I gotta admit, 2015 was a the year when my television series binge-watching really ate into my reading time. I don’t know if this is a longer term trend. I’m guessing not, but I’m sure I’m not the only one, who’s experienced this struggle over the past couple of years.
What about you all? What were the favorite TV shows you watched this past year?
The man in the high castle
Yes. It is fantastic. Other favorites include: 1) Game of Thrones; 2) The Americans; 3) Unbreakable
Dr. Who
Orphan Black
John Oliver Last Week Tonight
Big Bang Theory (more out of a sense of loyalty at this point)
My wife and I are really enjoying Jane the Virgin. It is sweet and zany with just a tiny bit of crime/drama thrown in.
On the other end of the spectrum, I will admit that we really like How to Get Away with Murder. Kind of trashy, totally addictive.
High bar TV in 2015:
The Leftovers (Season 2)
Mr. Robot
I am still a Walking Dead fan. Better Call Saul was quite good. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was funny. Sleeper pick: Younger starring the metro area’s own Broadway star Sutton Foster.
Jessica Jones (Netflix)
It’s not perfect by any means. You have to get past the lesbian sex scenes that make you wonder if the series was written by a teenage boy and some of the dialog is very cheesy. From there it’s a gritty superhero show that really did keep us on the edge of our seats.
Jane the Virgin, which has just gotten better and better
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Master of None
The Americans
I also have been slogging through AHS: Hotel but meh. ANTM was my guilty pleasure and this season didn’t disappoint. Humans was this year, right? I got sucked into that too. And RIP Hannibal.
Thanks to this AV Club article (www.avclub.com/article/best-tv-2015-part-2-229334), I remembered two more: UnReal and Bojack Horseman. Also Orphan Black.
“Black-ish” just keeps getting better. Also liked “Mr. Robot”, and my guilty pleasure was “Grimm” (Sasha Roiz is major eye-candy).
Nobody has mentioned Fargo yet?
Also, I assume we’re not listing NCIS and all it’s spin-offs because it’s just assumed that we all love it.
Indian Summers (PBS, Masterpiece Theater)
Outlander
Game of Thrones
Bunch of stuff that I haven’t got around to that’s getting raves, including Mr. Robot. That said, here’s what I’ve watchedthe most this year:
Master of None (favorite new show)
Rectify (favorite returning show)
Transparent
The Americans
Blackish
Modern Family (mostly out of habit, I think it’s time for it to bow out gracefully)
Justified (will miss its relaxed style)
The Walking Dead (growing weary though)
Bates Motel (guilty pleasure binge-watched while home sick)
Game of Thrones (my least favorite season so far)
Better Call Saul ( I sense this will be a solid replacement for Justified in terms of tone and humor)
Rectify! Rectify! Rectify!
I can’t believe this show isn’t better known. Shot, set and about Georgia, and it’s awesome.
We haven’t had cable for years, but we got the HBO package add-on to our Comcast internet service mid-2015, so this is somewhat limited to broadcast/Roku:
True Detective, season 2 (need to watch season 1)
The Amazing Race (the Chinese version is awesome!)
House of Cards (watched all seasons this year, but season 3 was a let-down)
Daily Show – Jon Stewart version
Your lucky in that season 1 of True Detective will be a step up instead of the huge let down those who watched in the normal order experienced.
VEEP!
I watched season one on Amazon Prime, and my swearing has become much richer for it. Who knew the f-word was so flexible?
The Great British Baking Show! My heart has been stolen by Mary and Paul.
Although I’m also in agreement with many listed above.
Homeland has been great this season (albeit a little too spot on), Master of None was binge watched in a weekend, as was Season 2 of Transparent, Togetherness is really well done and has a couple of scenes so funny I had to watch them several times in a row, Silicon Valley was solid, saying goodbye to Mad Men was difficult and that damn Noah Solloway from The Affair is making me so angry that I have to keep watching!
Should have had Togetherness on my list. Definitely exceeded my expectations.
I got the biggest kick out of The Great British Sewing Bee– also enjoyed The Great British Bake-off (stumbled across both online). Nashville and Empire are still on the must watch list– love the characters and actors, but this year’s storylines have been kinda ridiculous. L-O-V-E Black-ish– great everything! Eagerly anticipating and already sad for Downton Abbey’s farewell season. Mrs. Hughes’ and Carson’s scene may have been the sweetest thing on tv this past year.
We will miss Justified, one of the best American television shows ever. The finale was as satisfying as could be. Transparent was great and I’m looking forward to a second season binge soon. We have not finished Humans yet, but ound that to be very well done sci-fi. Veep is absolutely hilarious.
I don’t watch TV because I am in the snobby(est) zip code. But, if I did, I would say that I will really enjoyed the final season of Justified. It went out on a high note and did not disappoint.
Jessica Jones. It would’ve been a great show (about surviving abuse) without the super powers, but that just made it even betterer.
Orphan Black is still great.
Game o’ Thrones, of course. Broadchurch, which was the feel-good show of the year. Got Ham got good this season.
And Doctor Who, because I’ve been watching for decades, and I’m not enough of a hipster to hate on it.
Still amazed, after 3 great seasons, that there’s no love for Rectify here. It’s easily the truest depiction of the semi-rural, contemporary South ever done on tv. Too downbeat? Too slow? FWIW, it’s made lots of ten best lists this year.
Gotham.
The Flash is a rare show that both kids and parents can enjoy.
It’s smart, funny, and surprising faithful to the comics. Unlike a lot of superheros these days, the Flash is a real hero, and a good role model, not a brooding vigilante.
There’s some violence (nothing more than Star Wars) and a very few brief mentions of S-E-X, but if you have older kids (or are a kid at heart) I strongly recommend it.
Season 1 streams on Netflix. Season 2 airing now on Tuesdays.
Fargo is wonderful. I can’t believe more people haven’t discovered this show.
Better Call Saul is also wonderful.
Gotham is super fun with the best Penguin ever!
No mentions of Bloodline?
Another one I’m surprised to see no mention of, considering it’s availability on Netflix, is The Fall. Tense, sometimes very scary serial killer drama set in Ireland. Gillian Anderson is terrific in it. Too long between seasons though.
Who wouldn’t love a TV series with Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek? It was terrific.
I liked Jessica Jones a lot, but I loved Daredevil. Both are absolutely terrific, but DD has better fights.
I discovered Rectify this year (thanks, Bitter Southerner) and binged on all three season. It doesn’t sound like engaging TV, but it hooked me. On network TV, I really enjoyed Gotham. But the coveted Squirrel-headed Bastard award for “best show of the year” goes to The Americans. It’s just crazy good.
Mr. Robot, Rectify, and Fargo. That is all.