Top 25 TV Shows: Part 3

My list of the Top 25 TV Shows of All-Time continues with five more entries! If you missed my previous parts, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

15: Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation is very much a personal pick as it is a favorite of mine. After watching Seinfeld and the old classic comedies, the new brand of comedies like The Office and Arrested Development never seemed to interest me enough to watch. However, after Guardians of the Galaxy, I desperately needed more of the hysterical Chris Pratt, which led me to Parks and Recreation, and thus my doorway to many modern comedies in the Single-Camera style. Parks and Recreation finds the perfect middle ground between character drama and humor, and while Seinfeld or Frasier might be funnier, Parks and Recreation's characters are incredibly likable and quirky.
Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

14: Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones left me feeling conflicted by the end. On one hand, the acting, characterization, writing, and direction are all excellent with one of Marvel’s greatest villains to date. On the other hand, the absurd amount of unnecessary sexual content really detracted and distracted from the experience for me, especially during the first half. Thankfully, the second half of Jessica Jones focused on the plot and characters to great effect. David Tennant is positively smashing as Kilgrave. His humor, motivations, and powers made him an incredibly unique foil to Jessica’s character. Jessica herself, played superbly by Krysten Ritter, focuses on the character’s lack of heroism and the conflict of whether or not to do “the right thing.” All in all, despite my personal issues with the content, Jessica Jones is a strongly written addition to Marvel’s Netflix series of shows, as well as the MCU at large.

Watch on: Netflix

13: Agatha Christie's Poirot

Based on Agatha Christie's long running series of mystery stories, Poirot follows titular Hercule Poirot, a renowned detective. Unfortunately, I have yet to see all 70 episodes of Poirot’s adventures. However, I have seen a large portion of the series, mostly of the final few seasons. Even based on a little more than half of the series, Poirot is one of Britain’s best television series and mystery shows ever produced. “Murder on the Orient Express” is, quite possibly, the greatest piece of television mystery ever created. It explores moral dilemmas and crafts an excellent mystery. Even if you never watch the series, at least do yourself the service of enjoying one of the best mysteries ever told in watching “Murder on the Orient Express.” If I were to have seen the entirety of the series and not just the later seasons, it might have ranked higher on the list.
Watch on: Netflix

12: Agent Carter

ABC’s criminally under-watched Marvel series, Agent Carter, is easily the best show on television that no is watching! Following Peggy Carter, first appearing in Captain America: The First Avenger, Agent Carter shows audiences what happened in-between the events of The First Avenger and Iron Man with cameos from The First Avenger and hints at what would become big players in the future of the MCU. As a period piece, Agent Carter truly showed a different side of the MCU. Even the commentary of a woman’s role in the workplace of the 1940s is effortlessly integrated into the narrative without feeling out-of-place, which is incredibly hard to do. Peggy Carter, played exceptionally by Hayley Atwell, along with a great cast of James D'Arcy as Jarvis and Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa. Agent Carter needs to be watched, so why aren’t you doing that right now!
Watch on: Netflix, ABC

11: The X-Files

Before the many copy-cats like Warehouse 13, Fringe, and Supernatural, The X-Files created the formula for the mystery sci-fi/supernatural genre, and it still stands tall as the highlight of the genre. Even more than two decades since the first season, The X-Files holds up. Mulder and Scully are classic, iconic characters that stand among television’s best. The X-Files often tells intriguing stories about various mysterious happenings with just enough shown to make things interesting yet leaving much to the imagination. Fox’s recent return of the series was mostly good, albeit not as strong as the early seasons. Currently, I have seen the first five seasons and the recent tenth, so the series might rank higher when I finish the series. However, if you are a fan of sci-fi, you own it to yourself to watch this classic.
Watch on: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Fox

Check back soon for more!

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

Top 25 TV Shows: Part 2

My list of the Top 25 TV Shows of All-Time continues with five more entries! If you missed Part 1, click here.

20: The IT Crowd

A British comedy about the IT (Information Technologies) department at Reynholm Industries, a fictional corporation in London, The IT Crowd is one of the pure funniest TV shows ever made. With a zany style all its own, The IT Crowd is a unique comedy to be sure. Instead of going the route of quantity over quality, like many US sitcoms, The IT Crowd only features 24 episodes over 4 seasons. Each episode is a setup to several big jokes with the punchline at the end, with many smaller hilarious jokes intertwined. Describing how the series' humor works is difficult, but if you are up for some wacky and occasionally surreal comedy that defies conventions, watch The IT Crowd. 

Warning: The IT Crowd is intended for mature audiences. There are occasional uses of strong profanity, as well as potentially offensive humor (but what comedy doesn't have that?).

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

19: The Office

Of all the many comedies that I have seen, no other comedy features characters with the level of development that The Office displays. Yes, The Office is hysterical, especially seasons 2-7, and it is full of jokes and quotes that left me in stitches. However, what sets it apart is how you care about the characters as they live their lives and the drama that follows, along with the great comedy. Unfortunately, after Steve Carell left, the series' writing took a massive drop in quality to the point where it was not even funny during the middle portion of the final season. Despite that, The Office is one of my favorite comedies with some of my favorite characters in television.
Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

18: The Flash

While Arrow started CW’s DC-verse, The Flash launched it into the mainstream with, arguably, DC’s best live-action hero. The Flash’s first season took some cues from the MCU and actually made a DC series with fun, humor, likable characters, and heroism. Grant Gustin portrays a brilliant Barry Allen, aka The Flash with humor and likeability not found in other DC works. Season 1 really embracing on the full-on comic book-y fun not found in many TV superhero shows. Unfortunately, Season 2 is struggling a bit more with the writing, especially compared to Marvel’s massive improvements in all of its TV shows. However, The Flash still delivers superhero fun each week with DC’s best on-screen hero to date.

