So what are some of my favorite TV series on the air right now? Below are the shows that you should be watching. They are really really incredible.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
One of the best decisions I ever made was deciding to marathon watch every season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia this past summer. In my opinion, the show is hands down the funniest show on television. The most recent Season 7 definitely wasn't on par with the rest of the series, but before Season 7 it's pretty hard to find an episode that I don't like. There are so many laugh out loud moments in the series. Most of that is due to the fantastic main cast, who also produce and write the series. It's hard to describe what It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about for people who haven't seen it, but it's basically about five people who own an Irish pub in Philadelphia. The five of them, including Danny DeVito, happen to be horrible human beings and they often find themselves in really terrible situations. The still above is from my favorite episode- The Nightman Cometh, which sees my favorite character Charlie staging a rock opera to try and impress a waitress. Comedic gold.
Dexter
Oh man, Dexter was crappy this past season. With predictable plot twists and characters making decisions that made you want to strangle the writers, this past year I've been the least interested in Dexter than I've ever been. But that doesn't stop it from being an amazing show. Dexter is about a Miami forensics expert who moonlights as a serial killer who kills people he's believed have escaped justice. The writing (save for this past season) is incredible and the cast is top notch. Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter, deserves every Golden Globe and Emmy nomination he's received. Dexter is must-watch television and there have been many episodes where I've been glued to my seat waiting to see where the writers would go next. The best season by far is Season 4, which features John Lithgow as the villainous Arthur Mitchell. Unfortunately for Dexter, that season was so good that it's been unable to live up to that standard since. I haven't heard much about Season 7 (which debuts in September) yet, but hopefully Dexter can climb back to where it once was.
The Walking Dead
I don't understand some of the hate that The Walking Dead gets. Yes, sometimes it's slow, especially for a series about zombies and yeah some of the characters are massively underdeveloped. But The Walking Dead is one of the coolest and most exciting shows on TV right now. It's about a group of people struggling to survive a world overrun by zombies. No one is safe in this TV show, including main characters, which we learned at the conclusion of Season 2 last month. The Walking Dead is loosely based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, however it is unique for a series based on previously written material in that it only borrows what it thinks will translate for good television. The show smartly made a decision early on NOT to kill off one of its best characters, unlike the graphic novel, which dispatched one of my favorite characters far too early. The show also added some amazing elements that weren't in the graphic novels- including the scene stealing Merle and Darryl Dixon. While The Walking Dead definitely has a lot of room to get better, that's all I can see it doing. Season 2 just ended but I'm already highly anticipating Season 3 at the end of this year.
Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empire is one of those series that makes you wonder how it could possibly get made. The show seems so wide in scope and it seems like there's so much involved in filming each scene. I do not envy series creator Terrence Winter, but I'm glad he and his team do it as this show is one of the best on TV right now. Boardwalk Empire is set in 1920s and stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, a politician and gangster who rules over Atlantic City by controlling its alcohol during Prohibition. The show boasts one of the biggest and best supporting casts on television right now, including amazing performances from "the Michaels"- Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael K. Williams, and Michael Pitt. My personal favorite happens to be highly underrated Stephen Graham, who portrays real life gangster Al Capone during Capone's early years working in Chicago for Johnny Torrio. I love how Boardwalk Empire blends fact and fiction and perfectly gives time to some 10-20 equally developed and equally interesting characters. Season 2 ended in a big way and I can't wait to see what they do next.
Mad Men
I would do anything to be able to go back in time and get a chance to be an ad man in Manhattan during the 1960s. Mad Men makes it look so cool and Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm) is THE most sophisticated and suave man in the history of television. If I was a fifth as cool as Don Draper, then I'd be doing okay. Mad Men takes place in the 1960s and is about an advertising agency and its mysterious ad executive Don Draper. Created by Matthew Weiner (also a writer on The Sopranos), each Mad Men episode contains some of the most creative writing I've ever seen. Unlike all of the other shows on my list that have a lot of action to drive the plot, Mad Men contains barely any action. Instead, Mad Men relies on developing its characters and getting you invested in them to get you to care about the show. After marathon watching every season of Mad Men these past two months, I truly care about these characters and that's a testament to fantastic writing. Currently on its fifth season, the show has reinvented itself and has become more interesting than ever.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is about as close to perfect as I think any show can get. It should be a crime NOT to watch this show. With each new episode and new plot twist, Breaking Bad continues to blow my mind every episode. It's about a high school chemistry teacher named Walter White (played by the insanely talented Bryan Cranston), who finds out that he has terminal cancer. Instead of reacting like perhaps a normal person would, Walt decides to produce and sell crystal meth in order to leave behind enough money for his family. This is what the first season is about but as Walt continues down a treacherous and winding path, so many incredible elements are added to the show. My favorite part of the show is Gus, the crystal meth kingpin who forces Walt and Walt's partner Jesse to work for him. Gus is one of the greatest villains in TV history and when you consider that the character really doesn't talk all that much that's a pretty impressive feat. Breaking Bad is so smartly written and it knows how to totally shock people. But Breaking Bad is one of the few shows that doesn't do shocking things just for shock value. There have been some instances where something incredible will happen and then you'll re-watch an episode from a season or two ago and you'll see hints that the writers were always thinking of going there. Breaking Bad reportedly only has 16 episodes left before its series finale next year. That will be a very sad day.
Those may be my favorite shows on TV right now, but there's tons of other shows I enjoy. I think I'm one of the few people who really love The Office and 30 Rock still. I also have to admit that Celebrity Apprentice is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm not sure why I like it, but I do. I think New Girl may be one of the best new shows on TV. Some shows I hope to get into in the next few months are Community, Parks and Rec, and Game of Thrones, all of which I've heard really incredible things about. With all of these incredible shows on TV right now, you shouldn't be reading this blog anymore. Go ahead and watch the Breaking Bad pilot. You'll thank me later.
Jared
