GregHorrorShow: The TV of 2014

It’s been a decent year for TV with plenty of new shows to get stuck into, with some great performances thrown in for good measure.

Let’s begin with some shows I missed out on before. Superheroes are very much in fashion and so it was no surprise to see TV networks bringing characters to the small screen and I genuinely wasn’t expecting to like Arrow (Season 1) as much as I did. Of course it’s cheesy at times but the cast is strong and once the team of Oliver, Diggle and Felicity came together the show motored to a strong conclusion. I do love a good SyFy production and having finally got around to checking out A Town Called Eureka (Seasons 1 and 2), I can see why people were raving about it. It’s a really fun show and a nice easy watch, which reminds me of Warehouse 13.

I’m still catching up on Homeland (Season 3) which is as great as ever and Bones (Season 5) continues to deliver consistently strong episodes. But my one of my favourite new shows is the exceptional Orphan Black (Season 1) which is my perfect mix of thriller and sci-fi. Tatiana Maslany is superb and having to play so many different characters makes her performance so impressive.

As for new programmes I’m really enjoying True Detective, what inspired casting to pair up Matthew McConnaughy and Woody Harrelson. For me McConnaughy’s performance as Russ is one of the highlights of the year. Hostages also impressed, with the novel idea of a surgeon’s family being taken hostage until she murders the President during a routine operation. On a more light hearted note Forever has managed to fill the gap between seasons of Castle quite nicely. It’s seems a little bit all over the place at times but it’s generally enjoyable and an easy watch.

I had high hopes for The Spoils Of Babylon, Will Ferrell’s ‘Darkplace-esque’ spoof of 1970’s US TV. With an all star cast including Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Alba and Val Kilmer (among others) it started strong but outstayed it’s welcome by 2 or 3 episodes if I’m being honest. The Tomorrow People had an interesting premise with a few nice twists along the way but in the end collapsed under the weight of taking itself too seriously.

While it’s only just started I’ve enjoyed a few episodes of The Librarians, the spin off show from the movie trilogy of the same name. I mean it basically *is* Warehouse 13 but hopefully it can tread it’s own path while keeping a similar, easy going tone. I also thoroughly enjoyed Awake, which only lasted a season but wrapped with a good conclusion and is well worth checking out if you get the chance. Jason Isaacs delivers a really strong performance as a man who wakes each day in alternate realities, one where he and his son survived a car accident and another where he and his wife survived.

2014 saw a host of my favourite shows return – Castle, Defiance and Haven all shone as per usual. Defiance was a little darker than last season which made it a bit of a harder watch at times but Tony Curran was superb as the wonderfully unhinged Datak Tarr. Emily Rose in Haven deserves some serious credit for managing to play two roles and keep them different enough to be convincing in both. The Blacklist came back and picked up exactly where it left off, even throwing a few more side character issues into the mix for good measure. I love this show, James Spader is just so good in his role as Raymond Reddington – another good example of a film actor transitioning to the small screen.

The Middle moved to a new home on Comedy Central and I felt the show managed to transition seamlessly. There were some stand out episodes and with Axel away at college we got to explore Sue and Brick a little more deeply. New Girl managed to handle the age old sitcom issue of two characters getting together very well without disrupting the overall group chemistry. This was the show’s best season since the original run back in 2011.

True Blood and Nikita both came to an end this year and I really felt that neither came to a satisfactory ending. In both cases the final seasons felt a little rushed and all over the place, although I did appreciate the finality of the True Blood ending at least. And we finally had to say goodbye to Warehouse 13 after 5 great seasons, what a great show, possibly one of my favourite ever TV shows, and they went out with a bang as expected.

I genuinely couldn’t pick between these two for favourite episode this year, both were great but with very different tones. In Warehouse 13’s “Savage Seduction”, Pete and Myka “fall in” to the TV and become characters of a Latino Soap Opera which was great fun and continued the Warehouse 13 tradition of putting the characters well outside their comfort zones! For Castle’s “Disciple” it was a gripping episode where murder victims who look exactly like Lanie and Esposito freak the gang out.

And just to confirm the winners 🙂

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Best New Show: True Detective

 

Best Show: Castle

There are still shows sitting on my planner that I need to get to – The Newsroom (Season 3), Fargo, and The Intruders to name a few and that’s without a new season (4) of Homeland and House Of Cards (Season 2) to get stuck into!

What have you guys been watching? Any recommendations?

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GregHorrorShow: TV Awards 2013

I found myself with not that many new shows to watch this year, my TV calendar taken up by new series of my favourite shows – never a bad thing but it would’ve been nice to catch some newer stuff as well.

