2012 Calvin Awards: Best TV Show
By David Mumpower
February 13, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
The best television series is Breaking Bad. I commented in last year’s announcement that Breaking Bad had the most first place votes of any series. Its problem was that there wasn’t a lot of support beyond the zealots. The situation changed with the latest round of voting as Breaking Bad not only increased in terms of first place votes but also garnered several honorable mentions from others. The end result is that the highly regarded but lightly watched AMC program averaging less than two million viewers per episode joins the above list of impeccable television series. This is heady company but Breaking Bad deserves the recognition.
After a seven episode trial run in 2008, the Bryan Cranston showcase has meticulously chronicled the corruption of a high school chemistry teacher who once considered himself a nice guy. By the end of season four, viewers learned that any remaining virtues the teacher once had have been extinguished. What is left now is a Walter White, a ruthless meth dealer who is not above poisoning loved ones if he sees illicit gain in the action.
Breaking Bad had ardent support prior to season four, but make no mistake on the point. This most recent 13 episode story arc is what put the show over the top, elevating it from sixth place last year to the obvious choice for Best Television Show. Anyone who watches Breaking Bad understands why. The climactic events this season included a ringing bell, an old man’s look of satisfaction and a man adjusting his suit in a final reflexive action. The series finale of season four of Breaking Bad may be the finest in the 2000s. If you have not been watching the program prior to now, the current hiatus is the perfect opportunity to catch up and thereby celebrate its greatness. Breaking Bad obtained over 40% of the first place votes in the category. The consensus was that strong.
There is a philosophy in boxing, pro wrestling and MMA that the challengers add to the mystique of the champion. Defeating an opponent who is deemed as powerful makes the best in the world seem better. If this is true of television as well, the fact that Breaking Bad won the vote this year is all the more impressive when we consider that the show finishing in second place is Justified. We heralded the show’s arrival last year in naming it our eighth favorite show. Its follow-up season, however, is where the show found its footing as the most dynamic in television.
The key was the arrival of the Bennett clan and their matriarch, Mags. Margo Martindale was a Tony Award winning actress long before she joined the series but her work on Justified earned her in an Emmy in what I can only imagine was a unanimous vote. Somehow equal parts ruthless and cordially folksy, Mags maneuvered the citizens of Harlan, Kentucky into working against their best interests in order to secure the futures of one and only one of her three sons and his family. And oh yes, she also killed a man, then stole his daughter to raise as her own. Evil is always scariest when it comes in the form of a nondescript person who has the element of surprise on their side. Mags Bennett makes a decadent apple pie and she is one of the greatest villains in the history of television. Season two of Justified is must watch television and our choice as the second best show of the year.
Last year’s winner maintains a great deal of popularity this year as Modern Family finishes as our third place selection. The past 12 months included another series of misadventures for the extended Pritchett/Dunphy clan. War was waged for the rights to raise Lily if something happened to her two daddies; a school declared its love for the F-word; Phil and Claire switched good cop/bad cop roles for a day to disastrous results; and family patriarch Jay spent a night with his son’s gay friends, winding up making a drunken antiquing date with Nathan Lane. Modern Family somehow walks the line between inspired lunacy and perfectly measured comedy each episode. It has the deepest, most robust cast for any television program since Cheers. BOP’s affection for the program is total and while it slipped a bit in the vote this year, I expect it to be a mainstay on the Best TV Show list for many years to come.
The other two series in the top five are Parks and Recreation and Game of Thrones. The former show moves up one spot from fifth place while also increasing its overall voting by 10%. Originally conceived as a centerpiece for Amy Poehler, the show evolved into a deep roster of comedians who mesh much better than The Office or 30 Rock these days. Game of Thrones is the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s masterwork and I strongly suspect that the only reason it didn’t do even better is because only half the voters subscribe to HBO. The title isn’t released on home video until next month, so the fact that Game of Thrones still attained a top five finish speaks to its impeccable quality. The series packed innumerable surprises in the first season including one of the most daring ever aired on television. I won’t spoil it since you should be watching Game of Thrones. Do it if for no other reason than to watch BOP fave Peter Dinklage in the role of his career as Tyrion Lannister, the unwanted prince whose self-preservation depends upon his wits and his gold.
