TV Madness: ‘Halt and Catch Fire,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ prepare for showdown

In the first round of our TV Madness article series, one of the biggest upsets came via “Halt and Catch Fire,” which we labeled a #8 seed, being able to dethrone #1 seed “The Walking Dead.” It was the only time in which a #1 or #2 seed was throttled in the opening round, and that is at the moment the biggest Cinderella story we have in the polls.

Yet, now the show featuring Lee Pace, Kerry Bishe, and others has an extremely formidable challenge in “Law & Order: SVU,” a show that has lasted now for seventeen seasons (it already has a renewal for next year) solely on the strength of its devoted fans. These are people who are capable of pulling off any upset, so we certainly think that this will be an interesting showdown and a poll battle worth watching.

“Halt and Catch Fire” (8) – We’re still months away from it premiering its third season, but we think that there are two reasons for its success: Pace has a really devoted following online and has fans who are extremely supportive, and the show is so excellent that it yields itself to that whole “us against the world” mentality. People want to rally behind and support a show that needs all the help that it can to stay alive.

“Law & Order: SVU” (4) – As for “SVU,” we perceive much of the love for it being about the writing, the excellent performances from Mariska Hargitay and the cast, and also nostalgia. There may be people now who first started the show in high school, and are now watching it well into their thirties. It has simply become so ingrained into our lives, and it’s hard to imagine TV right now without it on. The hiatus between new episodes at the moment is painful enough.

Photo: NBC