With 2015 coming to an end I thought I'd go through some of the highlights from film and television this year. Over the next few days leading up to the new year I will be going through the top 5 films of 2015, the top 5 horror films and now the top 5 television shows. It has been an eventful year for television, some shows have began, others have ended, and some have just been outstandingly good. The following 5 shows have been my personal favourites of the year and I encourage you to take the time to give them a watch because they all stand out in their own brilliant respects. WARNING, may contain spoilers.
Hannibal
This year we sadly saw the end of Bryan Fuller's TV adaptation of Thomas Harris' Hannibal novels, and what a season it was. The show started back in 2013 with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in the titular role, Hugh Dancy as FBI agent Will Graham and Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford and was acclaimed for it's clever writing and its aesthetic. This season was split into two parts, the first being a loose adaptation of Harris' novel Hannibal and followed Doctor Lecter hiding out in Florence from the FBI and sadistic maniac Mason Verger (Joe Anderson). The second part was essentially the plot of Red Dragon and saw Hannibal help the FBI to track down the sinister Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage), a serial killer who targets families in their homes. It's always a shame to see a great show cancelled before its time and although some of us fannibals had hoped to see a continuation on the big screen, those hopes were put to rest in the climax of the final episode. Hannibal made the most of its three seasons and although it is pretty shit that we'll never see Dr. Lecter meet Clarice Starling, it's safe to say that Hannibal had a good run and will live on in spirit through the fans.
Game Of Thrones
The fifth season of HBO's acclaimed series based on the works of George R.R. Martin failed to disappoint as usual and left viewers in shock on multiple occasions throughout. The divisions between the show and the books is becoming more and more clear now and although this may annoy the hardcore fans, it leaves audiences with a sense of ambiguity, especially considering the show is now ahead of the books. Things were as tense as ever in Westeros this season as Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) faced conflicts at the wall between his brothers of the watch and the would-be King, Stannis Baratheon along with the terrifying army of White Walkers slowly advancing on Westeros. The season had some excellent scenes such as that epic battle between the knight's watch and the White Walkers and that arena brawl with the dragons. It also had its controversies such as Sansa's (Sophie Turner) brutal rape scene and Cersei's (Lena Heady) walk of shame. With that chilling final shot of Jon Snow lying dead (?) on the ground, the finale left many fans wondering what would happen next and that was the real beauty of this season, anything was possible even outside the confines of the books. Definitely one of the best seasons.
Doctor Who
The reboot of the iconic sci-fi series entered its ninth season this year and Peter Capaldi was truly outstanding in the role of the titular Time Lord. I'm a massive fan of the show and was rather underwhelmed with Matt Smith's run as The Doctor so when Capaldi entered last season I was eager to see what he had in store, and he did not disappoint. From his guitar solos to his outstanding speech in The Zygon Inversion the Scottish actor proved that just because he is an older Doctor does not mean he can't be cool. It was also a shame to see Clara's (Jenna Coleman) departure from the show as her chemistry with Capaldi was excellent. Other gust starts included Maisie Williams, Reece Shearsmith and a brief voice cameo from Slipknot's Corey Taylor. It certainly was my favourite seasons since Moffat took over as head writer and Capaldi was amazing to watch, he has this energy about him that just captivates the audience entirely. Although the finale was a bit underwhelming, the season definitely restored my faith in the show.
Jessica Jones/Daredevil
Okay so this technically makes it 6 shows but I've decided to put these two together just for reasons. I was curious to see how Marvel faired with their new Netflix series' this year and how they differed from the films of the MCU and they certainly didn't disappoint. The first was Daredevil and saw the eponymous blind vigilante (Charlie Cox) face off against the formidable Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'onofrio) in the streets of Hell's Kitchen. The second was psychological thriller Jessica Jones and saw the sarcastic superhuman/PI (Krysten Ritter) being tormented by past demons in the form of Kilgrave (David Tennant). Both shows brought out the grittier side of Marvel and differed greatly from the more lighthearted films in the MCU, they were more violent and mature than films like Iron Man and Thor. The dark tone of the shows opened new oppurtunities for Marvel studios along with attracting a wider fanbase. With season two of Daredevil already in production, it's safe to say Marvel are beginning to dominate the small screen as well as the big screen.
Fargo
Without a doubt the best thing on television this year, Fargo entered its second season a couple of months ago and although many were skeptical that it would not match the first, those worries were soon put to rest. Writer Noah Hawley gave us a new story set in the seventies and following a young Lou Salverson (Patrick Wilson) as he is caught between a gang war between the Gerhardt family and the Kansas City Mob. The real highlights of the season were the native American, Hanzee played by Zahn McClarnon and Mike Milligan played by Bokeem Woodbine, definitely matching Billy Bob Thornton's performance in season 1. Hawley makes clear links to the first season the way the first season made links to the film and there are also references to other Coen Brothers' films on the soundtrack. He really displayed his writing talents this season and set up multiple plot lines that were carefully woven together over the ten episodes, it was a true pleasure to watch from its characters to its clever dialogue and its beautiful cinematography. Fargo was undoubtedly the best thing on television this year and you can read my full review in my friends article which you can find here.
So those are my highlights of this years television and I encourage you to give them a watch if you get the chance. That's just me however, what were your favourite TV shows this year, be they only new, returning or ending, it has been a great year for television and I'm sure you all have your own highlights. I'll have my next top 5 post up soon but until then I hope you've all had a great Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment