|
10. The Changeling I admired this more than I liked it. I appreciated the general vibe it created of this dark, moody, misty New York City with secrets around every corner, but wish it hadn't disappeared up its own magical realism rear end too often. 9. Silo This is a prime example of a 10-episode streaming series that would have been a much better 2-hour film, however I really dug the set design and worldbuilding, and the ending - which subverts the established true-false binary of the world beyond the Silo and instead presents an unexpected third result - was surprising enough that I'll watch the next season. (Personal irritant: obviously this is based on a self-pubbed YA series from a decade ago, and modern YA is a genre which is inherently designed to appeal to teenagers so it's all about how The Man Is Controlling You, but in the wake of COVID-19 & Qanon it would be much more interesting if the "truth" in this show had turned out to be "yeah the outside world is legit dangerous, the authorities generally just want what's overall best for society, and the people whispering to you about conspiracy theories are unstable whackos.") 8. Mrs Davis I absolutely loved The Leftovers so I wanted to like this more than I did, but it veers too far towards the comedic and whacky for my liking. Still a fun series, and I'll take something unusual that doesn't quite come together over something generic that succeeds in a workaday sort of way every time. Special mention to the excellent chemistry between Betty Gilpin and Jake McDorman, and to Chris Diamantopolous' fantastically, deliberately (I think) bad Australian accent that wanders between New Zealand and South Africa and suits his ridiculous character perfectly. 7. Beef Good fun comedy drama and, barring Squid Game, probably the best original content Netflix has put out since the mid-2010s, but still not something I felt very more-ish about (in contravention of their business model) and lost a bit of goodwill in the extremely contrived final episode. Steven Yeun is fantastic in everything he does, though. 6. Hijack Sometimes you want to watch a deeply artistic and multi-layered drama about family trauma that will win a swag of Golden Globes; and sometimes you want to watch a very dumb thriller about Idris Elba trying to talk his way through a plane hijacking. Hijack was good dumb fun. Basically like if in Die Hard, the slick coked-up shithead who tries to negotiate with Hans Gruber and gets shot in the head was the main character. 5. The Last of Us A lot of nerds have set far too much store in the ~story~ of this video game, which - when adapted to the screen - goes to show that the best video game stories are sort of middle-of-the-road in other mediums. This is a perfectly faithful adaptation and therefore an adequately entertaining apocalypse thriller TV show. (My personal beef was that - as with Silo in the wake of COVID-19 - it lazily maps traditional dystopian imagery onto a world which just doesn't match up. When there really are flesh-eating fungus monsters outside the walls of your city, hand-wringing about fascism feels a little beside the point.) 4. Scavengers Reign This may be cheating a bit because I haven't finished it, but I can't imagine them not sticking the landing. A truly unique and special accomplishment. 4. The Bear Just a really good, solid show. The standout in this season is Fishes, the Christmas flashback episode - when it started my girlfriend (who has a small family) said "see this is what I really envy about people who have big families," and me (who has a big Irish Catholic family) made a neutral noise. Suffice to say that by the end of the episode I was vindicated. Fantastic performances by Jon Bernthal and Bob Odenkirk. 2. Succession Little I can say about this that hasn't already been said. What I really admired in the season, above all else, was the episode in which Logan unexpectedly dies. I am annoyed I was spoilered about this beforehand (via - of all things - a segment on an ABC News breakfast program which was about avoiding spoilers, thanks very loving much) but it's still an incredible piece of art. The actor that sticks in my mind in that scene is not any of the kids, but rather Matthew McFayden playing Tom, estranged from this family but nonetheless obliged to inform them that their dad's life is hanging in the balance and holding his phone up for them to impart last words to a man that he can already see is gone. 1. Barry I'm in awe that they managed to turn this quirky little elevator pitch of a comedy into something this dark and serious. Brilliant conclusion to one of the great shows of the last 10 years.
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2024 10:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 07:36 |
|
|
I changed my list again, sorry for the trouble
Oasx fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Jan 21, 2024 |
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2024 14:34
|
|
|
Honorable mention - I'm sure Reservation Dogs would be near the top but I only just finished season 1 and I'm taking a break before getting to 2 let alone 3. Great show, love those kids. 10. Willow - Only the last few episodes were in 2023 but it was a great show and they killed it unjustly so I'm putting it on my list. The original movie Willow didn't capture me like some other genre movies of my childhood but it was memorable enough I'm not surprised it got this follow up, though thats a low bar as the past and nostalgia get mined for content. It was fun to see some of the returning cast for the show 34 years later, though it was too bad the covid lockdown and recovery from throat cancer kept Val Kilmer from taking an active role in the show. The cast new and old was great and the story interesting. Is there even a way to watch this now besides  ? It didn't deserve to be exiled to oblivion.9. from - The story of people stuck in a small town menaced by monsters. I'm still in it to see if we get the answers we didn't get from Lost. It introduced too many new characters to be higher on my list, but I'll still be signing up for Epix again next season when they get to it. Points off for a terrible name. 8. Ahsoka - rest in peace Ray Stevenson. The rest of the cast wasn't bad but I wanted more of his character and its a drat shame we won't get it now. Maybe they can move him to animation and continue his story there. Great looking show with some cool settings but Filoni really needs to learn to do better space fights than just chases and kiting. 7. Murder at the End of the World - the mystery itself flopped for me at the end but I want more mystery shows in cool settings and/or buildings. I also want a show headlined by Alice Braga, her doctor astronaut detective character was the best of them. 6. Fall of the House of Usher - some great acting and emoting, and interesting takes on Poe's stories. I liked Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass better but this was still pretty solid and a great October watch. 5. Loki - Easily the best Marvel tv and I don't even really like Loki though Hiddleston has his moments and his supporting cast was good. 4. The Last of Us - I expected this to be good and it didn't let me down. Some great individual episodes, the show is brought down a bit by some dumb choices. The supporting cast stories were done really well, especially episode 3's. 3. Wheel of Time - Season two was so much better than the first one. It helped they got to lean into the Forsaken hamming it up, and I'm excited to see more in the next season. The Two Rivers kids weren't bad. I'm probably rating this higher on my list because of the weight of the book series and in the hopes the quality keeps going up. Hopefully it rubs off on Rings of Power and that comes back stronger as well though i'm not confident with what I'm hearing. 2. One Piece - I've never really liked much shonen anime and still don't. I enjoyed this show so much I went back to the anime after writing it off decades ago. But it just drags the story out too much and I didn't make it far. I preferred the changes they made for this live action version. They nailed the cast from what I could tell, and they were having a lot of fun making it. I clicked on most of the netflix promos they hit my feed with, and that led to clips of the cartoon showing up as well. I think I ended up watching like 3 episodes somewhere in the 900s, playing out backwards, just by clicking on random clips people uploaded. It's too bad Cowboy Bebop couldn't be this fun. 1. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Beautiful show about paying more attention to the lives and life around you. Love the characters, the music, the story and the art. The only show I watch as soon as possible in an age where I mostly wait for seasons of good tv to finish and get around to them when I'm in the mood, which can take a year or five.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2024 16:57
