TV Reviews - Best of Year Lists

THE FIVE BEST TV SHOWS OF 2022

December 23, 2022

Better Call Saul: Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould give us the greatest series finale since The Americans in the sixth and final season of this Breaking Bad spinoff. With exceptional performances from leads Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul did what so many have tried and failed to do before: It expanded the original franchise universe while providing compelling and complex original narratives. Every bit as riveting as their inaugural work, Gilligan and Gould don't just give us Saul Goodman's backstory, they enrich our understanding of a character who, more than any other, served as the catalyst and linchpin of Walter White's meth empire. The black and white cinematography, a literal and jarring contrast to events that transpire before and after White's death in Breaking Bad, lend an artistry that might ordinarily feel pretentious, but this is no ordinary show. Beloved by critics, snubbed by the Emmys, Better Call Saul is one of the great TV shows of the 21st century so far.
Severance: In an era when the COVID-19 pandemic upended work, where it can be done, whether remotely or in-person, and by whom, this show offers a philosophical exploration of the nature of labor and self. In a dramatic turn, Adam Scott gives an utterly surreal performance as a middle manager at a dystopian hellscape of a company called Lumen whose products and/or services are a mystery. Employees who have undergone the severance procedure have no memories of their selves outside the office while at work and likewise have no memories of their office and colleagues while off the clock. It's a show that cuts to the core of modern work, being hourly, ownership of ones time and knowledge, relationships between colleagues, and loyalty, whether to the company or to one's own humanity. Perhaps more than any other show on this list, it is of and helps define the current moment.
Abbott Elementary: I'll admit, when I saw the mockumentary format in the pilot episode, I was worried for Quinta Brunson. Any show that uses it in this decade will inevitably be compared to The Office and Modern Family, pioneers and masters of the genre, and audiences are often left wanting. I needn't have worried, because Brunson's comedic genius works perfectly with the cadence of persistent cutaways and is suffused throughout everything that appears on screen. Set in an urban Philadelphia public elementary school, the show follows overeager young teacher Janine Teagues, played by Brunson, who also writes for and produces the show. Given its home on ABC, it deftly skirts the line between searing adult humor and a feel-good, family-friendly story appropriate for all ages. As a 90s kid, I'm particuarly ecstatic to see Lisa Ann Walter, who played Chessy in the remake of The Parent Trap, as South Philly working class teacher Melissa Schemmenti. With an Emmy on her shelf for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, Brunson is making her mark on the modern sitcom. I can't wait to see the second season.
The Bear: If you've ever worked in the restaurant business, as a host, server, bartender, cook, it doesn't matter, you have to see this show. Starring Jeremy Allen White as a chef working at Michelin-starred restaurants who returns home to run the family deli after his brother's death, the show is an unflinchingly accurate portrayal of the restaurant industry. In addition to stellar performances from White and Ayo Edebiri, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who comes to stage with her hero, The Bear stands out for its meticulous attention to detail. Every element of the set, from the closet-like conditions of the business office to the deli containers they use as water cups calls back to something ubiquitous throughout the service industry, from greasy spoons to fine dining. My only critiques are that more of the staff would be speaking Spanish and the line is too wide, losing precious square footage that could be converted to additional tables. Presumably the latter was to accommodate a camera crew, but regardless, this show is the best representation of restaurant life today.
The January 6th Select Committee hearings: I continue to believe that congressional accountability for Donald Trump became impossible at noon on January 20th, 2021, when Democratic leadership inexplicably chose to delay an impeachment trial until after Trump had left office. That doesn't mean they didn't make some compelling television. Aside from the absolutely jaw-dropping revelations surrounding Trump's conduct and the treasonous behavior of most elected Republicans and senior GOP officials, which I cannot stress enough demonstrate that the nation as we know it is in a state of mortal peril, these hearings fundamentally changed how congressional hearings are presented to the public. It will be remembered as a watershed moment for the legislative branch's ability to communicate with the public and to provide them with critical information on the state of the Union. These hearings will likely usher in a new digital era in a body that is notoriously technology-averse, a precedent akin to the Kefauver hearings on organized crime or the Warren Commission. The case laid out by the committee not only has Trump dead to rights on a host of federal crimes, it also drove a concise, accessible, and gripping narrative with the highest stakes on TV: the survival of America itself.

