May Madness: Beauty and the Beast vs. NCIS, Suburgatory vs. The Mindy Project

For this round, Beauty and the Beast faces NCIS, while our only present comedies in round two, Suburgatory and The Mindy Project, battle each other!

These round two 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! As always, you can find the links to all the current matchups on our main post. Please try to vote in all the polls, not just the one with your favorite show!

May Madness - Drama, Round 2.5

  • Beauty and the Beast (86%, 326 Votes)
  • NCIS (14%, 52 Votes)

Total Voters: 378

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May Madness - Comedy, Round 2.5

  • The Mindy Project (53%, 42 Votes)
  • Suburgatory (48%, 38 Votes)

Total Voters: 80

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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, there may be a bit of a lag if a lot of people are voting, so make sure the first poll finishes loading your results before submitting your vote for the second poll!

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May Madness: 30 Rock vs. Suburgatory, The Vampire Diaries vs. Beauty and the Beast

As renewals and cancellations finish up for the broadcast season, in our poll we have some of each! 30 Rock (which finished its final season last year) faces the just-canceled Suburgatory, while CW mainstay The Vampire Diaries battles this season’s surprise renewal (though our Save One Show fans correctly predicted it!) Beauty and the Beast!

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! As always, you can find the links to all the current matchups on our main post.

May Madness - Comedy, Round 1.9

  • Suburgatory (56%, 53 Votes)
  • 30 Rock (44%, 41 Votes)

Total Voters: 94

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May Madness - Drama, Round 1.9

  • Beauty and the Beast (94%, 467 Votes)
  • The Vampire Diaries (6%, 32 Votes)

Total Voters: 499

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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, there may be a bit of a lag if a lot of people are voting, so make sure the first poll finishes loading your results before submitting your vote for the second poll!

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May Madness 2014

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!

 

TOURNAMENT FINAL

Castle vs. M*A*S*H

 

DRAMA FINAL

Castle vs. Beauty and the Beast – Winner: Castle!

COMEDY FINAL

M*A*S*H vs. Friends – Winner: M*A*S*H

Round four begins with only eight shows remaining! Each of these polls will be open 72 hours.

DRAMA – ROUND FOUR MATCHUPS

White Collar vs. Castle – Winner: Castle!

Beauty and the Beast vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

COMEDY – ROUND FOUR MATCHUPS

I Love Lucy vs. M*A*S*H – Winner: M*A*S*H!

Friends vs. Will & Grace – Winner: Friends!

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.

DRAMA – ROUND THREE MATCHUPS

White Collar vs. House – Winner: White Collar!

Castle vs. The X-Files – Winner: Castle!

Beauty and the Beast vs. Once Upon a Time – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs. Supernatural – Winner: Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

 

COMEDY – ROUND THREE MATCHUPS

M*A*S*H vs. Golden Girls – Winner: M*A*S*H!

The Andy Griffith Show vs. I Love Lucy – Winner: I Love Lucy!

The Mindy Project vs. Friends – Winner: Friends!

Will & Grace vs. The Dick Van Dyke Show – Winner: Will & Grace!

 

Here are the round two matchups!

DRAMA – ROUND TWO MATCHUPS

White Collar vs. Leverage – Winner: White Collar!

Veronica Mars vs. House – Winner: House!

Castle vs. Doctor Who – Winner:  Castle!

ER vs. The X-Files – Winner: The X-Files!

Beauty and the Beast vs. NCIS – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

Once Upon a Time vs. Agents of SHIELD – Winner: Once Upon a Time!

Criminal Minds vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Winner: Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Supernatural vs. Sherlock – Winner: Supernatural!

 

COMEDY – ROUND TWO MATCHUPS

Scrubs vs. M*A*S*H – Winner: M*A*S*H!

The Office vs. Golden Girls – Winner: Golden Girls!

The Andy Griffith Show vs. Get Smart – Winner: The Andy Griffith Show!

That 70s Show vs. I Love Lucy – Winner: I Love Lucy!

Suburgatory vs. The Mindy Project – Winner: The Mindy Project!

The Cosby Show vs. Friends – Winner: Friends!

Will & Grace vs. Hogan’s Heroes – Winner: Will & Grace!

