Getting even closer to the best stuff! Continuing on with my Top 250 TV shows, this batch has 5 comedies, 4 dramas and 1 dramedy:
The Top 250 TV Shows: 110-101
110) "Workaholics" Comedy Central
Last Year: 96
Workaholics continued to follow our favorite group of slackers as they somehow get by in life. They did more crazy stunts, got in more crazy situations and somehow kept their jobs. This season saw a lot of big celebrities like Liam Hemsworth and Dane Cook popping up too. I loved seeing how they really committed to the roles, even the extremely over the top ones. We saw the guys try to go viral, get involved in gambling, a battle of the sexes kinda episode and a catfish episode. All on point. The show is coming back for one last round of chaos and absurd plots. I’m glad I found this one and will be sad to see it go next year.
109) "Killjoys" Syfy
Last Year: 93
Killjoys returned for a second season following a group of bounty hunters who find themselves caught up in a bigger conspiracy than they ever expected. The same gang returned, secondary characters had more to do this season, and they killed off a character that I did not see coming. The bad line of bad and good guys blurred, and we learned more about the pasts of our main group. I think I enjoyed season 1 better because they did more one off episodes with tiny threads running through them. Season 2 seemed more bigger picture than the smaller individual episodes, but I guess as you dive deeper into plot, things get more complicated! Season 3 will air sometime next year.
108) "Shameless" Showtime
Last Year: 70
Shameless fell a bit on my chart this year due to the fact that I fell behind on season 6 which started in January and haven’t even gotten close to starting season 7 which just ended due to being pushed up from its normal timeslot. I think part of my falling out of deep love with the show happened when I hit my peak Frank tolerance. Carl became way too over the top after getting out of jail. Fiona changed too much in a short amount of time going from den mom to having no control. Debbie became too crazy. Lips storyline with college got repetitive. If I get the time I will try to catch up, but it may be too far gone now. We’ll see how next year goes.
107) "Vixen" CW Seed
Vixen is an animated webseries which follows Mari McCabe aka Vixen as she tries to protect her family heirloom out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have it. She frequently meets up with The Flash and Green Arrow from the shared CW DC universe. We also see ATOM and Black Canary pop up. Each season is pretty much one contained episode broken up into short videos. Vixen even made a live action appearance on Arrow played by the voice actress for the animated show. And since she was too busy to join Legends of Tomorrow, they cast an ancestor of Mari’s to play a past Vixen. Why they haven’t mentioned that they know about each other is a bit confusing, but maybe they’ll mention it eventually. Hopefully it gets renewed for another season with more episodes than the first two seasons.
106) "Supergirl" CBS/The CW
Last Year: 130
Supergirl finished its run on CBS with a lot of corny eye rolling and then successfully transitioned to the CW as a stronger show, though still with some weak points. Losing Cat in the transition is a big flaw. The fact that the new DEO has Kara walking about in normal clothes takes away from trying to keep her whole secret identity. Taking Wick and making him a part of the DEO is a bit too convenient. Pushing hard with Kara and James then suddenly dropping it was a let down. I get that giving him his own vigilante storyline is a good idea, but the show is being turned into an Arrow/Flash copycat rather than its own distinctive show. Kara's new love interesting is a bit of a bore, and adding Superman wasn’t much more than a stunt. And Supergirl was vastly underutilized in the 4 show crossover event. She didn’t have to be there pretty much. I hope the show sticks with all the good things we got in the transition like Alex’s discovery about herself and giving J'onn J'onzz more story outside of the DEO.
105) "Last Man Standing" ABC
Last Year: 108
Last Man Standing returned for more fun family multicamera laughs. We followed our characters as they go through all different things and different points in their lives. Whether it be job related, college related, relationship related, friendship related and even more, they went through it all. And all with a lot of easy laughs along the way. This show gets a lot of crap for being what it is, a multi camera comedy that doesn’t try to take itself all too seriously while at the same time delivering the kind of show it wants to be week after week. The jokes cracked about liberals make me laugh, the ones about conservatives make me laugh. The dad jokes make me laugh. It’s not serious and is a fun way to escape on Friday nights. I just read an article today saying how it's doing really well in syndication too so I’m not alone in enjoying this! I’ll keep watching til the last episode airs!
104) "Humans" Channel 4
Last Year: 86
Humans returned this year in the UK for season two. AMC in the US won’t air it until February, but I wanted to watch it before then so this is how it made it on my list this year. When we come back to this world where androids are a way of life and some start waking up being conscience, the group has all made big moves. Characters have tried to move on in their lives, some are still on the run trying to survive, and others are trying to come to terms with choices they made last season. And again, more of these AI start waking up due to a new code uploaded. They have to try and figure out how to help these newly awaken souls and try to live a normal life. The humans in the show are also trying to get back to a new normal. I really liked the addition of Carrie-Anne Moss and Sam Palladio this season. The season just finished airing, and I’m a few behind, but I will definitely finish this ride of a season.
103) "Loosely Exactly Nicole" MTV
Nicole Byer should be bigger than she is in the public eye. She’s got a great sense of humor and brand of humor. In this show, an even more over the top version of Nicole tackles all different topics from friendship to romantic relationships to family. The supporting case was just as funny and went through a lot too. This show should have done better than it did. It was paired up with MTV’s other new comedy Mary + Jane and was eventually moved to Fridays due to not holding enough of M+J’s lead in. It really is a shame. I found myself laughing so much and wish we could get more of the funny characters introduced in this small show. Being moved to Fridays and doubled up in the final weeks of its airing doesn’t bode well for its future, but I’m glad I got to enjoy this comedy while it was on the air.
102) "Portlandia" IFC
Last Year: 76
Portlandia too us back to the wild and crazy world of Portland and all the regular character we have come to know in this quirky comedy. This season also seemed to focus more on bigger stories where individual character had almost if not full on episodes about them. In the past, the used to do smaller segments and bounce between character. In a way it works better, but I also enjoyed more of the snapshot version of these characters and their lives. I hope we get a good mix of both storytelling devices this upcoming season. I did read that they had a falling out with the book store where they film one of their more often recurring character, so I wonder if they’ll move them to a new location or have them focus on their lives outside of the book shop. We’ll see in a few weeks I guess!
101) "Idiotsitter" Comedy Central
Idiotsitter is a comedy which follows a woman who thought she was being hired to be a nanny for a younger child, when in fact is hired as a sitter and teacher for a full grown adult who acts quite childish and is on house arrest. She starts off tight knit and eventually being around this woman all the time, slowly gets her to open up for once. Additionally, the crazy woman learns about growing up and other different human related situations. The two bring out the best and worst in each other and often go head to head yet are on the same side. It was funny, slapstick, and you can’t go wrong with this hilariously over the top Jillian Bell. I think the show started off as a web series which was then adapted for TV, but I only watched the TV version. I should look for it one day if I ever have the time HAHA good one Lee. Season 2 will return sometime this coming year and I can’t wait!
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With another one down, we’re finally up to the top 100 shows! The Top 250 TV Shows: 100-91 will be up next!
I love Work of Holics! My bro Sean Clements writes for it! Sad it's the final season, but I look forward to it ending on a high note. Loosely Exactly Nicole, I haven't seen the show yet, but I love Byer. I didn't mention it before, but I loved you putting Party Over Here on! I was a big supporter of that show, Jessica McKenna and Alison Rich, with the homie Nick Wiger as head-writer! I wish there were more episodes. Portlandia is always great! You are right that Idiotsitter started as a web series, but you aren't missing much. I mean, it's funny (the first episode is almost beat-for-beat similar to the first episode of the TV series), but it was clearly designed as a test run for the eventual TV version. I love that show and love Jillian and Charlotte.
