http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/arts/television/alessandra-stanleys-notable-tv-stalwarts-of-2014-homeland-the-good-wife-and-more.html 2014-12-13 07:03:09 Alessandra Stanley’s Notable TV Stalwarts of 2014: ‘Homeland,’ ‘The Good Wife’ and More This was a year of promising new shows, but also of veteran shows that had an excellent 2014, including “Homeland” and “The Good Wife.” === This year brought so many promising new shows: 2014 was the year of “True Detective,” “The Honorable Woman,” “Fargo,” “The Affair,” “Olive Kitteridge” and “Silicon Valley," among others. But there were also older shows that either stayed the course or somehow climbed their way back from a dip or even total eclipse, notably “ These are a few old shows that found new vigor in 2014 and deserve another look — and also a few that don’t. ‘Homeland’ ‘The Good Wife’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ ‘The Mindy Project’ ‘Episodes’ ‘ ‘The Americans’ ‘Jeopardy!’ Some hits have gone so far over the top they should be winded, yet instead keep on puffing gusts of hot air, including “Downton Abbey,” “Scandal” and “Revenge.” A new addition on ABC, “How to Get Away With Murder” was a fun substitute, a lurid nighttime soap opera about lawbreaking defense lawyers — “Law & Disorder.” There were also shows that didn’t live up to early expectations but still had traction, most notably “The Affair,” on Showtime, which began as a Hamptons film noir and instead turned into a French art film. The crime may not be commensurate with the series’s punishingly slow pace and “Rashomon"-like storytelling, but the series picked up momentum — and suspense — in the final episodes. That was true, too, of “Mad Men” on AMC. which in its seventh season has all but exhausted its characters and its 1960s setting, but is still keeping viewers guessing about the end, which won’t air until next year. “The Sopranos” ended ambiguously. “Breaking Bad,” put an end to Walter White. Now, the next television mystery looming ahead centers on Don Draper’s last moments, dead or alive. MORE FROM THE YEAR IN TELEVISION: Mike Hale’s Best Shows of 2014 Neil Genzlinger on the Cancellation Calendar