The Summer Top 10

Around March and April a dark cloud appears above the TV world - all of our favourite shows come to an end, some until the following Autumn, some are gone forever (still grieving for the City of Pawnee). Summer television is often given the side eye and looked down upon. With no Olivia Pope, Meredith Grey or Leslie Knope it just doesn't seem to compare. It is almost as if TV bosses assume we have all gone outside and turned our TV's off. No Sir, some of us have not! Some of us still need that background noise as we go about our day, some of us still need our daily dose of escapism from normal life. However I have found some gems that have kept me glued to the box this summer, before or after work I have been able to zone out and enjoy some quality entertainment. So as I do I have come up with a little top 10; 10 shows I have been enjoying this past summer and you should of aswell.

10. Masterchef US
I am sorry once again I turn my back on my anglo brothers and sisters. America just do competition so much better, I don't even watch the British version of Masterchef - it is so boring in comparison. On American Masterchef it is exciting, the contestants woop and cheer for everything, the challenges are extreme and they have my culinary God, Gordon Ramsey. The show got even better this year with the edition of a new judge in Christina Tosi (I like her a lot more than Joe Bastianich). So happy for the winner this year, Claudia wasn't my choice going through but she was my choice in the finale, what can I say - I love Mexican food.

9. Candidly Nicole
Yes! Nicole Richie came back for a second season of this part mocumentary, part sitcom. I have been in love with Nicole since the first season of The Simple Life. She is hilarious, we have similar sense of humours and her fashion kills me. This year she is rocking the pink pixie cut and I love it. The episodes are much more extreme this time around - from wanting to leave for Australia to creating an app that tells people things that may be too awkward or uncomfortable to say yourself. I can only hope for more and more episodes because Nicole should always be on TV. If you watch only one clip please watch her performance piece which ends with her smashing a replica of Lionel Richie's clay head from the 'Hello' video, in front of Lionel.

8. Ink Master
I love competition shows and tattoo shows, this show perfectly intertwined them. Each week the tattooists have to perfect a certain aspect of tattooing, if they don't then they are out. Simple as. The one aspect of this show that gets me is how passionate these artists are. They will literally fight the judges if they are pushed enough, never mind each other.  The art work produced is stunning and has definitely inspired me with some future (if I ever get brave enough) tattoo choices.

7. Face Off
As a fan of horror I have always been intrigued by the make-up. Like, how do they make Freddie look that way and what magic is behind the many monsters that have been created to stalk our nightmares. This show answered all my questions, in a competition style to boot. Every week they are giving a brief that is basically left up to interpretation and they create. They have some amazing, beautiful, scary, phenomenal and gory make ups that keep me tuning in every week.

6. Orange is the New Black
You may be shocked that is only at number 6 as it did win the coveted 'Craigy' for best drama of 2015, but the rest of my list is justified believe me. I really enjoyed season 3 of this amazing show for one good reason - Angie Rice, played by Julie Lake. When I think of this season I think of her. Ruby Rose who? Angie brought all the laughs this year plus a couple of heartwarming moments. Whilst the season was mainly concentrated on the more prominent characters, they really gave a spotlight to some of the supporting characters.

5. Big Brother US
I have not been shy in my love for the American version of the worldwide hit reality show. The concept is so so so so so much better than others. This year has been great, so many front runners were out early. The shy, quiet ones have ruled the house this year. Plus how has Vanessa been allowed to get this far? She has by far been the best game player this year and she hasn't exactly hid it well. I hope she wins because lets face it she has put the most work in this summer.

4. Big Brother Canada
Exactly the same concept as the American one, but I warm to these Canadians a lot more than the Americans. Where as America can sometimes look like they cast abs and blondes (a few less these year), the Canadian version really mixes it up (with a few abs thrown in for good measure). I got really attached to Sarah and Brittany, and Sarah won!! The comps were extreme, the back door evictions were great there were lots of surprises along the course of the show.

3. The Real Housewives of New York
Hands down my favourite city from the franchise. Simple premise of following the rich women of certain areas. The cast of New York are the best, no lie. Who ever decided to bring Bethenny back after so long is a freaking genius and hopefully got a huge bonus. I loved all the new friendships that formed this year, especially with Carole and Dorinda. Ramona definitely annoyed me less this year, I wish Kristen got more screen time (especially as she is only one of two actual 'wives' on the show), Heather was her usual take-no-shit self, Sonja is finally getting things together and then theres the Countess - LuAnn .... I have not warmed to this new Lu the way she would probably wants the fans to.

