[Allstar]

Let's DO this batch now.

[Allstar]

#35 - American Horror Story: Freakshow

I have no idea how Ryan Murphy got away for more than three years by constantly copying the same formula that worked out so well for him in the first season. We all looked away during Asylum because even when it became a bloody mess mid-season it was a gory, campy-kinda fun way of a bloody mess. 'Coven', however, showcased that Murphy yet again is a person who knows how to present himself as a creative, original mind but in reality is just as unoriginal and delusional like Gaga is nowadays. He keeps packaging the same blueprints into a new premise thinking no one would notice and indeed people seem to eat it up. Why? I have no idea but maybe it is because there's just no other relevant horror show like it.

As an anthology series AHS enjoys the benefit of always rebooting after each season and everytime it does it can aim for a new additional target group. It almost feels like a monopoly in our current tv landscape and thus, can get away with all kinds of flaws - his protagonists always showing the same traits and developments, the stealing from other shows such as 'Carnivále' or 'Masters of Horrors' and the most awful kind of camp. Cringe-worthy dialogues that lead nowhere, a non-existent main ark to keep the show's pace tight and the lack of any interesting characters.
On top of that, 'Freak Show' has a very tiresome message that for some strange reason it resists on keep repeating to us like we're some middle-school hooligans who don't get it and the least bit of originality the show's ever had. Granted, you could argue that might come with the territory of a freakshow-setting but others have done it so why can't Murphy? I often feel like I've watched every little scene in some other show or movie already and that's never a good thing. Some scenes are blatantly ripped-off, others tread that path of 'thievery' lightly but they're on it nonetheless.

I don't think this needs further elaboration. I put it above a few other shows because, while all these flaws are very present, it has a superb production and top-notch acting (though this season sees surprisingly - or not - less of that) that just put the quality of the show on an almost tolerating level. And one must admit 'AHS' might arguably be the most influental show of the decade - no matter how bad it's been.

Best Episodes: "Bullseye"; "Orphans"

[Allstar]

#34 - Vikings

'Vikings' is a poor man's 'Game of Thrones', though granted it's still better than other similar shows such as 'Marco Polo' or 'Outlander' even and that's why it still secures a place on this list. I am sure many would disagree with me on this considering that it doesn't heavily focus on intrigues or political games. But the production standard is not set as high which shouldn't come as a surprise and it also fails to deliver as strong in any other aspect you can think of.

It's actually not bad, though. It has beautiful cinematography and while the material isn't all that strong the cast makes it look better than it is. I just think other shows are better and I personally could never get sucked into the world of 'Vikings' which is strange because I'm very much open for these settings. I suggest that if you're into medieval drama periods and you've already *****d out most of the obvious choices - 'Rome' and 'Game of Thrones' being amongst them - you should check it out.

Best Episodes: "Eye For An Eye"; "Boneless"

[Allstar]

#33 - Bates Motel

I don't even truly remember every bit of 'Bates Motel' that's how forgettable it was for me. I remember the extremely bumpy start that inevitably made you disengaged with the second season right from the beginning. Or the plain stupid writing opt-outs, 'deus ex machina'-style, just so they could abruptly end loose threads they couldn't end last season and finally move on. I remember how this style of writing became so convenient to the showrunners it almost turned into a routine for them even later on into the season.

Some completely overlook all of the many flaws this show has, many of which came right along with the show's premise, because "it's supposed to be cringy, and kooky, and feel like an overdrawn caricature". Well, then I suppose it truly succeeded. Almost all of the show's different storylines are cringeworthy and it's kooky to me how people still seem to love it with not one single complaint coming out of their mouths.

Yes, you can very well enjoy 'Bates Motel' if you rid yourself off of any expectations the rising numbers of prestige dramas and actually fun guilty pleasures have given you. You can enjoy it for Vera Farmiga's performance - even if she was more annoying than Dana's or Carrie's cryfaces in Homeland last year. Or you can enjoy it for all of its craziness like the vivacious Norma/Norman relationship - even if the show doesn't embrace it anymore as they used to (which kind of made it in first place).
I mean, 'Bates Motel' wouldn't be higher than other shows if it didn't have redeeming qualities. There are some moments in which this show can overcome all of its obstacles that make it seem so network-ish and in which it does almost feel like a serious drama that wants to tell us something in its own very "kooky" way. There aren't many of them and sometimes when the show tries to create such a moment it fails miserably. But sometimes it doesn't.