|
|
|
Honorable Mentions Eric Andre Show S6 Did you know this show was back? I feel like I didn’t hear anybody talk about it. Anyways it’s funny, y’all should watch it Our Flag Means Death S2 Another one I didn’t see many people talk about. But I thought it was significantly charming and a decent second season. I liked it! The Righteous Gemstones S3 The quality has been consistent since S1 and all the monster truck stuff in this season felt so perfect for Danny McBride’s character as a lil shitheen teen How To with John Wilson S3 This maybe should have hit my Top 10 but it took me a full 3 weeks to remember that I had completely forgotten to include it on my list. I took that to mean that I guess it didn’t have quite the impact I thought it did? Love the show but the first two seasons stuck with me a lot more. Dropout in general Two Dropout shows were highly rated enough to make my list this year, but there are plenty more incredible shows on there: Make Some Noise, Gamechanger, the new show VIP, and so, so much good stuff in the backlog. I’m really happy to see Dropout shows appearing on people’s lists this year! TIMPS LIST 10. Yellowjackets S2 “Women’s high school soccer team crash lands in the wilderness and resorts to questionable methods for survival.” That was all I needed to hear to give this show a shot. The first episode was like getting pistol-whipped across the face with 90’s teen drama, a heavy dose of realistic violence and anxiety, and lots and lots of female-led punk rock band needle drops. The rest of S1 was generally pretty gripping, and it did leave me wanting more. But what’s being evaluated here is S2, not S1. It’s hard to separate them since I watched them back to back this year, but there’s no denying that S2 saw a bit of a quality drop, and it’s definitely gotten a bit more, uh…outlandish. It’s no surprise this is a Showtime show because it actually gives me strong early-run Dexter vibes. Here’s hoping it either knows when to quit while it’s ahead, or escapes the fate of producer meddling that apparently doomed its spiritual predecessor. 9. Um, Actually S8 Returning to my Top 10 list this year and even moving up a spot, it’s the game show of pedantic corrections! Um, Actually, to me, is THE 2nd screen show. The question-by-question format allows you to engage with the questions pertaining to stuff you find interesting and tune out any unknown properties or bits that aren’t landing without missing too much. But it’s consistently funny! The only reason I feel okay with zoning out every now and then is because I know I’ll rewatch it all one day, and it’ll be a fun treat to catch the odd segment I have no memory of. All in all I hope they never stop making this show in some form or fashion. 8. Dimension 20: Mentopolis This made it onto my list for two reasons, and I’m not sure which one is the more prominent. One is that I watched less TV this year, so the more traditional shows of 2023 that I’m sure I would have liked weren’t here to take these Top 10 spots. The other reason is that this series was really loving good. I’ll admit I feel a bit weird about putting this non-standard quasi-web series on a list of TV shows, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t come out on a legit streaming service (Dropout) in episodic format. If that’s not a TV show idk what is! For those not familiar with Dimension 20, it’s a tabletop RPG actual play show hosted by DM Brennan Lee Mulligan and featuring various comedians, writers, podcasters, etc. as the player characters. This particular season was billed as “Inside Out meets noire tropes” which, lemme tell ya, is RIGHT the gently caress up my alley. And then they went ahead and knocked the story out of the park, so here it is at #8! I’m just as surprised as you are. 7. Barry S4 Much has been said about the brilliance of this show. The writing, the acting, the directing, the way they admirably wrapped up the plot in a satisfying way…it was all great. 6. Jury Duty I’m a sucker for this new genre of show pioneered by the likes of Nathan Fielder, John Wilson and others—comedy that blurs the lines between scripted and unscripted, reality and documentary, face value and meta. The premise of this show (one member of a jury thinks the case is real while every other person involved is an actor) carried it to the end, but it was the scripted moments that kept it alive from scene to scene. It was often difficult to tell what was written and what was improvised, but I didn’t really care as long as I was laughing, which I often was. And they avoided one of the basest impulses of a show like this, which was to make fun of the person not on the take. In fact, they went out of their way to celebrate him, which was a nice way to cap off the series. And I don’t consider that a spoiler since obviously the reveal is a big part of the appeal to this show and always had to be a part of the package. Knowing that they’re not mean about it (unlike its ‘00’s predecessor Joe Millionaire) was what convinced me to check it out. 5. I Think You Should Leave S3 Another show that I watched all of for the first time in 2023, so I kind of feel like I’m rating the whole show as opposed to just the latest season. That being said, I’ve watched the whole show twice now, and was very surprised to hear my wife ask if we could check this show out together after showing her a particular clip akin to a comment she made “I have SO MUCH stuff on my phone” And since that’s the very first sketch of S3, that’s got to count for something, so here it is in my top five. 4. Paul T. Goldman One of those shows that wouldn’t even have been on my radar if not for goons, and that’s why I love lurking (and occasionally 3. Scavengers Reign It seems like there needs to be at least one banger of an animated series to pop onto my radar out of nowhere every year—Castlevania, Invincible, Primal, and now Scavengers Reign. So much has been written about this already and I don’t have much more to add, I think. It’s a really cool show and you should probably check it out! Okay?! 2. Fargo S5 I started putting my list together at the end of Dec, then sorta got lazy until now when I’m finally finishing it up and posting it. But even back in Dec when this series had several more episodes before its finale, I had it at #3. I felt like I had seen enough of the characters and reacted to enough of the story to know that I was very into this season of Fargo. It was the only show (besides #1) that was appointment viewing for me in 2023. Then the finale came and punched me right in the face and I had to move it up a spot. 1. Succession S4 Fuuuuck. Now THAT’S how you end a series. Every character stayed true to themselves while still showing the ability to change (very seldom for the better), and every moment felt so true to life. And the fact that I’m even saying that is loving ridiculous because I don’t think I’ve ever been in even one situation OR location that any one of the characters appeared in throughout the entire series because I’ll never be as ultra-rich as they are. But somehow that doesn’t matter, because it still felt so real despite all that. I believed every bit of it. And to truly cement that #1 spot, let’s not forget the episode on the boat. gently caress.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2024 20:35
