iZombie Review: "Eternal Sunshine of the Caffeinated Mind"

This week's episode of iZombie was one of my favorite in a while. I've commented on this the last couple of weeks, but the pacing of the show is perfect, with each episode revealing just enough information to keep the story moving. One of the highlights of the episode was seeing Liv finally confront Rita (I figure i can drop the fake name Gilda, now that Liv knows that's not her name), which was easily one of the most satisfying moments of the seasons so far. Liv is often a passive hero on the show. She knows more about the various moving parts of the show than just about anyone, but she's rarely the kind of character that acts irrationally on her knowledge, like Major or Blaine. Seeing Liv be so angry at Rita that she punched her and threatened to burn her possessions, proved that Liv is no less formidable than any other character on the show. It was all the more impressive that Liv exhibited all of this anger while under the influence of a brain that made her perpetually perky.

Liv's "glass half full" attitude was courtesy of this week's murder victim: a positive vibes loving coffee shop owner with a greedy daughter. Unlike last week, this week's case actually had a decent mystery element to it, and it was fun to see Liv, Clive, and even Ravi solving an interesting case again. Sure, the scene showing the murder made it pretty obvious that the daughter committed the crime, but the case did give us a fake Frenchman, a barista who thinks the Millennium Falcon is a new model of Ford vehicle, and Liv encountering her old bunkmate from prison, so it was an overall win. It was also interesting that the show portrayed a crime in which the killer got away. Realistically, it was bound to happen at some point, and I think it's great when shows throw in elements that make them more grounded.

After Boss figured out he is the rival drug dealer, Blaine found himself doing the iconic "zombie rise from the grave," this week. What makes the power struggle between Blaine and Boss compelling is how much they can each surprise the the other one. In this episode, Boss made a move against Blaine, that should have taken him out for good, but instead literally woke a sleeping zombie. There was clear foreshadowing earlier in the episode that Blaine was starting to turn back (the scene where he though all of the wine had gone bad), so it was no surprise to see him escape the fate Boss had in store for him. Boss inadvertently exposed his hand to Seattle's most dangerous zombie.

The episode also revealed that Blaine and Boss aren't the only players in the game. For the last three episodes, the show has indicated that Liv doesn't know the real Drake, and as it turns out, neither did the audience. The revelation that Drake is an undercover cop, not only gave the show a perfect excuse to hire Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars from Veronica Mars) as Drake's boss, but added another layer to the already complicated drug war being waged in Seattle. Not only is Drake lying to Boss and Blaine, but he is lying to the police about his condition as a zombie and his employment with Blaine. What this all means for Liv's relationship with Drake remains to be seen, but it has been pretty apparent from the start that their relationship will end at some point.

On the cure front, Ravi was able to use some of the tainted Utopium that the trio found at the end of last week's episode, to recreate the original zombie cure. Wisely he tested the "cure" on a zombie rat instead of Major, which turned the rat into some sort off hyper zombie, similar to the results Max Rager had testing their formula on zombies. Knowing that he came very close to the same fate, Major was inspired to tell Liv all of his secrets, which of course was interrupted by Rita's arrival. It's unclear whether Major called her by her true name in front of Liv on purpose, but either way now that he knows Rita is the one watching Liv he's unlikely to confide in Liv about being the Chaos Killer. While it was a cruel joke for the writers to have Major come so close to telling Liv, at least he has realized that it doesn't make sense not to trust Liv. 

iZombie Review: The Whopper

iZombie is well into the second half of its season and what is most impressive is how well the show is managing its multiple storylines. The last few episodes have managed to reveal major information that brings each character closer to the truth, without making all of the big reveals feel rushed. At first when Blaine's goons revealed they had captured Major, it seemed like the show was skipping a lot of plot development. By the end of the episode however, it made sense. The working relationship between Major and Blaine just became yet another in a long list of weird symbioses that have formed between the characters on the show. Yes, it's annoying that Major has revealed his secret to Blaine and not any of his close friends who could help watch his back, but the writers are determined to keep that secret, so I just have to hope that the payoff is worth the frustration.

Blaine had a bit of a showcase in this week's episode. As despicable as Blaine is (and I'm glad the writers don't shy away from highlighting this quality), the writers have still managed to make him sympathetic enough that seeing his story continue on is intriguing. As a viewer, I don't like Blaine, but I still want the writers to keep finding ways to bring him into Liv's life. He's such a great foil for Liv and her friends. Here, his daddy issues were on full display, and the writers managed to show Blaine in both his most sympathetic and his most savage states.