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu, CW

17: The Walking Dead

Despite my initial hesitation about watching the series, The Walking Dead turned out to be a very entertaining television series. At one point, The Walking Dead ranked much higher on my list. Unfortunately, in spite of the likable characters, the series’ writing has been up and down throughout the five seasons. Sometimes, it is thrilling and terrifying in the way a zombie series should be, while other times it can be really dumb. With that said, The Walking Dead is a special series and there is nothing else like it.

Watch on: Netflix, AMC

16: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started a bit rough. The first half of the first season really lost many viewers, which is unfortunate. As the series continues in the aftermath of The Winter Soldier, it departs from the more lighthearted exploits of the early episodes. In seasons two and three, the series continues to improve with stronger characterization and some truly great usage of Marvel properties on television. In fact, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is easily one of, if not, the best show on network TV. Unfortunately, no one is watching it and judges the series based on that first weak season.

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu, ABC

Are any of these your favorites? 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.

Top 25 TV Shows: Part 1

Television is a fascinating form of media. Whereas film only allows a few hours to tell a story, television can tell a much larger narrative or many episodic stories, yet is often restricted by budget and cancellation. However, television has given us many of fictions greatest characters and stories and the extra time TV affords, we have often spent more time with television characters than any film or novel can provide. Some shows span years, while others are cut short, well before their time. Today, my list of the Top 25 TV Shows will kick off!

Before we get started, here are some rules and things to remember. The television must have aired a complete first season at this time, and miniseries are not included. Please note that shows that have aired on movie channels, like HBO, are likely not on the list because I have never had those channels. Lastly, ranking television series that aired before I became a critic is difficult, therefore many series featured are relatively new or currently airing. So, with that out of the way, let’s get started!

25: Arrow

CW's first series that launched a larger DC universe on television, the CW-Verse, Arrow tells the story of Oliver Queen, who becomes the Arrow to protect Star City. Arrow opened strong with a solid first season, a great second season, a lacking third season, and a fun, yet imperfect, fourth season, at least thus far. Arrow isn't exactly masterpiece television, but it is an incredibly fun and entertaining action series. The writing can be inconsistent, yet I thoroughly enjoy most episodes every week. What can I say, I enjoy superheroes and fun! DC's Legends of Tomorrow would have made the list if it was not so short, but it is definitely better than Arrow's current season.
Watch on: Netflix, CW

24: Fawlty Towers

If you want to laugh and only have to watch 12 episodes, look no further than the British comedy classic, Fawlty Towers. Starring Monty Python veteran, John Cleese, it is possibly Cleese's best work, and considering how hysterical his other works are, that's saying something. Fawlty Towers' premise is simple. It follows Basil Fawlty, his wife, and the people that work at his hotel and all the hilarity that ensues! If you want a short and easy to watch example of the Brit's quick wit, look no further than Fawlty Towers.

Watch on: Netflix

23: Stargate SG-1

After Star Wars, Stargate SG-1 was probably the biggest influence on my love of science fiction when I was a kid. While it is certainly an adult show, it was my favorite show for years until I watched the Doctor Who reboot in 2005. Stargate SG-1 is somewhat of a sequel to the 1994 Roland Emmerich film, Stargate. However, you do not have to see the film for it to make sense. Stargate SG-1 mixes military and exploration as the Stargates that the characters travel through takes them to many alien planets with a deep mythology based on Egyptian and Nordic lore. For an often overlooked sci-fi series, check out Stargate SG-1.
Warning: Since the first season aired on Showtime, an uncensored channel, the first episode contained one scene with 18+ content; however, the rest of the series is mostly TV-14 content.
Watch on: ?

22: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Taking place after the first two Terminator films, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles completely changes the timeline and essentially erases the mediocre T3 and Salvation. While the films are more action heavy, the series adds in more dramatic and intrigue, yet still retaining many of the core aspects of the films, especially with the cast. Summer Glau is an exceptional take on the “good” Terminator as the series humanizes her character, and Lena Headey, of Game of Thrones fame, superbly replaces Linda Hamilton's iconic role of Sarah Connor. Fox, "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal" for cancelling yet another fantastic series after only two seasons, especially since it ended with a cliffhanger!

Watch on: ?

21: Batman: The Animated Series

Sure, it may be animated, but that makes Batman: The Animated Series a no less brilliant television series. Interestingly enough, as a kid, I disliked the series and never watched more than a few episodes. It was not until my late teens did I discover the true greatness of Kevin Conroy and Bruce Tim’s take on Batman. In many ways, Batman: The Animated Series portrays Bruce Wayne/Batman is a more dynamic way than even Nolan’s trilogy. Mark Hamill is an incredibly iconic Joker, and defined the character in many ways. The series even influence the comics by introducing the fan favorite, Harley Quinn, and redefined Mr. Freeze’s origin and character. While it might be dated, Batman: The Animated Series’ influence on Batman comics and American cartoons as well.

Watch on: Amazon Prime

Are any of these your favorites? Please check back soon for the continuation of the list!

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