Top 5 TV Shows of 2013-14

As May draws to a close, another season of television is in the books -- even though the idea of a traditional season of television is fading fast as both broadcast and cable networks have begun to premiere shows in the fall, spring, and summer. For the purposes of this post, I'm including television shows with seasons that premiered between June 2013 and May 2014, although a series like Showtime's Penny Dreadful, which premiered two weeks ago, is at a disadvantage due to the small sampling size. With that said, I've assembled here a list of the five shows from that period that I thought stood tall above the rest. These are the shows that left me wanting more each week, anxious to know what was going to happen next. My hope is that you'll find one or all of these shows interesting and that you'll give 'em a shot, if you haven't already.

One thing I'd like to mention: I couldn’t bring myself to watch the final season of Dexter. I was so dismayed after a disastrous Season 6, I was gifted Season 7 on DVD, but never got around to watching it. I felt the urge to try and catch up as the final season premiere edged closer, but once the scathing reviews started rolling in, I sought greener pastures and haven’t looked back since. I’m sure I’ll sit down and watch the last two seasons at some point, but part of me wants to vanquish all traces of the series after Season 5, when the train started to go off the rails.

But enough about the bad. Let's talk about the good!

5. The Americans (FX, Wednesdays, 9 p.m.) Philip and Elizabeth Jennings -- the deep cover Soviet spies whose covert exploits on American soil during the 80's Cold War era function as the central conceit of The Americans -- understood the obvious risks of their mission when the KGB first sent them to America to assume the unassuming identities of a domesticated married couple. But what of the children oblivious to their parents' true identities? While the first season of The Americans focused on the struggles of a marriage that had become more than the operational cover it was intended to be, the second season is as much about Philip and Elizabeth as it is about Paige, the daughter whose growing suspicions about her parents' late night excursions and all-too convenient explanations have only fueled her teenage need to rebel. When Philip and Elizabeth find another family of Soviet illegals murdered in a hotel room in the season premiere, it serves as haunting reminder of the real danger their work poses to their family, one that lingers throughout the season as the elder Jennings consider how the knowledge of their true allegiances would affect their children. The Americans surprised with a strong debut season last year, but a stellar second season has solidified its status as one of the best and most thought-provoking shows on television.

4. Game of Thrones (HBO, Sundays, 8 p.m.) Few shows are as ambitious as Game of Thrones in terms of the scope of their storytelling, and I'm not talking about the mere fact that the show services more than a handful of different storylines. Game of Thrones is not the first nor the last show to adopt a sprawling narrative, but the series has become masterful in how it balances its various storylines, with this season's emphasis on quality over quantity. While the trial of Tyrion in King's Landing has provided the season's most compelling drama, I never grow impatient when the show shifts to Daenerys' rule over Mereen or Arya's trek across Westeros with the Hound or even poor Theon's miserable existence. For once, the show's writers seem to have a strong grasp of how to best utilize their characters, allowing the individual breadth of each storyline to dictate the division of screentime. Pedro Pascal, in the role of Prince Oberyn Martell, with all the swagger of a man who cares little what people think of him or his proclivities, has also proven to be one of the season's most indelible assets. Though he has been relegated to a supporting character for much of the season, Oberyn's deep-seated hatred for the Lannisters and his disregard for the politics and culture of King's Landing have helped build this season's themes of family, justice, and revenge.

3. True Detective (HBO, Sundays, 8 p.m.) I’ve heard this era of television referred to as the “golden age” of original scripted programming on more than one occasion, and with good reason. The level of quality storytelling has never been higher across the board, in my opinion, attracting top talent both in front and behind the camera and reversing the notion that television is a wasteland for declining film actors. But whenever upstart cable networks like FX, Showtime, and AMC begin to dominate the conversation, HBO is quick to remind everyone who started this revolution in the first place -- and I can’t imagine a more sobering wake-up call than True Detective. The series follows a contained storyline that unfolds over the course of eight episodes, each one written by show creator Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Fukunaga. In this first season, Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey take center stage as Detectives Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle, respectively, who are tasked with investigating a ritualistic murder in South Louisiana. From that simple logline, it might sound like a straightforward whodunit, but I assure you it is not. While the traditional elements of a classic pulp crime novel are intact, the cinematic aesthetic, the intricate writing, and the riveting lead performances are what set this show apart from the rest.

