Critics Vote: Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2014
It’s been a big year in Canadian television. With budget cuts at the public broadcaster, reality shows taking over the summer schedules, new shows emerging and established shows coming to an end, it was no easy feat to narrow down the best in show. Let alone the Top 10 Canadian Shows of 2014.
But that’s exactly what we did, with the help of 19 esteemed television critics and writers from across Canada. They were tasked with coming up with their own individual Top 10 lists (located below), which were then ranked according to a points system: 10 points for No. 1, 9 points for No. 2, 8 points for No. 3 and so on.
Living up to its vast critical acclaim, Bell Media’s Orphan Black and star Tatiana Maslany took the top spot with a whopping 153 points, landing on almost every single critic’s list across the board. Shaw’s Vikings found itself sailing into a similar position at No. 2, with a final score of 96 points. Rounding out the Top 3 with 70 points was the sophomore season of The Amazing Race Canada, which took contestants outside the country this year and soared to record ratings.
The TV Junkies’ First Annual Canadian TV Critics Choice Awards:
1. ORPHAN BLACK, Space
Total Points: 153
2. VIKINGS, History
Total Points: 96
3. THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, CTV
Total Points: 70
4. STRANGE EMPIRE, CBC
Total Points: 67
5. MURDOCH MYSTERIES, CBC
Total Points: 55
6. SENSITIVE SKIN, HBO Canada
Total Points: 53
7. REPUBLIC OF DOYLE, CBC
Total Points: 46
8. ROOKIE BLUE, Shaw Media
Total Points: 45
9. Lost Girl, Showcase
Total Points: 40
10. 19-2, Bravo
Total Points: 38
11. Motive, 31 points
12. MasterChef Canada, 26 points
13. Call Me Fitz, 25 points
14. (tie) Seed, 21 points
14. (tie) Rick Mercer Report, 21 points
14. (tie) Defiance, 21 points
14. (tie) Continuum, 21 points
15. Remedy, 17.5 points
16. (tie) George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, 16 points
16. (tie) Blackstone, 16 points
17. (tie) Ice Pilots NWT, 15 points
17. (tie) Haven, 15 points
18. Bitten, 13.5 points
19. Dragons’ Den, 13 points
20. 22 Minutes, 10 points
21. (tie) The Ron James Show, 9 points
22. (tie) Canada’s Smartest Person, 9 points
23. (tie) Working the Engels, 8 points
23. (tie) Degrassi, 8 points
24. 16 x 9, 7 points
25. (tie) Top Chef Canada, 6 points
25. (tie) Doc Zone, 6 points
25. (tie) Big Brother Canada, 6 points
26. (tie) You Gotta Eat Here!, 5 points
26. (tie) Saving Hope, 5 points
26. (tie) Mr. D, 5 points
26. (tie) Heartland, 5 points
27. Hope for Wildlife, 4 points
28. (tie) Trailer Park Boys, 3 points
28. (tie) Chopped Canada, 3 points
28. (tie) Arctic Air, 3 points
29. (tie) Wild Canada (The Nature of Things), 2 points
29. (tie) The Listener, 2 points
29. (tie) Spun Out, 2 points
30. (tie) Highway Thru Hell, 1 points
30. (tie) Hard Rock Medical, 1 points
HOW WE VOTED:
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A lot of people put 19-2 high up on their list. I passed up on checking it out because I wrote it off as just yet another boring police procedural with a weird numerical title (what is the meaning if that title anyhow?)–guess I was wrong and I might check out an episode or two in the new year. As for Strange Empire, I thought the pilot episode was great but by the fourth episode in I was so disappointed in the direction of the writing I quit watching–the episodes are still on my DVR though so I might get to them eventually. Best new shows IMO are Hard Rock Medical, a show that I hadn’t even heard of until a few weeks ago that really impressed me with its great character writing and Mohawk Girls, the only new Canuck comedy in years that actually made me laugh out loud and has completely likeable and relatable characters. My top 10 Canadian shows for 2014 are Orphan Black, Vikings, Hard Rock Medical, Mohawk Girls, Arctic Air, Heartland, Degrassi, Blackstone, Rebublic of Doyle and Remedy/Continuum (tied for 10th).
Maybe you should check out 19-2 (the namecode of the duo’s patrol car, actually) if you like dark drama with unique filmmaking. It has little to do with americans procedurals. The original series in french has made quite the commotion. 🙂
I suggest you do watch 19-2. Since I’m form Quebec, I’ve seen the French version & sometimes I watch the english version because I really like the actors. The Season 2 opener will probably be the darkest episode ever shown on canadian TV(I know it was in french anyway). 19 stands as the station number in Montreal & 2 stands for patrol car #2, the protagonist of the serie.
I also really like Continuum. Easily in my top 5 right now.
Artic Air got three votes? Lol.
19-2 should have been number 1 – it’s amazing! Orphan Black is good, but it got to be a little much.