DC Comics TV
I'll begin with perhaps my favorite thing to come out of this year: the rise of TV adaptations of DC comics. The CW's Arrow has been on the air for two years now, but this year saw the debut of not one, not two, but three DC TV shows: The Arrow spin-off The Flash, FOX's Gotham, and NBC's Constantine. The Flash quickly became my favorite new show of the fall. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. I love it so much that I could probably write a thousand words about it, which I may end up doing when the season ends in the spring. But in the meantime I will impatiently await it's return in January. I was less impressed by Gotham, which follows a young James Gordon as a detective navigating the crime and corruption of Gotham before Batman. The show sometimes spends too much time hinting at Batman and his villains, but I still do enjoy the show. Robin Lord Taylor is a stand out as Oswald Cobblepot (who will become the Penguin), and the mob war between Falcone and Maroni is enough to keep me engaged. As of the time of my writing this, I've only seen the pilot of Constantine, but I liked what I saw. It's a darker corner of the DC universe that hasn't been seen in film or TV since the Keanu Reeves movie, so I look forward to catching up over break.
Looking Ahead: DC will continue to take over TV as more projects have been announced. CBS has ordered a Supergirl series from Greg Berlanti, the man behind Arrow and The Flash; Syfy is developing Krypton, which will take place on Superman's home planet and follow his grandfather; and TNT is working on a live action Teen Titans adaptation. I am always on board for anything DC-related, so I am looking forward to all of these shows, should they end up airing. It seems that while Marvel dominates the box office with its movies, DC will continue to throw its properties at TV, and given its current track record, it's looking like they will continue to stick.
Marvel TV
Marvel only has one TV show to DC's four currently on air, but 2014 has been a good year for it. ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got off to a rocky start last year, but it picked up steam in its second half, especially following the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier back in April. S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), so anything that happens in the movies can affect what happens in the show. Without spoiling anything, I will say that Winter Soldier had huge ramifications for S.H.I.E.L.D., infusing new life into the show. Now in its second season, the show is better than ever. It ended the year with a gamechanging midseason finale that introduced a new element from the comics into the MCU, and I am very excited to see what happens next.
Looking Ahead: Marvel will add two more TV shows to the MCU in 2015. ABC will air the entire eight-episode run of Marvel's Agent Carter in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s normal timeslot starting in January. This series takes place after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger and will see Hayley Atwell reprise her role as Peggy Carter. She has been seen in a couple of episodes of S.H.I.E.L.D. this season via flashbacks, so I am excited for her to carry her own show. Meanwhile, Netflix has been working on the first of its five Marvel series, Daredevil, which will become available sometime in 2015. Starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, the show, because it is on Netflix, will get away with a darker tone. While I didn't hate the Ben Affleck movie (probably because I saw it when I was young and I liked everything back then), it will be nice to see a new, darker take on the character.
Game of Thrones
This season of HBO's Game of Thrones was easily my favorite so far. There were so many breathtaking moments (both for the characters and the viewers) that I can't believe it all happened in one ten-episode season. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will vaguely touch on the ones that immediately come to mind. It all started with a certain wedding of a violet hue and things only escalated from there. There was Tyrion's speech, the Viper vs Mountain fight, the Battle of Castle Black (which was perhaps the most beautifully executed episode to date), and the entire finale. Oh, and Arya's laugh was a standout moment for me. It was quite the eventful season, so I wonder if they can top it with season five.
Looking Ahead: I haven't read the books, so I don't know what is coming next. But with so many cliffhangers, I can't wait to find out.
HBO
Unlike previous years, Game of Thrones wasn't the only HBO show I watched this year. Over the summer I caught up on True Detective and Silicon Valley, and I was able to watch The Leftovers as it aired. I loved all three shows. I don't know what to say about True Detective except that it lived up to the hype that it has received. Both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson gave fantastic performances, and the structure of the men recalling a closed case allowed for an interesting use of narration. Silicon Valley, starring Thomas Middleditch and T.J. Miller as the founders of a startup company, was absolutely hilarious. The cast had great chemistry, and while some of the more technological dialogue went over my head, I was still able to follow the plot and catch the majority of the jokes. The algorithm scene in the finale had me cracking up, and it made me recall so many of the detailed discussions about trivial things that I've had with my friends. Finally, The Leftovers, created by Lost's Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta and based on Perrotta's novel of the same name, follows the residents of a small town in New York three years after the mysterious simultaneous disappearance of two percent of the world's population. The series is very bleak and depressing, so it is not for everyone, but for whatever reason, I was mesmerized throughout the season. The third episode, "Two Boats and a Helicopter," followed Christopher Eccleston's Rev. Matt Jamison and was one of the best hours of TV I've seen in a while. The novel does not explain the reason for the disappearance and Lindelof has said that he doesn't plan to explain it in the show, but while that may turn some people off, I'm much more interested in the characters, and they've done a great job defining them.
Looking Ahead: All three shows have been renewed for a second season. Silicon Valley and The Leftovers will continue where they left off, and although neither ended with a big cliffhanger, I'm looking forward to more of both shows. The second season of True Detective, however, will have a new setting and cast, so I don't know what to expect. HBO has recently confirmed that the cast will include Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, and Rachel McAdams, so I'm excited to see what they bring to the show.
The Legend of Korra
This year we got two complete seasons (Books 3 and 4) of Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra, the sequel series to the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender. Unfortunately, they were the last two, and they came with some behind-the-scenes drama. In the middle of the Book 3, Nick pulled the show from its schedule with no warning. The rest of the episodes were then released online weekly. Luckily, this happened right before San Diego Comic-Con, so the creators were able to clear everything up to the fans and the press at the SDCC panel. They knew it was going to happen, but they didn't know when; so they were just as surprised as we were. But that didn't stop the fans from watching the show. Another surprise came when Book 4, the final book of the series, premiered just over a month after Book 3 ended. On the one hand, fans got more episodes much sooner than they were expecting, but on the other hand, the show would be ending sooner than they were expecting. Despite the confusion, the show delivered two fantastic seasons. Book 3 saw the rebirth of the air nomads and the rise of a very powerful villain, and Book 4, which took place three years after Book 3, saw politics play a major role and a favorite character from The Last Airbender return for a few episodes. Korra was a great continuation of the Avatar story and helped expand the universe in ways I had never expected. I am sad to say goodbye to this world, but it was a great ride.
Looking Ahead: Creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have no plans to continue with the Avatar world, and I think that is for the best. If at some point down the road, they get an idea of how to continue the story, I will fully support them, but for now I look forward to their next projects.
Obviously there was plenty more notable TV this year that I didn't get to. Fargo was a brilliant show with amazing performances from Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, and Allison Tolman. Bojack Horseman was an...interesting addition to Netflix's lineup of original programming. Psych ended its eight-year run in true Psych fashion. How I Met Your Mother ended its nine-year run in...a fashion (more on that here). Sherlock and Hannibal, two of my favorite current shows, both delivered outstanding seasons. And in its midseason finale, Arrow made perhaps the most ambitious creative choice I've ever seen. There are also plenty of shows that have been highly praised that I haven't seen yet, as well as shows that I wish I hadn't seen (I'm looking at you, Under the Dome). Overall it was a good year to be a TV junkie, and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store.
As always, feel free to share your own 2014 highlights in the comments. Until next time, I'd like to wish you all the happiest of holidays.
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