Chaos Television Awards

On the eve of the 65th Emmy Awards, Chaos breeds Chaos is presenting it’s own awards, the Chaos Television Awards, for the best of the best of TV in 2012-2013. These awards follow the same timeline guidelines as the regular Emmy awards (so The Bridge will not be included as it began after May 31, which is the cutoff for the Emmys), and include a majority of the same categories, such as Best Actress in a Drama, Best Actor in a Comedy and Best Reality Competition. However, here at Chaos breeds Chaos, I believe everyone should get their due, thus I have given Science Fiction/Fantasy their own separate categories and added a few just for the heck of it, simply because I was otherwise impressed (or confused) by a performance, show or visual. Oh, and to be completely transparent, these awards are based only on shows that I have personally watched, so if you don’t see your favorite here, I must not like the show. Sorry, but those are the breaks. So, without further ado, The Chaos Television Awards!

Best Drama Series — Justified (The show has a wonderfully sly humor that never goes too far and a rich texture of deception, fear, nuance and exasperation brought out through the very subtle and earnest performances of all of it’s actors. Not to mention they aren’t afraid to cast outside the box (as in Patton Oswalt and Mike O’Malley) because have the creative juices to make anyone utterly believable within the world they’ve created.)

Best Comedy Series — The Big Bang Theory (In it’s sixth year, it still holds the most laughs per minute of any comedy I watch.)

Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comic Book Series — Supernatural (Unlike the somewhat uneven final season of Fringe, Supernatural actually saw a resurgence of creativity by bringing in the Men of Letters angle (and giving the Winchester’s a place to hang their boots when they weren’t wearing out the tires on the trusty Impala) and sending the boys on a search to close the gates of Hell forever—not to mention that incredible closing shot, setting up for an interesting Season 9.)

Best Actor (Drama) — Charles Eston (Nashville) (Eston took what could have been a one-note role and layered it with such emotion, it was hard to remember that he’s just as good with the laughs as he is with the drama.)

Best Actress (Drama) — Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) (Farmiga was able to bring out a frightened loneliness hidden under the aggressively overbearing exterior that allowed us to sympathize with her even when she was consciously (but inadvertently) teaching her son to be a psycho.)

Best Actor (Comedy) — Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) (Still to this day, Sheldon Cooper continues to surprise, beginning to break out of his shell with a sweet tenderness, yet still able to hold on to his annoying narcissism. It’s not just Amy who has done wonders for Sheldon, it’s Parson’s himself.)

Best Actress (Comedy) — Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) (Though she isn’t the lead female, and has only been a regular for a couple of years, Rauch has surpassed Kaley Cuoco (who has grown somewhat stagnant over the past couple of seasons) as the funniest, most well-rounded character on the show.)

Best Actor (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comic Book) — John Noble (Fringe) (Let’s give credit where credit is due—John Noble brought so much humanity to this character (and such a deviousness to his other world alter-ego, Walternate) that is was hard not to want to follow him anywhere. Plus, you gotta love those red vines!)

Best Actress (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comic Book) — Tatiana Maslaney (Orphan Black) (Maslaney was not only able to create one sophisticated and emotionally engaging (and distinct) character, she was able to create 7 of them with believability, uniqueness and passion.)

Best Supporting Actor — Walton Goggins (Justified) (His completely menacing demeaor is masked only by the way he carries himself in both his body language and his intellectually enhanced (and precisely calculated) speech. Why say seven words when just three will do?)

Best Supporting Actress — Joelle Carter (Justified) (The perfect match to Goggins’ Boyd, Eva Crowder is just as much sass as she is beauty. And with her willingness to do whatever she has to in order to get things done, she proves she’s a force to be reckoned with, no matter the gender.)

Best Male Guest Star — (TIE) Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard (Supernatural) (I couldn’t pick a decisive winner between these two excellent actors. Both have proven their mettle, as both continue to be funny while doing their best to fight for what they believe in, even if they are on opposite sides of the biblical realms.)

Best Female Guest Star — Katie Micucci (The Big Bang Theory) (Micucci came on toward the end of the season as Raj’s new love interest and she brought out a social awkwardness that not only rivaled Raj’s inability to speak to women without alcohol, but was magnificently awkward unto itself. She makes an interesting and creepily lovable addition to the female cast.)

Best Ensemble — Flashpoint (I wanted to recognize this incredible show by giving it the ensemble award. The cast of this show blended so well together, it was as if they had been a team for twenty years. Each one had their own history, their own quirks and own presence that allowed each one to not only be a perfect individual, but a perfect piece in the overall team puzzle, wherein if one was missing, the picture wasn’t complete.)

Best Reality Competition — Face Off (The show doesn’t only showcase some of the best makeup, it always casts a brilliant group of contestants that you want to root for and has the best panel of judges of any reality show on the air.)

Best Reality Competition Host — Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance) (Deeley is the genuine article as she presents a warm, authentic love for both dance and the contestants.)

Best New Show — Arrow (With just the right mix of intrigue, action, romance and comedy (thanks Emily Bett Rickards!), Arrow proved to be the perfect replacement for Smallville.)

Past Their Expiration Date — Two and a Half Men (Can this show please just pass away peacefully. The addition of Ashton Kutcher didn’t work as well as they hoped, as the humor becomes even more juvenile than it was when it started. Having to watch Jon Cryer endure the disingenuous immaturity level of a two-year-old old from the lovable schlub he used to be has become plain excruciating.)

Gone Too Soon — Go On (This show was just starting to hit it’s stride as the characters were beginning to gel when the show was canceled. With a perfect balance of comedy and heart, NBC wasted an opportunity to explore these characters beyond the group.)

Best Visual Effects — Fringe (This show never wasted it’s budget, and that showed in every detail of its cinema quality visual effects. They were seamless, extensive and downright stunning. No other show has ever gotten it so right.)

Best Non-Disabled Actor in a Disabled Role — Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs) (Gorham’s near flawless performance as the blind Auggie Anderson is the most authentic, honest and realistic thing on the show. His ability to react blindly while being able to see everything is a testament to Gorham’s conviction as an actor.)