Since there isn't really any discussion of this kind going on in here, I figured I might as well see what everyone's personal top 10 for 2019 is (or top 5 or whatever number of shows you feel like really).
I'll start:
1) Watchmen S1
2) Fleabag S2
3) Mr. Robot S4
4) Barry S2
5) Succession S2
6) Chernobyl
7) Mindhunter S2
8) Dark S2
9) Mr. Inbetween S2
10) The Deuce S3
Honourable mentions:
- BoJack Horseman S6A
- Unbelievable
- Better Things S3
- The Righteous Gemstones S1
- The Boys S1
I've heard that depending on personal tastes, Too Old to Die Young is either entrancing and beautiful, or as interesting as watching paint dry. Does that sound about right? Any shows similar to it that you can think of?
I also enjoyed The Righteous Gemstones, The Boys, Warrior, What We Do in the Shadows, Euphoria, Russian Doll and The Mandalorian in terms of new shows that will be ongoing.
I guess nobody has seen this since way more people hate Refn than love him. Basically I think the guy is a cinema god and love everything he's done This was something I have been waiting for, for over a year and it hasn't disappointed one bit.
Episodes are pretty long and it's really slow paced, however I think only the 2nd episode dragged a bit too much for me. But especially from episode 5 on, it was all of Refn's brilliance on display. It's like combining the best elements of Lynch and Kubrick all into one. It looks absolutely fantastic, the score is great, there's a darkness in the story it tells - and of course Refn adds his own little ****ed up fetishes for some extra flavour which will definitely turn off even more people.
The end was a bit anticlimactic for me though. Didn't really wrap anything up, was also the shortest episode by far. Other than that, no complaints from me.
1) When They See Us - Heartbreaking, agonizing, frustrating and so many more adjectives could be used to describe this miniseries. Brilliantly cast and sublimely directed by Anna DuVernay. If you haven't seen this miniseries, you're doing yourself a disservice and missing out on some of the greatest television that's ever been produced and a series that dives into the injustices the supposed criminal justice system has thrown and continues to throw at minorities. Harrowing exploration into just how much that fateful night in Central Park became a touchstone moment defining the lack of value placed on black and brown lives. Antron, Kevin, Yusef and Raymond's stories are all impactful and no less important but Korey's will shake you to your very core; what Jharrel Jerome pulled off here is one of the best acting performances of all time.
2) Chernobyl - HBO has a unique talent of capturing atmosphere in a bone chilling and spine tingling way which evokes a visceral fear that no other network can match and they didn't disappoint here with Chernobyl. Riveting look into one of the preeminent disasters our species has had to grapple with and the effects it's had in the consciousness of our species going on the better part of three decades now. The series does a wonderful job balancing the Soviet Union's cover-up and recklessness with the breadth of people it affected and the scope of the disaster in a larger narrative. Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson seem born to play their roles and portray them in an almost scarily genuine manner. There are numerous scenes here that will take your breath away; from the irradiated pets being condemned to slaughter to seeing someone literally scorched to death by the open core of a nuclear reactor.
3) Unbelievable - The year of the miniseries continues with another breathtaking Netflix gem. For anyone who has ever been sexually assaulted and known the horror of not being taken seriously or told they aren't telling the truth, I can't imagine the pain a series like this dredges up. Based on the Pulitzer winning investigative article published for The Marshall Project, Unbelievable explores the serial rapist who assaulted multiple women in Colorado and Washington between 2008-2011. As much as you'll want to smash your head against a wall and be absolutely disgusted by the way Marie's case is handled by police, the work done here by Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall is unflinching, determined and ultimately successful. Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever put together a masterclass of emotionally draining and heroic performances that demand your attention.
