Since the 2014-15 TV season is currently about halfway through, I decided it was a good time to review the seasons so far of the shows I'm currently watching. Of the 12 shows listed below, I give my opinion on the first half of their seasons and I try to look at each show independently. I selected both the best and weakest episode of each of those, and I also give a grade ranging from A+ to E. Choosing a best and a weakest episode is relative to the show itself, meaning for example the weakest episode of show X might still be ten times as better as the weakest episode of show Y. Be aware that my reviews might be critical, as I am not one to shy away from criticism. However, I really love to get into discussions, so I would love to hear your opinions of the shows below in the comment section. Also, I of course can't discuss every episode or character in detail, so if you would like to know what I think of a specific character, episode or storyline, feel free to ask me in the comments.
For the record, I am fully up to date with all the 12 shows listed below. The shows I currently watch consist only of broadcast network shows. I usually watch only shows of the Big Five, but I have followed some cable shows and am planning to watch a few. I have included my watchlist at the end of the review. If you have any recommendations for my watchlist, I would love to hear your suggestions!
Now let's get on with the review. The shows are listed in alphabetical order. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think of the shows you've watched so far.
Also check out other mid-season reviews from SpoilerTV members:
Gavin's Mid-Season Review
Robert's Mid-Season Review
Ben's Mid-Season Review
ARROW
Latest episode: "The Climb" (the show returns January 21)
Best episode: "The Climb"
Weakest episode: "Guilty"
RENEWED FOR SEASON 4
Arrow, you have failed this viewer! Or at least, partly. Arrow had the opportunity to learn from its mistakes. In the beginning of season 2 a lot of characters were barely given anything to do, most notably Thea and Diggle. This improved as season 2 went along, and the last six episodes of the season were awesome. And then season 3 began and Arrow just repeated the same old mistakes and made some new ones. It started with a season premiere that was way too busy, with so many things going on that they weren't properly developed. For example, Diggle's baby was born before we even knew Lyla was nine months pregnant and the baby had two seconds of screentime before we ran off to the next underdeveloped storyline.
Subsequent episodes, save for a few exceptions, haven't been much better. An episode that was billed as focussing on Thea ("Corto Maltese") instead focussed more on Diggle and in an episode that was supposed to be all about Roy ("Guilty") we hardly saw any Roy till the final few minutes. Also, while I like Oliver and Felicity, this show is called Arrow and not Olicity. The show needs to focus on the adventures of the Arrow, and not on the epic love story between its leading characters. Another criticism about season 3 is the weak villains of the week. They are hardly noticeable (Peter Stormare, anyone?) and tend to be solved within a few seconds. The flashbacks of the season are OK, though they have nothing to add to Oliver's character. Lastly, killing off Sara was the biggest mistake the show has ever made.
One highlight is the presence of Malcolm Merlyn. The episodes that prominently featured him, except "Corto Maltese", are outstanding. Sadly, therein lies another problem: Malcolm is hardly present in the episodes. I was so looking forward to Thea and Malcolm's storyline before season 3 began, but it has been heavily underused this season. Instead Thea regained Verdant and clashed with some DJ guy and Malcolm was absent for about half of the season.
However, Arrow is not all bad. The crossover with The Flash was awesome and "The Magician" and "The Climb" were excellent episodes. All in all, the season has been very uneven, but I'm hoping for improvement in the second half.
Grade: B-
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER
Latest episode: "Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me" (the show returns January 29)
Best episode: "Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me"
Weakest episode: "Smile, or Go to Jail"
I have a lot of trouble picking a weak episode here. This is because How To Get Away With Murder is the best new show I'm currently watching, and my second-best show overall. The story is compelling and the narrative outstanding. The use of the flashforwards has greatly enhanced the show's quality, as it was an interesting storyline to follow. The mystery of who killed Sam was a gripping one, and led to great speculation and wild theories of who did it. As evidenced by the SpoilerTV Poll on who killed Sam, people had very different opinions of who killed Sam. One of the highlights of the show was reading the various plausible theories and speculation.
However, it's not just the flashforward story that was interesting. Most episodes have also featured a case of the week, which were very strong. The courtroom and the classroom scenes are among the best of the series. To watch Annalise raging in court is a real pleasure. Viola Davis is an outstanding actress that takes the character of Annalise to the next level. The various supporting characters are also great. I know a lot of people have been praising Jack Falahee, and while I agree, the other characters deserve some recognition as well.
I am curious to see how the rest of the season goes without the use of flashforwards. I am also wondering how future seasons will look, because this show undoubtedly will run for various seasons!
