2025: Year In Review

My last blog of 2025 and of course, it was going to be a look back at some of the shows I've watched.

Doctor Who (BBC1): Ncuti Gatwa's time as the Fifteenth Doctor might have been abrupt but at least he got to meet the Rani and regenerate into Billie Piper.

The War Between The Land And The Sea (BBC1): Our first spin-off in the Whoinverse had Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw embark on an interspecies romance in the midst of a global conflict.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Netflix): 2025 hasn't been Ryan Murphy's year but his continued foray into true crime still gets an audience and a hell of a performance from Charlie Hunnam to boot.

Peacemaker (HBO Max): Season 2 might not have stuck the landing with it's ending but for the most part, I do think it was actually a good follow up from it's first season.

Pluribus (Apple TV): A late entry for me but this sci-fi hive mind show with a lesbian protagonist absolutely warranted the hype it received.

The Last Of Us (HBO): Season 2 only went and killed Joel off and a good portion of it's audience. It still managed to produce some good moments in spite of that.

Adolescence (Netflix): The most talked about miniseries this year tackling the issue of knife crime and a star making performance from Owen Cooper.

Big Boys (Channel 4): Series 3 marked a poignant final outing for Jack Rooke's vastly underrated show. It ended on a lovely note.

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu/Disney+): Season 5 might have been weaker compared to past glories but there was some fun to be had and moving to London next season opens up some great casting possibilities.

The Traitors - UK/Irish/Celebrity Versions (BBC1/RTE1): The biggest reality show on television and one that continued to expand with even the Irish version being able to hold it's own. 

The Bear (FX/Disney+): Season 4 might have shown signs that this show can't go on forever but it still gave us that wedding episode with Brie Larson.

It - Welcome To Derry (HBO): Talk about a redemption arc for Andy Muschietti. This eight part prequel series for Pennywise might have been one of the best horror shows of the year.

Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO Max): Who would've thought this adaptation of two rival hockey players falling in love would've gripped everyone in the last month? I didn't see it coming.

Harley Quinn (HBO Max): Season 5 saw a relocation to Metropolis, Brainiac at his most sympathetic, Harley and Ivy nearly at odds and sibling rivalry with Lex and Lena.

Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+): While this sequel series didn't quite hit the heights of its Netflix predecessor, it was a nice reminder of how brilliant Charlie Cox is in the title role.

Towards Zero (BBC1/BritBox): Unfairly hated by some, I actually found this three episode adaptation fairly enjoyable. Oliver Jackson-Cohen's hairy chest alone was a highlight.

Yellowjackets (Showtime/Paramount+): The third season killed off both Lottie and Van, made Shauna even more psychotic and revealed Melissa to be alive. Misty and Taissa almost seemed normal by comparison.

Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime/Paramount+): While the really good prequel got renewed and then cancelled, this sequel show produced some of the best material since the original show's fourth season in 2009. What a glorious comeback for the character and Michael C. Hall.

The Sandman (Netflix): Season 2 brought one version of Dream to an end while issuing in the arrival of another. It was truly a family affair for this show's last outing.

The Death Of Bunny Munro (Sky TV): Matt Smith proving yet again that he's an incredible actor with this brilliant adaptation of Nick Cave's book of the same name.

And Just Like That (HBO Max): Several characters were lost, Carrie dumped Aidan and the show just ended. 

All's Fair (Hulu/Disney+): Sarah Paulson's venomous Carrington Lane was everything good about this messy show.

EastEnders (BBC1): The 40th anniversary was undoubtedly a highlight in a divisive run.

Toxic Town (Netflix): That other Jack Thorne miniseries that might have gone under the radar. Give it a go if you haven't already.

The White Lotus (HBO): While not as strong as the first two seasons, the move to Thailand still managed to be as chaotic and bloody as ever.

Prime Target (Apple TV): Leo Woodall as a cute and gay maths expert could've worked in a much better paced and sexier show than this one.

Mid Century Modern (Hulu/Disney+): A gay version of The Golden Girls was never going to work but this show at least tried.

House Of Guinness (Netflix): Steven Knight's take on one of Ireland's most famous of families was certainly something to behold.

SAS Rogue Heroes (BBC1): Watched both seasons and loved Jack O'Connell's performance as Paddy Mayne.

Big Brother UK (ITV2): The 25th anniversary gave us a deserving winner among some horrible and mediocre housemates.

Boots (Netflix): This eight part military themed show with a gay protagonist and a lot of hunky guys fell victim to cancellation. It deserved better.

Overcompensating (Amazon Prime): Benito Skinner served some 2010s nostalgia with this mostly fun comedy series.

Stranger Things (Netflix): Season 5 has been rocky but here's hoping tonight's episode will end it on a high note.

Juice (BBC3): Mawann Rizwan's zany show came back for a second series with Russell Tovey as the more straight laced boyfriend again. Some sexy stuff in it.

Wednesday (Netflix): Wasting Lady Gaga to one side, I did like this second season. The new characters mostly worked as well. 

Poker Face (Peacock): Season 2 might have been it's last but it certainly upped the guest stars and their rapport with Natasha Lyonne.

