matt Besser, Paul Rust, Colin Hanks, James Adomian, Chris Parnell, Harris Wittells, Ian Roberts, Dave Thomas, Tim Heidecker, Andy Samberg, Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Kerri Kenney, Jon Heder, Paul Scheer, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, AND I'M LEAVING SOME OFF! A true all-star line-up!
The CBB TV show subverted many of the talkshow cliches in very funny ways. One of my favourite moments from the season was when Jon Hamm was on the show, and they were going to play a clip from earlier in Hamm's career, as talkshows are prone to do sometimes. An embarrassing clip from their past. Except in this case, it was a brand new clip from Mad Men. It was so funny, in a way that doesn't really translate in print, but in execution was truly hilarious.
CBB had a great first season, with not a single dud. There's no official word on season 2, but it is looking more likely than not. Especially since Marc Maron's upcoming IFC comedy series, titled MARON, is set for a June premiere, and it needs to be paired with something. And with CBB, it would be an hour-long block of shows based on popular comedy podcasts. Which would certainly be a first! But if this is the only season of CBB, i'll remain incredibly proud of Scott Aukerman, for turning a one-hour internet radio show that began May 1, 2009, into a fully scripted half-hour TV show, that was as funny as anything that aired in 2012. Attaboy. Hot Dog!
12. Parenthood
Network: NBC
Parenthood is the second straight Great Drama from Jason Katims, the showrunner/executive producer of NBC's classic FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Friday Night Lights is one of my all-time favs, and I have been a fan of Parenthood from the start. I placed it on last year's TV list, placing it at #30, and 2012 was the best year of the show yet.
While cable's best dramas are often dark, Parenthood (which I would consider the best drama on network TV) is a relatively light show. It's about family dynamics, and small-scale stakes. I mentioned Thirtysomething as a touchstone for Parenthood in last year's write-up on it, and I continue to feel that. Thirtysomething was a show created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, and through their Bedford Falls Company prod co. they would also produce Relativity, Once and Again, and My So-Called Life. Those shows created the HerskoZwick (a name created by TV critic Alan Sepinwall) brand, usually about family dynamics (whether of thirtysomethings or the teenagers of My So-Called Life), where it all felt real. Why bring those shows up? Edward Zwick asked Jason Katims if he wanted to write for TV and films, which led Katims to write for My So-Called Life, and create the aforementioned Relativity, which only lasted 17 episodes in 1996. I feel Katims is carrying that grand HerskoZwick tradition alive with both Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, but both shows also feel very much like their own thing.
Katims is a wizard at making shows, such as Parenthood, that are incredibly sad at points (and this season's arc involving Monica Potter's Kristina was especially a tear-jerker), but they never feel maudlin or manipulative. They always feel organic to the characters. And Katims is continuing his tradition from FNL of having very naturalistic performances. I could list the cast one-by-one, but it would take too long, as everyone is so damn good. Highlights: the aforementioned Monica Potter has been a season 4 MVP, Peter Krause continues to do amazing work as Adam Braverman, the great Mae Whitman as Amber has always been amazing (and with all due respect to Claire Danes on Homeland, "Claire Danes, imma let you finish, but Mae Whitman is the best crier on TV OF ALL-TIME!" That's not played out, is it? Also the of all-time doesn't work in this instance, but the rest of it stands), Max Burkholder as Max Braverman, Adam and Kristina's son with Aspergers, and everyone else. Seriously, there's not one weak link!
I must also mention the amazing casting of Ray Romano as Hank, a photographer who Lauren Graham's Sarah begins to work for in season 4, and... Other Things Happen. I have been a hardcore Romano guy forever, I have always trumpeted his name. I was a big fan of Men of a Certain Age, his sadly cancelled TNT series that he co-created and co-starred in, and his work on Parenthood feels like a great extension of that work. I know for the people who haven't seen Men of a Certain Age, that all they can do is rave about Romano this season, and nothing makes me happier. I hope it leads to big things for his career.
So yeah, please give Parenthood a shot. I used this term in my Ben & Kate write-up, but Parenthood is a really nice, big warm hug of a show. Even if the episode ends on a sad note, I always feel better after watching it. To partially use a key phrase from Katims' previous series: Bravermans Forever.
11. Boardwalk Empire
Network: HBO
Julie Klausner, one of my favourite comedians, is not a fan of Boardwalk Empire. She has dubbed it "Boredwalk Empirezzzzzzz." Which, even if I love the show, is really funny. But it's also the opinion that many people seem to have about the show. Which I guess I get? But at the same time, I really don't understand at all. So I guess my part in saying that "I get it" was ********.
