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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

2013 TV Awards: Part 1

Today marks the first annual J and J Productions Television awards! For my first TV Awards, I have many different categories ranging from Best Overall Television Series to Best Hero in the year of TV. For my awards, a tie in an award category is acceptable and it happens often due to the sheer amount of great television 2013 presented. Also, this is only the first part of my awards post.

To note, I have yet to watch Breaking Bad (I will eventually) and since I do not have subscriptions to any expensive movies channels like HBO and Showtime, do not expect to see any of those shows winning awards, even if they are of high quality. Also please remember that these awards are based on the episodes that aired in 2013, and most of this post was written in 2013, therefore Sherlock will not be winning any awards, however it is likely to win Best Series of 2014 unless something comes out that is incredibly impressive.

Best Television Series: "The Walking Dead" and "Fate/Zero"
One winner for Best Television Series of the year could not be chosen because 2013 was such an awesome year, therefore both Fate/Zero and The Walking Dead share the honor.
The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead had an excellent second half of season three in the beginning of 2013, and an equally strong second half of season four. Despite the disappointing season three finale, it was a strong end to the series' best season. The beginning of season four felt a little odd at times, but overall, it is a great first half to a season that had an amazing mid-season finale.
Fate/Zero: Many of you have probably never heard of Fate/Zero if you are not familiar with Japanese animation, but Fate/Zero is one of the few series that I believe would appeal to many that are not familiar with Japanese animation. The series has few, if any, of the typical cliches of the genre that often are a turn off for the casual viewer. No weird cartoony scenes, no fan-service, and it is not about a high school student. Fate/Zero is a series about a battle to death for a the ultimate wish granting device, the Holy Grail, by mages that use heroes from the past to battle. The series is comparable to the quality of shows that AMC. Sometimes the show can be a little dialogue heavy and the first episode is exposition heavy, but give it a try. You can watch the first half of the series at this link. Additionally, I believe TV critic Gigguk said it, if Fate/Zero on a channel like AMC or HBO it would become incredibly popular because of the quality the show demonstrates (paraphrasing).
Honorable Mentions: Doctor Who, Agents of SHIELD, Sword Art Online, Hell on Wheels, The Blacklist,


Best Actor: Sam Spader
When Sam Spader was cast as Ultron in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron, my first thought was: "Spader? Why would he be a good villain" and then I watched The Blacklist. Sam Spader gives one of the best performances I have seen in a long. He has a menacing presence that instantly grabs your attention every time he is on screen. His presence and performance is so fantastic that almost anytime he is not an essential aspect of an episode, the episode suffers.
Honorable Mention: Norman Reedus, Matt Smith, Clark Gregg, Karl Urban, Andrew Lincoln,


Best Comedy/Action Comedy: Almost Human
Since I do not watch many comedies, I have decided to merge the action comedy and comedy genres. While not entirely an action comedy, Almost Human brings a fun 80s buddy cop vibe to a sci-fi world that is combination of Blade Runner and the good aspects of the recent Total Recall film. The show does not revolutionize the genre by any means, but Karl Urban and Michael Ealy's comedic chemistry make a show that could be dull and boring into something that is just fun to watch.
Honorable Mention: Last Man Standing, 


Best TV Sci-Fi Series: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
Being a major sci-fi geek that will watch almost anything science fiction, therefore seeing so many science fiction series in 2013 was awesome! From Almost Human to Sword Art Online, there were so many to chose from, but Agents of SHIELD takes it as my favorite. Although a comic book based series by the strictest of definitions, the series featured many trappings of the sci-fi genre.
Note: Since I wanted to have a show other than Doctor Who win the award for once, I have decided not to include it since only half of a season was actually aired last year.
Honorable Mention: Sword Art Online, Falling Skies, Almost Human


Show We Will Miss the Most: The Clone Wars
2013 featured a saddening, and unexpected end to one of the shows that has created an entirely new generation of Star Wars fans, and one that showed us just how much we needed Star Wars to be great again. Despite a rocky first half of season, The Clone Wars ended with one of episodes ever, not just of the series. At least we will have conclusion with the release of those final episodes in some format unknown format. The end of The Clone Wars, Young Justice, and a few other good animated shows marks the end of an era where American animation was actually good, now all we have are poorly written goofy kid's shows. At least the cancellation forced me to discover a substitute, the superior anime genre. 
Honorable Mentions: Young Justice


Most Anticipated Returning Series: The Walking Dead Part 2/Doctor Who Season 8
Even though most of these awards were written last year, I have updated my most anticipated series award, which was Sherlock, since I have already seen all of season three of Sherlock and the first episode of season three officially aired in America yesterday.
The Walking Dead Season 4 Part 2: After the shocking and intense mid-season finale, The Walking Dead's second half of the season will hopefully not disappoint. 
Doctor Who Season 8: With Peter Capaldi playing the new incarnation of the Doctor, my excitement to see the new Doctor is growing. Hopefully Steven Moffat will go back to a more classic Doctor Who format where not ever season has to be about universe altering plot devices and Moffat "Space Magic."