Last year’s silver medalist, Community, falls to sixth place this time as our ardent support died out. The self-aware celebration of pop culture unquestionably had its high points over the past 12 months, particularly Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Critical Film Studies and the two-part season finale A Fist Full of Paintballs and For a Few Paintballs More. Alas, the overall uneven consistency of Community cooled our passion a bit, which is why the show’s voting total is down over 50% from 2011.
Part of the reason for the decline of Community is the ascension of Archer, an animated spy thriller that is just as focused on pop culture but about a thousand times dirtier. Archer doesn’t simply push boundaries. The show’s writers take glee in going way too far and seeing how much leeway the viewer gives them as they do so. Archer grew from being a “Hey, have you ever watched it?” novelty to a post-episode quote-a-thon over the past year. It is definitely not a show for everyone but to those who open their minds to its charms, Archer provides more uproarious laughs per episode than any other program on television. Yuuuuuuup.
Louie, our eighth place selection, is the semi-fictional FX Network series about the life of comedian Louis C. K. Described by a BOP staff member as the “least formulaic comedy that I’ve seen”, it features interspersed stand-up monologues with storylines and vignettes. Also, these segments are absolutely merciless toward Louie himself, castigating him for all of his self-observed personal failings. Louie is equal parts Woody Allen, Dave Chappelle and Seinfeld and almost always hysterical.
Our ninth place finisher, Happy Endings, positions itself as the new Friends albeit in a slightly less formulaic manner. Since these characters are still evolving, their behavior is more erratic but the laughs are roughly similar. Damon Wayans Jr. proves each episode that the Wayans family tradition for funny is alive and kicking while Elisha Cuthbert reminds us that she can do more than hide away from cougars Jack Bauer hasn’t gotten around to killing yet. She is the show’s Joey, pretty and loving but not cursed with a lot of self-awareness. The breakout stars, however, are Penny and Max, a not-couple who border on being life partners. Max is gay and Penny always dreamed of having a gay BFF so the two mesh perfectly. What is refreshing is that while the subject of many punchlines, Max’s homosexuality is not a driving portion of the plot. He is just another slacker in the city, struggling to get by. The fact that he likes dudes is almost irrelevant…except to Penny. Happy Endings has occasional missteps in terms of storylines but when it is on, it is must-watch television.
This is the last time we are allowed to herald the genius of Friday Night Lights, our tenth place selection. The winner for Best TV Show of 2008, this series ended on a high note last year with a wonderful conclusion wherein clear eyes and full hearts did not lose in the state championship. This victory allowed the two-time Texas state champion high school coach Eric Taylor to walk away on a high note as he followed loyal wife Tami in her dream job as Dean of Admissions at a selective private college in Pennsylvania. The Taylor family was the finest on television for a period of five years. Due to its strange release pattern, we were allowed to laud the show in six different Best TV Show votes. It finished third, first, third, third, ninth and tenth. This says everything about how much Friday Night Lights has resonated with our staff over the years. If you still haven’t given this series a chance, you owe it to yourself to do so. Friday Night Lights is everything television entertainment should be.
Narrowly missing inclusion this year but fully worthy of your attention are Boardwalk Empire, New Girl, Psych, Suits, Sons of Anarchy, Downton Abbey, American Horror Story, The Good Wife, The Walking Dead, Castle, Homeland, Treme, Leverage and Doctor Who. This is a golden age for television. It is also the easiest time ever to consume media. Celebrate as many of these programs as you can. All are worthy of your time in the estimation of BOP’s staff.
The Calvins: An Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture