I feel better knowing that actual paid critics had just as tough a time cutting down top 10 and 20 lists as I did this year, since it leads me to believe a) I didn't miss very much, and b) this was such a phenomenal year for the small screen that all the shows in today's "second ten" list would absolutely be top 10 shows in a year that lacked for more quality shows. Good thing the outstanding freshman class of 2013 was properly recognized by yesterday's Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, right guys?
My 20 through 11 positions for 2013 after the break. For comparison's sake, here's my second ten of 2012.
20. Zach Stone Is
Gonna Be Famous
(MTV)
When I reviewed this bizarre little Bo Burnham comedy back
in May (and did a pretty spectacular job at predicting its long life), I noted
that nothing about “Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous” was particularly new and
original. But as the critic mantra occasionally goes, what something is about
is much less interesting than how it is about it. A show whose central
character is this unlikeable has to be really funny to maintain my interest,
and though the moments were sometimes few and far between, “Zach Stone” paid
off with some screamingly funny moments in its 12 episode run last spring. And
because Zach was an actual human being and not just a sketch of a jerk kid in
your high school, he was usually able to show the side of himself that was
damaged and vulnerable while realizing that didn’t mean he was entitled to
total forgiveness every time he did something stupid and careless. And the way
that effectively ramped up over the course of the entire season is perhaps my
biggest disappointment that the show isn’t coming back – I could really tell
that Burnham and co. were finding the show’s second gear right as MTV pulled
the plug. Oh well. That’s showbiz, and thankfully we all have a
brand new Bo Burnham stand up special to enjoy on Tuesday.
19. Parks and
Recreation
(NBC)
“Parks and Recreation” was #3 on my list last year (based
primarily on the strength of the season four episodes that concluded the
“Leslie runs for city council” arc), and it remains one of TV’s best comedies.
It is not, however, a show I really look forward to watching anymore. For the
most part, I enjoy it in the moment while never waiting for it all day Thursday
in the way I did during the third and fourth seasons. I could write a whole
separate piece on the determination of Mike Schur and his writers to ruin this
great show by making the unbearable asshole that is Councilman Jamm (remember
what I said about “Zach Stone” and comedic un-likeability?) not only the main
characters’ primary antagonist but also such a central component of pretty much
every government story. But in the interest of staying positive, I’ll simply
close by saying that the competent auto-pilot mode “Parks and Rec” is currently
in is still a far more pleasant viewing experience than watching something like
“Modern Family” circle the drain.
18. Veep
(HBO)
“Veep” moves down a few spots from last year, but don’t let
that fool you – it’s just a tough, tough year for good TV and out of context, the
numerical placement here for “Veep” does not reflect how much better it got in
its second season. The show remained just as funny, knocking some episodes like
“Signals” out of the comedy ballpark entirely. But one of my biggest problems
with the first season that I otherwise mostly enjoyed (if, some weeks, only as
a mildly amusing intermission between “Mad Men” and “Girls”) was that the show
had no soul, and this year “Veep” got one. Where last year’s finale showed us
how Selina used authentic emotion for evil to manipulate her image, this year
we saw what real human emotions felt by Selina Meyer looked and felt like in appropriate
contexts, and that the actions of her office had consequences beyond bad PR.
For the first time, “Veep” had real stakes for more sympathetic characters
instead of just being a show about this kinda doofy lady who was Vice President
and the wackiness that ensued from that situation. By the time the show reached
its “arc” of sorts at the end of the season where Selina was offered the chance
to run for President and what that meant for her and the entire staff, it had
become the kind of show that was able to effectively portray the wants and needs
of those characters – a stark difference from the aforementioned crocodile
“Tears” that closed the show’s run in 2012.
