TV programming this year has really run away from me; shows that I expected to really love fizzled out into nothing and long-running shows that I had avoided due to “ick” factor, became permanent staples in my DVR. Let’s review, shall we?

In NO particular order:

SCANDAL: I have weekly “Lady Dates” with one of my best friends (HI NATALI!) where we get on FaceTime, Skype or text and watch a bunch of shows. SCANDAL is always a part of it. We frequently shout “UGH! THIS SHOW!” at the screens and at each other. This year with Olivia, her Love Puppies (I’ve decided that’s what I’m calling Fitz and Jake from now on), Gladiators, Evil Parents…there’s been a lot to digest. A LOT.  With such memorable moments as “Smelly Mellie”; SCANDAL really delivered this year. I can’t wait for the end of January when it returns.

The Walking Dead: Yes. I’m that late. Initially I tried watching TWD when it first premiered, but the noise of the squishing and the gross, I JUST COULDN’T DO IT, GUYS!  But one of the many Season marathons came on throughout the year, and I managed to power through a bunch of episodes, clutching the remote like it was a protective blankie so that I could quickly hit the MUTE button if things got too *shudder* blech. And the series grew on me, faster than I thought it would. Now I’m actively involved in Monday Morning discussions at The Cubicle Farm about “how ca-razy Rick has gotten” and how many tables I would flip if Daryl gets killed off…seriously, I’d be off the show.

How To Get Away With Murder: Ok, THIS SHOW, dudes. I mean it. SO fast paced, SO well written, SUCH a twisted storyline! I LOVE a show that keeps me guessing but doesn’t drag it out too long! I want to KISS the show runners! They know EXACTLY what they’re doing. The cast is great, the story is great, it’s just GREAT!

Gotham: As a PopCulture/SuperHero minor-nerd; I was full of anxiety on this one. I’m still not 100% on board and you have no idea how much I want to be on board with this show! I absolutely adore the cast, Donal Logue is a master of timing, he plays the crooked-y but maybe not so crooked-y cop Harvey Bullock just perfectly against Ben McKenzie’s ever-so-serious James Gordon. I could watch those two muck about for the entire airtime. But the time issue, the fact that the scenes are set in modern/current time, it really messes with my DC chronology and gives me the heebies. And don’t get me started on the Rough And Tumble Alfred; I mean, Sean Pertwee is awesome, but the portrayal of Alfred is freaking me out. Personal preference maybe; I’m still watching the show! I’m just worried about the direction.

The Flash: When I met the cast (and rightly, audibly, swooned over Jesse L. Martin) I crossed all my fingers and toes that the finished product would be as incredible as it sounded. I was not disappointed! I’ve really enjoyed watching the ensemble, they really work well together, there’s just enough humor, just enough serious. And the effects are really good for a network show! I like it!

GRIMM: I gotta be honest. Grimm has been a little slow for me this year. I’m still hanging in, but they tried to mix things up and “Cousin Oliver” us with that Trubel nonsense and it started to put me off the show. There wasn’t enough Sasha Roiz onscreen time!! Thankfully I stuck with it and the story is starting to get interesting again.

HAVEN: From what I can gather, SyFy has seriously lost it’s bloomin’ mind. HAVEN is a solid show, the premise is weird, but the storyline is rich. Moving the show from a 9 or 10pm time slot to a 7pm time slot? It’s a mistake. And yes, while the network ordered 26 episodes last January, they are spreading them across 2 years! That makes me really nervous. I love that show.

American Horror Story: Freakshow: This is another “Lady Date” one; and yes, we try to watch it via FaceTime/Skype so that technically we aren’t “alone” in our prospective houses. It’s that creepy. Again. I think we can all agree that AHS:Coven wasn’t all most of us wanted it to be; it had ALL the bones, but fizzled out. So when AHS: Freakshow was announced, I kept it on the DVR list but was fully prepared to drop it and never go back. Frankly, I’d be ok with Freakshow being the last AHS I watch. It’s been super scary and weird, but I’m still watching.

Doctor Who: Even though this new Doctor isn’t cuddly or particularly kind or clever; I’m still a card-carrying member of the Whovian Fandom. I’m really looking forward to the Christmas special with Nick Frost cast as Santa Clause!

SELFIE: I wanted to like it. I did. But I just couldn’t. And it made me sad. But then it got the ax so my sadness wasn’t for long.

Resurrection: This one…it’s a weird one. I like it, but it’s slow and confusing at times. Which makes me want to not watch for weeks in order to have a multi-episode fest to keep myself from being annoyed.

Constantine: This is another one that I’ve had fairly high hopes with, and am still on the fence. Now that they seem to have the supporting cast solid, it’s got some real potential. But for how long? I’ve seen a few “Save Constantine” campaigns online, but I also saw those for other terrific shows like Alphas, Almost Human, Eureka but as of yet, none have been saved.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: This show…this show has finally hit stride again. They lost me for a bit, again, the slower the storyline, the more likely I’m going to not watch for a few weeks and then binge. But after a bit, I was back on the weekly bandwagon. I love the new character introductions; it really sets me to Google-ing who so-and-so might be! That part is exciting to me!

Pretty Little Liars: I’m still hanging on! Even though the story has gotten as progressively unbelievable as the outfits these “teenagers” wear; I’m not giving up! I’ll never give up! PLL is a guilty pleasure!

Game of Thrones: Again, I’M LATE, I KNOW! But now I’m all caught up and foaming at the mouth for next year. After Twitter inadvertently spoiled me on a couple big reveals, I went ahead and bought all the books and read them non-stop. I actually found it easier to read after I’d seen the show. I’d tried to read the first book before watching and couldn’t get into it for some reason. Now that I know how to pronounce the names and who belongs to what banner; I’m totally on board and waiting not-so-patiently for the next book. (Yes, I had Reader’s Mourning when I finished the last book…I NEED THE NEXT ONE!)

@Midnight: Ok, if you’re not watching @Midnight, then I really don’t know what could be wrong with you. The whole show is a delight and I always laugh so hard I snurk my beverage…maybe I shouldn’t drink anything when I watch @Midnight. Hmm.

I’ve also been watching so much YouTube and Netflix, it’s kind of a sickness. I’ve become addicted to the daily blogs of SACCONEJOLY’S, PointlessBlogTV and Julien Solomita and Jenna Marbles; find myself craving GloriaShuriHenry, DanAndPhilGames or AlfieGames; and hugging Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart and Hannah Hart with my brain whenever they post anything at all; falling for the lovely lilting accents of Zoella, SprinkleofGlitter, PixiWoo and Tanya Burr; Youtube has really filled the space where “Reality TV” used to be. And I’ve never really been into that anyway. But now, I love the vlogs!

So yeah, that’s been my 2014 TV obsessions list! Even watching the reruns right now hasn’t been that terrible, for heaven’s sake I watch the repeats of The Big Bang Theory every day!

What do you think? Are there some shows that you were “meh” about that now you love? Have some shows lost their luster? What say you? What should I add to my list of “To Be Watched in 2015”?