2. Young and Hungry
This show is great,  the simplicity in its comedy style is what makes this show so good. It is obvious humour mixed with warmth and heart. It is 21 minutes of giggles, of course the situations are ridiculous and it can be quite obvious what is about to happen a lot of the time but thats what I like about it. Plus the casting is outstanding. Emily Osment is a comedy queen! Her timing is perfect. Plus she looks like Carrie Underwood's little sister so that's nice. Rex Lee, Aimee Carrero, Kym Whitley and Jonathan Sadowski all round the main characters to perfection.

1. Playing House
I feel like I am about to grow into these women, we speak the same language and basically I am 3 years away from owning my own window box full of succulents. I don't know to express how much this comedy gets me, sometimes it seems like they are speaking their own language but I get it. Their reaction to situations is how I would react, plus they give me immense friendship goals. All I need is one friend's life to fall apart so I can move in and we can live codepentently happily ever after (is it weird to assume that I wouldn't be the friend whose life fell apart? Maybe because you need a life to have one fall apart).

2013/14 TV Winners and Losers

It is a dark time in the TV world. Many shows have wrapped for the summer so we are left in a comatose state until september when all major American Networks grace us with more yummy TV goodness. Of course we are all left with our fingers crossed that our favourite shows will return. If I could just have a moment of silence for 'Suburgatory', the amazing show lead by the equally amazing Jane Levy has been cancelled in the worst way - there was no final episode, no big tearful send off and many questions left unanswered, may you rest in peace (or get bought by a rival network). As good as TV has been this last season there has been some doozies. Below I have picked my winners and losers for the fall 2013/14 schedule.

Winners

Orange Is The New Black

How could I talk about this last years great TV and not mention this little nugget. All 13 episodes were put online at the same time so my binging qualities were fully nourished. This year we saw a lot of growth from all the major players. My favourite story-lines may have been finding out about Morello and Suzanne some more. Great acting, great plots and beautiful ladies - nothing else required.

Veep 

I never had any doubts this show would get better and better. Julia-Louis Dreyfus is perfection and deserves the multiple awards she has received for this role. She is written perfectly and for a show about American politics it doesn't slap you in the face with it, it is more about the movers and shakers in the political world more than what they do. Couldn't be happier that where we left the show she is the President. 

Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope is possibly the most inspirational character in TV history. A strong willed woman, that only wants to use her powers for good. She just wants to help people. This year did not disappoint. What I liked about this season, especially towards the end, was that she finally is looking out for herself and now we got a glimpse into what her future with Ben will be like. With the small jump into the future in the last 5 minutes of the finale this show could go anywhere now, and I for one am very excited.

Playing House

This show came out of nowhere, I didn't even hear about it until a few episodes in. It is my favourite kind of comedy - plenty of laughs mixed with a few tears. It has touching moments a plenty with full on belly laughs. It is purely a show showing the power of friendship, a friendship so huge that they are sharing a life together. Plus it has Valerie from 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' in it, so it's nice to know she is still working.

Big Brother Canada

I am a reality show junkie, so of course I watch other countries versions of Big Brother. This years Canadian version was so good, full of game players, shady folk and good people. Heather, Ika, Neda and John were my favourite players, they each played the game right, often the victim of cliques but still prevailed with their dignity in tact.

Other hits

Brooklyn 99

Saturday Night Live

Ink Master

Project Runway: Under the Gunn

New Girl

Girls

The Mindy Project

2 Broke Girls

Mom

Baby Daddy

Modern Family

Scandal

Losers

Glee

I have watched every episode, until this season. For me it has lost its magic. Maybe I have grown up or maybe it just isn't the shame anymore. A show that started out with taboo subjects, great musical performances and heart wrenching characters has now just turned into an even more unbelievable show. I get that shows aren't always realistic as they need to entertain but I just feel Rachel's storyline too far fetched - to the point where I just didn't care anymore. All I do now is watch the YouTube music videos. I actually have no clue what happened in the second half of the season.

Grey's Anatomy

Another show I gave up on, I lost interest. This show is famous for its key scenes and amazing storylines yet this year I didn't find any. It came to a point where I put them on for background noise, and then that eventually stopped. Then they let Sandra Oh leave?! She was the saving grace of this show that may have peaked 3 years ago.

