Which fast-paced show is doing it best?

We’ve got our fair share of slow, gritty dramas on television at the moment. But what we also have are a multitude of shows that decided to scrap slow, moody moments for fast-paced, burn-through-storyline ventures. These are the shows we question can actually keep up. “How have they not run out of storylines to tell yet?” we ask ourselves on a weekly basis.

Some of them have made a name for themselves just because of their breakneck pace. From The Vampire Diaries to Scandal, these dramas aren’t keen on letting any moment get stale too quickly. And comedies like 30 Rock and Veep are an endless rolodex of quippy one-liners. It’s as if we’re in the golden age of fast-paced TV shows.

But which show is doing it best?

That’s the question we’re trying to answer. To do so requires much more than just one post comparing them all. No, this requires a tournament. That’s right, we’re making this a Fast-Paced Tourney, and here are the shows we’re pitting against each other.

In our round of 16: 30 Rock vs Arrested Development, Archer vs South Park, Awkward. vs Veep, Happy Endings vs How I Met Your Mother, American Horror Story vs Glee, The Vampire Diaries vs Teen Wolf, The Following vs Nikita, and The Newsroom vs Scandal.

Our requirements were as follows: a show that has or will air this year. This wasn’t about all-time fast shows (Gilmore Girls probably would have beat out with its splendid blend of quick talking and slow burns), just which show is currently doing it best. Each day, we’ll post a new essay by several of us respectively that puts these shows in either corner and dare to choose a winner. We’ll also be running a concurrent public poll tourney, to get your insight on the matter.

Don’t miss a post by following the Fast-Paced Tourney tag. For now, here’s the bracket.

Up first later today: 30 Rock versus Arrested Development!