The Best Television Shows of 2017

Here they are, the 10 shows that I enjoyed the most throughout 2017. Even those that are on the networks, I found once they moved over to Netflix to stream. 

So without further ado, here's the shows that made 2017 great...

Honorable Mention: 

Raising Hope: The Complete Series 

Raising Hope had sharp writing and a stellar ensemble cast. There were a few episodes that didn't click, but for the most part, every single episode was a winner. The entire series was streaming on Netflix earlier this year, but alas has departed at this point. As with most dysfunctional families that have hit the airwaves over the years, it was the underlying love for one another that was the key ingredient that kept audiences wanting to come back.

10) The Man in the High Castle: Season 2 

Back for a 2nd season on Amazon, this look back at an America that has lost WWII and is now under occupied German and Japanese control continues to steam ahead. With visions of what should have been, things are heating up as the Germans and Japanese are no longer trusting each other. It will be interesting to see how it all explodes next season!

9) Sneaky Pete: Season 1 

A series I assumed would be a 1 and done, Sneaky Pete starts slowly, builds, and then suddenly it's finishing up so quickly and you realize you don't want it to be over. Then they hit you with a killer cliffhanger, and that's when you realize how, and why, it needs to be back for at least one more round!

8) American Gods: Season 1

From Starz, American Gods brings us a bloody, violent conflict between the old gods that were brought to American shores by immigrants and the new gods of 21st Century America. Anything with Ian McShane in it is almost guaranteed to be good.

7) The Good Place: Season 1

The rare network show that I found on Netflix by chance. This tale of life after death is very witty and has a fun cast. Strong finish to the season threw the whole concept up into the air, so it will be interesting to see how they retool it for the 2nd and subsequent seasons. I'm sure some people know already, and I hope to find out next year. :)

6) The Defenders

Take the 4 Netflix Marvel franchises, mix together and fix the one issue they all had: too many episodes. You wind up with the crisp, 8 episodes that for me, are the highlight of what they've put out. Sadly, reading the internet, it appears the Defenders was also the least watched of all the shows to this point. My guess, and it's supported by comments I've seen far and wide...

I'm not watching that until I finish the other series I'm behind or haven't started yet.

Pfft.

There really isn't much in this one that's a spoiler for any series except Daredevil Season 2.
My advice: don't wait, move right along to this one.

5) The Great British Baking Show 

Leave it to PBS and the British to give you a cut-throat reality series where the contestants are nice, the judges are likable, fair and give you honest criticisms instead of just being mean. Seems like just the opposite of all the other reality shows, and maybe that's why this one is so refreshing and good!

4) GLOW: Season 1

You don't have to be a fan of wrestling or the actual GLOW series from the 80s to appreciate this one. I think if you are, then your enjoyment is even greater for what this series managed to pull off. So don't let the subject matter of this show put you off. It's the drama of what the ladies (and men) go through behind the scenes that drives this show.

3) American Vandal: Season 1

A note for note parody of the true crime shows that are on ever network, including Netflix's own Making a Murderer, American Vandal takes a silly idea and runs with it...and it works! Each episode ends with a new revelation of the case, and makes you want to click 'next episode' to find out what happens! One of the few shows on the list where I truly went the binge route and finished in 2-3 days.

2) Stranger Things: Season 2 

A return trip to Hawkins Indiana just in time for Halloween was pretty much the highlight of a great year of television. The Halloween inspired episodes played at just the right time of year, and fan momentum and expectations for the series were getting stronger from the end of last season to now. With new characters and a little more for Will to do this time around, there was pretty much something for everyone to enjoy this season. So enjoy it while you can, the kids are growing up, and we probably have 4 or fewer seasons of this show to look forward to.

1) Psych: The Movie

As with all television shows, they all ultimately come to an end whether the audience wanted them to or not. The best you can hope for is to go out on top, with the audience clamoring to have you come back, posting petitions for Netflix, Amazon or anyone to pick it up and continue. Or you can dare to hope that a reunion movie could happen somewhere down the road. And for Psych-os everywhere, that's just what we got as the year came to a close. A return to...San Francisco and it picked up in real time years after the series ended. Everyone was back in what the creators are hoping for the first of 6 potential Psych reunion movies. My fingers are crossed that the ratings were good enough, and this might become an annual holiday event.


So that's a wrap on the 2017 television season. We'll see if any of these return to the list at the end of next year, or which new shows manage to bump them from the list!

The Wait For Iiiiiiiiiiiiiittttt....Is Over..."Psych: The Movie"

Psych: The Movie (2017)

TV-PG

Starring James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson, Timothy Omundson, Zachary Levi, Kurt Fuller, Jazmyn Simon

Directed by Steve Franks

The Story:

It's been 3 years since audiences have been able to see what's been going on in the Psych office. They've moved from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. As Christmas is drawing near in San Francisco, it appears that someone is out for revenge against Juliet (Lawson) for crimes she has allegedly committed on the force. It's up to Shawn and Gus (Roday & Hill) to put their thinking caps on and see if they can outsmart the bad guy and save the day. 

