Top 5 New Shows of 2014-15
I had so much fun writing up this post http://www.marcanthonyjohnson.com/?p=... I thought I’d do another one. Sadly, a few of the shows I watched last season got canned. I’m sure that will happen this go around too.
HONORABLE MENTION:
SELFIE
If I had written this post before Selfie got cancelled, it probably would have made my top five. Since it did get cancelled, there’s not really a reason to talk about the actual show now.
Now, I only knew of Karen Gillan as that hot girl from Doctor Who I don’t watch or the angry, bald chick with nothing to do in Guardians of the Galaxy. So while I didn’t know much about her, I rather enjoyed her in Selfie. She’s not just a hot chick. She can act! She has personality! She has range! And I also hear there’s a good horror movie with her in it that I have to watch. I’m going to have to be on the look out for more of her work.
Sadly, John Cho has some kind of curse. First Off Centre, then Go On, and now Selfie. He should stick to movies because while I enjoy all his shows, they all go bye bye. Oh well. Better Luck Tomorrow.
5. AGENT CARTER
Agents of SHIELD is a terribly boring show with annoying, one dimensional characters. One of its biggest problems is that it has a good supporting character as a lead. I like Agent Coulson but he can’t carry a show.
Agent Carter has a damn good capable lead in Hayley Atwell. I do wish she hadn’t starred in Captain America because then she could have played Captain Marvel or Wasp, but that’s beside the point. Yes, Agent Carter does go over the top with the sexism, but it does an excellent job at being a period piece in the Marvel Universe. Also, where are the black people?
The major downside to this is that it’s essentially a prequel so there are no surprises. Not only do we know how it ends, but they don’t do a very good job.
Hail Hydra.
4. JANE THE VIRGIN
When I first heard of this premise, I thought this was the dumbest thing ever. Still, I gave it a shot because I tend to like CW shows. I was surprised that I did like it.
Like most CW shows these days, Jane the Virgin is charming. It’s that charm that hooked me. What I like most about it is that it involves a Hispanic cast without the show being about that. They’re just normal people, although one is a soap star and the other is super rich. But everyone else is normal.
Of course, there are a few minor nitpicks about it. While I like the narrator and his breaking of the third wall, the constant voice over and recap in the beginning is annoying. And as charming and light hearted as it is, there’s murder in it, which I find uneven and don’t care about. I’ll take a love triangle over murder any day.
3. FRESH OFF THE BOAT
When I had first heard of this show, I merely thought it was a show that would make fun of Asians. Sure, it would be nice to have an Asian sitcom as I don’t think there had been one since Margaret Cho’s All-American Girl, but I honestly thought it’d be bad, and that mainly had to do with the title. WE can say ‘fresh off the boat,’ but white executives can’t.
I had never heard of the book it was based upon until now, but I do want to read it. Of course, Fresh off the Boat has a fine line to walk. It’s a show that makes you think and shows you how racist the world was for Asians and how they had a hard time fitting it. But if it goes too much with that, it’ll turn serious and lose the humor in it. I think it does a good job at walking the line, but it can easily tip in one direction or another.
2. FOREVER
I didn’t hear of Forever until a week before it was debuted. Bad form, ABC. I thought it’d be cancelled but gave it a shot anyways. And I love it!
Forever is basically Highlander meets Sherlock, and it works. Unlike Elementary who’s Sherlock is unlikable, Henry aka Reed Richards, is quite likable. He solves crimes, usually murder cases, and tries to figure out how to kill himself. There are also flashbacks throughout Henry’s life that work here on so many levels instead of as an info dump like how everyone else does it. And the bromance between father and son is also good. Plus, Henry’s not the only one who’s immortal…
1. BLACKISH
Whereas Fresh Off the Boat represents one side of me, Blackish represents the other. Much like Fresh Off the Boat, it’s just a show about a non-white family show trying to fit in, not to mention deal with different generations. As you might suspect, hilarity ensures! Although I do find this one more funny, maybe because I’m able to relate to it more. Also, it has Lawrence Fishburne.
Of course, you don’t need to be black to watch the show as Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross have already proven how funny they are over the years. You know, if the Bill Cosby allegations weren’t going on right now, I would compare this to The Cosby Show. That’s how funny, clever, and good it is, but without the bad sweaters.
So what new shows are you watching? I could always use another show to watch because I don’t have much to do.
Marc Johnson