4) Sex Education - This came across my feed on Netflix last January and boy am I ever glad I decided to check it out. Rarely has a show dealt with sexuality, acceptance and diversity in a coming of age scripted drama so effectively. And in such a humorous manner, even when trauma finds its way to the main characters and their lives. Most of the topics Sex Education touches upon and deals with have a lot of intersectionality between them and they're always dealt with in a thoughtful and intelligent way that doesn't stereotype or cheapen these experiences. The acting is spot on and Gillian Anderson is riotous good fun and steals each and everyone of her scenes but the cast as a whole just works. If you're looking for somebody to identify with here, young or old, straight or gay, binary or non-binary, black or white... you will find it.
5) Dark S2 - When writers and directors can put together a script involving multiple timelines, bounce between multiple futures, pasts and the present while juggling over a dozen important characters nearly flawlessly and keep their show's plot cohesive and intriguing, well... it's a masterclass in storytelling. Dark is one of the wildest mediums of entertainment you'll ever consume and the 2nd season continued to build on an already mindbending first season. This series is German so if you're somebody, for whatever reason, that steers away from subtitled entertainment do give this a chance. Don't watch it in the English dub. I'm ridiculously impressed with how good Dark tackles the existential nature of time travel and opines on the morality of the decisions its characters make. It's an intelligent show that requires your full attention. In addition to the solid writing and direction, the acting and cinematography here is some of the best on TV.
6) Stranger Things S3 - Perhaps my favorite season of Stranger Things yet. The show has a formula, which it sticks to, that could get tired and stale but to the show's credit it continues re-invent itself just enough every season to remain intriguing. The Russia plot got a little convoluted and wild this season but S3 found its strength in the interpersonal dynamics between its groups of characters more than anything else. The addition of the Scoops Troop (Steve, Dustin, Robin, Erica) provided a lot of levity and humor that counterbalanced the arcs of other character groups. The Eleven + Max relationship was handled really well too. Phenomenal production values from its set pieces to the CGI and its atmospheric soundtrack always delivers. Never expected that an episode of Stranger Things would pull on the heartstrings and have a big emotional impact but we get that in the season finale as well.
7) The Boys - Prime's best original series? I think so. This is my biggest and most welcome surprise of the year. I didn't know anything about the source material going in and wasn't even aware that the series was a Prime Original. Well boy, am I ever glad that a special someone recommended it to me and wanted to watch. The Boys manages to subvert the most harmful tropes of the Super Hero genre, especially as it relates to the perspective of its antiheroes. Its premise could easily devolve into a meandering and shallow plot but it's elevated into a multifaceted thread that takes the time to make sure each character has a meaningful part to play. Insanely impressed with the VFX which manages to appear film quality the majority of the time. They've set up a lot of interesting potential plots going forward and I can't wait to see them materialize. Also, Giancarlo Esposito in S2? f*** yeah.
8) Mindhunter S2 - Mindhunter at #8? Not an indicator of its quality, just representative of how strong this year of Television has been. Still the preeminent and gold standard of crime thrillers on television, this season delved into the Atlanta child murders with David Fincher's usual unsettling flair. I found the character of Holden to be a little over dramatized this season and his focus a little too narrow compared to the source material and real life counterpart but it's really my only complaint here. Maybe would have liked to see a little more time dedicated to the Wayne Henley and Charles Manson (who was portrayed amazingly) plots but the narrative constraints here are understandable. Mindhunter is HBO quality programming on Netflix and has surpassed True Detective in the crime genre for me. Season 3 is going to be a long and tough wait with Fincher working on Mank at the moment.
9) Game of Thrones S8 - When GRRM calls out the fandom as toxic and denounces the nerd rage that plagued the final season of Game of Thrones, I have a hard time blaming him for the slow delivery of Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. The final season was all over the place from a writing and narrative perspective and eschewed both for impressive set pieces and battles a little too often. It hit the mark just as much as it missed it while not being nearly as disastrous as the critics and fandom say but it also wasn't up to the standard the show had set either. Disappointing to see characters throw away their reasoning and motivations for whimsical poorly thought out spontaneity. Looking forward to the prequel series that's been green-lit and would one day love to see a sequel following season 8's events grace our screens. Drogon and Ghost will always be the goodest boys and Dany the one true queen.
