THE 2013 TOOBITS AWARDS 1 - NEW SHOWS PLUS

2013 TOOBITS AWARDS
 
It's that time of year again, when we all make lists and think back over the past year, in whatever field of interest concerns us, and chronicle the high points and the lows.  For the past few years I've been presenting this compilation as an awards show, the Toobits, which of course celebrates my two bits about Toobworld.

As it is with any such list you'll find in TV columns across the country these last few weeks, these are my opinions.  You're welcome to your own and I hope you'll share them, but I'm sticking to my weapons of choice.  (It could be you won't see something that was a favorite of yours because I just never got around to seeing it.  There's only so much time in the world - even for a do-nothing-else-anyway sort like me! - and I've only got the two eyes, even if they do operate independantly of each other at times.  At the same time, it could be that I held no interest in the show despite it getting hosannas from established TV critics.)

Unlike the Emmy Awards which will just keep handing out trophies to some shows forever, only shows, characters and what-not that debuted in 2013 can be considered.  (And by "debuted", I mean that which I first came in contact with in 2013.  It could be a few years old, but if it's my first time seeing it, it's new.)

This one-time-only rule includes characters who have been recast; those are still the same characters who already exist in Toobworld.  (But there were a few notable appearances that deserved honorable mention, and they get it.)
 
So without further ado, let's have at it:
 
BEST NEW TV SHOW 
IMPORT
'Broadchurch' (for quality)
'Death In Paradise' (for entertainment) 

DOMESTIC
'Maron'

BEST NEW SHOW I LIKED (BUT I MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE MINORITY)
'Back In The Game'

I loved everything about this show and it will always puzzle me as to why it never caught on, yet a show like 'Sean Saves The World' did.  And why was it taken off the air but 'Super Fun Night' was left on?  James Caan, Maggie Lawson, and the welcome import of Lenora Crichlow from the UK.  At the very least, I hope she remains in the States and Maggie returns to 'Psych'....

WORST NEW TV SHOW
'Lucky 7' 

Even the publicity for this prime-time soap opera made it look dreary.

BEST TV MOVIE - TIE

IMPORT
"An Adventure In Space And Time"

DOMESTIC
"Behind The Candelabra"

Both of them were great looks behind the scenes of show business on both sides of the Atlantic.  One about the creation of the 'Doctor Who' series in this, its fiftieth anniversary year; and the other about the love life and lifestyle of Liberace.

WORST TV MOVIE
"Sharknado"

Just because it became trendy to tweet that you were watching this mess doesn't hide the fact that it was poorly acted and badly written, directed, and even edited.

BEST MINI-SERIES
'Under The Dome'

I'm posting this with a proviso: it would have been better had they stuck with the book, and if it was self-contained to run just for this summer only.  I doubt I'll be making a return visit next summer.  A great idea diluted by network greed.

BEST ONLINE TV
'Doctor Who' - "The Night Of The Doctor"

Finally the wishes of fans were answered as we got to see Paul McGann one last time as the Eighth Doctor... and to see his regeneration.  It wasn't what anybody had expected; it was definitely better than the expected transformation into Christopher Eccleston's Doctor.  Plus there were shout outs to the world from the audio plays so that the characters of Lucie, C'Rizz, Molly, Tamsin, and Charley could be considered Toobworthy if - like me - you only consider the televised adventures to be canonical.

BEST COMMERCIAL
Budweiser

This aired back in February for the Super Bowl and it never once lost its grip on the top spot for the Toobits.

MOST HEART-WARMING COMMERCIAL
Cheerios "Breakfast with Nana"

Watch this without getting choked up.  If you can, I don't know you.

SWEETEST COMMERCIAL
Mastercard "Pirate"

Made for the Australian market, you'd never know it to see the overdubbed American version.  It's that universal.

FUNNIEST COMMERCIAL

Say no mo'!

WORST COMMERCIAL

Eight O'Clock Coffee ads

The people in these blipverts make me sick.  They deserve whatever ill fortune befalls them.

BEST PUBLIC SERVICE COMMERCIAL
Cartoonists against gun violence

An entertaining yet somber way to get the message across.

SEXIEST COMMERCIAL

NSFW!!!!!

