CarterMatt Awards 2018: Poldark, Absentia, The Last Kingdom, Legends of Tomorrow among Underrated Show nominees
Welcome to the 2018 CarterMatt Awards! This is the seventh annual year-end series where we as a site celebrate some of the best that TV has to offer! Our staff collectively hand-picks nominees across a wide array of different fields, and then leaves it up to you to declare the winner. We’ve had a fun time over the years with these awards and creating some fun debate throughout the month of December. Hopefully, this time around is no exception!
We are kicking off the awards this year with Underrated Show. The idea behind this category is to honor shows that, despite being top-tier quality, do not receive some of the awards love that they deserve. The main criteria that we have here is that every show mentioned here was snubbed previously at the Golden Globes and the Emmys in the Drama / Comedy Series category over the past year. They’re underrated, after all, for a reason!
Voting rules – Vote however often you’d like! If you are having issues with voting, a handy guide can be found later on in this article.
The nominees
Absentia (Amazon) – An outstanding, heart-pounding crime thriller featuring a woman named Emily Byrne (played by Stana Katic) who is forced to reclaim her memories from the past several years while also finding herself both in danger and also on the run. While popular globally, we do think this is a show deserving of so much more attention on the United States — the story will haunt you, and more than that the ending asks some difficult and dark questions that sets the stage for a season 2.
The Blacklist (NBC) – Even though season 6 has yet to premiere on NBC (it will return in January), season 5 ended with as fantastic of a run as you can possibly hope for. The action and mystery of the show has never been better, and we’ve been left with a game-changing cliffhanger related to Reddington and Liz that is unlike any other we’ve seen. You know a series is great when you spend almost the entirety of the off-season thinking up theories.
Criminal Minds (CBS) – Even though the crime drama faces somewhat of an uncertain future, season 14 may very well be the strongest season of the show in years. Why is that? As much as we do love the case-of-the-week format, the show has found a way this year to also focus on the characters and their lives outside the BAU. Basically, the episodes this season have provided a fantastic road map to what the future could hold for one of our favorite crime fighting teams out there.
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – It’s been years now since the medical drama had the attention of awards voters, but we do think it is worthy this year in the midst of some beautiful stories from the spring coupled with some lighter, funnier stories from the fall. Grey’s Anatomy has long been about the mixture of genres and this season is exemplifying that more than any other. There’s still a long way to go, but this “season of love” theme is paying off.
The Good Doctor (ABC) – Speaking of quality medical dramas on ABC, how about another one? While Freddie Highmore has been the recipient of some love over the years for his exemplary performance, the series itself has not necessarily received anywhere close to what it should for its powerful, thought-provoking storytelling. It’s time to rectify this and get some people looking at everything this series is bringing to the table.
The Last Kingdom (Netflix) – A fantastic, visually-stunning journey through history that like Absentia, deserves so much more stateside attention. (Season 3 only recently premiered, so be sure to check that out!) While it may have epic battles and political intrigue that you can see on other shows, it is the quality of the performances that will ultimately stick with you long after each episode wraps. This show is a must watch!
Legends of Tomorrow (The CW)- Quite possibly the greatest show in the Arrowverse and one that relies on both humor and heartfelt moments to carry each episode. It’s widely inventive and, perhaps most importantly, isn’t afraid to take big risks on its way to presenting some quality journeys through time. What other show would feature a bloodthirsty unicorn or a finale where all of the heroes combine their powers Captain Planet-style to become a giant stuffed toy? (Praise Beebo!)
Poldark (PBS) – The British historical drama has managed to find somewhat of an audience for itself on PBS, but it still feels like the adventures of Ross, Demelza, and many other familiar faces of Cornwall are going somewhat unheralded. It is a brilliant and, at times, heartbreaking story of people fighting for love (and their future) amidst the backdrop of conflict. Much like The Blacklist, the cliffhanger at the end of the most-recent season is on another level.