Getting even closer to the best stuff! Continuing on with my Top 250 TV shows, this batch has 5 dramas, 4 comedies and 1 reality show:
The Top 250 TV Shows: 100-91
100) "Fear The Walking Dead" AMC
Last Year: 47
Fear The Walking Dead returned for its second season this summer and took it to a brand new location. The open sea. While the group didn’t spend all season on the boat, they did spend a good chunk on it. It wasn’t much better than on land. We had one of the main characters lingering on an unconfirmed death, which still wasn’t confirmed in the back half. In the back half, we got off the boat and explored more of the world, now in Mexico. The group broke apart and they all ended up in different places. We saw more death, and opened up even more world to explore. While it was frustrating and questionable at points, especially with the son, I still enjoyed it.
99) "American Housewife" ABC
This new comedy takes place in a town near by where I grew up, and I knew I had to check it out. A regular family living in an upscale and pretentious town has to try and raise her kids to not become like the rest of the people in Westport, CT. While the pilot really honed in on the idea that the mom was the second fattest housewife in Westport, when it went to series, the rest of the episodes really focused more on the family being sort of outcasts in the town and trying to get by/fit in/stay themselves. Katy Mixon, who was a hoot on Mike and Molly, does a great job with this comedy. The role is perfect for her and the rest of the cast is solid too. It has some dry sarcastic humor, and a lot of in your face laughs too. I hope this quality holds up and the ratings are pretty solid so I would bet it will return for a second season next season.
98) "Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." ABC
Last Year: 56
SHIELD had a mixed year. I sort of fell out of my deep love for it after being a but bored with a couple of episodes, but then would fall back in love when they took the story to another level. The end of season three saw even more cast departures, which really helped to tighten up season 4. I thought I would be missing Bobbi and Hunter, but like I said, the tightening of the cast really did wonders. Also shifting the focus from completely an Inhumans storyline to Ghost Rider helped a lot too. I enjoyed the Robbie Reyes run of Ghost Rider and was glad to see him show up. I think they did it justice. This first half of the season has been good, but the falling ratings don’t bode very well for another season, especially with the new Inhumans show which will be starting next fall after an IMAX run. There could be room for both, since it is perfect ABC-Disney-Marvel brand synergy. But it seems both shows might exist in separate worlds/eras/who knows. We’ll see!
97) "Hell on Wheels" AMC
Last Year: 75
Hell on Wheels returned for the final half of its final season this year. We saw the show finally reach the conclusion with the completion of the Transcontinental railroad. I had issues with the show suddenly jumping to focusing on the Central Pacific line after spending 4 seasons with the Union Pacific line. Had there been more time to explore, it may have felt more natural. But now that we had both sides going into the final half of the show, it worked a bit better. But sometimes it did feel a bit rushed. At the same time, they liked to focus on the legacy/retrospective aspect of a show coming to the end. Showing how far everyone has come, what their future might entail, will they be happy, etc. Bohannon obviously had the biggest focus being the main lead, and his future literally ended/started at the opposite coast, looking out into the sea as to what he may find next. It was a great series, and I will miss it. Hopefully Bohannon finds his lady, and with how it ended, I’m hopeful and he’s finally happy.
96) "Silicon Valley" HBO
Last Year: 69
Silicon Valley is a show I enjoy, yet can’t ever really fully connect. I again started out the season keeping up, then fell behind, and binged the rest of the season months later. It’s a show that works better together, but I still don’t think it’s the funniest or best piece of TV. This season we saw the team at Pied Piper try to get their business to even higher heights while having to deal with the business aspect of running a company, outside competitors, and other surprises which pop up along the way. The humor can be subtle at times, and often relies on awkward humor which I don’t find all too funny at times. It often feels slow, and usually have to be doing something else while watching. But it is funny, it does have great characters, and I will try it again when it returns next year for season 3.
95) "The Affair" Showtime
Last Year: 35
This show is so frustrating. They can go from having a really strong episode showing two perspectives of the same day/story with two different characters, to complete nonsense. This season they added a completely unnecessary fifth perspective to the show. This French lady is not what I want to be seeing. Especially when she has almost all of her scenes with one of the most unlikable characters on TV. I constantly root for Noah to die. He is not a good person, he is not a good character, and he cannot be redeemed at this point. Often, we find ourselves rooting for the anti-hero, but this guy can’t be redeemed nor would it fit in with the show. Episodes focusing on Alison and Cole are great. Episodes with Helen are great. If they wanted a fifth perspective, they should have done it with Luisa, Cole’s new wife. And the whole storyline relying on another “mystery” involving the police does the characters wrong. They are far too interesting to be subjected to this nonsense. (and I think it’s fairly obvious this person appearing is all in a character's head, not to spoil anything). They can carry the show alone on their history and personalities which we’ve gotten to know over the past two seasons. Hopefully they fix everything wrong and get back to what made this show really great.
94) "Talking Dead/Talking Saul/Talking Preacher" AMC
Last Year: 87
Talking Dead is an aftershow for The Walking Dead. Talking Saul is an aftershow for Better Call Saul. Talking Preacher is an aftershow for Preacher. All of these shows are hosted by Chris Hardwick, one of TVs hardest working, most involved personalities. He’s got @midnight and The Wall too now in addition to these shows. And you can tell he loves the shows he’s involved in. Talking Dead is by far the best one, since there are more people watching, guests are more up to date, and they can offer more insight and opinions. Saul and Preacher only really have the people connected to the shows it seems. And Preacher only had 2 episodes since it was a new show on its own. I don’t think a full one is needed for that. Saul works, because there's a lot of layers to the story and we have the “future” already seen in Breaking Bad so there’s more to connect and talk about right now.
93) "Designated Survivor" ABC
Designated Survivor is ABC’s new political drama where the capital is attacked at the state of the union when almost every elected official is there to witness the speech. A “designated survivor” is left at a secure location so should a horrible event like that happen, the government has someone to continue on with to make the decisions in the fallout and aftermath. That’s how Kiefer Sutherland’s character assumes the position of President of the United States. The show is no 24, but it does a good job with trying to figure out who may or may not be behind the attack, how it could happen in the first place, and who may be involved behind the scenes, still alive, and actively being a traitor to the country. There is some family drama involved with the sudden change in their lives, the FBI is following leads, and stumble upon the plot to some dire consequences, and the potential VP may not be a good guy. The show ended on a big cliffhanger, but will not return until March, which is a dumb idea in my opinion. Letting this new show have such a long break will undoubtedly cause ratings to drop, especially since Spring brings lower ratings as it is.
92) "Archer" FX
Last Year: 51
Archer is an animated comedy following a group of spies now running their own business dealing with clients and their needs. They get wrapped up in some more crazy stories, some great characters from past seasons resurface, and it always makes me laugh. They started the show on a cliffhanger, showing the future, then work their way back from the start to that point, where again we’re left on another cliffhanger. The show was supposed to move to FXX, then didn’t, but I think it is moving there this season. The show had less episodes this season, and I think will be the case with the next few seasons, which it was already renewed for. The show is always good for laughs, is pretty smart, and I’m so glad we’ve been able to have these characters on TV for this long now.
91) "Superstore" NBC
Last Year: 775
Superstore aired two seasons this year since it premiered in midseason last season. The show started off in a good place, offering a lot of laughs and introducing some great characters. With season two, the show solidified its style and brand of humor even more. I find myself needing to watch each episode the day it airs rather than letting it sit a day or two on the DVR. This group of workers at a big box store ala Walmart find themselves in some pretty funny situations, have some good heartfelt moments, and show some growth with the characters in a short, but good length of time. It has an Office quality to it in the sense that it's filmed similarly with the shaky camera, but it doesn't have confessionals. It also has the will they, won't they leads like they did with Jim and Pam, where you root for them, but want them to figure it out on their own at their own pace. NBC must be high on the show especially given they let them make a special Olympics themed episode which didn’t fit in between the season finale and season premiere which were continuations. I’m glad it got renewed for a full season and NBC has a pretty good solid comedy line up that people are kind of really watching!