|
|
|
Honorable Mentions: Poker Face: Wanted to watch this to see if it would bump my 'whodunit' on my list proper, but realized I'm not going to be able to finish and properly rank it in time, which is unfortunate. I'm a sucker for the genre and this has had high praise, I've just been ignoring it because Peacock lol The Curse: I don't know where to rank this show. Was it the best show I watched in 2023? Was it the worst? Who loving knows, but there was enough great TV I watched that making a spot for it on the top 10 feels bad Reservation Dogs: Really liked every season of this show, but it never quite clicked for me such that I loved it instead. This is entirely a me issue, but there are only so many flowers to give around and in a weaker year, I'd throw it on the list just to have it on there Such Brave Girls: Nice little ditty of a comedy that came out right at the end of the year, check it out if you missed it 10. Barry: Barry to me feels like a show that suffered tremendously due to COVID. I want to know what changed in the rewrites they made when they couldn't shoot season 3, because it feels like Hader got too wrapped up reading dumbass opinions on Reddit about how Barry is a cool dude just like Walter White and then spelled it out in crayon that he sucks. I bet the time skip doesn't happen in that universe and we get something looser thematically but tighter narratively. Maybe I'm just being harsh on it because Barry aired right after Succession, a show that's also on this list but with maybe the greatest final season of a show ever. 9. The Bear: Perhaps another controversially low position, but The Bear loses a lot of spots on my list because of one single issue: Claire. Giving Carmy a one-dimensional girlfriend was such a bad play in my book. Her one purpose in the entire season seems to be to exist, so that in the finale Carmy can blow up at her while locked in the walk-in. Fishes and Forks were some of the greatest episodes of TV of all time, but overall the season was mired by the fact that they didn't give her any defining traits besides "completing a residency." I'm guessing season 3 will rectify this and we'll get an episode solely from her perspective, but that episode should have existed in this season. 8. The Other Two: Any show with an episode called "Brooke Drives an Armpit Across America" deserves a spot on my top 10. 7. I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson: I think we should be able to post a little porn on Something Awful. 6. The Afterparty: Sad to hear season 2 is the last of this show; this show deserved way more attention than it ended up getting. Perhaps it's a blessing that I didn't watch Poker Face since I might be the only person who ranks The Afterparty on their list, especially above some critical darlings. But, gently caress it - this show was just incredible fun from a viewing perspective, being kept in the dark on both the killer and what genre would be parodied in each episode. Hannah's episode being a pastiche of Wes Anderson made me hit some weird state of nirvana where I was just glued to my set the whole episode. Overall, it may have been a step down from the first season but both were excellent IMO. 5. Party Down: A double miracle: Party Down came back and it was like it never left in the first place. Its only sin was missing Lizzy Caplan for the most part, but I don't think she would have gotten the show any higher on my list if different. Also the only good use of COVID narratively ever. 4. Fargo: A return to form, I'm very glad another good season of this show was made. Who knew Anton Chigurh would be just as great of a character if he showed up in Fargo? The entire cast killed it but I think Juno Temple was insanely impressive as Dot considering I hate Keeley in Ted Lasso. 3. How to With John Wilson: John is my loving boy and has supplanted Nathan Fielder in my parasocial friend group. Crying at the fact that HBO concluded so many great shows last year but this stung the most. Jesus loving Christ that guy who cut off his dick and balls was the most nuts least nuts thing I've ever heard about 2. Succession: If you had told me at the beginning of 2023 that neither this nor Barry would be in my top spot, I wouldn't believe you. I still barely believe it because this season was perfection. Sometimes I just randomly watch the boardroom scene from the final episode just to be in total awe again. Masterpiece is the only word to describe it. 1. Beef: I cannot believe how good this show was, it had everything: laughs, shocks, poignant and effortlessly interwoven themes of race and class, gently caress man. Jordan getting smashed to death by the door to her safe room was one of the most gruesome things I've seen since the Drive elevator scene. And, honestly, I even liked the final episode, a common criticism I've seen levied against the show. Yes, they could have called it quits at episode 9, but it largely feels like it DOES end there. Episode 10 is more of a coda - if they ended it entirely the episode before, then it would have worked even worse being the beginning of season 2. The final shot with Smashing Pumpkins playing is also too good to not exist. If future seasons even hold a candle to this, Beef might not just be my favorite show of 2023, but of all time.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2024 21:02
|
|
|
demostars posted:Honorable Mentions: It’s good to see this one appear, it was on my top 20 list but didn’t quite make it in to Top 10. I agree that it was a step down from s1, partially because the “surprise” factor of the clever concept was lessened, but I still enjoyed it. And I have a new appreciation for Zach Woods, who managed to bring a different interpretation of his character to each of the perspectives.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2024 14:31
|
|
|
E: list updated due to extension. I filled out the Google form but here is all shows I watched in 2023. Crap I tried watching but couldn't get through or wouldn't recommend. Arcane Beef Dead Pixels Dead Ringers Justified: City Primeval Killing it Love and Death Miracle Workers Mythic Quest Pantheon Secret Invasion Silo The Other Two The Swarm Yellowjackets Stuff I liked but didn't make the cut, in no particular order American Born Chinese Another retelling of Journey to the West. A bit bland at times, but still a fun watch. Avenue 5 Surprised this got a second series. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't exactly ground breaking. It got canceled after this though. Black Mirror I really enjoyed most episodes of this instalment though none really jumped out like they did in previous series. As well made as always though. Extraordinary This is just a bit better than run of the mill. The Hitler gag is insanely funny to me. Hope to see much more of this world and its stories. Gen V Spin off of The Boys, which did not stick to its guns, which I think is a shame. Would have been great if it hadn't folded into the main story of The Boys. Katla Slow TV that wasn't as much about the mystery as it was about what assholes people are - all people. Great watch. Lucky Hank Picked this up on a suggestion from the bingewatch thread and found it very enjoyable, though at times somewhat muted where it could have sparkled. Great performances though. Marvelous Mrs Maisel Didn't like the timeskip flash back stuff. Still, a good send off for a great show that I enjoyed over the years. Minx This could have taken a lot more risks but settled for a comfy sitcomy feel, which is still very enjoyable but not exactly pushing any envelopes considering the subject matter. Mrs Davis Fairly amusing but ultimately forgettable. Never Have I Ever Loved the gimmick with the narration from the get go, and it wrapped up nicely in its final series. Lovely to see a teen drama whose tone and characters are so refreshing. Only Murders in the Building This is starting to feel like a guilty pleasure: it never really falls off but at times it doesn't quite pull