TV Madness 2018: NCIS, Absentia face off in Round 1 showdown
Welcome to another edition of our third annual TV Madness Tournament! This is a fun annual tradition here at CarterMatt where we have some fun, engaging battles between various shows looking to make it all the way to the final round on March 28.
Above, you can see our full bracket, complete with entries, their seeds, and start/end dates. Once you are within the bracket, the dates listed are when the previous poll ends and the next one begins! We’ve got a great group of shows taking part this year, with some newbies as well as others who have been a part of the tournament every single year. The voting rules are pretty simple — you can vote however often you would like on however many devices that you would like! If you are on mobile and you are having a problem seeing the poll at the bottom of the article for whatever reason, be sure to click to view the non-AMP version of the page at the bottom of the article.
In today’s edition we are focusing on a battle between a long-running show and also one that is brand new to the tournament. NCIS is the most-watched show all over the world; meanwhile, Absentia is still new to everyone. If you were to judge this showdown solely on the basis of ratings, it would be pretty darn clear and predictable just how this showdown is going to end. Yet, one of the fun things about this tournament is seeing a new comer come and clobber a juggernaut, so NCIS fans can’t get too complacent here against a series that could turn out to be a surprising contender, especially with The Absentia fanbase being as passionate as they are.
With that, let’s get to breaking down these entries further. Voting for this round remains open until Monday, March 19 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.
NCIS (#2 seed) – We’ve set the table already when it comes to the popularity of NCIS, but there is still something else worth pointing out: The improvement that we’ve seen for season 15. Whether it be the arrival of Maria Bello or the creative direction of the new showrunners, this has been to date the best season overall since season 10; there’s still some time left in which the network really needs to stick the landing, but the writers have a great deal to be happy about at the moment.
Absentia (#7 seed) – As for Absentia, we’re looking here at a new entry — and a fantastic one at that. The Stana Katic-led thriller has premiered in dozens of countries all over the world over the course of the past several months and with that, developed a loyal following. The series boasts not only incredible performances, but also an addictive pace and engrossing storytelling. A win here means more exposure for the series, and also an interesting David and Goliath story to follow as we move further into round 2.