The Dick Van Dyke Show vs. Gilligan’s Island – Winner: The Dick Van Dyke Show!

 

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!

 

COMEDY – ROUND ONE MATCHUPS

Scrubs vs. Raising Hope – Winner: Scrubs!

How I Met Your Mother vs. M*A*S*H – Winner: M*A*S*H!

The Office (US) vs. 2 Broke Girls – Winner: The Office!

Golden Girls vs. New Girl – Winner: Golden Girls!

Modern Family vs. The Andy Griffith Show – Winner: The Andy Griffith Show!

Get Smart vs. The Crazy Ones – Winner: Get Smart!

That 70s Show vs. The Big Bang Theory – Winner: That 70s Show!

I Love Lucy vs. Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Winner: I Love Lucy!

30 Rock vs. Suburgatory – Winner: Suburgatory!

The Goldbergs vs. The Mindy Project – Winner: The Mindy Project!

The Cosby Show vs. Parks and Recreation – Winner: The Cosby Show!

Friends vs. The Middle – Winner: Friends!

Will & Grace vs. Seinfeld – Winner: Will & Grace!

Community vs. Hogan’s Heroes – Winner: Hogan’s Heroes!

Enlisted vs. The Dick Van Dyke Show – Winner: The Dick Van Dyke Show!

Last Man Standing vs. Gilligan’s Island – Winner: Gilligan’s Island!

 

DRAMA – ROUND ONE MATCHUPS

Dexter vs. White Collar – Winner: White Collar!

Angel vs. Leverage – Winner: Leverage!

Glee vs. Veronica Mars – Winner: Veronica Mars!

Game of Thrones vs. House – Winner: House!

Gilmore Girls vs. Castle – Winner: Castle!

Magnum, PI vs. Doctor Who – Winner: Doctor Who!

Moonlight vs. ER – Winner: ER!

The X-Files vs. Suits – Winner: The X-Files!

The Vampire Diaries vs. Beauty and the Beast – Winner: Beauty and the Beast!

NCIS vs. Charmed – Winner: NCIS!

Arrow vs. Once Upon a Time – Winner: Once Upon a Time!

Agents of SHIELD vs. JAG – Winner: Agents of SHIELD!

Criminal Minds vs. Dollhouse – Winner: Criminal Minds!

Dark Angel vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Winner: Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Supernatural vs. Firefly – Winner: Supernatural!

Bones vs. Sherlock – Winner: Sherlock!

 

Which round one loss are you most disappointed by? Leave a comment and let me know!

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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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Monday Madness: Favorite Hero/Villain Duo

This Monday Madness, vote for your favorite hero/villain duos! The hero of any TV show, whether comic-book-based, sitcom, or procedural drama, always faces opposition in the pursuit of his/her goals. Often, that opposition comes from the people around our hero. But sometimes, one opposing person stands out from the crowd. They may be a twisted version of our hero, or just amazing at being evil. But you can be sure that an epic battle (of wits, weapons, or fisticuffs) is about to begin!

The pairs below are some of the more popular hero/villain duos, along with several nominated by readers of this blog. Which are your favorites? Go forth and vote!

Also, this poll is not as limited as previous ones – feel free to include older shows and villains who aren’t around for very long – just be sure to nominate ones that make an impression!

The winners of last week’s poll are here.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 5 of your favorite TV hero/villain duos. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will win!

I had a hard time coming up with duos for this list, and I know there are many more epic heroes and villains out there! 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. Stay tuned – I have something special in mind for the rest of April and May!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 12AM April 7th.

Which is your favorite TV hero/villain duo? (Choose up to 5!)

