The Best of 2014: The TV Shows

As 2014 draws to a close, it's time to take a look back at my favorite TV that I had the chance to view during the last 12 months.


While some of these shows might have been around for a season or two, they were all new to me, whether through finding them on cable or streaming through Netflix or Amazon.


So here's the 10 shows that rocked my world over the last year, in no real order, except for # 1.

:)

10) The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles

A Grammy special that highlighted the 50th Anniversary of the Fab Four. While I would have preferred an uncut performance from Paul and Ringo, overall, it was a night of great music and fond memories that paid respect to the band that changed the world forever.

9) Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse


Seriously?
Yes.
Barbie is one of the funniest shows going today. Well written, hilarious, and voiced by some of the most perfectly cast voice actors, this show never fails to make me laugh.

Does it help to have young daughters that enjoy this show?
Sure.
Was I secretly excited when new episodes loaded to Netflix?
You betcha!!!


: )
 

8) Melissa and Joey
Formulaic romantic comedy family sitcom that you can figure out what's going to happen long before it actually happens.

Or, it's Who's The Boss? for a whole new generation!

And that's okay, because I enjoyed that show too.

Shouldered by the great chemistry between Lawrence and Hart, the show has been a pleasant addition to the streaming library of Netflix.

Naturally, the will they or won't they relationship plays out, amazingly quicker than I expected, but you know going in that these two will wind up together.

Again, that's okay, and they don't waste extra seasons stringing the show along, audience included.

7) Good Eats

Another late arrival for me, it was added to Netflix this fall, and I've enjoyed the 25 episodes I've seen.

The problem?

Apparently host Alton Brown has been offering this show for a decade, and I've only got a small handful of episodes to watch.

Frankly, I want more!

It's education, cooking, and fun all in one quick episode. 

What could be better?

How about more Alton Brown?

6) Cutthroat Kitchen

Brown returns as a host for a reality game show where 4 chefs are given 30 minutes to make a meal, and money to spend sabotaging each other to make sure that they win while their opponents lose.

It's genius, and it's evil.

I love to see some of the things they attempt to make to eat and under some of the worst conditions you could ever imagine having to deal with in the kitchen. 

Again, just a handful of episodes on Netflix, and I'm hoping for more.

Otherwise, I may have to start hunting down the Food Network to keep up.

5) Justified

Dear Amazon-

Please stream season 4 so I can watch it before the final season begins airing in January.

Thank you.

Seriously, decided to watch this one this year on Amazon, and was immediately sucked in.

Brilliant casting, great story and characters from Elmore Leonard.

Looking forward to the final season, but will be sad to see it go.

4) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

For the first time since Johnny Carson retired, I can watch the Tonight Show again.

Sorry, just never got the appeal of Jay Leno, so I stayed away and happily watched Letterman.

Fallon brings an energy and sense of fun to the show.

His games and skits with the guests is a breath of fresh air, and brings an extra layer to the show other than just celebrities shilling their latest movie/song or whatever.

Not bad.

Here's to at least as long of a run as Carson enjoyed!

3) Chuck

 

Add this to the list of shows that you'd think I would have watched during their course on tv, but no, it wasn't until it became available to stream on Netflix that I gave this one a whirl.

Loved it. 

I've only made it partway through the 2nd season, so I've still got time for the show to lose its appeal, but so far, so good!

 

2) Pushing Daisies

Wow, I would have really liked to see what else they had in store for this series, but alas, the writer's strike and apparently continued shuffling by the network quickly caused the demise of this show. 

Amazon had it streaming briefly this year, but has since pulled it.

I may actually spring for the complete series to be able to revisit this quirky and fun show whenever the mood strikes.

1) Psych

 

Okay, so maybe this is  cheat as I had seen Psych before this year.

However, I don't care.

This is my review blog, so I can make and change the rules as I see fit! 

:)

Psych goes out on top, a show that in my opinion, never jumped the shark.

8 seasons, and only a handful of episodes that we don't go "yes, let's watch that one again!!!" *Dual Spires, you are at the top of the list*

However, even the *worst* Psych episode was often better than the best episode of nearly any other show out there.

Well written, a superb cast and more fun packed into 43 minutes than should be legal for a television show.

Still waiting for Season 8 to be streamable, but until then, it's on my DVR and I own season 8 already. 

The final episode?

That's how tv shows like this should end.

By not ending.

Shawn and Gus are still out there, solving crimes...

We just don't get the luxury of seeing them do it.

For now....

 

 

Time to reset the clocks for next year, and see what 2015 has in store!

 

(I think I've already found my first choice!) 

