House of Lies Archives - TV Breakroom

May Madness Nominations: Current TV Comedies

Update: Nominations are over, vote in the bracket tournament!

I love TV-related bracket tournaments. What I don’t love is said tournaments leaving out so many great shows (yes, Hulu, I’m looking at you), and not giving TV fans a chance to pick which shows are included.

So in preparation for TV Breakroom’s May Madness bracket tournament, you, this site’s readers, get to choose which 64 shows will battle it out for the best show of all time!

I’m dividing this competition into four sections (though the bracket itself will be randomized), between past and present shows, as well as comedies and dramas. Present shows will include renewed shows and any shows that have aired episodes October 2013 or later (even if they have since been canceled). Comedies will include all 20-30 minute shows, while dramas will include 40 minute plus shows, even if they are very funny. So Psych, which you might consider a past TV comedy, will actually be among the present TV dramas. Each of these 4 sections will have their own nomination poll, in consecutive weeks. Last week’s poll selected great dramas like Leverage, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and 14 others! (Update: A three-way tie for 16th place was broken by a one-day Facebook poll, and Veronica Mars secured the last spot.)

This site’s typical guidelines (scripted, live-action, primetime shows) apply. So don’t look for (or nominate) The Simpsons, Whose Line is It Anyway?, daytime soaps, or variety shows. Online shows like those created by Netflix and Amazon are eligible, web series with episodes shorter than 20 minutes (no matter how much we love The Guild) are not. Shows must have aired either a full season or at least 5 episodes to be eligible as well.

I did my best to include all the current TV comedies that meet the guidelines. Feel free to nominate any great ones I missed, and if they meet the guidelines I’ve outlined above, I will add them to the poll.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can vote for up to 10 of your favorite current TV comedies. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into our bracket tournament next month!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s May Madness nominations! Voting ends around 12AM April 28th, and the top 16 will make it into our bracket.

Which current TV comedies deserve to be in our May Madness bracket? (Choose up to 10!)

The Big Bang Theory (8%, 16 Votes)
New Girl (8%, 16 Votes)
How I Met Your Mother (6%, 13 Votes)
The Mindy Project (6%, 12 Votes)
Parks and Recreation (5%, 11 Votes)
Modern Family (5%, 11 Votes)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5%, 11 Votes)
Community (4%, 8 Votes)
Enlisted (4%, 8 Votes)
Suburgatory (3%, 7 Votes)
The Crazy Ones (3%, 7 Votes)
The Goldbergs (3%, 6 Votes)
2 Broke Girls (3%, 6 Votes)
Raising Hope (3%, 6 Votes)
House of Lies (2%, 5 Votes)
Veep (2%, 5 Votes)
The Middle (2%, 5 Votes)
Last Man Standing (2%, 5 Votes)
Trophy Wife (2%, 4 Votes)
Hot in Cleveland (2%, 4 Votes)
The Millers (2%, 4 Votes)
Mom (2%, 4 Votes)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2%, 4 Votes)
Melissa & Joey (1%, 3 Votes)
The Neighbors (1%, 3 Votes)
Growing Up Fisher (1%, 3 Votes)
About a Boy (1%, 3 Votes)
Super Fun Night (1%, 2 Votes)
Mike & Molly (1%, 2 Votes)
Cougar Town (1%, 2 Votes)
The Exes (1%, 2 Votes)
Broad City (1%, 2 Votes)
The Game (0%, 1 Votes)
Mixology (0%, 1 Votes)
Nurse Jackie (0%, 1 Votes)
Two and a Half Men (0%, 1 Votes)
The Michael J. Fox Show (0%, 1 Votes)
The League (0%, 1 Votes)
Louie (0%, 1 Votes)
Anger Management (0%, 1 Votes)
Back in the Game (0%, 1 Votes)
Alpha House (0%, 1 Votes)
Sullivan & Son (0%, 1 Votes)
The Soul Man (0%, 0 Votes)
Ground Floor (0%, 0 Votes)
Men at Work (0%, 0 Votes)
Sean Saves the World (0%, 0 Votes)
Let's Stay Together (0%, 0 Votes)
Wilfred (0%, 0 Votes)
Dads (0%, 0 Votes)
Legit (0%, 0 Votes)
Betas (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 44

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New Extended Trailers for CW’s Arrow and Emily Owens, MD

The CW has finally corrected its too-short preview clips of new fall shows Arrow and Emily Owens, MD by releasing extended trailers!

Emily Owens, MD will air Tuesdays at 9, following fellow medical drama, Hart of Dixie. The show stars Mamie Gummer, Justin Hartley (who played the Green Arrow on Smallville), Kelly McCreary, and Michael Rady (who I’m most familiar with as Kostos in the Sisterhood movies; he’s also been reoccurring on The Mentalist and House of Lies recently). WARNING: This preview seems to give away the entire plot of the pilot, so if you’re already eager to watch it, I’d skip the trailer.

