It was a fun week seeing all of the votes pour in. Some of the matchups were very close and it was exciting for me to check every day and route for my shows to pull through. Thank you all for voting! You can see the updated bracket and vote for the round two matchups below.
Round 1 Results
Blow Outs:
Overall number one seed Breaking Bad had the biggest blowout of the week getting 90.9% of the votes over Grey’s Anatomy. When you look at the bracket if you want to know how much the show won by, check out the red percentage number. Other notable blow outs were Game of Thrones over New Girl, Stranger Things over Lucifer, and The Simpsons over Sense8.
Nail Biters:
The closest matchup of the week was Westworld(5) over How I met Your Mother(12). The far superior Westworld edged HIMYM out by a single vote. Your vote matters! Another very close matchup was Dexter(8) over Madmen(9) with Dexter getting 52% of the vote. Madmen was winning handily at first, but Dexter mounted a huge comeback to secure the win and chance to upset Breaking Bad in the second round. The last extremely close matchup was Death Note(3) over The Big Bang Theory(14). This one was a barn burner right from the start and didn’t let up with Death Note getting 51.9% of the vote. I am proud of you guys for voting Death Note through. I didn’t think it had a chance but I was pleasantly mistaken.
Upsets:
There are always bound to be some upsets in the first round of such a big tournament and in this one there were 4 total. The first was 24(13) taking down Peaky Blinders(4). I am indifferent about this as I love 24, but really want to watch Peaky Blinders. The Handmaid’s Tale(10) is underrated and am not surprised that it defeated Oz(7). I am not surprised that The Americans(11) upset Dark(6). Dark is a popular but not popular enough German Netflix show that is very interesting, but I fear it isn’t as well known as The Americans. and lastly Lost(12) defeated The West Wing(5). I am excited Lost won, but was always expecting this result.
Round 2 Key Matchups
Walter White Region:
Breaking Bad(1) vs. Dexter(8). I am not optimistic about this one, but nothing would make me happier for the far superior Dexter to upset Breaking Bad. Yes, I know the ending of Dexter was… um, well it sucked, and Breaking Bad’s ending was admittedly fantastic, but overall I got tremendously more enjoyment out of Dexter.
Better Call Saul(7) vs. The Sopranos(2). The Sopranos didn’t blow out Family guy as much as they maybe should have. There are just so many fans of Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul out there that I wouldn’t be surprised to see this upset. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Breaking Bad vs. Better Call Saul matchup in the elite 8 for that matter.
Tyrion Lannister Region:
Westworld(5) vs Stranger Things(4). This will be determined by which kind of fan votes more… The fan who likes complex, interesting, and intellectual television, or the fan who likes and accepts easily digestible television that uses the same formulas from season to season. Ok, that was maybe a little harsh. Don’t let me influence your votes, or do.
The Handmaid’s Tale(10) vs. The Wire(2). The Wire did not beat You by that much for such a critically acclaimed show. I am sure the Wire is great, but it is old, and The Handmaid’s Tale is fresh and new. I think this one will end up being very close.
Valery Legasov Region:
The Simpsons(5) vs. Narcos(4). Both of these shows did much better than I expected in round one. I knew The Simpsons would win but I didn’t think it would be by that much. And I was pretty convinced Narcos would be upset, but I was very wrong. This could be a very difficult matchup for some voters out there.
Richard Winters Region:
Lost(12) vs. Black Mirror(5). Man, this one hurts me deeply. Lost is one of my absolute favorites so I am pulling for it, but I love Black Mirror. I would be willing to bet if you are a fan of one of these shows then you are also a fan of the other. I could see this going either way, and at least one show I am a huge fan of will move on to the sweet 16.
Thank you all again for your participation, I appreciate it! Make sure to go vote, as we saw with round one, every vote is very important and can mean the difference between your favorite show moving on or going home.