  • Elena Gilbert vs. Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries) (11%, 38 Votes)
  • Sherlock Holmes vs. Jim Moriarty (Sherlock) (9%, 32 Votes)
  • The Doctor vs. the Master (Doctor Who) (8%, 29 Votes)
  • Emma Swan vs. Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time) (7%, 25 Votes)
  • Steve McGarrett vs. Wo Fat (Hawaii Five-O) (6%, 20 Votes)
  • Nick Burkhardt vs. Adalind Schade (Grimm) (5%, 16 Votes)
  • Sheldon Cooper vs. Wil Wheaton (The Big Bang Theory) (4%, 15 Votes)
  • Dr. Horrible vs. Captain Hammer (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) (3%, 12 Votes)
  • Col. Robert Hogan vs. Col. Wilhelm Klink (Hogan's Heroes) (3%, 12 Votes)
  • Will Schuester vs. Sue Sylvester (Glee) (3%, 11 Votes)
  • Temperance Brennan vs. Christopher Pelant (Bones) (3%, 11 Votes)
  • Richard Castle vs. 3XK (Castle) (3%, 10 Votes)
  • Merlin vs. Morgana (Merlin) (3%, 10 Votes)
  • Patrick Jane vs. Red John (The Mentalist) (3%, 10 Votes)
  • Agent Phil Coulson vs. the Clairvoyant (Agents of SHIELD) (3%, 10 Votes)
  • Luke Danes vs. Taylor Doose (Gilmore Girls) (3%, 9 Votes)
  • Robin Hood vs. the Sheriff of Nottingham (BBC Robin Hood) (3%, 9 Votes)
  • Chuck Bartowski vs. Daniel Shaw (Chuck) (3%, 9 Votes)
  • Buffy Summers vs. Glory (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (2%, 8 Votes)
  • Nikita vs. Amanda (Nikita) (2%, 7 Votes)
  • Harold Finch vs. Root (Person of Interest) (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Veronica Mars vs. Sheriff Lamb (Veronica Mars) (1%, 5 Votes)
  • Sydney Bristow vs. Arvin Sloane (Alias) (1%, 5 Votes)
  • John Bates vs. Thomas Barrow (Downton Abbey) (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Annie Walker vs. Henry Wilcox (Covert Affairs) (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Alice vs. Jafar (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland) (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Agent G. Callen vs. Marcel Janvier (NCIS: Los Angeles) (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Jane Rizzoli vs. Charles Hoyt (Rizzoli & Isles) (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Claire vs. Sylar (Heroes) (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Michael Westen vs. Anson Fullerton (Burn Notice) (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Dr. Lee Rosen vs. Stanton Parrish (Alphas) (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Tessa Altman vs. Dalia Royce (Suburgatory) (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Dr. Gregory House vs. Michael Tritter (House) (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Ryan Hardy vs. Joe Carroll (The Following) (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Vince Farraday vs. Peter Fleming (The Cape) (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Jessica Pearson vs. Daniel Hardman (Suits) (0%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 125

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Monday Madness: Favorite Brother/Sister Duo

Update: This poll is now closed. View the winners here, and check out this week’s poll!

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!

The winners of last week’s poll are here.

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)
  • Ben and Kate Fox (Ben and Kate) (0%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,462

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Pilot Scoop: Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan to Star in Suburgatory Creator’s Selfie Comedy for ABC – TVLine

Okay, this ABC comedy pilot just became a must-watch if it makes it to series! Not only is Karen Gillan (Doctor Who’s Amy Pond) starring, but it’s from the same mind behind the hilarious Suburgatory. Also, with Gillan’s character being named Eliza Dooley, I’m guessing they have some “My Fair Lady” homages up their sleeves?

Pilot Scoop: Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan to Star in Suburgatory Creator’s Selfie Comedy for ABC – TVLine.

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TNT Orders Legends and The Last Ship to Series, Fox Picks Up Eight Shows, Including Enlisted

TV news for next season is starting to heat up, and I’m back to blogging about it as I try to make sense of what’s going on, share the joy of new projects seeing the light of day, and rant about pilots not picked up.

TNT ordered 10 episodes of two new series I’ve been excited about for a while, thanks to one key role and a decent premise. Adam Baldwin’s The Last Ship features a previously-isolated crew racing to find a cure for a global pandemic. Sean Bean’s Legends has the CIA’s top chameleon operative suffering a break with reality amid his many covers.

I watched both trailers for the new shows (which the above loglines are based on), and both seem slightly different from their original premises. I’m not sure if it’s that, or the fact that my TV watching time has been drastically cut, but I’m less excited about these projects than I was initially. Both are going into my “wait and see the reviews/ratings” box for now, and I imagine they’ll stay there for a while. Now that Leverage is over, the only veteran show I’m watching on TNT is last year’s Perception, which was unique and well done enough to stay on my “to watch” list. (I should really make these into real lists and share them – perhaps after upfronts?)

