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Alright. We're back to celebrate another year of TV. With all that has gone on with the pandemic and the Hollywood strikes, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of TV we got this year. Maybe we might feel the pain next year, but for now, lets look back on the year that was and make recommendations that people can go back and watch if it does all go to poo poo next year. Deadline is 11:59PM US EST Wed 31st of JanVOTING RULES1. Every show you pick must have had a first time airing in its country of origin in full or in part during 2023. This could be a network show, a cable show, an online show, a TV movie (not movies from streaming services), it could even be a Youtube thing if you're down with what the kids are calling 'it'. 2. The joy of this thread is in getting to shout about your favourites and hear about the hidden gems that you missed and we can only do that if you talk about why you've chosen the shows you have. You can write a sentence, you can write an essay, whatever you like as long as you write something. Any lists posted without reasons for their picks will not be counted in the final vote. 3. If you want to list more than ten shows go for it (in fact, it's encouraged) but I'll only count your top ten. If you want to list less than ten shows then go for that too but I won't count it at all. If you don't want to rank your picks then that's fine as well but again, I won't count it. 4. Don't be a dick about other people's choices. This is a positive thread to celebrate the best of TV, not a place for people to get lost in an argument over which genre show in its third season poo poo the bed worst. If you want to be critical then take it elsewhere. 5. If you want to talk about spoilers in your post then by all means go for it but put a spoiler warning at the start of your list. 6. If you want to go back and edit your list after the fact then go for it, just shoot me a PM or post in the thread to let me know you have or I might not count it. Please ensure you edit your original post, don’t create a new list. I will periodically link user posts in the second comment of this thread. 7. Deadline for submissions is 11:59 on Jan 25th . I'll then do a live countdown of the final results some time after that at a time that suits the thread (that I'm able to do from the other side of the world.) To make the collation of results and the creation of the results a bit easier - I've created a Google Form that I'd really apppreciate you filling out in addition to posting your ballots in the thread. This isn't mandatory - the official ballots are the ones posted in the thread. Your votes will not count if they're not posted in the thread, it will just help me out greatly if you do in fact fill it out. The form can be found  hereThere you have it, it's as simple as that! Previous Polls TVIV Poll 2012: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3523734 TVIV Poll 2013: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3591552 TVIV Poll 2014: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3686396 TVIV Poll 2015: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3754622 TVIV Poll 2016: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3800289 TVIV Poll 2017: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3840812 TVIV Poll 2018: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3876499 TVIV Poll 2019: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3905825 TVIV Poll 2020: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3952217 TVIV Poll 2021: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3988330 TVIV Poll Best of the Decade: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3975091 TVIV Poll 2022: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4020189 Looten Plunder fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jan 25, 2024 |
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Dec 23, 2023 12:54
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New shows that aired this year (Can't guarantee these are all accurate - I just took the Polygon Top 50 shows of the yar and deleted ones that I recognised as not new. Obliterated Silo Party Down Planet Earth III Colin from Accounts Skip and Loafer Beef Game Changer And Just Like That Justified: City Primeval Trigun Stampede The Curse Dead Ringers The Last of Us Pluto Dimension 20: Mentopolis Jury Duty One Piece Physical 100 Paul T. Goldman Foundation Mrs Davis Chucky The Legend of Vox Machina Drive to Survive Warrior Cunk on Earth Blue Eye Samurai Daisy Jones and the Six The Sixth Commandment Hijack Single’s Inferno Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Heavenly Delusion The Continental: From the World of John Wick Poker Face Gen V The Company You Keep Castlevania: Nocturne The Devil’s Plan Hilda Scavengers Reign The Gold The Night Agent Full Circle 30 Coins Star Trek: Strange New Worlds The Fall of the House of Usher Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Arnold Twisted Metal
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Dec 23, 2023 12:55
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Reserved for posting of lists Here is another link to the form to fill out in case you missed it in the OP https://forms.gle/8AL9GSEQyUVpJaZK9 Here is a link to everyone's balots Looten Plunder raven77 TelevisedInsanity Jerusalem Shageletic BetterLekNextTime Hakkesshu Big Bad Voodoo Lou Ishamael Bulky Bartokomous cant cook creole bream cryptoclastic Chairman Capone fancy stats Oasx Shneak Escobarbarian King Burgundy freebooter bagrada timp demostars Meatgrinder CeeJee nine-gear crow DMCrimson Open Source Idiom Raspberry Bang Andrew_1985 Toxic Fart Syndrome Rarity Looten Plunder fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Feb 6, 2024 |
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Dec 23, 2023 12:57
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Some seriously good contenders for the top spot this year. Can’t wait to see people’s lists! I personally will be waiting for shows like Fargo, The Curse, and For All Mankind, that have already aired most of their seasons but won’t finish until January, to have aired their finales before I finalise my list.
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Dec 23, 2023 13:24
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Looten Plunder posted:New shows that aired this year (Can't guarantee these are all accurate - I just took the Polygon Top 50 shows of the yar and deleted ones that I recognised as not new. The entirety of Colin From Accounts originally aired in 2022, so it isn't edible for the 2023 poll.
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Dec 23, 2023 15:00
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Open Source Idiom posted:The entirety of Colin From Accounts originally aired in 2022, so it isn't edible for the 2023 poll. I think it's to do with it coming to Paramount+ in 2023. It only aired in December '22 for Aussies. I'd say it's eligible.
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Dec 23, 2023 16:54
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Looten Plunder posted:I think it's to do with it coming to Paramount+ in 2023. It only aired in December '22 for Aussies. I'd say it's eligible. Uh, I dunno about that one. I'm pretty sure we've enforced this rule in the past: Looten Plunder posted:
...though I can't think of any instances off the top of my head. Also if we drop that rule then we're going to have problems e.g. Fleishman Is in Trouble suddenly becoming eligible, since it didn't air in some parts of the world until this year.
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Dec 24, 2023 02:33
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Honestly, no one has seen the show anyway, it was hardly going to be a contender. Considering 90% of TV that is watched is from the US or is made simultaneously for the whole world anyway I don't think the rule needs to change cause yeah, the Fleishman example is going to be way more common than the other way around (and the rest of the world has got pretty used to stealing poo poo so they probably saw it during its air-year anyway)
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Dec 24, 2023 05:17
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Just FYI, using your rules, Cunk on Earth is not eligible. It first aired in the UK in September of 2022, even though it didn't really get big until it went up on Netflix in 2023.
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Dec 24, 2023 05:40
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Oof, checked my list and I've only watched 9 eligible shows and I wouldn't put 5 of those on a top 10 list. Guess I've got some good shows to cram into the next few weeks.
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Dec 24, 2023 06:54
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My preiliminary Top 10 is as follows. I'll complete the commentary and add honerable mentions in due time. I want to hold out to see whether The Curse and Fargo land their endings. 10. Special Ops: Lioness This was my guilty pleasure for the year. What a stacked cast. Taylor Sheridan channeling his inner Sicario again. 9. Welcome To Wrexham You couldn't script this poo poo. Continues to do a great shop spotlighting the residents of the town, the backgrounds of the players and paiting a picture of how much a sports team can mean to a place and people. 8. The Last Of Us What a fun ride. Some really well directed television blended with a some fun genre/video game television. 7. How To With John Wilson Continues to surprise despite all these years. A great send off to a really unique show. I'm happy this has been part of my life. 6. Reservation Dogs Sad to see this show go. Some really unique creative voices and an amazing spotlight of up and coming screen talent. Not as strong as the previous season but enjoyed every minute I spent in this world with these characters. 5. Barry Wow, this poo poo got dark. I've got to hand it to Hader though. A really impressive vision and a fitting end to all involved. Redefined the half-hour "comedy" 4. Succession Another fitting and highly enjoyable farewell. I was there right from the beginning and it was really great witnessing this show become must watch TV for such a large group of people. Certainly not a "hit" compared to the shows of yester-year but i really felt like this became appointment television. 3. The Curse Nathan Fielder continues to be one of my favourite people in Hollywood. Unliike anything else on TV. I won't say I was the biggest fan of the finale, but I can't help but marvel at the audacity of it. Much like i'll continue to marvel at how a show can make me feel so much dread, uneaser, horror, sadness and outright laughter all at the same time. 2. Fargo So glad to have this back and firing on all cylinders. The back half of the season started to sag a little but it was redeemed by the fantastic back half of the finale. Bravo. 1. The Bear I'm so glad this has become the hit it has. Can't believe how good the second season was given the heights the first season reached. Eclipsed it in every way. Beautiful stuff. Watching Ritchie banging out Taylor Swift was my favourit moment of the year. Looten Plunder fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Jan 19, 2024 |
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Dec 24, 2023 12:46
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OldSenileGuy posted:Just FYI, using your rules, Cunk on Earth is not eligible. It first aired in the UK in September of 2022, even though it didn't really get big until it went up on Netflix in 2023. Cunk on Earth was going to make my top 10 
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Dec 24, 2023 13:22
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Oasx posted:Cunk on Earth was going to make my top 10 Mine too. Great show!
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Dec 24, 2023 14:58
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I feel like I’ve watched less TV this year than last, making me wonder if I should sit this year out But then I remember that I have so many bad opinions that I’m compelled to inflict on all of you  Seriously though, after reading the “jumping off” list, I’ve actually seen more than I thought I had. Looking forward to compiling my top 10 soon!
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Dec 24, 2023 16:14
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10. Hunters - not based on a true story, but I took it as loosely based on the stories of the Mossad hunting down Nazis who escaped justice after World War II. Its first season is so much better than the second, and it has Al Pacino and Carol Kane who absolutely make it worth watching. Just don't expect too much because it ends in a completely fan-fiction type way that was very disappointing in my opinion. 9. A Murder at the End of the World - It started off so drat good but the ending was ridiculous and telegraphed very early in the season and everyone in TVIV figured out who the murderer was long before the reveal. But the acting by everyone makes it worth watching and I hope there's another season with a better story line worthy of Darby and whoever else comes along. 8. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - it's nowhere near as good as Godzilla Minus One and their delving into the "Hollow Earth" thing is ridiculous, but I can't not watch it. I wish it was more about the history of Monarch than about Randa's kids, May, and a very old Kurt Russell, but I still tune in as soon as I can, because there have been a few scenes that have been worth it: like Godzilla being awoken from being under the earth, throwing a temper tantrum and then disappearing. How did he get under the earth? How did he then just disappear? I don't know, but it's weird mysteries like that which keep me hooked on this silly show. 7. Rabbit Hole - it's Kiefer Sutherland, and it might as well be a continuation of 24, even though it's not. In this series, he's a "corporate espionage" guy, who discovers a huge conspiracy that endangers democracy itself. And for some reason, he is the only one capable of saving us and it's so much fun. It's truly a "turn your brain off and just enjoy it" show kind of like 24 got toward the end. 6. For All Mankind - This show at its heart is alternate history. At first, it was "what if the USSR got to the moon before the United States", that played out for a couple seasons, then it was "what if the US and USSR took their space race to mars" and has now turned into "what if we discovered an asteroid full of a rare mineral near mars and tried to tow it back into the earth's orbit so we could mine it". It's utterly ridiculous and it left any semblance of being believable after the second season, but I keep watching because they just keep throwing the dice and coming up with more insane premises. Joel Kinnaman is excellent as a NASA astronaut who never wants to go back to earth and Edi Gathegi plays Dev, who I think of as "the Elon Musk stand-in, if Elon was actually smart enough and likeable enough to do what he wanted to do". 5. Succession - I tried to watch this several years ago, but I fell off of it mid-season two because a) all of the characters, and I mean all of them, are completely unlikable and b) it takes far too long for any of them to get what's coming to them. So I waited until it had ended, and then blitzed through it. Everyone is still completely unlikable, but most of them at least get their comeuppance. And with a binge, I could appreciate the amazing acting it takes to portray such selfish, greedy, unlikable people. 4. The Last of Us - based on the video game, I only knew about the story because I watched a play through years ago. The premise is "what if the cordyceps fungus could mutate and affect people like it affects ants". It basically turns them into unthinking monsters, and brings about the end of the world. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star and this is a show with so much heart. 3. The Fall of the House of Usher - It's a horror/supernatural series, retelling several of Poe's stories and poems and it is just amazing in how good it is at reinterpreting Poe in my opinion. Mark Hamill plays Arthur Pym, a lawyer and fixer for the Ushers, and Carla Gugino plays the "villain". But given that all of the Ushers are utterly irredeemable, you don't end up feeling too badly for them (other than in how some of them die, it's gruesome, I looked away/fast-forwarded a couple). 2. Slow Horses - the only reason this isn't #1 is because the second season was a huge let-down, but season three has been so much better. Gary Oldman heads a department of MI-5 called Slough House, and it's called that, because all of the members have made mistakes that should have been career-ending. They are given a choice, get out or go to Slough House. 90% of the time, they get the grunt work, but occasionally, they stumble on something huge and eventually save the day. It's exciting and hilarious, and absolutely must-see-tv. 1. Silo - I found this thanks to goon recommendations, because Apple TV just doesn't advertise their shows, at least not anywhere I look. It's based on the idea that something world-ending happened, all of the survivors went into this under-ground silo that seems to be hundreds of stories deep. Every once in a while, if someone wants to exit, they are suited up in a space-suit type thing then let out, the only caveat is they have to clean the camera so that people can still look and see the horrible state of the outside. So far, everyone who does this, then drops dead shortly after cleaning, but there are still some people inside the Silo unsure that they are seeing the actual truth. The actual truth is still really unknown at the end of season 1, but it was good enough to make me buy the series of books it's based on, because I'm a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic story. raven77 fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Dec 27, 2023 |
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Dec 27, 2023 01:53
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Slow Horses S2 was 2022 so you don’t have to ding s3 if you don’t want to. (I didn’t see s2 until this year either, and s3 definitely made my top 10 too)
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Dec 27, 2023 02:13
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Slow Horses S2 was 2022 so you don’t have to ding s3 if you don’t want to. (I didn’t see s2 until this year either, and s3 definitely made my top 10 too) One of the things I appreciate about Slow Horses is that each season is very self-contained, so you could skip the previous season and then just jump in on the current season and follow along fine. Sure, you might be confused as to why the MI-5 people hate the Slow Horses so much, but but it's not so confusing that it would keep you from enjoying season 3.
