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

Life's a Witch

In celebration of Halloween and also the return of one of the best TV shows tonight, American Horror Story, I thought I would introduce you to my favourite TV witches. I strictly picked TV because I was flummoxed at the amount of movie witches I could have picked. I am extremely excited for the return of American Horror Story, especially as it is to be centred around witches! Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe, Kathy Bates and Taissa Farmiga are all to star and I think it will be the best season yet. So lets go and get this magical (get it?) countdown on the go.

5. Bonnie (The Vampire Diaries)

Our poor Bonnie does not get an easy ride of it in Mystic Falls does she? She has basically seen everyone she loves either be killed or turned in to a vampire! She is often called upon to help with their issues and do some magic spell to save the day - only problem is is that she is young and she can't really control her powers. Proof of that at the end of the last season.

4. Alex (Wizards of Waverly Place)

Ok, technically not a witch - she is a wizard (I don't know the difference). This part introduced us to the talented Selena Gomez. She is a brilliant comic actress with amazing comic timing. Alex often gets in trouble with her magic abilities and can be quite careless. However she ends up winning the family wizard title thing so she can't be that bad.

3. Willow (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

It is hard to consider her as one of the greatest witches after season 6 (you know what I am talking about). Trying to kill my love The Buffster is just a step to far, but I get it - the love of her life was shot, she had to get revenge at any cost and Buffy had to be all about saving the world, it would have pissed me off aswell. However for the bad she did she also did the world a tonne of good aswell, saving the world in season 7 can make you forget about scary black haired, vainy faced Willow.

2. Sabrina (Sabrina The Teenage Witch)

Probably my first foray into the witching world as a child. Sabrina finds out at 16 she is a witch and she must live with her aunties to learn the ways of the witching world. Hilarity ensues as she has to learn how to use her power and reveal the family secret at the same time (whilst also learning how to be a teenage girl with boy crushes, boobs and bullies). This show was hilarious and was the perfect antidote for a bad day at school.

1. Prue, Phoebe, Piper and Paige (Charmed)

I couldn't pick one sister from another, they were all great in their own way. I loved this show and even collected the Charmed Magazine where you could build your own Book Of Shadows (I had a lot of free time in my youth). I just enjoy a good kick ass show, with horror, comedy and drama. This show had it all in buckets. Was gutted when Prue died but was more than happy with the replacement. I would crave an extra sibling when I was younger just so we could chant 'The Power of three will set us free' - just to see what happened.