All of this is a roundabout way of saying that Boardwalk Empire had its definite best season to date this year. With a certain key character killed off at the end of season 2, it freed the show up to more exciting directions. It also introduced the character of Gyp Rosetti, played by the great Bobby Cannavale. Rosetti is the main antagonist in season 3, and Cannavale savours every line. This is not a subtle performance, and it is all the better for it.
I'm trying to keep this write-up as spoiler-free as possible, for the people who haven't watched it yet. I can say that Michael Shannon (as Van Alden) has an All-Time Classic moment. I am not using that loosely. You will know it when you see it. As I stated in my 2013 movies list, Shannon is one of my favourite actors currently, so when he gets moments like this, where he really lets loose and does something wild I am all about it. I have watched said scene at least five times on YouTube since it aired. I cannot get it enough of it. If season 3 of Boardwalk Empire only gave us that scene, it would have been a worthwhile season of television.
While the start of season 3 was very good, there's a run from episode 7 (titled "Sunday Best") to the finale (titled "Margate Sands") that is the show switching into a higher gear. When people rave about season 3 of Boardwalk, they are talking about this run of episodes. "Sunday Best" is a Mad Men-calibre episode, in which it shows how four different characters spend Easter. Terence Winter, who worked with Matthew Weiner on The Sopranos, really did some of his best ever work on this season, which went right into the amazing final two episodes. To even hint at what happens in those episodes would ruin all the fun.
I have always loved and enjoyed Boardwalk Empire. But season 3 was the first season in which I became a raving fan of it. I am so, so excited for season 4. The finale set up something really exciting. Also, joining the writing staff for season 4 are GEORGE PELECANOS (beloved crime novelist, wrote for every season of The Wire, Treme), and DENNIS LEHANE (novelist behind Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, Shutter Island, and writer of three episodes of The Wire). Which is un-****ing-real. Boardwalk would be lucky to have one of those writers, let alone both! So due to how great season 3 was, and the addition of Pelecanos and Lehane to season 4, if you don't catch up in time for September 2013, you only have yourself to blame. Because it's guaranteed to be fantastic.
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COMING UP: THE TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2012! I am really happy with my TV list, and especially with the top 10. I'm really excited for all of you to see it!
Until then, a big thank you to everyone that commented! If I haven't commented on your countdown, don't worry! I will really try to get to it before the next update.
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Member Since: 11/4/2006
Posts: 37,808
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 10/1/2002
Posts: 14,726
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I need to start watching New Girl & Community, obviously.
Now that I finally got Netflix like the rest of normal people on this planet - I will get caught up.
This is such a great list to read. Informative, and clearly, your passion shines through.
Keep up the great work man!
I hope you don't snub Mad Men like the Golden Globes did.
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Member Since: 11/17/2008
Posts: 28,694
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Boardwalk Empire and Veep are my favorites from the list
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Member Since: 2/11/2008
Posts: 10,964
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The only one that I've heard is New Girl, i've read some great reviews of the show but still haven't watched it.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sunderland 4ever
Do you like House MD? Its last season was this year and it one of my favorite TV series ever. Great update as usual.
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I wasn't a regular viewer of it, though I have seen quite a few episodes of it. It was a good show! Hugh Laurie was excellent, of course. I liked the premiere from years ago, where House was in the institution. I thought that was quite good. From what I saw, I liked the addition of Charlyne Yi to the cast. She was very good. And I thought they handled their series finale (including the retrospective hour, prior to the finale, which was a very original take on it. Not your standard clipshow/retrospective) quite well. It didn't hit as hard for me, as I haven't seen every episode, but from what I saw, I thought it was a good finale. I hope it was great for you!
TOP 10 TV: COMING SOON!
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Member Since: 4/24/2004
Posts: 7,295
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Your reviews are topnotch.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 5/9/2003
Posts: 3,779
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Oh man, reading that was exhausting lol. Yet also very good stuff. I may not agree with your placing, but we watch mostly the same stuff and its great recognizing nearly everything. Only one of those I've never watched a full episode of is Key and Peele.
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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New Girl is the only one that I know, good show
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Member Since: 1/26/2006
Posts: 17,384
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I've never watched Community, it sounds interesting.
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Member Since: 5/3/2007
Posts: 30,533
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New Girl and Unsupervised look good!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Well, obviously Community, but I haven't seen much of the others. I AM glad to hear that Parenthood is only getting better, because I want that show to get better from what I did see. I really have no excuse for not seeing Happy Endings or The New Girl. Guess I'll just have to add them to the list to see...eventually.
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Member Since: 11/17/2008
Posts: 28,694
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Waiting for the top 10, hopefully I will know some of the shows
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Member Since: 10/11/2004
Posts: 28,320
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I can't believe you watch more than 20 series at the same time. Wow.
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