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Dec 27, 2023 02:26
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Another year, another exciting year of television. Hey, did you see The Golden Bachelor? That was amazing, right? Anyway, before I get started with my top 10 list. I have to bring up some of the "memorable game show" things that happened this year. First, Jeopardy. It was the "season of never ending tournaments" because of the writers strike, and ultimately, Mayim Bialik would leave in favor of just Ken, Ken Jennings. Stephen Fry is hosting the UK version next year January as well as Australia. Wheel of Fortune, nothing much new to report, Pat Sajak's final year, then it's going to be the start of Ryan Seacrest in what might be a few years. Graham Norton is hosting a UK version in January, as well as Australia. The Price is Right moved from CBS Television City to Haven Studios, which has become the hub for most Fremantle productions, so Press Your Luck, Let's Make a Deal Press Your Luck celebrated it's 40th Year with "The Big 40" where somebody could win 40... Somethings! TASKMASTER continues it's conquest for world domination by having an Australian version with "Hard Quiz" host Tom Gleason. With news of a "Junior Taskmaster" and VR game in 2024. Takeshi's Castle got rebooted on Amazon Prime! I'm sure somebody said they wanted a reboot of MXC sometime in the last year, so just assume you are hearing Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano on that. But here are my TOP 5 GAME SHOWS OF 2023 (THAT DON'T COUNT) 5 - 007 : Road to a Million https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9mYj1etf70 I'm not the biggest James Bond fan, however, I do love the attention to detail the producers gave to locations and props from the James Bond universe to make what is essentially a "go to a place to do a fear factor stunt to win the right to answer a trivia question" , hosted by McRib Spokesperson Brian "gently caress Off" Cox. 4 - Squid Game : The Challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O61C8zc8Znk Squid Game was a pandemic-era watch about the struggles of capitalism and how reality television and game shows prey on those vulnerable people in an over the top, cruel way. So the Torment Nexus was built, and Studio Lambert decided to make it a luck based game show with the thrill of cut throat eliminations from time to time. Million Dollar Rock Paper Scissors is real. 3 - Deal or No Deal UK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk1zCMO9LhI The best version of Deal or No Deal wasn't with Howie, but with Mr. Blobby's Creator, Noel Edmonds. This isn't the Noel Edmonds Cosmology Hour as it once was, and the budget on the show is slashed so badly it's no longer a "Dream Factory" but "Make Rent" factory. However, Mulhern makes due and the contestants they booked are still very likable in a very lackluster version of the big money random draw. 2 - The Traitors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3rqVPKOKfQ The Traitors was "The Hot New Reality Series" at all the format places in 2022 (heads up, next year it's The Floor and "Destination X") and this year, America and UK were lucky to have a version of the show that can best be described as "Big Money Mafia" - a group of 20, a few are traitors, games are played for money to build a bank, then they vote out somebody they think is a traitor, then the traitors will vote out somebody out in secret. Rinse Repeat until you get this really thrilling final round where traitors can throw each other under the bus for a bigger share of the money. 1 - The Devil's Plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtaLR2G-zmc The Devil's Plan is from the creator of The Genius and in many ways is a longer, Netflix-Friendly version of the show. Instead of a main match death match situation, it's a group play, but then the two lowest go to jail while the others play a group challenge to build the pot. At the end only the two highest will play Nine Men's Morris for the pot. It's fascinating, it tickles those Lateral thinking that The Genius had, but there is no "right" way to break the game. They also did Werewolf for an episode, so it's like The Traitors as well. ITV will bring The Genius to TV next year, but they also have Big Brother now, so, yeah... And now, let's begin the actual TOP 10 TV SHOWS LIST 10) Adventure Time : Fiona and Cake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94gpIscW0Mc This is the year of metaverses, and TV shows are no exception. Fiona and Cake took the fanservice finish episodes of Adventure Time and turned them upside down to make it more of a personal struggle of reality and escapism that comes with growing up, at a time when most likely the "target demo" of Adventure Time has graduated high school, just finished college and are now anxious as hell. 9) Game Changer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuhWCCvcO6Q 2023 was the year CollegeHumor officially renamed itself to Dropout. It was a big year for them with Dimension 20. However, I decided to break from the "no game shows" tradition, to hand one to Game Changer for episodes like "Escape the Green Room" and "Battle Royale" that took the "Out of the Loop" format and continue to twist and turn to make it one of the must-see Internet series when they release. (I would also have given this slot to "Jet Lag: The Game" - But I only have room for one Sam on this space, and it's the one that took it's FYC Emmy Budget and donated it to Entertainment Community Fund 8) Poker Face https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x2NzusLAqk Rian Johnson's Columbo was one of my favorite shows of this year. Yes, some episodes were a rough watch to get through, however the comedy timing mixed with the dramatic beats of the show really makes Natasha Lyonne more than just "The Old Navy Spokesperson". You go into it watching a raspy drunk lady call "bullshit" on cheats, and leave knowing why sometimes we lie to cover up our darkest moments. 7) The Curse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tui5vl13Gqg One of my guilty pleasures in television is well-written satire. It's my favorite type of sketch, it's my favorite type of movie, because a crap-satire and you get the "Epic Movie" bombs, but "The Curse" you get something that shines a light on not just HGTV renovation shows, but sometimes the cruel nature of false charity, and much like Squid Game - the people who capitalize on the most vulnerable people. I found myself feeling the anxiety, the cringe and Nathan's attempt to force story beats on his reality show, and the backfire it causes. I sometimes wonder how a season two could top it. 6) Jury Duty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMhLNJ2Tf9U Amazon FreeVee being the place that has this and not proper Prime Video was my biggest "huh" moment. Normally a show that's straight to a FAST channel are seen as lesser, or, admittedly the kind of shows and movies one would go to first for a "find a bad movie to riff on" for one of your MST3K attempt nights. Jury Duty is a much better show than most streaming services offer. It's a hidden camera prank show, but it's also a delicate balancing act of actors and writers, and interweaving a mockumentary style show with the reality of one guy seeing the craziest trial in the jury. James Mardsen playing himself is probably the best character of the year, because we all loved him in, uhh... Sonic the Hedgehog? 5) Twisted Metal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QNZ44zKzjo It turns out video games are great to adapt into TV shows. While I'm positive "The Last of Us" will get it's TVIV love and admiration. I'm more impressed with Anthony Mackie's Wasteland Delivery Character in Twisted Metal. It's not a show that tugs at the heartstrings, it's not a marvel series or a star wars thing, it's simply an over the top action show, with the big baddie being the Ice Cream Clown from the Game. It doesn't need to be 1:1 adapted to work, it didn't get a Calypso to Twist the Wish or have a grimdark reboot with a woman with a plastic mask on her head. It's instead a comedic, fun, colorful series that reminds me "wait a minute, TV can be fun!" And brings the strapnel. It's stupid, but fun stupid. 4) I Think You Should Leave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3m_pbSzeqI Every season, I keep thinking "okay, this is the final season, it can't just be Tim Robinson screaming" and yet, I find myself laughing at the "Pay it Forward" sketch, before, like many skits before it, it gets quoted and memed all over the Internet. My favorite this year, was the mine that challenges it's audience to make him talk, and they just get more and more belligerent to throw him off and anger him. It never out stays it's welcome every year, and I think that's why I keep coming back for more. You only get a few episodes and then it just leaves for 11 months. 3) Scott Pilgrim Takes Off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLvRvqByxUI I will be honest, I never really thought about Scott Pilgrim since the movie. I played that video game on Xbox 360 so long ago. So when I saw this pop up, I wasn't really thrilled. "Oh, it's just a retelling of the manga" I watched episode one and, there's Michael Cera talking Sonic, oh there's the Patel fight but... then he lost? That's when the show actually hooked me. It's a retelling of the Scott Pilgrim story that not only brings up how hosed up that Knives Chau thing was, but also, nerdy impulsiveness shouldn't really be admired. It goes into a revision while still keeping the Bryan Lee O'Malley style, and the music of metric as well. 2) One Piece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ades3pQbeh8 One Piece fans have come a long way from it's beloved anime and manga series. It used to be a laughing stock with it's "Don't Give It Up, Luffy" and this year, it's a balloon at the Macy's Parade and one of the best anime adaptations ever created. Usually when you hear "Hey Netflix is making a live action version of (anime)" it's pointed at the Death Note movie from years back, or the somewhat forgotten Cowboy Bebop from years ago. Hey, did you know the stranger things producers are doing one with Death Note? Anyway, One Piece. This first season is a bunch of origin stories for the Straw Hats, get to see Sanji's culinary start, see Nami's village get plundered, and Zoro's quest to be the best swordsman, while this very inclusive cast brings the colorful world to life. This is a great version of Luffy, he's a leader that wants you to believe in yourself, and strangely enough the gum-gum stretchy powers aren't irritating like you would expect from, say, Inspector Gadget 2 with French Stewart, it's actually a fight sequence that means something when used. While each episode does have a fight sequence, like it's Titans or Power Rangers or Ashoka. It's not without an accompanying soundtrack and fight style that matches that character. It took it's source material and somehow carefully balanced enough to keep die-hards happy with the fanservice, and just enough to bring newcomers into the Grand Line. This might be the show that overtakes Naruto and Bleach on the Shonen Jump ladder, and given nobody wants to remember any live action Dragon Ball, you could also make a case Luffy is better than Goku as well. But I'm not an anime nerd enough to get into that slime. I'm just here for the Mihawk Fan Cams on the TikTok. 1) Black Mirror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jY1ecibLYo Yes, phones but too much, is my number one show. We've pretty much forgotten that black mirror decided to bring back Anthology, and shows it's inspired by - The Twilight Zone, etc. Came and went. While Black Mirror was usually "hey, you're on your phone too much", this time around. It decided to go into tech through history and alternate universes to tell its story. Joan is Awful is the most meta version of the reality-tv style recap that goes into how we consume, but then vomit the content to get consumed into a content ouroboros. Loch Henry plays into that true crime podcast & documentary style that plays in similar notes to Rear Window (or Suburbia if you're just young) Beyond the Sea is the "head trip" of the season, that will most likely be an actual movie in two years about lonely astronauts and one taking over a clone body on earth and the consequences. Mazey Day is the least black mirror episode as there is no real "Technology Bad" premise, as much as it's about a Paparazzi and a Werewolf story, and almost felt like an "Inside No. 9", but was welcoming. And finally, the reason it's on the top of the list - Demon 79. They decided to make this an actual film under the "Red Mirror" banner. It's final episode of the season transformed the entire show and premise that if Netflix decided to continue, they can branch off and no longer need to put bandersnatch easter eggs or get Simpsonsed enough to say "hey, they predicted the future". They can simply have a silly movie about a devil trying to get a woman to kill people so stop the world from ending. With comedic results. While none are as good as San Junipero, it is a delight to finally see Black Mirror return, even if most people have forgotten about it. Thank you so much goons for the wonderful 2023. I hope to see you in 2024 when I'll probably watch Deal or No Deal Island and throw up!