WATCHMEN LEADS THE 72ND EMMY AWARDS WITH AN ASTOUNDING 26 NOMINATIONS, MARKING AN INFLECTION POINT OF RACE AND NARRATIVE ON TELEVISION:

July 28, 2020

Forget the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (better known as ‘The Oscars’), contemporary television is the premier destination for outstanding original content. Last year I wrote about how HBO’s Watchmen was one of the standout series not just of 2019, but a foundational program for the coming decade. With an exceptional cast of talented actors, Damon Lindelof’s adaptation of the eponymous graphic novel is nothing short of a revelation in the way it explores our complex relationship with race and law enforcement in America. Made all the more salient by the recent murders by police of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Watchmen is in good company with a diverse suite of actors and shows that span the gamut of talent and experiences at such a fraught moment for our nation and the world at large.

Trailing Watchmen across the other major categories are a familiar crew of shows heralding the newfound dominance of streaming services with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (20 nods), Ozark (18), Succession (18), The Crown (13), and The Handmaid’s Tale (10). But it’s the newcomers in the periphery of HBO’s flagship production that represent this year’s most exciting offerings.

FX Network’s Mrs. America, with 10 nominations, gave us a star-studded 70s period piece with a timely retelling of the history and context surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment. Although I was wary the show would gloss over Phyllis Schlafly’s bigotry and dishonesty through an immersive and endearing performance from Cate Blanchett, Dahvi Waller (whose father was coincidentally my American politics professor at McGill University) paints an unflinching portrait of the Eagle Forum president and national feminist politics at the time. Delving into the intersections of race, gender, access to power, and societal and sexual expectations of women, Waller’s Mrs. America feels no less modern despite serving as a reflection on nearly 50 years of American history. With nominations for Blanchett’s Schlafly, Uzo Aduba’s Shirley Chisholm, Tracey Ullman’s Betty Friedan, and Margo Martindale’s superb performance as iconoclastic New York congresswoman Bella Abzug, Mrs. America is that rare production that is both entertaining and educational without the unsubtle tannic grip of a documentary feature. Having notched additional hits such as The Americans, and Fargo, FX is quickly surpassing AMC as the sole superpower on basic cable.

Taika Waititi’s latest venture, The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, was the House of Mouse’s standout offering among the comparatively lackluster originals it put forward in 2019. Faced with the catastrophic cinematic embarrassment that is Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (awful doesn’t begin to describe it), Disney has wisely pivoted to expanding the Star Wars universe with companion series like these rather than additions to the film’s original anthology that never seem to deliver. If you’re a die-hard fan of the George Lucas space opera, this show will scratch that itch for a satisfying, well-developed, and action-packed story in that galaxy far, far away. With allusions to original characters, familiar spaceports, and the series’ indelible costume design, The Mandalorian earned a well-deserved 15 nominations and elevates Waititi as one of the world’s premier screenwriters of indigenous descent. This is the perfect blend of nostalgia, originality, and insurmountable cuteness that plays to Disney’s strengths as the undisputed leader in high-quality, family-friendly storytelling in a new age of streaming competition.

Perhaps most notable about this year’s nominations is the breadth of racial diversity across the Emmy’s acting categories. With the perennial hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and following a number of high-profile snubs at the Academy Awards for actors and directors of color, especially Black women, it’s clear that television wants to be seen as more cognizant of the current moment and to be more rewarding of narratives that encapsulate it. This year’s acting nominations read as a who’s who of Black Excellence of stage and screen with Regina King, Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Kerry Washington, Mahershala Ali, Wanda Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Issa Rae, Billy Porter, Giancarlo Esposito, Sterling K. Brown, Zendaya, and the hilarious Titus Burgess feted across every category. Actual trophies may be harder to come by, as Issa Rae’s Insecure can attest to, but the fact that every acting category includes a Black nominee is hugely important in highlighting and prioritizing Black voices in a notoriously racist industry.