BEST IMPORTS  

'Anno 1790'

'Broadchurch'

'The Bletchley Circle'

'Death In Paradise'

BEST EPISODE, ANY GENRE
EARTH PRIME-TIME:

'Doctor Who' - "The Name Of The Doctor"/"The Day Of The Doctor"

Yes, I am a big old Whovian.  And I finally came around to admitting that it is my number one favorite TV series of all time.  In most years this show would probably win this category.  But as it was the fiftieth anniversary year, and the end of Matt Smith's tenure as the Doctor, the production team pulled out all the stops to make his send-off a true love letter to the fans.

SKITLANDIA:
'Saturday Night Live' - Justin Timberlake, Host & Musical Guest

True, most of the sketches were revisits to old classic ideas, but the writing was in top form and very sharp.

BEST TWO-PART EPISODE
'Castle' - "Hunt" & "Target"

Okay, so this is not a TV show set in the main Toobworld.  But we have proof that Rick Castle is an author in Earth Prime-Time as well, so this intense search for his kidnapped daughter was high octane throughout.  And any earlier preconceptions of it being a retread of "Taken" with Liam Neeson were soon left behind with one big plot twist and character introduction.

BEST SEASON FINALE
'Doctor Who' - "The Name Of The Doctor"

It wasn't enough to see Clara Oswald "interact" with all of the previous incarnations of the Doctor.  No, then we were introduced to the memory of "the One who broke the promise" and the mythology got quite a shot in the arm!

BEST SERIES FINALE

DRAMA
'Fringe'

Tinged with sadness, it was also filled with hope for the future and left the audience glad to have stayed for quite a ride.

SITCOM
'The New Normal'

The show should have run for another year, but at least the contingency for cancellation was addressed and it wrapped up sweetly.

BEST CLIFF-HANGER
'Doctor Who' - "The Name Of The Doctor"

So much we wanted to know about this nameless incarnation played by Sir John Hurt, with hints that the Time War would finally be delved into.

WORST SEASON FINALE
'The New Normal'
Even though everything wrapped up, I wanted the show to get a second season. 

WORST SERIES CONCLUSION
'The Glades'

You can't leave the show hanging with such a cliff-hanger ending!  I don't even understand why it was cancelled.  I assumed it was doing well in the ratings.

BEST SPIN-OFF
'Primeval: New World'

At the very least, it kept the premise of dinosaurs in the modern world going, and over in the Americas t boot.

WORST SPIN-OFF
'Once Upon A Time In Wonderland'

Too garbled and convoluted and dependent on what already came before in the parent series.  Plus it was impossible to really reconcile it with preconceived visions of Wonderland.

BEST SEQUEL
'Life's Too Short' Finale Special

Hard to believe, but Ricky Gervais does have a soft spot.

BEST REMAKE
'The Bridge'
From the Scandinavian original, it is proving quite adaptable internationally, now with 'Tunnel'/'The Tunnel' as well.  (An English/French co-production)

BEST PILOT
'NCIS' - "Red"

It may not have sold, but at least it tried for something different from the usual formula for the franchise.

BEST HISTORICAL RECREATION
'Anno 1790'
'The Bletchley Circle'

BEST SENSE OF ONE'S OWN HISTORY
'Doctor Who' - "The Name Of The Doctor" & "The Day Of The Doctor"

All of the past Doctors, plot holes filled in, knowing winks to trivial bits of the show's history... and all with a clear vision of what the future holds.

Runners-Up:
'Parks & Recreation' - "Are You Better Off?"
Flashbacks to "high" points in Leslie's first year on the City Council

'Doctor Who' - The episode "Hide" had the Doctor wearing the red spacesuit from "Waters of Mars"

In Dialogue:

A definite reference to Tegan......

BEST BLEND OF TOOBWORLD AND REAL WORLD HISTORY
'Mr. Selfridge'

Visits by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton sold the series feel for the Edwardian age.

BEST BLEND OF TOOBWORLD AND REAL WORLD CELEBRITY
'Maron'

Marc's podcast made for the perfect setting for so many great guest stars.  But man!  I wish Jonathan Winters had been able to record his visit to Marc's garage for visual posterity!

BEST EXAMPLE OF LIFE DURING PRIME-TIME


BEST REVIVED SERIES
'Unforgettable'

Maybe the networks will finally understand that not every show HAS to debut in the Fall.

BEST CLASSIC TV EXPERIENCE
'Mr. Lucky'

Thanks to ME-TV, I finally got to see this series.  I always wanted to check it out because of Ross Martin, but I really liked the premise and it made for a fine introduction to the work of John Vivyan.  Too bad the sponsor held so much sway that the premise of a gambling club in international waters was scuttled in favor of a restaurant halfway through its run.  Yawn!

STAY TUNED!