things together, either. Primo Very sweet very uncomplicated fun TV. Shadow and Bone Another show that had to wrap up after two series, but did so very well. A shame, it was a better series than the first, and I really like the world and the characters. The Last of Us Never played the game, not a fan of zombie media, but this had a few strong episodes. The Mandalorian More Good Star Wars. Enjoyable, even if it's not exactly memorable. Upload I find this more enjoyable as it goes on. It still has slapsticky moments, but the story is really picking up. Warrior The latest instalment in Bruce Lee's unrealized dream. It got canceled after this series but I feel it said all it had to say. Wednesday Much hyped and very entertaining, but I enjoyed the original Adam's Family more. Koala Man A great Aussie cartoon. Very funny. Letterkenny Farewell to a relentless series that would just not stop doing its own thing. Nice send off to all the characters. Lockwood & Co Got canceled but I found it charming enough. Scavenger Reign A trippy cartoon with a whole bunch of body horror and organic stuff that really, really isn't my thing. Very derivative style and storywise, too. Shrinking Fairly bland and handles fairly serious subject matter in a very nonchalant way. Solar Opposites I still watch this cartoon because of the side stories - The Wall and Silver Cops. Wasn't bothered by the change of VA. The Afterparty I'll be honest: I don't remember this. And that's probably the most honest review I can give. The Changeling Loved the horror / fantasy of this, but couldn't really get on board with the characters and story. The Watchful Eye Got canceled but found this very bingeable, in a guilty pleasure sort of way. This fool Slipped down my list as it progressed. Bit too cringey now. White Lotus I look forward to the next instalment of this show, without that horrible character which I can't loving stand. Willow This did not have to get canceled. It showed great promise, but got swallowed up in some bullshit with the studio having to write off some stupid rear end flopped movie or something. The Nevers Holy poo poo they actually aired the back half of this show. Another one that absolutely did have to get canceled over some bullshit, it was imaginative and enjoyable and well made. The List 1 Barry Such a great show from start to the very finish. Every time a series dropped I was amazed at how well made it was, how they pulled it off yet again, taking such a simple concept and making impressive, fun TV with it. 2 The Bear I will say it, I was worried for the first few episodes. Turns out the show was just taking measure before coming down with a huge rear end kicking. Didn't exactly match the first series, but missed only by an inch. 3 Fargo I am going to assume I'd want to put this on the first spot because I have only just finished it. I think it belongs here. I have admired every series of Fargo but this one felt special: as if the creators were having more fun making it, enjoying digging into other series of Fargo and other movies of the Coen Brothers, slapping frankly pitch perfect tunes on nearly every scene and focusing so clearly on each character that they did not need any explanation: their ridiculousness, greed, entitlement and also redemption speak for themselves. Truly wonderful. 4 I'm a Virgo All I am going to say here is: watch it. If you haven't watched it, watch it. Don't read up on it. Just jump in. Cheers! 5 Slow Horses Gary Oldman is just such a treat. He can play literally anything. It's not like he's carrying the show - it's got a good roster of actors and good writing - but he's just such a joy to watch. 6 Swarm I look forward to anything Donald Glover makes ever. The horror, the absurdity, and the sheer groundedness of Swarm is amazing. 7 Our Flag Means Death A brilliant second series which neatly wraps up the story. Loved every minute of it. The Calypso's birthday episode is the peak for me, personally, just such a beautiful show. 8 Inside No 9 Every year I am flabberghasted these men can conjure up another series of plays set inside number 9. It's not all high hitters but the sustained quality throughout the years, every time, is remarkable. 9 Godfather of Harlem I love shows that give me insight in parts of history that were, not even glossed over but just blatantly not covered when I was in school, and this dramatisation of Harlem's struggling drug baron goes as straight into my veins just as the heroin he deals. 10 Doom Patrol A super hero show where the main superpower is group therapy. I loved following these unique characters, portrayed so incredibly well, struggle and strive and overcome the enemy within. 11 Deadloch Gotta love Aussie TV. Not a perfect story but the casting and acting were great, and just very enjoyable to watch. 12 Shoresy This is the show Keeso always wanted to make: he loves Canadian ice hockey, and Shoresy shines where Letterkenny was flawed. 13 Loki Didn't expect this to have a good second series after the drek that got rolled out since its first series. Pleasantly surprised at the result. 14 Poker Face There's a lot going on in this show: it's not just Columbo, I see Burn Notice and Quantum Leap and what not. Very suited to Natasha Lyonne's mannerisms. 15 For all Mankind Wasn't on board for the first two episodes but it picked up after that. I was worried the further it goes from known history the worse the stories would become, but it was compelling and well made - again. The Russian did bother me though. 16 Carnival Row They had to wrap this up in the second series but it came to a satisfactory conclusion. 17 Cabinet of Curiosities I wish there were more TV shows like this, much like the short stories I used to collect of early horror/fantasy/sci-fi authors. 18 Ahsoka More Good Star Wars. Enjoyable, even if it's not exactly memorable. 19 The Devil's Hour I'm not for thrillers but goddamn I love me some Peter Capaldi. His best work since The Thick of It. 20 What We Do In The Shadows The gift that keeps on giving. Meatgrinder fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Jan 28, 2024 |
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2024 22:05
|
|
|
Ah poo poo I'm a Virgo. I knew I forgot a show (and Blue Eyed Samurai)
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2024 23:06
|
|
|
Just in time I guess 10: Wrestlers Such a fascinating look into small time wrestling and while it could just have been making fun of some yokels you end up with an immense respect for their drive and dedication. 9: Siren: Survive The Island Ever since discovering The Genius here on TVIV the Korean game shows have fascinated me. It kind of feels like a planned promotion of South Korea where everyone is super smart (Genius, Devil's Plan, Crime Scene), hot (Single's Inferno but also every other show), tough (The Soldiers on Youtube, Physical 100, this one) while also being classy, polite, erudite and nothing like the drama explosions in Western reality shows. While Physical 100 is the better show the producer meddling revealed afterward soured me on it. S:STI does things differently, not only are all the teams women but everyone also gets paid the same regardless of their performance on the show. In the show, teams of four cops, soldiers, firefighters, athletes, stuntwomen and bodyguards are put on a small island to compete in challenges and daily raids on the other teams' base to capture their flag. The concept does not really work too well but I found the dynamic between the teams very compelling, especially how the soldiers and firefighters started hating each other which was refreshing after so many shows get boring because everyone likes and respect each other so much or feels like they have to act like they do. It was also interesting to see the character of the teams come out in how they acted. The cops were arrogant and everyone ganged up on them immediately. The firefighters were super agressive while the soldiers tried to be sneaky spies. The bodyguards were almost completely invisible and the athletes just treated it like a bit of fun training as their advantages in strength and training carried them to victory. 