10) The Expanse S4 - Originally picked up this series while season 3 was airing and instantly got hooked. Love the dynamics between the inner worlds, the belt and every other faction in the series, the conflicts between them are explored in such a unique and complicated manner compared to other science fiction shows set in space. This show has one of my favorite characters on television at the moment in Naomi Nagata; wish more shows could take a hint when it comes to writing multilayered strong female characters. I have never read the source material but from the indications I've gotten, the themes the next book covers already have me anticipating season 5. Have to give a shout out to David Strathairn here too. I never imagined that Klaes Ashford would become one of my favorite characters in the entire show; his character arc was one of the most rewarding journeys and
I'll miss seeing his character going forward
.
Honorable Mention:
Star Trek Discovery S2 - Originally wasn't as high on this series but season 2 was a noticeable step up in every regard. This show looks gorgeous and goes into season 3 exploring uncharted territory for Star Trek. Looking forward to them developing their own cannon and stories now being in the 29th century and not beholden to anything at all. Anson Mount as Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock and Rebecca Romijn added some much needed heft and I'm hopeful that they get their own spin-off series to complement the Picard and Section 31 offerings.
Fails of the Year:
The Mandalorian - For what was supposed to be Disney +'s killer app when it came to their bare bones library of new original programming, the show is a major let down. Poor acting, horrible writing and an unimaginative shallow plot that completely lacks any substance whatsoever. There isn't really anything positive to say about this offering other than the fact that its production values are decent and the show looks great most of the time.
I really haven’t seen much new stuff and I don’t have HBO. I guess the three that I have seen by default was Expanse season 4, Sex Education, and Mandalorian. Expanse had their weakest season but I still loved it. Mandalorian is getting better but I can’t help but feel like the only reason people are talking about it is because of the child. For the hype it got going in, it’s been a disappointment. As for Sex Education, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed that show. It might be a while before I see season 2 but I will see it sometime this year.
i also finished Kimmy Schmidt, Good Place is having a great last season and Orange is the New Black got too big for its own good.
I think my personal TV highlight this year was finally watching Buffy and Angel for the very first time. That was such a fun experience that went from April to the beginning of July.
I didn't really watch too many if I'm being honest.
Fleabag s2 (the whole show is excellent from start to finish 10/10)
Barry s2 (speaks more to how incredible Fleabag is as I think Barry is well on its way to becoming one of the best shows HBO has ever made. The cast and writing are fantastic. 10/10)
Chernobyl (tough to watch but masterfully made. 9/10)
Watchmen s1 (very good start to this new series and a great follow up property to Thrones. Honestly better than I thought it would be. 8.5/10)
Stranger Things S3 (not everyone agrees but I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it wasn't quite as good as S1 but it was a return to form in my eyes and was quite fun. Though I pray S4 moves away from Hawkins. The suspension of disbelief can't go that far. 8/10)
Sex Education S1 (entertaining, well acted, and well written. This show succeeds where I felt thirteen reasons why miserably failed at feeling like a realistic telling of what life as a teenager is actually like. Even if some moments feel a bit too silly to properly reflect reality at least the characters interact like real humans unlike the 13RW characters who are all ultra witty melodramatic teen soap opera robots. 8/10)
Big Mouth S3 (Big Mouth is still sharply and crudely written and wickedly funny but I have to say that the newest season wasn't quite as memorable as the two that came before it 8/10)
The Witcher S1 (more on the flawed end of the shows I watched this year but as a fan of the Witcher games it gave the action and setting I wanted from a television adaptation that I found very satisfying. 7.5/10)
The Mandalorian S1 (it's not a perfect product but it is a strong start in my eyes for a television adaptation of the Star Wars universe. Presuming the rumor is true that Filoni and Favreau will be given predominant creative control/input over future Star Wars products, I have faith in the future because these two understand Star Wars better than it seemed Abrams and Johnson did. 7.5/10)