That's it for 2025. Yes, there's some shows like Severance and The Pitt that I missed out on but in general, I did watch a lot and even caught up with some older shows as well. Here's to 2026 and the TV moments it'll bring.

2024: Year In Review

Funnily enough, this won't be my final blog for 2024 but it's probably the most important one I'll do as this year edges to the end.

Doctor Who (BBC1/Disney+): I'm not gonna pretend it was the show at its best but Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson made for a great duo as the Doctor and Ruby Sunday and I'll never not want this show to succeed.

House Of The Dragon (HBO/SkyAtlantic): It did have difficult second album syndrome and it also delivered on some genuinely shocking moments to boot. Both things are true.

Black Doves (Netflix): Kiera Knightley, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire in a six part Christmas set spy series and some unapologetic gay storylines. Of course this made the list.

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix): I don't know if this show has fully made future stars out of Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch but there's no denying that both of them delivered here nonetheless.

Douglas Is Cancelled (ITV): Steven Moffat managed to deliver one of his best works with this four part drama, backed up by brilliant performances from Karen Gillan and Hugh Bonneville.

Lost Boys And Fairies (BBC1): This compelling three part series about a gay couple wanting to adopt was another surprise hit during the summer. 

Ripley (Netflix): Andrew Scott can do no wrong and this black and white miniseries cemented that even when he was taking over another man's life.

True Detective: Night Country (HBO/Sky Atlantic): Although it could be a bit hit and miss at times, the long awaited returning detective drama managed to give Jodie Foster plenty to do in such a cold and murderous environment.

Mary & George (Sky Showcase/Starz): Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine as a scheming mother and son duo? Tony Curran never stood a chance as King James.

Bridgerton (Netflix): The third season of the show really delivered with the Penelope and Colin love story. I was gripped with it. Oh and bisexual Benedict.

The Jetty (BBC1): Jenna Coleman's foray as a world weary detective got off to an intriguing start with this flashback heavy/socially relevant four part series. Expect seconds, given the ratings for this one.

Fallout (Amazon Prime): Video game adaptations really are the rage and this one gave star turning performances from both Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins respectively.

The Penguin (HBO/Sky Atlantic): Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti have earned their nominations with this sublime spin off series. Sofia Gigante, the icon you are. Oswald too, in his own way.

Baby Reindeer (Netflix): Star making performances from both Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in this unforgettable miniseries, especially the penultimate episode.

Shogun (FX/Hulu/Disney+): Not the easiest show to watch but undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and gorgeously shot shows of the year. I'm wary about it returning though.

X-Men '97 (Disney+): Behind the scenes stuff to one side, I'm impressed this show worked as well as it did as a sequel to the popular 90s animated series.

Dexter: Original Sin (Showtime/Paramount+): For a prequel, it's not amazing but it's definitely worthy of expanding the franchise for the moment. Patrick Gibson certainly has made the character his own.

Sweetpea (Sky Showcase/Starz): Ella Purnell on even better form as the meek Rhiannon Lewis turned serial killer. It's always the quiet ones.

Agatha All Along (Disney+): If ever there was a Marvel show made for the gays, it was definitely this one with Kathryn Hahn on fine form as the mischievous title character.

Gavin & Stacey - The Finale (BBC1): Yup, that last episode ended a seventeen year love story on a beautiful note. Cracking. The love story being Smithy and Nessa of course.

Superman & Lois (CW/BBC1): The fourth and final season delivered brilliant for our main couple and for a relentlessly vindictive Lex Luthor. That last episode made me cry.

Big Mood (Channel 4): Both Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West were on fine form in this underrated but not exactly laughs a minute sitcom. 

The Boys (Amazon Prime): Season 4 got super political, Frenchie got a boyfriend while Homelander and Billy Butcher continued to cause mayhem in their wake.

Big Brother UK (ITV2): Though not as quite as gripping as the 2023 series, at least Ali won the damn thing. I didn't mind the celebrity version either.

Grotesquerie (FX/Hulu/Disney+): It might not be the most original thing Ryan Murphy has ever devised but it's slow burn quality and leading performance from Niecy Nash-Betts certainly helped.

The Bear (FX/Hulu/Disney+): I'm not gonna lie, I found to be the weakest season yet but episodes like Napkins and Ice Chips were among the best television this year.

Interview With The Vampire (AMC/BBC2): The second season of this show really delivered with the Louis/Armand relationship, Daniel's new fate, Claudia's demise and Lestat re-entering the fray.

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix): Perhaps a bit too YA for its own good, I did enjoy this spin off for The Sandman. Unfortunately, it's cancellation didn't come as a surprise to me.

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu/Disney+): Season 4 had fun with it's movie theme as Charles, Oliver and Mabel resolved to get justice for Sazz.

Creature Commandos (Max): If you enjoyed The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker then this R-rated animated show should appeal too. The needle drops can be a tad intrusive but it's a decent appetizer for the DCU.

Big Boys (Channel 4): Series 2 of this heartfelt sitcom certainly strengthened the friendships between Jack, Danny and company while letting other characters have their moments too.