Many people eat up everything this show does, however. I wonder if that's because they don't see the problems I see or whether they just don't view them as problems at all. Watch the show and make up your own mind or well, don't.

Best Episode: “Presumed Innocent”

[Allstar]

#32 - House of Cards

This show is one of the strangest cases this year having both a love and a hate bandwagon simutlaneously. If you ask me, the second season's neither as good as some are making it out to be nor is it anywhere as bad. However, 'House of Cards' has definitely received that 'prestige' title it enjoys now thanks to all the awards success it got due to its smart, convenient and timely campaigning - not necessarily because it could ever back up any of that success with just as strong quality.

With the novelty of a modern political show that treats its topic so darkly gone by the time the second season had started most of us could view it without any hype or bias towards it and could start to see the show for what it really was. Not very much of the smart, in-depth fiction it pretends to be but moreso a series that seems to hide behind men in suits and emancipated, elegant women in politics to cover up the fact of how mediocre it is. Yes, it's dark but sometimes completely unnecessarily dark. Sure, it depicts the political game in a realistic-seeming matter, but is it truly realistic? Many story arcs fly so high above the ground and reach such heights of conspiracies but it's hard to notice when the show knows just how exactly to wrap a pretty bow or tie around them.
I personally would even make the case that it's never really been that great, not even last year but I'd have to rewatch that first.

Anyway, that's not to say the show is bad at all. The acting is still superb for the biggest part and honestly, Frank Underwood is an instant iconic and killer character that can very well go down in tv history, if he hasn't already. He can carry a show no matter how bad the material, though he shouldn't. Even his wife is a killer character and that makes it all the more sad of how the rest just doesn't really live up anymore.
There were some very questionable character development choices and plot lines such as the web conspiracy were ridiculously hilarious. Like, you could have almost enjoyed some of them for how stupid they were. Too bad that's not what a serious political thriller should be doing.

Overall, I thought this season of 'House of Cards' was "just" okay - not more or less. It had a handful of brilliant moments but it had even more that felt either dull or reached so far they felt scraped out of the little hair a retired old woman has left. Where the first season made up for its sometimes over-the-top depiction of evil and darkness in both humanity and politics through good enough subtlety and actually thrilling events the second season fell flat in every category trying to top everything and go all out. Less interesting, less smart and less gripping were the consequences for me.

Maybe less ambition would have left the show with more. But then we wouldn't have gotten that ending. Oh, well.

Best Episodes: "Chapter 14"; "Chapter 22"; "Chapter 26"

[Allstar]

#31 - Orphan Black

I was at conflict with myself for a long time debating on whether or not to include this into my Top 30. Well, I won't. 'Orphan Black' has NEVER, and I can't underline the word 'never' too strong here, that good. Never. It's never been more than just another mystery show on air. Admittedly, it feels so much like that I sometimes forget I'm not actually watching a network show.

So, that leaves us with one obvious question: Why exactly do people keep overrating it and praising it to high heavens? The answer is easy and consists of two things - the first being the fact that people will always and forever fall for big cliffhangers and twists. Yes, they are very convenient because they can always make a very mediocre and sometimes even a bad episode seem good. In the end, most people of the broad audience don't care about what happened the rest of the hour since all of them are so easily occupied with that big moment.

The first season of 'Orphan Black' wasn't so much at fault doing this as the second one has been. At first, at least the mystery part of the show seemed intriguing and more than just something to keep us entertained. Now, however, the show's caught itself in the sinister web of mystery series, that one being that almost no mystery show can ever completely escape its fate. They will always try to out-do itself, always add one more additional layer to that already far-reaching premise and consequently dismiss all reality, all plot (maybe even character) consistencies and won't shy away from ineffective 'deus ex machina'-style. Especially the finale of 'Orphan Black' was so disappointing that it left me playing with the thought of not watching it ever again - and the entire episode actually wasn't that bad at all even if it was just a rehash of last season's finale. It's just that 'Orphan Black' keeps trying to satisfy its audience who is clearly here for all kinds of dumbed-down but mysterious events, like the introduction of more and more dubious organizations that somehow all have to do with the same thing despite it actually making sense. Or the introduction of more and more characters coming out of nowhere that are all linked to our protagonists without their previous knowledge. Why? It doesn't really matter, does it? The bigger, the better.

