Top 20 Movies of 2014 I've Seen in the Second-Half of the Year (+Top 10 Movies of 2014)

For 2014’s movie list, just like last year, I will be enumerating the top 20 best movies that I’ve seen in the second half of the year – regardless of whether they were released in the first half or second half – and, then, from this list and from my first-half edition list (read that one first), I will pick my top ten movies of the year. 

(And, just like every year, there are a couple of movies that I missed watching that would have likely made the list if I was able to.  These were John Wick, The Imitation Game, Unbroken, and Birdman.)

20.) SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

 

Just like the earlier sequel film of 2014 based on Frank Miller’s work, 300: Rise of an Empire, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For also carried the same visual and narrative theme of its predecessor.  Though I find the tales of the original 2005 film greatly better in general than the ones in A Dame to Kill For, the stories featured here are still gripping enough to keep me invested.  A lot of critics pan this movie, but, for me, though it’s definitely inferior to the first movie, it still possesses the same gritty neo-noir appeal that made the first movie entertaining.  Also, the performances of Eva Green and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are simply magnetic.       

 

19.) 22 JUMP STREET

This is the funniest movie of 2014.  Really.  Just like before, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill killed it.  The goofy chemistry and genuine comical talent of this duo flawlessly carried the comedy of this movie.  I really applaud and appreciate the fact that this movie relied on legitimately hilarious content in creating laughs, instead of going the “crude debauchery” route (i.e. the humor in the overrated This is the End).  Moreover, the closing sequence of this movie – where it makes fun of itself as a sequel, as well as any potential sequels – was gold!                

18.) THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1

 

It was clear that Mockingjay suffered from being split into two parts.  The movie is as thematically rich and dramatically intense as its predecessors, but the action was lacking.  I like how the movie further explored the power of propaganda through Katniss’ struggles while serving as a propaganda tool.  But, seriously, Katniss only gets to shoot one arrow in this movie?  Yes, she took down that aircraft, which is badass, but I saw that in the trailer already.  With the lack of great, notable action sequences, which the previous two films had in droves, Mockingjay Part 1ended up being tedious at times and not as fun as I was expecting.

I know that Mockingjay Part 1 will work best when watched back-to-back with Part 2 in 2015.   But by its own, clearly, Mockingjay Part 1 is the least of the franchise so far.           

   

17.) GODZILLA

For some, Godzilla was a disappointment.  And I understand why, for the supposed star of the movie – Godzilla – actually only had 8 minutes of screen time.  Out of the movie’s 2-hour running time, that’s just about 7%!  The griping is justified. 

Nonetheless, for me, the movie was able to successfully utilize the human drama that the narrative mainly focused on to enhance the glory and magnitude of when Godzilla is finally revealed – short time his appearance may be.   How?  The human characters and how the existence and emergence of monsters got to affect their lives served as the audience’s lens – a kind of worm’s eye view to the whole thing.  By witnessing it through the point of view of human beings – who are just small, helpless, irrelevant worms beside such something grand as Godzilla – the movie wants us, the audience, to emphatically grasp that, in this movie’s universe, Godzilla’s emergence transcends human history.   And, I think, the movie pulled it off very well.  Godzilla gets an exhilarating re-telling of his origin, and we were awed by it all. 

16.) HERCULES

I would have loved it more if it’s an actual depiction of Hercules’ mythological adventures, but I appreciate the reinvention done here nonetheless.  In this movie, Hercules is actually a leader of a band of interesting mercenaries (one of which is a female archer that would have made my “top 10 fictional archers” list if I had encountered her then).  He is truly a formidable, strong warrior but his great strength isn’t supernatural at all, and his divine parenthood is actually just a ruse.  Stories of his feats and accomplishments are greatly exaggerated so that his fame and reputation will become more legendary, hence, he and his friends will gain more employment, receive greater rewards and payment, and intimidate future opponents.  

The story isn’t particularly smart or original (in fact, most critics hated this movie), but it’s a very entertaining sword-and-sandal film.  The action is top-notch, and there are some legitimate twists that I was not really expecting.  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, given his background and physique, really thrives in such “comic bookish” roles like Hercules; he was a great delight to watch.

15.) AFFLICTED

Afflicted is a “found-footage”-style horror movie done right; it has comprehensibly gorgeous cinematography (considering its genre), thrilling action sequences (especially the stunning first-person action scenes from Derek’s point of view), and genuine scares.  The premise: filmmakers Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, playing fictional versions of themselves, proceeded to go on a year-long travel around the world and make a documentary-vlog about their experiences.  Along the way, Derek hooked up with a girl named Audrey, who left him unconscious and bloodied in his hotel room.  Derek recovered and dismissed the whole incident, but later in their trip, he would discover that he has been dramatically changing into a vampire.                            

14.) GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

I haven’t checked yet, but I bet that the makers of 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom are the same ones that made Grand Budapest Hotel.  The latter simply has the same narrative style, humor, production value, and viewing experience as the former; hence, I got the same enjoyment from Grand Budapest Hotel as I got from Moonrise Kingdom.        