Doctor Odyssey (ABC/Disney+): A nautical night time soap had the potential and it's there but more can be done with besides the triangle between the three leads. Needs more gay.

Say Nothing (FX/Hulu/Disney+): Talked about it yesterday but this miniseries on the Troubles was rather good.

My Adventures With Superman (Max): The second season introduced Supergirl and set up Lex Luthor nicely. 

What If (Disney+): It ended, introduced Byrdie and had some interesting team ups and consequences for The Watcher.

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu/Disney+): Sublime performances from Tom Hollander, Naomi Watts, Molly Ringwald and Demi Moore in this brilliant second season of the anthology show.

Honourable mentions also included other comic book shows like Kite-Man: Hell Yeah! and the noir themed Batman: Caped Crusader. Both 911 and 911: Lone Star had their moments while both American Horror Story and American Horror Stories were on the disappointing side of things. There was Kaos at Netflix but rather short-lived, like many of their shows this year as EastEnders dealt with the fallout of Sixmas while setting up the 40th anniversary storylines. Not to mention Chucky ending on a cliffhanger as did the second series of Wreck and the salacious soapy antics of Rivals to boot. I enjoyed the final series of Inside No. 9 and Mr Bates Vs. The Post Office. I also plan to catch up with Industry, seeing as HBO keep renewing it.

What the hell will 2025 bring?

2023: Year In Review

My final blog for the year and yes, it's a look back at some of the shows I've watched or have started watching to make this list. Here goes.

Doctor Who (BBC1/Disney+): The show really came back swinging triumphantly for its 60th as David Tennant played the 14th Doctor before Ncuti Gatwa debuted as the 15th Doctor. Both utterly sublime.

The Last Of Us (HBO): Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay brought the popular game series to life with their widely acclaimed portrayals of Joel and Ellie. HBO also bagged themselves another successful genre series.

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu/Disney+): The third season gave us both Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep in sizeable roles and certainly put Charles, Oliver and Mabel through the motions.

And Just Like That (Max): This show still has a way to go but the second season was mostly an improvement on its divisive first run. Less of Che though, the better.

Poker Face (Peacock): Natasha Lyonne's streaming renaissance continued with this delightful Columbo inspired piece. A fun but flawed protagonist and cool guest stars made this worth watching.

Doom Patrol (Max): The final six episodes took too long to finally be released but the wait was worth. Especially for the Immortimas extravaganza to boot.

The Bear (FX/Hulu): I binge watched two seasons of this highly addictive but seriously stressful show and loved every minute of it. Jeremy Allen White is a revelation.

Yellowjackets (Showtime/Paramount+): Again, I binged two seasons of this crazy show, following the events of a high school soccer team that barely survived nineteen months in the Wilderness. 

American Horror Story: Delicate (FX): The show might be losing the general audience but who would've thought that Kim Kardashian's Siobhan Corbyn would be a surprisingly entertaining character?

Superman And Lois (CW): The third season sensitively tackled a cancer storyline for Lois while Superman finally faced up to Lex Luthor and Doomsday. 

Loki (Disney+): Season 2 offered a strong conclusion to the god of mischief while also providing the MCU with the means not to continue with Kang. 

Chucky (SyFy/USA): The writers strike might have forced the third season into going the split season route but fun was had with Chucky in the White House and the camp absurdity of Tiffany's trial.

Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+): A McCarthy era led miniseries with Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey and some of the sexiest sex scenes between two men. Of course this is on the list.

Queen Charlotte (Netflix): This prequel series to Bridgerton turned out to be so fantastic, that I hope it gets a second run. Netflix struck gold with that show

Archie (ITVX): A four part miniseries examining the life of Cary Grant with a brilliant performance from Jason Isaacs as the iconic movie star.

Nolly (ITVX): I knew little of former Crossroads actor Noelle Gordon but Helena Bonham-Carter gave a terrific performance from a great miniseries by Russell T. Davies.

Juice (BBC3): Marwan Rizwan's quirky comedy which included his own family and the always hunky Russell Tovey was one of the better comedy offerings this year.

What If (Disney+): Season 2 of what was my least favourite MCU show (Secret Invasion now has that honour) really managed to up it's game at the eleventh hour. Still though, this show really wants Captain Carter front and centre.

EastEnders (BBC1): The only soap to make this list and yes, it's because of the Six storyline. That storyline really breathed life into the show.

Big Brother UK (ITV2): A genuine return to form from a much missed reality series that can still work in today's environment. I was happy that ITV2 got this right.

Abbott Elementary (ABC): I didn't stick with this as I should've but what I did watch, I enjoyed so I might catch up with it again in the new year.

Ghosts (BBC1): After five series and a US version (which is decent enough), this show bowed out during Christmas. It'll be missed but at least it was smart enough not to outstay it's welcome.

My Adventures With Superman (Max): The anime style took some getting used to but this turned out to be a charming take on the ever iconic DC hero.

A Ghost Story For Christmas (BBC2): Kit Harrington and Freddie Fox delivered in the spooky Lot 249. 