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As we go into the top 100 we’ll find all of the best stuff! The Top 250 TV Shows: 90-81 will be up next!
I watched Season 1 of The Affair, but it was a bit too slow for my liking and I found the differences between the perspectives got more and more ridiculous as the season progressed, so I didn't bother watching Season 2. Good to see I didn't miss much
I agree with what you said about The Affair. They have some really great episodes but the French woman and Noah's episodes are so boring, literally nothing happens in them Allison is still my fave
Oh god I stopped watching Arrow when they killed off the best character I couldn't handle the last season, they should kill Felicity already I was so sick of seeing her cry every other episode
Xmas eve is here?! This one may be a bit rushed, we’ll see how inspired I am while typing. We keep getting closer to the best stuff! Continuing on with my Top 250 TV shows, this batch has 8 comedies, 1 drama and 1 reality show:
The Top 250 TV Shows: 90-81
90) "Westworld" HBO
Ripping off the bandaid. This show is one of the most overrated shows in recent memory. I do not get the hype. It’s a good show, nothing mindblowing about it. I will admit, I tried to stay up with the show, but fell behind after a few weeks. From what my friends told me, it gets better from there. It’s in a way essentially Jurassic Park with human robots instead of dinosaurs. What could possibly go wrong? Idk I wanted to enjoy it more than I did so far. It was slow, too many unanswered questions, and I don’t like when shows drop you in the middle of the story without giving you much to rely on. You gotta give something to keep me interested rather than adding even more questions. I’m going to try and finish soon, and maybe I’ll have it higher on my list when it airs season 2, whenever that may be.
89) "The Last Man On Earth" FOX
Last Year: 85
This year The Last Man On Earth tried to change things up by moving locale after sticking in one area for a bit too long. It helped me enjoy the show more. The unpredictability in a world filled with so much to explore when there are only a handful of humans left in the world needed to be addressed in a way. We gained a few new characters, lost some, and through this lens of the end of the world, we really get to see how people change and adapt to their new environment. Being in the same place for so long, they can only figure out so much. Changing things up makes you rethink what your life has been and what the future holds. We’re left on a pretty big cliffhanger, one character may be dead, one character is losing their mind, and the rest are just trying to keep it together. Can’t wait for more.
88) "Togetherness" HBO
Last Year: 150
I feel like Togetherness got it right even more this year. Unfortunately, it was the end of this story since HBO passed on renewing it again. We follow the same 4 characters as they deal with being adults, continuing to grow up, and how to make things work in life, especially when things get complicated. It was at times a very subtle show, then at other blunt and to the point. Amanda Peet was the best part of the show. The way she portrayed her character was phenomenal. I wish we could see what was in store for these great characters, but I’m glad to have given the show a second chance.
87) "Boundless" Esquire Network
Boundless is a show which follows a group of active competitors who partake in all different types of races going on all around the world. They have ones that involve kayaking, white water rafting, biking, running, crazy obstacle courses and all other kinds of endurance races. This season, instead of just have the main two guys, they brought in two others. A new guy and a new girl. I was weary at first how the newbies would work with the show having only focused on two in the past, and enjoying how the two got along and competed. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the new additions and they brought even more life to a very inspiring and delightful show. I love rooting for these guys. I honestly felt like they were family having already followed Simon and Turbo though two seasons of heartbreak and exhilaration on the course routes. Hunter and Rory easily joined the family in my mind. I really hope they bring this show back for another season.
86) "Grace and Frankie" Netflix
Last Year: 69
Grace and Frankie returned to follow our favorite roommates as they try to navigate through life after their respective husbands leave them for each other. Grace and Frankie are a dysfunctional team, yet they truly care about each other and appreciate having each other as they journey into the next stage of their lives. We saw how their ex husbands, now officially together, get on with their lives and the struggles which also come with a new relationship now that it’s out in the open. We learned more about their kids and their lives and what they are dealing with in these new times. We also get to see Grace and Frankie deal with trying to find love again after all of this stuff. It’s funny, full of heart, and great to binge. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Season 3!