Fox has ordered 4 dramas and 4 comedies (to add to the already-picked-up Dads, which got expanded from 6 to 13 episodes), quite a lot for a channel that doesn’t program anything from 10-11.

Out of the eight, I’m most excited about Enlisted, a military comedy starring Geoff Stults, Chris Lowell, and Parker Young (who play three brothers). Stults won me over completely in The Finder and I also enjoyed his reoccurring role on Ben & Kate, so I’d be at least previewing almost any new show he would be cast in. I’m sad to see that Young will be leaving Suburgatory, since I love his character on that show, but I’m glad he’ll have more of a starring role in this project. Lowell I know mainly as Piz from Veronica Mars, so I’ll have to get a new opinion of his acting now that he won’t be getting in the way of one of my favorite TV couples.

For the other comedies, Us & Them seems the one I’m most likely to watch, with Gilmore Girls’ Alexis Bledel returning to TV and a fun premise: a long-distance relationship with family and friends butting in. Brooklyn Nine-Nine puts a comedy spin on a cop show, and Surviving Jack stars Christopher Meloni. Dads may also warrant a preview, as Seth Green (Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) plays one of the two guys whose fathers move in with them.

I’m disappointed Delirium didn’t get picked up to series. While the sci-fi premise was a bit hokey (a procedure to remove love?), it reminded me of Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee’s novel Forbidden. And I enjoy Emma Roberts’ acting.

I doubt I will watch any of Fox’s new dramas. I may check out Almost Human (an android/human buddy cop show) if the trailer leans more toward sci-fi than cop drama. Rake has Greg Kinnear, but I’m not piqued by a law drama take on House. The story of Sleepy Hollow never interested me, and Gang Related just seems like another cop show with a conflicted loyalties twist (and medical drama with a conflicted loyalties twist worked out so well for The Mob Doctor).

Do you plan to watch any of these new shows?

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Eight TV Fandoms I Embraced in 2012

2012 was a great year for me in regard to uncovering awesome TV shows. It may even top 2011, when I got pulled into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Bones, Warehouse 13, Eureka, and Veronica Mars, not to mention enjoyed great new fall shows like Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Suburgatory, and Person of Interest.

My top eight new shows for 2012 are also a mix of brand new and new-to-me shows. Like with the list above, this year wasn’t always my first exposure to the shows in question, but 2012 was the year they hooked me. I’m listing the shows in roughly chronological order of getting sucked in.

The Finder

This short-lived Fox drama (so many awesome shows can say the same thing) caught my attention as a companion show to Bones – not quite a proper spinoff as none of the main characters from Bones joined the new show. But with a planted pilot, same showrunner, and guest appearances by Bones cast, the tie was definitely there. Geoff Stults (as Walter) and Michael Clarke Duncan (as Leo) hit it out of the park on day one, but the ratings didn’t match the show’s awesomeness. Fox also aired the episodes out of order, threw in a month-long hiatus in March, and moved the show to the Friday death slot – starting Easter weekend!

From the beginning, the show felt like it should have been airing on USA Network – it had the same breezy, pop-culture-riddled sensibilities as Psych, and would have been a perfect fit for their “Characters Welcome” brand. But in the end, the cancellation of the show was moot, as Michael Clarke Duncan, who as Leo was the heart of the show, passed away over the summer.

I’m still waiting for the DVD set to become available, but at least The Finder introduced me to the amazingness of actor Geoff Stults, who I’m currently enjoying as a reoccurring cast member on Ben and Kate. Sadly, that show also airs on Fox, and I’ve learned not to get attached to anything airing on that network now.

True Blood

Buffy and Being Human showed me that shows about vampires are cool. So to feed my bloodlust, I decided to try out this buzzy HBO show, not really expecting to like it – keeping things PG-13 is more my style, and I’m not a fan of the deep south. But checking out episode one led swiftly to two, and three, as each twisty cliffhanger glamoured me into watching more. Short season meant catching up in time for season 5, and while this show is fairly low on my list of vampire TV shows, it’s addicting enough that I’ll keep coming back.

Happy Endings

There’s a dearth of good comedy over summers, so I decided to give this recommended show a try in late August, and quickly grew to love the quirky group.

