About A Boy (Season 1)
This is one of two Sitcoms that made the list, well, other than How I Met Your Mother, which I went over earlier. About A Boy is a new series that really surprised me, I watched the first few episodes expecting it to be just a regular sitcom; instead we got very likable characters, sophisticated as well as juvenile humor, and a two part finale that managed to bring a tear to my eye. The plot to the finale is that the main character, Will, has decided to follow his girlfriend Dr. Sam across the country. Over the course of 20 minutes we see Will tell all of his friends except one, the child next door named Marcus who has come to form a father/son type bond with Will. Before Will can break the new to Marcus, a prospective renter does it for him causing the inevitable emotional response. This episode took an unexpected turn into the dramatic, and unlike most Sitcoms it manages to handle it well. In fact I'll go so far as to compare it to the Fraiser episode where his younger brother has a heart attack and may end up dying. This finale was especially emotional because just about everyone reading this has probably had a friend or mentor move away, or maybe you yourself moved, so it was something that everyone could relate to. I for one look forward to what this show has to offer.
Sirens (Season 1)
The other Sitcom that made the list. Sirens is a new Show from Dennis Leary (Rescue Me) about a group of EMTs as they go about their daily lives. For those familiar with Dennis Leary's other television shows, you know what to expect here; lots of crude jokes and physical comedy with realistic characters (almost always emergency responders), and very little exposure to the character's occupations, other than to provide material for jokes. What's interesting about this series is that unlike Leary's other shows, he is not the main character...in fact he hasn't even shown up in the series. For the finale the best way to describe it is that it makes fun of other shows' season finales. The plot is that the main character, Johnny, has decided to get married to his girlfriend Theresa in a small private ceremony. But through a series of hilarious events wedding ends up not happening. I say this makes fun of other sitcoms because they all end seasons the same way; you get a teaser saying everything will change, but when the show comes back in the fall nothing is any different. For example: The Big Bang Theory tends to end the show with characters going on potentially life changing journeys that conveniently last just long enough to last during the summer hiatus, then by episode 2 we all forget they even happened. Personally I really hope this show gets picked up for another season, but if not I can deal with it.
Grimm (Season 3)
I personally love Grimm, the show is clever and well written, but it always makes a very big, and oddly common mistake; it ends on a cliffhanger. Don't get me wrong cliffhangers can work really well, however the big problem with doing it as a season finale is that there is not always a guarantee a show will get renewed. For example the series Almost Human, another great show, was cancelled after one season but left a lot of plot threads unresolved. Another issue is that after being off the air for a few months, I often need to go back and rewatch the finale because I can't remember what needs to be resolved. In the season 3 finale the hero, Nick, is stripped of his powers by another character with a spell. The way I look at these types of series is simple, each season is an ark... there is a major conflict they deal with and some sub plots along the way. When a show decided to do a cliffhanger finale, they end up wasting an episode or two the next season cleaning everything up.
The Blacklist (Season 1)
The Blacklist is an anomaly with among television series, the finale is what I consider perfect. In the first season Raymond Reddington turns himself in to the FBI and cuts a deal by handing them criminals from his "blacklist" that are so underground, nobody is looking for them. As the season progressed we learn of a "big bad" that is after Raymond as well as the lives of the various characters. In the finale this isn't necessarily wrapped up, but all the major plot points are. Rather than end on a cliffhanger, we get a wrap-up and then a plot point that makes things clear as well as raise questions. But if the series were to be cancelled after a finale like this, we aren't left to wonder about what happened to the characters because everything is resolved.
Arrow (Season 2)
Arrow was last years surprise for me. My entire life I hated the Green Arrow, he was always a poor substitute for Batman who wanted to be Batman. In Arrow however everything about the character is changed, right down to his origin story. The result was the best interpretation of the character and the best DC television series that isn't animated. Throughout the series we get to see other characters from DC comics that are also changed to fit into the more realistic universe, often improving on them as well. In fact the only one I didn't like was Amanda Waller, but most of that hate stems from the Not-So-New 52 change of making her attractive (I'll get into that in a later post). The season 2 Finale ends up being 3 parts and has the Heroes facing off with Deathstroke and his army of super soldiers before Amanda Waller blows the city off the map. We end up with the "Big Bad" style ending that I enjoy with the hero dealing with a villain that defines the season, in this case the amazing Deathstroke. Unlike other shows that use the Big Bad format Deathstroke is faster, stronger, more experienced, better trained, and better prepared than The Arrow. This forces him to turn to others for help and eventually outsmart Deathstroke. The series wraps-up the plot and then leaves a few plot hints for next season much like The Blacklist. However in the final scene it decides to do go the cliffhanger route and cheapen the experience.
Hannibal (Season 2)
The last series I want to talk about is Hannibal. This season finale left me with one thought: What...The...F*(#. In my honest opinion I feel this show would probably be better if they just removed the connection to the Hannibal film and book series, I can't help but make connections. On it's own merit however the the show is fantastic and keeps you engaged the whole time you watch it. The finale gave us the culmination of Will and Jack's plan to catch Hannibal, but it all goes horribly wrong. By the end of the episode everyone is either dead or dying, except Hannibal who is on a plane out of the country. Ironically despite my hatred of cliffhangers, this one did very well by me for one reason, the narrative ended. Despite having all of the main characters bleeding to death with their fates unknown, the show still manages to give a warped sense of closure when Hannibal flies away.
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