What were some of your favorite shows in each category? Do you agree with any of my choices? Please comment below and let me know.


If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

15 comments:

  1. Great choices for awards! :) The anime Fate/Zero sounds really good and I added it to my to-watch list :).
    I agree, I'm also looking forward to the next season of Doctor Who and I also hope to not have the 'Moffat Magic' every episode- like you said, I'd like to see smaller-scale plots.
    Have you ever watched Avatar: The Last Airbender? If you like anime and good cartoons, I think you'd really like it. It starts out a little kiddy, but it gets very, very good and the second and third season are actually quite mature, especially considering it's aimed at young kids. It has really good characters and, while not completely anime, it has some hints of it in the animation.

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    1. Fate/Zero is highly recommended. I think you would like it, just know that it is very dark, but I think you like that type of your fantasy. :)
      I am not sure if we will finally get less Moffat Magic, but I sure hope so.

      No, I haven't seen Avatar yet, but I have heard a lot about it! Once I catch up with a lot of the anime I have been watching, I will have to give the show a try. By the way, how many episodes is it? And since you are a fan of the series, I would recommend giving Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood a watch as well. It balances humor with a dark story very well.

      -James

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    2. Thanks! :) Yes, I really enjoy dark fantasy :)
      I hope so too.

      Great! I hope you like it when you get the chance to watch it! :) The show has 61 episodes since it's three seasons long. Thanks! :) I've heard a lot of good things about that show; I definitely hope to watch it at some point :).

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  2. I really like Almost Human, it's worth watching for Karl Urban alone! That and Last Man Standing is probably the only comedies I watch too... oh, I guess Castle would count as a action/comedy as well. That's a great show. :)

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    1. I know, Karl Urban is so good in the show and actually getting to see him on a weekly basis is a real treat! :) Wow, someone else actually watches The Last Man Standing! That's cool! As for the series, I am glad that this season is SO much better than the second. It was terrible, but I am really enjoying season three. I need to watch Castle sometime!

      -James

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  3. What I really find surprising here is that Sword Art Online being an honorable mention for Best Television Series! HAHA I thought our tastes were entirely the same. Guess I was wrong. I hated SAO.

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    1. Ah, about that: Well, I suppose we do have entirely the same tastes, just incredibly similar. I agree that the show has some serious flaws, but I have only seen the first half, which most have said is the better half and since I am an MMO gamer, I related to the series. But you have to agree that Fate/Zero was the best of the year. Also, Fate/Fate and SAO were the only anime series that I have seen that aired in 2013, so most of the best shows that I have seen would not be included in these awards.

      -James

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  4. Nice list. Some interesting choices on there. Just a heads up it's James Spader.

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  5. Thanks for the link, James!

    Great list, I liked the win for James Spader as Reddington. He is fantastic in the role.

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  6. No problem Jordan!

    Thanks, I can't wait to see more of Spader in the Blacklist and Age of Ultron. His performance was basically perfect for the role.

    -James

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  7. OF COURSE THE WALKING DEAD WINS, IT'S EPIC. :)

    I don't think I've really heard that much about Almost Human, I should check into it. (You need to see Castle, it's a great mystery/action/comedy, seriously!!) :D

    I need to see the pilot for Blacklist; I've seen Sam in The Office and he plays a rather creepy new manager but I should see him in something else. My pick for best actor of the year would probably be a toss up between Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln. They're both sooo good!

    ~Jamie

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    1. Yes, of course! ;)

      Almost Human and the Blacklist are highly recommended, especially the Blacklist if you want something dark and suspenseful. I do need to watch Castle sometime, it has Nathan Fillion in it and Firefly references.

      Norman Reedus definitely takes second place for best actor for me. :)

      -James

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  8. Some good shows that I have not seen on your list. Being Human and James Spader.

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    1. Being Human and The Blacklist are good shows, I would definitely recommend them.

      -James

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One rule: No strong profanity. If you want to link to one of your posts, please do; I am always interested in other reviews and such.

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