My Year in Television (2019)

Welcome to my fifth annual television-shows-of-the-year list. I watched even more than usual in 2019; I suppose with each passing year I have more and more ongoing shows to keep up with which adds to the tally. It's one of the best years of television I can remember. My list contains my top 25 seasons of the year, some honorable mentions, a couple fails of the year, and a list of shows I haven't gotten around to yet.

1) Chernobyl (Limited Series - HBO/BBC) - A glimpse at a dark chapter from the 20th century. It’s a surreal look at the damage that results from lies and denial. It’s at times a frustrating watch, given the amount of incompetence several of the characters showcase, but it’s always edge-of-your-seat stuff.

2) Unbelievable (Limited Series - Netflix) - An examination of the right and wrong ways police can handle rape cases. It features terrific performances from Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever. Detective mysteries aren’t often this engrossing.

3) When They See Us (Limited Series - Netflix) - Ava Duvernay (13th, Selma) is a master of showcasing injustice in all it’s different forms. Based on the true story of the Central Park Five, this limited series is as powerful as it is eye opening.

4) Fleabag (Season 2 - Amazon) - This manages to improve upon a hilarious and intimate first season, by being even more hilarious and more intimate. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is phenomenal as an insecure, lonely woman that gets more relatable with each passing episode. Andrew Scott shines in a supporting role.

5) Barry (Season 2 - HBO) - This manages to be humorous, dramatic, action packed, and incredibly eccentric all at the same time. Bill Hader continues to show he has legitimate acting chops. Episode 5, titled “Ronny/Lily,” is without a doubt the most insane episode of television all year.

6) State of the Union (Season 1 - Sundance) - Writer Nick Hornby (Brooklyn, Wild, An Education) produces witty, biting dialogue that makes each episode’s 10 minute run-time absolutely fly by. Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd share fantastic chemistry.

7) The End of the F***ing World (Season 2 - Netflix) - A new player is introduced that expertly connects to the main characters. The inner monologue works in ingenious ways, adding to the humor and illustrating the insecurities that we as humans struggle with, especially as we’re coming of age.

8) Watchmen (Season 1 - HBO) - Despite the show-runners intentionally keeping the audience guessing as to what’s going on, it remains an intriguing watch that features incisive political and racial commentary. The score by Trent Rezner and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) is eclectic and adds to the tone. The penultimate episode of the season, titled “A Man Walks into Abar”, is my favorite episode of television I saw in 2019.

9) Undone (Season 1 - Amazon) - From the creators of Bojack Horseman, this Rotoscope animation is a fascinating look into schizophrenia. In a world where we have so many reboots and sequels, it’s refreshing to have such ambitious, original ideas for shows.

10) Pen15 (Season 1 - Hulu) - Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, both age 32, play 13-year-old versions of themselves. They are tasked with not only acting like a child, but they are surrounded by actual 13-year-olds as acting colleagues. It’s an odd premise, but it works beautifully due to it’s stars commitment to their roles. It also allowed the creators to tackle more sensitive subjects that kids that age are dealing with.

11) Stranger Things 3 (Netflix) - Arguably the best season of the show yet, it continues to blend Sci-Fi, horror, 80’s references, and high school drama into an incredibly entertaining package.

12) Glow (Season 3 - Netflix) - This ensemble cast is immensely talented and fun to watch. Each new season adds more layers to each character and their relationships. The wrestling isn’t as much of a focus as in previous seasons, and it’s all the better for it.

13) Killing Eve (Season 2 - BBC/AMC) - Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh put in spectacular performances. There’s a consistent presence of dark comedy, and allegiances are always in question.

14) The Crown (Season 3 - Netflix) - The new cast picks up right where the previous cast left off. The show uses notable historical events as a backdrop for detailed character studies. Episode 6, titled “Tywysog Cymru,” is up there with some of the best hours of the entire shows run.

15) Lodge 49 (Season 2 - AMC) - While not quite as fresh and memorable as the prior season, it still is one of the most positive and transportive shows on the air. It features one of the most memorable guest-starring roles in recent years, with Paul Giamatti playing an eccentric, formerly famous author that believes in some wacky conspiracy theories.

16) The Good Place (Season 4 - NBC) - While the final season of the Good Place will technically end in 2020, a good chunk of the season took place in 2019. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson remain as likeable as ever, and the writing is full of surprises and plenty of well crafted jokes.

17) You (Season 2 - Netflix) - Trash-TV doesn’t get much better than this. A fun, drama-filled adventure with plenty of twists and turns, solid production quality, and good performances.

18) Russian Doll (Season 1 - Netflix) - Groundhog’s Day meets Happy Death Day in this 30 minute Netflix show. Natasha Lyonne puts in a committed performance as the lead. The set designers do a fantastic job continuously updating/changing the apartment complex to illustrate the main character’s torment and confusion.

