After much deliberation I have finally settled on my Top 20 as the summer season is hitting its full swing (expect a big move up for Halt and Catch Fire next year!). 2014-2015 was the best for television in a long time. Netflix has entered the game hardcore and do not expect them to leave any time soon ... if anything ... expect Amazon to step up their game ...
Just an aside ... I went with miniseries and dramas here. I left off Olive Kitteridge because it seems more like a movie to me.
So here we go ... from No. 20-1 ... the best dramas on TV this year
20. Hell on Wheels, Season 4 (AMC) – Man did this show hit its stride when it moved to Saturday nights. Holds the exact same spot it held in my list last season, which was tougher to do this season. Anson Mount is still one of the most underrated actors on television.
19. Sons of Anarchy, Season 7 (FX) – I still watch and I still enjoyed, but one of my heavyweights (one of my Top 10 for its Season 5) just seemed to be dragging on and on for its last two seasons. I will miss the exploits of SAMCRO, but will certainly miss seasons 4 and 5 the most.
18. American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) – Still can't miss television, but definitely not as great as it once was. Season 2 might have been the top show on television and Season 3 checked in at No. 13 for me. Freak Show was great for the first few episodes, then they killed off the best character (that creepy clown) and never quite made it back to Top 10 worthy. Don't doubt how much I am looking forward to AHS: Hotel though!
17. 24: Live Another Day (FOX) – Snubbed by the Emmy's due to bad timing for a summer release ... this show was still pretty excellent. I could have went with more Gbenga Akinnagbe and Benjamin Bratt and a little less Yvonne Stahovski, but Kiefer Sutherland kept Jack Bauer in form and it was very good television for a summer fling.
16. Masters of Sex, Season 2 (Showtime) – This show had quite the dip from No. 7 last year, but was still very good. The writing was crisp and the acting is solid, but it is clear that the showrunners and network are not completely sure what they want to be. This led to a weird time jump and a little more nudity/hanky-panky than the previous season, which hurt the strength. Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen need to be on screen with each other OUTSIDE of the bedroom as much as possible. Their give and take and obvious chemistry is what makes this show fantastic and can boost it back to top tier.
15. Bloodline, Season 1 (Netflix) – An expertly crafted and expertly acted show, this show is made so wonderful by a ridiculously perfect pace. The first few episodes feel slow, but they set a tone and get you hooked. If it sticks around a while this could be a major player in every category in the future.
14. Ray Donovan, Season 2 (Showtime) – Another show that seemed to lose itself in the middle some, but was carried by an unbelievably excellent performance by Liev Schreiber (who got a well-deserved Emmy nomination). As horrible as the things Ray does on a regular basis, he is a strong anti-hero who showed he will kill to protect his family and to protect those he feels are unfairly targeted. Jon Voigt is great without stealing the spotlight on this show, and Hank Azaria was wonderful as a one-season FBI-man with too much ambition. This show could make a major leap in Season 3.
13. Homeland, Season 4 (Showtime) – A great rebound season has this show back up a couple of ticks (and back on the Emmy radar with a Best Drama nod). Claire Danes showed she can carry this show without Damien Lewis and without Nicholas Brody. But, Rupert Friend and his exploits as soft-hearted assassin Peter Quinn were the driving force behind the humanity of Season 4 and really keep the craziness of Carrie Mathison from overwhelming the audience. Really looking for to Season 5 and seeing if next year they can get a DESERVED Emmy nod.
12. The Strain, Season 1 (FX) – Sure, the show lost its way a little as the season wound down, but wow, these guys jumped full on into the gore-fest on TV and they did it very well. The acting of Corey Stoll, David Bradley and Richard Sammel is great and can carry this show much further. The flashbacks from Sammel's Eichorst character and Bradley's Setrakian told such a wonderful story that it almost made the present-day portion of the show seem pedestrian. The second season has started strong and I am really looking forward to where Del Torro can take this.
11. Downton Abbey, Season 5 (BBC/PBS) – A strong season as always from this perennial heavyweight. It has been an absolute delight to watch some different characters grow over the last couple seasons, particularly those of Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) as they continue to let their love blossom. I am looking forward to the final season of one of the most underrated shows on television, despite all of the Emmy love.
10. The Walking Dead, Season 5 (AMC) – Sure, it is never in the Emmy mix, because frankly the voters are snobs. It is the most watched, the most talked about and the most relevant show on television right now. It single-handedly led to Penny Dreadful, American Horror Story and The Strain and we can see a ton of post apocalyptic and gore shows coming through the pipeline. And it is REALLY good as well. The acting is solid, the pulling at heartstrings is well done, and the way the characters act is in general believable. They could use a few less shock killings (Tyrese's death was a total joke) ... but their formula is solid and they have the craft down pat.
9. Game of Thrones, Season 5 (HBO) – This is the show that might keep Mad Men from its fifth Emmy for best drama. And it might deserve it. This is how difficult this list is. A great, great show is stuck all the way down at No. 7 (down from No. 5 last season). I felt like GoT struggled to stay moving throughout the course of the season and the great episodes were surrounded by two or three duds. But the acting remains superb and the story is addicting. If it walked away with the Best Drama Emmy, it would not be a terrible choice, even if it is my ninth choice.