On the Meat Cute side of things Dale and Clive keep getting closer and closer to the truth. I see no way that Clive can avoid stumbling onto the "zombie" of it all, especially given just how much the show keeps proving that he is more than just a bumbling cop. His instincts made him keep investigating the Meat Cute massacre, his work with Dale has led him to find out that both Blaine and Major are somehow involved in everything, and he even pointed out in this episode that he has caught on to the fact that Liv takes on the personalities of the victims in each case they investigate. That last detail was a nice one for the writers to throw in, cause if Clive truly is a good detective, then there's no way he wouldn't notice Liv's personality changes. They're just too obvious to miss.

Now that the writers of the show have spent some time developing Clive as a character, I think it's about time that they writer an episode where Liv is out of the picture and Ravi has to help Clive instead. Ravi is the perfect comedic counterpart to Clive and every scene they share together inevitably becomes the funniest scene of the episode. Ravi mocking Clive about never using Dale's first name around them was proof of that. Ravi might be too busy trying to find a Utopium cure, though. After discovering the bodies of the men who swallowed the tainted Utopium, and learning that the effects of the zombie cure not only wore off of "New Hope," but eventually led to her death, the zombie cure has become more pivotal than ever.

With everything that is going on on the show, the zombie cure often gets pushed to the side. From a writing standpoint, that's probably on purpose. The zombie cure makes the show deal with some big issues. Without the cure, Major and Blaine will die, and Seattle will forever be plagued with a growing zombie problem. If a genuine cure is discovered, Liv no longer has to be a zombie, and there's no reason for the show to carry on. As interesting as everything else on the show is, I can't wait to see how the writers resolve the issue of the zombie cure.

The case this week, like last week, was used more to develop the Boss/Blaine plot than anything else. It gave Liv major insights into what the town's Utopium dealers have been up to, including where to find the tainted Utopium, and it gave Liv another personality to play with for the week. It was more fun seeing Liv come up with outrageous stories on the "pathological liar" brain this week, than it was seeing her take a selfie with everything on last week's "social media addict" brain. The changing personalities give each episode a fresh feel, even as the cases the come from become less and less important.

iZombie Review: "Physician, Heal Thy Selfie"

This week's review will be a shorter one, cause I was late getting to watch the episode. Most episodes of iZombie have a predictable (but still entertaining) format: half of the episode is about Liv's visions and solving the case of the week, and then the other half either focuses on zombie mythology (usually involving Blaine), Major's dealings with Max Rager, or some sort of relationship building issue between two or more of the main characters. "Physician, Heal Thy Selfie," almost completely ditched the crime solving aspect of the show, and instead focused on all three of the other aspects of the show. The episode even went as far as having Liv's brain of the week come from a social media obsessed woman who was not murdered. Watching Liv and Clive solve crimes is always fun, but it was nice to see the show's writers prove that they can do away with that plot structure when they need to. The result was an episode that still had all the fun of Liv dealing with a new personality, but also did some much needed development on all of the many side stories the show has going on right now (seriously, this show is juggling a lot of plot lines).

For the rest of the review I'm just going to do some bullet point thought about the episode:

• This episode's big reveal was Liv having a vision and figuring out Blaine is the new drug dealer in town. I like the pace that the show uses to unfold each of these stories. It's easy to forget sometimes just how much we know that Liv doesn't, but if Liv knew everything we know, she'd probably be overwhelmed by all of the threats lurking around Seattle. 
• Speaking of threats, I'm counting three major villains so far this season: Max Rager, Blaine and his new Utopium ring, and the well establish enterprise of Boss. Last season Liv only had one homicidal maniac to deal with, so the show has really upped the ante this season.
•  It was nice to see Peyton and Ravi sharing scenes again. Even if they don't get back together, scenes like these give both characters a much needed personal life. 
• Liv's relationship with Drake doesn't add anything to the show, but now that she knows he is a part of Blaine's operation, I'm guessing that it won't last much longer anyway. 