As always, I try and remain as spoiler-free as I can, especially for new movies and shows that not everyone may have watched yet.

It boils down to this: if you were a Psych-o, you've been waiting for this moment for 3 years.

The show picks up right where it should. Life has happened, but thankfully, nothing major has happened to any of the characters...okay, maybe Woody (Fuller)... but we are brought up to speed as each character is reintroduced onscreen.

Plus, like many Christmas movies that aren't Christmas movies, except they ARE Christmas movies (Die Hard, Gremlins, etc), this one takes place during the holidays so you have an extra excuse to watch it, along with the 3 Christmas themed episodes every holiday season.

The only downside to the movie, not enough Lassiter (Omundson). That's where real-life stepped in as he suffered a stroke just before filming began, but thankfully he's doing well and was able to be in the film, albeit briefly.

Better news though, the creators have said they have a rough idea for 6 movies, if USA Network and the fans want to see them.

Hopefully the ratings and interest were there, and the next reunion won't be so far away.

While it did air last night on USA Network, it is now available through Amazon, VUDU or iTunes for $ 4.99 for digital streaming.

I bought my copy last night after the movie ended.

Now I can cancel my Sling TV subscription again, at least until Psych: The Movie: The Sequel

Final Grade: A

So That's How "Christian Mingle" Works

Christian Mingle (2014)

Rated PG

Starring Lacy Chabert, Johnathan Patrick Moore, Morgan Fairchild, David Keith

Written and Directed by Corbin Bernsen

The Story:

Gwyneth (Chabert) has it all in life, except for Mr. Right. So in an act of desperation, she puts a profile on Christian Mingle dot com. There she discovers Paul (Moore) and the two hit it off. There's only one problem, really: Gwyneth isn't really a Christian...

Cue the ominous music and crash of thunder!

:)

Okay, this lighthearted romantic comedy is a labor of love for writer/director Corbin Bernsen. He is a devout believer, but tries to deliver the message in a way that's enjoyable for those that believe and even those that don't.

Many accuse a lot of films with a Christian message or theme to beat it over the head of the audience so that nobody will enjoy it unless you're preaching to the choir.

That probably holds true here again.

Gwyneth is about to tell Paul the truth, that she's not really a Christian, and then doesn't, then it snowballs out of control as she overdoes it every time that religion is brought up.

The comedic effect is there, but it begs to question how blind is Paul when everyone else notices that Gwyneth is struggling with her faith, except the guy who likes her?

Of course, if she doesn't struggle with this portion, she doesn't get to come to terms with what she actually does believe in, if anything, and that's kind of the point behind the whole affair in the first place.

Bernsen surrounds Chabert with a great cast of familiar faces, and after a long career in front of the camera, I'm more than willing to give this former Psych star a chance behind the scenes.

While I watched it on disc, it is now available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

It's Time To Look Back: The Best TV Shows of the Year

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!

:)

IHeart "IZombie"

IZombie (2015)

TV-14

Starring Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kholi, Robert Buckley, David Anders

Created by Diane Ruggiero and Rob Thomas

The Story:

Dr. Olivia Moore (McIver) goes to a party at the insistence of her boyfriend, Major (Buckley) who wants her to have a good time. Bad idea, Major. The boat party turns into a massacre, and Liv is scratched by some crazy dude (Anders) and when she wakes up, she's craving brains!  That's right, Liv is now a zombie. She leaves her chosen profession behind and goes to work at the morgue working for Ravi (Kholi) and where she has ample supplies of fresh brains to work with. One apparent zombie side effect is that the brains give Liv bits and pieces of memories from the consumed. She uses this nifty trick to help Detective Babineaux (Goodwin) solve their murders.

The heir apparent to Psych, we have a "psychic" helping the police force solve murders with the help of a funny guy in the morgue. Sure, that's stretching both premises slightly to make my point, but I saw it, and therefore on some subliminal level, it must surely exist. :)

This entry on the CW is, surprise surprise, based on a comic book. Again, that's news to me since I've long ago left reading them on a regular basis.

That it's a good show that I really enjoyed, these thoughts come as no surprise to me as most comics have great stories, ideas and a solid premise behind them.

IZombie is no different, and I'll have to give a shout out to my oldest daughter who discovered this show and converted the whole family into fans.

A tremendously talented cast who can run the gamut of hilarious, terrified, forlorn and just about everything in between, with ease and grace.

Kudos to everyone involved, especially the creators for coming up with another creative take on the zombie mythos and giving us a new (and frankly, terrifying) way that zombies behave.

Frankly, I really enjoyed almost the entire first season.

However...

The Final Episode threw one too many "hey, wouldn't this be a great way to end the season and keep them looking forward to next year?" coincidences and cliffhangers at the audience.

After a season of slow building, the kitchen sink approach fell a little flat for me at the end.

But the 12 episodes in front of that were pretty tremendous.

 Final Grade: B+

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!)