 

Make 'Em Laugh... "The Improv: 50 Years Behind The Brick Wall"

The Improv: 50 Years Behind The Brick Wall (2013)

Rated TV MA for language

Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Ray Romano, The Wayans Brothers, Jimmy Fallon

The Story:

A history of the Improv created by Budd Friedman.  Originally conceived to showcase Broadway Singers with a comic or two...
Well, 50 years later, there's no Broadway singers to be found, and for stand-up comedians, this is the place to get seen and noticed before hopefully making their way to the Tonight Show.

Many of stand-ups finest reminisce about their time trying to get on stage and the glory that came from making the cut.

It's not an easy job, and one that requires a lot of time and effort to become successful.

Just to be clear, aside from archive footage, and comedians generally being amusing by trade, this is not a bunch of stand-up comedians "through the years". 

These are the big names who started their road to fame and fortune trying hard to just make the cut of getting up on stage and trying to entertain.

Overall, this is a pretty good documentary.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor- A fun watch, but no real need to own it.

Taped From New York...It's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"

Television history is being made before your eyes...

It's not often that The Tonight Show gets a new host.

This is the 6th time in 60 years that someone new has taken over the desk.

The last time that I put any serious time into watching this show, Johnny Carson was the host.

When he said goodbye, I was upset that David Letterman lost the gig to Jay Leno, so I moved to CBS with Dave when Leno came onboard, and that's pretty much where I stayed for the next 22 years.

Sure, there were occasions when Jay would be on, usually because I had let an episode of ER or Law & Order run through the local news, and then The Tonight Show would start and the monologue would be half over before I realized I needed to change it.

I rarely found Jay Leno funny.

Amusing, sure.  

He's had lots of amusing bits over the years, but a great majority of those are because of the dumb people in America (Jay Walking, Headlines) moreso than anything Leno brought to the table.

Then there was the whole Conan O'Brian fiasco, and any begrudging respect I might have had for Jay over the years was washed away.

So it was with great happiness and a touch of skepticism that I welcomed the news that Jimmy Fallon was taking over The Tonight Show.

Taking it back to its roots in New York City.  Bringing a younger generational spin to the granddaddy of late night talk television.

Thanks to the Winter Olympics and a newborn, I watched The Tonight Show for seemingly the first time in a generation when Fallon came aboard.

And I laughed.

In fact, to sum up my feelings on the regime change:

I've laughed more in 2 weeks watching Jimmy Fallon than I did in 22 years with Jay Leno.

I've always been a fan of Jimmy Fallon since his days on Saturday Night Live.  His comic sensibilities and all around showmanship have been on display over the last two weeks.  

To be fair, I never watched an episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Sorry, I was hooked on Craig Ferguson.

So, not being familiar with any of his routines from that show, I'm not sure what skits/routines are old bits, but they all work for this viewer.

Whether he's dancing with Will Smith looking at the history of hip hop dance or rapping with Justin Timberlake, there's nothing Fallon is afraid to try.

Pretty cool.

I'm happy to say that I'm once again a fan of The Tonight Show.

I think Johnny Carson would be proud of what Jimmy Fallon is bringing to the show and bringing it into the 21st Century.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: If I'm up, I'll keep tuning in.  Otherwise, I'll keep checking out the video highlights on YouTube/Facebook/Twitter, etc.

Leave the Meter Running... "Taxi"

The Fast and the Furious sequel everyone forgets about...


The Story:

Belle (Queen Latifah) is a New York City taxi driver who aspires to be a race car driver.  In fact, she's souped up her taxi quite a bit.  Perhaps a bit too much as she winds up crossing paths with a cop (Jimmy Fallon) and the two become partners trying to solve a series of bank robberies.  Naturally, the two have a lot to teach one another.  Well okay, basically Belle has a whole lot to teach Washburn...

:)

This movie is closing in on a decade old.  That's about the last time I saw it, and I found it fun(ny) back then.

Watched it again recently, and it was still a pretty good film.

Oh, don't get me wrong, it's nothing earth-shattering, but it's not that bad.

Why?

Again, much like yesterday's film, Queen Latifah has a personality that just transcends film and makes her instantly likeable.

She takes a heist film (one of my favorite genres!) originally scripted by the great Luc Besson, and elevates the material with her delivery and charisma.

This is Jimmy Fallon's first foray as a leading man after years of working the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor desk.

He plays a bumbling noob, and he does it really well. :)

Finally, director Tim Story does a great job with his first action flick.  His first feature (that I saw/know of) Barbershop, was a really good movie, and Story branched out into action comedy with this one.  His next film would be The Fantastic Four, and yes, I know a lot of people hated it, but he got The Thing and Human Torch correct, so that film (and its sequel) will always get a pass with me.

: )

Final Grade: C+/B- ish...

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  I meant to buy this one within the last decade.  Perhaps the upcoming decade I will finally get around to it?