13.) BATMAN: ASSAULT ON ARKHAM

This is, hands down, the greatest direct-to-video animated movie from DC this year.  Set in the universe of the Batman: Arkham video game franchise, the focus of this film is actually on the Suicide Squad, with Batman serving a supporting role, as they are tasked by Amanda Waller to break in Arkham and extract information from the Riddler.  As expected from such set-up – and with the Joker notably incarcerated in Arkham – chaos ensues, to us viewers’ delight.    

12.) NIGHTCRAWLER

We’ve already seen countless movies that feature a sociopath, but this neo-noir crime thriller was able to deliver a unique sociopath tale.  It’s a dark but enthralling story about a sociopathic thief named Lou Bloom (great performance from Jake Gyllenhaal) that underwent a “career change” after discovering the thrill and money from being a “nightcrawler” – an independent media man that shoots footages of crimes and accidents and then sells them to news agencies.  That may sound like a boring premise at first, but, I assure you, it’s not.  I know, I first thought so, too, but I gave it a shot, and found it a very compelling watch.      

11.) WHIPLASH

 

In this movie, J.K. Simmons magnificently plays a hotheaded, terrorizing jazz maestro who verbally abuses his students at a regular basis (it was revealed later on that he’s that fearfully intense so that he can squeeze the best out of his musicians and hopefully transform them into jazz legends).  Simmons’ character, Terence Fletcher, spews insults and scoldings that would make hardened drill sergeants cry; it’s quite entrancing to watch.   Only an actor like Simmons, who got to flawlessly bring J. Jonah Jameson to screen in the Spider-Man franchise, can truly deliver such electrifying performance.        

Oh, Miles Teller’s character is actually the main protagonist of this movie, a drummer who trains under Fletcher and who is determined to win his approval.  But Simmons’ intensity and prime A-holery truly stole the show. 

This movie is also worth watching over because of its music.  “Whiplash” and “Caravan” are pure eargasm.   

10.) 'RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO' & 'RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE LEGEND ENDS'

These are, technically, two movies.  But in essence, they are actually just one movie-story split into two parts, and released into two separate dates during the year.  So I evaluated them as if they are just one movie, and allocated a spot for them as if they are just one movie.   

The Rurouni Kenshin movies – including the first one in 2012 – are the greatest live-action adaptations of an anime ever done (as of writing, I haven’t seen the new Lupin III live-action movie yet, and, from the trailer, it looks amazing.  I also have high hopes for the Attack on Titan live-action movie in 2015).  The production value is fantastic – really bringing to life the characters and setting of the anime.  I truly appreciate the movies’ effort to be as authentic and accurate as possible. 

The story from Kyoto Inferno and The Legend Ends is based from the anime’s arc with Shishio and his Juppongatana.  The movies were, understandably, unable to be faithful to the detail and there were a couple of notable liberties.  However, the theme was generally faithful. (I was, however, disappointed that Cho’s whip-like Hakujin-no-Tachi sword was not featured in his appearance in Kyoto Inferno.) I also noticed some dumb details in the plot – like, why is there a need to ride a boat and get on Shishio’s ironclad to fight the bad guys there, when it’s possible to just pound it with cannons and sink it from shore? – but the positives still overwhelm the negatives.    

The fight scenes were gorgeous – especially the climax in The Legend Ends wherein everybody wanted a piece of Shishio.  Next to The Raid 2, the Rurouni Kenshinmovies have the best fight scenes of 2014.         

   

9.) PREDESTINATION

This 2014 Australian movie is to be generally released early this year, but since I’ve seen it in 2014 already, I will consider this for this list.  I won’t give much detail regarding the plot – only that it’s a captivating and clever time traveling tale – for the narrative relied on some twists to blow the viewer away.  I’ll let you have the pleasure of having these twists – and the rest of the story – be unfolded for you.  Now, personally, I was able to easily predict what these twists would be (there were too many clues, actually), but I was still able to enjoy them when they were revealed.  

8.) BEGIN AGAIN

Begin Again is supposed to be a 2013 movie, but it was only seen in film festivals.  It was only released theatrically for mass audience in 2014, so I will consider this a 2014 movie. 

At first, I thought that this was going to be a shallow rom-com flick, but it’s not.  It’s actually a thoughtful musical comedy-drama, and, no, (SPOILERS?) the characters of Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley didn’t romantically hook-up at all.  And it’s actually brilliant.  When the narrative seems to be teasing of going there, it just stops itself in a fun way – developing their friendship instead.  It was truly more satisfying than making them a couple.  

The story is about a down-on-his-luck, ex-record label executive (Ruffalo) and a singer-songwriter (Knightley), who recently broke up with her longtime boyfriend/songwriting partner after he became a pop star, as they collaborate into recording an album set in different places around New York City.  And going through this unique recording project – as they bond, share their musical tastes with each other, learn more about themselves, and turn into better individuals – a beautiful story of friendship and music unfolds.      

