“The Tonight Show,” “The Good Wife” and More: The Top 20 Programs of 2014 (Part 1) – Ed Martin

There is no easy way to do this Even by increasing the old and outdated concept of a yearend topten list to a list of the 20 best programs of the previous 12 months it seems there still isnamp8217t room to acknowledge all of the great work being done by the broadcast and cable networks and streaming and satellite services And even with the relative amp8220luxuryamp8221 of a list that allows for 20 programs it is inevitable that many popular choices made by other critics and industry observers amp8211 not to mention amp8220ordinaryamp8221 viewers amp8211 will be excluded leading to all manner of complaining But thatamp8217s what the free and open exchange of opinions that defines social media is all about isnamp8217t itWithout further ado here are the best programs of the year just passed beginning with the one I have designated as the Program of the Yearamp8220The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonamp8221 NBC amp8211 In its 60th year amp8220The Tonight Showamp8221 was excitingly revitalized in a number of ways that made it feel more current than it has since Johnny Carson was in his prime and it reigned as the most powerful and profitable program on television When this allnew amp8220Tonightamp8221 began on February 17 it was a totally unrecognizable franchise with a dynamic new host in Jimmy Fallon a fabulous new band in The Roots and an unsurprising and very welcome new energy that came from its move back to New York City after 42 years in Burbank Fallon had done a fine job in recent years as host of NBCamp8217s amp8220Late Nightamp8221 and now Seth Meyers is doing very good work there as well but anyone who recalls his humble beginnings on amp8220Saturday Night Liveamp8221 could not possibly have imagined that he would one day take over a franchise almost as old as television itself and make it feel like something that is comfortably familiar and intoxicatingly new One could fill columns simply by reminiscing about the amazing moments Fallon and Co have given us since then For me the longoverdue returns to the show of onetime amp8220Tonightamp8221 guest host Joan Rivers shortly before her untimely passing and the legendary Barbra Streisand after an absence of almost 50 years were the standouts along with the return of amp8220Passwordamp8221 But there were so many more it boggles the mind Late night television hasnamp8217t been this vital since David Letterman moved over to CBS 21 years agoamp8220The Rooseveltsamp8221 PBS amp8211 The other outsized accomplishment of the year was amp8220The Rooseveltsamp8221 a documentary about one of the most formidable families in American history that clocked in at 14 hours making it longer and more consistently absorbing than many of televisionamp8217s most talked about drama series A production of this magnitude might be the crowning achievement of lesser mortals but documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his colleagues somehow manage to continue turning out such magnificent work on an almost annual basis amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221 CBS amp8211 Coming around to scripted dramas there are none better than this unapologetically adult saga about legal political and family dysfunction Series creators and executive producers Robert and Michelle King along with their writers their cast and their roster of rotating guest stars have done something most people would insist is impossible Made a broadcast drama increasingly more entertaining through each of its six seasons without ever revealing a fin from a passing shark let alone jumping one In the last 12 months everyone on the showamp8217s canvas has somehow been sent reeling by the dismantling of the law firm at its core the creation of a new one the death of a primary character and the struggle of another to stay out of prison which seems to have been a losing battle quotThe Good Wifequot pictured below offers bold brazen storytelling on a level that few broadcast series even try let alone do well It is also smarter in the way it works digital technology into its plotlines than any other show on television amp8220The Killingamp8221 Netflix This murder mystery lasted three seasons on AMC The first was considered quite good even though it didnamp8217t end right The second was a timekilling drag The third was very powerful at times but not entirely successful It seemed as though a once promising show was going to disappear in a slow fade But even as it wavered on cable amp8220The Killingamp8221 was evolving into a streaming success on Netflix prompting the company to produce six final episodes that tied up a host of loose ends from its bumpy narrative history and resolved many character issues while also telling a riveting new tale of madness and murder that showcased some of the best acting of the year especially by series leads Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman guest star Joan Allen and an amazing young actor named Tyler Ross who deserves some kind of recognition come awards season Wouldnamp8217t it be great if Netflix Amazon and the rest could send more established broadcast and cable series off in so grand a manner and turn them into shows that reward longtime commitments rather than let viewers down at the end as so many dramas tend to do simply as a function of fatigueamp8220Enlistedamp8221 Fox amp8211 I believe I have finally put behind me Foxamp8217s horrible bungling of this funny heartfelt and smart show that celebrated the past and present sacrifices made by the men and women of our military in a way that no show has ever managed to do Or maybe I havenamp8217t amp8230 just writing that sentence made me angry all over againTomorrow The list continuesEd Martin is the Editor of Planet Ed and MediaBizBloggers and the television and video critic for MyersBizNet Follow him on Twitter at PlanetEdCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentariesamp160amp160amp160

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“The Tonight Show,” “The Good Wife” and More: The Top 20 Programs of 2014 (Part 1) – Ed Martin

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