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Dec 27, 2023 09:38
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There was a LOT of good television this year, which was nice! There's also a LOT of writing about television shows in my Top 10, so click here to avoid all these words and go straight to JUST the Top Ten! There were a lot of shows that would have easily made my Top 10 most any other year that I've had to leave off the final list - a good problem to have! It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia brought the quality it's somehow managed to consistently keep over its long run, but the shortened season meant the series was over just when I thought it was beginning. Only Murders in the Building was delightful as well as gloriously self-indulgently "New York", but it had perhaps the weakest resolution of the main mystery of the three seasons so far and didn't pay off the wonderful character work that preceded the finale. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was a wonderful surprise, One Piece somehow managed to not only be a good live action adaptation of an anime (a near impossibility) but a drat good show in its own right in addition to capturing the spirit of a comic series that is decidedly way weirder than anything you'd expect to see in live action. Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks both fought hard for the #10 spot before eventually both were edged out, but what a treat it has been to get not just one but TWO great Star Trek shows in a single year, and the episode "Those Old Scientists" where both shows came together was a real treat. There was more too: Last of Us was an uneven affair but episode 3 was spectacularly good: Twisted Metal was dumb fun despite the awful, awful teaser video initially released for it; The Mandalorian had its moments; Harley Quinn got a bit of its groove back; and we got to see Raylon Givens chasing fugitives again in Justified! If Fargo had a complete season in 2023 it would have probably made the list too, and there were a bunch more shows I didn't even get a chance to watch: For All Mankind, The Bear, Foundation, The Crown, The Curse etc have all had runs in 2023 I just couldn't get to because, again, we have the wonderful "problem" of so much great television to watch! https://i.imgur.com/EvKzyqc.mp4 10. Paul T. Goldman (Peacock): I watched this show near the start of the year knowing nothing about it beyond it had a lot of buzz, with people utterly enthralled and going out of their way NOT to say too much and give away what was happening, knowing it would work best for viewers to go in fresh. I'm so glad I got to experience that, the "story" of Paul T. Goldman is an incredible experience to see unfold, expertly put together by Jason Woliner over a lengthy period of years as he struggled to find somebody willing to take a chance on a truly bizarre tale. Best known perhaps for directing the sequel to Borat, Woliner has also worked on a variety of shows such as What We Do in the Shadows, Tim & Eric, Nathan for You, W/ Bob & David, Parks & Recreation and Saturday Night Live. As such, coupled with the bizarre subject matter, you're never really sure exactly what you're watching with this show: is it a straight up documentary? A made-up story? Is Paul T. Goldman a real person or an elaborate creation? And if the latter, then WHOSE creation? Did these events really happen? How much of what we are seeing is accurate and how much is being presented either deliberately or unintentionally through a distorted lens? Goldman's own willingness to produce both his own self-published documentary accounts AND fictional dramatic series of novels, and how elements of each thread themselves into his lives, just continually muddies the waters. And the entire time you're left wondering, why is Woliner telling this story? Why did he listen when everybody else Goldman approached in his scattershot manner (wisely?) avoided him like the plague? How much is Woliner indulging a potentially unhinged man's fantasies and how much is he actually setting the stage for his own investigative documentary work? Goldman plays himself but also actively produces the reenactments and scripted fantasies, dragging Woliner in as a character himself in spite of his objections (the actor originally cast as the fictional version of Woliner and his reaction to realizing Goldman is pushing him out of a job is amazing). And the crazy thing is, everything I've just covered barely touches the surface level of what is going on with this series. The depths of insanity just seem to keep going, and even now almost a year later I'm still not entirely certain if what I watched was pure fiction, or if Paul T. Goldman is a person who really does exist and who really has done all the things - comical, sometimes pitiful, sometimes endearing, sometimes outright despicable and cruel - he claims he has, unaware himself of just how it makes him look. Or perhaps, aware and willing to put up with it all out of a desperate need to be seen, to matter, for people to remember him and his life and to be more than the man who may have felt he had nothing to show for a lifetime of foiled ambition and an inability to find the love he so clearly desperately wants. I'll certainly never forget him, even if I don't think I'll ever truly understand him. https://i.imgur.com/fWgQTkD.mp4 9. Loki (Disney+): Disney's most recent fare Marvel and Star Wars wise have ranged from mixed (The Mandalorian) to disappointing (Ahsoka) to outright awful (Secret Invasion). So season 2 of Loki was a welcome change, immediately picking up from where Season 1 left off and standing out if only for the superb art direction, set design and the welcome inclusion of Ke Huy Quan as a new regular cast member. But the first 4 episodes also felt oddly disconnected, like we weren't getting the full story, or there were gaps in the writing. Each episode was still fine in isolation, but I wasn't entirely sure what the overall thrust of the season was supposed to be, what the big story was. I put some of this down to Jonathan Majors being a significant part of the season and assumed they might have had to shoot around some problems due to his legal issues (he's since been found guilty and immediately dropped by Marvel and will no longer be playing Kang in the future, when he was originally intended as the new major antagonist for the upcoming movies). But then at the end of episode 4, everything changed, with episode 5 recontextualizing aspects of the first four episodes and the final episode bringing everything from the last two seasons AND Loki's character since the start of the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" together into an incredibly beautiful and cathartic ending. There are still problems with those first four episodes, I still feel like there are parts missing, that some things weren't shot or weren't explained well, either lost on the cutting room floor or through gaps in the initial writing. But the series finished SO strongly that it's easy for me to overlook it. After continually trying to find solutions or ways to solve the problems caused by Sylvie's (very justified!) actions at the end of Season 1, Loki finally realizes what he has been doing wrong. His rejection of He Who Remains' structure, ceasing to try and find solutions to problems that have been designed to have only one possible (and horrible) solution, is all perfectly reflected in a line from an earlier episode where Sylvie complains about playing Gods and he reminds her that this is exactly what they are. In Episode 6, Loki realizes what being a God actually means, and he achieves everything his villainous self once dreamed of... but not in the way that version of himself thought he wanted. Being a God is sacrificing yourself for others, using your power FOR them, not using them to make yourself feel better. Loki stops sacrificing others, he stops trying to find a way to have it all, and in doing so he achieves a Godhood/Immortality that is beautiful to see unfold. The realization that putting himself at the center of the flow of time and keeping the dying strands of alternate timelines alive so they can "have a chance" has literally created Yggdrasil is a stunningly beautiful moment: this is where Loki was always going, but it isn't predestination, it isn't part of some grand design. It is a person who came to the TVA a selfish, monstrous killer who thought only about himself realizing that he cares more about letting others have a choice than having power for himself. As the culmination of a character's growth across over a decade, multiple films and television series, it makes Tom Hiddleston's Loki one of the most complete characters the MCU has produced, and while I love his portrayal I would be more than happy for this to be the last we ever see of him. Nothing else could possibly top the ending he got here. https://i.imgur.com/eZBKcng.mp4 8. Scavengers Reign (HBO Max): What? No seriously... WHAT!?! This bizarre, beautiful, stunningly animated series left me continually confused and often horrified, but also utterly fascinated and enthralled. Telling the story of the survivors of a starship disaster whose escape pods crashed on the planet Vesta, the series is 20% a story of survival and 80% a Nature Documentary series... except it's for an alien planet where the ecology is completely unknown and outright inscrutable in parts. I feel like I could watch in amazement endless segments of the various flora and fauna interacting in this bizarre environment. Everything feels like it has been carefully thought out and understood by the writers, all the result of nature and evolution... but a foreign nature and a completely different environment that produced an evolution unlike anything we have seen on Earth. Throwing humans into the mix leads to an endless series of calamities (and, to be fair, some deeply beautiful moments) as they find themselves struggling to fit in with an utterly alien ecosystem that they're simply not designed to exist in. There are interesting examinations of guilt, fear and loneliness as well as what classifies as sentience. Sometimes alien entities appear to be acting with specific, conscious intent but it's never entirely clear if we're simply seeing instinct and survival imperatives and assigning self-awareness, malice or benevolence to them in an effort to understand them. The planet is deadly, but it teems with life, and that life by its nature is often completely inimical to human life. Everything can be reduced to creatures or plants that are simply trying to survive, but the same can be said of humans and life on our own planet, and just like in wildlife documentaries, as a viewer you find yourself rooting for both prey AND predator, understanding that ultimately life requires death to continue to exist. Meanwhile, we get just enough glimpses of the backstory of the various humans to help flesh out characters who we first meet in situations completely outside of their normal scope of understanding. There are heroes and villains, but even the outright villainous characters we get some understanding of why they are what they are. It's an insight we very specifically do not get with the alien creatures (outside of one very unique exception - the human woman who has been infected by a parasite for decades and it isn't entirely clear how much of her is even "her" anymore), a deliberate choice that both leaves us to interpret their behavior for ourselves, but also to really hammer home the sense that these are the "other" as the human survivors must surely think of them. That the series ends with the humans figuring out how to not just survive but blend in with this alien environment is I think a hopeful note, with the one successful escapee seen to have ended up in a far worse situation than she would have been in if she'd accepted that you can't always think only about yourself. There might be a sequel, but there might not, and I'd be happy with that, because this isn't a series I think really needs answers to the many questions it raised. Whether we ever get answers or not, this is a show I will be thinking about for a very long time to come. https://i.imgur.com/zwWDNSu.mp4 7. Beef (Netflix): I heard good things about this show so I watched the first couple of episodes and... yeah, it was good. Nothing special, but an interesting enough premise: a stupid road rage incident showcases the differing lives of the two drivers: an angry failure of a man and a frustrated success of a woman. But then I watched the third episode and it was really good so I watched the 4th, and then the 5th, and 6th, and onwards until I'd watched the entire 10 episode run, unable to take my eyes of the utter trainwreck that was both their constantly intersecting lives. Ali Wong gives a great performance, and she more than earns her co-top billing, but for me personally it was Steven Yeun's performance that really blew me away. Probably best known for The Walking Dead (and one of the redeeming features of that honestly quite dreadful show) but also turning in a great performance in Nope, his role as Danny Cho blows them all out of the water. Getting the context behind his attempt to return a grill in the first episode is just the start of seeing the deep well of depression that Danny has ended up in after a life of failure, of getting walked all over, of feeling like if he could JUST get a chance he could make a success of his life but never quite grasping (at least permanently) how much he is to blame for a large amount of the problems in his life. When he breaks down in the Church, as seen in the mp4 above, it's a deeply moving performance and just one example of how Yeun really makes you buy into Danny as a character, as a person, and to feel pity for him even as you understand that he's either the cause of, or makes worse, the problems and setbacks he meets in life. The petty one-up-manship between him and Ali Wong's Amy mostly serve as distractions to the massive problems in their own lives that they're refusing to face up to. Each have more in common than they'd ever want to admit, and the final episode where they literally see things from a different perspective is a fantastic bit of storytelling. But it's not just two great performances from two great actors. It's an entire created world, their families, the side characters, the business, the Church, the motel, the construction business etc all feel part of something real. Where shows like Scavengers' Reign and Loki deal with the fantastical, and Paul T. Goldman plays around with a sense of the unreal, the surreal elements of Beef are given a light touch that makes them feel like a just slightly elevated version of the real world. You can see characters like Danny and Amy existing, and while their lives might not interact as often as they do in the show, you can see similar situations arising, you can see people letting things get out-of-hand because of ego or a need to vent out their anger on a stranger that they can't on family, friends or workmates. If you were to take the events of the last two episodes and apply them to the first, it would seem like the story had gone over-the-top and lost touch with reality. But that's kind of the point, road rage is an over-the-top reaction to the inconsequential and mundane. This is just taken to an extreme in Beef, and it is to the credit of the show that by the time it reaches its most over-the-top point everything has slowly built up to the extent that you can see the twisted logic in Danny and Amy's desperate efforts to exert control over the chaotic forces of a world they feel isn't playing fair with them. https://i.imgur.com/4ogGXYL.mp4 6. What We Do in the Shadows (FX): While I've enjoyed every season of this show so far, the last couple of seasons before this one had felt somewhat "weaker" than the first two, even if they retained a relatively high standard that I'd be pleased to see most shows meet. But this latest season has felt like a real return to the superb form of the first 2 seasons, and perhaps the most "complete" season so far. It is a season that has managed to both keep up the silly vampire hijinks of individual episodes as well as having a running major plot-point. Guillermo's decision at the end of the previous season to shortcut his master's seeming unwillingness to turn him, instead paying another vampire to make the change for him, ends up having wild repercussions he should have seen coming. The entire season is fallout from that decision, and while the stakes are deadly serious for all involved, it is of course pure comedy all the way through, running parallel to a series of subplots for the other characters that turn out to have been orchestrated for a fittingly stupid purpose - Kristen Schwaal's Guide doesn't like that they don't include her as part of the gang and so fucks with them a bit, goes off the deep end and tries to murder them and then is tricked into liking them all again with a hilariously transparent ploy. Each of the main cast gets a chance to shine and for the most part each of their stories are hilarious: a bizarre subplot around Nadja making friends with a lady who likes donuts is confusingly bad, and the exception that otherwise proves the rule. You have Energy Vampire ColinRobinson getting into local politics and finding himself forced to become charismatic and exciting after an amazing encounter with his astonishingly boring superiors; Nadja discovering she has been cursed and reconnecting with her roots; Laszlo conducting mad science experiments on Guillermo and his stalled transformation; Nadja swapping bodies with the doll that holds her soul resulting in ColinRobinson ALSO inside her body and both of them having enthusiastic sex with Laszlo; Nadja taking Guillermo to the Familiar "Vet"; the vampires offering then forgetting to plan a Pride Parade that turns into a massive success; Nandor going to space; ColinRobinson getting run over by John Slattery; the vampires at the mall; Nandor and ColinRobinson teaching history; Nandor becoming friends with then killing then mourning Patton Oswalt; and in perhaps the best episode of the entire season a disastrous local news interview with Nandor ending in the vampires literally assaulting a news agency while it's in the middle of a broadcast and then continuing the broadcast in their slaughtered victims' place. But through all this continues the story of Guillermo both trying to figure out why he can't complete his transformation and hiding the truth from Nandor. This leads to a surprisingly emotional payoff, as well as moments throughout