Or remember that stupid, laughable dancing scene of our clones together dismissing our characters' traits just for audience's, gif's and Twitter's sakes? Fun times.

So let's move on. The second reason for this show's praise amongst the tv demographic: Tatiana Maslany. She's good, great even. But she's not this year's best actress on tv and she's not even top 5. Heck, she's not even top 10. It's irritating how she's gotten so much underground buzz around her performance when in reality she doesn't have it that hard. Sure, she needs to learn all those lines by heart so why not directly throw that Emmy into her dread locks just for that?
The harsh truth is that Orphan Black's protagonists are all your average tv persona clichés.Their character traits are so easily detectable and widespread that any actress who's taken lessons must have learned performing them. This sounds shady but it's not. Tatiana does a great job at it and an even better one at trying to make all of them distinct from each other but I'm just going to be bold and say that many, many could have done just the same.

Anyway, I have so much more to say about it - both good and bad but I don't feel like digging deeper now. I'm always up for a nice discussion, though. Ultimately, I won't deny that certain cult charm 'Orphan Black' has developed for itself and I won't deny that I do get hooked by some of its twists but it's not better than your average show if it wasn't for a strong lead actress. And that's just about it for me.

Best Episodes: "Nature Under Constraint and Vexed"; "Governed As If By Chance"; "To Hound Nature In Her Wanderings"

[Subomie]

drag ahs!

[conatus]

i'm most excited for Best Movies You Most Likely Haven't Seen, tbh.

[Allstar]

Originally posted by conatus

i'm most excited for Best Movies You Most Likely Haven't Seen, tbh.

The first part is on the previous page.

[AshleeSimpsonFan]

I love American Horror Story but I haven't seen "Freak Show", but I heard is not as good as the previous ones..
Vikings is great! My mom is obsessed with that program

[Latch]

I'm perching in here for stuff to add to my watchlist

Allstar's taste in films is >>>>>>>>

[Kang.]

Drag those FREAKS

[Lee!!]

Bates Motel and Tatiana <3333333333333

[Allstar]

#30 - The Leftovers

Where or how do you start with a show as inconsistent as 'The Leftovers'? It takes a lower spot on my countdown purely because of how at times pretentious, faux-deep and well, incohesive it is thematically yet I have to admit that is one of this year's most thought-provoking and depressing shows and very well a watch worthy because of that. Unfortunately, not all shows can carry on solely on their will to make us think. What a show needs to have is a foundation for us to draw inspiration from and while 'The Leftovers' pretended to be built on such material a closer look showed how blank it was.

TV shows work different from movies and that's both good and bad because you always have to think long-term. One one hand it means you have a broader space to develop and unfold your characters over the course of time. On the other hand it means the audience has bigger expectations of things to come - you HAVE to develop your characters and you can't make promises you won't be able to keep.

While 'The Leftovers' does try to constantly unfurl all of its cast there have only been two or three moments in the course of the first season that rang true and felt effective - most notably the two episodes focusing on the Durst siblings. Unfortunately, Leftover's premise sets up a lot of questions for its audiences and yes, Lindelof never made the promises of answering them but they will always remain a constant undernote and there will always be a tiny bit of yourself left wanting to know more as to why. I want to state that I very well know this show never wants to focus on it but what distinguishes this show from its source material is the fact that the book ended where the show still continues. It works when you make it a one-time thing and it works when you make that clear from the beginning but it doesn't when you want to drag out a premise based on mystery for more than one season and have three (!!) characters set inside the mystery part of this show. To be truly effective 'Leftovers' should have always been a miniseries depicting one character ark each episode because that's where it was best.

