Here's a look back at all the TV winners and losers as we close out the year. See if you agree!Once again, The Walking Dead has managed to break its own insane ratings record, with the season five premiere attracting 17.3 million viewers, the show's highest ratings ever. 11 million of them happened to be in the coveted 18-49 demo. The zombie series will never garner any awards attention, but who cares? And a companion series is now also on the way, starring Kim Coates.
The true TV miracle of 2014, HBO's cult hit faux reality show starring Lisa Kudrow came back for a second season nine years after its cancellation. And it was--dare we say it?--even better than the first time around. The second-season finale left us speechless, and in tears, and all we want for 2015 is for Kudrow to win an Emmy for this crazy good performance.
It took 5 years since Lost's demise for us to care as much—and obsess as much—about a TV series, and it came in the form of a sudsy-looking drama about two philanderin', cheatin' hottie McToddies (Ruth Wilson and Dominic West), playing two versions of themselves. Yeah, we were shocked, too! The Affair turned out to be so much more than what it seemed, with an expertly layered storyline that questions how our memories inform everything we think we know. A++++++++++.
We didn't love the finale. We wanted to know who killed the victim and why. But we love this show so much, we're willing to get over. Especially given the plan for season two.
A huge year for True Detective, Fargo and American Horror Story, who proved that serialized scripted dramas just can't move at the same pace, with the same stakes, without seeming ridiculous. Just some insanely good TV all the way around, and the early pickups for more seasons, coupled with stellar ratings, prove this trend is here to stay, obvi.
As the first Golden Globe nominee for acting (and for comedy series, for Jane the Virgin) in the history of the CW network, Rodriguez shattered the glass cieling and proved that talent and likeability CAN get you the recognition you deserve. We just can't help but want Rodriguez to become a huge star.
The first episode of this highly anticipated new series from Starz surpassed 5 million multiplatform views in the first week alone, drawing equal male and female viewership. The show was also number one in Nielsen Ratings for Twitter conversation among all TV shows on premiere day. Those are the facts. But the squee factor is this: We just can't get enough of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan's HOT AS FIRE chemistry.
This freshman Fox comedy starring Andy Samberg won the Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Actor awards at the Golden Globes after only being on the air 4 months! Brooklyn started off with a quite unexpected bang in 2014, but then was perhaps this year's most noticeable snub, losing out its bid at the globes to the CW's Jane the Virgin.
Not only is one of TV's best comedies ending, but NBC decided to hold it til Feb 2015 and burn it off in less than two months. So. Not. Cool.
The premiere episode pulled in more than 19 million viewers in the first week, the midseason finale served up one of the best twists all season long on any show, and Viola Davis continues to deliver a master class in acting and no B.S. Hollywood attitudes every Thursday. The biggest fall TV success story.
FX's Fargo was truly addictive television and we can't overlook the number one reason why: The sunning performance of Allison Tolman, who was plucked from obscurity to beat out hundreds of actresses including well-known A-LIsters, to score the female lead opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman. She isn't going to be a part of season two, but she did score a great turn on Fox's The Mindy Project and we can't wait to see what's next for her.
Pulling off the biggest shocker of 2014 TV--the death of Josh Charles and the hopes and dreams of Will and Alicia shippers around the world, The Good Wife proved it was at the top of its game when it comes to truly surprising twists. Even more surprising, but so very welcome, was the fact that the CBS drama was able to keep its ratings high, and fans engaged, after the unfortunate loss of Josh/Will.