8: The Diplomat Putting Keri Russel and Rufus Sewell together is a simple recipe for entertaining TV. It's not the most well written or groundbreaking show but hell if I was not enjoying every second of it. 7: The Last of Us This is a weird one, I loved it but have no desire to watch it again or watch season 2. Maybe if it was not acted, written and made so incredibly well it would not have made me feel so bad at the end. 6: Murder At The End Of The World Again a show carried by the leads. Emma Corrin is incredibly captivating to watch and the whole cast is stacked with quality in a mystery that ends in an odd way but makes sense looking back at what happened. 5: Barry Oh Barry, you are so weird and wonderful and I will miss you. Give Bill Hader a bag of money for whatever he wants to do next and I'll be there for it. 4: Mrs Davis This came out of nowhere with the craziest premise and a mad plot to make Barry look mundane. This is one of those shows (like Severance) which the creator must have been polishing it in their head for 10+ years to come with everything perfecly figured out, I hope they are not asked by the studio to make a show just as good in two years which then turns out to be terrible. Or maybe just average and everyone will go 'what happened?' 3: Blue Eye Samurai Like Arcane, a phenomenal looking animation/CGI mix from France. Episode 5 is my favourite episode of this year of anything, the usage of bunraku performances to bridge the massive fights and extensive backstory is brilliant. Great voice work as well with Randall Park standing out as being whiny and sinister in equal parts. 2: One Piece How???? After so many poor live action animation adaptions they suddenly knock it out of the park like this one. Maybe it was what Honest Trailers said: Change Nothing, no matter how ridiculous and trust your cast to sell it, be it a clown with only a head and feet, a hero made of rubber or a pirate wielding a sword twice his size. Having basically the Black Sails set crew to make everything must have helped too, everything looks great. 1: Successsion A show made by Serious People. Nothing came close in quality of the writing, acting and every aspect of the production down the the make and model of car a Roy would be driven around in.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 11:07
|
|
|
In classic fashion - I'm going to extend this for a few days New Deadline is Midnight Jan 31stTentative results/reveal will be 10PM EST on Fri 2nd
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 15:42
|
|
|
A man has started watching Fargo. A man hopes he can update his list before the new deadline.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 19:18
|
|
|
Looten Plunder posted:In classic fashion - I'm going to extend this for a few days i feel like marathoning a few shows so my votes are officially eligible and then the curse can get the recognition it deserves
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 19:42
|
|
|
Looten Plunder posted:In classic fashion - I'm going to extend this for a few days Thanks I procrastinate every year and have still not learned to not procrastinate.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 23:24
|
|
|
This is great news cause now I can procrastinate even more 
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 23:38
|
|
|
Honestly I thought the deadline was always January 31st
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2024 23:47
|
|
|
Meatgrinder posted:A man has started watching Fargo. A man hopes he can update his list before the new deadline. Already submitted my lost otherwise this would be on my list, and really high.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2024 00:07
|
|
|
the deadline is in the future not the past. you can update your list.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2024 00:29
|
|
|
Looten Plunder posted:
I assume that's midnight EST?
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2024 00:31
|
|
|
ShoogaSlim posted:the deadline is in the future not the past. you can update your list. I live by Vegas rules. The bet is in.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2024 00:41
|
|
|
10. Scavengers Reign: The most beautiful show on TV last year is a new animated show that was released out of nowhere. Has any show ever reached the same sense of "alien"? 9. Telemarketers: Although it peters out by the end without a satisfying conclusion, you really have to love the first half of this show's amateur investigation of call center improprieties. I think every documentary tries and fails to find a leading character as intriguing as Pat Pespas. 8. How to With John Wilson: The world was not good enough to let a show as singularly weird as this one to survive. John Wilson lets his initial question become enormous real-world shaggy dog stories speaks to the bizarre connections between unrelated, hilarious events. You really have to keep an open mind as John takes the question "How to Work Out" to visit a Pumpkin Growing competition, a cat show, a discussion on a 9/11 hijacker, and a literal gooncave (no, not this forum's version of goon, the other one). I know never to say "never" but we may never get another show like this ever again. 7. I Think You Should Leave: We are blessed that Tim Robinson shows up once a year with six 15-minute episodes crammed full of his over-the-top sense of humor and wisely not a minute more. One day, Tim Robinson sketches will become expected and familiar but this year is not the year. I can't explain why, but a cigar and hat painted on a car window was the funniest scene on TV I've seen all year. 6. Barry: Relative to other shows on my list, Barry had higher highs and lower lows. But those highs are more than worth your time as Barry's life story catches up with him. 5. Fargo: Season Two of Fargo may be my favorite season of TV ever, with Seasons 1 and 3 not far behind. I'd rank Season 5 behind those three seasons but, by overall TV standards, would still mean Season 5 is still one of the best shows you can watch. It's a return to form and style but not quite a return to the same level of quality. A man is still thankful for more Fargo. 4. Succession: Few shows put as much emphasis on an expected final question as Succession's "Who will succeed Logan Roy?" Season Four's episodes are consistently great and full of acid-tipped snide comments that must've made a fun writing exercise. But we're all waiting patiently for the Succession news that will sum up the sad lives of this pathetic family and especially it's children. The happy review is that the show sticks the landing, especially the pinnacle moment, placing everyone into a conclusion worthy of their character. Although it wasn't my top-ranking show of the year, no show threaded the needle of comedy and drama better than Succession. 3. The Righteous Gemstones: The funniest show on TV cannot be stopped, much like a giant monster truck with a novelty horn. Danny McBride was only practicing his craft before he landed on Televangelists as a topic, and I hope he never falters. 2. The Bear: The characters might be the same, but everything else this season of The Bear is an enormous change from Season one. Instead of the adrenaline-pumping daily emergencies of a small sandwich shop, the cast now tackles a bigger fundamental change and long-term goal of a fine dining restaurant. The pace may be slower but following the cast you last remember screaming at each other find easy to learn and adapt is a beautiful journey. 1. Beef: You won't find a better and more rewarding experience watching two people try to win an argument not worth their time. Lots of prestige TV shows want to represent everything about a small group of loosely-connected people, how their at-the-moment wicked motivations are reactions of decades of mistreatment, but Beef was the best example of that ambitious goal this year. Next time, you can remember that everyone's fighting the hard fight personally and you can always let things dissolve into the past.