the season and particularly the final episode where Guillermo starts thinking about the reality of the implications of being a vampire for the first time. A section where he has a realization about a shampoo purchase is shockingly powerful, and it leads to a climax that some might call pat but which I thought was a beautiful way to wrap up the season, as well as set the stage for what would appear to be a final upcoming season that finally ends the show while it is still on top. I never dreamed a television version of a rather obscure New Zealand comedy film would end up being so good, and that it has remained so good for five seasons and in fact just had one of its strongest seasons here is nothing short of a miracle. https://i.imgur.com/6ECsqUe.mp4 5. Barry (HBO): The cliffhanger finale to the previous season of Barry suggested some particular ideas of where the show might go, but probably nobody could have predicted where the show did go... or if they did, could not have guessed how quickly that would change. Because this final season goes some wild places, and even just one of the multiple storylines that unfold could have carried an entire season. One of the major thrusts of the show over the previous season was co-creator Bill Hader's efforts to remind people that Barry is a monstrous, dangerous person, and this last season continues that. But while the mask is off and everybody in the show is now fully aware of what Barry is, it doesn't change that characters still find themselves drawn into his orbit, whether out of love, fascination, need, or a desperate desire to believe something good can come out of the trail of dead bodies left in his wake. Whether it is Sally, Gene, NoHo Hank or the impressively repulsive Fuches, characters can't seem to resist trying to involve themselves with him, usually for very selfish reasons. A recurring theme of the season is that people just can't ever leave well enough alone. Many of the characters triumph. They achieve. They succeed. They win... and then they just can't help themselves, they have to go for just a little bit more, try for just a little bit extra, go just that one extra step. Part of this relates to the LA/Hollywood setting, but you can only blame the environment so much because even those characters who separate (by choice or by force) from that setting find themselves in the same boat. Characters COULD have been happy, they COULD have just let things go, and in many cases they weren't even called back by seeing others go unpunished, they just wanted MORE, they just wanted things on their own terms, and seeking just that little bit more is their undoing. Even Robert Wisdom's Jim Moss, who in the previous season was unique in that he was a character who just did what was the right thing and refused to let himself be roped into trying to game the system for his own benefit, ends up letting himself get caught up in the bullshit to a certain extent. It's both maddening and enthralling to see how everything falls apart for everybody, how people snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but also to see where everybody eventually ends up: those who find some measure of peace, those who just can't let things go, and how in the end things like the truth or reality become lost in that same enticing artifice that drew Barry into the acting class way back in Season One. Throughout, there are astonishing performances from Sarah Goldberg, Stephen Root and Henry Winkler but it feels wrong to single them out when EVERYBODY involved is bringing their A Game. Hader's Barry is an incredible creation, both in writing and performance, and Anthony Carrigan's NoHo Hank could have so easily been a one-note joke and one-dimensional performance but ends up being so much more. It's fantastic to see a show end so strongly, much like Atlanta did in 2022, and in this case so clearly and definitively. I'll miss the series, I'll miss the characters, but I'm also glad that it's over, because the story feels complete and I am more than satisfied with what I got. https://i.imgur.com/Er91Fw4.mp4 4. Poker Face (Peacock): Rian Johnson did a very clever thing, and tricked NBC into making a new season of Columbo, only instead of the detective being a somewhat rumpled police lieutenant he's now a burned out not-quite-Vegas cocktail waitress who can tell when people are lying. That description sounds awful, and that's because I'm neither Rian Johnson or Natasha Lyonne, both who are far more talented than I can ever dream of being. The show is incredibly entertaining, optimistic without being saccharine, realistic without being cynical, and somehow turns what is essentially a magical super power into an entirely believable thing that Lyonne's Charlie just happens to be capable of. Importantly, Charlie's talent doesn't make her a genius, what helps her solve crimes is how incredibly dogged she is, but she's no mastermind, and is too naturally truthful for her own good, usually giving away more than she should to the criminals who then weaponize her own talent against her, or at least neutralize it. Like Columbo, every episode opens with some background time with characters before the crime occurs. Unlike Columbo, the show will then slip back to the events we've just seen to reveal Charlie was (unknowingly) on the periphery, recontextualizing what we've seen to give us a fuller story even than what Charlie is aware of. Like Columbo, every week is a new crime, new people, a new location. Unlike Columbo, there's also a overarching season long story as Charlie continues to be on the run following the events of the first episode. That all wraps up in very satisfying fashion in the season finale and sets up a new reason for Charlie's endless roadtrip to continue for the next season, and more crimes, mysteries (howcatch'em? rather than whodunnit?) and - in pure Columbo fashion - various well-known actors thrilling to the chance to play the villain and chew some scenery. And boy do they! Adrien Brody, Ron Perlman, Chloë Sevigny, Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson, Ellen Barkin, Tim Meadows, Jameela Jamil, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, Tim Russ, Cherry Jones, Stephanie Hsu, Rhea Perlman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and more all appear as murderers, victims or delightful supporting characters. The show goes to some dark places but never loses its delightful sense of humor. It rarely ventures into the high class, even the rich in this series are for the most part involved on the periphery, and mostly what we see are people on the edge: near bankrupt, ostracized in some way, struggling to survive, feeling poo poo on or overlooked by society. None of it excuses their crimes, but you get to see (mostly) why they find themselves in the position they're in, and why they took the moral shortcut or short-term action they did. Everything after that is an attempt to cover up their crime, all while Lyonne's Charlie - much like Columbo - continues to burrow away at them relentlessly like a tick, asking awkward questions, uncovering holes in their stories, prying open the edges of their alibis and cover stories until they're fully exposed to the light. It's a fantastic creation, exceptionally funny, endlessly entertaining, and somehow Natasha Lyonne of all people is now the closest thing to Peter Falk you can get in the 2020s. https://i.imgur.com/PYpuqj6.mp4 3. Doctor Who (BBC): After two and a half seasons and three specials of sadly bland material that utterly wasted Jodie Whittaker in the lead role, Chris Chibnall wrapped up his time as showrunner of Doctor Who in October of 2022. We already knew his replacement, and it had raised some eyebrows. Russell T. Davies, who had brought the show back from a 16 year (outside a single TV movie blip in 1996) hiatus, was returning to act as showrunner once more... and this time he was bringing Disney? Doctor Who, while still a BBC show, was now being produced by Davies' "Bad Wolf Productions" and was going into a streaming partnership with Disney. People were both excited and nervous about this: RTD's original run on the show was a mixed bag of high stakes, exhilarating nonsense that often carried the viewer (i.e, me!) away in the moment but didn't always stand up to any further scrutiny. Anything had to be better than Chibnall's bland nonsense though, surely? But still... going back to an old showrunner seemed like the BBC was admitting they were out of ideas, that nobody else wanted the job, and this was a hail mary to keep the show relevant. Davies going straight back to old stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate to feature in the three specials to air to mark the show's 60th Anniversary also suggested maybe he was just going to be rehashing prior material. Never doubt that glorious mad Welsh Giant. From the second RTD took over the show to film the back half of the regeneration sequence for Whittaker's final episode, the energy and astonishment was back at full force. Having announced already that Ncuti Gatwa of Sex Education fame would be playing the next Doctor, everybody expected to see Gatwa appear at the end of the episode, and he'd be a part of the three specials with David Tennant along for the ride to help ease the audience into the new actor. Instead, David Tennant appeared, seemingly as confused as everybody else... and then we had to wait over a year to find out what happened next! And what happened next was glorious! Across three specials, David Tennant and Catherine Tate allowed Russell T. Davies to update and revive his own initial revival of the show, to address and fix those things he felt hadn't been properly addressed or handled by himself during his time in charge, but also to pay homage to and incorporate everything that has happened in the show since he left. Remarkably, in only a single line he managed to turn Chibnall's rightfully hated "Timeless Child" nonsense storyline into something intriguing, and to continue to make lemonade from those lemons all the way through to the Christmas Special that marked Ncuti Gatwa's first full episode as the Doctor. Each special allowed RTD to showcase a different style of story and remind the audience just how strong a writer he can be when he's on: a traditional "alien lands on Earth and things get frantic" episode; a frankly terrifying exploration of some Lovecraftian horrors from beyond the universe; and a joyfully self-indulgent deep dive into Doctor Who's own deep history that also served to update and adapt characters from the 1960s that wouldn't (and absolutely shouldn't) work in the 2020s. Tennant and Tate's delightful chemistry from their 2008 run on the show hadn't just survived but deepened, we got to see the wonderful Bernard Cribbins one more time, but the show made certain not to simply just wallow in nostalgia for its own sake. The mp4 above (somewhat comically) showcased just how deeply hosed up a lot of what the Doctor had been through over the last 15 years and used that to strong story effect to create a deeply satisfying "end" to David Tennant's second run as the Doctor, as well as explain (not that it's REALLY needed) why Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor (who absolutely RADIATES energy and charisma) can really be a clean slate and continue his adventures fresh and revitalized and full of new energy. That's what Doctor Who feels like now, after 3 Anniversary Specials for Tennant and a Christmas Special for Gatwa: fresh and revitalized. RTD isn't simply playing his greatest hits (and those are pretty great!) but doing in 2023 what he once did in 2005: saving Doctor Who. Thank God. https://i.imgur.com/R8Zq7Jq.mp4 2. Succession (HBO): The tough thing isn't to catch a tiger by it's tail, it's letting it go. That's how it must feel to be the lead writer/showrunner on a show like Succession. Here you've got an extremely popular show, lauded for its writing, direction, characters, costuming, acting, scoring and themes... and now you've got to wrap it all up in 10 episodes in a way that pays off all that, that wraps up its characters and the major (and minor!) storylines and does it all in a way that is satisfying and hopefully more than just competent. After reaching the end of Season 3 I was starting to think the show was already feeling a little too stretched out and the storylines too thin, the characters just a bit too repetitive. Maybe Jesse Armstrong felt the same way, or maybe this was always the plan, but season 4 changes up the status quo in a major way and leads to one of the most breathlessly confident and self-assured finales to a major prestige drama series I've ever seen. By the time that limo drove away, that drink was poured, that final haunted look out over the river was taken, I was in awe of just how strong a finish the show had managed, how much it had nailed the landing and then strutted confidently off to wait on top scores from all the judges. But perhaps the second most audacious thing the show did was to kill off Brian Cox in only the third episode of the season, with the most audacious being the decision to have that death happen entirely off-screen, leaving us to watch as the Roy children AND Logan's various hangers-on, confidants, employees and cronies tried to figure out what a post-Logan world meant for them. The camerawork in that episode is masterfully handled, turning the viewers into voyeurs, giving us the sense that we're somewhere we're not supposed to be, privy to things that we shouldn't be involved in. But then, EVERYTHING in the show was so meticulously handled, and not just in that episode. Each of the actors gives the performance of their careers throughout this season, most of them getting real chances to shine but none more-so than the main Roy children. Alan Ruck's Connor, the ACTUAL "eldest boy", is deliberately sidelined many times but shines when he has his moments, but it is Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin who steal the show as we watch the combustible mix of their simultaneous love/hatred for their father, the business, each other and in particular themselves. They sabotage each other, they self-sabotage, but they also can't keep away, they long to work together, they crave togetherness... it's just that none of them can stand the idea of one of the others "winning". That's the ultimate result of Logan Roy's manipulations and abuse of them. An early episode and a conversation with his bodyguard gives the clearest indication ever of what every viewer must have suspected but the Roy children themselves never quite seemed to grasp: Logan was NEVER going to name a successor, because he simply doesn't care about what happens to the business after he dies, it can succeed or fail and anybody can run it, but it won't be him and it won't affect him, because he'll be dead. The only thought to a post-death future he gives is buying a mausoleum to hold his mortal remains, and the only nod to thinking of his children's future beyond that is reserving places for their corpses to eventually join his. Which is not to say he doesn't love them, the karaoke episode makes it clear he does, but they're phenomenally rich already, they'll be fine. For Logan, "succession" would mean giving them what he feels he earned himself. If they want to make their own success, they can go ahead and do it themselves (they're all billionaires, remember!), but while he was alive "succession was a handy tool for getting them to do what he wanted them to do. Once he's dead... who cares? Logan Roy is a monster (albeit a beautifully acted one by Brian Cox) and he casts a long, long shadow over his children. They have become so caught up in trying to please him, to best him, to equal him, to destroy him, to be embraced by him that they've seemingly lost the capability to ever be happy. That's ultimately what he gave them, a gnawing sense of doubt and unhappiness that nothing could ever fill because he would never give it to them. "It was so warm in the light" Shiv remarks at one pivotal point in the series, and it's a beautiful line that speaks to how often he left them in the dark, cold and shivering but also thinking about that rare warmth, that almost never seen light. A moment during a late episode shows us a side of Logan we haven't seen, and it's clear the kids have almost never seen it either, as they watch a recording of a casual dinner Logan held at home with colleagues from work and his "eldest boy" Connor, the latter having an ease of place and acceptance that they've all craved, never suspecting that the "failed first experiment" son had it all along. This write-up barely touches on the many fantastic storylines that ran through the season (the election episode in particular is incredible) and that's because they fit SO MUCH into these ten episodes. Whenever a show this good in every aspect comes along you cherish it, and when it's done you wonder if any show could possibly ever again live up to it. Something will come along, certainly, and it'll be great in an entirely different way. So it was for Succession, so different to Mad Men which was so different to The Sopranos or The Wire or Breaking Bad or Deadwood so many of the other "great" television series we've been lucky enough to have. In a pretty great year for television, this was almost the best television show of 2023. Almost. https://i.imgur.com/LaDqjN8.mp4 1. Slow Horses (Apple TV+): I didn't even know this loving show existed, and yet here it is, the best show of 2023! A show seemingly built from the ground up to appeal specifically to me, Jerusalem! Filming two seasons of 6 episodes each at a time, Seasons 1 and 2 aired in 2022 before a year long gap before Season 3 started at the end of November of 2023. When I heard there was a British Spy Drama starring Gary Oldman, I leaped on it, assuming I would be getting something like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and that Oldman would be playing a George Smiley type. And I was right! That's EXACTLY what this show is... provided The Circus was a lovely two story office building and Smiley was a slovenly drunk with bad gas relegated to looking after all the British Secret Service's rejects and failures! Revolving around "Slough House", the dumping ground for agents who have hosed up badly enough to disqualify them from actual spy work but not quite bad enough to warrant outright firing, the show's setting makes Le Carre's novels seem like the exciting, glamor-filled excesses of Fleming's Bond novels. It's not an exciting and sexy place to work, and that clearly rankles on the man who clearly thinks of himself as the central