The Vampire Diaries

After catching up on True Blood, I decided to try out the last major vampire show currently airing that I hadn’t seen. Plus, I was looking at writing a book with a high school setting and vampires trying to control their urges, and I wanted to make sure it was different enough from this show. The pilot bored me, but I heard later that the rest of the show was a vast improvement, so I dove in during September, and caught up on all three seasons within 3 weeks, just in time for the season 4 premiere.

Like True Blood, the fast-paced storylines made the show insanely addictive, but in this case, the characters and relationships became an even bigger draw. Damon’s struggle with what sort of person to become, Elena’s compassion without weakness, Stefan’s dual nature, Caroline’s ditziness turned to strength, Alaric’s unlikely allies becoming the family he always wanted, and more.

Elementary

No, it’s not Sherlock, but it doesn’t have to be – I love both shows, and Jonny Lee Miller makes an amazing Holmes. Making Watson female, setting the show in NYC, and coming up with new stories instead of revamping the classics all help differentiate this show. And with us getting only 4 1/2 hours of Sherlock every 18 months or so, there’s plenty of room for a fun, quirky drama like this. I enjoy the recovering addict twist, and Joan Watson’s slower progression to teaming up with her client.

Arrow

Aside from Alphas, TV has been sorely missing a good superhero show, and in the wake of The Avengers’ popularity, the Batman trilogy’s gritty conclusion, and America’s obsession with bow-toting heroes, Arrow is exactly what was wanted. While there are still a few rough edges on this new drama (dialogue could use some help), great ratings will give it time to truly soar.

Doctor Who

I always knew I would eventually watch this show. I purchased digital editions of series 1 and 3 back in 2010, and watched a few episodes here and there, but didn’t get hooked. I watched a couple more earlier this year, and in November started liking the show more and more. In December, I started marathoning through Doctor Who in earnest, as most shows were going on hiatus and I had more time. I rewatched season 1 with my sister (and liked it a whole lot more the second time) around Christmas, and caught up with the whole show (excluding classic Who) a few days after the New Year.

Torchwood

I bought the first two series of Torchwood in 2010 also, and despite some misgivings about the show’s adult content, I liked the character of Jack Harkness from Doctor Who enough to give the show a try (and keep all the crossovers in their proper places). As a result of watching the two together, it’s hard to separate Torchwood as a distinct show in my mind. It’s the only show on this list I’m not current with, as I still have 6 episodes left of the Miracle Day mini-series. It’s definitely a more serious show (during various episodes I found myself longing for the more lighthearted Who), morality is a bit grayer, and quite often there isn’t a happy ending. But it definitely grows on you, and there are quite a few exceptional episodes.

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Monday Madness: Favorite Christmas Episode

It’s hard to believe Christmas will be here in about a week! One of my favorite parts of the season are the awesome holiday episodes shows put out, and now it’s your turn to vote for your favorites! I purposely saved this poll for right before Christmas so I could add in some of 2012’s holiday episodes.

Fans have used Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, forums, Reddit, Pinterest, blogs, and chatboxes to get the word out about past polls. Our toolbar at the bottom of the page has lots of quick links to help you share this post, or you can mouse over the image above!

I know I’m missing some of your favorite Christmas episodes, so feel free to nominate more episodes on our Facebook page, tweeting me at @waterfallbooks, or by leaving a comment below. Please include both the show and episode name, and yes, you can nominate this year’s holiday episodes! (Be sure to stick with live-action, scripted shows, though it’s fine if just this one episode has some animation, like with a certain Community episode.) Please only nominate Christmas episodes that are part of a regular show, not one-off specials like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or movie-related specials like “Shrek the Halls.”

Without further ado, vote for up to fifteen of the episodes below! Poll will close Sunday night, December 23rd, giving you one week to spread the word!

What's your favorite Christmas episode? (Choose up to 15!)

