The end of the year is drawing near, so it's time to look back at all of the quality TV shows that I watched this year.
Yet, I don't even watch that much TV!
But when I do, I try and make sure that it's a quality show, and that it's totally streamable.
:)
Now a few of these might be a few years older, but like I say, better to be late to some parties than to never make it at all.
Some of these shows make me yearn to have cable again, but I also don't ever want to feel that I have to be home at a certain time to watch a certain show.
And yes, I know, that's why we have DVRs, but I consider Netflix and Amazon my DVR, and I'm just getting around to clearing up years worth of shows.
So let's see what I enjoyed watching this year:
10)
The Writer's Room
Take a bunch of writers for some of your favorite shows, put them in a room together with an Academy Award winning writer, and enjoy 30 minutes of fun and zaniness as they bounce off each other and explain the writing process that they go through to bring you your favorite shows. From comedies to dramas, every show is the same...yet entirely different as each group of writers brings their quirks and ideas on how to make these shows tick to the center stage. A great show that shines the spotlight on the unsung heroes of Hollywood: the writers.
9)
Chopped
Reason # 1 that I'm glad I don't have the Food Network: I'd probably be watching it all the time. The shows are really quite simple, and yet oh-so-compellingly brilliant! Much of their bread and butter are the gameshows that pit chef against chef in a battle to be judged by the pros.
Chopped follows the simple premise: everyone gets the same ingredients, make something that will wow the judges. Each round, someone goes home until the final two contestants square off. It's down, dirty and entertaining. The only thing I can't figure out, is how the cooks get their stuff done in 20 to 30 minutes!?! I make meals in the kitchen, and I'm lucky if I can get anything complete from start to finish in anything less than 45 minutes!
8)
Food Network Star
See? Here's the Food Network, back again. Normally the only thing more entertaining than the shows, are the hosts themselves. Now, while hosts don't normally just grow on trees, Food Network realized that there could be a hit behind finding the next great host. I've watched the 2 seasons that were available on Netflix, and I was entertained from beginning to end. And, unlike many game shows, I feel as though the right contestants actually won. Personality and Ability makes the next star. Looks like Food Network has got their future in good hands.
7)
Property Brothers
But wait just a minute, HGTV doesn't want to be left out of this equation. They have several great property shows under their belt, but none quite as enjoyable as The Property Brothers. While Drew helps the couples find the home that needs renovated, Johnathan brings his vision to their fixer-uppers which is what truly wins over every family. You can't help but feel for Johnathan either as he gets hit with nearly every hurdle from the unexpected worst case scenario to every couple always wanting something in their home that they never budgeted for. It's entertaining and always great to see the final results.
6)
Last Man Standing
Tim Allen's return to episodic television. I quite enjoyed the first season of the show, but when they moved on to Season 2, they replaced the oldest daughter and most of the jokes now revolved around politics and the differences between Allen and the oldest daughter and the returning father of her son. Still amusing, but not quite as good as the first season as the focus has shifted away from work and we see much less of Hector Elizondo's character than we should. That's the true crime being committed and hopefully will be fixed as the show moves forward. Moving through season 2, it seems like the show is trying to rebalance itself, so I'm happy for that. I do love the addition of the former Marine neighbor that moved in. Some fun comedy whenever they make an appearance.
5)
Octonauts
If you don't have little kids, it's doubtful you've ever seen this, or ever need to see it. But it's cute, well written and fun. Plus kids actually learn things from watching this show. Scary, but true. To hear my little one spouting out random facts about sea life because of what she's watched on the show makes my little heart soar. The voice cast is great, the animation is absolutely adorable, and it gives my little one something new to watch that was both new to her and the rest of us versus more reruns of shows we've all seen a million times already. Although come to think of it, it now seems like I've seen every Octonauts episode a million times.
;)
4)
The Flash
Everything I really don't care about in the DC Movie Universe: angst, brooding, lack of fun, is nowhere to be found in Central City. Okay, I take that back, it's here, but in much smaller doses and balanced with a lot of fun, creativity and charm. The cast is great, and it is fun to watch Barry Allen get used to his powers. It works because the show even goes, "okay, the guy is fast, but now what?" and we get to learn as they show, and that provides levels of growth for both the show and the cast. By deliberately watching this an episode at a time versus binge watching, you can see and feel the growth from week to week that might seem rushed otherwise. I should finish the first season right around the time they load season 2. I'm okay with that. Although with all the Arrow crossovers, I might have to give that show a try too.
3)
iZombie
I was so disappointed when Psych went off the air. Thankfully, iZombie picked up and had a psychic who solves crimes by helping the police and hanging out with a fun coroner. :) It's a fun show that created their own rules for zombies and plays by those rules. I can live with that as it is interesting to see that zombies could still go on as members of society as long as they get their dose of brains to keep them in check. I loved the actors and the pacing of the show, but yes, I still think they rushed the season finale and threw too many things at the wall in the hopes it would stick. I've popped in for a bit of Season 2, and I'm still digging the show, and that's always a good thing.
2)
Daredevil
Here's one of those Marvel characters I never cared for. Never really enjoyed reading his adventures, so I was in no hurry to get to the show and binge it like everyone else did. I finally watched an episode, and still just took my time finishing. It was great, I was hooked from the first episode and I can see why some people love Daredevil. This guy was interesting and I wanted to see what happens next. I'm a little worried about how quickly some of the cast disappeared from the show, but at the end of the day, this was the first Marvel property to realize that killing the bad guy wasn't the smartest option for the long term. Bravo. Looking forward to the next Netflix offerings with Marvel.
Which means that I enjoyed something more than Marvel had to offer. How is that possible?
1)
Community
If there was a show that topped Daredevil, it's Community. The quirky charm of the first season explodes in seasons 2 and 3 as the show hit it's stride and never ceased to be entertaining. Even as they lost their creative direction and several members of the cast, the show still was able to be entertaining. Even the final season, available only on Yahoo! had its fair share of amusing moments, most notably towards the end of the season as the cast began to gel together. While we're likely never to see the cast reunite in the movie, it's fun to revisit their hijinks at the worst Community college in all of Colorado, and the history of television. It was a wonderful ensemble cast that was as believable as they were quirky and strange as they were funny. They started off as strangers and wound up a Community. But more importantly, they became a family.
:)
And there you have it.
Here's to a stellar 2016!
Now that I've lost
Psych and
Community for new episodes, I'll need to find some new shows to pick up the slack.
Never let it be said though that these 2 shows aren't still viewed on a fairly frequent basis.
Let's see what old shows I've never watched I will unearth and rave about this time next year!
:)