character of one of those exciting spy novels, River Cartwright, whose name and physical appearance all seem custom-built by an excitable author to be a super-spy. A disastrous training exercise at Stansted Airport see him dumped at Slough House however, and over three seasons we continually see him unable to quite shake off the idea that he's one daring rescue or successful fieldwork operation away from a triumphant return to "The Park". He's not the only one with delusions of grandeur though, each of his colleagues has some excuse for their gently caress-up, or hope that hard work will get them back to the beating heart of the service. Only Oldman's Jackson Lamb appears content to remain where he is, drinking and farting his way through ignoring the continually piling up meaningless paperwork until he dies. Which, of course, in the best George Smiley tradition leads to the reveal that he's an exceptionally talented Cold War era spy who keeps finding himself begrudgingly tied back into major events as the overly complicated schemes of old enemies, meddling politicians and his own service keep blowing up in their faces and he has to save his people and avoid them, Slough House and himself becoming collateral damage. It's hard to imagine anybody playing Lamb as well as Oldman does. Part of that is because this is the only portrayal of the character we've seen, of course, but there are few actors who could simultaneously pull off a character being simultaneously a fat, slovenly, disgusting old wreck of a man AND a highly competent, sharp-minded and extremely dangerous spy and not have at least one of those roles feel like just that: a role. Oldman, as he almost always does, disappears completely into the role. You don't see Dracula. You don't see Sid Vicious. You don't see Beethoven or Mason Verger or Sirius Black or Commissioner Gordon or Norman Stansfield. Most importantly, you don't see George Smiley. But you don't see Gary Oldman either. You see Jackson Lamb, and you simultaneously believe he's a useless wreck AND a frighteningly competent and dangerous spymaster. Season 3 is perhaps more action oriented than the previous two seasons which were somewhat lower-stakes and more cerebral, but it's also a season where it's clear the actors have settled in well to their roles, the writers are confident, characters have some depth that is allowing them to develop, and there is enough familiarity that you can absolutely see and accept how they adapt to the rather wild situation they find themselves in. More to the point though, the real joy of the series is seeing the competencies (or incompetencies sometimes) of the spies leading them down multiple different paths, how they get to where they're going, the mistakes the make but also the little triumphs they have.... most especially because almost always at the end of that road is Jackson Lamb, who we've also seen walking his own path, waiting for them and grumpily informing them he's already figured out or handled the situation that they're proudly trying to explain to him now. Lamb isn't some superman, he's far from flawless (far, far, FARRRRRRR from flawless) but he's somebody with real talent and skill who - for reasons made clear at the end of Season 1 - has decided he just doesn't want to be active anymore but knows he can't hack it as a civilian. But those old instincts die hard, and one rule he always stands by is that he looks after his "Joes". It doesn't matter if he detests them, or if he's actively trying to get them to quit most of the time, or if he thinks they're useless. They're HIS Joes, and woe betide anybody who harms a hair on their loser heads. In a year of incredible television, Slow Horses blew me away and I devoured all three seasons in a couple of weeks, and I'm desperate for the fourth season hopefully sooner rather than later in 2024. It mixes comedy, drama and intrigue masterfully well, and the episodes just carried me away so the only thing that stopped me from watching another was that I had to wait for the final episode (which came out yesterday!) and now I have to wait for 2024. This was, quite easily, the best television show of the year. Edit: Fixed some typos. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Dec 30, 2023 |
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Dec 28, 2023 06:04
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A simple version of my Top Ten without all the  10. Paul T. Goldman 9. Loki 8. Scavengers Reign 7. Beef 6. What We Do in the Shadows 5. Barry 4. Poker Face 3. Doctor Who 2. Succession 1. Slow Horses
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Dec 28, 2023 06:05
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Alternatives that didnt make it: Somebody Somewhere, Jury Duty, Physical 100, Such Brave Girls (i loving forgot about Loki, here's what I originally wrote about Such Brave Girls as my original number 10: "Raunchy and filthy in a new way, crafted in the emotional baby-talk of modern Twitter, it did a great job of creating characters that are uniformly selfish and you don't mind seeing put through the ringer, though there is a kernel of sympathy engendered by the family's mad scramble for material comfortability. It genuinenly went places that had me uncomfortably laughing and astonished that they got to, while still not being as rough a watch as say The Curse, where the awkwardness actually becomes painful.") 10 - Loki Coming in at the bottom of the list but definitely still one of the best shows I saw this year, its a comic book property at its best, pure speculation unburdened with any notions of "reality" or common sense. The God of Lies becomes an agent of order to preserve his work place, world, and work mates. And it does so believably, making this arc makes sense through the ground it already covered and the journey Loki goes through the season. Which is a harrowing saga full of disturbing scenes of the universe falling apart, before it all comes together in a way that's perfect, Loki making the ultimate sacrifice for his "terrible purpose." In a scene that might be the most powerful of the year, at least for me, which is incredible to think of, the last scene in a Marvel property not only ending well, but satisfyingly enough to just stop there. A wonderful sci fi fantasy story. 9 - I Think You Should Leave Going strong in its latest season, with far out ideas for sketches that seem to have taken a step in complexity, my favorite sketch show is still hilarious. The Doggy Door sketch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pwyCl5ymE) or my favorite the Chaplin one (with a guy obsessed with silent comedy doing a tour of fratty colleges so frat dudes can yell at him) just left me guffawing as the sketch unwinds into two, three or more different comedy beats when any other sketch show would be happy with one. Another amazing season. 8 - Paul T. Goldman A documentary show about a very strange man existing on several layers of irony, this show is an experience. Based on the wacked out fantasies of a man intent on lying to himself/become a famous actor, the show is based on a book, which is based on a hoped for movie, about this man hating his missing wife, who might or might not be missing. Complete with "re-imaginings" of that same book, the show is hilarious while also constantly reminding you that this is all from a person who exists, and may not be in the joke at all. 7 - One Piece I never expected to list an anime, not to mention a live action version of an anime, on my top 10. Which is strange as a fan of anime, but it never comes to my mind for these types of lists, cataloging the best and most artfully made tv shows of the year. One Piece is different though, perhaps allowing its live action depiction to sand off some of the roughest and tropiest elements of its genre, while allowing amazing stunt choreography and insanely committed acting to fill in the spaces. It was a great rollicking pirate-y time which oftentimes had me questioning how they managed to create a great scene or confrontation, or in the end, a very satsifying season of TV. 6 - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off So much for my non-inclusion of anime, though with its Western sensibilities, well-written script, and nuanced voice acting, it hardly feels like the norm. Its the best, most mature take on the Scott Pilgrim universe in any medium in my opinion, and its decision to examine how these characters grow after the less than sophisticated journeys to find love and themselves really struck a chord with me, especially as someone who has grown with the property. Its also hilarious as hell and a great action spectacle. What a great surprise. 5- Scavengers Reign A welcome return to hard-edged speculative science fiction, brilliantly animated in a way I think might not be reproducible in any other medium (poo poo, I guess I really like anything anime related lol). Every minute is more chock-full of intense alternative non-Earth habitation, fauna, and flora that I often found myself pausing to just take it in. Towards the end of the season, every episode started with a Six Feet Under-like exploration of life and death that left me breathless and grateful for having witnessed it. Its human characters are unmistakeably adult professionals, regardless of what they had done previous to the events of the story, they are all doing their best to survive, firmly taking this show away from any pure horror/slasher realm to one where you are fully invested in their survival, easier said than done considering how loving aggressive and alien the planet they happened to crash on is. 4- Barry Bringing it home after 4 seasons of some of the best black comedy TV has ever seen, it didn't gently caress up! It didn't gently caress up! A show with this amount of expectation stumbling in its last season/episode seems more natural than the alternative, how many shows actually end well? But this one did, by still being unexpectedly funny in the saddest circumstances, with characters like Barry, NoHo, and Sally whose personalities are so firmlly established now you can predict their actions, sadly. And by ending with a thesis that it holds to the end. Barry was horrible, and needed to die. And the show never swerved from that, the epilogue a nice reminder that these characters can move on from him. 3 - The Bear TV's most intense (scripted) television show about cooking, the show took a leap into the unknown, as its characterss left behind the comfortable confines of the local sandwich spot to fancy restuarant land. Argue the worthwhileness of that step, you can't deny that it took some bravery to change so much of the restuarant, and the show itself, between seasons. It also allowed us a close perspective to see how challenging that could be, and an often thrill as you see the characters rise to meet it, improving themselves for their art. And some sadness, as you see that for some characters coughCarmencough it will never be enough. Superbly directed acted and written, every hour felt like an elevated episode of TV. 2 - Succession Like a lot of properties this year, this was the final season of the show (man what are we going to do for shows next year?). A comedy drama hybrid ably handling our current alienation from financial elites by depicting yet never fully buying into the incredible lives and lifestyles of the world's 1 percent. Always focused on the corrupting effect of money in society and these character's lives, most of whom would likely be better off if they had never been born into so much of it, it ended its Shakespeare like saga well. King Lear is dead, his empire to be broken up by insurgent outside forces, his children, torn apart and from each other from the toxic environment emanating from its patriach and fully infiltrating into his children, sent into insignificance or whatever cast-offs of power thrown thier way. I don't know how they did it but they made a responsibly made and capitalist critique show that somehow made the billionaire life...seem pretty sad. And that's amazing. 1 - Reservation Dogs In the year of amazing shows coming to a close, this one comes out on top. Personal, while other shows went big with their themes and views on society, this season closed the loop on the story of children becoming adults while (and maybe because of) their awareness and acceptance of death. Everyone dies, and everyone deals with it, eventually, yet I've never seen a show more intent on depicting the life that happens around and after death. The kids grew up, and became something that drew their community closer together, the response to the first episode and season's urge to escape held by many of its characters. You can leave home, but what makes it home is that you can always return to it. And they did, and surely will continue to, and the world's a better place that this show created characters nuanced strong enough for you to imagine that. An emotional roller-coaster that ends with catharsis. My favorite show of the year, and several others. Shageletic fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Dec 29, 2023 |
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Dec 29, 2023 18:34
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I feel pretty good about my top 7. The last 3, eh, maybe I'd pick something else on a different day. But first, some Honorable Mentions: Mrs. Davis, Foundation, Sex Education, Ahsoka, Ted Lasso, Based on a True Story, Bosch: Legacy, High on the Hog, Legend of Vox Machina, Brokenwood Mysteries, Steeltown Murders, Detective #24, Human Footprint, The Crown Best shows I watched not from 2023: Andor, Lodge 49. And the Top 10 10) Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime Video). The first season didn't make my list, but I think this was one of the better shows this year? It was actually fun to watch, with loads of additional characters who give the main characters enough to do and with a season long plot that works to reunite everyone in a satisfying climax. 9) What We Do in the Shadows (FX). I don't think this is one of the better seasons, and if you told me the episodes were just fleshed out AI prompts for random plots I wouldn't be shocked. Still, this show goes all in on the outrageous fun. What will those vampire roommates get up to next? As long as the show remains funny and creative enough to make the self-indulgence forgivable, I'll keep watching. 8) The Diplomat (Netflix) I'm not sure how widely this was watched in goonland, but I think there are some very vague similarities to Slow Horses here. A successful in-the-trenches foreign affairs worker (Kerri Russell) gets yanked out of her job and into the posh world of the US Ambassador to Britain. She has to navigate the pomp and glitz of what is supposed to be a mainly ceremonial role, but the job becomes increasingly fraught with secrecy and scandal, and it's clear that others are using her as a political pawn. Among those prodding her on her way is her husband, a former ambassador played with the perfect hint of mischief and menace by Rufus Sewell. 7) Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)- I'm not a fan of musicals, but I could forgive the self-indulgent Broadway setting of this season. Martin, Short, and Gomez keep their magic going and the show delivers a surprising, funny mystery. It's also hard to overemphasize how well produced this show is... I don't know if "slick" is the right word but this show found its groove in earlier seasons and feels so consistent and confident stylistically that you can really sit back and enjoy the ludicrous plot and chemistry of the leads. 6) Perry Mason (HBO) I was a big fan of the first season of this prequel adaptation and if anything this season raised the bar even higher. The show works both as a period drama with varied political and economic slices of life and as a detective/legal investigation. 1930's Los Angeles makes a fantastic backdrop and the show does an amazing job bringing it to life. Add to that great work from Matthew Rhys and supporting cast. 5) Poker Face (Peacock). There are so many reasons this show shouldn't work – an unnecessarily infallible protagonist in a show that reveals the whodonit of random mysteries at the beginning of its episodes, which themselves are barely stitched together with a fairly generic season through-line. But the conceit works thanks to the charismatic Natashe Lyonne and richly textured off-the-main-track settings. The reveal of how her character fit into the odd-ball menagerie is probably as fun as the resolution. 4) Slow Horses (Apple TV+). Gary Oldman, an old disgusting farting savant of a spy, leads a band of MI-5 misfit outcasts in Slough House. Part workplace comedy, part spy thriller, this show is funny as poo poo. This season may have strained credibility even more than past seasons, but the writers understand what we want from the show and are willing to give it to us in spades. 3) Dark Winds (AMC+)- Set in the 1970's on a Navajo land in New Mexico, a team of tribal police and a former FBI agent investigate interconnected crimes. Beautiful country? Check. Old secrets coming to light? Check. Indigenous stories? Yup. Zahn McClarnon? Heck yeah. A great show to look up if you're a fan of shows like True Detective, Mystery Road, or Longmire. 2) The Bear (FX)- I liked this season better than the first, possibly because the plot was a little more focused (on moving towards the re-opening of the restaurant). This show moved up to #2 on my list based mainly on two of my favorite episodes. The Copenhagen episode was quiet and sweet, maybe unambitious but utterly comforting and affirming. In contrast, the family Christmas flashback is literally one of the most well-constructed episodes of TV ever filmed, and the escalating tension was so pervasive I'm almost wary of trying to watch it again. The finale had some issues for me but I'm certainly all in for Season 3. 1) Reservation Dogs (FX)- For the 3rd year running Rez Dogs tops my list. This show is consistently excellent in telling unique, funny, poignant, insightful stories. There are stand-alone episodes (especially Deer Lady) that are memorably great hours of TV, these form the blocks of a season that weaves coming of age stories of young friends with the lives and lessons of the elders and spirits. Even potentially hokey episodes (old dudes go camping with young-uns) that have been done to death in every family sit-com come off as compelling and meaningful. I don't know if the finale was transcendent but it was a satisfying wrap-up consistent in tone with the rest of the series. Do yourself a favor and watch this modern masterpiece.
