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TFG1Mike’s Top 13 TV Shows of 2013

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TFG1Mike’s Top 13 TV Shows of 2013

 TV has been my life since I was about four years old. Or that’s as far back as I can remember it being the all important thing in my life. 2013 had some very great shows, some medicore shows, and shows I just didn’t give a crap about. So without any ado… here are my Top 13 of 2013.  I TRIED my best to limit this to shows that STARTED in 2013, but sadly some recurring had to show up. 

Honorable mention to The Voice Season 5, it didn’t make the list because the only good thing was the coaches banter and performances. I didn’t care for any of the Top 10 artists at all. The ones I did like ending up getting sent home before their time.

13 Deception

Deception

Deception looked really cool, and it was!After rewatching it though I can’t help but ask this question: WHAT was NBC’s plan for this? It seemed as if it was just a 1 Season series, and poof it’s done. I mean if you look at the plot of the series, it’s hard to imagine it going longer than one season. However I liked it enough that I thought we should see more with these characters. And honestly any time Victor Garber is on TV you know it’s gonna be good. It comes in as my #13 because I did very much enjoy it, I didn’t keep up with it as it aired after about the 5th episode. On the rewatch I found myself enjoying it more as the story progressed.

12 The Goldbergs

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I AM A CHILD OF THE 80s I LOVE NEARLY EVERYTHING about that decade. However The Goldbergs only comes in at #12, because it didn’t knock my socks off. I watched the first six or seven episodes, and then quickly lost interest. the cast is good, I like Jeff Garlin, but the older brother Barry annoyed the crap outta me. After about the 8th ep the only reason why I checked it out again was that Stan Bush’s The Touch was in an episode. I guess the shows comedy style didn’t really grab me, and say you need to be watching this. There are 11 other shows that I enjoyed more.

11 Total Divas

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SHUTUP!!! One of the only reasons I watch Total Divas is I always enjoy seeing behind the scenes of the WWE. TD is your average reality TV show. There’s drama, emotional moments, and more. WWE has pretty much taken the concept of Tough Enough and NXT and combined them into this. With obviously the focus being on established Divas, and newbies Eva Marie and Jojo. The other reason I watch it is because well the BELLA TWINS are HOT! It’s interesting to see how different Nikki and Brie are in “real” life. They are twins, but they lead completely different personal lives. It also helps the show that the Bellas are dating two of the WWE top guys, John Cena and Daniel Bryan. While I enjoy TD it misses the Top 10, because it’s more of a guilty pleasure that I don’t talk about much.

10 The Michael J. Fox Show

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MJF MJF!!! The crowd chants!!!So this is loosely based on Michael J. Fox’s real life, the series shows how it is dealing with Parkinsons. However I almost wish this was a reality TV comedy. The fact that they got actors and not his real family to be in this just takes away from the concept for me. You might be asking then WHY TFG1Mike is it your #10? Well the comedy is great, and I think it deserves all the recognition… It just wasn’t me. The actors playing the kids are annoying as all hell, and while I LOVE seeing Betsy Brandt outside of Breaking Fad… not even Doc Brown himself could come back from the future and save my opinion of this show. It’s good, but there are NINE better shows out there.

9 Heroes of Cosplay

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WHAT the….? Yeah every now and then I watch SyFy…. this show was interesting to me, because I always like seeing how some stuff is made. These cosplayers do put a lot of work, blood, sweat, and tears into making outstanding costumes. I did feel though that at times in the first season that there was wayyy to much drama. The first four episodes after watching them I felt well all this show is showing me is that some fail…. a lot! I get that people have set backs, but yikes they focussed on those wayy more than the sucesses of the cosplayers. I do hope it comes back though.

8 The Crazy Ones

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ROBIN WILLIAMS BACK ON TV FULL TIME!!!!!!!!! I was so stoked for this series!!!! The cast looked gtreat in the first four episodes, and lets face it it’s ROBIN FREAKIN’ WILLIAMS!!!!! I loved the father daughter aspect between him and SMG, but after awhile the supporting cast dragged this show on and on for me. Williams’s comedy is pure genius, but the supporting actors it just turned too weird for me. It gets the #8 spot because when I was watching it I did very much enjoy it.

Sleepy Hollow

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The Legend brought to life! This might be the BEST adaptation of Sleepy Hollow ever. It’s very unique, yet familiar. With the whole time travel type thing, but what is unique about it is how Crane and the Horsemen are tied together. Plus it has Clancy Brown as the Sherriff in the first episode, and flashbacks later on. You might think that bgecause I AM NOT A FAN OF HORROR AT ALL…That I wouldn’t like this show, well you’d be wrong. I love the mystery behind it all.

6 Revenge

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I was probably one of the few that resisted Revenge for the longest time. I honestly have no idea why… however I’m ll caught up and ready for more. This is another of ABC’s best shows in the Sunday night 9pm E/8C spot. It has compelling storytelling, great acting, and twists you never saw coming. I was unsure where they were gonna go after the first season, but to my surprise they’ve kept the twists coming through seasons 2 and 3.

5 The Big Bang Theory

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BAZINGA BABY! Big Bang has been my #1 Comedy since it’s first season. The greatest thing about this show is that it started out almost making fun of geek culture, but as it’s progressed over seven seasons… It has become more about the haracters and their relationships with each other. Versus consistently making fun of geeks. SURE they got some D&D stuff wrong, but really after 7 years you are gonna say EFF this show, because of that one episode. The way I look at it is that it took elements of D&D and molded it to fit the show. BBT continues to be a show that I can watch the new eps every week, and the reruns all the time.