Links To Past Reviews:

Grumpy Old Liv

Zombie Bro

Real Dead Housewife of Seattle

Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues

Love and Basketball

Max Wager

Abra Cadaver

Cape Town

Method Head

Fifty Shades of Gray Matter

iZombie Review: Fifty Shades of Gray Matter

After a couple of weeks off the air, iZombie returned with an episode that was all about peeling back the layers on the secrets and lies everyone has been telling. Let's start with with this week's case. The case itself was a big dud, but at this point the show an get away with that as long as it results in Liv getting an entertaining personality for the week. When the episode introduced the victim's husband, I instinctively knew he was the murderer, and unlike Clive, I'm not that big on the "the spouse always did it" mindset. This week's personality was a very amorous librarian with an active imagination, or as the episode kept bluntly putting it, "horny librarian." It was one of the more over the top personalities that Liv has taken on, but it gave the writers a chance to get in some really good jokes, and for Live to make some really bad life decisions (such as sleeping with a stranger, who unbeknownst to her is simultaneously working for the city's two most prominent Utopium dealers).

Liv wasn't the only one making bad life choices. Peyton finally returned to the show, but ended up sleeping with Blaine. I'm glad that rather than drag that storyline out, the writers let Peyton in on the secret of Blain's past misdeeds before the episode was over. Of course, this all took place after Peyton went and stopped Dale and Clive from arresting Blaine, as both had figured out that Blaine is definitely connected to the Meat Cute massacre and all of the missing zombies around town. Clive keeps getting closer and closer to the truth about Liv, so it will be interesting to see if the show actually ever lets him in on the secret. There's a risk to letting secrets run too long on shows like this. Usually, protecting the main character's secret becomes a stale plot device and an irresponsible danger to the other characters. So far the show has only benefited from letting characters in on Liv's secret, so I'm definitely in favor of Clive (and Liv's family for that matter) finding out sooner than later.

Speaking of secrets, Major still has his zombie "killing" secret that he's hiding from everyone for reasons that become less clear every week. This week Clive and Dale almost caught Major with Minor, the dog, and the entire situation could have been much more easily avoided if had Liv and Ravi known to give him a heads up that Clive was on to him. They've both already done the same to help hide his involvement at Meat Cute from Clive, so it's odd for him not to trust them with this as well. I suspect the show will handle Liv finding out about Major's activities in a way that pays off well, so I've never gotten too worried about what direction the writers are taking this story line in.

Other thoughts:

• Kristen Bell took the time to briefly lend her voice to a scene, but it hardly lived up to the hype of having Kristen Bell working with Rob Thomas again. Actually identifying her as Kristen Bell was also a weird choice. I hope it doesn't mean the show is closing the door on Bell guest starring in person in the future. 
• The ending of this week's episode felt very abrupt. It's hot a problem I've ever noticed in the past, so hopefully it was just this one time. 

iZombie Review: "Method Head"

iZombie returned in fine form from it's winter finale, with an episode that focused on a lot of what the show does best. The main focus of the episode was resolving the work relationship between Liv and Clive. My biggest problem with this entire story arc (if you can even call a two episode conflict a story arc), is that it didn't seem necessary. If the show was going to do something as big as ending the partnership between Liv and Clive, then it would have been nice for there to be more of a pay off than just having Clive realize that he values Liv as a partner. That part was annoying, but the episode wasn't an entire loss. Any chance the show gets to build the relationship between Clive and Liv is good, and the actual mending of the relationship worked well, but it all happened too abruptly for that plot device to have a meaningful impact.

This week's case wasn't much of a mystery (the killer was the most logical person possible), but it did allow the writers to have a lot of fun. Liv consuming the brain of an actor, and much of the episode taking place on the set of a television show about zombies, allowed the writers to put a "meta" spin on the episode. Clive's tongue-in-cheek dismissal of a show where the zombie is the main character was a fun poke at iZombie, and also led to the irony laden revelation that zombies creep Clive out. There was also a very well played joke that had fun with Rose McIver's past playing a power ranger. The writers found the perfect balance between poking fun at their show, it's cast, and even its perception as a show on the CW network, without taking the bit too far.

Relationships and murder aside, we learned a little bit more about everything that is going on on the zombie outbreak/zombie cure/Max Rager front. Ravi came clean to everyone about the likelihood that the zombie cure will wear off at some point. The search for a cure is an increasingly interesting part of the show because there are a lot of serious implications to either its success or failure. If Liv were ever cured, the show would end, cause no brains means no "psychic powers." On the other hand, I firmly believe that Major would not work as a full time zombie. Liv is type A enough to turn her condition into a purpose to go on. Major is emotionally distraught by pretending to kill zombies, so I can only imagine how full time brain eating would destroy him. None of this is to say that Major is a weak character. It was nice to see him play a little offense against Max Rager for once. Bugging Von is the smartest thing that Major has done since getting into this whole blackmail situation. I'm interested to see how that plot plays off in the future. In the present however, "Method Head" was a very fun entry for the show. 

