10. The Big Bang Theory (Season 9 - RENEWED) on CBS 2014-2015 Rank: 10 (-) I mostly have continued to watch Big Bang Theory out of familiarity lately. I still enjoy the characters, but I'm mostly just going through the motions here. Not a lot can really change at this point, but the formula still works. The new things that occurred this past season included Leonard and Penny heading off to Vegas to get eloped, Howard and Bernadette getting pregnant, and Sheldon and Amy finally sleeping together for the first time. These of course are big moments that aren't unusual over the course of several seasons of a sitcom. The characters develop and life goes on. BBT had its share of usual guest stars, including reprised roles from Wil Wheaton, Bob Newhart and Stephen Hawking and new appearances from Elon Musk and Adam West. We also had the first appearances of Leonard's father (Judd Hirsch) and Sheldon's Meemaw (June Squibb). Finally, Raj's love interest through the second half of the season was played by Alessandra Torresani. Most people probably aren't familiar with her, but I've written about her on here before. She first came to my attention in a leading role on the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica, though she was also the first Ann (her?) on Arrested Development, only appearing in one episode. I was lucky enough to meet her the first time I went to San Diego Comic-Con, where she loved my Chuck costume, then again the next year where she signed a picture of me (dressed as Chuck) and her from the previous year. Even better, Zachary Levi (Chuck himself!) was sitting next to her at the time and also signed the picture. Good times. I think I've digressed a bit...that's all I have to say about BBT. |
9. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season 2 - RENEWED) on Netflix 2014-2015 Rank: 7 (-2) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is much like the creators' previ0us series 30 Rock. It's silly and the jokes are sometimes challenging to get, but worth it if you do get them. The characters are over the top but mostly in a good way. Kimmy, Titus, Jacqueline and Lillian play off of each other well, but each have plenty of their own independent struggles. Kimmy continued her quest to distance herself from her kidnapped youth, trying to become an adult. Titus found love in a construction worker who is dating a man for the first time. Jacqueline is newly-divorced and trying to shift away from her materialistic past to lead a less greedy life. And Lillian struggled with their longtime "bad" neighborhood being invaded by hipsters and turning it into an up-and-coming neighborhood. |
8. The Last Man On Earth (Season 2 - RENEWED) on FOX 2014-2015 Rank: 15 In the second season of The Last Man On Earth, the gang found a new home on the cliffs of Malibu. The first half of the season continued the power struggle between the Phil Millers, though Phil/Tandy was doing a better job of trying not to be so selfish. By mid-season, Phil/not Tandy died of Appendicitis and left Erica alone and pregnant with their child. Meanwhile in space, we discover Phil/Tandy's brother Mike is alive at the International Space Station. He finds a way to get home and by mid-season he is reunited with his brother Phil and the gang. The second half of the season showed the struggle Phil/Tandy accepting that everyone loves his brother. Mike unfortunately became sick, assumingly due to the virus that he wasn't previously exposed to in space, and is left to assumingly die in his family's home in Tucson. Also, Todd is dating both Melissa and Gail, Phil/Tandy and Carol became pregnant, and the season ended with a boat docking off shore containing three men with guns. |
7. Master Of None (Season 1 - RENEWED) on Netflix 2014-2-15 Rank: NEW SHOW Aziz Ansari returns to television almost immediately after his previous show Parks and Recreation concluded last year. Master Of None, which was picked up by Netflix, features Aziz as a young Indian-American trying to make it as an actor in New York. The laughs are there, but the joy comes from watching Aziz navigate trying to live and survive in New York city. One treat is the casting of Aziz's real life parents as his on-screen parents. Aziz does not play himself on the show, but it's probably safe to assume his parents' roles are not far off from their real life personas, which are great. |
6. Silicon Valley (Season 3 - RENEWED) on HBO 2014-2015 Rank: 6 (-) The Pied Piper gang continued moving forward, trying to make something of their advanced compression algorithm. They finally released their software to much fanfare, but unfortunately it could not retain users. The main problem was simply that people don't understand the technology they are offering. In a desperation move, Jared went behind everyone's backs to hire a click farm in Bangladesh. Basically, people sit in an office and create fake users all day. It deceptively shows a higher number of users for their software, keeping the investors happy. It's hard to believe they'll get away with this for too long. |
5. Fresh Off The Boat (Season 2 - RENEWED) on ABC 2014-2015 Rank: 20 (+15) I didn't watch much of Fresh Off The Boat in it's first season, but this past year I spent much more time with the Wongs. Hence the big jump in my rankings. It is a very enjoyable and funny show with a likable cast of characters. The Asian-American experience in the 90's is what drives the show, but the comedy is still very relatable. |
4. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Season 11 - RENEWED) on FXX 2014-2015 Rank: 9 (+5) Sunny is still going strong. It's probably not a show that generates much new viewership at this point, but it must have a loyal fan base. FXX lets them do pretty much whatever they want and it has continued to show for over a decade. The stories can seem rehashed sometimes, especially when they bring back old favorites like CharDee MacDennis, but if you enjoy the humor of the show it continues to deliver. They did break the mold for one episode this season, uncharacteristically leaving their beloved Philadelphia for a spoof on 80's ski movies. Sunny doesn't really do spoofs (or leave Philly), so this episode feels a bit out of place to a long time viewer. With that being said, it was indeed a fun episode and probably even more fun if you remember the film Ski School. |
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 3 - RENEWED) on FOX 2014-2015 Rank: 2 (-1) After a few seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine can pretty much maintain their formula for laughs and it will continue to be funny. Over time, like most shows, it could get stale. But the officers of the Nine-Nine (and Gina) are too fun to miss out on. Though not a mockumentary, the show has a lot of similarities to workplace sitcoms like Parks and Rec and The Office. Each of those shows lasted several seasons and I believe Brooklyn Nine-Nine has what it takes to achieve similar goals. |
2. The Goldbergs (Season 3 - RENEWED) on ABC 2014-2015 Rank: 11 (+9) Much like Fresh Off The Boat, I didn't give The Goldbergs a lot of attention in previous seasons. But this past season, in part thanks to my girlfriend, I have watched many more episodes. The Goldbergs is a family comedy that takes place in the 80s, so the nostalgia of 80s references is certainly a big part of the show. But the family itself is what keeps you coming back for more. Incredibly, this is based on the real family of show creator Adam F. Goldberg and the show lovingly shows clips of his old video tapes from growing up at the end of each episode. |
1. New Girl (Season 5 - RENEWED) on FOX 2014-2015 Rank: 4 (+3) This show has gone up and down a lot throughout the series. I do however feel that New Girl's fifth season was one of its strongest. I enjoyed the storylines, and I like that they've kept Nick and Jess apart. It allows for more relationship stories between the two and a rotating cast of guest stars. Unlike Jess and Nick's relationship, I'm very happy for Schmidt and CeCe's successful adventure as a couple. The two characters have each grown a lot throughout the series and their marriage at the end of the season was a great thing for the show. Nick and Jess were always the focal point of the show, but Schmidt and CeCe show true heart. |
Next 9:
11. Mozart In The Jungle (Season 2 - RENEWED) on Amazon
12. Saturday Night Live (Season 41 - RENEWED) on NBC
13. Portlandia (Season 6 - RENEWED) on IFC
14. Broad City (Season 3 - RENEWED) on Comedy Central
15. Vice Principals (Season 1 - RENEWED) on HBO
16. The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret (Season 3 - END?) on IFC
17. The Muppets (Season 1 - CANCELLED) on ABC
18. Catastrophe (Season 2 - RENEWED) on Amazon
19. Mindy Project (Season 4 - RENEWED) on Hulu