Lastly, as with all awards shows, snubs for actors, writers, and directors abound. Let’s start with Hulu’s reflective, uncomfortable, and deeply funny Ramy. A semi-autobiographical comedy about Muslim-American comedian Ramy Youssef, it was the surprise winner for 2019’s Golden Globe for Best Comedy. But at the 2020 Emmy Awards, it received only three nominations. Exceptional performances from Maame Yaa Boafo as Zainab, Ramy’s love interest, and Jared Abrahamson as Dennis, a veteran facing homelessness and complications with PTSD were completely overlooked, while the writing in the episode Atlantic City masterfully peels away the performative masculinity of the conventional bachelor party to reveal a sexual vulnerability that will have you laughing out of equal parts circumstantial hilarity and discomfort. And although it garnered an additional seven nominations this year for a series run total of 39, Better Call Saul has yet to win a single Emmy, despite a continuity in quality and contextual universe-expansion that has eluded nearly every spinoff series. Rae Seehorn, Michael McKean, and Giancarlo Esposito in particular have failed to receive the recognition they deserve for season after season of consistently nuanced performances. There’s also a clear aura of tokenism surrounding Pose, the new Bryan Murphy’s series on FX that is a phenomenal dramatization of the Queer ballroom scene of 1980s New York. While last year’s ceremony marked a milestone as Billy Porter became the first Black, gay man to win an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the show’s featured cast of trans women of color has been snubbed for a second year in a row. Dominique Jackson and Indya Moore in particular are no less compelling than Porter, who also has a Grammy and Tony from his work on Kinky Boots, yet neither they nor the show’s Black trans director Janet Mock have been recognized this year. I am however confident that this year’s nominees are the most reflective of the best shows on TV, and their presence will go a long way in furthering our Golden Era of Television.

NEVER HAVE I EVER IS THE OUTRAGEOUSLY HILARIOUS TEEN COMEDY TO KICK OFF THE NEW DECADE:

May 4, 2020

Not since Tina Fey’s Mean Girls has a high school comedy so perfectly met the current moment as Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever. Bizarrely yet uproariously narrated by tennis legend John McEnroe, the show centers on high school sophomore Devi Vishwakumar living in Southern California. A first generation American from an Indian family, Devi is immediately otherized after the tragicomic passing of her father and subsequent (albeit temporary) paralysis in her legs. As she looks to find her social footing and to re-brand her social media, Devi enlists the help of her fellow outcasts to change her narrative in a classic but well-executed melange of unexpected adolescent relationships.

The superb writing and outstanding delivery that we love from Kaling is suffused throughout the ensemble, with newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan giving a breakout performance as Devi. The rapid-fire and quick-witted dialogue gives the show a brisk pace and is a refreshing change from the generic teen dramdies that have inundated TV. There’s even a nod in the show to the CW’s Riverdale in a delicious homage to and mockery of the genre. But to me what makes this program so special is Devi’s home life straddled between her American upbringing and Indian background.

In many ways she and her family emulate the American success story: Her mother Nalini (played by the lovingly stern Poorna Jagannathan) is a dermatologist and her cousin Kamala (portrayed by an endearingly clueless Richa Moorjani), who is living with them during her studies, is pursuing a PhD in biology at UCLA. But the complexities of life as a successful minority are made readily apparent as we watch Devi navigate the simultaneous racism and self-hatred that accompany her identity. In the episode, “Never Have I Ever… Felt Super Indian”, we see the conflict between Devi’s thoroughly Americanized upbringing and her Indian heritage that drives the stressors unique to mixed-culture families. With elements of traditional dress, worship, and arranged marriage, Never Have I Ever tackles what it means to be a hyphenated American through the long overdue lens of the Indian experience. This is another comedic treasure from Mindy Kaling, and an outstanding way to inaugurate the new decade of television.