iZombie Review: "Cape Town"

The fall finale of iZombie did a great job exploring Liv's condition and gave the cast a lot of great material to work with, even though the storytelling started to veer into some dangerous areas. In recent episodes the main theme of the show has been focused on how these different brains are affecting Liv and her relationships. Namely her relationship with Major. It was interesting to see Liv still under the influence of last week's brain at the beginning of this week's episode. The writers have never done that before, but it was a smart way to set the tone for the episode. All of this of course led to the eventual break-up of Major and Liv, which easily gave those actors the material for their best dramatic work on the show. After season three of Veronica Mars which became a nauseating case of its main characters repeatedly breaking up and then getting back together, seeing Thomas do something similar with Liv and Major worries me. That being said, this break-up did feel natural because Major cannot accept Liv as she is, and Liv has found a profound sense of purpose in becoming a zombie.

The show has always used Liv's ability to solve murders as a point of purpose in the chaos of her life, but this episode managed to convey just how much that sense of purpose has become a necessity for her will to live. Having Clive end his work relationship with Liv (another storytelling device that worries me) puts a major halt to that sense of purpose. Though if the last two episodes show anything, it's that Liv is so driven by this sense of purpose that she's willing to work outside the law to solve a case. All of this sets up an interesting conflict for the show. Liv has the ability to solve cases in a way that nobody else can, but the brains she is consuming are making her increasingly unstable both her personal and professional life.

As for the case of the week, it was a little disappointing. Given that the source material for the show is a comic book, the show could have had much more fun with the idea of Liv as a superhero. That being said, it was an effective delivery tool to the point where Clive cut Liv off. The case of the week has been the weakest part of the show for a while, but this was probably the least interesting case so far.

The Fastest Man Alive, the Funniest Cops in New York, and a Virgin: The Ten Best Shows of 2015

One of the reasons I'm drawn to television over a lot of other storytelling formats is that it's constantly progressing. A decade ago some people were saying that reality television was going eliminate scripted television, and now there are over 400 scripted shows across the various network, cable, and online viewing formats. We are in a so called time of "Peak TV," where there are so many viewing options that it is impossible to watch everything out there. More viewing options means more diverse shows than ever before. Sorting through all of the great shows to come up with just ten is difficult, and my list reflects ten shows that I don't think would have been possible a decade ago. Admittedly, as a viewer I tend to lean toward comedy more than drama. What drama shows I do watch tend to be niche shows more than the white male anti-hero shows that win most of the critical praise. These are ten shows that have made the most of television's ever diversifying landscape to tell some of the most fun and compelling stories in the medium. Warning: Some spoilers may follow, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

Honorable Mentions:
Community
Broad City
Casual
Catastrophe
Hindsight
Veep
Agent Carter
Arrow
Supergirl
The Good Wife
Scandal
Grey's Anatomy
The Simpsons

Runners-Up:
Fresh Off the Boat (ABC): One of ABC's diverse family comedies that proves that family comedy can still be very funny and socially relevant. Constance Wu is an all-star.

Halt and Catch Fire (AMC): This show improved significantly from its freshman season, by shifting focus to its two much more compelling female leads, while still giving its male leads interesting material to work with. This was one of the most interesting dramas on TV in 2015.

Review (Comedy Central): While the show is at times a little crass for my taste, no other show can induce both laughter and cringing at the same time, like this one. It's the most hilarious of dark comedies.

Daredevil (Netflix): The first glimpse that Marvel and Netflix could do great things together, this show had better action sequences than any other superhero show, and a compelling dedication to tone. It also features one of the best supporting casts of any show, including an amazing villain.

Mr. Robot (USA): One of a handful of shows on, that is being shot more like a movie than a traditional show. This show featured spectacular cinematography, a mastery of suspenseful storytelling, and an amazing starring performance by Rami Malek.


10.) Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox):

About a decade ago, network TV experienced what I would call a modern golden age of comedy with shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is very much a descendant of those shows, with a sharp sense of humor and a deep (and talented!) cast. Comedy is hard, and few shows are as consistently funny as this one. Every cast member gives it their all, and the writers have done a great job of figuring out which jokes work best with each character. Sometimes the show has too many moving parts for its own good, but with a cast this deep, that's bound to happen.