I’ve added in a new category this year as well for best episode, which will hopefully highlight some of my favourite TV moments from the year.

There are still a few series I want to watch but just haven’t got around to yet (Justified/Breaking Bad/Arrow etc.) but here are my picks from what I watched in 2013

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BEST NEW SHOW

Winner: Defiance

Defiance is a sci-fi show set on a future Earth where aliens and humans live together in an uneasy alliance. This is a great show for some complete escapism and the characters are funny and well fleshed out. With an interesting array of alien races and the culture clashes that invariably flare up, Defiance is well written and nicely shot. Very enjoyable and I’m looking forward to season 2 hitting the UK next Summer. Netflix have made a play for the TV market this year, bringing exclusive shows and content to the service, the best of which was political thriller House Of Cards. Kevin Spacey shines as the corrupt Francis Underwood and while the breaking of the fourth wall is a little cheesy at times, it totally fits with the character. Revolution began well but fell away and The Blacklist started with a bang and doesn’t look like letting up.

Runners Up:

• House Of Cards
• The Blacklist
• Revolution

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BEST COMEDY SHOW

Winner: New Girl

New Girl takes it again this year, following another great season. This is, for me, a perfect popcorn half hour show that I can enjoy, laugh and relax while watching. There’s a great chemistry between the cast and the show certainly has a natural flow, which is appealing. The Middle continues it’s good run with another strong season and I really enjoyed Cuckoo – more for Greg Davies than anything else but it was good fun. I’m also late to the party with this last one but I finally got around to starting Archer which is fairly juvenile for the most part but a nice take on the Bond superspy mythos.

Runners Up:

• The Middle
• Cuckoo
• Archer

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BEST SOUNDTRACK

Winner: The Newsroom

Last year I found the soundtrack to The Newsroom a little too ‘on-the-nose’ lyrically a lot of the time. This season they avoided that for the most part and the use of The Who’s ‘You Better Bet’ had me digging out my greatest hits and playing it over and over again. Haven came strong with it’s score as did Nikita but this year it’s the licensed music that stood out.

Runners Up:

• Haven
• Homeland
• Nikita

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BEST EPISODE

Winner: Castle – ‘The Lives Of Others‘

What a way to mark 100 episodes! A ‘Rear Window’ special that saw Richard Castle incapacitated just like James Stewart in Hitchcock’s classic 1954 film. Handled in just the right way this was one of my favourite episodes of a TV show period. Keeping that Noir vibe Warehouse 13‘s ‘The Big Snag’ episode was great fun and saw Pete and Myka transported into a 1940’s crime novel 🙂 On a more serious note The Newsroom‘s ‘Unintended Consequences’ episode where Maggie recounts her harrowing Uganda experience was excellent but heavy stuff. Homeland came in hard with ‘I’ll Fly Away’ which saw Brody hit breaking point and recover only to be whisked away mysteriously (and against his will). A thrilling episode.

Runners Up:

• Warehouse 13 – ‘The Big Snag’
• Homeland – ‘I’ll Fly Away’
• Newsroom – ‘Unintended Consequences’

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ACTOR OF THE YEAR (TV)

Winner: Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom)

Sometimes it still surprises me that this is the same Jeff Daniels from Dumb and Dumber, such is the contrast between his role there and here. As Will McAvoy he plays it cool but with a subtle hint of simmering anger just beneath the surface. He had some juicy storylines this season and he is totally believable in the role. Nathan Fillion‘s Richard Castle is a highlight as always and while Damian Lewis shone for some of the 2nd season of Homeland I thought he had less impact this time out. Nod to Eric Balfour as Duke Croker in Haven who I felt really came into his own during the latest season.

Runners Up:

• Eric Balfour (Haven)
• Nathan Fillion (Castle)
• Damian Lewis (Homeland)

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ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (TV)

Winner: Claire Danes (Homeland)

Claire Danes brings such a ferocity to her role as Carrie that it’s hard to look too far past her when picking Actress Of The Year. She continued where she left off last year and took the viewer with her on the emotional rollercoaster of season 2. She has the ability to make you feel for her character, regardless of whether you agree with what she’s doing – which is always a powerful tool for an actor. Alison Pill probably came the closest to Danes, her harrowing storyline was told via her behaviour long before the details emerged – as well as an extreme haircut she was struggling to contain everything emotionally in a fantastic performance. Emily Rose, as usual, delivered in Haven and Joanne Kelly handled a serious plotline in a perfect way for her character in Warehouse 13.