19) The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 3 - Hulu) - A significant improvement over season 2, which felt like non-stop torture-porn. When this show is at its best, despite it being very dark, there are glimpses of hope. It accomplishes that this time around, and the finale left me eager to see what comes next. One of the major side-plots involving a character named Emily was mesmerizing to watch.

20) What We Do in the Shadows (Season 1 - FX) - The movie this show is based on is one of the biggest riots of the past decade, and this show continues the hilarity. Matt Berry (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) is a terrific addition to the vampiric, documentary style world, and there are plenty of cameo’s for those that are looking for that sense of nostalgia.

21) Baskets (Season 4 - FX) - This show continues to get better and better with each passing season. Zach Galifinakis is best known for his comedy chops, and he is single-handedly keeping slap-stick alive here. Louie Anderson deserves recognition for his performance as a mother that is trying to balance between being a care-taker for her sons and seeking her own pleasures.

22) High Maintenance (Season 3 - HBO) - This anthology series from HBO is consistently unique in its portrayal of random New Yorkers. Each episode feels like a portal into someone else's life that’s been largely ignored until now.

23) Dead to Me (Season 1 - Netflix) - A melodramatic show that is elevated to another level by a couple of exquisite acting performances. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini give added depth to their respective characters. There’s definitely a drinking game to be created based on taking a shot every time one of the two leads cries.

24) Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 6 - NBC) - The newest episodes on NBC, after five seasons on Fox, were on par with the quality of the previous few seasons. It continues to be a fun, ensemble sitcom with occasional political heft.

25) The Righteous Gemstones (Season 1 - HBO) - I’ve enjoyed Danny McBride’s partnership with HBO throughout the years. Eastbound-and-Down, Vice Principals, and the Righteous Gemstones have McBride playing basically the same character in all of them, and I can’t say I mind.

Honorable Mentions:

Love, Death, and Robots (Season 1 - Netflix) - While there are a few episodes that are duds, all the episodes are so short that the stinkers aren’t a deterrent. R-rated, Sci-Fi animation is an under-utilized medium and it’s refreshing to see something new.

Silicon Valley (Season 6 - HBO) - A perfectly adequate final season to a long running comedy. It provided the laughs, while not necessarily hitting it out of the park with the drama.

Living with Yourself (Season 1 - Netflix) - Paul Rudd is incredibly charming and he lifts this material to the point that it’s immensely watchable.

Big Little Lies (Season 2 - HBO) - This was originally slated to be a limited series, but the success of the first season made them go for a second, and while it still managed to be a beautifully shot and acted program, it lacked the intrigue and mystery of the first installment.

Modern Love (Season 1 - Amazon) - An anthology romance series created by one of my favorite living directors John Carney (Once, Sing Street).

Gordon Ramsey: Uncharted (National Geographic) - It’s about time Gordon got back to a simple cooking show without all the unnecessary drama. This one is a basic concept, he travels to different regions around the world and spends a week learning that cultures cuisine.

Queer Eye (Season 4 - Netflix) - Another heartwarming season full of laughs, tears, and acceptance.

Divorce (Season 3 - HBO) - After a mediocre second season, it was nice to see this regain its form, mainly by re-focusing on what the title suggests the show should be about, divorce.

Better Things (Season 3 - FX) - While the direction and acting remain at a high level, this season felt a bit stale and unsure of how to proceed with the plot. There aren’t enough shows that dive into the mother-daughter dynamic and this show - - after honing in on that during its first and second seasons, lost its way and in turn, it’s appeal.

The Chef Show (Season 1 Part 2 - Netflix) - The newest chunk of episodes for this cooking show has more of the same appealing guest-stars and scrumptious looking recipes.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 6 - HBO) - It’s hard for me to rank a weekly political talk-show given it provides a much different experience as an audience member than say a fictionalized program. Having said that, as far as judging it based on other politically focused shows of the same ilk, it’s the best I’ve seen.

Patriot Act (Seasons 2-5 - Netflix) - Hassan Minhaj continues to break down interesting news stories with his blend of pop culture references and millennial perspective.

Fails of the Year:

Game of Thrones (Season 8 - HBO) - What a horrendous final season with the worst writing imaginable. Not only choosing the least satisfying paths for many character arcs, but also ruining seven plus years of character development for key players.

Rick and Morty (Season 4 - Adult Swim) - I absolutely loved the first three seasons of this show. Not sure what happened behind the scenes, but the newest season is incredibly unfunny, unoriginal, and somehow even less sincere.

Watchlist:

Steven Universe - (Cartoon Network)

Sneaky Pete (Season 3 - Amazon)

Perpetual Grace LTD (Season 1 - Epix)

The Boys (Season 1 - Amazon)

Luther (Season 4 - BBC)

Bojack Horseman (Season 6 Part 1 - Netflix)

The Mandalorian (Season 1 - Disney+)

Castle Rock (Season 2 - Hulu)

The Deuce (Season 3 - HBO)

Mindhunter Season 2 - Netflix)

Euphoria (Season 1 - HBO)

Pose (Season 2 - FX)