My favorite part of the movie was when Ruffalo’s character heard Knightley’s character sing for the first time.  It was in a bar, and Knightley’s character, who has just recently been broken-hearted, was invited to sing by a friend that had a set that night.  She was singing an originally composed song of hers while playing an acoustic guitar.  But Ruffalo’s character was revealed to have a special talent: when drunk, he can imagine out how musical instruments will sound like.  So while she was singing, he imagined out an entire band arrangement for the song.  It was awesome.    

7.) INTERSTELLAR

Being a Christopher Nolan movie starring Matthew McConaughey, there was a lot of expectations for this movie.  Personally, it didn’t meet my expectations.  It’s a truly good sci-fi movie, but I was hoping to be blown away, and I wasn’t, really.  Nonetheless, Interstellar is a well-acted, well-directed, thought-provoking, and visually appealing film that possesses the same emotional depth and charm of 2001: A Space Odyssey.         

6.) DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ praiseworthy acting, directing, plot, and visual effects (especially the work on the apes) magnificently worked together to deliver an emotional and intelligent story that considerably improved – and outdid – the original franchise it was based from. 

The story takes place a decade after the events of 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Human civilization has collapsed, and humanity itself is in the brink of extinction.  The ape community that Caesar has started in the woods outside of San Francisco at the end of the first movie is now thriving.  However, tensions are mounting high between the apes and the human survivors living in the ruins of San Francisco.  And despite Caesar’s best efforts of keeping peace, the war between apes and humans is inevitable. 

5.) GONE GIRL

Gone Girl is an intense and absorbing mystery thriller from start to finish.  Set in a small town in the US Midwest, the story is about a man (played by Ben Afleck) suspected of murdering his wife (played by Rosamund Pike) who has gone missing in their 5^th anniversary.  In the public eye, the two were having a blissful marriage, but after her disappearance, details slowly unraveled regarding their marital turmoils; evidences start to pile up against the husband.  But did the husband really murder his wife, or was he merely set up?

4.) FURY

This movie, about an American tank crew (their tank is the one nicknamed “Fury”, hence, the title) during the Allied invasion of Germany in WW2, could be the greatest war movie I’ve ever seen since Saving Private Ryan.   The action scenes were grippingly terrific – completely capturing both the awful brutality and stirring animation of war.  The narrative is well-layered, emotionally rich, and dynamic.  These two – the great action and narrative – kept me completely engrossed all throughout the movie.         

There was stellar acting all around – from Brad Pitt to Logan Lerman – making the characters all easy to invest on.  But the surprise is Shia LaBeouf.  He was genuinely fantastic here.  I never liked the man this much ever since his goofy days in Even Stevens.          

3.) THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

The Desolation of Smaug is still my most favorite movie in the trilogy, but The Battle of the Five Armies is nonetheless a pleasurable and satisfying conclusion.  I appreciate the beautiful and intense battle scenes, the strong character moments, and the usual spectacular visuals.  I never had any dull moment at all.               

The Hobbit trilogy isn’t as good as the LOTR trilogy, but I’m glad it happened.  Seriously, I don’t understand the hate on Peter Jackson’s decision to expand The Hobbitinto three movies.  It’s not as if the padding done on the story has been sloppy work, nor did it compromise the theme and general plot of its source material.  In fact, the additions of Jackson – despite the needlessness of some details and subplots – have been awesome.  Yes, stretching it was a clear cash-grab tactic.  But, on the other hand, we get to have a delightful, enjoyable piece of epic fantasy three times in the past three years – one for each year.  I, for one, am thankful. 

2.) BIG HERO 6

Big Hero 6’s plot makes an effort to be unpredictable, but, because of this, actually ends up being predictable instead.  Moreover, it feels that this has been meticulously engineered, down to the last detail, to become a perfectly charming, adorable animated movie that would have both critical and commercial success.  And it worked!  Despite being sort of “artificial”, everybody – including yours truly – loved it.   

I believe that Disney will make more animated movies based on Marvel Comics properties (I hope I’m right).  Big Hero 6 has been a great start.  Shared Marvel animated universe, anyone?         

1.) GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

I wrote during the first-half that Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the “Best. Marvel. Movie. Ever.”  Months later, GotG handily took that title.  (It’s awesome.  Marvel Studios’ movies are getting better and better.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Age of Ultronends up taking the title from GotG, and then Ant-Man takes the title from AoU, and so on...) Though it doesn’t have the depth and thoughtfulness of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, GotG is still the better film for being a delightfully perfect mix of wackiness, fun, humor, heart, and charm; nostalgic music; remarkable characters; fantastic visuals; engaging action; and an exciting, light-hearted comic book narrative.    

Back in February 2014, I already called for it being terrific:  

Guardians of the Galaxycould likely turn out to be Marvel Studios’ greatest hit.  I’m not just optimistic about it, I’ll even dare say that GotG could even become a bigger thing than Star Trek and Star Wars…
The potential is there… I’m predicting that it’s going to be bizarre, dynamic, funny, action-packed, and thrilling.