Runners Up:

• Joanne Kelly (Warehouse 13)
• Emily Rose (Haven)
• Alison Pill (The Newsroom)

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TV Show Of The Year

Winner: The Newsroom

It’s always difficult to pick a winner for Show Of The Year when there are so many great shows on TV at the moment. I love a lot of the sci-fi stuff like Haven and Warehouse 13 but also lighter stuff like Castle or Nikita. And that’s not to mention more tense programmes like Homeland or The Blacklist. But the one show that has excelled, again, with it’s writing, directing and acting has been The Newsroom. Aaron Sorkin’s writing is superb and with the season being only 10 episodes long it has left me craving more. I can’t wait to see more of this next year.

Runners Up:

• Warehouse 13
• Castle
• Homeland

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There were other shows I enjoyed this year, such as True Blood and Marvel: Agents Of Shield (which I only saw a few episodes of) but they just didn’t come close to any of the winners above.

What have you guys been watching? Any recommendations?

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GregHorrorShow: TV Awards 2012

A lot of my favourite shows returned in 2012 and a few new upstarts arrived on the block.

So let’s get going – here are the GregHorrorShow TV Awards for 2012 🙂

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BEST NEW SHOW

Winner: Homeland

Homeland exploded onto our screens early in the year, following lots of press and column inches from the US. For once the hype was justified and its tale of a returning P.O.W from the Middle East had us all gripped through the entire series. Big nod to The Newsroom, which is now one of my favourite shows of recent years and also to great new comedy New Girl, which has been fantastic. Unfortunately my curse of supporting shows that don’t make it to a second season continued as the excellent Alcatraz was canned at the end of it’s run.

Runners Up:

• The Newsroom
• Alcatraz
• New Girl

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BEST COMEDY SHOW

Winner: New Girl

Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl was another show that lived up to the excitement surrounding it, no mean feat when it comes to comedy. Sometimes things get lost in translation between US and UK comedy so it was refreshing that this one was so good. And it’s not just Deschanel, all of the main characters are really well written. Raising Hope goes from strength to strength and The Middle continues to impress. The Big Bang Theory has become the new Friends, every time I switch to E4 it’s on… which isn’t a bad thing.

Runners Up:

• Raising Hope
• The Middle
• The Big Bang Theory

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BEST SOUNDTRACK

Winner: Haven – Shawn Pierce

Traditionally this award has gone to a licensed soundtrack of existing tracks but Shawn Pierce’s wonderful, creepy score for Haven compliments the show so well it deserves some recognition. As Haven builds towards the close of the second season (here in the UK at least) the score stands out more and more. You check out some clips here.

Runners Up:

• The Middle
• New Girl
• The Newsroom

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ACTOR OF THE YEAR (TV)

Winner: Damian Lewis – ‘Nicholas Brody’ (Homeland)

It’s hard to look beyond Lewis this year because his performance as Brody is just so believable. A truly fantastic piece of acting. However he was run close by Jeff Daniels as grumpy, troubled Will McAvoy in The Newsroom. Another commanding performance and I sometimes have to remind myself that this is the same guy from Dumb and Dumber! As Artie started to crumble in Warehouse 13, Saul Rubinek really delivered and Lafayette in True Blood, played by Nelsan Ellis, is still one of my favourite characters on TV.

Runners Up:

• Jeff Daniels – Will McAvoy (The Newsroom)
• Saul Rubinek – ‘Artie Nielsen’ (Warehouse 13)
• Nelsan Ellis – ‘Lafayette’ (True Blood)

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ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (TV)

Winner: Claire Danes – Carrie Mathison (Homeland)

Again it’s Homeland that takes the award as Claire Danes really gave us a performance to remember. As Carrie disappeared down the rabbit hole Danes’ acting was absolutely stunning – I think some of the besting acting I’ve seen. Allison Scagliotti, as Claudia Donovan, had a much larger role to play in Warehouse 13 this year and Stana Katic delivered once again as Kate Beckett struggled to readjust to life on the force in Castle. Audrey has been dealing with revelation after revelation in Haven and Emily Rose gives a brilliant, emotionally driven performance.

Runners Up:

• Allison Scagliotti – ‘Claudia Donovan’ (Warehouse 13)
• Stana Katic – ‘Kate Beckett’ (Castle)
• Emily Rose – ‘Audrey Parker’ (Haven)

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TV SHOW OF THE YEAR

Winner: The Newsroom

As much as Homeland dominated in terms of performances and storytelling, the one show I starting looking forward to more than any other was The Newsroom. Setting it just a year prior to current events meant that things felt fresh but the audience also knew how things would eventually pan out. As mentioned above Jeff Daniels is great but Alison Pill as Maggie and Sam Waterston as Charlie were brilliant. Also a big shout out to Olivia Munn who I only knew as a presenter of G4’s ‘Attack Of The Show’ for proving she’s a strong actress as well. It’s not afraid to pull any punches, which is why I think The Newsroom has proved so popular.