On top of that comes the cringy fact that 'The Leftovers' keeps spoonfeeding us all of its symbolism and messages like we're the dumbest audience to watch an HBO show. Everything is way too much on the nose, the metaphors drawn so strongly they lose all of the effect they would have had had they been written subtle - all the animal symbolism just one of many examples. Teenagers in this show feel like stupid metaphors, too, rather than actual humane characters. Pretentious speeches filled with meaningful words underlined by a powerful score that end up being just plain bleak and say nothing at all. Oh, and of course that very inconvenient storytelling narrative trying to make us understand the characters but how could we? The one moment where we can finally truly understand them is one of the last episodes that sets up as a flashback and while it was a good episode it was necessary so much earlier into the game.

I could go on and on and I gladly will in a discussion if someone wants to but this is getting too long and I don't feel like explaining myself too much about an obvious inconsistent and pretentious show.

Grief shows have been done before and way better but 'The Leftovers' had some of the best moments of TV all year. It was ambitious, having interesting things to say at times. Sadly, outside of those moments it was nothing to write home about, at all.

Best Episodes: “Two Boats And A Helicopter”; “Guest"

[Allstar]

#29 - Downton Abbey

'Downton Abbey' has long not been thoroughly great anymore but it's always stayed good. This year it focused more than ever on the so-changing times - radios, new hairstyles, new ways of living. I could relate a lot to what 'Abbey' told us this year but as standalone episodes only the first two were actually good. Everything else "just" had its moments.

That might not be that big of a problem if this show wouldn't have such difficulties trying to let its moment sit and have an actual impact. The second you start to get into it they've already abruptly cut away. A wedding the entire season built up towards ends up being spent actual five minutes on and very intimate, emotional moments between several of the protagonists are so strong just for them to suddenly insert a scene about kitchen cooking, because they have so many characters lined up and try to pack them into one single episode it's obvious everyone will have to take the backseat.

'Downton' has always had this problem, though at first it wasn't as present as it's become in the past years. It's sad because most of the scenes and storylines are good but they're being spent so little time on that they never reach their potential and always feel half-baked. Sometimes incomprehensible developments are an inevitable result.

Overall, it's still good but not the best British show on TV anymore. It still has one of the best productions out there, sassy characters, good acting and strong messages but they always end up not being as well-delivered as they should be.

Best Episodes: "Episode One"; "Episode Two"

[Allstar]

#28 - Penny Dreadful

'Penny Dreadful' is - just as the title suggests - a show about the Penny dreadful British fiction that used to be published in the 19th century. Consequently, it focuses on a variety of characters all of us are already familiar about and surprisingly uses the previous backhand-knowledge of its audience as an interesting storytelling tool. Unsurprisingly, however, that also makes the show very, and I mean very, predictable.

At first, the show couldn't quite find its right path yet, always treading somewhere in-between its ambition to want to be a horror drama. Subsequently, the main plot was done hardly great justice being followed through incohesively. The dialogue is a soft spot here, too. It wants to come off strong so desperately that many of the 'serious' lines are almost laughable. Its pseudo-intellectual wisdoms put down 'Dreadful's quality quite a bit. It fared a better fate if it just embraced its pulpiness and dumbed-down material (sorry but true) like it does with almost every other aspect. Sometimes the key to being a good show, or a good anything, is to realize where your strengths lie and where they don't.

That's also why 'Penny Dreadful' found its footing so strongly during some episodes that you were left wildly hoping for the next ones to be just as good and even daring at times. Unfortunately, the show could only reach that peak of quality ever so often. An ambitious flashback episode to finally give us the character insight that was so desperately needed for the show came all too late but it was great in any case. Or the hour-long exorcism (the show's strongest hour) that showcased this series not only at its most tenseful and gripping, but also at its smartest.
The show also bolsters an impressive production that sucks you into its British, pulpy and mystical ambience rightaway. You just know Showtime must have had huge hopes for it, wanted to add some variety to their set of shows and thankfully, because its production value makes up for one of the show's strongest links and puts it above many of its peers. And Eva Green, yes her performance is great.

'Penny Dreadful's finale left the show at a place in which anything could happen. All of the main and sub-plots were resolved - for better or for worse. That's why it's all too bad that most of it was resolved so predictably that many of us even played with the thought of the show leading us intentionally into the wrong. I know that was stupid to believe but like I said, sometimes 'Penny Dreadful' can be so smart and captivating that you just want to believe it can be more than just an incohesive, faux-deep horror show about mythical creatures - and that's why it's hard to admit that's all the show is so far.

