And Round One keeps speeding along! The Andy Griffith Show takes on Modern Family, while the ruggedly handsome Castle is pitted against the quick-witted Gilmore Girls.
These polls will be open for about 72 hours, so be sure to spread the word quickly if you want your favorites to make it to the next round!
May Madness - Comedy, Round 1.5
The Andy Griffith Show (62%, 21 Votes)
Modern Family (38%, 13 Votes)
Total Voters: 34
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May Madness - Drama, Round 1.5
Castle (73%, 30 Votes)
Gilmore Girls (27%, 11 Votes)
Total Voters: 41
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Feel free to leave a comment about which show(s) you voted for and why! I may quote your comment in a Facebook post or tweet promoting this poll! Also, make sure the first poll finishes loading your results before submitting your vote for the second poll!
At last, it is time for the 64 TV shows YOU chose to battle it out for the best TV show of all time! Over the next few weeks, shows will face each other in 72-hour single elimination matchups! Everyone who responded to my question about whether to have comedies and dramas mixed throughout the tournament preferred to have the genres battle it out separately and the top comedy and top drama face each other in the final match, so that’s what we will do!
This post will be your go-to reference for current and upcoming matches, so be sure to bookmark it and check back daily! I will add the links as the posts go up. Or, subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest posts!
And now we’re starting round three, as the remaining 16 shows face off! The lists will be completed as the round one matchups finish, and links to each new poll will be added after they go live! Each of the round three posts will contain two matchups: one drama battle and one comedy battle. All polls will be open 72 hours.
These will be the matchups for round one. This list was randomly generated, and each of the round one posts will contain two matchups: one comedy battle and one drama battle. I may post several times in a day during this first round so that this bracket won’t go too far into June, but all polls will be open 72 hours. If any of the choices below seem impossible, remember, your decisions will only get more difficult as the tournament progresses! Have fun!
In one week, our brother/sister poll received votes from nearly 1500 voters, 60% of which included our winning duo among their up to 5 choices! Also, our top four sets of siblings are all from CW shows! Check out the results below:
#10 – Ellie and Chuck Bartowski (Chuck), with 78 votes!
#9 – Dan and Jenny Humphrey (Gossip Girl), with 85 votes!
#8 – Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett (Modern Family), with 91 votes!
#7 – Sookie and Jason Stackhouse (True Blood), with 121 votes!
#6 – Simon and River Tam (Firefly), with 162 votes!
#5 – Ross and Monica Gellar (Friends), with 211 votes!
#4 – Annie and Dixon Wilson (90210), with 244 votes!
#3 Oliver and Thea Queen (Arrow), with 269 votes!
#2 – Elena and Jeremy Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries), with 467 votes!
And our winner, #1 – Roman and Sophia (Star-Crossed), with 872 votes!!!
This Monday Madness, vote for your favorite brother/sister duos! While many shows include 3, 4, or more siblings, this poll only focuses on a brother/sister pair – there may be other siblings, but only if they are less of a focus. (I may do a families poll in the future to cover families with multiple siblings like the Bluths.) As in the previous polls, I only included more recent shows, and included both half- and step-siblings, as well as adopted siblings (but not siblings-in-law).
I also did not include siblings when one of them is only in a handful of episodes. My general rule of thumb was going with siblings who had both been in at least 1/3 of the episodes. Be sure to keep that in mind with any nominations!
This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 5 of your favorite TV brother/sister duos. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will win!
I had a hard time coming up with duos for this list, so I know there are brother/sister pairs I left out! As always, you can cast write-in ballots by leaving a comment, and if I receive several nominations, I may add them to the poll! 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.
Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 12AM March 31st.
Which is your favorite TV brother/sister duo? (Choose up to 5!)
Roman and Sophia (Star-Crossed) (31%, 874 Votes)
Elena and Jeremy Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries) (17%, 468 Votes)
Oliver and Thea Queen (Arrow) (10%, 269 Votes)
Annie and Dixon Wilson (90210) (9%, 244 Votes)
Ross and Monica Gellar (Friends) (8%, 211 Votes)
Simon and River Tam (Firefly) (6%, 162 Votes)
Sookie and Jason Stackhouse (True Blood) (4%, 121 Votes)
Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett (Modern Family) (3%, 91 Votes)
Dan and Jenny Humphrey (Gossip Girl) (3%, 85 Votes)
Chuck and Ellie Bartowski (Chuck) (3%, 78 Votes)
Casey and Rusty Cartwright (Greek) (2%, 54 Votes)
Frankie and Jane Rizzoli (Rizzoli and Isles) (1%, 40 Votes)
Lindsay and Sam Weir (Freaks and Geeks) (1%, 26 Votes)
Amber and Drew Holt (Parenthood) (1%, 22 Votes)
Ryan and Lisa Shay (Suburgatory) (1%, 17 Votes)
Daphne and J.J. Powell (No Ordinary Family) (0%, 12 Votes)
The schedules are out, the promos are released – now it’s time for me to figure out what I want to watch, what I have time to watch, what I won’t miss, and which new shows I’ll give a chance to wow me. As always, shows that aren’t live-action and scripted are ignored by this site.