Grade: A+
MADAM SECRETARY
Latest episode: "Chains of Command" (the show returns at an unknown date)
Best episode: "So It Goes"
Weakest episode: "Blame Canada"
RENEWED FOR SEASON 2
Madam Secretary has been a fresh addition to my schedule. It's my first political drama but I have been really enjoying it so far. Téa Leoni is a great leading actress and it's entertaining to watch her juggle her political career with her family life. Also particularly good is the mystery surrounding the murder of Elizabeth's predecessor. It was intriguing to find out whether or not the White House was involved in it, and now that we have confirmation that it wasn't and that the Iranians were behind it, I am curious to see how the story continues.
I still think it's a bit unrealistic seeing Elizabeth deal with a new case every week, but I have gotten used to the show's format now. The cases tend to be pretty interesting and reflect current global issues. The stories at the McCord mansion have also gotten better lately, and it's great that Henry and Elizabeth have a pretty stable marriage. However, the supporting characters are still a bit underdeveloped and I would like to learn more about them. I'm especially curious about Blake, he adds a nice touch of humor but there has to more to the guy. I am glad there doesn't seem to be a focus on Matt and Daisy's romance anymore, because I haven't been wild about that.
(Note: You can read reviews of individual Madam Secretary episodes by going through my author box below and to my author page, or find them here.)
Grade: B
NCIS
Latest episode: "The Enemy Within" (the show returns February 3)
Best episode: "Check"
Weakest episode: "House Rules"
After a not-so strong season 11, NCIS returned with a very strong season 12 in what is its best season in years. The mothership is my favourite of the three NCISs and I have been very happy with this season. The reason I love NCIS is because of its characters, and we have seen plenty of character moments in season 12. We had an entire episode centered around Ducky in which we discovered why he was never married, we saw Tony deal with and finally talk about Ziva's exit and we met Bishop's husband in the Thanksgiving episode. I really enjoyed all these moments and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the second half of the season.
Twelve seasons in it's a big challenge to present unique cases of the week to viewers. Nevertheless, we have seen some interesting ones this season. The first that come to my mind are the one with the cannibal and the sociopathic little girl from episode 6, and the case at the airport with Bishop's husband from episode 9. I have also been really enjoying the season-long villain Sergei Mishnev, which became even more interesting with Diane's death in the post-holiday episode "Check". There have been a few weaker cases this season, but not as many as in season 11. The weakest case was in the Christmas episode, an episode that I still have very mixed feelings about.
(Note: You can read reviews of individual NCIS episodes by going through my author box below and to my author page, or find them here.)
Grade: A-
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
Latest episode: "Spiral" (the show returns January 19)
Best episode: "Praesidium"
Weakest episode: "Leipei"
NCIS: Los Angeles is a show I tend to fall behind on pretty quickly and this season was no exception. I was behind nearly ten episodes when I caught up during the Holidays, but I am so glad I did. I always forget how much I enjoy this show and its characters. This season has also been great in terms of the story. Hetty's storyline at the beginning of the season has been excellent and I'm looking forward to learning more about who the mole worked for. Of course, our mole turned out to be someone we have never even met but that was to be expected.
Episodes after that got back to the random terrorist story of the week, but there have been some pretty good ones amongst them. I particularly enjoyed the episode where Callen and Sam had to go to Mexico to find a witness of a case. The Christmas episode was lovely and it was great seeing the team and their families together. I also love the progression of Deeks and Kensi's relationship and I am excited about what's in store for them.
Grade: A-
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS
Latest episode: "The Abyss" (the show returns February 3)
Best episode: "Chasing Ghosts"
Weakest episode: "Musician Heal Thyself"
RENEWED FOR SEASON 2
Like the other two NCISs, I watch NCIS: New Orleans primarily for the characters. And the second NCIS spinoff has done a great job of developing them. I really like Pride and am curious to learn more about his imprisoned father and his family feud with the Hamiltons. LaSalle is a great second to Pride and I really enjoyed his search for his brother. Sadly, we don't know a whole lot about the other three main characters yet. We know some things about Brody but I believe we're still in the dark about what she is running from. The only thing we know about Loretta is that she has never been married, and I feel like we know virtually nothing about Sebastian. Sebastian has been a bit annoying at times, but he is always of great help in solving the cases. The show has also done a good job of developing recurring characters, with Laurel Pride and Patton Plame standing out. I do hope we will soon see Linda Pride again (hopefully when Paige Turco wraps filming on The 100's second season) and as I said, I am eager to learn more about Councilman Douglas Hamilton.
