TV Madness: ‘Halt and Catch Fire,’ ‘Once Upon a Time’ square off in final four

Yesterday, we kicked off the final four in our TV Madness series with a showdown between “The Blacklist” and “Outlander.” Fan bases for both shows fought extremely hard to try to earn a spot in the finals, but right now one show is completely throttling the other.

Now, we turn to the other battle between two other shows that have had an interesting road in getting here. One of them in “Halt and Catch Fire” is a complete underdog after starting off as a #8 seed, while the other in “Once Upon a Time” has been more of a frontrunner through the first two heats. At this point, we almost have to consider the two on a level playing field, since they’ve both withstood some testy competition. Who will emerge? That’s up to you. Since this article is being posted a little later in the day, we’ll extend the deadline until 6:00 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow. The final two shows will be unveiled on March 19.

“Halt and Catch Fire” (8) – This show has really made it to this point on the strength of diehard fans, especially ones of its star in Lee Pace. Will this help the show make it to the next round? We can only hope so, and if nothing else we’d like to learn if this show can get a larger audience for season 3. One other thing that should be a means to that end is the recent announcement that Annabeth Gish of “The X-Files” will have a major role in the season.

“Once Upon a Time” (2) – The fairy-tale drama is in the news right now thanks to the recent announcement of an arc situated around a mental hospital, and it is also currently airing new episodes every Sunday night. We cannot really say we are surprised to see the show here, given that fans of the show and its characters are among the most passionate out of any that are out there. We’ll see if they can get the show into the final round.