I tend not to watch many procedurals/crime shows, but The Blacklist hooked me from the first episode. The show is suspenseful and thrilling, and is definitely different all the other procedurals on TV right now. The side stories of the characters is an interesting aspect of show. Week after week, the show introduces great villians. The show keeps me coming back for more every week.
Honorable Mentions: The Tomorrow People, The Crazy Ones
I was hooked from the first episode. I already loved the main characters when they were still on The Vampire Diaries and it didn't take me long to like the new characters. The storylines are good. I love the flashbacks. The dialogue goes from hilarious to heartbreaking. I love writing reviews of this show, definitely my new favorite and the best new show of the year for me.
Honorable Mentions: Orphan Black, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Bradley Adams: The Blacklist
Originally this was not a show I was planning to watch. However, I am glad that I have gotten into the show. James Spader is a joy to watch and he is assisted well by Megan Boone who, although not as strong as Spader, plays off of him well. I am really enjoying the deeper levels to the storyline, particularly Tom.
Honorable Mention: The Tomorrow People
FX's remake of The Bridge was extremely suspenseful and a lot of fun this season. Most of the time when I watch a show, the ticking time bomb is boring and the exploding time bomb is fun. This show changed things. The show built up the first 10 episodes with the mystery of "The Bridge Butcher" and managed to portray 2 separate murderers, without ever explicitly stating it. The suspense was unbelievable.
Then, the writers did the unthinkable. SPOILER ALERT You always thinks they will save the poor child of the cop, but they didn't this time. Watching Marco go through the aftermath of his son's death, while saddening, made for excellent TV. The show takes risks and doesn't waste a second. If you watched Breaking Bad, you might want to try this one out.
Honorable Mentions: Sleepy Hollow, The Blacklist
On paper, this show should not work. The Revolutionary War as a front for war between good and evil? Ichabod Crane magically transported to our time? The Headless Horseman with a machine gun? This show is definitely insane, but in all the best ways. They have found a great balance between the historical and supernatural elements (and the hilarity that comes from Ichabod being confused by our world). But the real strength of this show comes from Tim Mison and Nichole Beharie. Their chemistry is undeniable and the friendship that has blossomed between Ichabod and Abbie is what keeps me coming back every week.
Honorable Mentions: Hannibal, The Blacklist
Crybaby: Sleepy Hollow
The story is amazing, The chemistry between the main characters is awesome. This show can be scary and funny at the same time.
Honorable Mention: Reign
This may not be the best acted or the best written show on TV right now but it has a charm that I can not seem to escape.I would not say any new show this year has me hooked as much as this.
Honorable Mentions: The Blacklist, The Crazy Ones
Dahne: Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow is a fast-paced, mytharc-infused supernatural thriller with great characters and the best humor to action ratio around. Not only is it my favorite new show, but it is strongly competing for my favorite show of the year, period, especially since many of my returning shows are starting to disappoint.
Honorable Mentions: The Goldbergs, Graceland
Very rarely do I enjoy shows set in the past, and even more rarely do you root for the "bad" guys. Terrific writing and acting.
Honorable Mentions: Banshee, Orphan Black
diana mack: The Blacklist
Good acting, good screenplay, great plot and one name: James Spader at his best.
Honorable Mention: The Crazy Ones
Inter-lead chemistry like this doesn't come around often. Karl Urban and Michael Ealy are so much fun to watch, the guest stars have been great so far and every episode is proving to be a hugely entertaining, cinematic spectacle in its own right as well as teasing an intriguing ongoing mystery.
Honorable Mentions: Banshee, Sleepy Hollow
Geo N: The Blacklist
This show is one of the best new shows on NBC and on TV for that matter. It mixes elements as an episodic crime thriller with an overall serialized mythology making this a must watch for a large audience. Anyone who enjoys "crime-of-the-week" type shows will enjoy James Spader's and Megan Boone's characters solving crimes from larger-than-life bad guys while audiences who prefer a more serialized type of format will be treated with a grand mythology involving secret criminal organizations and espionage.
Honorable Mentions: Sleepy Hollow, Almost Human
House of Cards is a game changer for television in so many ways. The delivery method on board the worlds best internet streaming service, Netflix, which allows you to watch any episode without ads or network schedules to consider is just awesome, and is laying down a hefty challenge to the traditional ways television is consumed.