AIDY BRYANT CONFRONTS AND DELIGHTS IN SEASON 2 OF SHRILL:

March 8, 2020

After proving its mettle in a woefully truncated six-episode opening season, Aidy Bryant’s Shrill has returned to Hulu with eight quirky, queer, and poignantly hilarious episodes. I’ve long been enamored with the Saturday Night Live cast members who evolve beyond sketch comedy to become proteges of the show’s venerated creator Lorne Michaels. Those who make the cut – Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, etc. – have become household names with a slew of critically acclaimed film and television projects, and Bryant’s Shrill is a welcome addition to the compendium.

Following the life of semi-autobiographical/allegorical protagonist Amy as she navigates a career in publishing and a complex web of relationships, Shrill weaves together disparate narratives and experiences through its characters’ identities. Amy, who self-identifies as fat, struggles with embarrassment as a barrier to personal and professional advancement. Sexual triumphs are reduced to anxieties and embarrassment as she’s forced to leave her boyfriend’s apartment through the back door and then hop a fence simply to avoid running into his roommates. Queer experiences and a fight for space and acceptance, which feature prominently among the supporting cast, take center stage as a foil to Bryant’s struggle with her weight. It’s a modern narrative that isn’t sappy because it revels in believability. All of us can relate to a time in our lives when crashing through our greatest insecurities has been the path forward to a more fulfilling life, and Shrill showcases these milestones with a sense of humor and representation of the human experience that are the embodiment of engaging and original storytelling. A must watch show.

THE 10 BEST TV SHOWS OF 2019: COMPLEX HUMOR AND MORBIDITY ARE AN APPROPRIATE CODA TO A TUMULTUOUS DECADE:

December 18, 2019

It seems the farther we stray from 30 Rock’s shining light, the darker television becomes. Thankfully, this need not be a bad thing, but rather an opportunity to challenge ourselves on conceptions of race, white supremacy, and the stories we value in a reality that has taken a decidedly dark turn. This past year gave us a rich and varied offering of shows from established and new arrivals in the original content market. Hulu rolled out the third season of The Handmaid’s Tale, rendered ever more prescient by its parallel existence with the Trump presidency. The latest and highest profile arrival to the world of streaming services, Disney +, gave us the year’s most fawned over and talked about TV character with The Mandalorian’s ‘Baby Yoda’, canonically known only as The Child. At the big three networks, NBC’s Superstore continues to explore the nature of unskilled, minimum wage work and the workplace politics of unionizing, while HBO’s Watchmen and Barry gave us some of the most enticing and jarring images on television. Below are the ten best shows of 2019.

