These are times when every year, television keeps getting better and better. Even with iconic shows such as MAD MEN ending, there are others that break new ground, tackling subjects that haven't been fully explored before, with characters that are fresh and original. TRANSPARENT and GRACE AND FRANKIE have been, for me, wonderful examples of that. Innovation in narrative form, in shows such as THE AFFAIR, give relationship drama new dimension. On the other hand, rising tension has got new meaning with seasons such as HOMELAND's last. Performances have been extraordinary, with Taraji P. Henson emerging as one of the most powerful breakout performers of the year, and the complexity in certain characters, such as Jimmy McGill (BETTER CALL SAUL), has made for some of the finest television moments. So here, I celebrate the best in television over the last year. The nominees for the TV TALK Best of 2014-15 are...
BETTER CALL SAUL
DOWNTON ABBEY
HOMELAND
HOUSE OF CARDS
MAD MEN
MASTERS OF SEX
THE NEWSROOM
Series – Comedy/Musical
THE BIG BANG THEORY
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
EPISODES
GRACE AND FRANKIE
MODERN FAMILY
TRANSPARENT
VEEP
Performance By An Actress In A
Leading Role – Drama
Ruth Wilson as Alison Bailey, THE
AFFAIR
Olivia Colman as Ellie Miller, BROADCHURCH
Taraji P. Henson as Cookie
Lyons, EMPIRE
Julianna Margulies as Alicia
Florrick, THE GOOD WIFE
Claire Danes as Agent Carrie
Matthison, HOMELAND
Robin Wright as Claire
Underwood, HOUSE OF CARDS
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olsen, MAD MEN
Performance By An Actor In A
Leading Role – Drama
Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy
McGill/Saul Goodman, BETTER CALL SAUL
David Tennant as Alec
Hardy, BROADCHURCH
Hugh Bonneville as Robert
Crawley, DOWNTON ABBEY
Kevin Spacey as Frank
Underwood, HOUSE OF CARDS
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, MAD MEN
Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, THE
NEWSROOM
Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro, TRUE
DETECTIVE
Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish, THE
COMEBACK
Wendy McLendon-Covey as Beverly
Goldberg, THE GOLDBERGS
Jane Fonda as Grace Hanson, GRACE
AND FRANKIE
Lily Tomlin as Frankie
Bergstein, GRACE AND FRANKIE
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina
Meyer, VEEP
Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, WEB
THERAPY
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, THE BIG
BANG THEORY
Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta, BROOKLYN
NINE-NINE
Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc, EPISODES
Jeffrey Tambor as Maura
Pfefferman, TRANSPARENT
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, TWO AND
A HALF MEN
Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates,
DOWNTON ABBEY
Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley,
DOWNTON ABBEY
Christine Baranski as Diane
Lockhart, THE GOOD WIFE
Archie Punjabi as Kalinda
Sharma, THE GOOD WIFE
Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish
Mooney, GOTHAM
Christina Hendricks as Joan
Harris, MAD MEN
January Jones as Betty Francis, MAD MEN
Jonathan Banks as Mike
Ehrmantraut, BETTER CALL SAUL
Jim Carter as Charles Carson, DOWNTON
ABBEY
Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald
Cobblepot, GOTHAM
Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn, HOMELAND
Michael Kelly as Douglas
Stamper, HOUSE OF CARDS
John Slattery as Roger Sterling, MAD MEN
Taylor Kitsch as Paul Woodrugh, TRUE
DETECTIVE
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah
Fowler, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Melissa Rauch as Bernadette
Rostenkowski, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Stephanie Beatriz as Rosa Diaz,
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy,
MODERN FAMILY
Sofia Vergara as Gloria
Pritchett, MODERN FAMILY
Allison Janney as Bonnie, MOM
Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer, VEEP
Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer, VEEP
Performance By An Actor In A
Supporting Role – Comedy/Musical
Andre Braugher as Ray
Holt, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Robert Michael Morris as Mickey
Deane, THE COMEBACK
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, MODERN FAMILY
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, MODERN FAMILY
Adam Driver as Adam Sackler, GIRLS
