Another HBO series and an FX espionage thriller complete the top five. The hype around True Detective seemed understated prior to the release of the series starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. Soon after its debut, however, the latter actor’s awards season candidacy gained momentum, eventually resulting in his winning the prestigious Best Actor award at The Oscars. As his reputation spiked, more people became transfixed by the twisted tale of a murder investigation in Louisiana. Suffice to say that if the polling in the category had been performed last March as season one ended, it might have won. The 10-month voting gap is the primary reason it “only” finished fourth.

The Americans is a brilliant take on the Cold War, and its constant machinations involve a pair of Russian operatives living and working in the United States. Leads Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are both believable badasses who are forced to use every tool at their disposal to attain American government secrets. Suffice to say that their favorite asset is their sexuality, as the underlying theme of every episode seems to involve seduction. Yes, Russell and Rhys’ characters are masters of the honeypot, but they are great with a gun as well. Unfortunately, they also happen to live across the street from a FBI counterterrorism agent. A reckoning is coming in this regard, but the build-up is still the thing through the early stage of season three. For people under 50, the Cold War is something from a history book rather than a viable memory, so The Americans works as a sort of Mad Men for spies. If you want to catch up, pay special attention to the resolution of season two’s big mystery. The reveal is indescribably satisfying.

With such a dramatic shake-up at the top of the category, a couple of standing favorites fail to capitalize on the void created by the end of a few series last year. Brooklyn Nine-Nine debuted in ninth place last year and now inches up to sixth place. The broad but clever cop show comedy is undeniably the funniest sitcom of this variety since Barney Miller (Google it, kids!). Seventh goes to Archer, which is actually the FX animation staple’s lowest performance over the last four years. As much as our staff loved the premise of Archer Vice, the actual execution didn’t dazzle, Kenny Loggins episode excluded. Still, we unabashedly love the show to the point that several of us randomly scream, “OUTLAW COUNTRY!!!”

A fourth (!) HBO series and a pair of standing favorites comprise the rest of our selections for Best Television Show. After a couple of seasons of being a bridesmaid, Veep finally earned a spot in eighth place this year. I suspect the “Clovis” episode is what put Veep over the top. Justified drops out of the top five for the first time since the start, as it winds up in ninth. Oddly, it earned more first place votes this year than it had since season two. So, it got the quality votes but lacked in terms of quantity. Finally, House of Cards season two falls back a bit from eighth place last year to tenth for the most recent offering. Perhaps it would have performed more strongly had it been a part of the HBO brand instead of Netflix. We as a group seem to vote for those almost automatically.

The Best Television Show category is always a brutal battle for selection. A few spots on a ballot can be the difference between tenth and 15th place. Here are our next 15 favorite shows based upon voting: Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead, Penny Dreadful, Person of Interest, Fargo, Silicon Valley, The Leftovers, Downton Abbey, Broad City, Orphan Black, Hannibal, Gravity Falls, Arrow, Modern Family, and You’re the Worst.


2015 Calvin Awards
Calvins Intro
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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