TV.com's Top 100 Everything of 2014, Vol. 10: Items 10–1
Wowza, what a year 2014 was! Count your blessings that you're alive at this very moment, because television has never been better. The rectangular best friends that serve as the centerpieces of our living rooms and the glowing lullabies in our bedrooms really had a lot to offer this year. Like, we probably could've published a Top 1,000 Everything of 2014, what with all the rad stuff that happened on the boob tube. But since our intern just doesn't work hard enough to make that happen (where's our coffee, Charlie!?!?!?), we decided to stick with the traditional tally of 100 items, and below, you'll find the final 10. Some of them are conceptual, some are specific, but in the end, they were the cream of 2014's televised crop.
10. The Simpsons is still going strong after 25 years
How the F did a 25-year-old cartoon finagle a spot in the Top 100 Everything of 2014, let alone the Top 10? By reminding us of what a darn good show it is, that's how. In recent years, our only Simpsons fix came from late-night reruns of recent episodes on CW affiliates, less-than-spectacular (for the most part; more on that in a sec) new episodes, and DVD box sets. But then FXX's megadeal with the franchise brought the show's classic installments back into the conversation, beginning with a 12-day full-series marathon that resulted in our new ritual of regular Simpsons mini-binges. Plus, every single episode is now available online and we can visit with Ralph Wiggum any time we want, as the the newly launched Simpsons World website has become a timesuck worth getting lost in. Even the current iteration of The Simpsons had a good year, and largely quelled our fears regarding last-ditch attempts to keep the brand relevant by presenting us with a synergetic but nifty Lego episode and entertaining crossovers with Family Guy and Futurama. All told, 2014 was the The Simpsons' best year since we all panicked in the lead-up to Y2K.
PREVIOUSLY: Which Simpsons Episodes Are You Most Excited to Re-Watch During FXX's Full-Series Marathon?; The 10 Best Moments from the Simpsons-Futurama Crossover
9. Visible, real representation of the LGBTQ community
Between Jeffrey Tambor's performance as a newly out transsexual woman on Transparent, Brenna's bisexuality on Chasing Life, Amy's confusing sexual awakening and Lauren's intersex condition on Faking It, and the gay men at the center of both The Normal Heart and Looking, 2014 was a breakthrough year for the LGBTQ community on TV. It was also the year that Laverne Cox of Netflix's Orange Is the New Black earned an Emmy nomination and became a spokesperson for transsexual rights. Both the real world and the TV networks still have a lot of work to do in the name of equality—especially on broadcast, where shows like Modern Family and Shonda Rhimes are doing most of the heavy lifting—but we're coming off a great year for LGBTQ presence on the small screen, and that's a start. See also: American Horror Story, The Fosters, Pretty Little Liars, and Shameless.
8. Diversity is becoming no big deal, and that's a big deal
In addition to the increased visibility of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, and intersex individuals on TV 2014, the medium continued to diversify in the more conventional sense of the word, more accurately reflecting what America and the world really look like. Shows like How to Get Away With Murder, Jane the Virgin, Black-ish, and Cristela joined the primetime lineup this fall and immediately expanded network TV's demographics. Viola Davis's bold decision to remove her makeup and wig on Murder celebrated her natural beauty in a shallow and narcissistic society that's obsessed with Photoshop. The scene left her raw and exposed, and it might be one of the most visible examples of cultural diversity on TV in recent memory. Meanwhile, Jane's habit of filming entire scenes in Spanish brought a sense of realism to the melodramatic series, and helped to solidify its bilingual characters' cultural identity. Black-ish brought an African-American family back to broadcast comedy, and smartly balanced race issues with a familiar premise that everyone can relate to. That's progress.
7. The Walking Dead teaches kids a lesson
Critics around the web are justifiably all giddy over (most of) The Walking Dead's fifth season so far, but let's not forget that the second half of Season 4 featured one of the the year's most tragic—and therefore most awesome—events. The AMC hit is all about envisioning what a zombie apocalypse would look like, and it doesn't stop at highways covered in shambling decaying bodies. Think about it—the effect that scary-ass flesh-eaters would have on society as we know it would be catastrophic, contorting the belief systems of the most impressionable, our youth. So when Carol saw Lizzie holding Mika, who she'd just stabbed to death, and Lizzie was confident that her little sister would come back to life and be normal, Carol made the most difficult decision of the television year, escorting Lizzie to the garden and telling her to "look at the flowers" before shooting her. The scene depicted the ugly reality of the zombie apocalypse at its worst, and The Walking Dead at its best. Also, GO CAROL!
PREVIOUSLY: The Walking Dead "The Grove" Review: Won't Someone Think of the Children?