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, MODERN FAMILY
Adam Driver as Adam Sackler, GIRLS
Sam Waterston as Sol Bergstein, GRACE
AND FRANKIE
Margo Martindale as Claudia,
THE AMERICANS
Nimrat Kaur as Tasneem Qureshi,
HOMELAND
Marcia Gay Harden as Hannah
Keating, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER
Allison Janney as Margaret
Scully, MASTERS OF SEX
Jane Fonda as Leona Lansing, THE
NEWSROOM
Performance By A Guest Actor –
Drama
Dylan Baker as Colin Sweeney,
THE GOOD WIFE
Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning, THE
GOOD WIFE
David Hyde Pierce as Frank
Prady, THE GOOD WIFE
F. Murray Abraham as Dar Adal,
HOMELAND
Mark Moses as Dennis Boyd, HOMELAND
Beau Bridges as Barton Scully, MASTERS
OF SEX
Christine Baranski as Beverly
Hofstadter, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Kyra Sedgwick as Madeline Wuntch, BROOKLYN
NINE-NINE
Kristen Johnston as Brenda, MODERN
FAMILY
Octavia Spencer as Regina, MOM
Calista Flockhart as April
Keating, WEB THERAPY
Lily Tomlin as Putsy Hodge, WEB
THERAPY
Performance By A Guest Actor –
Comedy/Musical
Billy Bob Thornton as Oliver
Lorvis, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Seth Rogen as Seth Rogen, THE
COMEBACK
Hugh Laurie as Tom James, VEEP
Jon Hamm as Jeb Masters, WEB
THERAPY
Matthew Perry as Tyler Bishop,
WEB THERAPY
Writing
THE AFFAIR
BETTER CALL SAUL
DOWNTON ABBEY
THE GOOD WIFE
GRACE AND FRANKIE
HOMELAND
MAD MEN
Cinematography
THE AFFAIR
BETTER CALL SAUL
BROADCHURCH
HOMELAND
HOUSE OF CARDS
TRUE DETECTIVE
Production Design
THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB
BETTER CALL SAUL
EMPIRE
GOTHAM
HOUSE OF CARDS
MAD MEN
Costume Design
THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB
DOWNTON ABBEY
EMPIRE
GOTHAM
MAD MEN
MASTERS OF SEX
Make-Up And Hairstyling –
Prosthetic/Non-Prosthetic
THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB
DOWNTON ABBEY
GOTHAM
GREY’S ANATOMY
MAD MEN
TRANSPARENT
THE GOOD WIFE
GOTHAM
HOMELAND
HOUSE OF CARDS
SCANDAL
SCANDAL
Music – Songs
(Compilation/Original)
EMPIRE
GLEE
GREY’S ANATOMY
MAD MEN
NASHVILLE
Titles – Opening And
Closing Credits
BETTER CALL SAUL
GRACE AND FRANKIE
MASTERS OF SEX
TRANSPARENT
TRUE DETECTIVE
Fine Print ▪ The
eligible series are those that I follow (2 BROKE GIRLS, A TO Z, THE AFFAIR, AMERICAN
IDOL, THE AMERICANS, THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB, BATES MOTEL, BETTER CALL SAUL,
THE BIG BANG THEORY, BLUE BLOODS, BONES, BROADCHURCH, CASTLE, CHICAGO FIRE, CHICAGO
P.D., THE COMEBACK, DEVIOUS MAIDS, DOWNTON ABBEY, ELEMENTARY, EMPIRE, EPISODES,
FARGO, THE FLASH, THE FOLLOWING, THE FOSTERS, GIRLS, GLEE, THE GOLDBERGS, THE GOOD
WIFE, GOTHAM, GRACE AND FRANKIE, GREY'S ANATOMY, HART OF DIXIE, HOMELAND, HOUSE
OF CARDS, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, MAD MEN, MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA, MASTERS
OF SEX, MISTRESSES, MODERN FAMILY, MOM, THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, NASHVILLE, THE NEWSROOM,
THE ODD COUPLE, THE ORIGINALS, PARENTHOOD, REVENGE, RIZZOLI AND ISLES, SCANDAL,
SHERLOCK, SUITS, TRANSPARENT, TRUE DETECTIVE, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, VEEP, WEB
THERAPY) ▪ The episodes being judged are those that have aired between August
1, 2014 and July 31, 2015 ▪ The maximum number of nominees for Best Series
(Drama and Comedy/Musical) is 10 ▪ The minimum number of nominees for Best
Series (Drama and Comedy/Musical) is 5 ▪ The maximum number of nominees for all
other categories is 7 ▪ The minimum number for all other categories is 5 ▪ The
‘TV TALK Best Of 2014-15’ is only an expression of what I considered as
excellence in television in the years 2014-15 ▪
And here's the tally...The show with the maximum number of nominations is MAD MEN. And the spot for the comedy with the maximum number of nominations is held by three--GRACE AND FRANKIE, MODERN FAMILY and THE BIG BANG THEORY:
ReplyDeleteMAD MEN 11
HOMELAND 9
DOWNTON ABBEY 8
GOOD WIFE, THE 8
BETTER CALL SAUL 7
HOUSE OF CARDS 7
GOTHAM 6
GRACE AND FRANKIE 6
MODERN FAMILY 6
BIG BANG THEORY 6
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE 5
MASTERS OF SEX 5
WEB THERAPY 5
EMPIRE 4
TRANSPARENT 4
VEEP 4
BROADCHURCH 3
AFFAIR, THE 3
ASTRONAUT WIVES 3
COMEBACK, THE 3
NEWSROOM, THE 3
TRUE DETECTIVE 3
EPISODES 2
GREY’S ANATOMY 2
MOM 2
GIRLS 1
GLEE 1
HTGAWM 1
NASHVILLE 1
SCANDAL 1
AMERICANS, THE 1
GOLDBERGS, THE 1
TWO AND A HALF MEN 1