New shows are in bold.
SUNDAY
Watching: Once Upon a Time
Not watching: Revenge, Betrayal, The Good Wife, The Mentalist
Only one new show is debuting on Sundays, Betrayal, and while the promo was good, the subject matter is meh in my mind.
MONDAY
Watching: Castle, How I Met Your Mother, Bones, Almost Human, Beauty and the Beast
Checking out: We Are Men, Intelligence , Sleepy Hollow
Not watching: 2 Broke Girls, Mom, Hostages, Blacklist, Hart of Dixie
Almost Human’s promo was so excellent, it got bumped right to the watching list. Of course, if it stinks, it’ll get bumped right back down. While Hostages and Blacklist had good promos, they’re just not something I’m interested in watching. Mom looks awful. Sleepy Hollow looks far better than I expected, so I’ll probably watch the pilot out of curiosity’s sake, but I doubt I’ll keep watching due to time constraints. Other than HIMYM, the returning shows that are on Mondays are the ones I fell most behind on (thinking about it now, why Castle and Bones got the short end of the stick was because we usually had a friend over on Tuesdays to watch previous seasons of HIMYM, so I didn’t have time to catch up).
TUESDAY
Watching: Marvel’s Agents of Shield, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, The Mindy Project
Checking out: The Originals
Not watching: The Goldbergs, The Trophy Wife, Lucky 7, Dads, Chicago Fire, Supernatural
The only reason Supernatural is on the not watching list is because I haven’t caught up yet, and since I’m still on season one, I doubt I’ll catch up this summer. I was going to watch Dads because of Seth Green, but the promo was so awful I don’t even plan to watch the pilot (besides, it’s in a horrible time slot so I doubt it will last). I’m behind on The Vampire Diaries, so my “checking out” of The Originals may only consist of watching the planted pilot (not a huge fan of the original siblings or Haley). Agents of Shield went on my to-watch list as soon as it was announced, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the promo for Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Unless the first few episodes strike a very different tone, it’ll probably stay on my watch list.
WEDNESDAY
Watching: Arrow
Checking out: The Tomorrow People
Not watching: The Middle, Back in the Game, Modern Family, Super Fun Night, Nashville, Criminal Minds, CSI, Revolution, Law & Order: SVU, Ironside
Wednesdays are once again my least-watched weekday. Aside from the Amell cousins’ projects, I’m passing on the entire night. Back in the Game and Super Fun Night look awful. Ironside looks excellent, but I watch so many other excellent crime dramas that new ones need a fun sci-fi twist (like Almost Human) or to cast one of my favorite actors.
THURSDAY
Watching: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, The Big Bang Theory, The Crazy Ones, Elementary, The Vampire Diaries
Checking out: Reign
Not watching: Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, The Millers, Two and a Half Men, Glee, Parks and Recreation, Welcome to the Family, Sean Saves the World, The Michael J. Fox Show, Parenthood
It used to be that I mainly watched NBC comedies; now I’m just waiting for Community to come back. CBS’s The Crazy Ones pairs Mork and Buffy, which pushed it onto my short list, and the behind-the-scenes promo was as hilarious as most regular trailers. Wonderland’s preview is amazing, and Reign has an interesting premise and enough actors I know for me to give it a try.
FRIDAY
Watching: The Neighbors, Bones (once it moves), Enlisted, Grimm
Checking out: Dracula
Not watching: Last Man Standing, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, Raising Hope, The Carrie Diaries
Enlisted was one of my most anticipated series contenders thanks to a great cast, and the promo shows that it’ll be funny as well. I probably won’t watch Dracula, but I do want to see where they’re going with the story, so I should preview the pilot.
That gives me 22 shows that I plan to watch (8 comedies and 14 dramas for 18 hours total) and 7 that I want to check out (1 comedy and 6 dramas for 6.5 hours total).
What shows are you watching next fall? Vote below and spread the word!
What broadcast shows do you plan to watch during fall 2013?