Honourable mentions of course go to other DC shows such as The Flash, Titans and Harley Quinn. Love And Death gave Elizabeth Olsen a real life killer role while David Tennant and Michael Sheen also came back for seconds with Good Omens. The Idol had the perfect set up for a biting commentary for the music industry but fumbled the bag while Succession delivered a final season that was enjoyed. Anime fans also got a win with Netflix's adaptation of One Piece and Mike Flanagan scared up another hit with The Fall Of The House Of Usher. I also binge watched the likes of The Tourist and Wilderness and would consider both American Horror Stories, Vanishing Act and So Help Me Todd as guilty pleasures. 

Now let's see what 2024 has to offer, shall we?

2020: TV In Review

2020 undoubtedly has become the year that many of us would rather not have to live through again and while next year isn't going to get off to a great start, at least we can say that we watched a lot more television than usual, right?

UK soaps really did have to combat the restrictions of COVID like no other genre and were some of the first shows to resume filming after the first lockdown. The likes of Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and EastEnders all celebrated anniversaries specials while Emmerdale managed several lockdown themed episodes amongst some of the more divisive stories they've had this year. None of the soaps outmatched each other and all seemed to be on the same wavelength of some good stories and some rather poorly thought out ones to boot.

Reality TV - well, we did endure one more series of Love Island before first lockdown but were spared the summer series but it didn't stop the likes of I'm A Celebrity, Strictly Come Dancing, Great British Bake Off and The Masked Singer all from happening nonetheless. 

I didn't watch a lot of UK TV dramas this year. In fact, if I'm being perfectly honest, the only few shows actually bothered to watch were of course the twelfth series of Doctor Who, which definitely had it's moments, but the less about the Timeless Children arc, the better. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss's take on Dracula, which despite a disappointing third episode, at least saw some excellent performances from both Claes Bang and Dolly Wells, so that was something.

The only UK TV drama that actually gripped me was I Hate Suzie with Billie Piper seemingly playing a character that heavily drew from some of her own personal life. It was a sublime performance and a further reminder how extremely talented an actor Piper is. Similarly David Tennant managed to impress with both Staged (featuring Michael Sheen and their real life wives) and the chilling Des, one of the few bright spots from ITV this year.

US television was once again dominated by cable and streaming shows coming hard and fast and with far too many to catch up on. HBO probably scored with the likes of The Undoing and the Christmas special of Euphoria, the latter likely to bag Zendeya another Emmy nomination/win while some of Netflix's most talked about shows included the likes of The Queen's Gambit, The Crown and quite recently as last week, Bridgerton. HBO Max has not quite hit anywhere close to the levels of other streaming platforms and it might be a while before it does but The Flight Attendant was a highlight and some of their upcoming content for the next two years certainly looks promising. 

I'm not much of a sitcom person but this year saw the end of Schitt's Creek and in my case, the discovery of it, if I'm being candid. I've blitzed through the first two seasons over the last few weeks and will be watching the remaining seasons as well as needing to catch up with the remainder of The Good Place - another show that's fallen victim of E4's terrible scheduling. Still though, both are shows I will likely finish up in the first quarter of next year and seeing as they've both ended this year, at least I know how much I need to catch up on.

This was also the year of some shows coming to an end as well. How To Get Away With Murder might have lost a large portion of it's initial audience as it went on, but it actually had a rather strong last season and it's series finale was a good way to bring Annalise Keating's story to a natural conclusion. Empire also seemed to end with little fanfare while both Arrow and Supernatural's endings certainly seemed to mix viewers.

With the likes of American Horror Story, American Crime Story and Pose all having to sit out 2020, you'd be mistaken in thinking that the only Ryan Murphy content you got this year was both 911 shows on FOX but Netflix had you covered. Out of the shows on the streaming site - The Politician and Ratched were entertaining but lacking in parts while Hollywood indulged in fantasy retelling of 1940's Tinseltown and was probably the strongest of the bunch. Of course I'm glad Murphy's FX shows will return in 2021, hopefully refreshed and I'm intrigued by at least two of his other upcoming Netflix offerings as well.

2020 wasn't much for Marvel content as none of the promised Disney+ shows were completed in time, so it was the last season of Agents Of SHIELD and the rather short lived Helstrom to barely fill that void. DC on the other hand came out swinging with Stargirl and hopefully the show's permanent move to the CW won't affect it's quality. Meanwhile Batwoman lost it's title character, both The Flash and Supergirl lost the plot at times, Legends Of Tomorrow embraced the Thong Song, Black Lightning prepped for a final season for next year and Arrow ended this year on a strong note. Doom Patrol kicked off an impressive second season, Lucifer continued to expand it's lifeline on Netflix and Harley Quinn did the very thing the comics cannot commit to by actually making Harley and Ivy a bonafide couple. With a slew of upcoming shows for HBO Max and Superman And Lois for the CW, TV and streaming will continue to be the most successful area for DC content.