Best Episode: “Séance”; "Closer Than Sisters"; "Possession"

[Navyofbadgals]

Originally posted by Allstar

#35 - American Horror Story: Freakshow

Bullseye as best episode alongside Gods gift 'Orphans' ???

Still a great list I'll be following this

[Allstar]

#27 - Over the Garden Wall

I would say that we've finally reached the spot where I can truly stand up for each and every further show to have been actually almost constantly good this year. Or somewhat.

'Over the Garden Wall' is an underrated gem that would be flying over most people's heads if I didn't include it in my countdown. And yes, it takes this place above so many other popular shows because it is better than them.

Cartoon Network wanted to jump on the miniseries bandwagon and as a result we got this wonderful little series that, while no doubt aimed at children, can still capture the mature audience - maybe even moreso than its young demographic. Why? Because its subtext is dark, maybe too dark. So dark many conspired on whether the two brothers this miniseries focuses on are actually dead:

"Over the garden wall
I let the baby fall.
My mother came out
And gave me a clout
Over the garden wall."

Whether they were right with that assumption or not is something you should find out yourself. Inspired or not by this poem the world of 'Over the Garden Wall' is packed with references to all kinds of children's stories, other small poems and histories and mythical creatures, all of which suck you right into its beautifully drawn world. To underline that dark subtext of the show it uses many vignettes. However, of course it's not a show about hopeful places through and through seeing it still is a children's show. It uses warm fall colors for its comedic moments for example. No, amidst all the dark subtext there lie strong, light topics such as the meaning and strong bonds of brotherhood or friendship.

The ones who truly carry this show, however, are the two brothers and the bird who accompanies them on their adventurous journey through this spooky and fantastical tale. The big brother is a huge literary, always quoting and stating lines out of various other tales and poems while the little one is naive yet brave and caring. There is so much depth hidden behind it - each episode reflecting a different specific aesthetic or art style going from Richard Scarry, Max Fleischer over to modern art such as Betty Boop.

'Over the Garden Wall' aims much lower than almost every other show on this countdown and thanks to that it somehow achieves much more. The show knows its place as a fairytale and knows when it's over even though it keeps leaving you want more. It's not too ambitious and so all the fine details and all that heart the show carries is even more impressive. It'll take you less than two hours to be finished with this show and trust me when I say that every minute you invest into it is worth it. Just like every other fairy tale it's worth experiencing over and over again.

"I just wanted to have fun, change the world, and make it a better place."

Best Episodes: "Hard Times at the Huskin' Bee"; "Into the Unknown"; "The Unknown"

[Allstar]

#26 - Shameless

I would say that we've finally reached the spot where I can truly stand up for each and every further show to have been actually almost constantly good this year. Or somewhat. Showtime's 'Shameless' has always been immature, rowdy and as a result a raw, honest and emotional depiction of family dynamics in the poor part of Chicago. And it's always been fun and good at that but never truly great because it's always been more shaggy rather than grown-up.

This season, however, saw our Gallagher's having actual stability with life but struggling with the fact of maintaining it. They had to suffer the consequences of alcoholism and drugs, deal with being thrown into the harsh reality of life more than usually and see that the rest of the world does not function as chaotic and unorganized as the Gallagher dynamic typically handles life.

It was marvelous to finally see 'Shameless' not only try but succeed in growing up and after so many years tell us a story so different from its previous ones while staying true to all of the show's roots and everything it wants to stand for. They achieved that feet by speaking through their characters and have them grow up, as well, almost reflecting the state of where the show wanted to head towards to.
Instead of always circling around the same things for most of the season this one kept heading towards a newer and most importantly more ambitious direction that rang more true than ever before and I loved it.

There were still some frustrating moments of repetetiveness this show likes to plummet into sometimes but way less than usually. Let's hope that it tries to keep its newfound maturity and keep developing into something that can gradually become truly great through and through.

Best Episodes: “There’s The Rub”; “Iron City”; “Hope Springs Paternal”

[Navyofbadgals]

Totally agree with the Shameless description