Top Ten Tuesday is the weekly meme hosted by the excellent blog The Broke and the Bookish. For various reasons, I haven’t had a chance to post one of these in a few weeks, but I couldn’t resist this week’s topic: television! I adore TV. I watch a lot of TV every week during the regular season, pick up shows during summer, and then marathon shows throughout the year. I just really, really love watching TV.
1) Brooklyn Nine-Nine – I didn’t start watching this show until after it won the Golden Globe, but once I did, I was hooked. It’s refreshingly funny, imminently quotable, and overwhelmingly positive. “The Party” was one of the best comedic episodes I’ve watched in a long time. I’m pretty sure I watched it 3 times in one week, it was just that funny.
2) Criminal Minds – I have watched this show from the very beginning and, 9 seasons later, it continues to be a favorite. There have been some bumpy moments along the way (the overextended Prentiss storyline, for one) but nothing that could keep me from watching. That being said, I am extremely disappointed in the Jennifer Love Hewitt casting news from a few weeks ago. Criminal Minds thrives on its ensemble cast, and I think bringing in someone who is used to be being the star (and can’t really act) might ruin the show. At least I’ll have 9 perfect seasons to rewatch! (I’m actually already rewatching, but I’ve stalled on the season 5 Foyet episode. So sad!)
3) Doctor Who – I hesitated about putting this show on the list because the hipster in me has recently begun to feel Over It. It’s too popular now. Everyone and their mother seems to be dressed like the Doctor or a Dalek or the TARDIS at conventions. Matt Smith made the show too accessible to the youngsters. But, I still love the show regardless. I’ve loved the show since I watched all the reruns of the 4th Doctor on PBS in the 1980s, and I’ll probably continue to love it despite the oversaturation.
4) Elementary – Confession time: I think this show is better than Sherlock. There, I said it! That is an unpopular opinion, I know, but I stick by it. It is perfectly cast, consistently well-written, and manages to give depth and interest to all the characters while still maintaining focus on Sherlock. And if I had even half the poise and style Joan Watson has, I would be a star.
5) Game of Thrones – Ugh, this show. I love it so, but it constantly hurts me. I try not to get attached to characters, but I just can’t help it! And then they die! Or leave forever! And I shed tears because I’m one of those crazies who still hasn’t read the books and so is surprised by character death. Sigh.
6) Grimm – If you couldn’t tell by this list, I love procedural crime dramas. I don’t watch (or read) a lot of paranormal, but this show brings the supernatural to my favorite procedural format. It’s perfect!
7) Person of Interest – I started watching this show for Jim Caviezel, and stayed because it’s smart and addictive. I do miss the more procedural approach it took in the first two seasons, but I love the fun new character dynamics from season three.
8) Psych – This show just ended this season, but I already miss it. Psych is the one show I watched on a regular basis that didn’t take itself seriously. It was silly and irreverent and the actors always looked like they were having a blast filming it. Plus, the musical episode was epic!
9) Stargate: Atlantis – Man, I loved this show. This is the show that started my obsession with sci fi conventions, brought me back into the world of sci fi TV, and introduced me to fandom friends. I have many feelings about this show, and not all of them are positive (I never finished the last season, so all-consuming was my hatred for Keller), but I will always love it for how it changed my life.
10) Teen Wolf – This is my current favorite TV show. It has problems, yes, but I can overlook all of those for the sheer pleasure it is to watch the show. Call it my guilty pleasure show. The one I watch because the men are pretty and the plots are bonkers and the suspense just might give me a heart attack.
Honorable Mentions:
1) NCIS – If it weren't for the travesty that was the last season and the introduction of the infuriating Ellie Bishop, this one might have been in top ten.
2) Veronica Mars – Proud Kickstarter backer here! Season 3 of the TV show wasn't that great, but the first season was perfection and the movie was everything I needed in my life. Veronica & Logan forever!
3) Call the Midwife – This is the show that replaced Downton Abbey in my heart. All the drama, but with no Lady Mary horning in on all the screentime!
4) Big Bang Theory – I mainly watch this show in syndication when I’m at my parents’ house, so I’m probably a season or two behind. It still makes me laugh, though, even when I've seen the episode a million times.
5) Battlestar Galactica – This was the smartest show on television. It featured a stellar ensemble cast, precise and careful plotting, and a unique way of tackling important social issues.