It’s almost scary how accurate I was.  Okay, it’s probably not yet close of becoming a bigger thing than Star Trek and Star Wars.  But I believe that GotG has brought the same sense of awed enjoyability as these two.   Nonetheless, Guardians of the Galaxy, for me, is the greatest thing that ever came out of the big screen in 2014.  

*   *   *

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2014

10.) THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

9.) GONE GIRL

8.) VERONICA MARS

7.) FURY

6.) THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

5.) THE LEGO MOVIE

4.) BIG HERO 6

3.) CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

2.) HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

1.) GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

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Top 20 Comics of 2014

  

Without further ado…

20.) X-MEN: NO MORE HUMANS

 

Same as last year, the X-books failed to impress me, even with the whole “Death of Wolverine” event happening.  But I totally dig the No More Humans graphic novel.  It had an epic premise: every human mysteriously disappears, living the earth to mutants.  More than that, mutants from other realities started popping in as the humanless Earth-616 world is now a perfect place for mutant refuge.   The X-Men struggle whether to accept this new world or to bring back the status quo – and how?        

19.) MS. MARVEL

People are saying that Kamala Khan a.k.a. the new Ms. Marvel is this generation’s Spider-Man.  Though I wouldn’t go that far, I understand where that perception is coming from as Kamala, like early Peter Parker, also has to deal with the daily drama of being a teenager while fulfilling her superhero duty.  I’m not yet really jumping into the bandwagon, but I appreciate the uniqueness of the character as well as her massive potential.  But, seriously, the book’s first storyline isn’t that great.      

18.) SUPERIOR IRON MAN

This is a new series, so there are only three issues so far.  Nonetheless, this series has already hooked me, since among the dramatic rebranding of the Avengers’ Big 3 (Cap, Iron Man, Thor), what was done on Iron Man was the only thing that really worked well.  As a result of the psyche inversion in “Axis”, Tony Stark is now more scheming, egotistic, and irrepressible – hence, more intriguing.        

17.) SECRET AVENGERS

The third volume of the title has been rebranded into something lighter and funnier – with good results.  It has the down-to-earth wit that Hawkeye and Superior Foes of Spider-Man have.  In fact, this title has been my substitute for Hawkeye, which didn’t even make this list because of its irregular release in 2014 (if I get it right, there had only been four issues of Hawkeye last year).  Moreover, the addition of M.O.D.O.K. as a regular has definitely worked magic for the series.       

16.) THE WAKE

The latter parts and conclusion of this great piece of sci-fi/horror doesn’t quite measure up to the fantastic build up that its early issues were able to accomplish.   Nonetheless, overall, Scott Snyder delivered a gripping, thought-provoking mini-series that was well worth my reading time. 

15.) THE MULTIVERSITY

I have to admit that my lack of deep familiarity with the DC multiverse (compared to my Marvel knowledge) doesn’t make me fully appreciate and comprehend the sophistication of this epic project by Grant Morrison.  I find it confusing and even tedious at times.  But, of course, I definitely also found a couple of enjoyable and interesting parts – that’s why it’s on this list.  My most favorite is the Pax Americanaone-shot, in which the characters acquired by DC from Charlton Comics were given a “Watchmen” treatment – it was awesome.              

14.) ELRIC THE RUBY THRONE

 

I’ve never been a fan of the novels, hence, this was my first encounter with the character, premise, and setting, and I was completely blown away by the richness of its fantasy world.  Now, if I get the chance, I will definitely devour as much Elric books as I can (but I doubt that, given that I have at least 15 books in “The Pile” – my stack of unread/unfinished books).  However, I think Elric works best in comics format, so I hope there are more follow ups to this.      

13.) BATMAN AND SUPERMAN

It made quite a drop from its 2013 standing, but it’s just that the 2014 storylines – like their team-up with Power Girl and Huntress, and undergoing an “amnesia” arc – aren’t as great as 2013’s.  However, the last issue, which kicked-off the present storyline, has been intriguingly promising as a mysterious Joker-like villain is targeting Superman.  This is a tale to watch out for in 2015.     

12.) MOON KNIGHT

 

I didn’t dig Moon Knight’s new look at first.  But realizing that this “new look” is merely an alternate look, and he still reverts to his old, iconic costume once in a while, it grew on me.  Besides, the new series is excellently well-written and totally gives justice to the gritty noir-charm of the character.  

11.) THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN

 

This was the most hilarious comic book series in 2014 (and 2013, for that matter, the year it first came out, and which I had missed then).   The series succeeded in giving Spidey’s supervillains tons of personality at the cost of making them more pathetic and ridiculous.  Too bad it ended this year.   

10.) THUNDERBOLTS

This line-up has become my most favorite incarnation of the team that I’m sad to see this series end this year.  This unconventional team of bad-guy killers – who are as ready to kill each other as their criminal targets – managed to produce good-quality “black comedy” in a consistent basis.  Its final arc, “Punisher vs. Thunderbolts”, was pretty badass and funny, and the kind of imploding end we could expect from such team.   

