What a year for television! We had Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, a royal baby, Miley Cyrus twerking at the MTV VMAs, Simon Cowell getting eggs thrown at him on 'Britain’s Got Talent', and Jeremy Paxman’s beard versus Russell Brand just to name a few TV highlights. There have also been some amazing television shows (as seen in my Telly Text columns) and read below for my top ten of the year.
10) 'Catfish: The TV Show'
We have not been able to escape the word ‘Catfishing’ in 2013 with this hit US show crossing our neck of the woods and we were hooked. Each week these online stories seemed to get crazier and one even involved US rapper Bow Wow. With the work Nev and Max do it makes you wonder why the FBI has not hired them. Series 3 will be hitting our screens next year as well as Catfish UK, showcasing the craziness in our country. Look out for more out of this world stories in 2014 from the Catfish crew.
9) 'Doctor Who'
No one can deny that 'Doctor Who' has been hot talk this year. With the departure of Matt Smith as the Doctor and the big announcement of Peter Capaldi as his successor. More importantly 'Doctor Who' celebrated their 50th anniversary with an explosive extended episode which brought back some familiar faces David Tennant and Billie Piper just to name a few. We will see in the New Year how well received Peter Capaldi is to the public.
8) 'Orphan Black'
One of the most underrated shows of the year may have not blown up in the UK, however with a gripping storyline and Tatiana Maslany playing a wide range of personas - how can you not love this show? One minute she is a petty British thief and then she becomes your stereotypical American housewife. This shows the pure talent that 'Orphan Black' has to offer. With a recent Golden Globe nomination for her performance in 'Orphan Black', series two will have a lot to live up to and hopefully a bigger fan base in the process.
7) 'Homeland'
After the end of series three, I had to clear my head and for those of you who have not watched it I will not say any more about that. 'Homeland' has had a rollercoaster second and third series that has kept viewers confused throughout most of both series. Not to mention Claire Danes’ controversial Emmy win over Kerry Washington. Nonetheless, 'Homeland' will be back on our screens in 2014 confusing our brains even more.
6) 'Orange Is The New Black'
Netflix has produced many critically acclaimed dramas this year one of these being 'Orange Is The New Black'. Back in August, I reviewed this show and binge watched through this highly addictive thirteen episodes show. Since then the buzz for this show has sky rocketed and even earned Taylor Schiling an Emmy nomination for her outstanding performance on the show. Series two will be back on Netflix in 2014, so you still have time to watch the first series of this hit show.
5) 'Broadchurch'
Olivia Coleman is arguably one of Britain’s best television actresses at the moment. This year she won two BAFTA awards for her work in 'Accused' and 'Twenty Twelve' but she also received high praise for her work in 'Broadchurch'. 'Broadchurch' was an eight-part murder mystery style drama, which also featured David Tennant. This was one of these shows which you could not binge watch through and had viewers hooked each week. With a US version in the works and the second series scheduled for next year, what twists and turns will there be for us?
4) 'Scandal'
Politics has never really been seen as sexy - at least not until the start of 'Scandal' starring Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope. 'Scandal' has steamed up our television screens and series two has not disappointed amidst the sexual chemistry between Olivia and President Fitz as well as the drama in her career. Although Claire Danes may have robbed Washington of an Emmy this year, I believe that with series three on the way next year, 2014 will be Washington's year.
3) 'Breaking Bad'
Netflix’s biggest show of the year has to have been 'Breaking Bad', and thanks to its final series, everyone seems to be jumping on the 'Breaking Bad' binge watching bandwagon. This critically acclaimed US crime drama received worldwide praise and recently won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. With a spin-off prequel already in the works with AMC and Netflix, this will clearly not be the end of 'Breaking Bad'.
2) 'Game Of Thrones'
Two words: “Red Wedding”. That is all I really need to say to sum up this series of 'Game Of Thrones'. What ever your opinion on the whole series was you can not deny that 'Red Wedding' changed the entire show. 'Red Wedding' also helped 'Game Of Thrones' retain the title of most pirated television show, beating competition from 'Breaking Bad' and 'The Walking Dead'. With series 4 to start back early in 2014, 'Game Of Thrones' looks like it will be staying on top for quite a while.
1) 'The Returned'
Based in a small Alpine village where the dead start coming back to life to the shock of their loved ones. Some might be quite shocked that I have put 'The Returned' so high up but I do have good reason. One of the main selling points of 'The Returned' was that the show was purely in French with English subtitles. Unless you were fluent in French, you really did have to sit down and concentrate on this show or you could end up missing vital pieces to this very confusing puzzle. This French drama left us all with questions that hopefully will get answered next year.
I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and a special thank to the FADED GLAMOUR team and those who have helped me with this End of Year Telly Text. See you in 2014. Find me at @jrory.