When it comes to TV shows it’s a cut-throat business. From the word go when the pilot is aired the intense push is there to get as many viewers as possible. It’s all about the viewers. Some shows get cancelled after the second episode, while others get a second season even before the first one aired (See Black Sails). Excellent ratings (Hannibal) is barely enough for a renewal, and then there’s those that simply soar through the roof breaking every TV Series record that ever existed.
Creating a Top 10 list is never easy, and we had to make some tough calls. Hence this became a top 8 list. This post is part of our ‘Best of 2013‘ series. Here’s Geekshizzle’s Top 8 TV Series of 2013:
1. Game of Thrones
The obvious one on the list. We simply cannot get enough of Game of Thrones. Cursing the short 10 episode series, and eagerly waiting for March each year when the new season starts. Something as epic as George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series should be nearly impossible to adapt to television. But David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have seemingly been given the patience, understanding and budget to pull it off with an exceptional cast and production locations ranging from Morocco to Northern Ireland to Iceland. But none of that would matter without the characters and stories at its heart. Martin can seem cruel and callous towards his characters, and there were plenty of horrific examples of that this season from Jaime’s hand to The Red Wedding.
But rather than shocking viewers just to shock (okay there was some of that—looking at you, Theon Greyjoy), these elements raise the stakes for the many protagonists left to us. And in a world dominated by cruel patriarchs, the heroes aren’t conquering kings, but a little girl on the run, a bastard and his fat friend, an honest smuggler, a disfigured dwarf and an orphan who’s already become a widow in her teens. Our hope is that the meek will inherent the land of Westeros.
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2. Breaking Bad
Few shows ended on such a high as Breaking Bad did. We stuck with this show from the beginning and it got better and better after every season. Already dubbed as one of the best Shows ever, especially after this fan letter by Anthony Hopkins. The final episode aired on Sunday, September 29 and averaged 10.3 million viewers. The previous series record of was 6.6 million delivered by the penultimate episode 2 weeks ago. This is calculated at a massive 300% improvement over last year’s finale. “Swan song” is the most-watched series finale ever on basic cable and it marks AMC’s second most-watched broadcast ever behind “The Walking Dead” season 3 finale.
We would love to see more of Walter White and Jessie, but everything must come to an end eventually. Breaking Bad is deservedly on our list of Best TV Series of 2013.
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3. Da Vinci’s Demons
The surprise entry, Da Vinci’s Demons kept us watching and wanting more, every episode taking you deeper into the life of Leonardo Da Vinci as an artist, inventor, idealist, and intellectual genius , the secret cults and the Catholic church. Eight episodes were created for the first season, with the series’ U.S. premiere on April 12, 2013.On April 17, 2013, Starz renewed the series for a second season; with production beginning in mid-year 2013. The new episodes are planned to be broadcast in 2014.
4. Dexter
Dexter barely made the list due to the horrific last episode. But, if we remain objective then as whole the series was one of our favourite for a few years in a row. Dexter definitely had its ups and downs, but it delivered on a consistent base, giving us the most loved serial killer ever.
5. Hannibal
We loved Hannibal from the first episode. Pity it never received the acclaim and respect that it deserves. Already dubbed as ‘the best show nobody watched‘, we’re just thankful we’re getting a second season. Hannibal was voted the top new show for 2013 on TV.Com. Bryan Fuller has created a cult show where every minute drips doom and suspense. Unlike most recreations of popular characters, Fuller’s Hannibal is as dark and fascinating as any prior adaptations of Thomas Harris’ dark character Hannibal Lecter. Mads Mikkelsen as the title character has a silent terror and confidence to him. Hannibal is not only one of the most beautifully shot and eerie shows to air on a major network in years, but also a phenomenal retelling of the origin of characters that have already been told before in a fresh and impressive new way.
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6. The Walking Dead
The fact that a show about Zombies can do as well as The Walking Dead is doing just makes us want to burst with joy and that feeling or intense satisfaction. This is a geek’s dream come true. Zombies have made a serious come-back as of late, and Walking Dead can be seen as the catalyst for the zomby-pocalypse. If Season 1 was about staying alive and Season 2 was about adjusting to this new world, Season 3 of The Walking Dead has been about keeping sane in the zombie apocalypse without losing your humanity. A show that’s adapted from a comic book about zombies has become a surprising source of television’s deepest moral examinations, always buried in a tense and engaging plot.
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- February Return Promo Released for ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 4
- ‘The Walking Dead’ Sets Another Ratings Record
7. Vikings
The Viking series by History Channel was a huge success, getting renewed for a second season. We thoroughly enjoyed this show, not only because we love Vikings, but we felt we learnt something as we enjoy the epic battle scenes between the Vikings and their enemies. Filmed in Ireland, Vikings is inspired by the tales about the Viking Ragnar Lodbrok, one of the best-known Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of France and England. It portrays Ragnar as a Viking farmer who pioneers the first daring raids into England with the support of fellow warriors, his brother Rollo, and his wife, the shieldmaiden Lagertha.
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Vikings Season 2 Details
Vikings Season 2 First Trailer
8. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is not nearly as good as we all hoped it to be, it still carried a lot of potential, and is still a very enjoyable show. If you are a fan of anything Marvel, like The Avengers, Thor, Captain America and Iron Man, then you probably feel the same. The show carries the weight of the Marvel juggernaut machine behind it, and it has proven to be successful after a huge opening with 12.12 million viewers on Tuesday night, September 24. With the endless possibilities that Marvel is sitting with like Thor and Captain America cross-overs this show can only get better.
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