It's that time. We've come to the final segment of this, the first summer edition of Pitch Your Show. I want to thank everyone who nominated the 87 shows represented here. Your nominations were passionate, interesting, and persuasive. I had great fun reading them and was inspired to add several shows to my to-watch list. Again I wish we could have put all nominations in the articles. If you'd like to read them all, please click on the link to the spreadsheet below. I'd also like to thank everyone who commented on the posts. It's been fun sharing a love of TV and some great discussion with you. This is my favorite thing about SpoilerTV. We may like different shows and we may come at TV differently, but we can still have a fun, respectful, in-depth conversation. It's a blessing to find that on the internet and I appreciate you all. As we end this article until next year, I hope you have found some good new shows to watch. Let me know how your summer TV viewing is going and as always, happy viewing.
Shameless plug - On June 28th or 29th, look out for nominations to open in the Character Cup. That's the annual contest I run for SpoilerTV and if you liked the discussion here, you will love it. Not only do you get to show your love for your favorite characters, but every day we have a different TV Talk Topic to inspire conversation. If you have a topic you'd love to discuss during the contest, either put it in the comments below or e-mail me at dahne@spoilertv.com I can't wait for the contest and the discussion to start.
Link to spreadsheet
Part A
Part B
Part C
Part D
***Nominated by SGU - My favourite sci-fi franchise of all time, Stargate is spread across 3 series (plus an animated series) named Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe. The 3 shows all add up to 17 seasons (354 episodes) and 2 TV movies. Stargate SG-1 (10 seasons and 2 movies) and Stargate Atlantis (5 seasons) are similar in tone and format. Both are lighthearted, procedural and have a wonderful cast with some of my favourite comedic moments from any show, especially from Richard Dean Anderson! Although neither got the ending that was planned, both have a proper ending with full closure. Stargate Universe (2 seasons), my favourite of the 3, was more of a space opera along the lines of Battlestar Galactica, much more serialized and character driven than its predecessors. It too had an excellent cast that included Robert Carlyle who people may know now from Once Upon a Time. It also had some of the most beautiful visuals I've seen from any show and truly thought provoking stories. Stargate Universe did not get a proper ending and ends with a cliffhanger, although in my opinion, a very satisfying one.
***Nominated by Preston Pagel - Many people say that Katherin Heigl is the downfall of this show but I feel that she is what makes the show great as the lead character. The show also has a great plot and the writers do a great job wring the script for the show.
***Nominated by Dahne – State of Affairs had its ups and downs but it didn’t deserve the hate it got because of the lead actress. I found it to be interesting with good twists and some excellent acting. The interaction between Charlie and PotUS was fantastic. The secondary characters got some good story lines as well, even though I wish Syd and Mo had been used more.
***Nominated by Karishma Kher - It teaches one never to give up, that no matter how big a problem appears to be, there is always a way out. It also redefines the term 'family'. It teaches one that family does not necessarily mean blood related. On the contrary blood relations are just the beginning and that the term family has a much larger and deeper meaning as depicted in the show. Moreover it covers all the popular genres: action, comedy, humour, tragedy, drama and suspense. Watching Jensen and Jared is just a marvelous feast for the eyes. What more could one ask for????
***Nominated by Carlynn - It is a story about angels and demons fighting with the human race right in the middle of it. It starts out with a family helping the world survive by taking on the problems that come. The show starts out slow but picks up with new stories every week. They are on break right now but will start the 11th season in the fall. Besides the main actors are great in the show and off showing to "Always Keep Fighting" in whatever you do in life.