Watchmen: I discussed HBO’s adaptation of the Dave Gibbons comic in my ‘Best of the Decade’ piece, but it bears repeating just how phenomenally well written, acted, and produced the show is. Taking place in an alternate-reality America where police are allowed to wear masks to protect their identities, Watchmen confronts us with visceral images of police and white supremacist violence, woven into incredible action and plot sequences as well as what may be the greatest superhero origin story to make it to screen in “This Extraordinary Being”. Jean Smart delivers a standout performance in “She Was Killed by Space Junk”, deepening the context and complexity of the story so thoroughly and thrillingly it’s hard to believe it all takes place in a single episode. This is the show you need to be watching.
Documentary Now!: In spite, or rather because of Bill Hader’s absence this season due to his commitment with HBO’s Barry, Documentary Now! secured an all-star line-up to supplement Fred Armisen’s contributions. In “Waiting for the Artist” Cate Blanchett plays a laugh-out-loud ridiculous parody of modern performance artist Marina Abramovic, with Owen Wilson skewering Netflix’s Wild Wild Country in the season’s two-part opener. Renee Elise Goldsberry dazzles in vintage 70s attire as the wildly over-talented young ingenue in “Co-op: The Musical”, a meticulous parody of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” that will appeal to musical theater nerds and die-hards of the niche documentary genre. It’s not a stretch to say Documentary Now!’s third season is the best comedy of 2019.
Los Espookys: Lorne Michaels’s latest production seems remarkably formulaic, a Fred Armisen collaboration featuring a cast of Saturday Night Live writers and alumni, but as he’s shown us time and again it’s a formula for success. This HBO project starring Julio Torres, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Jose Pablo Minor, Bernardo Velasco, and the truly absurd and wonderfully endearing Ana Fabrega as haunters for hire isn’t just unexpectedly and hilariously quirky, it’s also almost entirely in Spanish. The surrealist and bizarre settings and backstories are richly detailed and weirdly funny in a way that is classically evocative of Micahels’s style of comedy, while showcasing a rising cadre of Spanish-speaking stars. That such a show could get made by one of the biggest players in original content is a reflection of demand for more Spanish language offerings, as well as a testament to the universality of comedy.
Ramy: I had never heard of Ramy Youssef until his eponymous Hulu original series cropped into my suggestions, and I’m sure glad it did, because it’s an achingly unexplored premise in modern television. An autobiographical work about a millennial American Muslim living in New Jersey, Ramy is a biting, intriguing story full of discomfort about a young man trying to find his place in modern America. His life is further complicated by trying to reconcile his devotion to Islam with wildly divergent social norms coming from his friends and family, with indulgence and adaptation of Western standards coming from where you least expect. Seeing a young Muslim comedian whose best friend is a person who uses a wheelchair is also a refreshing shot of diversity that feels authentic, with two young men from ostracized groups forging a friendship in shared isolation in a way that’s heartwarming without being sappy. For anyone struggling with faith, identity, and familial expectations in a rapidly changing world, this show is for you.