2020 was also the year where The Boys seemed to properly blow up, It felt like from September onwards, the show was unavoidable so I bit the bullet, watched the first two seasons and yeah, I can see the fuss behind this one. The second season was certainly the strongest with Stormfront being one of the more abhorrent villains seen on TV/streaming this year. The Umbrella Academy also had a particular strong second outing, making great use of the main characters 1960's setting and the game changing cliffhanger should be interesting to see explored next season.

Genre TV wise, the second season of The Mandalorian seemed to be fan pleasing event from start to finish with many Star Wars shows guaranteed by Disney+. HBO and HBO Max also delivered with the likes of Westworld, Lovecraft Country and Raised By Wolves. Netflix might be ending Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina but it's last season certainly is a good way to conclude the year for the station while His Dark Materials continued to perform well for BBC. 

In terms of LGBT TV, there was a lot of it this year. More than I could possibly highlight but if I had to pick a few underrated gems, I'd go with Spanish Netflix miniseries, Someone Has To Die, starring Alejandro Speitzer as well as Hulu series, Love Victor, the spin-off a certain 2018 movie. A lovely feelgood series with a great central performance from Michael Cimino, it was a highlight in a year that personally didn't have that many. 

2020 was certainly a year for television and streaming content. There's probably some things I've forgotten or simply did not watch but those were some of the highlights for me. What were yours? Is there any upcoming show you're looking forward to in 2021?

2019: TV In Review

It's been another year of highs and lows in terms of television. We had some endings, some beginnings, some premature cancellations, obvious highlights and of course, moments of frustration and things that only went and became memes.

So without further ado, here are some of those highs and lows in television 2019.

Soap Of The Year: For this year, EastEnders truly managed to bounce back after years of mediocrity. Under the watchful eye of both Kate Oates and Jon Sen, the show rediscovered it's groove and created a new ship for a fan base to obsess over with Ballum while the fallout of the Sheanu affair has been interesting to watch among other returns and character turns.

On the other hand after several years of excellent storytelling Emmerdale probably had it's worst year in quite some time while Coronation Street seemed to be largely hit and miss and Hollyoaks ventured into topical issues such as radicalization and flash forwarded to New Year's Eve 2020 with some interesting developments for next year to have fun expanding on.

Reality TV: Yeah, I watch so little of this nowadays but the likes of Love Island and The Circle have become natural successors for Big Brother while Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice provided the weekend entertainment for millions yet again. The X Factor took a break, only to give ITV audiences two underwhelming spin-off programmes that saw them abandoning the station in droves, so there's that.

US Television: Again, there were so many shows on the air, so little time to catch up with most of them. As usual, the majority of the most talked about ones were of course belonging to cable and streaming services with Netflix dominating with the likes of Stranger Things, The Politician, Orange Is The New Black, The Crown, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, You, a brief return of Breaking Bad in movie form to name a few while HBO also kept people on their toes with the likes of Succession, Big Little Lies and a certain final season of a show that divided a lot of viewers. Also kudos to BBC2 for airing both seasons of Pose, which might be a niche show but damn if it's not watchable at all. Not to mention that in spite of losing both Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, American Horror Story: 1984 turned out to be one of the show's strongest seasons yet.

Final Hits: Notably the likes of Game Of Thrones and Orange Is The New Black (but also shows such as Gotham and Mr Robot). The latter seemed to have a more satisfying ending to it's seven year run while the former unfortunately rushed through some major plot points, butchered Dany's character and put Bran of all people as ruler of Six Kingdoms. I didn't hate the final season as much as other people did but there's no denying that Benioff and Weiss dropped the ball big time here. As for Targaryen based spin-off, here's hoping the producers of that won't make similar mistakes when it goes into production next year.

UK Television: I should watch more UK dramas but admittedly, very few engage me nowadays and too many of them feel a bit too formulaic at times. The best one for me was clearly RTD's miniseries, Years & Years and I did catch up a bit with Line Of Duty, though I don't love that show anywhere near as much as Twitter seems to do. It's good though. I will give the BBC some praise in lieu of Doctor Who being only one episode this year that they made an attempt with more genre TV with the likes of His Dark Materials and The War Of The Worlds (and Good Omens will get an airing on BBC2 next month) but neither show really gripped me either. On a disappointing note, I hate how underwhelming the second season of Killing Eve turned out to be. Here's hoping the third season will be made of stronger stuff.

Iconic Character Of The Year: I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan out there but for the last eight weeks, it was hard to ignore the existence of The Child or Baby Yoda from Disney+'s The Mandalorian. It was adorable, ate frogs and messed with buttons on the lead character's ship and that's all it needed to do in order to make a positive impression on a fandom that constantly rips itself apart over everything and most recently over the likes of Rian Johnson and JJ Abrams. Long may this Child bring peace to a very, very splintered fandom.

Comedies: I'm not the biggest watcher in this genre as such but the likes of Fleabag and Derry Girls definitely put female led comedies back on the map, especially as Phoebe Waller-Bridge has become quite the powerhouse in such a short space of time. Gavin & Stacey came back after a decade off the air for a special that generated controversy over the use of a certain Christmas song. Personally though, I'm still playing catch up with The Good Place, which only has so many episodes left to go before it ends, once and for all.