Amazon has some amazing deals on TV shows this weekend, so I thought I’d share them with you here. Prices are accurate at the time of posting, and I expect they’ll remain the same through the weekend, but there’s no guarantee, so order now!
Private Practice creator Shonda Rhimes and ABC have decided to let the show end after finishing up this season’s thirteen-episode run. Sister show Grey’s Anatomy will get two additional episodes, however.
ABC is also giving Castle one extra episode this season, while comedies Modern Family and The Middle have been granted two extra episodes. They’ve also ordered two additional scripts each for struggling new dramas Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue.
Fox also has joined “extra episode Friday,” bumping The Mindy Project’s recent full season order from 22 to 24 episodes. While many have anticipated the network would pull low-performing new drama The Mob Doctor from its Mondays-at-9 slot any day now, Fox recently announced the show would air 3 out of 4 Mondays during November sweeps.
As I mentioned earlier, Animal Practice has been pulled from NBC’s schedule and replaced by Whitney. There’s still no news about when Community will return – I’d expected to hear something by now, so I’m beginning to fear it won’t return until midseason. I’m also starting to get a sneaking suspicion that NBC knows how rabid Community fans get when something happens with their show, and are using the uncertainty to build buzz. Further cementing the idea that they want this schedule change to increase anticipation for new episodes, this awesome clip was released the day the season premiere was supposed to air:
For this round of our TV Olympics (can you believe we only have 5 more rounds left? ), we’re looking at dad/daughter duos!
This poll is for actual fathers (not father-figures), and since the relationship between dad and daughter is a key part of the poll, they need to have appeared in a number of episodes together, and infant daughters are excluded. If you know of any duos you believe should be in the poll, leave their names and the show in a comment!
Poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 3 of your favorite dad/daughter duos. Remember to keep checking the main event page for all the current polls and results!
What's your favorite dad/daughter duo? (Choose up to 3!)
Castle and Alexis - Castle (41%, 205 Votes)
Eli and Ziva - NCIS (12%, 59 Votes)
Max and Temperance - Bones (10%, 48 Votes)
Danny and Grace - Hawaii Five-O (7%, 34 Votes)
Keith and Veronica - Veronica Mars (7%, 33 Votes)
Carter and Zoe - Eureka (6%, 31 Votes)
George and Tessa - Suburgatory (5%, 25 Votes)
Jay and Claire - Modern Family (3%, 14 Votes)
Phil and Haley - Modern Family (3%, 14 Votes)
Frank and Laverne - Laverne & Shirley (2%, 12 Votes)
For this round of our TV Show Olympics, we’re looking at animals on TV! Whether furry or scaly, they often add color and dimension to the TV shows of which they are a part. This poll does not include characters who appear human most of the time but also can show up as animals – werewolves, shapeshifters, etc., but mythological animals are allowed.
For an animal to qualify for this poll, it has to appear in more than one episode of the show (which left out some nominated favorites from Psych, Supernatural, and NCIS). As usual, only live-action, scripted shows are included. If you have additional nominations, please put them in the comments!
Poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 3 of your favorite TV animals. Remember to keep checking the main event page for all the current polls and results!
What's your favorite TV animal? (Choose up to 3!)
Dragon - Merlin (28%, 108 Votes)
Satchmo - White Collar (11%, 43 Votes)
Marcel - Friends (7%, 25 Votes)
Kit - Charmed (5%, 18 Votes)
Pongo - Once Upon a Time (5%, 18 Votes)
Miss Kitty Fantastico - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (5%, 18 Votes)
Poll #4 in our Olympic event (have you been keeping up?) focuses on characters aged 6-12 and the talented child actors who play them. From this small list of nominees, you can see that elementary-school-aged characters have grown increasingly rare in the TV world, but there still are a handful of awesome ones out there (and if we’ve missed any that regularly appear on live-action, scripted shows, let us know!).
You can chose up to 3 characters, and this poll (like the others) will be open for one week. And yes, I am aware that some of these characters have moved past their elementary school years, but all spent a significant part of their show in that age range. Vote and spread the word!
Who is your favorite elementary-aged kid? (Choose up to 3!)
This Monday Madness, we’re looking at (listening to?) awesome accents on TV! Some are real, some are pretend, but all help define the character who speaks them. Whether the accent is straight-laced British, sultry Spanish, or down-home Southern, and whether the character reinforces or subverts the accent’s stereotypes, these accents add flair and texture to their shows.
Special note: I’m choosing to feature accents that stand out in a show – aka the majority of characters in the show don’t have similar accents. Otherwise, accents from shows set in Great Britain, the southern US, India, etc. would make this poll extremely long.