6. Sherlock's toast to the Baker Street bromance
Sherlock Holmes wouldn't be the first person we'd ask to give a wedding toast, but Sherlock's "The Sign of Three" took everyone's favorite sociopathic detective out of his comfort zone by doing exactly that. Equal parts awkward, embarrassing, funny, heartwarming, and sincere, Sherlock's speech highlighted the many reasons why he and Watson make a good team, which included him saying that Watson is the better of the two men and the only reason Sherlock was alive to deliver the discourse at all. The fact that the show structured an entire mystery around it was almost irrelevant by that point, because HELLO FEELINGS.
PREVIOUSLY: Sherlock "The Sign of Three" Review: The Better Man
5. The Good Wife's shocking goodbye
The Good Wife, and television in general, are both a little poorer in the wake of Will Gardner's death, but in a world where spoilers are like crack to a junkie, it's commendable that the show was able to shock us so deeply with Josh Charles' sudden departure. As angry as we were at the time (and fine, maybe we're still a little bit angry), we can't deny that Will's death yielded rich and emotional arcs for everyone affected by it. The unexpected nature of the situation made it feel very real, which allowed us to mourn alongside characters like Alicia and Kalinda. It also gave us plenty of reasons to stay in bed and eat ice cream out of a tub, so in a way, we're actually somewhat thankful for the heartbreak. But mostly we're still just sad. Impressive work, The Good Wife.
PREVIOUSLY: The Good Wife "Dramatics, Your Honor" Review: Bad Calls
4. Rust frickin' Cohle
Television is largely a stuffy clique full of elitists who are reluctant to warm up to newcomers, preferring to reserve their buzz for small-screen vets. That's why it's so odd and extraordinary that True Detective's Rust Cohle burst onto the scene and had people gabbing away instantly. True Detective was many great things, but there's no denying that it belonged to the beer-swiggin' mad philosopher who was bad at parties. The character was the most quotable man of 2014 (his dialogue and delivery were so good that people even quoted lines they didn't understand, most notably his musings on the shape of time), and it didn't hurt that he was portrayed by Mr. Man of the Year, Matthew McConaughey.
PREVIOUSLY: The 10 Best New Characters of the 2014 Midseason
3. The Cold War is still steaming hot on The Americans
It's hard enough to pull off one great season of television, but The Americans followed up its fantastic inaugural effort with an even better sophomore run by honing the formula that made it so great in the first place. Family became the focal point of Season 2 when it became clear that the younger members of the Jennings family were in danger, adding a few extra layers to the whole, "It's hard to be a parent AND a spy" scenario. Meanwhile, the show's writing continued to excel throughout the season, one of TV's best casts turned in a slew of impeccable performances, and the wigs were never better. OMG AND HOW ABOUT THAT FINALE, EH?! The Americans is no longer one of the best new shows on television, it's one of the best shows on television, period.
PREVIOUSLY: The Americans Season 2 Finale Review: Mother (Russia) May I?
2. Game of Thrones hosts another wedding worth attending
So many Game of Thrones moments could have made this final installment of the list, so why the union of the series' most hated character and the cunning beauty who just wanted power? Because once again, it allowed the show to revel in George R.R. Martin's perverse love of combining celebratory events with utter tragedy. Yes, Joffrey's demise was the ultimate gift (even if we now miss hating him), but "The Lion and the Rose" skillfully gathered all the deviants, jerks, and lunatics of Westeros and crammed them all together in one place, capturing every glare for our voyeuristic enjoyment. Maybe the Purple Wedding didn't have the same emotional impact of the Red Wedding's Stark slaughter, but it was riveting from the arrivals to the cutting of the cake.
PREVIOUSLY: Game of Thrones "The Lion and the Rose" Review: I Always Cry At Weddings
1. Fargo surprises us all
Yes, we too were surprised to see Noah Hawley's Coen Brothers-influenced miniseries win the top spot on the list. But when we were debating which item deserved the honor of being No. 1, Fargo kept popping up as a consensus pick we could all agree on. The series' impressive first season had all the elements that make a television show stand out from the rest. The acting, led by Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, and newcomer Allison Tolman, was top notch. The direction and cinematography transformed the snowy backdrop of Minnesota into an unstoppable entity and thematic powerhouse that we couldn't look away from. And the writing managed to be dramatic, hilarious, heartfelt, and suspenseful all at the same time. Anthology miniseries are super trendy right now—and we expect that them to remain that way for a while—but none of them have been as compact, rewarding, and entertaining as the first season of Fargo.
PREVIOUSLY: Fargo Season 1 Finale Review: The Natural Order of Things
Well, that's it! TV.com's Top 100 Everything of 2014! Thanks for reading, and for being a part of TV.com this year. Now tell us, because we're all entitled to our own opinions: What items would've made your Top 10?