Comic Book Shows Dominate: They really, really, did and especially DC. Bitch and moan about them all you want but you couldn't move for DC comic shows this year. The best of the bunch for me was actually Doom Patrol as Swamp Thing turned out to be short lived and Titans still has teething problems it needs to sort out. Gotham ended on a rather nice note while Pennyworth felt like it was scraping the barrel in terms of what should be allowed for a comic book series. Krypton ended after two seasons as did Preacher with four seasons, iZombie with five seasons while Lucifer will end after five seasons next year and Harley Quinn went all animated on us for a rather amusing, Adult Swim inspired cartoon series as Watchmen saw a career defining performance from Regina King.

As for the Arrow universe - let's see: getting rid of Felicity has done wonders for the main show's final season and I'm certainly looking forward to the return of Legends Of Tomorrow and whatever mayhem it can bring. Both The Flash and Supergirl are somewhat floundering, Batwoman is mostly underwhelming and Black Lightning is finally a part of the family, thanks to the events of Crisis On Infinite Earths. Oh and by this time next year, we'll have three new shows in the mix, including Stargirl at this rate.

Away from DC, Marvel's time in the sun has come to an end (at least until 2020 when their Disney+ shows finally get underway). Farewell to the likes of Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Daredevil, Cloak & Dagger and soon enough, Agents Of SHIELD as it's seventh season will see the show end. Also the likes of The Boys and The Umbrella Academy also proves you don't need to be either DC or Marvel to do a compelling comic book series as well.

LGBT Television: From a reality/light entertainment point of view, both Queer Eye and Drag Race continued to expand their franchises while Will & Grace's second time to shine will end next year. The L Word went for a sequel series as did Tales Of The City and you can't move for a Greg Berlanti or Ryan Murphy production that doesn't have a prominent LGBT character in the mix. I think the most important LGBT series was definitely Pose, which really came into it's own in it's second season while the short lived Now Apocalypse was a fun, hedonistic series which might have struggled with making it's apocalyptic alien themes make any sense but certainly had no problem with it's lead character, Ulysses (Avan Jogia) copping off with as many fit blokes as he could per episode. It's a shame though that Starz canned it after one season. Netflix also deserves kudos for prominent LGBT content this year with the likes of Orange Is The New Black, The Politician, Special, EastSiders and Tales Of The City while both the CW and ABC led shows seem to continue to utilise LGBT characters and themes as did the BBC, HBO and Showtime. On a negative side, Dynasty dropped the ball with losing James Mackay's Steven Carrington and American Gods also for dropping both Salim (Omid Abtahi) and the Jinn (Mousa Kraish) for it's upcoming third season but that show has generated a lot of bad PR in the last few weeks.

In terms of LGBT content, we've definitely been spoiled for choice in the last several years and going into a new decade in less than 24 hours, I have a feeling that will only continue to be honest.

Overall 2019 has been a very interesting year for mainstream television and I don't doubt that next year will be too. What were your highlights in the last twelve months?

2017 TV Overview

It's been something of an upside down year for television in 2017, so here is a not so huge look at the highs and lows of the year in question.

Most Talked About Casting: Jodie Whittaker broke records and provided a lot of discussion when her casting as the 13th Doctor became worldwide news. How this will bode for the series could go either but at least she's generated discussion for Doctor Who again.

Most Welcomed Cancellation: Class. It was the spin off that absolutely no-one wanted, the BBC couldn't be arsed to promote and very few actually tuned in to see and therefore won't be missed.

Most Talked About UK Drama: There was a few but the usual suspects included Broadchurch, Peaky Blinders, Line Of Duty and Doctor Foster. Only one I actually watched but the other three were inescapable on my timeline.

Signs You're Dying On Your Arse: Big Brother UK couldn't get a look in this year during it's civilian series as Love Island became the summer hit while the equally as tired Strictly Come Dancing overshadowed the plain tired X Factor for another year running.

Soap Of The Year: Emmerdale, what with Ashley's dementia storyline and of course, Moira's recent murder of Emma along with the other big hitting storylines of the year.

Soap That Fell Apart This Year: EastEnders, in virtually every way as audiences made their loathing of Sean O'Connor's shockingly inept era more than known online and elsewhere. Fortunately with John Yorke at the helm, the show might be turning around soon.

Irish Show Of The Year: Not a huge selection to choose from if I'm being honest. Red Rock was on for very little of the year, Dancing With The Stars was okay but hardly must see telly. Neither Striking Out nor Acceptable Risk were anything to write home about either. Perhaps that recent Christmas special of Mrs Browns Boys.

Toxic TV Partnership Of The Year: Olicity in Arrow. At this rate, it's not even the writing but the absolutely horrible fan base, who are reaching Johnlock levels of irritation at this rate. But it's also the writing too. Someone rein both Guggenheim and Mericle in already.

Show I Watched, Loved But Didn't Blog About: The fourth and fifth seasons of Wentworth, which really could give the equally great Orange Is The New Black a run for it's money. I can't be the only one hoping that Joan somewhat survived, right?