9.) Parks and Recreation (NBC):

Parks and Recreation is one of TV's all time great shows, and its final season was one of the show's best seasons in years. Leslie Knope's Tammy 2 impression in "Ron & Jammy" would be enough to get it on this list, but it also gave us all time great episodes like "Leslie and Ron" which was a funny and touching look at one of TV's oddest friendships. The two part finale "One Last Ride" was a very satisfying end to a show that was often the optimistic and hopeful antidote to so many of the dark and brooding shows that occupy space on TV. There never was or will be another show quite like Parks and Recreation. 

8.) The Flash (The CW):

Greg Berlanti has become the leading influence behind the rise of the comic book adaptation on the small screen. As of 2015, he has produced three DC Comics adapted shows (Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl), and has a fourth (Legends of Tomorrow) set to premiere in early 2016. Berlanti's work changed The CW from the network that markets to teenage girl, to the network that markets to niche audiences. Easily the best of Berlanti's shows is The Flash, which melds the whimsy of its comic book origins with polished special effects, and a perfect balance of dark and humorous themes. The Flash had a near perfect first season, which culminated in one of the most powerful dramatic moments on TV, when Barry was forced to hold his dying mother in his arms, knowing after all his work to save her, he couldn't. Grant Gustin is a spot on casting choice as Barry Allen/The Flash, and the rest of the supporting cast adds a lot of heart and humor to the show. This show works because it is completely sincere, even when it is dealing with some of the more ridiculous aspects of its genre. The Flash is self aware and fun to watch. 

7.) Mom (CBS):

With the increasing diversity of programming on television, it can be difficult to find a way to define shows that blur the lines between comedy and drama. Mom is one of those shows that defies easy categorization. In format, it is very much a traditional Chuck Lorre CBS sitcom, albeit one that's actually good (Yes, that's a burn on you The Big Bang Theory). With adept comedic performers like Allison Janney and Anna Faris, the jokes are quicker, smarter, and funnier than most other shows. Going into its third season, the show has done a good job of building up a supporting cast of comedy savvy actors for the two leads to work with. In spirit, Mom isn't really a sitcom at all, rather it's one of television's most heartfelt dramas about suffering, and what it looks like to stay afloat in a world that seems determined to take you down. What makes Mom excellent, is how nimbly it walks the line between humor and heartache. The jokes never take away from the serious struggles Christy and Bonnie face (such as fighting to remain sober, trying to keep a roof over their heads, and dealing with the death of a loved one), but they do keep the tone of the show from becoming too dark. It's a balance unlike any other show on TV. 

6.) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix):

In a lot of ways, Tina Fey's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a spiritual successor to her first show 30 Rock. The characters and the plot lines of the show, often become absurd to the point of distraction, but the number of killer jokes per episode is awe inspiring. This show represents a very welcome return to TV by Tina Fey. Kimmy isn't just a rehash of 30 Rock. The titular character is optimistic and endearing in a way that few characters are these days (R.I.P. Leslie Knope). Ellie Kemper has been doing great, but underrated, work for a few years now and seeing her fit with the perfect star vehicle, is nice. The supporting cast is perfect at delivering Fey's fast paced jokes, with ease. Not to mention, the show is flat out hilarious (The running gag that mathematically the Olsen twins must actually be four people, is great), and features the most catchy theme song of any show on TV. 

5.) Jessica Jones (Netflix):

Marvel's Jessica Jones has rightfully earned the title of best superhero show, even if it technically isn't much of a traditional superhero show. With the tone and sensibility of a much darker Veronica Mars (a show of which Krysten Ritter, who is perfectly cast here, is an alum), Jessica Jones is more noir thriller than traditional superhero versus villain tale. That's what makes it stand out in a TV landscape that isn't lacking for good superhero shows. Jessica is a rape survivor. Not only was she physically violated by her attacker, but she was mentally violated by his ability to control the minds of those around him. Kilgrave, Jessica's attacker, is the most horrifying villain from any comic book show, and honestly he's more substantial than any of Marvel's movie villains too. The ensuing fight between Jessica and Kilgrave is a pointed metaphor for the act of rape, those who inflict it, and those who survive it. Jessica has been changed by her experiences, but she's no cowering victim. She's a complicated character who often acts out of fear, but always acts out of a strong determination that Kilgrave must be stopped from hurting more people. The show isn't without its flaws, but Jessica Jones is a sharp portrayal of a fascinating character, and one of the best shows on in any genre. 