9.) JUSTICE LEAGUE

I had already dropped this book from my readings after “Trinity of Sin” but the peculiar addition of Lex Luthor and Captain Cold to the team made me curious enough top pick up the book again.  I love how Lex Luthor maneuvered himself into the team, and his sparring of wits with Batman was so entertaining. 

8.) BATMAN

It was a good story, but I wasn’t particularly crazy about the book’s “Zero Year” continuation wherein the Riddler was able to completely take Gotham City hostage and be its despot for a couple of months (as Bane did in The Dark Knight Rises).  However, after that, we get to see another “Batman is an extremely competent, meticulous planner” moment as he take on an entire Justice League which was drugged and controlled by the Joker.  It was truly the most thrilling Batman action sequence that I’ve seen for some time.     

7.) THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN

My love-hate relationship with this book continued during the early part of the year, but, in its conclusion, since it resulted into the return of Peter Parker, I was able to comfortably accept the whole “Superior Spider-Man” storyline as an important part of the Spider-Man mythos.   After its issue 31 finale, there were also two extra issues that came out later in the year which served as whetting appetizers for Spider-Verse (more of this later on). 

6.) AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE

It’s definitely one the greatest zombie stories ever.  Not only in comics, but of any medium.  I kind of held this mini-series off in 2013, for the premise seems pretty ludicrous.  But I read a lot of praise about it, that in 2014, I picked it up and learned that the hype is all true.  This is not at all your ludicrously wacky “Archie’s Weird Mysteries” plot, but a legitimate horror drama that could give “The Walking Dead” a run for its money.        

  

5.) AVENGERS/NEW AVENGERS

I will just put Avengers (my number one comics last year) and New Avengers together in one spot since the Jonathan Hickman’s narrative is running alternatively between the two books anyway, as if it’s a bi-weekly book.  Post-Infinity, both series felt kind of sluggish and weren’t as fun as they were in 2013.  Then it started became intriguingly awesome again when both books time-skipped eight months ahead of the rest of Marvel’s current ongoing comics.  In the two series’ pages, there is still no answer in stopping the impending destruction of the multiverse, but despite of this dire reality, the Avengers still managed to find the time to split into three factions and fight among themselves.  Fun!         

4.) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: FAMILY BUSINESS

The gorgeous art itself is reason enough to make this graphic novel a winner, but the cloak-and-dagger plot is pretty special, too.  I’ve always thought that it would be fun if Spidey would follow his parents’ footsteps and go on some espionage adventures in his black costume (that’s why I loved “Secret War” – wherein Nick Fury secretly led a group of heroes to invade Larveria – years ago).  Hence, I love how this story forced Spidey into such situation, and proved once and for all that a “Spider-Man as a secret-agent” plot will have enjoyable results.   

  

3.) INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US

Injustice is, hands down, the greatest “Elseworld”-style comic book series ever.  Seriously.  In this alternate reality, Superman has taken the world under his totalitarian rule, allied himself with Sinestro and his yellow lanterns, and brutally and callously crushes those that go against him.  Unfortunately, it’s revealed that most superheroes lack their own personal convictions as they remain firmly by Superman’s side, believing that Superman is always right.  Only Batman and his handful of allies chose to stand against the now tyrannical Superman.  The series details the ongoing war between the two sides in a narrative that is consistently intense, thought-provoking, and engaging – filled with exciting twists, strong character performances, epic battles and deaths, and absorbing drama.    

2.) SPIDER-VERSE

“Spider-Verse” (this slot is for the event itself and not just the two-issue limited series of the same title) is my most favorite mega-event this year.  Ever since its announcement, I had been excitedly waiting for this.  And now that it’s currently ongoing, it’s everything I was hoping for – a heavy-staked, no-holds-barred Spiderfest.  The event promises the team up of every Spider-Man ever, and though I doubt that it has truly done that, it has, nevertheless, entertainingly utilized every Spider character featured so far.  I really derive so much pleasure from seeing all these different Spider-Men together in one epic story.         

1.) SAGA

The best ongoing comic book series right now is Saga, and it was only this 2014 that I got into it.  I’m glad I finally did since it’s an awesome piece of science fiction fantasy property, packed with sharp humor, delightful insanity, and innate charisma.   It’s brilliantly well-written and beautifully drawn – the most perfectcomics around right now.      

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Top 20 TV Series (That Had Already Concluded)

This, of course, is not a listing of all my favorite TV series.  As what the title says, it’s a list on TV series that had already concluded; a large chunk of my favorite TV series are still ongoing.  Also take note that it says “TV series” – serialized shows of an ongoing set of characters and story – and not just “TV shows”, which is a term that can have a broader scope of including every form of TV program (example, the comedy show Whose Line is It Anyway? is one of most favorite TV shows ever, but it’s not qualified for this list).      