Worst Cancellation: Not that many really hit me this year but I think losing Sense8, which for me is both Netflix's best and most underrated series was a letdown. Fortunately there is an upcoming special to tie up loose ends though.

Best Cancellation: Girls. Also a strong contender for one of the worst series finales with Lena Dunham not bothering to write something that actually resembled a series finale.

Revivals, Revivals, Revivals: This year saw the returns of Prison Break, Twin Peaks and Will & Grace. All had decent returns but I do wonder if this is a trend that could get out of hand as well.

Strangest Ship Of The Year: Jon and Daenerys from Game Of Thrones have got to win this one, considering what we learned about them in the seventh season finale.

Reunions Of The Year: Join winner here between Arya and Nymeria in Game Of Thrones and Eleven with all the gang in Stranger Things.

Better Than The First: Stranger Things might be Netflix's over talked about show ever, but it managed to create a second season that not only was as good as it's first run, but even better in parts, and yes, that also includes the much divisive The Lost Sister episode.

Disappointment Of The Year: I hate joining in with everyone else but even I can't defend Iron Fist, which turned out to be Marvel's first fail of a series. Thankfully, The Defenders was a lot better, viewing wise.

TV Event Of The Year: There was plenty but I'm going with the Arrow verse's Crisis On Earth X four part saga.

Gone Too Soon Award, Character Wise: Bill Potts. She got one series of Doctor Who and managed to become the best fit for Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor along with Nardole. Don't leave it too long Big Finish to reunite this underrated team.

Kiss Of The Year: It's either going to be Lito/Hernando in nearly every episode of Sense8's second season or it's Citizen Cold/The Ray from Crisis On Earth X. I'll let you guys decide. Also ship of the year as well this one can be counted.

Comedy Show Of The Year: I'm actually going to go with Santa Clarita Diet because a show about a suburban mom as a flesh eating zombie was an unexpected treat. Also Drew Barrymore.

Least Subtle Politically Themed Series Of The Year: Both Supergirl and American Horror Story: Cult are strong contenders for this one.

Amazing Villain Of The Year: Cersei Lannister. Or the Dragon that got possessed by the Night King. Either way, it's something or someone from Game Of Thrones this year.

Shit Villain Of The Year: Savitar from The Flash. Just that one speedster too many. Thank fuck for The Thinker now, yeah?

Ryan Murphy Show Of The Year: I'm going with Feud: Bette And Joan. Don't be surprised if next year, it's The Assassination Of Gianni Versace though.

Non Deaths Of The Year: Nearly every character on Gotham is unable to stay dead for longer than a few episodes. Not complaining but it's becoming a common trend though.

DC Series Of The Year: Legends Of Tomorrow for it's unbridled approach to literally throwing every silly thing and making it work in a sublime way.

Marvel Show Of The Year: The Defenders with The Gifted maybe coming a close-ish second.

Likely To Be Cancelled Next Year: Once Upon A Time as it's current reboot seems to be losing viewers, even though it's picked up a little, quality wise.

Unintentionally Funny (Possible) Death Of The Year: Simon in How To Get Away With Murder, who managed to accidentally shoot himself during a heated confrontation with the Keating 4. If he pulls through, you'd think he'd learn a lesson here.

Meanest Deaths Of The Year: Either Cersei's brutal punishments towards Ellaria and Tyene in Game Of Thrones or Ally's revenge on Ivy in American Horror Story: Cult. Also having two Masters kill each other was a new one for Doctor Who.

Double Act Of The Year: Both the Master and Missy in Doctor Who. John Simm and Michelle Gomez on really superb form.

Binge Watch For Me: Actually Batman 66, following the unfortunate death of Adam West this year. I'll be doing reviews for it next year.

Anticipated New Show For Me In 2018: Right now and because I'm usually Team DC, it's going to be Titans.

LGBT Character Of The Year: Sara Lance from Legends Of Tomorrow.

So those are my highs and lows and in betweens of 2017. What are yours? Also my last blog of the year, so I'll see you guys in 2018.

Two More Gay Themed Reality Shows: Fire Island & What Happens At The Abbey

For those of you waiting for the second season of Finding Prince Charming, it seems that both Logo and E! have got you covered in terms of gay themed reality TV shows for the next few months.

Logo are ahead of the game here. Following the first season of Finding Prince Charming, their latest stab at gay reality TV centres on Fire Island. The show will focus on six guys - Khasan, Jorge, Brandon, Cheyenne, Justin and Patrick who enter a Fire Island house to entertain folks during the summer. The trailer shows a lot of fun, pecs on display, hook ups, fights and so on. The series is produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

Elsewhere E! are also jumping in with their own LGBT themed reality show, What Happens At The Abbey, focusing on the staffers of LA's most infamous gay bar and going by the trailer, you can expect the usual hijinks here with nearly everyone (gay, lesbian, bisexual and even straight) copping off with each other. There's even a gay man and a lesbian having a baby together.

Looking at the trailers for both shows, neither of them are what you'd say are positive representations for the LGBT community but if you love unapologetic trashy reality TV, then both are likely to appeal to you.