Barry: Nothing about this show should work. A hit man turned aspiring Hollywood star who catches the bug after following a target into an acting class, Bill Hader’s Barry is a completely outrageous premise that reads more like a pitch from an exceptionally self-indulgent screenwriter. And yet everything about it works. The cinematography in particular completely fills the screen, forcing you to gulp in each scene as this surprisingly action-packed comedy progresses at a brisk and quick-witted pace. The jokes are understated and blend seamlessly into the story, as is characteristic of Hader, and the supporting cast of Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, and Henry Winkler are simultaneously overbearing, hilarious, and craving fulfillment and legitimacy in a way that lends incredible complexity. This is a weirdly satisfying comedy that is worth your time.
Russian Doll: This Groundhog Day inspired Netflix series is Natasha Lyonne’s first original project, and like its creator it is weird, drug-addled (Lyonne has been open about previous struggles with substance use), and deeply intuitive about the nature of mental health and comedic timing. The show tracks Nadia Vulvokov (a tongue in cheek sexual allusion?) through an apparently endless re-run of her own birthday party, with each episode forcing her to confront a new facet of her life, traumas, and experiences. Exceptionally creative and delivering the perfect balance of comedy and drama that is crucial for the genre, Russian Doll is the best original story told on TV this year.
Gentleman Jack: A period piece same-sex love story with HBO production value starring Suranne Jones as real 19th century Engish independent industrial woman Anne Lister. If that doesn’t immediately draw you in, then I’m afraid there’s no accounting for taste. The backstory of the source material lends even greater intrigue to the show, as Lister encrypted the portions of her diary pertaining to her relationship with noted Yorkshire landowner Ann Walker in a Greek-algebraic code they devised together. It wasn’t until long after her death that the truth of Ann Lister’s identity and experiences came to light, and HBO’s Gentleman Jack is a wonderfully immersive and embellished recounting of what many consider to be the first modern lesbian romance.
Shrill: Aidy Bryant’s six episode run on Hulu was an abrupt introduction to her work outside of Saturday Night Live, but wow did it pack a punch. A semi autobiographical comedy, Shrill forced us to confront fatness as an identity in a way that resonates across spectra of gender, race, and class, as well as the personal insecurities that come with it. I also love how the show is set in Portland, rather than New York or LA, which in addition to the subject matter makes the show feel all the less conventional, and all the better for it.
Pen15: Anna Konkle’s and Maya Erskine’s semi-autobiographical Hulu series about life in middle school is funniest for the juxtaposition of the show’s creators, both age 32, alongside actual adolescent actors as they explore classic and unconventional developmental touchstones. Pen15 doesn’t hold back when it comes to addressing the serious and real issues that confront all adolescents, including personal sexual discovery, competition for social status, and even casual racism and alcohol consumption in the year 2000. The retrospective setting forces us to adjust our norms and expectations nearly 20 years prior, and is a great example of a show’s creators bringing an audience into the story rather than pandering to the contemporary. I look forward to the well deserved season 2.
Superstore: There are better comedies on TV than Superstore, even better comedies on NBC (The Good Place, anyone?), but not since Malcolm in the Middle have we seen such an insightful comedy about supporting a family with a minimum wage retail job at such a critical moment of wage and wealth inequality. Set at a branch of the fictional Cloud 9 big box store in St. Louis, Superstore tracks the lives of floor workers at what could be any WalMart/Target/Sam’s Club/pick your retailer as they navigate partnership, parenthood, and even unionizing. For its unabashed and decently funny approach to blue collar work in a post-industrial, service based economy, Superstore secures a spot on this list.