As a TV fan ever since I was a child, I’ve seen a lot of TV series (especially this latter part of my life), so I’ve limited the pool of shows to be considered for this list.  First, the aforementioned detail that they already had wrapped-up (or were already cancelled).  Second, it should be a live-action TV series; I’ve watched and loved a lot of cartoons and a lot of the spots will surely go to animated TV series and anime if they were considered.  Third, the series should have run during my lifetime (1989-present); shows that had their tenures prior my birth but I was able to get fond of after watching the re-runs are disqualified for this list (but I will be tackling them in a separate, follow-up list in the near future, hopefully).  

Let’s get the ball rolling…

20.) NIKITA (2010-2013)

This series tells the story of the titular character, Nikita (amazingly played by Maggie Q), and her crusade to bring down “Division” – a clandestine government-funded black ops organization that has become corrupt – which she used to work as an assassin for. 

Back when it first came out in 2010, I was an avid follower of each episode.  But it kind of lost me after season two.  I occasionally watched some episodes afterwards, but I was not that much hooked as its initial season.  Nonetheless, Nikita still gets a spot since I was so into this show during its first season.  I appreciated its fast pacing, the great characters, and the superb action.  I was really excitedly following it in an episode-to-episode basis.

19.) NUMB3RS (2005-2010)

Though this series failed to be consistently exciting for me, it has one of the most intriguing premises for a TV series.  It follows the crime-solving adventures of FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his brother, Prof. Charlie Eppes.  As a mathematical genius, Charlie helps his brother in his cases by providing mathematical insight, models, or applications that are conveniently relevant in solving the crime at hand.  It’s kind of a bit ridiculous how each of Don’s cases happens to always have elements that Charlie’s mathematical talents can come invaluable to, but, hey, with suspension of disbelief and all, using math to solve crime from time and time again is very fascinating.     

18.) ALMOST HUMAN (2013-2014)

This was one of my most favorite shows last year, and it crushed me when announcement of its cancellation came this year after just a season of 13 episodes.  It’s not exactly the smartest example of science fiction, but it did provide a high level of entertainment.  It established a futuristic setting that I can get fascinated about, and the duo of John Kennex and Dorian – which heavily reminds me of another favorite sci-fi detective duo of mine, the Robot novels’ Elijah Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw – had enjoyable “buddy-cops” chemistry.

17.) LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1993-1997)

 

I can’t remember the degree of sophistication that this show had since I’ve watched this series when I was just a child (and I haven’t seen any re-runs of it since then).    But I definitely remember enjoying this show a lot.  From what I gather, Lois and Clarkwas a romantic comedy TV series that uses the Superman mythos as material.  Again, I can’t remember much to really assess if that premise was silly or clever (but considering the fact that I’ve always found the “love triangle” between Clark, Lois, and Superman a lot of fun, it was likely the latter).  Being a 4 to 8 year-old boy, the only thing that mattered to me was it was a show about Superman – one of my favorite comic book characters – and that was good enough for me.    

16.) MR. BEAN (1990-1995)

 

Having watched Mr. Bean’s 14 episodes many times over at this point already, it can’t get anything more out of me but a mere amused chuckle once in a while.  But at one time, watching the series’ episodes for the first time back in the 90’s, the antics, absurdity, and misadventures of this Rowan Atkinson character induced a lot of belly-aching laughter from me.  For me, at one time, Mr. Beanwas one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever encountered.  Thus, it’s easily one of the most memorable TV experiences I’ve had and is therefore deserving of a spot in this list.    

15.) HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES (1992-1998)

 

Despite of its messy and incoherent continuity, I am charmed greatly of the premise of the Highlander franchise (it also helps that its theme, Queen’s “Princes of the Universe”, is very catchy) – about Immortals roaming the earth for centuries, dueling among themselves until there can “only be one” (as its iconic tagline goes).  I enjoyed some of the movies, and I greatly like both MacLeods/Highlanders, but most of my fondness for the Highlanderfranchise comes from its TV series.  I just felt that there had been better swordfights, “Quickening” scenes, and overall storytelling done on the TV series than on the movies.          

14.) GOKUSEN LIVE! (2002)

 

Gokusen Live! was a live-action adaptation of manga/anime, Gokusen.  The story focuses on Kumiko “Yankumi” Yamaguchi, an enthusiastically dedicated teacher of a class full of delinquent students, who is secretly a Yakuza clan heiress.  Yukie Nakama’s charming portrayal of the main character made her one of my most favorite fictional female characters ever.  I understand that there were two more follow-up series after the first live-action Gokusen TV series, but this was the only series that matters to me (I found the next two lacking, and it’s really not the same without Shin Sawada).

13.) HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS (1995-1999)

As a kid in the 90’s, this had been at one time my favorite live-action TV series.  It was a wonderfully distinctive take on the story of the legendary fictional character, Hercules/Heracles.  Ever since, I have always considered Kevin Sorbo’s Hercules as one of the best pop culture reinventions of the mythological character. 

And Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was a delightful reinvention of Greek mythology in general.  I appreciate much how the world that Hercules and his sidekick, Iolaus, were traveling in during the series’ run was not confined in an ancient Greece setting, but also had other facets, scenarios, and characteristics that are found in other ancient cultures and historical periods (Egyptian, Oriental, Medieval, Norse, etc.).      

12.) FARSCAPE (1999-2003)

The series focuses on a colorful band of characters of different alien species that are on the run from “Peacekeepers” (a corrupt and harsh Spartanic organization) and a human astronaut named John Crichton (who got sucked in a wormhole during an experimental space flight and was picked up by the others) that are wandering through space in a bio-mechanical ship called “Moya.”  Farscape engrossed me a lot during its run due to its wonderful collection of characters, remarkable adventure narrative, gorgeous production value, and by just being an overall exciting space saga.   

        

11.) STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE (1993-1999)

My love for Star Trek is mostly due to the movies.  I’ve never got into the original TV series or The Next Generation TV series.  I was able to see some episodes from re-runs, but I was never really hooked (I was even bored at times).  However, Deep Space Nine (or DS9) easily caught my fancy.  In my humble opinion, it was significantly better-written, more exciting, and thematically richer than any Star Trek show has ever been.    

I love its setting; instead of mostly taking place in a starship as other Star Trek shows, this series took place in a space station named “Deep Space Nine”, which was located near a newly discovered wormhole that permits easy admission to a very distant and uncharted part of the galaxy called “Gamma Quadrant.”  Hence, this station was extremely valuable for political, economic, and exploratory reasons.  This gave the series a kind of a-station-in-the-borders-of-space feel, which I find extremely appealing.  A lot of fascinating story conflicts and plots resulted from this unique Star Trek setting. 

10.) XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS (1995-2001)

 

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was the first, but its off-shoot, Xena: Warrior Princess, eventually overtook it in my heart.  The awesome Xena would emerge as one of my most favorite heroines ever, and I would find her adventures more entertaining than Hercules’.  The general sentiment was probably like mine since Xena would end up outlasting Hercules for 18 episodes. 

    

9.) SMALLVILLE (2001-2011)

Among the shows in this list, Smallville lasted the longest.  It ran for ten seasons, but I was probably only a fan of half of these.  I closely followed the show’s first four seasons, since the concept of a TV series that retells Clark Kent’s high school years in his hometown, Smallville, as he develops his powers and characteristics that would eventually lead him to become Superman, mightily appealed to me. 

Tom Welling’s deadpan, bad acting actually worked perfectly in making Clark Kent a charming “simple small town boy” character.  Michael Rosenbaum’s portrayal of Lex Luthor was electrifying and captivating – definitely my most favorite depiction of the character on screen.  I also find it extremely refreshing and intriguing that, in this universe, the younger versions of two eventual archenemies would initially be best friends. 

This series also have my most favorite versions of Lana Lang and Lois Lane in all depictions of the characters ever as Kristin Kreuk and Erica Durance did magnificent jobs in playing their respective characters.  It also introduced Chloe Sullivan, a character that had never been part of the Superman mythos prior this series; between her, Lana Lang, and Lois Lane, this series had an ensemble of interestingly strong female characters.       

The middle seasons kind of lost my excitement for the show for it became mostly set on Metropolis and Clark Kent was thrown into more of an “adult situation.”  And in spite of these factors being already provided, the series still hadn’t Clark Kent learn to fly or become Superman.  And it bugged me.  Other DC heroes and many iconic Superman villains were being introduced already, and Clark Kent still hasn’t figured out how to become Superman?!  It was really frustrating.   Moreover, the show’s weakest storylines, in my opinion, were also during these middle seasons.  I was still watching Smallville occasionally, but no longer in episode-to-episode basis.   

Then it started getting more fun again when Lois Lane and Clark Kent’s romance was starting to develop.  It totally reminded me of Lois and Clark (see number 17).  And that’s when Smallville made me care again.  Since then, I saw the show through until its end. However, I was rewarded by an unsatisfying, awful finale.     

Still, despite of half of Smallville’s run being a disappointment, it was still a show that I was greatly fond of.  During its best seasons, the series had provided me some of the most delightful, relatable, and absorbing TV watching experiences I’ve ever had.  Thus, it made the number 9 spot of this list.   

8.) PSYCH (2006-2014)

 

The recently ended Psych has been one of the most amusing and humorous TV series around. I was drawn to it initially because of the uniqueness of its lead character, Shawn Spencer, but my interest and affection for this show were sustained because of the consistent presence of fun, tension, wit, quirkiness, and a lovable cast throughout its seasons. 

Psych centers on “psychic detective” Shawn Spencer and his partner/best bud Burton Guster, as they serve as consultants for the Santa Barbara police department.  The enjoyable catch, however, is Shaw isn’t really a psychic but can effectively maintain the charade because of possessing an extremely potent eidetic memory and deductive prowess. Fun!   