Sadly, the cases of NCIS: New Orleans haven't been all that interesting. In fact, when you ask me what cases we have seen so far, I can only name 3 or 4 out of 12 from the top of my head. The cases tend to be weak and unoriginal, and usually the killer is pretty predictable. Sometimes the cases are also overly complicated and illogical. However, thinking back to the first seasons of both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, neither of them really had many standout episodes. There are a few exceptions of course, but mostly their first seasons haven't been of much note. I am hoping NCIS: New Orleans too improves as it goes along.
Grade: B
SCORPION
Latest episode: "Kill Screen" (the show returns January 18 and 19)
Best episode: "Dominoes"
Weakest episode: "Risky Business"
RENEWED FOR SEASON 2
Before the start of the 2014-15 TV season, I wasn't very interested in Scorpion at all. Mostly because I wanted to see another CBS pilot picked up to series. When I saw the series promo, I thought it looked OK. And then I received the screener of the pilot, and I was so pleasantly surprised by it. In fact, it turned out to be one of the best pilots of the season and one of my favourite new series overall. It is fast-paced, the characters and their interactions are very enjoyable, and its cases are usually interesting. I got a bit behind on the show after episode 3, but when I caught up I actually noticed how much fun this show really is.
The cases are usually pretty intense and high-stakes, but there have also been a few that I found somewhat less interesting. Overall though, the episodes have been pretty good. However, I do think the team looks a bit omnipotent. I know they are all smart people and, as such, can solve a lot of problems, but they can't solve everything. Right now it looks like they can solve everything from a nuclear reactor powerdown to a mole in the CIA. Also, I think Walter is looking the most omnipotent of the entire team. He is even running around with a gun sometimes, which is not what he is trained for. This team is a think tank, and not a team of federal agents. Leave that to Cabe please!
Grade: A-
STALKER
Latest episode: "Secrets and Lies" (the show returns January 22)
Best episode: "Secrets and Lies"
Weakest episode: "Manhunt"
The pilot episode of Stalker was destroyed by critics before it even aired. I still have no idea why. Sure, the series started with a woman being burnt to death, but so far she has been the only deadly victim on the show. The show can be pretty creepy at times (see also the Halloween episode), but unlike other procedurals there are not a lot of dead bodies. Also, critics complained that the show looked sexist because they thought every victim would be female. However, not only have there been more than enough male victims, there have also been a few female perpetrators here and there. The cases of the week tend to be strong, although sometimes predictable. Stalker definitely follows a formula and sometimes it feels very similar to its lead-in show Criminal Minds, but that's OK as long as it doesn't get as violent as Criminal Minds.
Besides the mostly strong cases, the longer character arcs have also been interesting. With Beth's stalker Perry, we have really seen how stalking is built up and it has been great to watch that unfold. I am very intrigued by Beth's backstory and I am hoping we will get even more insight into her past. The other long arc has been that of Jack and Amanda. I didn't really like that one in the beginning when Jack went full-on stalker mode. I am glad they seemingly dropped that, and it's good that Jack is getting to know his son.
Something else I have to mention is the use of music. The show uses songs that sound totally normal and have nothing to do with stalking. These songs are then covered and turned into some creepy songs which usually relates to the case. The use of music is definitely a highlight of the show.
(Note: You can read reviews of individual Stalker episodes from episode 4 onwards by going through my author box below and to my author page, or find them here.)
Grade: B
STATE OF AFFAIRS
Latest episode: "Ghosts" (the show returns January 19)
Best episode: "Secrets and Lies"
Weakest episode: "Pilot"
Another show that got a lot of pre-airing criticism, but this time I can actually understand some of that. The pilot of State of Affairs really wasn't that good, mostly because it was very confusing. Subsequent episodes have been better, although it surprised me how serialized the show has become. I thought there would be cases of the week, but that aspect was almost completely dropped after episode 3. Frankly, one of the few episodes that did have a weekly case was my favourite.
The serialized story has been hard to follow at times and I sometimes mix up some random story elements or terrorist names (Sheikh Hakam is the boss of it all, right?). However, it has been pretty interesting to watch the story unfold and how everything relates to one another. The acting of Alfre Woodard has stood out among the various characters and I think Katherine Heigl does a good job too. However, the other characters haven't been developed that much and are not getting a lot of screen time. Only Maureen is one that we really got to know a bit, but we don't know much about Kurt, Lucas and the third guy. Hence, I have trouble remembering their names as well. There also appears to be some love triangle between a Maureen, Kurt and Lucas but I couldn't care less.