This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite accents. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10! Fans have used Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, forums, Reddit, blogs, and chatboxes to get the word out about past polls. Get creative!
Even though there are 30-some options on this list, I know there are TV characters with great accents I left out! You can nominate ones I missed in the comments until Thursday night, and I may add them to the poll (from live-action scripted shows only, please, and the accents should differ from the majority of the cast).
Want more of a say in who makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter or like TV Breakroom on Facebook, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll. Please help out with nominations! There are only so many shows I can watch personally, so I’m counting on you to fill me in!
Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM July 16th.
Which character has your favorite accent? (Choose up to 10!)
This Monday Madness, in honor of Father’s Day this coming Sunday here in the US, we’re looking at TV dads! These dads, whether grounded or goofy, often set the tone of their shows, and no matter how difficult or stubborn, always have a soft spot for their kids. This poll is focusing on actual (both biological and adoptive) dads, since including father-like figures would have made it too lengthy – though many of the dads on this poll do have a father-like role in other characters’ lives.
This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite TV dads. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10! Fans have used Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, forums, Reddit, blogs, and chatboxes to get the word out about past polls. Get creative!
Even though there are 50 70-some options on this list, I know there are dozens of TV dads I left out! You can nominate fathers I missed in the comments until Thursday night, and I may add them to the poll (dads from live-action scripted shows only, please, and the dad must be in at least 3 episodes of the show).
Want more of a say in who makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter or like TV Breakroom on Facebook, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll. Please help out with nominations! There are only so many shows I can watch personally, so I’m counting on you to fill me in!
Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM June 18th.
Who is your favorite TV dad? (Choose up to 10!)
Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion) - Castle (14%, 1,951 Votes)
John Winchester (Jeffery Dean Morgan & Matt Cohen) - Supernatural (10%, 1,362 Votes)
Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) - Eureka (5%, 681 Votes)
Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) - Psych (4%, 620 Votes)
ABC announced its fall schedule yesterday, with a few returning freshmen shows (and Happy Endings) moving, but most of the schedule staying the same (Once Upon a Time, Castle, and Suburgatory all stayed put).
It looks like most of the new shows I want to try out on ABC are being held for midseason – including comedies How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) and The Family Tools (both of their trailers look pretty decent and far funnier than the descriptions suggested) and perhaps drama Zero Hour (looks interesting, probably will depend on how busy I am).
For fall, I was planning to try out The Neighbors (which has taken Don’t Trust the B—-‘s spot on Wednesdays at 9:30, the returning comedy has moved to the same time on Tuesdays following Happy Endings), but the preview makes the show look pretty dumb. I don’t think it’ll last long, though the post-Modern Family slot might hold off the inevitable for a bit. Last Resort, on the other hand, looks great, and I hope it will fare well with the competitive 8/7c slot on Thursdays. 666 Park Street seems pretty much straight horror from the preview, so I’m likely to pass on it completely (I was hoping for something more along the lines of Grimm/Warehouse 13/Buffy – call me old-fashioned, but I prefer supernatural baddies that you can beat up and behead, with a cast who can quip to lighten the tension).
Looking back at ABC’s list of pilots, there are so many I wish had gotten picked up! Primarily Beauty and the Beast. At least there won’t be network wars over who can keep the title. And since Americana wasn’t picked up, Once Upon a Time’s Belle (Emilie de Ravin) can stay where she belongs. Gilded Lillys, Gotham, and Prairie Dogs also sounded good.
Just in this evening, NBC has renewed Community for a shortened 13-episode season 4! Unlike the network’s 30 Rock renewal, this is not being billed as a final season, so I’m hopeful that the show will get a fifth season, or perhaps garner additional episode orders (the show would need 4 more episodes to reach the “magic” 88 episodes usually required for syndication).
Also, ABC has renewed freshmen shows Once Upon a Time, Revenge, and Suburgatory, as well as veteran shows Castle, Grey’s Anatomy, The Middle, and Modern Family. (If Joss Whedon ever does a broadcast TV show again, it should be on ABC. They seem to like his people – Nathan Fillion, Adam Tudyk, Jane Espenson.)
ABC’s Cougar Town is moving to TBS for a fourth and possibly fifth season (Community’s Abed should be pretty happy about that).
With Awake and Bent unlikely to be renewed by NBC, the only shows I’m waiting to hear about now are on the CW.
