Season 1
My favorite new show of the year. Arrow didn’t have a perfect season but it sure as hell was an entertaining ride. By the end of the year, Stephen Amell and the rest of the fantastic cast had really grown into their roles, culminating with an incredibly thrilling season finale. I have a feeling Arrow is going to have a mindblowing second season (Scandal-style) and I can barely contain my excitement. Here’s to many years of badass superhero hijinks.
Nad Rating
B+
Season 1
One of the year’s most promising new shows, the debut season of The Americans was dark, gritty and uncompromising. Although I never watched Felicity, I found Keri Russel to be true revelation here. She was both brutal and likeable as a Russian operative embedded in the United States as a suburban housewife. Also perfectly cast was Matthew Rhys who was infinitely more effective than he was on Brothers & Sisters. Although the year’s cliffhanger wasn’t terribly thrilling, the finale was perfectly executed and I’m extremely optimistic for the show’s second season. But please writers, keep Margo Martindale on the show; her granny was an undeniable standout.
Nad Rating
B
Season 1
Revolution had the epitome of a messy season this year. While the pilot was superb, the rest of the year floundered between exciting episodes and utterly tedious hours of television. The plotting wasn’t nearly as focused as it should have been, and while I stuck with the show the entire year (unlike Last Resort which I forced myself to finish until its bitter end), I felt like I had wasted my time by the time the choppy finale came along. If the show doesn’t return new and improved next year, I doubt it will even last the season with its dwindling ratings.
Nad Rating
C+
Season 1
Much like Revolution, Last Resort had an outstanding pilot, but it all went downhill from there. And unfortunately for the show, ABC wasn’t forgiving of the show’s atrocious ratings (because let’s be honest NBC, Revolution shouldn’t have gotten a renewal with those ratings). Furthermore, the writers proved that they couldn’t make Last Resort’s premise sustainble long-term. It’s a pity because other shows with equally impossible concepts managed to produce some great material (see Prison’s Break‘s stellar first two seasons) And that finale? Well, talk about throwing in ten seasons worth of storytelling into 40 minutes. Goodbye Last Resort, you will not be missed.
Nad Rating
C-
Season 1
I’ve said this quite a few times already but one final time won’t hurt: 666 Park Avenue was a missed opportunity on every level. The show squandered a spooky premise, a compelling backdrop, and an insanely epic cast. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. And the gravest sin of all? Vanessa Williams was given absolutely nothing to do. Although the show’s final sequence had promise, it’s truly best we never speak of this misfire again.
Nad Rating
D
Season 1
Definitely the most improved the show of the season. The pilot of Devious Maids was a unmitigated disaster, but the show slowly became more confident in tone as the season progressed. By the time the last few episodes came along, the show had morphed into a truly amusing little creation brimming with energy and charm. Devious Maids is the epitome of a guilty pleasure, and I find myself remarkably intrigued by what season two could bring.
Nad Rating
B