17. The Middle
(ABC)
“The Middle” stays exactly where I had it last year, which probably
also does not rightfully reflect that this has been another strong year for one
of TV’s best comedies, probably the best one on the air right now about a
family that isn’t a cartoon (more on this in my top 10 list). But such is the
life “The Middle” chose – goofy, charming, and ultimately life-affirming, all
fairly noiseless traits in such an oversaturated TV landscape. Did you know
this show aired its 100th episode back in October? Were you aware
this show existed at all? There are critics who say “The Middle” is the best
show of 1997 and they’re not wrong, nor is that a slight against it – it is at
face value, after all, one half of the first single camera comedy about a
semi-dysfunctional family to really find success, Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle”
back in 2000. In a time of fewer network comedies that share its DNA and without
an enormous slew of original comedies on cable to chip away small percentages
of the public’s attention (TBS’ “Ground Floor,” which I’ve been enjoying these
last few weeks and also feels like the best new show of 1997, is in a similar
boat), this probably would catapult from “solid if not spectacular 8pm anchor
for ABC’s comedy night” to “fairly sizeable hit”. Oh well. I always enjoy
watching this show, even if the capacity in which I watch it often feels like
“my own little secret”.
16. New Girl
(FOX)
One more time, “New Girl” drops a few spots from last year
and that is a reflection only of the fact that I watched a lot more stuff this
year, and that 2013 will be remembered as a great year for drama and not
comedy. Still, it must be acknowledged that while I don’t think “New Girl”
necessarily made “the leap” that we talk about in terms of decent comedies
finding their footing in a second or third season (which some critics feel did
happen), 2013 was a much more consistent year for the show overall. Funnier,
richer, and with deeper exploration of character, the second season of “New
Girl” was able to take Nick Miller, a guy I really didn’t like or understand,
and turn him into one of my favourite characters on TV (and possibly also a
glimpse at my future self). That’s enough to make it one of my favourite
comedies of the year, even discounting the show getting a much better handle on
who Jess Day is and what makes her funny, and what Schmidt looks like in a
semi-functioning relationship. The fall episodes have been rockier in terms of
plotting, but I’ve still loved the 5-10 minutes every Tuesday when I get to
watch Nick and Jess having a dumb argument. Seriously, have I mentioned enough
how little I wanted to see those two together and how well the show has
developed their relationship?
15. Top of the Lake
(Sundance Channel)
So first of all, Sundance Channel – where’d you come from?
This miniseries you co-produced with the BBC was your first major step into the
scripted programming game and while emotionally powerful and beautifully shot,
it’s probably still not as good as the two shows you aired next (more on those
later). But calling “Top of the Lake” my least favourite Sundance original this
year is whatever the opposite of damning with faint praise is (“praising with
loud scorn”?) because holy crap, of all the shows this year that my eyeballs
looked forward to seeing every week, this one is right at the very top. As a
boring and woefully uncurious person about the world around me, “Top of the
Lake” makes for one hell of a New Zealand tourism ad, with the on-location
production making use of enormous mountain ranges, wide-open natural spaces,
and of course the sprawling bodies of water referenced in the show’s title. But
what happens in front of them is just as good, as Elisabeth Moss (still
Emmy-less, because the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is a joke and I
don’t know why I still expect good things from them as often as I do) plays a
detective who returns to her hometown to locate a missing girl and discovers so
much more. With fantastic supporting performances from Holly Hunter and Peter
Mullan, among others, “Top of the Lake” was a hell of a good way for Sundance
to not only put their foot in a very crowded doorway, but to shove everyone
else aside as well.
14. Orphan Black
(Space)
Again – quirky, weird, dark Canadian mystery/sci-fi (but
also not sci-fi) show with the greatest performance I’ve ever seen from an
actor I, nor anyone else, had never heard of before it premiered – where’d this
come from? And really, this one’s all about Tatiana Maslany, baby. Sure, this
is a fairly interesting premise with some cool twists and wacky stuff, and
that’s certainly a notable writing achievement. But “Orphan Black” needed a
Tatiana Maslany to make it this watchable and compelling rather than just
another...let’s say “Nikita,” which I’m hoping for my sake is a logical
comparison even though I don’t watch it. Maslany could do this show alone and
make it great – and she kind of already does that after all, playing at least
seven identical clones all with distinct styles, personalities, and drives (and
never taking the easy way out of having one of the clones just be a version of
herself – Sarah, the most “normal” clone and our entry point as an audience,
has Maslany putting on a rather impeccable English accent). Her co-stars,
though, like Jordan Gavaris and Maria Doyle Kennedy offer great support to an
actress who, again, really doesn’t even need it. Without Maslany, “Orphan
Black” certainly doesn’t hold my interest in any way – so it’s an added bonus
that everyone else is working so hard in, and succeeding fairly well at, trying
to reach her level. Now if you’ll excuse me, all these proud feelings about such
a good Canadian series has gotten something in both my eyes.