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Dec 29, 2023 23:00
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I really want to finish Rez Dogs before I make my list, but this year has been emotionally devastating for me and I don’t know if I can handle it. The last two seasons made me cry and I worry this one will break me.
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Dec 30, 2023 01:03
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The third season wasn't nearly as emotional as the first two. The whole season is more of an epilogue or supplementary material to flesh out the secondary characters. It all has a very celebratory feel about it.
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Dec 30, 2023 01:36
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I dunno, it's got its moments. There are still deaths, loneliness, abandonment... It's sooooo good though.
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Dec 30, 2023 01:55
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True the themes are still there but it was mostly handled deftly and in a way that is all about the characters celebrating, overcoming or moving on from those things rather than sitting around wallowing in it.
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Dec 30, 2023 09:35
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cryptoclastic posted:I really want to finish Rez Dogs before I make my list, but this year has been emotionally devastating for me and I don’t know if I can handle it. The last two seasons made me cry and I worry this one will break me. Yeah been there actually didn't watch the latest episode for ages because I was worried about being too devastated. But turns out it was funny and life affirming and warm as hell. And that any crying actually makes you feel better about everything. What a great show. Btw I would have totally put Fargo S5 on my list which is absolutely killing it with its exceptionally tight metaphor this year, but unfortunately it's last 3 eps are gonna be in 2024. I guess I was worri3d that it would suddenly tank?
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Dec 30, 2023 16:14
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Yeah, I was really considering putting it on and decided to hold off both because I'd like to see the whole thing before I land on where it should sit, and because after Season 3 and 4 I'm a little concerned they won't stick the landing of what has been a fantastic season so far.
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Dec 31, 2023 00:31
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Here are my fav TV shows I watched this year, some are older. I didn't watch 10 shows that aired in 2023, so this one isn't counted, but here's some stuff, gotta love TV. 1. Succession This show is incredible. I watched the whole thing within a few weeks, started the first season and saw the finale. Best binge in a long time, and what a wonderful cast of characters. Such incredible dialogue, so well done all around. I had heard it was cool for years, but for me it's so much more amazing and charming than I expected. And so funny. It plays. 2. Battlestar Galactica The 2003 mini-series and the first couple seasons of the show so far. Just awesome stuff, it's a pressure cooker. And just really entertaining, what an awesome crew. Edward James Olmos is so intense, in such a fun way, intense in a fun way probably sums up the show too. Wherever it goes, I love what I've seen so far. 3. Curb Your Enthusiasm Continuing the theme, this is a show that I had known of for years, did not think I'd get this into it. Completely knocked my socks off, one of the tightest most packed with comedy quality shows ever. Pretty pretty good. 4. Barry Loved this show, and that final season is really really cool. For me this is like the Better Call Saul of this year, both of these had really satisfying final seasons. And talk about a Henry Winkler renaissance we're in! 5. One Piece (live-action) One of my fav anime and manga series since High School, so awesome. This adaptation is a lot of fun too, and I like that it got people I know to give One Piece more kudos, even if anime/manga isn't their thing. But I sure recommend those to anyone interested! Pirates with style, man they're inspiring and cool. And honorable mention to Miami Vice, Columbo, episodic shows of old. Also Moonlighting is incredible. I've enjoyed other vintage anime like Slam Dunk lately too, and always watching Lupin the Third. Rock on folks. Heavy Metal fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Dec 31, 2023 |
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Dec 31, 2023 01:27
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The One Piece adaptation really does loving rule. I don’t know yet where it will end up on my list, because I haven’t ranked anything yet, but I really appreciated how it wasn’t at all embarrassed about its source material, and how it ended up being extremely funny and ridiculous and wholesome.
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Dec 31, 2023 02:53
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Up until the final preview for it I was expecting it to be dogshit awful, then I felt a terrible and loathsome sliver of hope, and then it turned out to be shockingly good and I can't wait for season 2.
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Dec 31, 2023 03:05
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This was a weird year for me, not much I feel super strongly about, just a lot of stuff I thought was pretty good, so I was considering whether or not to even make a list, but heck I think I came up with a decent selection. Nearly made the cut - The Last of Us  I was a big fan of the video game back when it originally came out, and I think they nailed most of the important things in the translation to TV - good atmosphere, great casting, very evocative visual design, tonally consistent. I think it mainly just didn't feel AS impactful because of how closely they stuck to the original story, and the new elements they added weren't bad, but I don't think they were the strongest parts (minus the standalone episode). Mostly, I think it had some pacing issues - it didn't feel as much like a long arduous journey where two people got to know each other way more than they had planned for, and I think it could've benefited from being split into two seasons. I don't think that was a HUGE problem, but when it was over I was just kind of like underwhelmed despite it hitting all the right beats as best it could. The aforementioned standalone episode with Nick Offerman was very, very good and extremely well-acted, but in hindsight I do think it felt somewhat out of place slotting it in just as the main narrative had finally begun - I wouldn't take it out or anything, but it almost feels like it should've been its own movie or something, like it deserved better? Hard to really put into words, but there was something off there in terms of pacing. Special shout outs to Pedro Pascal - he endeared me to Joel as a character way more than the games ever did. 10) Silo  I'm something of a sucker for post-apocalyptic narratives, and this is one of the best ones we've gotten on TV for sure. Interesting setup, clever world building, very good cast, terrific set design - I don't have any major complaints. Rebecca Ferguson did a great job playing a character who was almost uniformly unlikeable without just being annoying or stupid. I maybe wish Tim Robbins' character played more of a part, because once he really got involved it gave the show a bit of a shot in the arm. They also managed to create really effective tension with regards to the long-term survivability of the silo - the episode where they had to repair the generator was definitely an early standout. Will Patton, who isn't an actor I'm super familiar with, also put in an incredible performance here - again, shame he wasn't in more of the show. In a year where we didn't get a last season of Snowpiercer for pointless bureaucratic reasons, this filled the spot nicely. 9) Welcome to Wrexham  Point one, I don't give a gently caress about soccer, never have. ESPECIALLY league soccer. But a friend who is a fan convinced me to give it a go last year, and since I like Always Sunny I figured why not at least take a look. Last season was quite good, but they really stepped it up this year - it's such a well-executed production that genuinely makes me understand how people get so invested in sports; in many places, it's just so baked into their local history and culture, and nothing illustrates this better than when they showcase events like the mining disaster from a 100 years ago, the fact that drat near everyone in the city has a personal relationship to the club, the amount of passion and love for their local community that is baked into going to see a game every week, etc. It's not something I ever really felt growing up, but I get to experience it vicariously through this show - it's a cliché, but the show really is not much about football, it's about the lives around it, and season 2 really hammers this home. Nothing but the utmost of praise for the episode that features Yma o Hyd, the Welsh folk song - they end an episode by going through the history of the town and the culture and what it means to the people there and intercut it with the crowd singing it before a game starts. Absolutely master class in editing right here. 8) The Fall of the House of Usher  I'll watch pretty much anything by Mike Flanagan, but this is one of his better works for sure. Each episode is dedicated to a specific character, each suffers a horrific fate based on a Poe story, it all works comes together very nicely at the end with a standout performance by Bruce Greenwood. If I have to point to anything, I feel like maybe the flashbacks were somewhat weak compared to everything else, even if they still served the narrative. I just kind of wanted to get back to the main cast - all of whom put in some incredible work here. Mark Hamill was especially great, playing a somewhat unique character for him who remained in the background for most of the story, but still left a crucial mark on everything and everyone. I had expected there to be a logical conclusion to everything from the outset, but no, it just dips into full magical realism by the end, and I think it's better for it. They tease several explanations for what is going on and who the Raven character is, but they smartly never go into full lore mode or provide much of a conclusion other than what is included in the original House of Usher short story, and some might find that unsatisfying, but it all worked for me. 7) One Piece  I will watch the occasional anime or read the occasional manga, but One Piece has always fully eluded me. I was extremely skeptical that the live action adaptation would be anything I was even remotely interested in, but I gotta hand it to them, they really pulled it off. It's a very funny, lively, and very positive show and while that is of course a very common thing in shonen stories, it's not something you get to see very often in high-profile streaming productions, especially ones with this level of financial backing behind them - thus it manages to carve out a somewhat unique position; it's not prestige, it's not based on a story I know, I don't even really know any of the actors in here - it's just a very enjoyable, very original story with fun characters and over-the-top villains that is extremely earnest without also being too cloying about it. It's Just A Good Time. And yeah, you have to give a lot of credit to Iñaki Godoy - the show definitely wouldn't work half as well without him. I have no idea what the future of this show is, I can't imagine they will get to adapt the whole story, but if nothing else they are making that new anime so I might just start watching that whenever it arrives - they got me to pay attention to and care about One Piece in a way I never have before, so kudos. 6) Loki  I've had my ups and downs with the MCU, but I think overall I'm more positively inclined towards in than most people. But even I can't deny that it has been a rough few years post-COVID for the company, just not being able to kickstart their many next chapters following Endgame, either due to sheer incompetence or due to matters out of their hands like the whole Jonathan Majors Situation. But, well, Loki season 2 was a really nice surprise. I liked the first season a lot, but this ended up being one of the best MCU things in my opinion, and asserted Tom Hiddleston as not only the best actor in the MCU, but also Loki as the best character. The show keeps the amazing production design of the first season, but goes in a slightly different direction with the story in season 2. The show has often been compared to Doctor Who, and this is very accurate - so you can almost say that season 1 feels like a Russel T. Davies season, while season 2 feels like one of the good Matt Smith seasons. And they lean more into Loki being basically a time lord too with the whole "Glorious Purpose" concept - but frankly this is much better than most Doctor Who seasons. Ke Huy Quang is a very welcome addition to the cast, and Jonathan Majors, despite everything, is a legitimately great actor and does a much better job here than he did in Ant-Man 3 earlier this year. It's a shame how he sucks rear end IRL and that does impact the show to a certain degree, but it didn't stop me from having a great time here. For all the complaints that the MCU is way too interconnected and requires too much external knowledge to enjoy any given thing, Loki as a series does manage to tell a mostly self-contained story with a great, great ending. I don't know if Loki will return, but it's also totally okay if he doesn't, because you probably couldn't have a better conclusion. 5) Righteous Gemstones  gently caress, I can't believe I forgot to put this in the list. Absolutely one of the best comedies of the best decade, and season 3 might've been the best one yet. It had everything - smut busters, the gemstones building golden murals of themselves, Baby Billy, literally everything BJ said or did, Uncle Baby Billy, everything building up to a biblical reckoning in the finale, Judy and BJ in the bath, the Redeemer, Kelvin and Keefe, and of course, Uncle Baby Billy and his Bible Bonkers. The ending is also terrific and if the show decided to end it here I would have zero issues with it. Thankfully it isn't ending, but still, just such a fun show that also manages to be dramatic without ever forgetting how absurd and awful these people are. 4) The Bear  I didn't watch this last year, I was somewhat unconvinced that I would enjoy a show about a restaurant, but they definitely got me when I binged it earlier this year. Hard to say exactly what stands out here - the cast is great, it's well shot, it's extremely well-paced, but it isn't as if there's much plot - it almost has the sensation of watching a theater play, where it's 90% purely about the dialogue and character interactions and almost nothing else matters. Many things has been said about the Christmas episode, but it is absolutely one of the most harrowing episodes of TV I've watched. It's a shame that Jon Bernthal doesn't get to be in more of the show for obvious reasons, because he really crushes it here, as does Jamie Lee Curtis. I do have some reservations about the overall message of the show - mostly because I think fine dining is something of a scam and them treating it as the ultimate end goal for a chef and restaurant worker to develop their skill I feel lacks the introspection that you usually get from the rest of the show - but I also expect that to develop more in the next season when their restaurant will no doubt crash and burn horribly. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is among the great living character actors, glad to see him finally get the recognition he deserves. 