Fire Island Website: http://www.logotv.com/shows/fire-island
What Happens At The Abbey Press Release: http://www.newnownext.com/the-abbey-gay-reality-show/03/2017/

Fire Island airs on Logo, Thursdays at 8pm from April 27th while What Happens At The Abbey airs on E! Sundays at 10pm from May 14th.

The Voice Of Ireland - Holy Crap, RTE1 Didn't Screw Up Alert

It's been three episodes, so I know I've given it a fair chance and it pleases me to admit that for once, RTE1 have produced a Sunday evening entertainment/reality TV series that hasn't made want to write an angry letter to Montrose/head for the sick bucket.

I was delighted when I heard that The All Ireland Talent Show was getting the boot in favour of The Voice Of Ireland. It might have been a nice little ratings earner for RTE1 but it was the type of show that seemed horrendously behind the times and with 60% of that judging panel just being personalities, rather than experts, I was delighted to see the back of it. But at the same time, I didn't know if the replacement they had lined up would be any better.

Thankfully, The Voice Of Ireland has been good viewing in the three episodes that have aired so far. Presenters like Kathryn Thomas and Eoghan McDermott have been entertaining without being cringe worthy and the coaches in question - Niall 'Bressie' Breslin, Sharon Corr, Kian Egan and Brian Kennedy have actually been fun to watch as coaches, probably because they actually know what they're talking about, which always helps with these sort of shows.

I think the bigger question remains to be asked - why did it take RTE1 this long to actually air something this enjoyable? Have they only started doing effective market research because a lot of the stuff that they've been commissioning over the last few years has been horrible to watch but The Voice Of Ireland has been their best effort in a while (apart from Raw and Love/Hate, naturally) and it's been a nice success for them.

I'm just wondering though when the BBC version kicks off in March and turns out to be a success, will that be a nail in The X Factor's coffin? Any thoughts?

The Voice Of Ireland airs Sundays at 6.30pm on RTE1.

The X Factor UK Bags A Winner, US Bags Controversy

And we have a winner at long last. Anyone not see this victory coming a mile off?

I called it a few weeks and during last night's overlong finale (really, two hours is not justified, especially some of those hours mean that we had to put up with Westlife and Michael Buble), Little Mix were finally declared the winners with a cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball being their Christmas single. Personally I would've rathered their version of Silent Night or Don't Let Go. It's nice that a group finally won it after eight series and out of the judges, Tulisa irritated me the least. Whether or not these girls have a bright future ahead or will be a flash in the pan remains to be seen though. The less good news about the finale was that it was 3.5 million viewers down from last year. Have viewers finally tired of The X Factor or is this press just overreacting to ratings like they've done with Coronation Street and Doctor Who this year?

Meanwhile the US X Factor has finally generated something worth talking about with the surprise axing of Rachel Crowe (even I didn't see it coming) when Nicole Scherzinger put the girl's fate to deadlock. Rachel's axing was surprising and seeing her meltdown wasn't pleasant but she'll get over it and those idiots out there calling for Nicole's head need to lighten up and realise it's only a TV show after all. Nicole hasn't endeared herself as a judge but I'm not sure she deserves to lose her job because of this either.

The X Factor 2011 - Final Three

Okay, so Misha B's been kicked out and we've been left with these final three people for The X Factor 2011.

Amelia Lily: I like her but I'm not crazy about her, though Gary's comments on her shouting her songs are sounding increasingly ridiculous. I'm not sure I'd like to see her win the show though. That being said, she's been a strong enough performer and if the show was ever going to bring back someone in the first week, Amelia was always going to be the wisest choice.

Little Mix: Tulisa - please stop harping on about them being like regular girls/best friends/etc. If I was going to vote for them, I'd do it on the basis that I actually enjoy them musically. Actually, I do like them and it might be nice to see a group win for once.

Marcus Collins: I like him, he's definitely been the best of a dire bunch of lads we've had this year. Whether or not he wins though is up in the air. I don't think I could take Gary's ego if he did win but at the same time, Marcus is an all rounder, performance wise. Then again, it really doesn't matter who wins because all three of them (plus Janet and Misha B no doubt) will have released singles and albums by 2012 anyways.

The X Factor final airs Saturday and Sunday at 8pm on ITV1/TV3.

The Voice - Ireland/UK Update

Well, it won't be until 2012 until we can whether or not The Voice will be a success for both Irish and UK viewers as it has been in the US but at least both of them have announced at least one out of the four respective judges for their versions.

The first judge announced for the UK version turns out to be Jessie J, which was interesting considering that we recently saw her helping Tulisa pick her four groups for The X Factor at judges houses last week. I like Jessie J and let's face it, it's been a great week for her - first with the announcement of this gig and then her four MOBO wins as well. This is a good start. Hope the remaining three are just as good.

It's also something of a relief that Ireland seem to be taking this seriously as well. Maybe Sharon Corr isn't everyone's flavour of the month but at least she has experience/reasonable success within the Irish music industry and if the other three judges are also people who know what they're talking about, maybe our version won't be a giant farce like The All Ireland Talent Show.