***Nominated by Lori - How many of us love to watch family at its best and worst? Hmmm, ALL OF US! How many of us love to watch heroes who are not only genuine and emotional, but also hard, tender, ambivalent and way too invested when necessary? Hmmm, ALL OF US! How many of us love to have a hero that we can relate to and put on a pedestal at the same time? ALL OF US! Well have I got the show for you! Supernatural stars two brothers who would and have died for each other, gone to hell for each other and saved the world more than once. Throw in angels, demons, Satan, The King of Hell and God’s scribe and you have a show that has something for everyone! You will gasp, cry, laugh, cover your eyes, root for the heroes and at times the bad guys, and at the end of the hour you will be exhausted, exhilarated, sad yet hopeful, glad yet weepy. And to top it all off…four of the most attractive and sexy actors you will ever see. Yes all this one hour a week every Wednesday on the CW and 4 hours a day every Mon - Fri on TNT. If that is still not enough…Netflix and DVD! Trust me; it’s more than well worth your time. P.S. keep refreshments and lots of tissues handy. You will need them! :)
***Nominated by Freda - I wish more people had watched this when it was first on. It is an older series about multiple people discovering a giant ocean monster. It has a Lost-like mystery to it. Lake Bell plays a young marine biologist single mom. She does a great job. Carter Jenkins and Jay R. Ferguson also act in this series. Jenkins also does a good job; Ferguson was OK. The series’ main characters are mostly split up until their stories converge at the very end. However, this doesn't take away from the series and the characters‘ convergence is believable and awesome. The series does suffer from some plot holes and poor dialogue. The ending is a cross between a cliff hanger and series ending (think Heroes). All that said, this was the best sci-fi show of 2005/6 season. Similar shows: Invasion, Threshold, Godzilla.
***Nominated by Nancy - Great show for hearing people and especially for deaf people.
***Nominated by Angela (edited for length) - I could go with the simple fact that this show is a classic, but it's so much more than that. The writing was inventive and creative. For those who like a good, strong twist in their stories, this series was chock full of those. They dealt with topics that were supernatural or sci-fi in nature, but which still managed to deal with real-world issues, remaining relevant and sending a strong message. Even now, the topics the show covered (war, racism, sexism, mob mentality, government, abuse of power, etc.) are still quite relevant. Also the show has been referenced and parodied numerous times, and remains influential to so many current shows. I imagine if you were to ask people who work for supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy series running now, they'd acknowledge this show was an influence. The stories were also always suspenseful and creepy as well. Be it a story of a woman having a dream about being led to a morgue, a woman seeing a hitchhiker constantly follow her on a road trip, an alien invasion intending to "help" humanity or a man seeing a monster on the wing of a plane, the show always did a great job of telling spooky stories surrounding age-old fears, allowing viewers' imaginations to go wild and consider sleeping with their lights on. The acting was always top-notch as well. It's such a thrill to see some of the best actors and actresses of the 20th century show up here, sometimes more than once, even! Often times this show was among their first appearances on TV, so it's great to see them before they were famous. The show had a strong stable of writers too. Charles Beaumont, a notable writer, worked on the show, and of course, the show's host, Rod Serling, was a key writer. These men and the other writers clearly had a strong love of words, of imagery. They wrote in an intelligent manner and treated their audience like smart viewers.
Speaking of Serling, he was the perfect host. He had a clear vision of what he wanted it to be, had a commanding presence, and knew how to draw people in week in and week out. It should be noted this is an anthology series so there's obviously no season-long story arcs, and while actors may appear multiple times, they play different people each time, so for those who don't like standalone story series, this might not work for you. The show can also be quite preachy with its messages. VERY preachy. It's got a liberal bent so those who aren't as liberal may be turned off. Even those who are might be turned away from the preachiness, but if you chalk the preachiness up to Serling's passion for using TV to inform and entertain as well as seeing the series as a chance for him to air his frustrations with the country at that time, it makes sense and is more understandable. Some of the latter seasons can be a little more hit-and-miss too in terms of quality. The fourth season had hour-long episodes and while many actually, it's clear the half hour format was ultimately a better way to go. And yes, it is filmed entirely in black and white but this actually serves the show quite well. It adds to the creepiness and otherworldly nature of the stories and the show's premise. If those issues are all the criticism, though, that should be a sign of how great this show is. For people who want to check out shows from before their time, those nostalgic for shows from their younger years, or people who love sci-fi programming, you really can't go wrong with "The Twilight Zone". It's worth your time and attention.
***Nominated by Sophia - It is a really interesting show. You will grow to love the show just like I did and anyone else who started watching it from the beginning.
***Nominated by Mel G - After being cancelled, then revived, then cancelled and finally picked up by another channel, Unforgettable has returned. It's an awesome crime show with a main character that has a photographic memory. Even though we see shows like this sometimes, it stands out and appeals to a lot of people.
***Nominated by Okeke Nwabueze – This show has cool storylines, supernatural drama, action, suspense, romance, and the unbreakable bond between the Salvatore brothers and Elena Gilbert.
