Top 5 TV Shows of 2013

2013 was a really good year for TV some great shows came to an end in brilliant and not so brilliant fashion (looking at you Dexter).  There were some great new offerings and the return of some of my favourites.   

Here are my top 5 TV shows of 2013.

WARNING THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS

5: The Walking Dead 

So far I have really enjoyed this series of The Walking Dead.  It might not have been as action packed or as zombie-tastic as previous series but in terms of drama I think it has been top draw.  It is hard to pick a highlight from the first half of the series as there was so much to choose from.  I loved the development between Carl and Rick’s relationship, the bizarre and rather cold transformation of Carol and the siege at the prison but by far the stand out has to be the episodes devoted to the Governor.  He is a truly deranged character (in the graphic novels even more so) but I find him fascinating.  It helps that David Morrissey is such an enigmatic and brilliant actor.  It was great to see some depth to his character and to see him briefly be a good guy for a change.  Of course it couldn’t last and I hated him when he savagely killed off Hershel, one of my favourite characters.  All in all it has been a great first half of series 4 and I can’t wait to see what happens next when it returns later in the year.

4: House of Cards

There is not much this year that has impressed me more than House of Cards and there is nothing about it I don’t like.  In truth it is a nasty show about nasty people, everyone is manipulating each other, everyone is relentlessly selfish but it all felt brutally honest.  It is packed full of great writing and even better performances.  There is not one bad apple in this ensemble cast but the stand out is Kevin Spacey who is brilliant as manipulative congressman Francis Underwood.  Robin Wright, Kate Mara and Corey Stoll are also really impressive.  I feel like many people didn’t get to see this because it was only available on Netflix, but you can buy it on DVD so if good drama and politics is your thing than I suggest getting it.  If you have Netflix then the entirety of series two will be up on February 14^th.

3: Hannibal

Hannibal is my favourite new show of the year it is smart, stylish and creative.  I have to admit when I heard they were going to make this I was not sure, I feel like this has been done a million times before and each one is a little less good than the last.  Then I found out Bryan Fuller was going to create it and I began to hope that this would be great.  It was the casting of Mads Mikkelsen as Dr Lecter that really sealed the deal for me.  I am a really big Mads Mikkelsen fan, I think he is a brilliant actor…I also think he is abnormally attractive.  Mikkelsen is not the only stand out member of the cast Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne, Gillian Anderson, Eddie Izzard and the goddess Gina Torres all help make this my favourite cast of any show on air at the moment.  Hannibal is not just good TV, acting and writing.  The creators, actors and studio have all made an effort to interact with the shows massive and glorious fandom.  I think it is nice to see the makers acknowledge the fans and I hope others follow in their footsteps to not only make great TV but to make fandom more open and interactive.

2: Game of Thrones

I am a massive fan of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series so this season of Game of Thrones was a big deal for me.  I couldn’t wait to see it but I was also dreading it.  The most stand out aspect of this series had to be The Red Wedding where Rob, Catelyn and Talisa Stark were all brutally killed off.  I had the pleasure of seeing that episode with two people who have not read the books, their shock and horror was amusing.  It takes great courage to kill off some of your most loved characters and I commend Martin for writing such heartbreakingly dramatic books and HBO for doing right by them.  Other highlights of the series were Rose Leslie’s Ygritte, Iwan Rheon’s Ramsey and Diana Rigg’s brilliant Olenna Tyrell.

1: Breaking Bad 

In terms of TV there is only one winner in 2013 and that is the finale of Breaking Bad.  It was one hell of a ride and will forever be a favourite of mine.  It is hard to pin point exactly what it is about Breaking Bad that I liked so much.  Sure, the acting and writing was amazing but the characters were more than flawed.  Walter was manipulative and at times just really nasty, Jesse was a cute mess who I mostly felt sorry for yet for some reason I cared about them.  The last two episodes had me in tears and I thought Anna Gunn was exceptional as Skyler White. Unlike so many other shows Breaking Bad went out with a bang.  I could not think of a better ending but I will miss it terribly.