8. Orange is the New Black, Season 2 (Netflix) – Superbly written and acted, if a little unbelievable at times. There is little bad to say about OITNB. I don't know if it belongs in the Comedy or Drama category, but it holds its own here and deserves the Emmy nomination it received. I was concerned with the longevity heading into Season 2, but that went out the window quickly with the crispness and pace that the writers kept. I think all of the stories are so unique and you want to know every tale and see every flashback. Looking forward to finally binge-watching Season 3.
7. House of Cards, Season 3 (Netflix) – Wow, what a bounce back season. I thought Season 2 was contrived and over-the-top. I still binge-watched, but worried that the show RELIED on binge-watching to hide its flaws. At the end of last season's review (ranked No. 11) I wondered if they would finally give Frank Underwood a worthy opponent going forward. And they gave us the best surprise on television ... Claire Underwood as the opponent. Robin Wright deserves the Emmy that Viola Davis will be getting for How to Get Away With Murder.
6. Justified, Season 6 (FX) – A perfect ending to a show that was nearly perfect for 6 entire seasons. Timothy Olyphant getting only one leading actor nomination in 6 seasons is a joke. He was so perfect on this show, particularly in the final two seasons. Walton Goggins only getting one nomination is even worse, considering he probably deserved six nominations and a couple of wins. He is the most underrated actor on the tube and is great at everything he does. This show was like a fine wine, and its final season was probably its best. There has been no two actors on television complementing each other like these two the last six seasons. And we will miss them. "We dug coal together."
5. The Good Wife, Season 6 (CBS) – It is tough to be relevant and good for 22 episodes while all of the cable heavyweights do anywhere from 8 to 13, but TGW manages to pull it off year-in and year-out. Up from No. 8 last season, TGW really hit its post-Will Gardner stride with an absolutely perfect storyline surrounding top drug kingpin Lemond Bishop and top hotshot lawyer Cary Agos. All this while Alicia Florrick chased a political career and her estranged husband tries to protect one. As the show continued to struggle to figure out what to do with formerly beloved, but now somewhat tedious, character Kalinda Sharma, they found a good out and gave her a proper send off. Next season could be the last. Looking forward to it.
4. Daredevil, Season 1 (Netflix) – Without a doubt, the biggest surprise on television this year was this perfect noir masterpiece on Netflix. Vincent D'Onofrio might have been the best individual performance by any actor this season. He was so perfect as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin it is almost easy to notice how every single other character is perfectly cast as well. Charlie Cox went from perfect on Boardwalk Empire to even better as Matt Murdock. It is a perfect binge-watch show, but stands on its own merit. As the superheroes take over the small screen, they all have something to look forward to, because this one splendid.
3. Better Call Saul, Season 1 (AMC) – Wow, wow, wow. Could this show have been better? Probably not. A show that could have easily been a disaster, simply was sublime. Bob Odenkirk might deserve Jon Hamm's Emmy. To take this character, which was maybe the 7th best guy on Breaking Bad ... and turn him into something this good is almost too good to be true. Doubting Vince Gilligan would simply be a mistake in the future. This show would be just as good if Breaking Bad had never existed, but the touches that come from being a spin off of one of the best shows to ever hit airwaves, makes it that much more memorable. As great as many premiere seasons' were this year, nothing has me itching for more like Saul.
2. Mad Men, Season 7, Part II (AMC) – Mad Men is peerless. It might have ended its run as my favorite drama of all-time. Ahead of The Shield, ahead of The Wire, ahead of Breaking Bad. Beyond compare. There has never been anything like it on the screen before, and it has become more apparent that there never will be. I hope it wins its fifth Best Drama Emmy because it deserves it. Jon Hamm is so perfect episode after episode. Christina Hendricks was perfect episode after episode. Elisabeth Olsen was perfect episode after episode. Vincent Kartheiser played one of the most expertly crafted characters ever on television. And there are still so many other memorable performances. The final shot was memorable and perfect and everything the show was meant to be. A culmination of Don Draper's climb to the top, creating the most memorable ad in history, in only the way Don Draper could. A perfect 10.
1. The Americans, Season 3 (FX) – And ... the big winner ... The Americans. I said in last season's review of this show (No. 6) that it might be the best show on TV by Season 3 or Season 4 ... and it did not disappoint. "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep" was the best individual show on television this season. Lois Smith deserved and Emmy nomination for it. But what makes the show truly special is the flexibility of the story and the writers' willingness to go wherever they feel the show is flowing. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys certainly shine. As do Noah Emmerich and Annet Mahendru. But the story is what makes this show exhilarating and addicting. I am glad FX is sticking with it and hope that we have many more seasons from this excellent cast.
Honorable Mention: Boardwalk Empire, Season 5; Halt and Catch Fire, Season 1; The Leftovers, Season 1
Network Totals - FX (5), AMC (4), Netflix (4), Showtime (3), HBO (1), CBS (1), Fox (1) and BBC/PBS (1)
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