I like voting for things. Especially when they have to do with my favorite shows. So I thought I’d provide a quick rundown of this year’s People’s Choice Award Nominees. Just the TV section, mind you, and only the scripted shows. I usually haven’t seen most of the movies (I did vote for Thor over the very close choice of Captain America), and I’ve don’t listen to nearly all of the music artists.
FAVORITE NETWORK TV DRAMA
Pretty much a no-brainer that I was voting for House. Supernatural hasn’t captured my attention, and while The Good Wife looks like a solid show, I’ve never seen it (blame my lawyer aversion). And Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries look FAR too soapy for me.
FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
How can I choose between David Boreanaz and Nathan Fillion? Fortunately, with this award, I can vote as often as I like, so I’ve been alternating between the two. Not so when the two face each other in Round 3 of TV Line’s “Ultimate Law-Enforcement Crushes Bracket Tournament.” I don’t know how I’ll pick. Nathan has Castle and Firefly and Dr. Horrible and now Much Ado About Nothing. David has Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I’m ignoring Nathan as Caleb since I hated him in that role) and Angel and Bones.
Hugh Laurie only gets a distant third in this category, and Ian Somerhalder and Patrick Dempsey are soundly ignored by me.
FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
A very easy vote for Emily Deschanel. I haven’t even heard of some of the others on the list: Blake Lively, Ellen Pompeo, Eva Longoria, and Nina Dobrev.
FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA
Another super easy choice, as I only watch White Collar. Game of Thrones does sound good, though, and people have recommended Dexter to me. Don’t know about True Blood and Pretty Little Liars.
FAVORITE NETWORK TV COMEDY
The Big Bang Theory gets my vote most of the time for this one, but I’ll occasionally vote for How I Met Your Mother as well. Interesting that Dr. Horrible is competing against his sidekick, Moist. I only enjoy Glee for the music, Two and a Half Men is crude instead of funny, and I’ve never seen Modern Family.
FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Hmm, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) or Barney (Neil Patrick Harris)? Same as above, I’ll usually tilt toward the Thursday night show but occasionally choose the Monday night one. Alec Baldwin, Chris Colfer, and Cory Monteith don’t make me laugh.
FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Kaley Cuoco wins hands down over Courteney Cox, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, and Tina Fey.
FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY
I don’t currently watch any of these, though I used to watch Royal Pains (seriously, why is this a nominee instead of Psych?). I may come back to the show later, I’m just not a huge fan of medical shows (House is the only one I watch now) and not too fond of the main character (loved Evan and Divya, though). It does get my vote over the shows I haven’t seen: Hot in Cleveland, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Nurse Jackie, and Weeds.
FAVORITE TV CRIME DRAMA
When I first saw the nominees for this category, I thought, Are you kidding? I’ve mentioned several times on this blog that Bones, Castle, and NCIS are my top three crime dramas, and all three were nominated this year! I voted for each of them. I’ve only seen bits of CSI and Criminal Minds episodes.
FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW
I’ve only seen Supernatural on this list, so I voted for it, but Fringe has been on my to-watch list for a long while. From what I’ve heard, I think I’d prefer True Blood to The Vampire Diaries (too bad my favorite currently-airing vampire show, Being Human, didn’t make the list), and since zombies bore me, The Walking Dead has only appeared on my radar since its ratings are good.
FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR
I loved Jim Carrey’s appearance on The Office, and would have much preferred his character to Robert California. Katy Perry’s appearance on How I Met Your Mother was funny, but I felt like most actresses could have played the role well. I didn’t see the appearances of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristin Chenoweth, or Michael J. Fox.
FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Twelve options is a lot to choose from, but Once Upon a Time has wowed me in all three episodes. Ringer is a close second and gets my vote every once in a while. Person of Interest has built slowly but is improving, and Grimm’s two episodes have been good enough for me to keep watching.
Out of the remaining shows, I’ve only seen Unforgettable, which I hated. Pilots sometimes don’t match the rest of a show, but I couldn’t even get halfway through episode two. I’ve heard good things about Pan Am, Terra Nova, and Revenge, but my “new shows to try out” list already had 11 shows on it (plus more than a dozen returning shows). Medically-minded Hart of Dixie and A Gifted Man didn’t sound like quite my thing, and neither did The Secret Circle or Prime Suspect.
FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
2 Broke Girls was super-easy choice for this category, though Suburgatory has been good and New Girl has been okay. Guessed to be not my cup of tea by the previews: Whitney, Up All Night, Last Man Standing, and Man Up. I don’t watch animated TV (the only way I think I ever would was if Joss Whedon created an animated show), so no Allen Gregory.
What did you vote for? Are there any shows mentioned that you think I should be watching?
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