3) The Curse  The Rehearsal was one of my favourite shows last year and I've become such a Nathan Fielder stan that I'll watch anything he does. Since the show isn't over yet, I'm not fully sure how I fully feel about it, but it has definitely been a roller coaster of an experience. The Curse is a show where basically nothing happens, but it still feels like you've climbed a mountain once you get to the end of an episode. I don't think it's a stretch to say that they're trying to evoke David Lynch in a lot of aspects of the show's storytelling, but not in a way where it just feels like they're ripping him off. It's just - weird characters who say weird things and something always feels strange and uncomfortable in ways you can't always pinpoint. It's an amazing looking show too with lots of incredibly creative and very memorable shots that will stick with me for years, and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up. Emma Stone is putting in the performance of a career here, and while Nathan obviously is not a master thespian, the character of Asher feels specifically tailored to him and he does a great job of playing the most annoying person you will ever meet. Someone in the show thread said that watching the Curse is like watching a horror movie where the monsters are the main characters but the scariest thing about them is how much they suck, which I think is a great encapsulation of what the show is about. Hope it ends well! Edit: Wow, that was an ending. I don't think it moves the show up or down for me, but it was a hell of a ride. 2) Succession  The final season of Succession is easily its best, despite Brian Cox not being in most of it. Killing off Logan Roy that early in the season was a bold move, but in hindsight it was the smartest thing they could've done. That creative choice reduced all the characters to their base instincts and ended up highlighting what the show does best - constant backstabbing. You also begin to see genuine character growth and how it's almost immediately curtailed because none of these people actually have the capacity to evolve. The wedding episode where they hear the Big News is absolutely fantastic, the funeral episode is loving fantastic, the finale equally so. Amazing show - it's rare that we get such good endings too, but it really feels like everyone ended up exactly where they should within the context of the narrative, which is a rare thing to be able to say. 1) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End  Also not a show that has finished airing yet, but one that I fell in love with almost immediately. I'm a sucker for anything swords and sorcery-related, especially anime, being a huge fan of series like Berserk and Lodoss War, and it has been a long, LONG time since we've had a good fantasy anime that A) is not an isekai and B) stands tall alongside the greats of the genre, but I think Frieren manages it. With the caveat that I have no idea where it goes, but people have told me enough good things about the manga that I'm confident they won't mess it up too bad. Frieren is a story about what happens after you go on your big classic RPG quest to beat the evil demon king. You are lauded as heroes, the realm is at peace, so what's next? Frieren, the character, is an elf, blessed with long life, so the ten years she spent on that journey was just a pebble in the pond. She has lived for hundreds of years prior to beating the demon king and will probably live for hundreds of years after, so why was that period of her life so important? With all her companions growing old and/or dying, she goes on a personal journey to find out what the people in her life really meant to her, with a few new companions tagging along. It's a somewhat slow-paced show that lingers on the existential and the importance of finding joy in what you have before it's gone - very different vibes from most popular anime, especially within the realm of fantasy. There is action here and there, but Frieren is such a powerful mage that there's no real sense of danger; yet this again helps inform her character and her attitude towards the world around her. If you're a hugely powerful near-immortal, how do you not just become a mega introverted sociopath? You can also catch hints of vampire and other immortal type narratives and such in here, but it doesn't dwell on the depressive or the "woe is me how cursed am I to live so long." It's a show with a very positive outlook that also then gets occasionally subverted when something threatens the party, creating a very appealing dichotomy that keeps the show from becoming too sedate. It's also just beautiful to look at and the music is equally evocative. This show came largely out of nowhere for me, but I really, really love it. Delicious in Dungeon is another fantasy manga that has very different vibes, but nonetheless feels somewhat in conversation with Frieren, and the anime adaptation of that starts next week, so as the kids say: We're so back. Shouts out: Yellowjackets: I love this show but it was largely more of the same and I'm a bit wary about how it'll go without Juliette Lewis Cunk on Earth: Very funny, very good, she should get to do one of these every year until the end of time. Vox Machina: A step up from the first season, characters are less annoying and the plot actually gets going. Warrior: I'm amazed we got a third season, and while it wasn't the strongest of the three, it's still a really drat good show and I'm sad it won't continue. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Fun show, maybe a bit TOO fun, kinda whiplashy from week to week between the war crime episode and the musical episode, but it's still good. Star Trek: Lower Decks: IMO, the best currently running Star Trek show, very well-written, very funny, feels like it's really hitting the right notes in terms of comedy vs. drama. Castlevania Nocturne: You can feel the writing not being as strong as previous seasons, but it was still a great looking show and setting it during the French revolution was a clutch move. Gen V: Decent spin-off, I wish it was a bit more its own thing rather than trying to hit the same overly cynical notes as The Boys, but I still enjoyed it. Foundation: I didn't love the second season, but I still largely enjoy this show - overall the second season was definitely stronger for having a lot more Jared Harris. Pluto: Fantastic adaptation of a great manga - though it has the same problem as the original story which is that the buildup is like 18000% better than the denouement. This was close to hitting #10. Winning Time: This was on my list last year, still a good season but they fumbled some of the Jerry Buss stuff and the really unceremonious cancellation ending was a huge bummer. Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch From Mercury: Another show that got the short end of the stick, should've gotten another season, the end felt like a rushjob. Rick and Morty: Very solid post-Roiland offering, a few clunkers but one of the better seasons of the show. Always Sunny: Show's trucking along, still good - Charlie eating the expired Turtles pies is still probably the hardest I've laughed this year. Vinland Saga: Very good adaptation of a very good part of the manga, though I think the manga is still just a better version of the same story - more people should watch this show. It could definitely end up in my top 10 on any other day of the week. Perry Mason: Great show, killed too soon. Would kill for this to just run for like 15 seasons, but alas. Wheel of Time: Solid, maybe a bit unmemorable, but I still enjoy it. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Nice surprise, quite funny, great subversion of the original movie/comic. For All Mankind: I think it's better than season 3 so far, but we'll see. Still like this show despite how absurd it is. Ahsoka: Not great, but perfectly solid and it looked great. Ray Stephenson was a treasure and he absolutely killed it here. RIP. What We Do in the Shadows: A return to form after a somewhat uneven season 4. Gave us Nandor De Laurentiis. How To With John Wilson: Fantastic show, though S3 was maybe the weakest one. Sad to see it go, would've loved to get one of these a year for the next 10 years. Hakkesshu fucked around with this message at 10:01 on Jan 22, 2024 |
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Dec 31, 2023 15:38
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cryptoclastic posted:I really want to finish Rez Dogs before I make my list, but this year has been emotionally devastating for me and I don’t know if I can handle it. The last two seasons made me cry and I worry this one will break me. You'll cry, but they'll be happy tears.
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Dec 31, 2023 16:22
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Sorry Looten, I forgot to add my list to the Google Form, then it yelled at me for being too long  so I hope it has gone through now!
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Jan 1, 2024 05:33
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I’m struggling to find a 10th show to put on my list with Cunk on Earth officially being released in 2022, but there is still time.
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Jan 1, 2024 14:42
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I made my list today and already posted it on my food blog, so here it is. I ranked 13 shows in all: 13. The Righteous Gemstones, season 3 (HBO). I really should hate a show about an awful family of wealthy Southern televangelists, but it’s so hilarious and raunchy, with occasional moments of pathos, that watching them bumble and stumble was pure fun and joy. Think of The Righteous Gemstones as the sitcom version of Succession, with three adult fail-children desperately trying to lead the megachurch empire founded by their powerful, distant father. Nobody can sling profane insults as well as star and co-creator Danny McBride, except maybe Edi Patterson, who plays his oversexed, insane sister. Season 3 didn’t give us as much of the great Walton Goggins as Uncle Baby Billy, but nothing is perfect. 12. A Murder at the End of the World (FX). A murder mystery set in a remote Icelandic luxury hotel, interspersed with flashbacks about two “citizen detectives” who met online and embarked on a cross-country road trip to track down a serial killer. The common thread connecting these parallel stories is Emma Corrin’s character Darby Hart, a brilliant young detective, hacker, and daughter of a police forensic specialist. Oh yeah, and the show also threw in some stuff about the dangers of AI, complete with Clive Owen as an Elon Musk-inspired antagonist who still sucked a lot less than Elon Musk. 11. AEW Dynamite (TBS). Yes, this is my wrestling show. I lost interest and drifted away from watching All Elite Wrestling last year, but I think that was depression and anhedonia as much as some questionable booking decisions and overreliance on a few wrestlers to the detriment of others on the roster. This year brought me back into the fold, thanks to highlights like Orange Cassidy (a slacker inspired by Paul Rudd’s Wet Hot American Summer character, but still an awe-inspiring workhorse who wrestles brilliantly with his hands in his pockets), Danhausen (the “very nice, very evil” comic relief ghoul), and Timeless Toni Storm, who is doing the best character work I’ve ever seen in professional wrestling as an unhinged 1940s Hollywood star (think Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard), trading her native Australian accent for an old-timey Transatlantic one. Toni’s outrageous promos and interviews (all filmed in black and white, naturally) show she is as gifted an improv comedian as she is a wrestler, and her T-shirt-worthy catchphrase is “Chin up, tits out, and watch for the shooooe,” followed by her taking off a shoe and chucking it at people. She now has an obsessed fan-turned-assistant, Mariah May, which means AEW is actually going to do a pro wrestling version of All About Eve in 2024, and I am here for it. And here is my Top Ten: 10. Obliterated, season 1 (Netflix). This show is a cross between G.I. Joe, 24, and The Hangover, about a team of specialists from different military branches, led by a CIA agent, trying to save Las Vegas from terrorists armed with a nuke. It debuted about a month ago to zero fanfare, but it was loud, violent, horny, dumb, raunchy fun. It feels like something that would have aired on Cinemax during the glorious era when it was showing Banshee, Strike Back, The Knick, Jett, and Warrior, or something The CW would have loved to air if they could show drug use, profanity, and copious male and female nudity on broadcast TV. I never watched Cobra Kai, but plenty of people did, and it is from the same three showrunners. 9. Blindspotting, season 2 (Starz). My absolute favorite show of 2021 returned with Ashley (Jasmine Cephas Jones, who you may know as Peggy from Hamilton) doing her best to raise her son and keep her family together while her husband Miles (co-creator Rafael Casal) remains in prison. Blindspotting’s beautiful interpretive dance numbers and artful hip-hop-inspired spoken word asides continued, covering big, important social justice without ever feeling like plodding, ponderous lectures, or worse yet, homework. This show expertly balanced bleakness and dread with joy, humor, and love, and it felt really true to the experiences of Black and mixed-race families, despite me not being from one. Unfortunately, it was canceled, so we’ll never get to see Miles catching up with his pal Collin (the show’s other co-creator, the brilliant actor, rapper, and singer Daveed Diggs). This is why we can’t have nice things. But even if you don’t subscribe to Starz, watch the Blindspotting movie! The show is a spinoff of that 2018 movie, starring Diggs and Casal. 8. Perry Mason, season 2 (HBO). This season of the 1930s-set neo-noir legal drama was even better than the first, since the entire season focused on Perry Mason and Della Street’s canny lawyering, without an extended “origin story” for Perry (the always-great Matthew Rhys). The acting, writing, and production design were superb, and it looked like every dollar spent showed up on the screen. Unfortunately, possibly due to that high cost, it was canceled. Thanks, David Zaslav! 7. The Bear, season 2 (FX). One of the rare shows on my list that was actually popular. I think I preferred the first season, with the characters clashing and trying to make a struggling but beloved sandwich shop survive. Season 2 was all about opening their new fine dining restaurant in its place, but The Bear (the new restaurant) didn’t seem to be that different or special than dozens of other upscale Chicago restaurants, while The Beef, priced for the common man, had decades of history and loyalty behind it. Still, highlights of this season included the addition of the lovely Molly Gordon to the cast (catch her in Booksmart, Shiva Baby, and Theater Camp), an overwhelmingly tense Christmas episode packed with guest stars, and a feel-good redemption arc (I’m a sucker for those) for the super-annoying Richie, who finally found his purpose. 6. Fargo, season 5 (FX). Maybe I will have to rank this higher or lower, since there are a still few episodes left to go. It was definitely the best season of Fargo since the first two, and for those who don’t know, it is an anthology show, so every season has a different concept and cast. Juno Temple, who annoyed me on Ted Lasso before that show itself started to annoy me, is fantastic here as a Minnesota housewife with a dark secret. The great Jennifer Jason Leigh is outstanding as an awful woman you start to root for when you see all the men she is up against, and she dusted off the wonderful Transatlantic accent she used in my favorite Coen Brothers movie, The Hudsucker Proxy. Joe Keery is perfect as a vicious little snake who would be right at home on Justified, and I never forgot he was a bully in the beginning of Stranger Things before his face turn. Jon Hamm taps into all the darkness he exhibited in Mad Men and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as one of the most loathsome antagonists in recent memory, a “Constitutional sheriff,” preacher, rancher, murderer, and violently abusive husband. Even if this season wasn’t as good as it was, I would still keep tuning in just to see him (hopefully) get owned at the end. 5. Party Down, season 3 (Starz). Bringing shows and their casts back years after they ended is a gamble that doesn’t always work. Twin Peaks: The Return was a masterstroke. So were the final movies we got of Deadwood and The Venture Bros. that wrapped up loose ends and gave us a little more time with characters we got to know and love. Justified (a 2023 release!) let me down. Party Down, on the other hand, did not. This delightful sitcom about bumbling Los Angeles party caterers and Hollywood hangers-on felt like it picked up right where it left off over a decade ago, and in the intervening years, Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, and Megan Mullally all became bigger stars (and Ryan Hansen and Martin Starr should have). I’m so glad they were all willing to return, and even though I missed Lizzy Caplan and her fantastic chemistry with Adam Scott, Jennifer Garner more than made up for it, fitting into the dynamic like she had always been there. No other show made me laugh so hard this year, and it even delivered some “HELL YEAH!” moments. We were lucky to get this reunion, even if it only delivered six half-hour episodes. I hope everyone involved had as much fun as I did and decides to keep the party going. 