Game of Thrones
Ever since Breaking Bad departed our lives (*sobs forever*), Game Thrones graduated to the very best show on our screens. Season 5 may not have been the shows very best but it was still premium entertainment, of a high enough standard (for now) to retain its crown.
By this point in proceedings we are so invested in the lives of all those that inhabit the world of Westeros and Essos that when events don’t go quite as imagined we can become frustrated. I am insanely guilty of this. What I wanted to happen this year as opposed to what did happen ended up being annoyingly far apart. But taking my own sensibilities out of the equation it would be a fallacy to say season 5 wasn’t top tier programming. Packed with huge, game changing moments throughout, moments that both thrilled and horrified audiences, GOT delivered the goods and remained faithful to its unique grisly brand of storytelling. The writers of this show (and George R.R. Martin of course) know what they want to say and how they want to say it. They don’t care if we don’t like it, they don’t care if certain images are upsetting. They know the story they want to tell and they have the testicular fortitude to back it up. That is worthy of respect if nothing else.
Even if season 5 wasn’t the perfect ten of seasons past, anticipation for what comes next is still rampant. We are so close to the end now of this extraordinary saga and season 5 — when viewed in the bigger picture — carries on themes and plots exceptionally well. Even as a 9/10 season, it’s still the best around.
The Leftovers
As of writing this piece we still have one episode to go in Damon Lindelof’s near immaculate second season of The Leftovers and it still makes the list . What a show. I mean, come on. What a show. TV doesn’t get much better than this and the fact it goes vastly unwatched both breaks my heart and endears it to me all the more.
Season 1 was brilliant. It really was brilliant. I fell in love instantaneously with this tale of loss, despair and the madness that comes along for the ride. But season two took everything that worked about year one and just made it better. Somehow, they just made it better. It’s like the Lindelof and team sat around a table and simply said “let’s make it even better this time” — that’s exactly what they did. Benefitting from a switch of locations and introducing some even more screwed up individuals to it’s already hopeless roster of characters, The Leftovers found itself refreshed — not like it needed it — with a more streamlined narrative and a lead man in Kevin that might just be the most fascinating person in television right now.
Assuming the show doesn’t disintegrate during the upcoming finale, you can’t deny — even if you dislike the show — that it’s impeccably well made. The Leftovers isn’t for everyone and it doesn’t have to be. If you like complex characters that wade waist deep in ethically grey waters, if you like a tale that doesn’t spoon feed you information or promise to answer every question you have, then this is the show for you. The Leftovers takes everything that worked with Lost (Lindelof’s previous hit) and provides its audience with an ambiguous brand of storytelling that haunts your f****ng dreams. WATCH THIS SHOW. You can’t make a list such as this without doing so.
Hannibal
I’ve beaten this particular drum. I’ve beaten it hard. And here I am beating it once again. Unfortunately you’ve already failed me, you’ve failed us all as with your indifference or just your lack of presence each week. Hannibal has been cancelled. This truly spectacular show came to an end this year with its third season and although my antipathy towards you all is very real, I’m here once again to do gods work.
Season 3 of the perpetually doomed TV series Hannibal was by far the shows best, and that’s saying something, that’s saying a lot. Probably knowing their fate, Bryan Fuller and team decided to go all out, embracing the madness of its central duo and indulging in every sick and twisted fantasy that bubbled beneath the surface of seasons 1 and 2. Finally reaching the ‘Red Dragon’ chapter of its story, Hannibal treated fans to everything they could ever want, providing a new spin on the books and films that came before while providing a closing statement on the tale that will never be forgotten by all those that watched. Finale’s don’t come much better than this, it’s was all we ever wanted, it was raw, it was brutal, it was perfect.
If there was a rival for GoT for the best show on TV, Hannibal was it, and there is no doubt in my mind Hannibal‘s last season was the best TV had to offer in 2015. If I had physical awards to deal out I would be throwing them at the cast and crew of this show with tears in my eyes, begging them to somehow bring the show back. Hannibal doesn’t need a fourth season, its ending was glorious, but god damn will it be missed. There is a void that will never be filled because of it.
Samuel Brace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=E5phYG-Z0UY