On top of that is the sheer superiority House of Cards has in terms of storytelling, casting, acting, camera work, cinematography, and enjoyment value over any other traditionally broadcast series. It's numerous awards, nominations, and critical acclaim prove this over and over. House of Cards returns February 14, 2014, for the second and probably final season of the worlds best series. Bring it on
Honorable Mention: The Blacklist
klutzy_girl: Sleepy Hollow
It's pretty awesome and amazing. The cast members are hilarious and the show is fun to watch.
Honorable Mentions: Trophy Wife, The Crazy Ones
An unusual and intriguing period drama that has captivated and entertained me more than I thought it would. I admire its ability of dealing with the subject matter without stepping into smut territory. It features a terrific cast, nuanced characters, witty dialogue and an astonishingly authentic set. This kind of show isn't my usual cup of tea but I'm glad I decided to watch it despite my initial skepsis because otherwise I would have missed out on this gem of a show.
Honorable Mentions: Orphan Black, Trophy Wife
Max Conte: House of Cards
One of the biggest surprises of the year for me & proof that Netflix can deliver original programming on the level of the major cable competitors (and FAR more engrossing and inventive than anything on network). The cast was incredible without a weak link (Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright & Corey Stoll in particular) and the writing was refreshingly crisp, fast-paced, but with room to breathe and take in the characters.
Honorable Mentions: Bates Motel, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
I wasn't expecting anything at all from this comedy, and I was utterly surprised by how strong the cast and the scripts were; every episode has made me laugh and it has potential to be not only a great work place sitcom, but a great sitcom overall.
Honorable Mentions: Sleepy Hollow, Almost Human
Robin Smyth: Hannibal
The murder tableaux and the staging of the food were beautiful. The scripts were very tightly produced and the production values were high.
Honorable Mention: Bates Motel
Best new show of 2013 for me, a really great surprise. I've started watching it after reading an article and I instantly fell in love with it. It's smart, funny, well written, great story (I mean it's about clones! That's so cool) and great actors. Tatiana Maslansy deserves every awards, her performance is outstanding. She is the perfect actress.
Honorable Mentions: Orange is the New Black, Banshee
Rucax Miranda: ReignIt surprised me in an excellent way!
Honorable Mentions: Sleepy Hollow, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Sandi: Reign
I wasn't expecting to like this at all, it was only my interest in European medieval history that made me tune in at all. Still rather surprised that I have become hooked, the butchering of history does annoy me a little....I can't understand why they decided to use real people if they are going to completely change what happened....but it's better than The White Queen at least, lol. I prefer the pagans in the woods and Clarissa storylines to the court (love) life in the show, in that respect it's a better replacement for Merlin than Atlantis will ever be in my opinion.
Honorable Mentions: Once Upon A Time In Wonderland
Shirleena Cunningham: The Crazy Ones
I really love Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar, I think they have great chemistry together.
It is an infinitely inventive show with amazing characters and mind blowing storylines. The characters are so iconic you couldn't help but to be invested in them. The storylines are so crazy you wonder if you're watching a show or someone's drug induced dream. Yet midst of that all you find so much heart, affection and emotional conflict you realize you no longer watch for the horror, or the imagery, but because you're worried about your beloved protagonists.
Honorable Mentions: The Originals, Sleepy Hollow
For me it was Bates Motel. I was very skeptical of the re-telling of a familiar story but the writing, acting and stories were so, so good that I completely fell in love with it.
Honorable Mentions: Hannibal, The Americans
Tracie P.: Sleepy Hollow
It has a good mix of everything to keep me entertained each week. I like the supernatural element and also that it is a procedural. The leads have great chemistry. It is also an interesting take on the original story.
Honorable Mentions: Witches of East End, Reign
Trina Rego: Orphan Black
This was a close tie with Hannibal, but Orphan Black won out for it's originality, fast paced plot, and wonderful acting. This show was addictive and never seemed to drag on.
Honorable Mentions: Hannibal, Orange is the New Black
Virginia Mae Fontana: The Originals
The saga of Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah in New Orleans has been nothing short of stunning. It's quick-paced, suspenseful, and emotional in all the right places. Almost all of the other characters are wonderful, especially Marcel, and Hayley has been reinvigorated fabulously from her less-than-likable beginnings on The Vampire Diaries. The show explores themes of family, friendship, and romance through the lens of vampirism, lycanthropy, and witchcraft with exceptional results.
