Nukid101's Top 10 TV Shows Of 2014: 5 - 1

5) True Detective

We start with what is probably the most expected entry on my list. Anyone whose at least heard of this series won’t be surprised to see it here because the reception to it has been utterly astounding, which is not a surprise because the show is utterly astounding. Rarely has a show excelled so much on the first season alone and garnered the attention like True Detective did, but what is it exactly that makes it so wonderful? Is it the subtle use of Lovecraftian horror blended with southern gothic drama? Or perhaps the nail biting tension throughout almost every scene? Or maybe you just love the obligatory HBO sex scenes.

It’s all great frankly, but you know what truly stood out for me? It’s the fact that despite being staged as a cop drama, the show ultimately pulls off the cloak covering it and reveals that the show something more, something we’ve never seen from this frankly tired and over-saturated genre. With the cover down, we’re faced with a show not just about crime and murder…but about the struggle between good and evil, whether that be against others or the internal struggle within us.

Both our main characters are ultimately deeply flawed, broken men. One is on the surface a loving husband and father but on the inside has a violent streak and lapses in morality. The other is a man struggling with the vastness of the cosmic void and the arbitrary meaning he has in life. These demons haunt them on the job and in their private lives, but both never stop trying to do stop the criminals involved in the case and both change from bitter partners to fire forged friends throughout the series.

This look into the characters psyche is seen not just in the two main leads but everyone in the show. Unlike several crime dramas the detective’s jobs and privates lives are not separate, and in the end everyone is involved in some form to the horrific murders that take place during the show. Furthermore while the show focuses a lot on the crime solving it’s quite apparent that it’s not the shows main focus. The show cares more about the reasons behind the crimes and the characters involved.
In other words, True Detective is less interested in the ‘who’ or the ‘how’; it’s more interested in the ‘why’.

With such a great first season I eagerly await the second season this year. I admit it’ll have a tough act to follow and it’s gonna have to surprise us to catch us off guard again, but with the talented people behind this season on it, I have hope for it.



4) Rick And Morty

I know this series started in 2013, but frankly most of the show aired in 2014, and frankly fuck it. This show is too amazing not to have on this list.

If you read the first part of this list then you’ll know that through Community I am now an avid Dan Harmon fan. The man is an utter genius who with Rick and Morty turned a deceptively simple and seemingly one joke concepts and make something incredible out of it. On the surface Rick and Morty is just a fucked up version of Back To The Future and another gross adult comedy, for it is not without its gross-out humour.
The truth however? Rick and Morty is a show that pushes the boundaries of what you’d expect from its initial concepts and is simultaneously a high concept sci-fi series, a thoughtful character Dramedy,  a wonderful satire while still being a low brow parody.

It is very similar to Space Dandy in how every episode was something completely different but for as much as I loved Space Dandy Rick and Morty gets higher on my list for the way it dissected its very setups and used them not only for laughs but at times for harsh, deep drama and character development. When concepts like alternate dimensions and timelines come up, you bet themes of identity, choice and personal contentment come into discussion about our characters, and at times it comes with a heartwarming answer. Interestingly this show subverts traditional adult animated humour by being more existential than cynical.

If you can look past the gross-out humour and low brow parodies, then this is one of the smartest shows from 2014, and it’s worth every second of your time.



3) Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Now we come to my favourite new show of 2014.

Like True Detective I know a lot of you have seen this one, so I won’t bore you too long with this one. Suffices to say Last Week Tonight initially looked like a rip off of The Daily Show except with an English accent, but the show quickly revealed its cloak and produced something new, fresh and incredibly welcoming to viewers of all kinds.

John Oliver is a damn hilarious man – which was apparent with his appearance before on shows like Community - but what makes Last Week Tonight so special is how John Oliver goes one step further than other weekly news satires and uses his show to teach his viewers. He makes great jokes but he uses that comedy to teach the viewer about the topic on hand and to encourage the viewer to get involved. It’s all done in such an energetic, passionate and empathetically charged manner that makes it so endearing to watch.

And speaking as a non-American I do have to appreciate how much he focuses on problems outside America. He’s teaching American viewers about problems they may not know much about, and he’s gained the appreciation and fans from around the world. Best of all his exposure HAS had positive effect. People took up his plea to speak up against the attempted changes to the Net neutrality policy, and quite a few scholarships have received more donations and support.

It’s all positive responses to a great show that doesn’t talk down to its viewer or treats them like idiots while still aiming to be informative and educational. Add a lovely English accent and some fine comedy and you have one of the best TV shows of the year!



2) Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

On September 28th 1980 famous astrophysicist Carl Sagan took the world on a voyage through time and space and through ourselves and the thousands of other species alive today, and on March 9 2014 Neil deGrasse Tyson - a man who had been personally inspired by Carl – took us once more on a voyage through the universe and through ourselves.