Arrow will air Wednesdays at 8, and will be followed by Supernatural. From this trailer, Arrow looks dark, intriguing, and awesome! This isn’t No Ordinary Family, or even The Cape – bad guys aren’t likely to be tied up and left for the police. And from The Hunger Games to The Avengers, archers are “in” right now. I’d describe this show as Hawkeye meets Batman meets The Count of Monte Cristo (only with an island instead of a prison). Arrow stars Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy (Monte Carlo, Melrose Place), Susanna Thompson (Kings, NCIS), Willa Holland, and Paul Blackthorne (The River).

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Monday Madness: Favorite New Show

This week on Monday Madness, it’s time to vote for your favorite new TV shows! This poll is for all live-action scripted shows that aired their first US episode between June 1, 2011 and April 30, 2012, and includes both broadcast and cable shows.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite new shows. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10!

Even though there are 50 options on this list, I know there are some shows I left out (I think there are only a few canceled shows or lesser-known cable shows left out this week)! As always, you can cast write-in ballots (for new live-action scripted shows only please) by leaving a comment. Want more of a say in what makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll.

Next week’s poll will focus on favorite season and series finales. Please nominate your favorite finales by leaving a comment! In your comment, be sure to note the show, season, episode title, and not-too-spoilery descriptive phrase (think of what a promo for that episode would say). For example: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 2, “Becoming, Part Two.” Aided by an unlikely ally, Buffy must face Angel to save the world.

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM May 7th.

UPDATE: This poll has closed. You can view the top ten list here.

This poll sponsored by Nannerbug Designs. Contact me if you would like to sponsor next week’s poll!

What's your favorite new show? (Choose up to 10!)

Once Upon a Time (10%, 168 Votes)
Person of Interest (9%, 144 Votes)
Grimm (9%, 144 Votes)
The Finder (7%, 111 Votes)
Bent (5%, 78 Votes)
New Girl (4%, 70 Votes)
Alphas (3%, 55 Votes)
2 Broke Girls (3%, 48 Votes)
Falling Skies (3%, 48 Votes)
Revenge (2%, 41 Votes)
Suburgatory (2%, 40 Votes)
Alcatraz (2%, 39 Votes)
GCB (2%, 39 Votes)
Touch (2%, 38 Votes)
Awake (2%, 36 Votes)
The Secret Circle (2%, 36 Votes)
Terra Nova (2%, 35 Votes)
Smash (2%, 34 Votes)
Ringer (2%, 33 Votes)
Hart of Dixie (2%, 33 Votes)
Scandal (2%, 32 Votes)
Suits (2%, 30 Votes)
American Horror Story (2%, 29 Votes)
Last Man Standing (2%, 26 Votes)
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (1%, 25 Votes)
Franklin & Bash (1%, 25 Votes)
Switched at Birth (1%, 23 Votes)
Homeland (1%, 21 Votes)
Pan Am (1%, 21 Votes)
Unforgettable (1%, 19 Votes)
Up All Night (1%, 18 Votes)
Necessary Roughness (1%, 17 Votes)
Missing (1%, 17 Votes)
A Gifted Man (1%, 16 Votes)
The River (1%, 16 Votes)
Spartacus: Vengence (1%, 13 Votes)
Whitney (1%, 12 Votes)
Prime Suspect (1%, 9 Votes)
NYC 22 (0%, 8 Votes)
House of Lies (0%, 8 Votes)
Are You There, Chelsea? (0%, 8 Votes)
The Firm (0%, 7 Votes)
Best Friends Forever (0%, 7 Votes)
I Hate My Teenage Daughter (0%, 6 Votes)
Rob (0%, 2 Votes)
Boss (0%, 2 Votes)
Charlie's Angels (0%, 2 Votes)
How to Be a Gentleman (0%, 1 Votes)
Free Agents (0%, 1 Votes)
Man Up (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 568

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Ryan Hansen Cast in El Jefe — Fox

El Jefe’s description: “a well-off guy in his early 30s who finally gets booted out of his dad and step-mom’s house and moves in with his cleaning woman’s family since he had nowhere else to go” seems like the perfect show for an actor I know best as Dick Casablancas from Veronica Mars.

But Veronica Mars alums seem to be popping up everywhere lately! Kristin Bell is on House of Lies. Max Greenfield is on New Girl. Enrico Colantoli was on Person of Interest. Jason Dohring is on Ringer. And Erica Gimpel (who played Wallace’s mom, Alicia Fennel) just showed up on Nikita.

Ryan Hansen Cast in El Jefe — Fox.

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