Honorable Mentions: Chernobyl, Schitt’s Creek, Derry Girls, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Killing Eve, The Good Place, Fleabag, The Crown, Tuca & Bertie, When They See Us

THE 10 BEST TV SHOWS OF THE DECADE: 2010-2019 MARKS AN ERA OF EXCEPTIONAL GROWTH:

December 11, 2019

This past decade saw a remarkable expansion in the quantity and quality of TV offerings. The advent of streaming services aggregating popular shows while offering original content forced dramatically increased competition from traditional studios and broadcasters. This perfect storm of startup investment and increased access to content through smart screens led to a boom in projects that before would have been deemed too esoteric or unattractive to advertisers. For the first time, non-premium services such as basic cable and network TV had more to offer than a suite of multi-camera family sitcoms, as explorations of race, history, casual illegal drug use and sexuality, and the nature and stability of work became subjects of widely viewed and well-received shows. Below are the ten best shows of 2010-2019.

30 Rock: Though it aired its first broadcast in 2006, the show’s longevity allowed it to span seven seasons over two decades, ending in 2013. The fourth season’s progression into 2010 means that we started the era with some of the most hilarious, meticulously detailed and intellectual writing in comedy. Tina Fey’s brilliant, fast-paced, and acerbic dialogue fit perfectly in the context of the show’s surreal alternate reality, while a standing cast of exceptional actors and comedians breathed life into a universe as wonderfully unexpected as it was funny. Fey’s ability to tackle hardships such as adoption, adult relationships, and forging a career through parables in the absurd kept the material fresh and free of cliches. Strong performances in particular from Fey as Liz Lemon, Jane Krakowski as the sexually outrageous Jenna Maroney, Alec Baldwin as consummate business executive Jack Donaghy, and Tracy Morgan as high-maintenance comedian and star Tracy Jordan didn’t initially lend themselves to good ratings, but with overwhelmingly positive critical reception and over 100 Emmy nominations, they cemented the show’s status as a cult classic and landmark series in contemporary comedy. The show’s television progeny: Great News, Difficult People, and especially Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt all contributed to the phenomenon of the lovably bizarre. With an outstanding series finale tying off the show’s loose ends in true-to-form ridiculous fashion and some of the wittiest jokes to make it to the small screen, 30 Rock inaugurated this decade of the Golden Age of Television.
Breaking Bad: Until Breaking Bad, HBO cornered the market on long-form narrative dealing with serious violence and criminality with Oz, The Sopranos, and The Wire. With his deliciously twisted drama about a high school chemistry teacher turned meth cook, Vince Gilligan brought exceptional long-form storytelling and world-class acting and character development to basic cable. Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn give harrowing, nuanced, and utterly compelling performances as Walter and Skler White, while Aaron Paul’s Jessie Pinkman masterfully creates a suspenseful relationship of both partner and mentee to his old teacher. In conjunction with its AMC partner drama Mad Men, Breaking Bad lowered the barrier to entry for high-quality shows. The deeply committed fandom the show generated helped lead to the Netflix spin-off series Better Call Saul and the original El Camino movie. The breakout success of Breaking Bad led networks to realize that well-written and developed shows with deep followings are just as lucrative as those popular with advertisers.
The Americans: Much like The Wire on HBO, The Americans on FX was perennially snubbed by the award shows, depriving audiences of exposure to one of the great television dramas of our time. Kerri Russell and Matthew Rhys deliver jaw dropping performances episode after episode as deep-cover Soviet spies Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings, showcasing an incredible range of deception, family, duty, and friendship in a breathlessly suspenseful rendition of the end of the Cold War. An impressively bilingual cast, excellent production value, and superbly acted supporting roles make the show an immersive tour de force of historical fiction. This is the content that makes you excited to watch TV.
Veep: Many alumni of Washington, D.C. and state and federal political campaigns will freely volunteer that Veep was the most accurate depiction of politics on television. Whereas The West Wing waxed prosaic on the virtues of public service and inherent potential in representative government, Veep skewered the political world as it is: Hopelessly polarized, rewarding of the inept, and hilariously vulgar. Julia Louis-Dreyfus shows us with her six-time Emmy-winning turn as Vice President Selina Meyer why she is a titan of comedy. A ruthless and selfish politician incapable of receiving criticism, Louis-Dreyfus’s Meyer gets wonderfully specific in her denigration of just about everyone. She’s enabled by a motley crew of Beltway cliches who remind us what we love to hate about politics, and the writing is consistently laugh out loud funny from the pilot to the series finale. The show is a direct reflection of our insatiable appetite for the political, and the characters’ public contortions and private deliberations which make up the bulk of each episode are smartly and sharply scripted. In an age where our elected leaders often seem like a joke, these are at least well written.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: It’s not as if the American-Jewish experience is underrepresented in popular television, but a lavishly produced 50s-60s period piece about a housewife turned stand-up comedian from Amy Sherman-Palladino gave us something wonderfully refreshing: Original storytelling. The sets are elaborate, the costumes stunning and expertly tailored, and the material written in the context of 60 years ago is still fresh today, with Rachel Brosnahan’s Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel landing perfectly timed jokes with spitfire delivery. Tony Shaloub is delightful as Miriam’s father Abe Weissman, and his role as a mathematics professor at Columbia University makes for the perfect exploration of the nouveau-riche, Jewish intellectual class in 50s-era New York. As Midge’s androgynous agent Susie Meyerson, actress Alex Borstein highlights the rigidity of the period’s gender roles and the improbability that makes Midge’s foray into comedy so captivating. The originality and richness of the show’s production make The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel one of the most immersive comedies of the past ten years.