2. Hannibal (NBC, Fridays, 9 p.m.) Had a certain other television show not produced one of the greatest single seasons of all time, Hannibal would be sitting atop this list after an outstanding sophomore season, having avoided the dreaded second year slump that has plagued lesser shows. Opening the premiere with a shocking tease of the reckoning to come in the finale, Hannibal promised its audience members that it knew where it was going, and those who strapped in for the roller coaster ride were treated to a tense cat-and-mouse game between a brilliant psychopath who hides in plain sight and the criminal profiler determined to expose him for the monster that he is. By reversing the dynamic of Red Dragon, with Will Graham forced to outsmart and outmaneuver Dr. Hannibal Lecter from behind bars for much of the season, Hannibal continued to be both wildly unpredictable and wickedly entertaining. While the remarkable performances of lead actors Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen remain the show's main course, Michael Pitt proved to be one of this season's most appetizing new additions (if you'll forgive the obvious dinner puns) in the role of Mason Verger. His turn as the cruel and sadistic brother to one of Hannibal's patients helped energize the latter half of the season as it hurtled towards the bloodbath glimpsed in the premiere.

1. Breaking Bad (AMC, Sundays, 8 p.m.) If you expected any other television series to be holding down the top spot on this list, then you must have been living under a rock while one of the most acclaimed television series of the last decade concluded with a final season run of eight spectacular episodes. From the moment that garage door closed behind Walter White as he prepared to go toe to toe with his brother-in-law Hank Schrader in the midseason premiere, it was clear that the writers had no intention of pulling their punches. The gloves were off, and what followed was one of the most thrilling seasons of television I have ever seen. Each episode packed the punch of a finale, pulling the pin on grenades that the show had been stockpiling for four and a half seasons. While the first half of the fifth and final season saw Walt attain the unequivocal success he had fought so hard to achieve, the back half of the season was all about forcing Walt to consider the true weight of his achievements as the sins of his past began to consume everything he held dear. The show's exceptional cast all delivered the best work of their respective careers, saving their best for last, but the highest praise belongs to creator Vince Gilligan and his writing staff for crafting and completing a series that will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

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For context, the shows I also watched this season that missed the cut: American Horror Story, The Bridge, Fargo, Justified, Penny Dreadful, Silicon Valley, Sleepy Hollow, and Sons of Anarchy.

5 Reasons To Start Watching NBC's "Hannibal"

On Friday, February 28th, Season 2 of Hannibal premieres on NBC. Inspired by the series of novels from author Thomas Harris and re-imagined for television by head writer and executive producer Bryan Fuller, Hannibal is about the tenuous friendship between Will Graham, a gifted criminal profiler whose overactive imagination allows him to empathize with and understand the serial killers that he hunts, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the noted psychiatrist tasked with ensuring that Will doesn't let his work consume him. Unbeknownst to Will and his colleagues at the FBI, Hannibal uses his professional reputation to conceal his true nature, and it soon becomes clear that his personal agenda might be more sinister than anyone could have imagined. Sound interesting to you? Because if it does, then there is no excuse for why you haven't been watching.

Hannibal is a show that is high on critical acclaim but short on ratings. Television critics can't stop raving about it, but audience members at home can't even seem to find the remote. And this is a problem, because low ratings means low interest from advertisers, and if a network can't sell advertisers on their show, then that show is not long for this world, unfortunately. And I'd rather not live in a world without Hannibal. So, in the interest of keeping a fantastic show on the air, I've put together a list of reasons why Hannibal requires -- and deserves -- your attention.

5. Bryan Fuller is due for a hit show. Hannibal is the fourth television series created by Bryan Fuller, with none of his previous three -- Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, and Pushing Daisies -- lasting more than two seasons, despite near unanimous critical acclaim and small, but devoted followings. The problem is that Fuller tends to create shows that tread off the beaten path, which can alienate more mainstream audiences who are interested in less stylized fare that is easier to swallow. But because Fuller's shows offer a creative detour from your standard procedurals, his shows are best known for their affectionate fan bases, which are often small in number but unrivaled in terms of passion. NBC renewed Hannibal for a second season in spite of the first season's diminishing ratings because it was willing to take a chance on a brilliant show that had everything but the appreciation of a larger audience, after languishing in a tough Thursday night time slot opposite ABC's Scandal and CBS's Elementary. Now, NBC will be airing Hannibal on Fridays, a gamble the could either sink the show for good or allow it to take advantage of a night that more than a few people consider to be the graveyard shift of weeknight television.