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2024 18:43
|
|
|
Updated my list. Do I have to send in another Google Form too? Will it overwrite the one I filled out originally?
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2024 22:09
|
|
|
I didn’t even notice the Google Form the first time, so I put mine in now!
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 03:13
|
|
|
Meatgrinder posted:Updated my list. Do I have to send in another Google Form too? Will it overwrite the one I filled out originally? If you could submit another form, that would be good. I'll try and proof read everything but it will increase the chance I don't overlook any changes you made.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 05:02
|
|
|
If tristeham reads this, you've fill out the Google Form but didn't include any commentary and you also didn't post anything in the thread. If nine-gear crow reads this,you didn't post anything in thread. I've sent you both PM's along with your lists to make re-posting them in threads easier.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 05:13
|
|
|
Looten Plunder posted:If nine-gear crow reads this,you didn't post anything in thread. Yeah lol I just threw my submissions in the Google form without bothering to post them here: Anyway, here are mine. 10*. Star Trek: Picard This deserves to be way lower because it poo poo the bed so badly in the end, but I didn't watch that many shows this year so womp womp. Season 3 truly is the winner of the "Most Improved While Still Somehow Also Being Complete Dogshit" Award if there ever was one. A solid 6 out of 10 endeavor that showed a tiny bit of promise and then very quickly devolved into Boomer nostalgia porn. It shouldn't be on this list but I don't want to lie and put a show I didn't actually watch on here, so here ya go, hope it skews your metric really weirdly. 9. Castlevania: Nocturne A worthy follow up to its original predecessor, now with 100% less sexpest showrunners! 8. The Wheel of Time A definite winner for "Most Improved" between its first season and its second, and I'm one of those people who thought the first season was pretty good until COVID sent it spiraling off course. The cast and the writers both found their footing this year and I've never seen a better looking show for costuming so far. 7. Reacher I was sold on this show by a friend who also hadn't seen it as "let's watch this dumb show about this dumb meatslab solving crimes through violence" and was blown away by how actually smart and charming the whole thing was. It has no right to be this good and yet it somehow is. 6. Scavengers Reign A brutally beautiful experiment of animation. It's like a mashup of Naussicaa and Azarch with some real overly-detailed Akira style body horror every few minutes. I should probably put it higher but there was a lot of good stuff this year. 5. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off I'm always a fan of creators coming back to their earlier works with the wisdom of time and experience and taking another swing at the same bat. Scott Pilgrim takes off and everyone he leaves behind gets the chance to grow without him weighing them down. 4. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Straight up the best live action Star Trek show since Deep Space Nine went off the air. Building off an already stellar first season, SNW is a return to the proper style of Competence Porn that Star Trek is at its best. 3. Star Trek: Lower Decks Star Trek: Prodigy should be in this spot, but it aired last year and not this year, so Lower Decks gets to be the best Star Trek show period of 2023. It keeps firing on all cylinders and improves every year and I hope it gets the chance to keep going for as long as it can even as Paramount kind of goes down in flames around it. 2. The Last of Us A great video game makes for a great TV show, funny how that happens. This show was drat near perfect on every level and managed to take what was already good about the game and make it even better. 1. Blue Eye Samurai This show came right out of nowhere and blew everything else away for me this year. An absolutely beautiful show on every level from the animation to the choreography to the voice acting to the music to the scene composition. More people need to watch this show. I can't get over how good it was.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 05:22
|
|
|
I wanted to do a bigger thing with pictures, but I lost the notepad file I was using when the fuse box randomly overloaded so you have my lovely wiring to thank for saving you from all of that. Caveats: The Curse isn't on this list because it partly aired in 2024, but if I wasn't holding myself to that dumb rule then it would be at #1. Everyone should watch The Curse. Also I didn't finish Blue Eye Samurai yet, because my TV watching group is slow. :/ Also I watch a gently caress load of shows. The following list is mostly just arbitrary categorization based on my preferences, all the following things are basically awesome and I'd recommend them regardless of where they are on the list. It was a good year for TV. 25. Hello Tomorrow! Best dialogue on TV, except Succession (not appearing in this list), which is proof that nice dialogue will only take you so far. I wish a lot of other things had pushed their concepts further, but it was pretty good and I loved some of the cast so so much. Deserves a second season to really soar. 24. Doctor Who Season 14(?) IT'S DOCCY WHO. It's dumb but I love it. Also the Torchwood radio series had an excellent year and that's basically a TV show but also that won't ever count for obvious reasons but I need to mention them to everyone because they're really loving good. 23. Foundation Season Two Huge improvement on the previous one. Some great fights and excellent jokes / characters / arcs. Complete loving nonsense, of course. 