Best of 2011: TV

Here’s the start of the end of year review/awards that you always get. First up is a run down of the best TV shows and performances in 2011. Naturally I couldn’t include anything I haven’t seen, so no Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones etc…

UK TV Programme of the Year: Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s twisted look on the world right now stood out like a sore thumb from everything else on TV this year. Black Mirror was in was in some was uncomfortable viewing mainly due to it showing things that most of us would happily ignore. With only three episodes made it meant it never out-stayed its welcome.

Honorable mention: Doctor Who, Spooks
Look out for in 2012: Sherlock, Nemesis
Series two of Sherlock will be an instant hit if it’s anywhere near a good as the first. Nemesis is a new Spy drama which fill the hole left by Spooks.

US TV Programme of the Year: Revenge
Revenge has a bit of everything, twists and turns, its funny and mysterious. You even know how the season will end but the journey there is fascinating.

Honorable mention: Ringer, Dexter, Homeland
Look out for in 2012: Alcatraz, Touch
From J.J Abrams comes Alcatraz which some believe could be the new Lost (I hope not) and from Tim Kring comes his new series Touch staring Keifer Sutherland.

Comedy TV Actor  
1. Adhir Kalyan as Timmy Patel – Rules of Engagement
Timmy appeared originally as a very minor character but has started to take center stage more in the latest series. He has plenty of quick one liners and tend to be more clever than other characters, he has also become the most likeable on the show.

2. Atticus Shaffer as Brick Heck – The Middle
3. John Cryer as Alan Harper – Two and a half men
4. Tim Allen as Mike Baxter – Last Man Standing

Comedy TV Actress  
1. Kat Dennings as Max Black – Two Broke Girls
Two Broke Girls was one of the surprises of 2011. Max steals the show, as willed character will a dark side to her humour which edges towards the non-family friendly area of comedy at times. She makes the whole programme tick.

2. Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day – New Girl
3. Jane Levy as Tessa Altman – Suburgatory
4. Ashley Rickards as Jenna Hamilton – Awkward

Drama TV Actor  
1. Misha Collins as Castiel – Supernatural
2011 saw what appears to be the end of Castiel after going from an Angel to God and then back again we saw the many sides of him. Misha Collins has been excellent since he first appeared and with him joining the cast of Ringer in 2012 Supernatural will miss him but Ringer will surely be better for it.

2. John Noble as Walter Bishop – Fringe
3. Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody – Homeland
4. Gabriel Mann as Nolan Ross – Revenge
5. Evan Peters as Tate Langdon – American Horror Story

Drama TV Actress  
1. Suranne Jones as Idris/Tardis – Doctor Who: The Doctors Wife
This could have come under comedy or drama. The character and performance were brilliant, Suranne is funny, excentric and captivating, just like the Doctor. Playing the soul of the Tardis is one of the most challenging asks in Doctor Who but everything about it was spot on.

2. Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison – Homeland
3. Emily VanCamp as Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke – Revenge
4. Taissa Farmiga as Violet Harmon – American Horror Story
5. Katie McGrath as Morgana Pendragon – Merlin

What were you favourites?

TV: New Series Review Part 1

TV: New Series Part 1

The end of September and the beginning of October brings us the new batch of US TV shows, three of which have already been cancelled. Most of them have managed to get at least two episodes in, here’s my run down of the best and worst.

Top Drama

Ringer

I’m five episodes in and am loving Ringer. The plot never stops which makes this harder to write without spoilers. Almost every character seems to be hiding something, both from the audience and each other. Sarah Michelle Geller does will to play twins, Siobhan and Bridget, where you can instantly tell which one she is playing at any point but still making sure they share enough similarities (other than looks) to still clearly be twins. Each episode is pushing the plot forward, answering some questions while also raising more. The characters are relatively likeable which makes this an easy watch. It has been doing well in the ratings as it has just been picked up for a full season.

Revenge

Revenge follows a similar idea of another of my favourites (Damages). A flash forward at the start shows the death of one of the main characters before going back to show the audience how they reached that point. The main character (Emily/Amanda) has re-invented her life after discovering almost everyone in her former home town set her father up which resulted in prison time for him. With her father dead she is seeking revenge on each one of them in turn. Not by killing them but by ruining their lives, primarily but showing the world the wrongs they have committed. Well worth watching though whether there has anywhere to go in season 2 is unclear.

Homeland

Nicholas Brody, Marine, is presumed dead but is discovered in a hole in Afghanistan 6 months after a CIA agent is informed a US Marine has been turned. Claire Danes who plays the lead is convinced this marine is the one and a terror event is imminent. Her driven attitude leads her to break rules but she is determined not to miss something. She believes that she missed something at 9/11 which she should have spotted. It’s a little early to see where this is heading but it is certainly engaging but just to be warned there has been nudity in every episode so far.

Terra Nova

It’s Spielberg, time/dimension travel and dinosaurs. What’s not to like? There are actually far more similarities between this and the ill-fated BBC drama Outcasts than Jurassic Park. There are clearly some mysteries around the fraction that has broken away from the main site of Terra Nova. Though you are told this is an alternate reality there are hints that it may not be true and Terra Novas main leader’s (Nathaniel Taylor) son is missing but seems to hold the answers. Strange markings on are rocks are heavily protected by Taylor suggests not all is as it seems. The overarching story is moving a little slower than I’d like and is in danger of falling into the trap Lost took after season one but this has potential if it can be realised.

Top Comedy

2 Broke Girls

This was an unexpected surprise for me, it is both funny and contains decent characters that work off each other well. Max works several jobs has very little money and manages to show dark humour but is also strangely quite light-hearted. She works in a cafe with a former socialite, Caroline Channing, who has lost everything as a result of her father being suspected of fraud. Both have lived very different lives but still share some interests and are working on setting up a bakery based of Max’s talent of baking cupcakes. Every episode to date has provided a very enjoyable 20 minutes.

New girl

This has quirky written all over it. Jess (Zooey Deschanel) is the leading lady who has some very odd tendencies which includes her singing of random songs and not really knowing where the boundaries are. Her real life sisters plays the lead in Bones and the similarities are very clear by the awkward moments each others characters get into but they are on the opposite end of the scale of awkward. New girl provides some very light entertainment and there are far worse things to watch.

Last man standing

This is basically Home Improvement but with a family with girls rather than boys. It is still enjoyable and Tim Allen is still a decent on-screen comedy Dad. The addition of a third generation in the house also adds some variety. This isn’t ground breaking but certainly solid TV.