85) "The Family Law" SBS
The Family Law follows a Chinese/Australian family as the family goes through some changes. The parents deal with falling out of love and what it may do to their family. The kids are growing up, and they have to deal with all the things that come with growing up, school, friendships and relationships. The family as a whole also has to deal with the community and their reaction to the family’s new situation with the parents separated. Essentially it’s about finding yourself when faced with change and figuring out life. It’s all told from the perspective of the youngest son, who is also based off of the creator's real life. It was funny, sad, very real and a very pleasant surprise. I’m glad to have heard about this one, especially since it’s not aired in the US. It very easily could connect with audiences here. Hopefully someone will pick it up eventually like hulu or Netflix. It was also renewed for a second season which will air sometime next year. I can’t wait to see what is in store for this family next.
84) "Speechless" ABC
Speechless is a family comedy about a family with a kid who has cerebral palsy and how they make life look normal despite everything in their lives. In some ways, JJ is the least of their problems. The other son has obvious emotional issues which manifest in all different ways. The daughter has a tough exterior but is a good kid. JJ also has a “voice” who tags along so that he can communicate. He speaks via a pointer and word/letter pad which his “voice” speaks for him. He’s popular in school, is dating, and is a funny kid. The parents are dysfunctional in their own ways. The mom is controlling wanting to make sure JJ feels like every other kid. The dad is laid back, but cares deeply for the things he believes in, like his family. It’s funny, heartwarming, and a wonderful addition to ABC’s comedy line up.
83) "Modern Family" ABC
Last Year: 74
Modern Family returned for more laughs this year and more crazy plots which somehow fit together and almost always work. While it has gotten a little bit stale since the really good first few seasons, it still upholds a standard of laughter every week. Since we know these characters so well, things just work and make sense. As the kids get older, more attention is put on them and are given more laugh and things to work with. We see Manny and Luke aspiring to student council at school. We see Phil working still to impress Jay. We see Gloria being her normal perfect self. We see Claire still trying to fill her father’s shoes at work. We see Alex deal with college. We see Haley somehow manage to get by in life. Jay and Gloria’s kid is now older so he’s showing up more. Cam and Mitchell are still figuring out parenting and growing older. It all comes together each week and it’s still doing solid in the ratings so I expect it will be around for the foreseeable future.
82) "Bee and Puppycat" Cartoon Hangover
Bee and Puppycat is an animated webseries which I stumbled upon this summer. The episodes have been few and far between. They eventually made a kickstarter to finish the first season’s episodes. Then there wasn’t much news while they were making them. Finally they announced the new episodes would air in November. Then they put the new episodes on some new streaming platform with a paid account rather than free on youtube like they did in the past. This is pretty frustrating. I just want my new episodes of Bee and Puppycat. The app doesn’t even have a chromecast option or any options really aside from a cellphone. I don’t watch shows on my small screen so it’s annoying. Though they did say after a month up to stream, they will become free to watch on the app with commercials. But it’s all frustrating. The show is about a girl and her cat/puppy/puppycat who go on adventures and end up in cool weird places. It’s cute. I hope the new episodes are just as good!
81) "House of Lies" Showtime
Last Year: 61
House of Lies returned for a final season, and finally freed my love Kristen Bell, to venture onto new projects. In the final season, we see the team deal with the new normal, how their business will now work after all of the moves made last season, and even filmed their finale in Cuba. It was a solid season, but it was a bit rushed at times trying to give everyone their final sendoff or putting them in a path to success or happiness. It was also very reflective since it was possibly, then confirmed to be, the final season of the show. They gave everyone a pretty good send off. Marty got a lot of **** done over the years, and someone pulled it all off. Plus finally putting two character together in the end happened and really was worth the wait even with all their messed up pasts. After all these years, I will miss this gang of misfits. But most importantly, I’m really glad Kristen Bell is doing a more straightforward funny show now .
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Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays! We keep getting closer to the best stuff! The Top 250 TV Shows: 80-71 will be up next!