  • Leverage - The Ho Ho Ho Job (17%, 154 Votes)
  • Supernatural - A Very Supernatural Christmas (8%, 76 Votes)
  • Doctor Who - The Christmas Invasion (5%, 43 Votes)
  • Doctor Who - Voyage of the Damned (4%, 35 Votes)
  • Doctor Who - A Christmas Carol (4%, 35 Votes)
  • Doctor Who - The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (4%, 34 Votes)
  • The Big Bang Theory - The Bath Gift Item Hypothesis (3%, 31 Votes)
  • Psych - Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy (3%, 26 Votes)
  • Bones - The Man in the Fallout Shelter (3%, 24 Votes)
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Amends (3%, 24 Votes)
  • How I Met Your Mother - How Lily Stole Christmas (2%, 23 Votes)
  • The Big Bang Theory - The Santa Simulation (2%, 22 Votes)
  • Castle - Secret Santa (2%, 21 Votes)
  • NCIS - Faith (2%, 20 Votes)
  • NCIS - Newborn King (2%, 19 Votes)
  • Bones - The Santa in the Slush (2%, 19 Votes)
  • Friends - The One With the Holiday Armadillo (2%, 18 Votes)
  • NCIS - Silent Night (2%, 17 Votes)
  • Psych - Christmas Joy (2%, 17 Votes)
  • How I Met Your Mother - Symphony of Illumination (2%, 16 Votes)
  • The Vampire Diaries - O Come, All Ye Faithful (2%, 15 Votes)
  • Community - Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (2%, 14 Votes)
  • New Girl - Santa (2%, 14 Votes)
  • Psych - The Polarizing Express (2%, 14 Votes)
  • Community - Regional Holiday Music (1%, 13 Votes)
  • Community - Comparative Religion (1%, 13 Votes)
  • Eureka - O Little Town (1%, 12 Votes)
  • Warehouse 13 - Secret Santa (1%, 12 Votes)
  • Eureka - Do You See What I See (1%, 12 Votes)
  • Warehouse 13 - The Greatest Gift (1%, 12 Votes)
  • Arrow - Year's End (1%, 11 Votes)
  • Chuck - Chuck vs Santa Claus (1%, 11 Votes)
  • Veronica Mars - An Echolls Family Christmas (1%, 10 Votes)
  • House - It's a Wonderful Lie (1%, 10 Votes)
  • The OC - The Best Chrismukkah Ever (1%, 9 Votes)
  • Glee - A Very Glee Christmas (1%, 9 Votes)
  • The X-Files - How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (1%, 8 Votes)
  • M*A*S*H - Death Takes a Holiday (1%, 8 Votes)
  • The West Wing - In Excelsis Deo (1%, 6 Votes)
  • Seinfeld - Festivus (1%, 5 Votes)
  • The Office - Dwight Christmas (1%, 5 Votes)
  • The Office - A Benihana Christmas (0%, 4 Votes)
  • Go On - The World Ain't Over 'Til It's Over (0%, 4 Votes)
  • The Office - Christmas Wishes (0%, 4 Votes)
  • Monk - Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa (0%, 4 Votes)
  • The Mindy Project - Josh and Mindy's Christmas Party (0%, 3 Votes)
  • Suburgatory - Krampus (0%, 3 Votes)
  • Smallville - Lexmas (0%, 3 Votes)
  • Monk - Mr. Monk and the Miracle (0%, 3 Votes)
  • The Neighbors - Merry Crap-mas (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Guys With Kids - Christmas (0%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 276

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Midseason Premieres and Schedule Changes, Legends Gets a New Lead

The CW has just announced that midseason thriller Cult will debut Tuesday, February 19th, taking Emily Owens, MD’s 9pm slot. This show-within-a-show follows Jeff (The Vampire Diaries’ Matt Davis) as he investigates a show (also) called Cult, whose fanatical followers may have had something to do with his brother’s disappearance. Check out the video preview:

As previously announced, the CW’s other midseason show, The Carrie Diaries, will begin Monday, January 14th, at 8pm, pushing 90210 to 9pm.

ABC is moving Suburgatory to its old 8:30 slot, and premiering How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) at 9:30, both on April 3. When Suburgatory finishes its season, The Family Tools will get a (very) late spring debut on May 1st at 8:30. I assume that means The Neighbors’ freshman run ends in March?

On the drama side, ABC is neatly fitting its midseason shows into the slots held by its canceled shows. Body of Proof will return to take Private Practice’s Tuesdays-at-10 spot, Red Widow will replace 666 Park Avenue Sundays at 10 (after a 9-11 two hour premiere March 3, and Zero Hour drew the short straw and got Last Resort’s doomed 8pm-on-Thursdays-where-ABC-shows-die spot starting February 14th (I’m predicting it will do about as well as Missing – though who knows, maybe all the guys without Valentine’s dates will tune in for the premiere).