4 Crossing Lines

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Crossling Lines was something I came across through NBC’s ads of it. It stars Donald Sutherland and William Fictner. Most people will remember Fictner from Armageddon and his cameo role as the mob bank manager in The Dark Knight. Donald Sutherland should be easily recognizable from his stellar film career. I loved him in the 2003 The Italian Job. So Crossing Lines is kinda like a cross between James Bond, Mission: Impossible, and Hitman. Louie is creating this elite unite of cops that only investigates crimes that cross borders of countries. It is a very interesting police procedural with a few twists. I’m hoping that it will come back for a second Season.

3 White Collar

White Collar Banner

Once I found USA’s White Collar there was no going back! I LOVE this show! The concept is interesting, and similar to Dexter. However I like this a little better. The characters at the point of Season 5 are very well fleshed out, and everyone has their faves. If I were just doing a list of the Top 13 Cable Network shows this would easily be #1. It stars Matt Bomber, most might remember him from Tru Calling or In Time, and he was also in Magic Mike, as well as the voice of Superman in Superman: Unbound. It also stars an all grown up Kelly Kapowski in Tiffani Amber Thiessen. White Collar in 2013 had the second half of the 4th Season, and the first half of the 5th season. The show is just compelling! Everyone should check this out!!!

Dallas

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Dallas had it’s second season in 2013, and it also witnessed J.R.’s master plan. Sadly with the death of Larry Hagman, it was the end of an era for Dallas. But J.R. went out with an emotional bang, that was felt through all of TV Land! Normally I’m very skeptical about “reboots” in Televsion. Unless it is directly stated by the crew that it is a continuation of the old show. That’s exactly what the 2012 TNT Dallas is. I blends the veteran actors like Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray with newcomers in their children’s roles. OK so Jesse Metcalfe and Josh Henderson aren’t “newcomers” in acting, but I mean newcomers as far as playing John Ross and Christopher Ewing. Dallas has everything for NEW and old fans alike, and the second season was a blast! Leaving you to wonder WHAT the sam hell are they gonna do without J.R. Ewing…? The man who is easily the most loved to hate Villain ever in TV History.

1 The Blacklist- The Americans

The Americans FB Timeline

THERE CAN BE NO TIES….. you might be screaming that as you read this, but let me explain why my top spot ends up in a tie.

The Americans premiered on the FX Network in January of 2013. It was a show that I was both interested in, and worried about. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was going to be when I first saw the teasers. After doing a little more digging, and then seeing the pilot. Iwas hooked. You couldn’t do a show like this even five or ten years ago.  however nowadays where writing and storytelling on TV are key, this show shows us a side of the cold war that in my opinion I’d never seen on TV before now. It follows the lives of KGB Sleeper agents Elizabeth and Phillip, two people who were assigned to be married to each other by the KGB. They enact missions and infiltrate certain parts of the US government. Keri Russell is amazing in the role of Elizabeth. I can’t wait to see what happens next. This is another emotionally gripping television show. It to me is like when FX first started these original series shows with The Shield back in 2002! Compelling characters, well thought out plots, and so much more.

Blacklist

The  Blacklist premiered in the fall of 2013. I’ll be honest right out of the gate, I’ve NEVER been a James Spader fan. I have no idea why…. when I would hear his voice in other media… I thought it was William Shatner. NOW do not penalize me for that. This was a number of years ago, and I know the two men are completely different. So the show centers around Elizabeth Keene and the world class criminal Raymond Reddington. The Blacklist is the ultimate police procedural, that doesn’t even look like that genre of TV. It has so many twists and turns, and the first season isn’t even over yet! I love all the action, the small quiet scenes, and just how brash Red is. If you haven’t checked it out, and you are skeptical, please do yourself a favor… stop reading this, and go watch the first ten episodes! There’s even an ep the homages Die Hard, and EVERYONE loves that NON Christmas movie right? So interested and awaiting the news of a second season and what might happen after season 1!

Final Thoughts:

There ya have it folks. My Top 13 TV Shows of 2013. I know with some of the earlier numers I was being a bit harsh, but that could not be helped. For one even though I watched The Goldbergs, Sleepy Hollow, and The Crazy Ones in 2013… I’m not watching them now. I feel it’d be best if I waited til the DVD releases. To really catch up with them, and see if I like the episodes after when I stopped watching them.

So what were your Top 13 TV Shows of 2013? Post in the comments and let me know!

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TFG1Mike

TFG1Mike is a geek with many interests. He has been podcasting for over a decade, and sees no stopping point in sight. From Transformers, He-Man, Batman, Comics, movies, video games, cartoons, and so much more, Mike has a zeal for the things he loves, and he will bring the hammer down on the things that he has a disdain for. He's generally a postive person, but negativity can creep in there. Mike is all about the innuendos and innuendon'ts too. You'll hear him on many of The GCRN podcasts!

One Comment

  1. Wow. There are shows in here I wouldn’t consider in the Top 50 of TV shows today, and a few I would put on the worst of TV today. Revenge is god awful. It’s a glorified Soap Opera with even worse acting and plotting. The reboot of Dallas? As if the first time wasn’t bad enough. IF this is your best of TV today there is a great deal of great shows you are not watching

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