13. Broadchurch
(BBC
America)
To continue the trend of “where’d (he/she/that) come from,”
I present “Olivia Colman, dramatic actress”. As I wrote in my review back in
August (it’s not very good, please don’t look for it) my familiarity with
Colman was only as a comedian working with Britain’s famous Mitchell and Webb
comedy duo: a sketch player for TV’s “That Mitchell and Webb Look” and radio’s
“That Mitchell and Webb Sound,” and playing Mitchell’s love interest in their
sitcom “Peep Show”. And in watching ITV’s “Broadchurch,” screened this side of
the Atlantic on BBC America and Showcase and also featuring a woman
investigating a crime in a beautiful looking place (now seaside England) like
“Top of the Lake,” I kept being blown away by what a different side I was
seeing of her. Watching all eight episodes in one sitting only exacerbated the
devastation she feels, in the best work of Colman’s career, when she learns the
truth about the murder of young Danny Latimer. Focusing less on whodunnit and
more on why whodunnit mattered to the people of Broadchurch, the series it was
named for was one of a handful of shows in 2013 that proved the serialized
mystery drama not only still had gas in the tank, but was ready to haul ass
from Nome to Cape Canaveral without a bathroom break. Between this and her 2011
film “Tyrannosaur” with David Bradley, playing a character not totally
dissimilar to DS Miller, it was “Olivia Colman Week” in my house. And folks, I
wish every week was “Olivia Colman Week”.
12. Moone Boy
(Hulu)
Hey, why the hell not: Hulu – where’d you come from? Okay,
that’s actually not fair. Hulu had nothing to do with the production of this
fantastic comedy from Chris O’Dowd that, as AV Club writer Phil Dyess-Nugent
succinctly put it, “makes you nostalgic for the small town Irish childhood you
never had”. But credit to Hulu that apparently all of the actual television networks
and channels in the Americas, even ones like BBC America dedicating themselves
to giving us the best in British broadcasting, either saw no value in airing
this hidden gem or let it slip between their fingers. With O’Dowd starring as
Sean Murphy, the slickly dressed imaginary friend of 12-year old Martin Moone, “Moone
Boy” carried a hilarious innocence the likes of which I can’t recall seeing in
any other recent show. The Moones remind me a lot of the Hecks, and “Moone
Boy’s” relatable and inviting dreariness certainly reminds me of “The Middle”. But
its charming naivety is really the only thing stopping me from calling “Moone
Boy” “basically the Irish version of ‘The Middle’ with a much purer core,” and
it’s why it finishes a few spots higher. I’ve been waiting a while on a second
season, and I can’t wait to have this one back next year.
11. Game of Thrones
(HBO)
The HBO epic is coming off a third season that was wildly
popular and easily their best to date. I expected big things for it at Emmy
time, and was partially right even if they didn’t end up with the big win I
thought they deserved (no disrespect to “Breaking Bad”). Thing is though, I
think this is as high as I can go for “Game of Thrones”. Epic, medieval fantasy
with slight tinges of romance and other-worldliness are great in the ten hours
a year I watch them. But with my own personal biases against the genre, it’s
just never a show I’m going to be able to stir up much passion for. It’s not
“Game of Thrones,” it’s me. And I hope placing the show this high on the list
in an attempt to recognize how well it pulls off such a grand endeavor for
television, shooting on location in multiple European countries with a huge,
talented cast and a sizeable amount of special effects, properly acknowledges
how good I think this show is despite the fact that I will probably never like
it enough to be able to put it in my top 10. But that’s okay. If you are more
taken with “Game of Thrones” than I am, I encourage you to cheer it on as if it
were your child playing in a non-competitive youth soccer league. I’ll be right
beside you, only sitting in a collapsible chair while on my phone and occasionally
looking up when my kid says, “Look at me!” so I can say “Yes, I see you, that’s
very nice!”
Tomorrow: Time to dwell on the negative with the year's worst shows.
