Your favourite TV shows of 2014

Posted by: Kevin-W on 31 December 2014

Does what it says on the tin. What were your fave telly progs of 2014? I think it was a better year for TV than for music, personally (2013 was a great year for music, this past year not so much).

 

So, here are my faves, in no particular order (apart from the first one, which is my absolute fave):

  1. The Bridge Series 2. Just indescribably brilliant - the climactic episode was some of the very best of TV drama I have ever seen.
  2. Happy Valley - very violent, but brilliant acting and writing; Sarah Lancashire's performance as the hard-pressed cop was out of this world and must be a shoe-in for the BAFTA.
  3. Detectorists - a superb comedy peopled with eccentrics played by the cream of contemporary British character actors.
  4. Line of Duty - Yet another brilliant BBC cop drama, this one focussing on police corruption. Another towering female performance, this time from Keeley Hawes.
  5. Life Stories - Magisterial BBC/Attenborough natural history series.
  6. People Just Do Nothing - a delightful BBC3 mockumentary, looking at two blokes who run the world's worst pirate radio station from a flat in Brentford. Spinal Tap-esque!
  7. Brian Pern: A Life In Rock. Yet another rockumentary. Prog rock in general, and Genesis in particular, get the Spinal Tap treatment. Genius.
  8. Mad Men (Series 7, Part One). The Greatest TV Programme Ever (TM) got its mojo back for its penultimate run.
  9. The Apprentice: One of the best series of the king of "reality" shows in a long time, even if the winner and his idea were deadly dull.
  10. The Honorable Woman - yet another complex drama with a female protagonist.

 

OK - what are your favourites?

 

 

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by Huwge

Definitely your first 4. New to me for 2014 have been House of Cards and Orange is the new Black. By far and away my favourite has been Steve van Zandt in Lilyhammer. Peaky Blinders as a guilty pleasure. Am still undecided on the Fall

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by Bart

The last season of Boardwalk Empire was fantastic, as was the entire series.  It's a vaguely historically accurate series centering on organized crime in Atlantic City, NJ, to New York, and to Chicago, during the period of time in which alcohol consumption was banned in the US ("the Prohibition period" of 1920 - 1933).  The acting is phenomenal.  I highly recommend the series.

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by Clay Bingham

In the US, Fargo was superb. From Great Britain, Broadchurch was excellent and to a somewhat lesser degree so was Escape Artist. For Agatha Christie fans, the final two episodes of David Suchet's career as Poirot were exceptional.

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by Arfur Oddsocks

Happy Valley...superb in every sense.

The Missing....not as good as above but still great stuff

Homeland.. although it feels like the series end was only the intermission.

 

Strictly Come Dancing(Ok Ok I know) but its good old school Saturday night entertainment although I lost interest when the lovely and superb dancing Hammers supporting Pixie(GRRRRR!) Lott was cast aside by Len(Call yourself a Hammer!!) Goodman

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by dry_stone

True Detective and The Bridge Series 2 were the viewing highlights for me this year.

 

 

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by Paper Plane

The only shows mentioned so far that I have watched are the Poirots. (Did watch Broadchurch when it was on though in 2013).

 

Hardly watch any tv except for some relaxing cop shows, CSI, Midsomer, Criminal Minds, NCIS, etc. Which we record and watch when we want to. I'd rather listen to the radio or music.

 

Talking of Broadchurch, I wouldn't want to be those writers trying to follow that up. Talk about "Difficult second album" syndrome!

 

steve

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by Lontano

For me there were three series that were head and shoulders above the competition.

 

1. The Bridge Series 2 - stunning

 

2. The third and final series of Wallander - Krister Henriksson was just superb in this and it was all just emotional. 

 

3. House of Cards - great TV and Kevin Spacey was fab.

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by naim_nymph

Endeavour - is easily my favourite.

 

Shaun Evans doesn't look anything like a young John Thaw, but as soon as you get your head around that the interest picks up. Set in 1965 when Morse was a young detective.

TBH i think Endeavour is far more exciting and interesting [but less intellectual] than the original Morse series, and Shaun has succeeded in out-morsing John,

 

~<>~

 

Gotham - A thriller set when batman was just a 12 year old kid called Bruce Wayne.

It's completely O.O.T. and i don't know who [except for me] it's supposed to entertain, the violence is too gory for little children, and the whole production is too cartoonish for adults, and it's rubbish too.

But it's good rubbish strait from the toxic waste dump and disposable entertainment probably only well worth watching the once, and i am addicted to this new series.

 

Debs

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by JamieWednesday

Yeah I liked Endeavour too

 

The Detectorists was the nicest programme I've seen in a longtime

 

Fargo was good

 

The Trip to Italy was as good as if not better than the first series

 

Finally Keeley is still lovely even when a baddie..!

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by winkyincanada
Originally Posted by dry_stone:

True Detective and The Bridge Series 2 were the viewing highlights for me this year.

 

 

True Detecive and Fargo for me.

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by fatcat

The Detectorists. (BBC 4)

 

Modern Family Series 6.  (Sky 1)

A must watch for Married With Children Fans.

 

Trollied. Series 4. (Sky 1)

 

Portrait Artist Of The Year. (Sky Arts 1)

 

University Challenge (BBC 2)

 

 

 

Posted on: 31 December 2014 by TomK

American Horror Story

Jessica Lange constantly demonstrates that she's one of the best actresses of her generation.

 

American Family

Just delightful and witty.

 

Gotham

Commissioner Gordon's early days and introducing loads of classic Batman characters in their youth. Robin Lord Taylor as the young Penguin is an utter revelation.

 

Walking Dead.

Nothing more to be said.

 

Honourable mentions to Arrow and Flash.

 

Sadly nothing British I can think of at the moment but I'm sure loads will come to mind.

 

 

Posted on: 01 January 2015 by Sniper

True Detective (a master class in every aspect of good tv)

Fargo - not bad at all 

The Honourable Woman - Truly excellent

Homeland - always delivers

Boardwalk Empire - ditto

Master of Sex - ditto

Detectorist - delightful