Honorable Mentions: Sleepy Hollow, Reign
This final season of How I Met Your Mother is different than the previous eight for two reasons; the 3 days timeline and the addition of The Mother. Although the season is progressing slowly and has had episodes which some people might call "filler" (although I don't believe that there are "filler" episodes in sitcoms), the addition of The Mother has been great and the episodes which she has been in are some of the best episodes of the entire series for me.
Honorable Mentions: Arrow, Castle
Belle333Black: Castle
Castle has always been great, and I love that they can still keep the quality in season 6. I completely trust the writers, I know they'll do a great job with the rest of the season. I love seeing Castle and Becket as a couple, but I'd like to see more of the other character's personal lives. The return of 3XK was great, can't wait for the wedding episode. I'm sure it will be amazing.
Honorable Mentions: Arrow, Nikita
Bradley Adams: ArrowThis was tough. I went with Arrow over Person of Interest purely because it is so consistently good. The recent Person of Interest mini-arc has been good, but the rest of the season hasn't been as strong. Arrow seems like it cannot put a foot wrong. The midseason finale was the best hour of TV I've seen this year, and the other 8 episodes before it were sublime.
Honorable Mention: Person of Interest
Brandon Rowe: RevolutionRevolution returned from a first season that had mixed reviews. This season, Revolution writers tried something bold. By totally changing the format of the show, Revolution appealed to a different type of audience. While suffering in the ratings, the show was able to display its ability to vary in genres. The show has also been able to speed up the action, while also adding an element to the action with Aaron's spontaneous combustion ability. Hopefully, NBC will see fit to move on to a third season and continue the fantastic story telling.
Honorable Mentions: Person of Interest, The Walking Dead
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This show is completely off its rocker and I love it for that fact. I appreciate bringing back a lot of the actors from the first two seasons because it's fun to see them play such vastly different characters. But the addition of Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett has really brought a freshness to this season.
Honorable Mention: Breaking Bad
CJ Allan: Person of Interest
No other show has been as consistent for its writing, acting and plot. Every week this show blows the competition out of the water and is possibly the best show on TV since LOST.
Honorable Mentions: How I Met Your Mother, Arrow
Crybaby: Arrow
This show is getting better each and every week. The acting, the action/fight scenes, the story, well everything is improve this season. I'm not a DC fan but I can't wait for more.
Dahne: Burn Notice
The final season was rock solid all the way. It moved quickly, wrapping up major plot lines and highlighting each main character appropriately. I liked the new characters they added, but still it was the core team fighting to save their friend that really sold the whole show. Very satisfying conclusion.
Honorable Mentions: Grimm, Teen Wolf
DarkUFO: Person of Interest
Simply one of the most enjoyable shows on TV.
Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead, Revolution
dianamack: The Mentalist
This show gets better every season. Even without the main enemy of the show, Red John, Patrick Jane can go on his own way.
Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead, Revolution
Genevieve Taylor: Person of Interest
This is one of a very select few shows where every episode is guaranteed to be great. Shaw has been an excellent addition to the team this year as well as increased Bear appearances and more of the fabulous Amy Acker as Root. Relevance, Mors Praematura and The Devil's Share are comfortably within my list of the best TV episodes of all time. The machine may be watching me but I'm certainly watching Person of Interest, and absolutely loving it.
Honorable Mentions: Game of Thrones, The Mindy Project
Geo N: The Walking Dead
Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead
Jimmy Ryan: Person of Interest
Person of Interest has demonstrated all year that it is afraid of nothing and no one is safe. The intensity level of the worlds best broadcast series has ramped up tenfold in third season and it's been nothing short of awesome to watch.
The removal of few seasoned recurring characters and a single regular character over the recent 3 part story arc was a daring move by the creative team, but their solid sense of understanding of their series will no doubt ensure continued success for the show. The new regular characters in the form of Root and Shaw have added a new level of intensity and action as well as humor. I can't wait to see what Person of Interest sends our way in the new year.
Honorable Mentions: Scandal, Castle
klutzy_girl: Supernatural
It's my favorite and I love where the storyline is going.
Honorable Mentions: Once Upon A Time, How I Met Your Mother
It has always been in a league of its own but these eight final episodes elevated everything to a whole new level of awesomeness and incredibility. Season 5B has been nothing short of breathtaking and jaw-dropping, delivering one scene after another so powerful it felt like the tension was oozing out of the screen. Among these episodes is also what is arguably the best episode of the entire show: Ozymandias. That has got to be one of the finest, most suspenseful and intense hour of television I've ever seen.