4. Succession, season 4 (HBO). I don’t think I could say anything about Succession that other TV reviewers, pop culture critics, journalists, and scholars haven’t already run into the ground. My wife and I came to it late and binged the entire series earlier this year, just in time to watch the final episode in real time, as it aired. It was a wild ride, with some of the best acting I have ever seen, all in service of some of the most odious characters ever created. I already felt like a class warrior long before sampling this show, and it did not disabuse me of any of my preconceived biases against rich people, that’s for sure! And still, Succession humanized almost all of them along the way, to the point where I rooted for many of them at different points, despite how awful they all were, to each other and in general. That’s a testament to great writing and acting, and Succession delivered plenty of both, especially in its final season. 3. Poker Face, season 1 (Peacock). This was an easy show to love, with a timeless concept: Las Vegas cocktail waitress Charlie Cale is on the run from some pretty bad people, so she travels around the country, getting caught up with strivers and lowlifes, and inevitably, people get murdered while she’s around. Thing is, she’s a human lie detector, so she always figures out who did it, and the drama and suspense come from how she brings them to justice. It’s a modern-day Columbo formula, but substitute in rumpled Natasha Lyonne, one of the most naturally funny actresses out there, for rumpled Peter Falk. It also helps that the creator is Rian Johnson, writer-director of some really fantastic movies, most of which have a mystery element: Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper, Knives Out, and Glass Onion. 2. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 2 (Paramount+). This show remains my favorite Star Trek series of all time, and it is equally perfect for people who love Star Trek with all their hearts and people who think Star Trek is boring. It balances self-contained episodes with serialized story arcs, all anchored by a charming and likable cast playing people who are good at everything and just plain good. This season, the show experimented with a crossover with an animated Star Trek series I do not watch, as well as a musical episode. Yes, both worked. Last year I called Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike the best fictional boss ever. He still is, but now I also have a really terrific boss who belongs in the same rarified company. (Also, I met Anson Mount this past year. Really cool guy, for the five seconds we got to interact.) 1. Warrior, season 3 (Max). This season felt like a gift, since season 2 aired on Cinemax back in late 2020, and I didn’t even discover the show until I binged both seasons on Max in 2021. I wasn’t sure if the action-packed martial arts/Western/historical drama would ever return, but it came back with a bang and even added the great Marc Dacascos to the cast. Unfortunately, then it was canceled — one more fantastic decision from Max/Discovery/Warner Bros./David Zaslav! But whatever showrunner Jonathan Tropper does next, I’m there. After Banshee and Warrior, he has totally earned my loyalty. Big Bad Voodoo Lou fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Jan 28, 2024 |
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Jan 2, 2024 02:03
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Big Bad Voodoo Lou posted:Think of The Righteous Gemstones as the sitcom version of Succession So... Arrested Development?  I keep meaning to watch Righteous Gemstones, I just never seem to have the time, but it looks right up my alley (in that it has Walt Goggins in it).
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Jan 2, 2024 02:38
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I had to amend my list to put Righteous Gemstones on there, all due respect to Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers. Sorry The Last of Us, I feel like a drat fool for completely forgetting about Gemstones.
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Jan 2, 2024 14:51
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Bookmarked and replied so I don't forget to work on and submit my list.
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Jan 2, 2024 18:18
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10. I Think You Should Leave – Season 3 Surreal sketch comedy about people who take every single scenario to an 11. I fully accept that this show is unbearable to some people, since every character in it is abrasive, obnoxious or insane. But drat if it doesn’t make me laugh. Robinson’s humor is very unique and very maximalist, but when it hits right it has no equal. The skit about the guy who built the deck on the nightclub has one of the best endings I have seen in sketch comedy. 9. Mrs. Davis  A nun and a failed rodeo rider go on a quest around the world to destroy a society-encompassing AI system. Throughout this show I kept asking myself, “is this genius? Or is it just weird?”. After seeing the resolution to the season I think it is much more on the genius end of the spectrum, but you can’t deny the weird. The season begins with a horse getting blown up by dynamite, and it only gets stranger. But the glue holding this thing together is the killer performance of Betty Gilpin as Sister Simone. She commands the screen in every scene, and grounds the increasingly weird story in a very human performance. I hadn’t seen her in anything before, but I will be on the lookout for her going forward. 8. Doctor Who  An alien time traveller from the planet Gallifrey jumps through space and time in a ship that looks like a blue police telephone box. David Tennant was my favorite Doctor, so I was always going to watch these new specials. But I was not looking forward to it, as it seemed like these new episodes could only mar the reputation of his original run. And after several years of poor writing and uninspired characterization, it was easy to doubt the quality. But in just a few moments, it became clear that Russell Davies understands Doctor Who in a way that Chibnall never did. This show should be campy and over-the-top and emotional and FUN. And thanks to this new run, it is all those things again. Tennant slipped back into the part like he had never left, and the new Doctor (played by Ncuti Gatwa) has charm to spare. If they can cut out the godawful musical numbers I think his new season will also be one to enjoy. 7. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season 2  Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise explore the galaxy and encounter dangerous life forms, ethical quandaries and exciting new adventures. Much like Doctor Who, Star Trek should have an element of fun and excitement to it that recent iterations have lost. In an attempt to capture the success of shows like BSG, modern Trek has tended toward the dark, gritty and melodramatic. But in SNW, Trek has found its footing again. By creating characters that you like and an environment you want to be a part of, the stories have become more compelling and the relationships more engaging. For the first time since TNG, I find myself wanting to spend time with the characters no matter the story they are a part of. Anson Mount deserves a lot of credit for creating a naturally charismatic captain, but the supporting players are doing a lot of great work as well. It’s nice to see Trek firing on all cylinders again. 6. Loki – Season 2  The MCU’s God of Mischief deals with the aftermath of his confrontation with Kang, and rushes to save the multiverse from collapsing in on itself. After the first few episodes of this season, I would not have guessed that Loki would end up on my Best-Of list. The stories at the beginning of the season were meandering, and seemed to just be a random assortment of events happening to the characters. But the ending of the season (and the series) was so strong, it catapulted the show to the top tier of MCU projects and onto this list. The finale embraced its fantasy setting like never before, and created a Big Moment that was as emotionally affecting as it was fascinating. Finale spoilers: Loki choosing to sacrifice himself for the rest of humanity was a wonderful culmination of this character’s arc, beginning with his self-centered quest for power and ending with him locking himself into an act of perpetual service to the universe. And the visual of Loki in his full regalia, dragging all the timelines toward a golden throne, was a top-level visual that has few equals in the MCU or anywhere else. Tom Hiddleston did great work, and the side characters filled their roles nicely. A big shoutout to the VFX team here as well, who created some beautiful and unsettling visuals as the universe turned to spaghetti. 5. Deadloch  A gruesome murder in a small Tasmanian village puts two very different detectives onto the case together, as they try to find the killer and deal with the eccentricities of small town life. The creators of this show, Kate McCartney and Kate McLellan, were hilarious as the hosts of the YouTube cooking spoof The Katering Show. But Deadloch proved that they have a whole slew of other talents as well. Deadloch combines a genuinely good murder mystery, a sharp satire of small-town life, a send-up of police procedurals and grim detective stories, and some truly great character work, to create a very compelling package. Kate Box, as lead detective Dulcie, holds the whole thing together with a wonderful layered performance that slowly reveals her character’s past. Madeline Sami plays the abrasive and annoying Eddie, who is fascinating and unlike any character I have seen in recent memory. The two of them are well (mis) matched, and watching them slowly come together is a rewarding experience. 4. Poker Face  Human lie detector Charlie Cale travels across the US to avoid a vengeful former boss, solving mysteries along the way with her unique gift and her knack for making friends. This is one of those shows that I wish was on every week, because it is so much fun to watch. Natasha Lyonne plays a less gruff version of her Russian Doll character, but her charm is still top-notch. She is a true spiritual successor to Colombo, and brings a lot of Peter Falk energy to the proceedings. Each episode is split into two sections – the murder and the solve. Finding out how Charlie was involved in the first half is part of the fun, and watching her dogged determination to solve the problem is always entertaining. I’ve seen some complaints about her “super power” of detecting lies, but that feels like nitpicking. It is a fun way to get her into the mystery in each episode, and creates as many problems as it solves. If you really want to get into it, the more unrealistic part is the sheer number of murders this woman witnesses! Look out, Angela Lansbury, there’s a new queen in town. 3. Ted Lasso – Season 3  American football coach turned UK soccer coach Ted Lasso has one last chance to guide his team to victory. I was surprised to see some negative reviews of this season, because I felt that the highs of Season 3 were higher than almost any other show this year. There are some plots that I wish had gotten more time to play out, especially between Nate and Ted, but overall this season still hit really strongly for me. The Amsterdam episode was one of the best episodes of TV of the year (the other one is coming up in this list shortly), and was a really amazing bit of storytelling. Most shows struggle to have even two good plots in an episode, while this episode had SIX compelling storylines all woven together perfectly. The series ending was also note-perfect, putting some people exactly where they wanted to be, and others where they needed to be even if they hadn’t realized it yet. I think Nate’s story resolution needed more time to breathe, and I wanted more of a conclusion for Roy and Keely. But overall, the highs of this season still landed Ted a strong spot on the list. 2. The Bear – Season 2  Fine dining chef Carmy embarks on a plan to turn his late brother’s sandwich shop into the high-end restaurant they always dreamed about opening together. The Bear found its footing perfectly this year, and while it dialed down the anxiety for most of the episodes, it revealed its characters in much sharper detail. Watching all these people go through the wringer of the deadlines and failures of starting their restaurant was interesting, but the real joy was watching them find their passions. Marcus and Tina found a true happiness in their work by learning new skills and meeting new people. Sydney found that she had more resilience and strength than she knew. And in the single best episode of TV this year, Richie found something in his job to care about. A lot of people have rightfully talked about the excellent pressure-cooker Christmas episode, with all the cameos and fights and histrionics. But “Forks”, which follows Richie as he does mundane jobs at a super-high-end restaurant, is the one that left a mark on me. I think it’s easy to get hung up on the ritzy setting or the over-the-top discipline of the restaurant and dismiss it as frou-frou nonsense, but the real point is that Richie found a way to find joy in serving others, something he had never done before. Turning his gaze outward to helping others allowed him to also help himself.. And that’s character growth that you just don’t get enough of. Now if only Carm could find some kind of peace for himself… 1. Reservation Dogs – Season 3  The kids return from their trip to California with a new outlook, and face new challenges and difficulties as they grow up and move into adulthood. This is the show that stuck out to me more than any other this year. By all rights we didn’t need another season. The finale of S2 was perfect, and capped the story that began in S1E01. But I am so glad we got this season, because it explored the themes of family, community and culture in a way that I had never seen done before. Each of the supporting characters got a chance to shine, and we learned more about the community. One episode takes us back in time to see the elders as young adults in the 70s, and we see them struggling with a lot of the same issues our main characters have to face. An incredibly powerful episode follows the Deer Lady in the Native boarding school system as their culture and language are ripped away from them. So when the community perseveres and comes together despite all the challenges and injustice in their past, we know exactly how much effort and strength it takes to hold them all together. These characters feel more realized and true than any other on TV, and watching them grow and change together as they move out into the world was a moving and exciting experience. If you haven’t watched this show yet, I recommend it as highly as I can. Funny, charming, sad, thrilling and sweet, it is my pick for the best show of 2023. Ishamael fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Jan 3, 2024 |
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Jan 3, 2024 06:08
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