His Dark Materials S1 (not quite over yet but 7/8 episodes is enough. I think it's strong. Some good performances, especially from Dafne Keen as Lyra. I just feel that, having not read the Golden Compass I'm not sure how faithful the structure is but the story has a strange quality that gives it a disjointed flow between episodes. The production has been high quality and its something I look forward to watching every week but I can't help but hope that the production effort improves next season. If Westworld, Watchmen, and HDM were supposed to be Thrones Replacements, considering each one's first seasons this one comes out at the bottom of the trio 7.5/10)
Veep season 7 (still had razor sharp humor and amusing and unique satirization of modern American politics with great work from the cast. The problem is the hiatus and the truncated season resulted in a very rushed plot and narrative decisions that crossed past realistic satire into fairly cartoonish absurdism (the process Selina goes through on election night is far too convoluted and ridiculous to be real, even if one of the strengths of this show was premonitive political scenarios that seemed too ridiculous to be real until similar events actually happened in the Trump presidency). The epilogue was a solid ending for all the characters but there's no question that the final season, while entertaining and retained the general spirit of one of the best comedy shows ever made, was the weakest of the 7 seasons. 7/10)
Silicon Valley s6 (a fitting and nice conclusion to the story but it still suffers from the issues that plagued seasons 4 and 5. 7/10)
Game of Thrones S8 (the implications of D and D's rush to get to the end unfortunately hit this final season in a bad way. I don't think it was quite the disaster everyone thinks it was and I'm far more understanding of what the intentions for the ending were than others. But the above mentioned implications really hurt the final product. I will always lament what could have been if D/D took their time and dedicated more effort to writing over spectacle. Or had simply handed the show off and to another showrunner. 6/10)
Honorable mentions (shows that didn't come out this year or that I'm not done with yet)
Fleabag s1 (picked it up in my surprise that Phoebe Waller Bridge beat out Julia Louis Dreyfuss to end her streak of Emmys for each new Veep season. It took one episode for me to understand. Sharply written and brilliantly acted. I absolutely adore the show.)
The Good Place S1-4 (I only got through the first episode of the Good Place S4 and decided to wait until it was over to finish since it's best watched in a binge. Great show and a fantastic binge. Some jokes are surprisingly dark and edgy even if not crude. 9/10)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S1-2 (Still working through it. Brosnahan's performance is simply outstanding and her character is irresistibly charming. It's a good show to watch as a pick me up but the narrative is a bit too low stakes to feel compelling beyond just a fun experience in the 50s but it acts as though the stakes are indeed higher than they are. Still something people, especially comedy fans should watch. 8/10)
Bodyguard S1 (the story isn't always great and the end is just a bit too islamaphobic for my liking, but Richard Madden's performance is absolutely outstanding from start to finish. And I concede that it's inherently bingable 7/10)
Crashing all seasons (as a fan of stand up comedy I really love the cameos and it was ultimately a decent and comfy comedy. The plot just felt very dependent on which cameo they could secure for the plot and felt a bit repetitive. 7/10)
I guess I should add Stranger Things to what I saw as well. That was a great season. I’m glad they gave Eleven more time with the other kids.
There was another show I watched this year that I completely forgot about, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. I really loved that show, and I started it by watching the movie. I was surprised on how dark it was though, but the way the story worked out was really well done. I'm looking forward to the second season, whenever that will be.
Mr. Robot
Watchmen
Chernobyl
The Expanse
Dark
Mindhunter
True Detective
Final Space
Wayne
Reprisal
Year of the Rabbit
Forhoeret
Doom Patrol
Sharp Objects
The Boys
Happy!
Bosch
Just watched the entire thing in a couple of days as well
S1 was good but pretty light, S2 started off kinda similarly but after that hilarious episode where Ray and his girlfriend are caught by his daughter it got real dark real quick I think. Those two eps about girls gone missing for example were masterfully done.
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