***Nominated by Jon - - The first three seasons are quite good and TVD's villains are pretty much always great. Season 6 was good, too.
- The doppelganger thing is so interesting in the first 2 seasons with Nina Dobrev doing an awesome job of portraying both Elena and her ancestor Katherine.
- The second and third seasons see the arrival of the Originals in Mystic Falls. If you're familar TVD's spin-off The Originals, TVD could offer some more info about these characters.
- Good-looking cast! This is the CW after all.
- Some really good flashbacks with great costumes!
- Great use of songs. I've discovered many songs thanks to this show.
***Nominated by Folie-lex - While one might think that just because the show takes place in DC it's about American politics, that couldn't be more far from the truth. I think the writers and cast have explained it best when they said it's not about the politics or ideals at all. This is a show about political behaviour. It's about the people who are ambitious and crazy enough to get into politics and the means & machinations they need to maneuver themselves through to get the job done...while striking their own egos in the process of course. It's a smart and intelligent comedy, with interesting and incredibly flawed characters which you just can't help but love anyway (and in the hands of a less competent cast they would be so unlikeable). Also they spew such well crafted insults that might compare to the Shakespearean language, which is always a perk.
***Nominated by Freda - This series is about a young high school girl trying to solve her best friend's murder. It was the first series I marathoned. My roommate and I would go to school and work in the day. Then we would come home and watch it all night. It is filled with snarky dialogue, lovable characters and thrilling suspense. The final third season dropped the ball in quality because it couldn't decide on a main big bad, but the first season was one of the most well done seasons ever IMHO. Fans of this series loved it so much that after ten years of it being off the air, they paid for a movie through the largest Kickstarter ever at the time. This probably tells you more about the series than I ever possibly could. Trailer
***Nominated by Arbios - It's creepy.
***Nominated by SGU - This being one of the first shows of the summer, I went into it not expecting much, just something to pass the time until more shows started. It turned out to be such a unique show filled with mystery and twists that you will never see coming, and I mean that. It has so many truly jaw dropping moments, especially episode 5 when we finally get some answers. Matt Dillon is great in the lead role and it has some great, but creepy, characters too. Overall it's a great, twisty, and suspenseful show with its fair share of creepy moments.
***Nominated by Freda - Why watch White Collar? Well, I could tell you about the very good looking leads, the fun thefts scenes, the exciting and sneaky catch the bad guy scenes, or the snappy dialogue, but instead I am going to talk about the amazing characters. Peter Burke is an FBI agent who believes not only in second chances (and 3rd and 4th...) but also in people. He honestly tries to do the right (and legal) thing. He is one of the only characters on TV to have a happy, healthy and stable marriage. He caught the famous art thief Neal Caffrey. Neal Caffrey, loosely based on Frank Abagnale, is probably the best con man and art thief in their world. He believes in love and would go to the end of the world for his friends. Neal is working off his debt to society by helping Peter Burke solve art crimes. Mozzie is Neal's partner in crime, who didn't meet a conspiracy he didn't like, and might be one of the smartest criminals in NYC. Together they create an amazing show that will have you so wrapped up in the craziness you can't help but sit on the edge of your seat. One downside to White Collar is that like The Mentalist, it gets old that Neal Caffrey can solve every problem. The FBI is sometimes viewed as inept and they hardly ever wear gloves.
***Nominated by Luana - There's something about antisocial people who hate everything but somehow love each other that I just love. It's really funny and plays a lot with love for hatred. It’s definitely worth a try.
***Nominated by Luana - This comedy is really charming, though everything with Sutton Foster in it is. The way she delivers the funny lines just makes them hilarious. The characters are funny and you care for what happens to them. It only has half-hour episodes so, why not give the pilot 20 minutes to interest you?
***Nominated by Dahne - Younger is one of the few new comedies I liked this year, based on a 40-something woman pretending to be in her 20's in order to get a job in the publishing world after her divorce. Along the way she falls for a young tattoo artist and makes friends with an up and coming publishing exec while staying with an old friend in Brooklyn. Even better than the laughs were the intergenerational bonds between women on this show. They are not stabbing each other in the back to get ahead or wasted in some pointless love triangle. Instead they are supporting each other and creating strong relationships. It's a refreshing look at females in comedy and as an almost 43 year old, I appreciate the age humor.
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