Syfy also announced midseason programming, with 3 scripted dramas to premiere Monday, January 14. Canada time-travel police drama Continuum makes its US debut at 8pm, Being Human returns for season 3 at 9pm, and season of Lost Girl kicks off at 10pm. Also, the final season of Merlin makes its way across the pond on January 4th at 10.

TNT drama pilot Legends has a new lead after Brendon Fraser left the role, and it’s someone who two kinds of fantasy fans can get excited about – Sean Bean! The Lord of the Rings and Games of Thrones actor will play a deep-cover operative with an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job.

What do you plan to watch in 2013? Does Sean Bean’s casting make you more likely to check out Legends if it makes it to series?

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Suburgatory Casts Malin Akerman as Tessa’s Mother — Season 2 – TVLine

After several episodes of last year’s under-appreciated comedy Suburgatory hinted that Tessa wasn’t quite as cool with this “not knowing her mother” thing as she professed, it’s no surprise that the show is bringing in her estranged mom for its sophomore season. Malin Akerman will play the role as Alex stops by for this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes.

Suburgatory Casts Malin Akerman as Tessa’s Mother — Season 2 – TVLine.

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TV Olympics: Favorite Dad/Daughter Duo

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)
  • Casey and Alex - Chuck (2%, 11 Votes)
  • Walt and Cady - Longmire (2%, 8 Votes)
  • Jack and Sydney - Alias (2%, 8 Votes)
  • Andrew and Juliet - Ringer (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Will and Joan - Joan of Arcadia (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Silas and Michelle - Kings (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 278

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TV Olympics: Favorite TV Animal

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)
  • Trailer - Warehouse 13 (4%, 17 Votes)
  • Chestnut - 2 Broke Girls (4%, 15 Votes)
  • Annie's Boobs - Community (4%, 14 Votes)
  • Vincent - Lost (4%, 14 Votes)
  • Lojack - Eureka (4%, 14 Votes)
  • Arnold - Green Acres (3%, 13 Votes)
  • Stella - Modern Family (3%, 13 Votes)
  • Happy - 7th Heaven (3%, 12 Votes)
  • Argo - Xena, Warrior Princess (3%, 12 Votes)
  • Yakult - Suburgatory (2%, 9 Votes)
  • Sammy - Revenge (2%, 9 Votes)
  • Dog - Petticoat Junction (1%, 5 Votes)
  • Burt Reynolds - Hart of Dixie (1%, 4 Votes)

Total Voters: 207

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TV Olympics: Favorite Thanksgiving Episode

The early holidays continue here on TV Breakroom with favorite Thanksgiving episodes! Whether you get to see Alan Tudyk in braids (Suburgatory), have a turkey thaw in a dryer (New Girl), or watch Buffy make a bear (Undo it! Undo it!), these episodes offer lots of laughter, food, and friends.

If there are any great Thanksgiving episodes missing from the poll, please nominate them in the comments! Please note – stand-alone Thanksgiving specials, animated shows, and unscripted programming are not eligible.

Poll will be open for one week, and you can vote for up to 3 episodes. Be sure to check out our other ongoing Olympic polls and the medal results on our main event page!

What's your favorite Thanksgiving episode? (Choose up to 3!)

  • NCIS - Child's Play (16%, 39 Votes)
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Pangs (16%, 39 Votes)
  • How I Met Your Mother - Slapsgiving (15%, 35 Votes)
  • Friends - The One with All the Thanksgivings (13%, 31 Votes)
  • Gilmore Girls - A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving (7%, 17 Votes)
  • New Girl - Thanksgiving (7%, 16 Votes)
  • Friends - The One with the Rumor (6%, 14 Votes)
  • How I Met Your Mother - Blitzgiving (6%, 14 Votes)
  • WKRP in Cincinnati - Turkeys Away (5%, 12 Votes)
  • Smallville - Ambush (3%, 8 Votes)
  • Suburgatory - Thanksgiving (3%, 6 Votes)
  • Chuck - Chuck Versus the Nemesis (3%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 111

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