22. YOU Season Four Lovely didactic scene at the start of the season in defense of pulp fiction. Largely more of the same, but that same is really good and fun. Really looking forward to the final season (next year?) 21. Essex County Very sweet, without being cloying, supported by strong visual storytelling and one of the year's best musical scores (for a show). Nothing here is original, but it's the kind of solid drama that's absolute loving catnip for me. 20. Paul T. Goldman There's something about this that feels exploitative, and continues to confirm my bias against watching true crime and its adjacents. This is a very good example though, very funny and tightly constructed, with a strong humanist narrative evolving out of the last episode. One of the more interesting Fielder knockoffs. 19. Silo Season One A pair of shaky, overcomplicated early episodes give way to some very strong worldbuilding and thoughtful characterisation, as the nature of the setting is slowly determined to the viewer. Jules is a very likable hero, and there's two action sequences in this season that made me gasp. The central mystery is pants, but that's not the show and it's all the better for it. 18. The Horror Of Delores Roach Season One A funny, squirmy adaptation of Sweeney Todd with some very fun performances. Justina Machado should be in everything, and Cyndi Lauper should act more. 17. Deadloch A well observed comic skewering of a load of far too relatable people and storytelling conventions, and a decent murder mystery to boot. Fascinating watching people not familiar with these types talk about how annoying they are. Yeah, they loving are, eh. 16. Killing It Season Two More of the same from the first season, but that season was really good and also too loving short!!! The moments this comedy thriller tips over into queasy horror-adjacent material are still a loving great, brutal trick. Dot-Marie Jones and Melanie Fields should be in more things. 15. Minx Season Two Some really well constructed episodes built into a strongly constructed season, IMO only beaten in terms of structure by the next thing in the list. Love the characters; Bambi 4Eva. Too short!!!! 14. Party Down Season Three Just really funny. A near perfect continuation of a great show that hadn't aired in at least a decade, only this time with higher quality mics. 13. Adventure Time: Fionna And Cake Pushes the Adventure Time thang further than before, but in ways I found really rewarding. Great animation, good vibe, smart stuff. 12. The Gallows Pole It's a fantasy epic about dudes stealing money, but it's shot like an improv comedy lending the entire thing a great, fun vibe. Why is it only three episodes long, where is the rest of it??? 11. BEEF Too many fake out deaths. But really great performances and jokes in a show that builds and builds to something fairly powerful. The church scene keeps popping up on my socials, and I can see why people keep talking about it, but there are a bunch more like it throughout. 10. Pantheon Season Two Not as good as the first season, but still pretty loving good! Good fights, strong characters, some unexpected plot twists (the one in the second episode is seriously underappreciated). The final episode felt a little pat, but I even like that on the whole. 9. I'm a Virgo Half a show! But a whole bunch of interesting ideas that show what comic books -- and comic book TV series -- could be if they wanted to actually do something interesting IMO. Great performances and a great bric-a-brac of things, mashing up Hans Christian Anderson with a plot based on that banned episode of Pokemon. I could probably talk about this show for hours. 8. Such Brave Girls Made me laugh more than anything else in a long while. A pretty tight satire that just gets it. 7. Dead Ringers Weird and funny (really funny) and confusing and absolutely refuses to give up what the gently caress is actually going but I think everyone on the show might be crazy??? I had no idea what any given episode would be about. Rachel Weisz is really good, but so is Rachel Weisz, but then Susan Blommaert comes in for two scenes and eats them both alive. The rooftop drug sequence would probably propel the show into the top ten all by itself. 6. The Other Two Season Three Strong ending to the show. Had a lot of fun with how this season played with tone. I laughed a lot. 5. DAVE Season Three The Jane Levy episode is so good! The Anne Frank episode is so good! It's all really good. Except Dave. Dave sucks and deserves to be alone. 4. Scavenger's Reign Really loving scary, with some great art and a lot of lovely nonverbal storytelling. I've got a friend who hates nonverbal storytelling because it means he can't wander around in the kitchen cooking dinner, or hop on discord, when the show is airing! He is WRONG and DUMB. But even he had to admit that this was pretty good (he only watched four episodes though). 3. Blindspotting Season Two Might have had its budget cut, which means fewer cool dance numbers. But there are a lot of those, and a really fun fight scene involving strippers. Too short!!! TOO CANCELLED!! Grrrr. This cast was lovely and believable and everyone got good stuff to do. The Joe Taslim episode was a bit of a dud though hey. 2. The Great Season Three. The best ensemble cast on television, telling a really strong story about dumb liberals thinking that they can be monarchs and also be good. Turns out you can't! Some really emotional scenes in the back half of the season, paying off three seasons of slow but steady plot development very, very well. Excellent example of long form storytelling which is probably why it is CANCELLED. Should probably be my #1 all things told.. 1. Fired On Mars Best thing on TV last year. Don't @ me. 
Open Source Idiom fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Jan 29, 2024 |
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 14:59
|
|
|
This wins the thread award for most shows I haven't seen yet seem intriguing. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 16:46
|
|
|
Ive never even heard of Fired on Mars before now!