Watchmen: Normally I’d be skeptical of putting something that premiered with fewer than three months left in the decade on a ‘Best Of’ list, but watch HBO’s adaptation of the DC Comics graphic novel and you’ll understand just how impactful this show is. Few other series confront us with the politics and imagery of race, masks, and policing with such creativity, and the history of Black trauma and triumph become integral to the narrative in a way that is thoroughly modern while contextualizing atrocities of the past. With a cast anchored by Academy Award winner Regina King, Designing Women‘s Jean Smart, the venerable Jeremy Irons, and frequent Coen Brothers collaborator Tim Blake Nelson, Watchmen asserts itself as a complex and abrasive work that is truly emblematic of the moment.
Documentary Now!: There’s niche content, and then there’s Documentary Now!. The minute I heard the premise of the show, Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader and Fred Armisen parodying documentaries in excruciating detail as a faux-PBS series, I fell hook, line, and sinker. What’s truly remarkable about this show isn’t just how funny it is, but how it even got made. Produced by IFC and featuring heavy hitting guest stars such as Cate Blanchett and Owen Wilson, not to mention Helen Mirren who introduces every episode, Documentary Now! represents how even the most esoteric content can find an audience in an age where demand is relentless. Beyond reveling in the obscurity of their source material, Hader and Armisen engage in some downright fantastic parody work. The second season finale “Mr. Runner-Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid”, showcases Fred Armisen’s side-splitting physical comedy, with the only dialogue coming from Hader’s narration. “Co-Op: The Musical”, a send-up of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”, brought original songs from Hader and Armisen and elevated a cult-classic documentary of the original cast recording to a painstakingly detailed work of brilliant comedy. Documentary Now! is the funniest show you’ve never heard of.
Broad City: Nothing that aired between 2010-2019 so perfectly captured the millennial experience as Broad City. Detailing the lives of self-described Jewesses Abbi and Ilana, two recent NYU graduates hustling to make a living in New York City, the show explores what it means to work in the gig economy, confront expectations of sex and companionship, and search for direction as a young person in a world that often feels like it’s ending. The jokes are ridiculously funny, particularly for those familiar with American-Jewish culture, and the premise of each episode feels contemporary and relatable, even if the series is confined mostly to New York. The normalization of drug use throughout the show is a stark reflection of the rapidly evolving acceptance and adoption of recreational marijuana, while relaxed and complicated sexual norms on full display provide rich fodder for jokes and plot development. Forget HBO’s Girls, this is the show about millennial women in New York you should be watching.
Atlanta: Donald Glover’s first independent television project is every bit as engaging and provocative as we would expect from Childish Gambino. Glover’s character Earn is an Ivy League dropout turned manager to his cousin, hip hop artist Paperboy. In addition to tackling the grim aspirations and cruel realities of show business, Atlanta also challenges its viewers to see the inescapable Blackness that permeates the city. Poverty and complications from incarceration provide depth and context while driving critical developments for Earn and his cousin Paperboy, and the unfolding of events feels organic. A healthy dose of comedy keeps the material engaging and unexpected, drawing in viewers who are most familiar with Glover from stints as a writer and actor on 30 Rock and Community, respectively. Like Watchmen, Atlanta ingeniously explores the unique experiences of being Black in America while showcasing Glover as a thoroughly talented writer and entertainer.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: It’s hard to overstate the substantive cultural impact RuPaul’s Drag Race has had on television and society writ large. Premiering on Logo with a shoestring budget in 2009, the show has grown into a media behemoth and cultural phenomenon, moving to the more mainstream VH1 as drag has become an increasingly popular form of comedy. Drag Race has also offered up some of the most innovative and impressive entertainment of the decade, with Sasha Velour’s lipsync performance during the season nine finale serving as a particular standout moment. In addition to the inherent hilarity of pitting drag queens against each other through a series of competitions for a bedazzled tiara and $100,000, RuPaul’s Drag Race is an important piece of LGBTQ media. As it rose in popularity with the culture’s greater acceptance of a broader spectrum of gender and sexuality, it introduced a large swath of the country to a rich culture of artistry with which many were unfamiliar. This is bar none the most exciting reality television show since the debut of American Idol.

Honorable Mentions: Game of Thrones, The Handmaid’s Tale, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, BoJack Horseman, Archer, Better Call Saul, Russian Doll, Mad Men, Orange is the New Black, Silicon Valley