There was a lot on teevee this year, but not all of it was good. This is my list of what I thought was the best teevee of 2013. (And please read at your own risk if you want to watch these shows but haven't yet. I have a tendency to let spoilers slip.)
1)
Breaking Bad. Confession time. I didn't start watching Breaking Bad until about two weeks after its series finale had aired. Seriously. We'd had it chilling in our Netflix queue forever, but never got around to watching it. I DVR'd the last half of the last season (which is good, since it wasn't on Netflix) and waited for my husband to decide he wanted to watch the show with me. Once we finally watched the first episode, it was on. Marathon city in our house. It was such a good show and it ended waaaaaay better than Dexter. I hated Skyler and Marie, both those characters just bothered me so much. Loved Jesse, Walter and Saul though. I thought those characters were really well rounded, even for dysfunctional people.
2)
The Blacklist. A spy-ish thriller that could have gone horribly wrong or horribly right, I definitely think they got it right. Secret after secret in this first season though, I hope they have more to build on in season two. I love James Spader as a bad guy (hey, even in Pretty in Pink he was a bad guy) and Megan Boone plays a good naive agent. I just don't believe for a second that Remington isn't Keene's dad and its bugging me about her husband. Is he really a bad guy or is Red just doing that to drive him from Lizzie's life?
3)
Fangasm. I didn't watch the first episode right when it aired. I wasn't sold when everyone raved about how real it was, either. I waited a few days, went into my DVR and then fell in love on my own. Was it entirely real? Probably not, what "reality" show is? It reminded me of the Real World: Nerd Version. But everyone on the cast was lovable, and reminded me of people I have known in real life. And I loved that they weren't put up in a mansion-it was an apartment. And that they were working for something- a chance to work for Stan Lee's Comikaze, and not just being on teevee to be there.
4)
The Sing Off. It was only a two week (three?) event, but I loved it. This was my first time watching the show and I thought it was great. So many talented groups, I wish I could sing and dance like them! My favorite group was the
Filharmonic (pictured below), but they were eliminated right before the finale. If you love acapella music or Pitch Perfect, watch this show next time it comes on!
5)
2 Broke Girls. I love this show. I've heard that its ratings have been slipping this season, which is too bad. Max is my favorite character, and I love all her snarky comments. And I like that she and Caroline are working a regular job while starting their own business and while Max goes to pastry school. Its not the standard sitcom where everything comes so easily, which is great because life doesn't come so easily to a lot of people.
6)
Almost Human. I love me some Karl Urban, so when I found out he was going to be on this show, it became a must watch. Bonus points for the fact that its actually good. Hes playing his usual gruff guy, but it works. Overall, I think all the plots this season were really good. I'm not impressed with Minka Kelly though, I kinda wish they had put someone else in that role. I've never been a huge fan of her work though, so perhaps I'm biased. (she reminds me a lot of Leighton Meester to start, and neither one of them have had very memorable acting jobs. Except Leighton did have Gossip Girl, which I did enjoy). The kooky lab guy is lots of fun too, although the kooky lab person in a crime show is kinda overdone (think Abby in NCIS, Garcia in Criminal Minds, any one of the weirdos in the CSI lab).
7)
Pretty Little Liars. I haven't read the books yet, although I really want to (especially since the show is supposed to be very different from them). I like this show a lot, its like a soap opera for teenagers, with a major spook factor. And while I'm almost thirty, I don't feel my mind turning to mush while watching it. The season ended with the girls finding out that Ali is alive, so I can't wait to see how they're going to play with that when the show resumes in January. And Ezra being A? I can see it, but I don't understand it. So I'm looking forward to seeing that play out as well.
And my on the fence picks are:
1)
Ground Floor. Honestly, I only watch this because I have a big crush on Skylar Astin (and the fact that they've had him sing in so many episodes is a huge plus) and I think John C. McGinley is great. But honestly, its not that funny of a show. But I am trying really hard to like it. Because Skylar.
2)
Ravenswood. I really love Pretty Little Liars, so I was hoping this would be as good. Its based in the town of Ravenswood, which is next to the PLL's town of Rosewood, but the world's don't mix too much after the first episode. The story line is interesting, there's just something a little off about it for me and that's why I'm on the fence.
What about you? What were your most beloved/hated/eh shows of 2013? Let me know in the comments!