7.) THE ADVENTURES OF PETE AND PETE (1993-1996)

This brilliant Nickelodeon show, situated in a small town setting, tells the day-to-day occurrences and interactions in the lives of two brothers both named Pete Wrigley.  This was easily my most favorite live-action TV series during my childhood.  Its eccentric and clever narrative made it massively charming and entertaining.   With no exaggeration, I haven’t encountered any show yet that has the same kind of delightful, unique storytelling style that this show had.  

6.) VERONICA MARS (2004-2007)

I’ve already repeated the story of how I got into Veronica Marstoo many times already.  Let me just do it again briefly here.  I first got wind of it through its spectacular Kickstarter campaign for a movie.  I was intrigued.  I checked out the show, marathoned all of its episodes.  I loved it.  I became a Mars-mallow.  Veronica Mars became a favorite heroine.  I loved the movie when it came.  Veronica Mars is awesome.  There.    

5.) LEVERAGE (2008-2012)

Leverage is basically Ocean’s 11 in TV.  Which means it’s a smart heist tale that has plenty of twists, charm, humor, and energy.  Though the series wasn’t perfect – e.g. it had an underwhelming conclusion, a few weak episodes, and there were no new members introduced to the team – it was still terrific and immensely enjoyable overall.   

The series follows the exploits of the “Leverage Consulting & Associates” crew, a team consisting of a grifter, a hacker, a thief, and a retrieval specialist, and is masterminded by Nathan Ford – one of the cleverest, most ingenious strategists I’ve encountered in fiction.  The team members – with the exception of Ford (who was an insurance investigator prior to leading the team) – are made up of very proficient criminals who decided to reform (to an extent), and instead use their skills and talents to con and steal from the rich, greedy, and powerful people that have done injustice to ordinary citizens who haven’t the means to fight for themselves. 

4.) ANGEL (1999-2004)

This spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was grittier but just as appealing at its parent show.  It explores the struggles and adventures of Buffy’s ex-boyfriend, Angel, the vampire with a soul, as he runs a private detective agency based in Los Angeles that fights the evils – primarily supernatural in nature – of the city.  This had a delicious “noir” mood effect on the series, with Angel representing the tortured, unenthusiastic, sharp detective that had to deal with the urban underworld in his cases, but this time, the “underworld” is a literal one, with demons and all.  The finish product was excellent and captivating. 

Angel has always been a favoriteBuffy character of mine (next to Buffy), and I was so glad that there was this entire show made to centrally explore and develop the character.  Which this show fantastically did.    

3.) FIREFLY (2002)

Firefly is considered by many as the perfect example of an awesome TV series cancelled too early.  Ever since I first checked this show out back in 2011 after being intrigued of its cult status, I’ve re-watched this TV series (along with its spinoff movie, Serenity) almost once a year.  There are only 14 episodes so it’s pretty easy.  And it’s something really worth to re-watch annually.   

The series tells the adventures of the ragtag crew of “Serenity”, a Firefly-class spaceship (hence, the title), led by cowboy-esque Captain Malcolm Reynolds, as they take on various transporting/smuggling/stealing jobs across the “Wild West” outskirts of the galaxy.  Its “space Western” premise, setting, and production value are extremely charming; the writing is clever, has plenty of heart, and possesses a delicious balance of humor, drama, and action (what you’ll expect from a Joss Whedon project); and the “Serenity” crew are easily lovable.   

2.) BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1997-2003)

 

And that’s three straight Whedon TV series getting into the top 4 spots, with this one being the best among them.  I enjoyed Angel a lot, and it was more engaging sometimes.  But Buffy the Vampire Slayer is still the greatest – it had the  Buffy Summers, one of the greatest vampire hunters and female characters in fiction ever; lots of humor; many strong, memorable characters and character developments; exciting action; consistently clever, well-written, and genuinely inspired plots and dialogues; absorbing story arcs; and themes that were easily relatable. 

For years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer had been my most favorite TV series ever.  Then I encountered…

1.) HOUSE M.D. (2004-2012)

Out of its 177 episodes during its 8-season run, I only encountered one weak, unsatisfying episode: its finale.  I’m not saying it was bad.  It’s just felt lacking, that’s all.  The writers did their best to make an appropriate conclusion.  But it was not at all the resounding exclamation point that such great show deserves.  It was a mere period.             

Finale regardless, House was a first-rate, intelligent drama series.  I was not only fascinated in its overall storylines, but I was also made invested in almost every single detail, subplot, and character of the show.  It has a lot of strong points: a stellar cast, outstanding acting and writing, engaging conflicts, thrilling plots, and the smart utility of medical scenarios.   

Of course, much of the credit of this show’s awesomeness has to go to the main character himself, the flawed and brilliant Dr. Greggory House.  He’s the greatest character I’ve ever seen in TV, and he’s definitely – hands down – one of the most fascinating characters there are in fiction of any medium.  He has a lot of depth, and is extremely interesting.  Kudos to Hugh Laurie – who definitely brought plenty of his own personality and talents into the character – for doing an amazing job on bringing this amazing character to life. 

It’s probable that a day will come when another show will overtake House M.D. as my most favorite TV series, but I think it’ll be a long time before it happens.  

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