Honorable Mentions: Scandal, The Walking Dead
Max Conte: Sons of Anarchy
Honorable Mentions: Breaking Bad, Mad Men
Now on its third season, Revenge has gathered a lot of strength during the summer, returning with an amazing storyline about Emily's lastest plan to take down the Graysons. The development goes nice and smoothly, the cast continue to deliver great acted scenes and the script is strong in emotional moments and plot progression. Overall, Revenge is a real pleasure to watch.
Honorable Mentions: Revolution, How I Met Your Mother
Robin Smyth: JustifiedSeason four was a welcome mix-up to the well established formula in that the big bad of the season wasn't nearly as intimidating as the men chasing him. There were great twists, some brilliant acting by both the main actors and the guests, and another opportunity to see Jim Beaver after his character's demise on Supernatural the previous year.
Honorable Mentions: Castle, How I Met Your Mother
Romain Ossust: The Walking Dead
Still one of the best show on air. Despite its flows, and after 4 yours, it's always enjoyable to watch Rick and Co killing zombies. They've created an unique universe in TV history.
And it always makes you wonder what you would do if you were in their world... Luckily, walkers are not scratching at my door.
Honorable Mentions: Scandal, True Blood
Rucax Miranda: American Horror Story
It's a show that each year brings innovation to its plot.
Honorable Mentions: Scandal, Castle
OK, Series 7 wasn't the best, but the 50th Anniversary episode was fantastic! Smith, Tennant and Hurt were amazing on screen together and the plot tighter than any other episode in a long time.
Honorable Mentions: Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy
Shirleena Cunningham: How I Met Your Mother
I was really surprised when I found out that the last season was going take place entirely over Barney and Robins wedding weekend. I thought to myself, how are they going to do pull that off? But the writers surprised me, because this season has been the funniest of the series. And how mother meets each of the characters one at a time throughout the season is great, because it gives each of them their own story on how they met the mother. Every episode is truly funnier than the last, I'll be very sad when it ends.
Honorable Mention: Bones
Tessa Marlene: Arrow
The first season of Arrow was a bit uneven. Hard as I tried I couldn't sympathize with Oliver's plight since at the end of the day, he still was a billionaire playboy whose worst trouble in life had been a misadventure on an island. I didn't give a fig about his dad's journal, his sister's drug abuse, or his love triangle involving a woman with no personality.
Season 2 however was leaps and bounds better. They showed us more about the island, making it more of a coherent storyline than random flashes. They toned down the playboy aspect of Oliver's character, and Stephen Amell's improved acting finally made me sit up and care. I thought it was a genius idea to give The Green Arrow a conviction not to kill, so that when he did it would have significance and impact. They also did well in improving Felicity and Diggle's characters and introducing new supporting cast. The mid-season finale was the best I watched this December of any show.
Honorable Mentions: White Collar, Scandal
TheSpoilerGirl: The Walking Dead
The new season has been phenomenal. Great writing that took me from hating the Governor, too almost liking him again and then back again to hating him.
Tracie P.: The Good Wife
Last season the show sort of fell apart in the beginning with storylines that I really disliked. This season it is back with a renewed energy. I love that Alicia has started her old firm which pits her against her former bosses. It has shaken up the storyline and made things fresh again for a show that is in its 5th season.
Honorable Mentions: Arrow, Castle
Trina Rego: Mad Men
Even after 6 seasons Mad Men managed to pull off a season that was not only enjoyable but also something different than the show has previously done. Instead of feeling stale we got to see and experience aspects of these well known characters that we haven't seen before. And the season ended on a note that made you incredible eager to see more.
Honorable Mentions: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones
Virginia Mae Fontana: The Mentalist
I have to give it to The Mentalist for reinventing itself so exquisitely. First there was a crazy-good, serialized first part of Season 5 capping off the Red John Saga while pulling out all the stops. Now that R.J. is gone, a 2 year time jump and change of professional setting from CBI to FBI is giving the show a new breath of fresh air. And Jane and Lisbon keep getting closer. Finally!
Honorable Mentions: Revenge; Arrow
And that's all from the SpoilerTV Team. Share with us which are your Best New and Returning Shows of the year in the comments.