The Vampire Diaries

 For me, every show that starts in High School but lasts longer than High School generally loses its appeal and magic (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saved By The Bell, Sister Sister, The OC, Gossip Girl, Glee for example). The storylines take a huge leap into adulthood and suddenly these characters are grown. I got lost in this show if I am honest. There was influx of new characters and new situations that I seriously didn't know what was happening. Plus I was so tired of all this doppelganger nonsense. I did however watch the final just to see how it wrapped. I had no idea what happened. Someone may need to hold my hand and talk me through it.

The Big Bang Theory

First things first, I love this show and it will always have a place in my heart. The only reason this made the loser list is because I wanted more from season 7. We have known these characters for 7 years now and yet there has been no development. They are still pretty much the same from season 1 except Raj can now talk to women. A few issues I had were -

• Penny and Leonard are now engaged yet nothing has changed
• Sheldon and Amy have made no progress, would a woman like Amy wait this long?
• Raj is still an insecure mess even though at one point he was dating two women at the same time.
• Sheldon is still living as if he is single - quitting his job and then leaving home (again, why would Amy put up with this)
• Nothing really happened with Howard and Bernadette - they were just there or mainly occupying the B story of each episode. 

I still laughed at each episode and some favourite moments from the series occurred, but as a loyal fan I just wanted more. Some episodes felt lazy and just filler.

Orphan Black

I couldn't have sang the praises of the first season enough, it was new, exciting and a story that has never been told. The acting was superb and everything was on a level that it seemed believable. Then season 2 started, I was lost from the get go. There was a lot going on and I couldn't keep up. It is a show where you have to pay attention to everything, from the foreground to the background it feels, blink and you miss an integral part of the story. I was watching episodes and then had to read a review to know what I just watched. A couple of episodes in and I gave up, it was too much work.

Other misses
Sleepy Hollow
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
The Crazy Ones
The Walking Dead
Awkward

New Obsessions

My life seems to be one obsession after another, I quickly get bored and move on. New things come into my life and I suck them dry for all their worth. I am pretty sure by the end of this post I will have a new obsession I move on that quick. However for now (May 26th) I will talk about some things that are rocking my world.

The Office US

I have mentioned this show in a previous post, I am in love with it. In the space of discovering it a few months ago I have watched every episode at least 3 times. I never thought I would love a show as much as I love this again. My favourite characters are Jim and Pam for reasons I have previously mentioned, but with such an eclectic group of characters I am constantly entertained.

RuPaul's Drag Race - Season 6

I am in love with this show, it basically encapsulates everything I love in a reality show. This season did not disappoint, it may have even upped the stakes a touch. Never before have I struggled with picking a favourite, normally there is a stand out who I support all the way. With this season out of the final three I didn't mind who won. I was so happy for Bianca and I know we will see a lot more from Adore and Courtney. I do have a bit of a crush on Adore so I will be keeping an eye out for her.

Veep
Julia Louis-Dreyfus never disappoints, she can't do any wrong in my eyes; in real life as with her character choices. This show doesn't sound like something I would normally like - its about American politics. I barely know what is happening with British politics (shamefully). However I decided to watch this because of Julia and boy am I glad I did. It is absolutely hilarious, Julia plays Vice President Selina Meyers. Selina never wanted to be Veep and has her eyes firmly set on the Presidents chair. With her not giving a shit attitude and amazing supporting cast I am hooked.

Frasier
It was a slow afternoon one day so I went to my bestie (Netflix) and looked for something to do and their it was; Frasier. I remember this show from my youth and always had a chuckle so I thought why not watch it from the beginning again. Beyond happy I did, its like a whole new sitcom has been released for me. I don't remember anything really from the first time round so its all new jokes and scenarios. I am in love with Frasier and Nile's eccentricities, Daphne's naivety and Roz's quick wit. I feel all grown up watching this show now, I think I am finally appreciating adult comedy.

Big Brother Canada 2
I can't begin to tell you how much better this setup is better than the British equivalent. Yes we have the amazing and beautiful Emma Willis to present ours, but thats the only part we are winning in (not to put down the Canadian presenter, its just I have a big love for Emma). The housemates were all great, love them or hate them. With their setup its 100% more of a game, its all strategy. You will hear '... for my game' endlessly, and you have to respect it - it is a literal competition. When it came to winning I wanted Neda to win, but she got bested by her partner in crime - but John was a very deserving winner.

Music
Sia - Chandelier
Sam Smith - Leave Your Lover
Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood - Something Bad
Lady Antebellum - Bartender
The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack
Lily Allen - Sheezus