It is that time again, and with the Fourth Annual Poolies only a month away, the most recent installment of the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Television Power Rankings could not be any more relevant. As always, these rankings taken into account current success or failure, as well as those achievements or defeats that occurred in the past. We begin once again with the Honorable Mentions, not necessarily the shows just missing the cut, but rather the series I feel like mentioning at this time.
Show (Last Time) green=moving up, red=moving down
Awake (-)
Thursdays on NBC
What was once the most promising pilot of the 2011-12 season has turned into a police procedural with the occasional interesting idea floating around. Thankfully the acting performances by Malfoy's dad and Jack Shephard's son have been extremely good, or this would be painful to watch at times.
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| Lucious Malfoy as Detective Britten on Awake |
Big Brother (19) Summers on CBS
The summer reality series made its way back into the Top 20 back in March thanks to a weak crop of shows currently on the air, but some new additions knock Big Brother back out of the rankings. Sometimes a horrible cast ruins the season for everybody.
The Borgias (-)
Sundays on Showtime
This Showtime series has gotten out to a fantastic start to its second season. It has been action packed, full of twists, and has created a few great relationships on screen. If you are into historical series in any way, this is one you should definitely give a try.
Dexter (20) Sundays on Showtime
The carousel of showrunners has finally seemed to catch up with Dexter. This season was the worst yet, but there is definitely still hope for the serial killer and company to turn things around. With the big reveal at the end of the season, I wouldn't be surprised by a bounce back in 2013, followed by no critics admitting that it's good again.
Girls (-)
Sundays on HBO
I wish I had more time to write about how much I hate this show. I hate this show so much that, like I have done with Louie, I am going to watch every episode just make sure that it remains awful. For a comedy it is not funny at all. There are no dramatic moments that can even compare with any good drama on television. And all of the characters are either completely uninteresting or unbelievably detestable. Why are critics pretending to like this show?
Magic City (-)
Fridays on Starz
Not a bad start to this period drama. Ike Evans is a protagonist that I already find myself rooting for, and Ben Diamond is among the most evil villains currently on tv. This is an interesting take on the 50s/60s, and if NYC and advertising don't do it for you with Mad Men, how does Miami Beach and the mob sound?
New Girl (-)
Tuesdays on FOX
The FOX comedy has been on a good run this spring, which is thanks in large part to the major character change in Nick Miller. He was God awful at the start of New Girl's run, and recently, he's been carrying the series on his back. Schmidt and Jess are staples, but Nick has been the reason it has excelled as of late.
Once Upon a Time (-)
Sundays on ABC
This most recent episode showcasing August was the reason I tuned into this fairy tale series to begin with. It had heart, it had excitement, and it revealed some secrets while providing even more questions for the audience to ask. The more Once Upon a Time serializes itself, and the less it does random one-off episodes of new characters, the better off the show will be.
Scandal (-)
Thursdays on ABC
I have been seriously surprised at how good Scandal has been through its first four episodes. I have long since tired of Grey's Anatomy, and never quite got into Private Practice or Off the Map, so I didn't have high expectations for this Shonda Rhimes series. There has to be someone else running the show, because this intense legal thriller has been interesting from the word go. Like the best in the business, Scandal does a great job of weaving episodic stories with the overarching plot dealing with the President.
Veep (-)
Sundays on HBO
I have yet to watch this week's second episode of the series, but after one viewing I am definitely on board. Julia and Tony Hale won me over, and I look forward to seeing if it sticks with me or dies out slowly.
