Tag Archives: Game of Thrones

Analog This: The 10 Best TV Shows of 2014

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Image via Reddit

I swear if somebody tells me that it’s the Golden Age of Television one more time…

Look, I’m not saying that this isn’t an amazing time for TV. All I am saying is that labeling one year as a golden age sets you up for future failure and disappointment. For instance, people who label the 1930s and 40s as the golden age of film completely disregard the amazing work done in later years. Plus, Gone with the Wind is sort of racist and Citizen Kane is kind of boring.

Earlier this year, some critics said the golden age of television was over. Really? Then how do you account for the fact that over half my list is freshman shows? As everything migrates towards cable and the web, TV is changing and currently on a curve of exponential growth. This is my first TV top ten list, because this is the first year that I feel like I watched enough shows that I could list ten and have a few honorary mentions.

It is amazing how diverse this year’s TV selections are. My list contains fantasy lands, New York during multiple different time periods, and a lot of talking animals. I don’t want to say that television is currently better than film, but I understand what the whack jobs who say that are talking about. Without further adieu, here is my list of the ten best shows of 2014:

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The Ten Best Dysfunctional Families in Pop Culture

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Any film or TV show that presents a completely normal family is lying to you. If the family was normal, then it wouldn’t be a real family.

Dysfunctional families are a perfect storytelling device which lend themselves to virtually any genre, whether it be comedy, drama, or horror. I just started watching Parenthood, in which a sprawling mess of a family is the center of the story. It is a great show, and it got me thinking about my favorite dysfunctional families. Dysfunctional families can be disastrous. However, often that is just because their love is so strong that it compels them to do crazy things.

I did some digging, and I compiled a list. Here are ten of the best dysfunctional families in pop culture:

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Analog This: A Million Ways to Die in Westeros

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Joffrey, you don’t deserve Natalie Dormer’s love. Image via IMDB

Moral of the story: Don’t get married in Westeros.

Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones was a big one, and it is one that every fan has been waiting for since season one. So for now, I will say SPOILER ALERT. If you don’t want SPOILERS for this week’s episode of Game of Thrones, do not read beyond this point. I put SPOILERS in bold/caps lock because you see, I’m trying to make a point.

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Captain America: The Winter’s Soldier, Game of Thrones Premiere, Colbert Replacing Letterman

Episode 3: Ian, Cassie and special guest host Mike Rogers (Professor of Comics, Syracuse University), talk about Captain America: The Winter’s Soldier, the Game of Thrones season 4 premiere, Colbert replacing Letterman on The Late Show, James Franco’s newest scandal and much more…