4. Haven't read the books or watched the movies? No problem. Yes, the character of Hannibal Lecter was made famous by Anthony Hopkins' bone-chilling portrayal of the sophisticated cannibal in the film series that began with 1991's The Silence of The Lambs. But Hannibal is a bold re-imagining of the source material, drawing more from the original series of novels by author Thomas Harris, and serves as a prequel of sorts to the events that take place in the books. The first two seasons and, if all goes well, the third season are what Fuller likes to refer as the "lost novels" in the series, with Harris' original trilogy serving as the basis for the theoretical fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. So you don't have to be familiar with either the books or the films to appreciate or understand the show, but it will enrich the experience, as the shows' writers do like to make subtle (and not-so-subtle) callbacks to the source material and even utilize supporting characters from the literature such as Freddie Lounds, Dr. Frederick Chilton, and Mason and Margot Verger.

3. This is not violence for the sake of violence. I must warn you: There are scenes and images in Hannibal that I'm positive you will find disturbing (See: The "cello neck"). But this is not a show that is interested in escalating the level of violence and gore of each episode for the sake of mere shock value, because Hannibal is more than a simple whodunit. Will is tasked with finding the individuals responsible for a variety of gruesome murders, but to do so he must first understand their motivations, and the key lies somewhere in the details of their heinous crimes. Part of what makes Hannibal so entertaining is watching Will deconstruct and re-enact (in his own head, mind you) the murder itself, hoping to use the specific nature of the crime to glean personal details about the person responsible. Most of the elaborate crime scene tableaus are borderline absurd, because the intent is not to reproduce a realistic homicide, but rather to create a macabre portrait that illustrates the twisted psychology of its killers. Hannibal is less about the "how" and more about the "why" when it comes to examining what drives people to take the lives of others, and the psychological toll it must take on the man being asked to step inside their twisted psyches.

2. The performances are among the best on television. I was disappointed, but also not that surprised, when not a single cast member of Hannibal was nominated for an Emmy or a Golden Globe this past year. It speaks to the current quality of television programming -- in particular cable dramas, which have dominated of late -- that a brilliant show like Hannibal can be shut out of the awards, but unfortunately it does also mean that a struggling show in desperate need of some much-deserved public attention will go unrecognized. Just watch the first season and you'll understand what I mean when I say that Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen are two of the most underrated actors on television right now. Their outstanding performances as Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, respectively, and the relationship between those two characters are what serve as the show's central nervous system. In addition to the strong supporting cast, led by stalwart Laurence Fishbourne as Will's boss Jack Crawford, Hannibal also boasts an impressive line-up of guest stars, including the likes of Gillian Anderson, Eddie Izzard, and Gina Torres.

1. It is the boldest and most creative drama on broadcast television. From the simple fact that I even bothered to write this column, you can infer that I am a huge fan of Hannibal. Believe me, I never expected to like it as much as I did, but I was hooked from the first episode. I liked the movies, for the most part, but not enough that I was sold on the idea of a television show about Hannibal Lecter, sight unseen. But Bryan Fuller has defied expectations and, with a fresh take, re-invigorated source material that most considered stale, allowing the show to slip out from under the shadow of Anthony Hopkins' iconic performance and create a Hannibal Lecter for the modern age that is as spine-tingling as his predecessor. It is difficult to talk about the phenomenal writing of Hannibal without spoiling the events of the first season, but know this: This is not a show that is interested in wasting your time. With 13 episodes per season, the storytelling is tight and methodical, and the end result is an amazing achievement, thanks in large part to the exceptional cast and breathtaking production design, in addition to the stellar writing staff. With the unexpected success of FOX's Sleepy Hollow, I'm hopeful that audiences who are eager to embrace shows that are outside-the-box will discover Hannibal and see to it that this outstanding show survives.

Need to catch up on the first season before the premiere of Season 2 on Friday, February 28th? Season 1 of Hannibal is available for purchase on DVD or Blu-Ray on Amazon (or you can check your local retail store), where you can also stream the entire first season online for a price. Hannibal is also available to rent on DVD (by mail) with Netflix, but is not available for streaming on Netflix Instant. Or, if the idea of watching all 13 episodes sounds like too much work for you, you can check out the official video recap of the complete first season here.