Runners Up:

• Warehouse 13
• Haven
• Homeland

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So there we go, another year of TV over. What have you guys been watching?

Just one more set of awards to go now – the GregHorrorShow Game Awards for 2012 should be live on Monday so keep an eye out!

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GregHorrorShow TV Awards 2011

We’re closing in on the final few award posts – TV now and then Games to follow shortly.

My biggest disappointment when compiling the TV Awards this year was the lack of great new shows – I only started watching two new programmes in 2011, which is down quite a bit from recent years.

So let’s get going…

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BEST NEW SHOW

WINNER: Bored To Death

Although there haven’t been many new shows ‘Bored To Death’ is one of the better ones to come along in the last few years. A fresh, natural feeling, semi-dark comedy about a struggling writer who becomes a private detective on the side, this is a show full of laughs and awkward moments. With a fantastic supporting cast, including Zach Galifianakis (of The Hangover fame) and Ted Danson, it’s well worth checking out.

RUNNER UP:

Alphas

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BEST COMEDY SHOW

WINNER: The Middle

Well The Middle takes the title of Best Comedy for the second year in a row. Telling the tales of the Heck family in middle America, this is one of those US imports that presses all the right buttons. As I mentioned last year the chemistry between the actors is great and you could easily believe they are a real family. Great stuff. A mention must also go out to Raising Hope, which continues to improve all the time.

RUNNERS UP:

Bored To Death

Raising Hope

How I Met Your Mother

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BEST FACTUAL SHOW

WINNER: Hairy Biker’s ‘Meals On Wheels’

While this programme might not mean much to folks outside of the UK, The Hairy Bikers mission to get our old people some decent, freshly cooked food was a moving and, at times, hilarious show. As they battled on different fronts to things changed for the better, you couldn’t help but wish that they succeed. Very enjoyable and gave a good insight into the issues the older generations can face.

RUNNERS UP:

The Football League Show

An Idiot Abroad 2

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BEST SOUNDTRACK

WINNER: Castle

This was a tough category to choose a winner for and Glee loses it’s title from last year to Castle. Some great use of music with appropriate lyrics relevent to crimes as well as some cool background stuff sees Castle edge it this year.

RUNNERS UP:

The Middle

Raising Hope

Glee

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ACTOR OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Nathan Fillion – ‘Richard Castle’ (Castle)

This is the first year that Philip Glenister of Ashes To Ashes hasn’t been around to scoop the gong but he might’ve been hard pressed to snatch it from Nathan Fillion in 2011. Fillion’s performance as Richard Castle, whether it’s his easy charm or his vulnerable moments, shone through this season. I have to make a special mention to Bored To Death’s Ted Danson though, he really is truly outstanding as stoner magazine editor George Christopher.

RUNNERS UP:

Eric Balfour – ‘Duke Crocker’ (Haven)

Eddie McClintock – ‘Pete Latimer’ (Warehouse 13)

Ted Danson – ‘George Christopher’ (Bored To Death)

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ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Emily Rose – ‘Audrey Parker’ (Haven)

Unfortunately for Haven it started so late in 2010 that I only got a chance to see 3 or 4 episodes before compiling the awards for the year. If we’d seen the entire season Emily Rose (of Uncharted game fame) might have found herself nominated or winning this category then. Not to worry as her performance as Haven’s Audrey Parker is unmatched in 2011. The twist at the end of season 1 saw some brilliant acting and she’s carried it over into the second season as well. Eden Sher deserves a nod for her fantastic portrayal as Sue Heck, her comic timing and expressive mannerisms feel just right for Sue.

RUNNERS UP:

Eden Sher – ‘Sue Heck’ (The Middle)

Joanne Kelly – ‘Myka Bering’ (Warehouse 13)

Stana Katic – ‘Kate Beckett’ (Castle)

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TV SHOW OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Haven

Wow. This was so difficult to call as all of the nominated shows have been fantastic this year. In the end Haven takes the plaudits but it was extremely close. The closest, in fact, it has ever been for these awards. Both Warehouse 13 and Castle were superb but Haven’s supernatural rollercoaster of a ride kept me glued to the screen and wishing I had more episodes stacked up to watch back to back. I’m very happy that new seasons of all of the nominated shows have been confirmed for next year!