4.) iZombie (The CW):

Zombies have risen in cultural status in the last half decade. Television shows and movies have just about exhausted all avenues when it comes to the idea of these brain hungry hoards, which is what makes a smart show like iZombie so much fun. iZombie flips the genre on its head, by making the protagonist, Liv Moore (get the pun?), a zombie who satisfies her need to eat brains by eating the brains of murder victims and then using the insights/personality traits of the victims to help solve their murders. Each week brings a new case and a new brain, which allows the writers to have a lot of fun with the different personalities that they throw at Rose McIver to play. The supporting cast is a lot of fun, and Rahul Kohli in particular often delivers the funniest moment in any given episode. Underneath all of the murder and zombie lore, iZombie is really the story of a woman whose life was altered forever by a disease, and her struggle to maintain her closest relationships, while trying not to become a danger to those she loves. There's nothing prestigious about iZombie, but the story is unique, the writing is sharp, and the cast is incredibly fun to watch. 

3.) Master of None (Netflix):

Aziz Ansari's first attempt at producing his own show was a hit that came out of nowhere. Yes, Ansari quickly became one of the most memorable characters on Parks and Recreation, but what he would bring to the table as a show creator was largely unknown. The result was a charming romantic comedy, and easily the most razor sharp social commentary of any show on TV. The strength of the show lies in Ansari's ability to craft each episode as a complete story. Half of the show's episodes focus on main character, Dev, his struggles dating, and eventually his growing relationship with Rachel (played excellently by the relatively unknown Noel Wells). The other episodes tackle relevant social issues such as lack of diversity in Hollywood ("Indians on TV"), discrimination against women ("Ladies and Gentlemen"), and how our society is quick to ignore the elderly ("Old People"). Most of all, Master of None is incredibly funny and features a cinematography style that many movies would envy, let alone television shows. 

2.) The Mindy Project (Hulu):

The Mindy Project's move from Fox to Hulu hasn't changed the show in any major ways, but well into its fourth season, the show and its creator seem more focused than ever on what they want the show to be. If seasons one and two were Mindy Kaling's version of a long form romantic comedy, then seasons three and four have been the aftermath that is never shown in the movies. Mindy and Danny's relationship is complicated because opposites may attract, but they are also bound to argue. Starting with season three's excellent finale ("Best Man"), the show has been giving Mindy and Danny (played by the always great Chris Messina) a lot of strong dramatic material to work with. These characters have grown more as individuals, partners, and parents in the last half season, than in the entire rest of the show. With all of the new dramatic material, what's impressive is that The Mindy Project is still a hilarious sitcom with a sense of humor unlike any other show. This may not be the most consistently hilarious sitcom, and its social commentary (this season has dealt with the struggles and expectations of first time moms) may not be as strong as a show like Master of None, but The Mindy Project plays the long game better almost any other show. Mindy Kaling is a storyteller who can keep a complex story going for more than twenty episodes, while many show have trouble doing the same with only ten to fifteen episodes. 

1.) Jane the Virgin (The CW): 

Jane the Virgin tops my list of the best shows of 2015, because it is the best balancing act on television. It would be hard for any show to be a telenovela, a satire of telenovelas, an absurd comedy, a heartfelt story about family, a drama about a broke single mother, a romance, and a coming of age story about an aspiring writer all at once. Jane the Virgin doesn't just manage to be all of these things and more, it manages to be them all exceptionally well and with a spot on sense of tone. The success of the show is due in large part to the excellent writing, led by series creator Jennie Snyder Urman, and the deep and talented cast. Jane the Virgin works as a show because its absurd plots (the pilot episode starts with the titular virgin being accidentally artificially inseminated and becoming pregnant with her boss's child) are always grounded by relatable characters who keep their humanity in the face of all of the absurdity surrounding them. Gina Rodriguez's work as Jane would be enough to land this show in the top spot. There is no other actress on TV doing the level of work that Rodriguez is, and it's a testament to the show's writing that it gives her enough great material to shine. The rest of the cast does excellent work as well, with even the most stereotypical of characters being developed into someone complex. In its second season, the show has only gotten stronger. Jane's struggle to be both a mother and a master's student has given the show some of its best material so far, and plot lines like Alba's application for a green card or Rogelio's continuing struggle with having missed more that twenty years of his daughter's life, ground the show in the fears and regrets that we all have. Jane the Virgin probably isn't for everyone, but no show on TV has a bigger heart, and that's what makes it stand out in the most crowded TV landscape ever.