Grade: B-
THE 100
Latest episode: "Spacewalker" (the show returns January 21)
Best episode: "Spacewalker"
Weakest episode: "Many Happy Returns"
RENEWED FOR SEASON 3
The 100 has been included in several 'Best of 2014' lists, all of which is thoroughly well-deserved. Deciding which episode was the weakest is hardly impossible as the episodes have been outstanding. Season 1 of this show has already been excellent, but season 2 has been exceptional so far. The 100 has built a sci-fi show that has both a great story and great characters. The show managed to build an intriguing post-apocalyptic world that consists of various inhabitants. Season 2 has given us answers on how the various tribes co-exist with each other, and who is at war with who. The storylines have been fast-paced, and have built up to an incredibly powerful mid-season finale.
Another highlight of The 100 is the use of its characters. Each character has its strengths and its weaknesses, and we have seen every character struggle with that. This season has shown us character development of nearly every character, from Clarke to Kane and from Lincoln to Finn. However, the recurring players have also played an important role in this part of the season. One reason why I love The 100 is its portrayal of women. Nearly all the women are badass and have (had) some power or leadership position. Again, each character has its flaws and nobody in the show is portrayed as being perfect.
I do think some characters have been underused (like Bellamy and Lincoln), but overall season 2A has been phenomenal. Obviously, the most polarizing part has been Finn's character development from peacemaker to cold-blooded killer, and the eventual outcome (a.k.a. Finn's death). I liked Finn and think he snapped when he killed 18 people, and I will miss him. Still, the episode in which he was killed was the best episode of the season and possibly of the entire series. I am so glad the show has been renewed for a third season because it absolutely deserves that.
(Note: You can read reviews or roundtables of some individual The 100 episodes by going through my author box below and to my author page, or find them here.)
Grade: A+
THE BLACKLIST
Latest episode: "The Decembrist" (the show returns February 1 and 5)
Best episode: "Lord Baltimore"
Weakest episode: "The Front"
The Blacklist was one of the best new shows last season. It had a great story and phenomenal acting by James Spader. Its cases of the week were well-exectued while its serialized story was gripping and left me hungry for more. The season 1 finale was disappointing, but the show came back with a great season premiere that set the stage for what I thought was going to be an exciting season.
Sadly, subsequent episodes have failed to impress me. Spader is as good as ever and he really carries the show, but the Blacklisters of the week are not as strong as the ones from season 1. The mystery of Liz and Reddington is just being dragged out and does not seem to pick up pace. It's a slow-burner and I don't mind new questions as long as we also get some answers. They never got back to the fact that Red has burning scars all over his body, something that was revealed in the season finale. Most of all, The Blacklist suffers from overhyping both by the show itself (Red teased at the end of a season 1 episode that a war was coming, but I have yet to see the first casuality) and by the NBC promo department (some promos suggested that "All your questions will be answered").
I still have hope for The Blacklist though, and I should keep in mind that we have only seen 8 episodes of the current season. The post-Super Bowl episode is shaping up to be a great one that also provides some answers on the fire that Liz was in when she was young.
Grade: B
THE FLASH
Latest episode: "The Man in the Yellow Suit" (the show returns January 20)
Best episode: "The Man in the Yellow Suit"
Weakest episode: "Fastest Man Alive"
RENEWED FOR SEASON 2
The Arrow spinoff is another show that hardly has any weak episodes. This show is a lot of fun and very light-hearted as opposed to the often dark Arrow. The Flash's first season has been way better than Arrow's current season. I really enjoy the metahumans and seeing a different one each week with different powers has been great. Also, the mystery about Harrison Wells has been quite an interesting one and I hope we will soon discover what he's up to. How it is possible that he is the Reverse Flash while at the same time getting beaten up by him, is a question I would like to see answered.
The characters on The Flash have been good too. Barry is a likable guy, although he can be quite stubborn at times. He has often done something that his team didn't agree on. I really enjoy his team, and Cisco and Caitlin add some laughs to The Flash. I think Joe is the best surrogate father you could have, and he has been a good father to Iris as well. Also, I like Iris and Barry's chemistry, but I do think the show is moving a bit too fast on their relationship. The love triangle is not as annoying as in other shows, but it's obvious that Iris and Barry are endgame.
Grade: A
WRAP-UP
Best new show: How To Get Away With Murder
Best returning show: The 100
Most improved from last season: NCIS
Most decreased from last season: Arrow
Mid-season shows I'll be trying:
Agent Carter (I know this has premiered already, but I haven't had the time yet to check it out)
Allegiance
American Crime
Battle Creek
CSI: Cyber
Odyssey
Secrets and Lies
Shows on my watchlist:
Breaking Bad (which I started last summer but have yet to finish)
Person of Interest
The Good Wife
Extant
The Last Ship
Fargo
The Americans
Banshee
Broadchurch
24
Scandal
Revenge (though this kind of depends on whether the show gets a proper ending)