RUNNERS UP:

Warehouse 13

Castle

The Middle

So there we go. There were a few shows that I also enjoyed but didn’t make the cut – True Blood and Bones (Season 2) being the most prominent. Those are definitely worth checking out.

As for 2012, well I’m looking forward to more of the same with the addition of The New Girl in January and the return of The Walking Dead as well. Hopefully some more new great shows will pop up or you guys can suggest some stuff I may have missed.

GregHorrorShow TV Awards 2010

I spent months at the back end of last year and early this year moaning that there is nothing good on TV anymore.

Well that changed (thankfully) as 2010 went on and I spent the year with loads of great shows to watch.

There were a few disappointments (Ghost Whisperer didn’t get going until the last two or three episodes) but on the whole it’s been a great year for me on TV stuff.

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BEST NEW SHOW

WINNER: The Walking Dead

There were plenty of contenders for this one but the show that blew me away was The Walking Dead. A zombie show that’s not immediately about finding a cure but about finding your loved ones. Strong acting and a sense of tension throughout make this a must watch. In the wrong hands this could’ve been a flashy ‘McG-style’ affair but it’s under played and subtle – which makes it a lot more powerful.

RUNNERS UP:

Haven

The Middle

Nikita

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BEST COMEDY SHOW

WINNER: The Middle

The Middle came out of nowhere for me as I’d heard nothing about it but it’s become a real favourite over the last few months. The madcap tales of the Heck family are in the same vein as Malcolm In The Middle and the characterisation is superb. Each with their own little traits as a group there is a great chemistry. If it wasn’t for this show I wouldn’t spend so much time whispering Brick-style down to my chest. *whispers* To my chest. 😆

RUNNERS UP:

Miranda

Raising Hope

The Trip

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BEST FACTUAL SHOW

WINNER: An Idiot Abroad

How much of it was staged we’ll never know but regardless Karl Pilkington’s trips to the seven wonders of the World were priceless. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant really did send him to the lesser seen side of the wonders. Apart from the comedy genius that gave us it was really interesting to actually see that type of thing. The stuff they don’t show you usually. Like him being at the Taj Mahal and saying ‘look it’s beautiful but just over there they are burning dead bodies.’ A nice insight into the areas surrounding the seven wonders.

RUNNERS UP:

E Edible Adventure

Hairy Bikers Cook Off

The Football League Show

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BEST SOUNDTRACK

WINNER: Glee

 

Whether you love it or hate it, Glee has brought some innovative music uses onto our screens and has given Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ a new lease of life with a younger generation. Some of the mash ups on the show work really well and obviously the guys & girls are talented singers so Glee gets this years soundtrack award.

RUNNERS UP:

Castle

The Middle

Raising Hope

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Actor Of The Year

WINNER: Philip Glenister – ‘DCI Gene Hunt’ (Ashes To Ashes)

Philip Glenister takes Actor of The Year for a second successive year and if you want to know why watch the finale of the last series of Ashes To Ashes. The moment *that* truth is revealed his acting is second to none. Any of the runners up could’ve won this on a different year but Glenister set the bar very high indeed.

RUNNERS UP:

Andrew Lincoln – ‘Rick Grimes’ (Walking Dead)

Nathan Fillion – ‘Richard Castle’ (Castle)

Stephen Moyer – ‘Bill Compton’ (True Blood)

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Actress Of The Year

WINNER: Jane Lynch – ‘Sue Sylvester’ (Glee)

 

The runners up for this award are all amazing actresses who do a great job week in week out. But Jane Lynch almost single-handedly carries Glee every episode. Her vitriolic outbursts as Sue Sylvester are television gold. Sylvester is a poisonous, horrible character but Lynch gives her the smallest of chinks in her armour and that is enough to give her some likeability.

RUNNERS UP:

Joanna Kelly – ‘Myka Bering’ (Warehouse 13)

Stana Katic – ‘Kate Beckett’ (Castle)

Maggie Q – ‘Nikita’ (Nikita)

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TV SHOW OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Warehouse 13

This was a two way fight between Castle and Warehouse 13, with the latter just about taking it. Warehouse 13’s kooky kind of comedy/drama is a refreshing change to the serious dramas around and the dynamic of the characters relationship took on the look of a family which really helped develop things. A few stand out epsiodes (‘Around The Bend’ and ‘Reset’ in particular) made sure I stayed hooked and by the end of the season I was left wanted more.

RUNNERS UP:

Castle

Walking Dead

Glee

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Hopefully 2011 will be just as good. With a guilty pleasure of mine, Primeval, returning and with new seasons of Warehouse 13, Castle and The Middle guaranteed I’m pretty optimistic.