This is the kind of show you want to watch with the biggest screen and the blinds closed, because you will be constantly stunned in awe at what you see onscreen. Much like Carl did in 1980 Neil presents us with scenes and details about the universe that are simply breathtaking to behold, and I personally was left at awe at the end of every episode. This is an ode to Humanists like me to remember just how bloody incredible everything is, and I came out of every episode fulfilled with new information and a greater understanding of our universe.

You’re left in awe not just at the show, but at life itself. Tyson’s enthusiastic narration and the jaw dropping sights you behold throughout the show – from the Virgo Supercluster to the very structure of the human body – is absolutely enthralling, and it makes you realise that even though we are but single raindrops in a massive ocean, that said ocean is still comprised over several raindrops. We may be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but the fact that we humans – complicated things that we are – exist is something to celebrate in itself.

Cosmos celebrates life from its biggest star to its smallest creature, and I consider it to be the BEST show I have watched in 2014.




1) Avatar: The Legend Of Korra Book 3: Change & Book 4: Balance

Honestly, is anyone really surprised?

I doubt most of you are surprised to see this series on my list, but I can imagine some of you wondering why it’s at number 1, considering some of the shows it beat to get here. I will freely concede that shows like True Detective and Cosmos are probably better shows…but this list is primarily based on my personal preference and enjoyment, and anyone who’s known me knows how much this entire franchise means to me.

First of all its predecessor Avatar: The Last Airbender is next to Babylon 5 and Planetes as being one of the most wonderful TV shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing and easily fit as my top 3 TV shows ever. Naturally I was excited into Korra the moment it got first announced all those years ago. Most importantly though…it was through my episodic reviews of Book 2 – and later Books 3 & 4 – that introduced me to tons of new great friends on this very site who I still regularly talk to. Simply put I can’t separate personal bias towards this franchise because it means far too much for me.

That said…in 2013 I was calling Book 2 a major disappointment of that year, an opinion I largely stand by. While the first season of Korra had its problems its pros outweighed its cons, but Book 2 was just a mess. Chunks of it were pointless, the main antagonist was boring, Korra because had to repeat her character development and the love triangles become more obnoxious than ever. It had its strong moments – the Wan flashback was amazing – but man it simply did not live up to the standards I had come to expect of this franchise.

Suffices to say Book 3 had a lot to prove to earn back and confidence…and it did that in spades.

Book 3: Change succeeded wherever its prequel failed. It was focused, tight, it’s main antagonists were awesome and there was no unnecessary love triangles in sight. It built off the ending of Book 2 and presented us with a time of constant, gradual change and the difficulties people go through experiencing change. The world has to get used to the convergence of the human world and the spirit world, the Earth Queen constantly rejects positive change to keep control all for herself, the new Airbenders have to learn to change with their new lifestyle, and finally the Red Lotus wish to make changes so huge it would change the entire Avatar world.

Unlike Book 2 everything felt like it connected to this one central theme and everything was both well written and damn entertaining. It also ended on the most perfectly dark moment, where we see an emotionally beaten Korra essentially suffering from PTSD after a near death experience, and after seeing that scene it seemed almost criminal having to wait another year to find out what happened next.

…Turns out we’d only have to wait just over a month.

Yes it’s become infamous in just how much Nickelodeon screwed up Korra this year. You’d think they’d treat their single best franchise with utmost respect and care, but no, they absolutely messed up advertising Book 3 and viewing figures suffered because of it, causing them to release the rest of the season. They later then announced that they were gonna release Book 4 weekly online just over a month after Book 3 finished…and they also forced the creators to have a recap episode or else fire staff.

So yea, thanks Nickelodeon. You really messed up this year. That said…can anyone really be THAT upset that we got to see the next season so soon, especially after the way Book 3 ended? I certainly didn’t, and as it turns out Book 4 was even better than Book 3!

Some may disagree with me there, but I really adored the final season even more than Book 3. The personal journey of recovery for Korra was incredible, the antagonist may just be the franchises single best villain, the stakes were raised than they’ve ever been, the supporting cast was used wonderfully, and I loved how it ties all 4 seasons together, with a final scene that may very well be a defining moment in western animation history.

Looking at both seasons together, nobody could call them perfect. They were both a bit ambitious for the number of episodes they were given, they weren’t without their iffy moments, and Prince Wu was Prince Wu, but I wholeheartedly mean it when I say that none of this detracts from these incredible seasons. They turned a good but troubled sequel to ATLA to a worthy successor that arguably exceeds its prequel in some areas. Again, I am biased. I adore animation and I am simply thrilled to see an animated series like this portray and tackle so many themes not seen in western animation, from anarchy to nuclear warfare allegory, to dealing with PTSD, and of course, bisexuality.

Like I said, these two seasons turned Korra into a worthy and successful successor to ATLA, and watching, reviewing and chatting about this series with friends was the most fun and joy I got out of a TV series this year. Regardless of whether it’s the ‘best’ show on my list it is undoubtedly the most deserving to be my number 1 favourite TV show of 2014.

And on a final note, don’t let any naysayers or homophobes tell you otherwise; the shows ending was perfect.