TV.com's Top 100 Everything of 2014, Vol. 4: Items 70–61
Welcome to the 60s, where much like the 1960s, everyone was getting drunk, doing drugs, and humping anything that moved. Fine, that might only apply to a couple of items in this fourth installment of our annual Top 100 Everything list, but who cares? Such worthy accomplishments deserve to be celebrated as we continue our best-of-the-year countdown, and would you believe we're almost halfway through with this entire thing? Let's dive right into the bacchanalia, and remember to check back in a couple days for the next round of awesome!
70. Wilfred reveals the truth
Yes, watching a grown man in a dog suit hump a giant stuffed animal was funny, but the FX/X's sitcom's main draw was its difficult-to-sustain premise. Was Wilfred a real dog? Was he a god? Was he a figment of Ryan's imagination? After four seasons of uncertainty, Wilfred's series finale gave us the answer: Wilfred was a real dog, and all the conversations he and Ryan shared were a figment of Ryan's mentally unstable but coping imagination, which totally made sense. The show may not have stuck a perfect 10 on the landing, but a show like this is nearly impossible to wrap up and Wilfred managed to tie a nice bow on its run.
PREVIOUSLY: Wilfred's Series Finale: Are You Satisfied? What's Your Interpretation of the Ending?
69. SEXXX!!!
Hey-o, everyone was doing it this year! From Outlander's wedding episode—which was really just a romantic yet perfectly lit porno—to Paige walking in on her parents 69'ing in The Americans' Season 2 premiere to literally everyone f*cking the pain away on Sons of Anarchy to Bill and Sookie and Eric and Ginger doin' it on True Blood, TV was full of superhot/interesting/shocking/hilarious boot-knockin' in 2014. Maybe "sex" isn't the most novel inclusion on the list because people are always going at it, but this year's horizontal-tango scenes really stood out because a lot of them were about way more than just two people getting it on—you know, except for when they weren't. See also: Game of Thrones, The Affair, True Detective, Transparent, American Horror Story, House of Cards (that threesome!), and Broad City.
68. The Danny and Mindy Project
First, Danny Castellano is a national treasure. Second, unlike one of the other shows mentioned in this list **coughNo.63cough** The Mindy Project has only gotten better since its two central lovebirds decided to make things official. Sure, there have been a few stumbles in the wake of Danny kissing Mindy on that airplane, but their conscious coupling has proven to be a fruitful endeavor for all involve—especially the show's fans.
67. Justified warns against the dangers of cigarettes
We can probably all agree that Season 5 wasn't the show's best, but Boyd Crowder's flame burned bright when he single-handedly launched an anti-smoking campaign using only a rigged pack of cigarettes to blow up his enemy. It was nice to see Boyd get back to his roots, but it's even nicer to relive that scene by watching it over and over again in .GIF form.
PREVIOUSLY: Justified "The Toll" Review: Setting Up a Smoking Finish
66. Scandal's year of Mellie
Forget Olivia Pope—in 2014, Scandal was all about FLOTUS Mellie. We could just list the best Drunk Mellie moments (because honestly, what's better than Drunk Mellie?), but her "F*ck it!" attitude in the wake of Jerry Jr.'s death is the gift that keeps on giving. From her new uniform of Uggs and a fashionable kimono to her habit of eating her feelings at every opportunity, Mellie is basically living her best life. Perhaps the best moment of all, though, was when she told Fitz she'd stopped waxing, so "it's 1976 down there." All hail F*ck It Mellie!
65. Jane the Virgin's clueless and honest telenovela star
It's no secret we love Jane the Virgin 'round these parts, so it should come as no surprise that, much like the fans of his telenovela, we're totally enamored of Jane's father Rogelio, too. His larger-than-life persona combined with Jaime Camil's excellent line delivery is the source of many of the show's funniest moments, hands down. As a result of his immense success, Rogelio doesn't really understand social cues or what it's like to lead a normal life, but his sincere love for Jane and his strong desire to be a part of her life help to balance out a character who otherwise could've been weighed down by his innate shallowness. Team Rogelio!
64. Transparent showcases another side of Jeffrey Tambor
Most people know Jeffrey Tambor as Arrested Development's George (and Oscar) Bluth, but his performance on Amazon's original series Transparent is climbing toward the top of his resume. In the transformation from Mort to Maura, the actor did so much more than just put on a wig and dress and change his name; indeed, he opened up an entirely new world for his character, and with perfect understatement. Even better, he opened up a world that isn't typically represented on television.
PREVIOUSLY: 3 Reasons Why Transparent Is the Best New Show of the Fall
63. New Girl gets back on track
Much to the delight of people who consider laughing to be one of their favorite activities, New Girl has successfully rebounded from the mess it devolved into in its third season. Not only are Nick and Jess instantly more likable now that they're once again separate entities, but the show has finally found a place for Coach, Schmidt has reverted to being a lovable douche instead of just a lying-to-two-women-at-once douche, and Winston has come into his own because he (mostly) has direction in his life. We never thought we'd be saying this after naming New Girl one of the biggest disappointments of 2013, but way to turn things around, show!
PREVIOUSLY: New Girl Season 4 Premiere Review: Toilet People Need Love Too
62. Playing House is our new best friend
Playing House's focus on a real, honest friendship between two women feels like the rarest of rare gems, given that so many other TV shows seem to present ladies as backstabbing haters driven primarily by lust. Written by and starring real-life best buds Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair, the series really gets female friendships right, allowing the show to shift between moments of side-splitting laughter and deeply heartfelt emotion. The excellent supporting cast that features both Keegan-Michael Key and Zach Woods is practically just a bonus.
PREVIOUSLY: Hey TV.com, Should I Watch Playing House?
61. Sheldon Cooper is a real boy! A real boy who says "I love you"!
It's been a big year, growth-filled year for The Big Bang Theory's resident king of the nerds. Between losing Professor Proton and butting heads with the university over sticking with string theory, the socially awkward Sheldon was put through the ringer in the back half of Season 7, leaving him so riled up that he actually hit the road to "find himself" and to sort out his many complicated feelings. But lo and behold, after some serious introspection and with a little help from his friends, he's made some major progress—progress that's perhaps best exemplified in the way he blurted out "I love you" to Amy after panicking over prom. Sure, he'd just spent the day pretending he was an alien and freaking out over the idea of having sex, but that only made his declaration all the more "Sheldon."
PREVIOUSLY: The Big Bang Theory "The Prom Equivalency" Review: A Night to Remember Indeed