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 17:16
|
|
|
Look, it's probably a super marmite show, a bunch of the goons in the adult animation thread didn't like it. FWIW it took me a hot minute to vibe with and all. But I laughed and was surprised and a little uncomfortable and two episodes made me cry, and by the end I thought it had a really strong arc. I really really liked it, and thought about it a lot since.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 17:26
|
|
|
I re-posted my list in the forms since I changed my list.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2024 18:45
|
|
|
I've updated everyones ballots in the following post as of this date. If anyone linked in this post makes any changes to their list/submits another form, please make a comment in this thread to increase the chance i pick it up https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=1&threadid=4050166&pagenumber=1&perpage=40#post536714081
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2024 00:39
|
|
|
I've updated the Google form.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2024 22:07
|
|
|
Ok I managed to scrounge a list together hurray Honourable Mention: Survivor I stopped being a regular Survivor viewer after Chris Underwood’s underwhelming win in Edge of Extinction and hearing about the problematic aspects of Island of the Idols just pushed me further away from the franchise. But back in September I began a full rewatch of the whole season which has given me a whole lot of joy over the last few months. I can’t put it on my list cause I’m still only up to Nicaragua but for how much I’ve got out of this show last year I had to give it a mention. 10. What If?  “All quests for redemption begin in darkness” I needed to fill out this list and I watched two episodes of the new season while visiting my parents for Christmas  9. AEW Dynamite  “I hear that you have a father… and that your father is dead.” I’ve actually dropped off watching wrestling this year but this mainly makes the list due to Christian Cage’s incredible run as a shithead narcissist who mocks people for having dead fathers while hitting on their moms. 8. Black Mirror  “I am sorry that I shat in a church” They made a new season of Black Mirror what the gently caress. Like any season of this show it was a mixed bag and it’s been a long time since they hit the heights of their best episodes but overall this season’s batting average was pretty good. The highlights were Loch Henry’s musings on our exploitation of true crime documentaries and Demon 79’s straight up supernatural female empowerment apocalypse yarn. 7. Loki  “For you. For all of us.” 2023 was the year where even the most diehard stan had to admit the MCU has gone off the boil. Season 2 of Loki was, however, one of the few bright spots of recent years. Tom Hiddleston continued to deliver a great performance as the titular character, Ke Huy Quan was a fantastic addition to the cast and we got to see Owen Wilson ride a jetski (sort of). The wibbly-wobbly timey-wimeyness worked out well and the series wrapped up Loki’s arc with a really well-earned ending. I still hope we see Hiddleston back in the MCU one last time so he can close out Loki’s story in reunion with Thor but if he doesn’t then this was a pitch perfect way to go. 6. RuPaul’s Drag Race  “Drag is not a crime but looking this sickening should be” 2023 was a rough year for your girl Rarity. March, especially. I was going through IT and one of the few things that helped me was a binge of the current season of Drag Race. I’d always avoided the franchise before due to Ru’s pretty lovely opinions about trans drag but she’s come around in recent years and Season 15 felt like one massive apology to the community as trans queen Sasha Colby romped to victory. I’m really glad I could finally find joy in the franchise as the light-hearted fun, shady reads and vicious serves were just what I needed. Sasha was a phenomenal performer who absolutely deserved her win but also huge shoutout to Luxx and her definitely 40-inches of human hair. That Anetra/Marcia3 lip sync lives in my head rent free. 5. Devil’s Plan  “Live gloriously, or die” There has been a huge hole in my heart ever since The Genius wrapped up its final season. I thought I was going to have to go the rest of my life without another Extreme Ways moment but then Netflix shoved money at the creator to bring the show over. Enter the Devil’s Plan, a show which is essentially The Genius S5 (with a few minor tweaks). Apparently most people think the changes are for the negative but I actually found them very rewarding. I loved seeing the contestants live together and I thought it really heightened the emotions and drama. Also it allowed for a fun metagame puzzle that brought many of the show’s biggest surprises. But none of that would have mattered without the right cast and while there were some misses the people that hit hit so hard. The bond between Seok-jin and See-won was heartwarming to watch while Dong-Joo’s performance in Fragments of Memory is up there with any from one of these shows. Bring on season 2! 4. Yellowjackets  “She wants us to” So I got the impression that a lot of fans were down on the sophomore season of Yellowjackets but honestly, I just don’t see it. I guess if you want to look at it as a puzzle-box mythology-focused entity then the show’s devotion to straddling the line between supernatural forest spirits and disaster survivors rationalising their trauma could be frustrating, however I don’t even know why you would even want to watch it that way. For me Yellowjackets has always been about two main things. The first is seeing how a group of normal teenage girls can descend into the most savage of behaviour through a slow series of small decisions that are all understandable but which add up to a macabre tapestry. The second is Christina Ricci being Christina Ricci. And well, she’s still Christina Ricci. Her performance as the adult version of Missy is a bedazzling portrayal of a complex character who combines legitimate sociopathy with frightening empathy. Plus this season she was joined by Elijah Wood playing his own flavour of delightful weirdo to form an unlikely rootable couple. Boy do I hope those crazy kids can make it work! Speaking of crazy kids that brings me back to the first draw of the show where the show also delivered. I mean, they got to the cannibalism! And for a moment that had been built up from the opening scenes of the series it exceeded my every expectation. From the moment that an eerily-timed storm covers Jackie’s cremating corpse in snow the events develop with pitch perfect presentation. The slow build as the girls discover that her body has left roasted to precision which gleefully transitions to the juxtaposition of their feeding frenzy with a twisted Roman bacchanalia is my TV highlight of the year and it’s not even close. All while poor, poor Coach Ben looks on in horror at the inhuman world he has fallen into. 10/10, no notes. 3. Doctor Who  “You keep on going, and that’s the adventure” As a British citizen is was my national duty to grow up with a love of Doctor Who. Of course when I was a kid the show was in its cancelled era so this was mostly gained from watching my dad’s VHS tapes of stories from the Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy eras and almost an entire collection of the novelisations. I was very excited when Russell T Davies rejuvenated the brand in the 00s and watched it religiously until someway through the Peter Capaldi run. At that point it felt like Steven Moffatt was running on fumes and Chris Chibnall taking over as showrunner did nothing to get me excited. For years I was dipped out of the show entirely, not even fussed by the news that RTD, David Tennant and Catherine Tate were returning to celebrate the 60th anniversary. I would have continued to live my life free of care from the latest goings on in the Whoniverse if not for one thing: The Meep. The Meep has been a running in-joke in my family for as long as I’ve been alive. (My dad is a massive Marvel fan and collected their 70s Doctor Who magazine where the Meep first featured. He showed these to my mum who quickly started saying meep whenever feeling flustered and she’s been doing it ever since.) So when it turned out the first of the anniversary specials had the Meep in it I felt pretty much obliged to check it out, and then when I did I saw the Neil Patrick Harris was playing one of my all-time favourite Classic Who villains so hell, might as well watch the whole bunch. So one day I sat down and blasted all three specials back to back and drat, I didn’t realise how much I missed good Doctor Who stories until they were here. The Star Beast was, eh…, fine I guess but Wild Blue Yonder was some loving terrifying Cronenberg poo poo that stands as the best self-contained story Rusty ever wrote for the show. And then there’s The Giggle, with NPH delivering a deliciously camp take on the Toymaker and Ncuti Gatwa immediately jumping off the screen. And all the way through Tennant and Tate delivered performances with such heart and pathos that truly wrapped up 20 years of NuWho in satisfying fashion. I’m so excited to see where Gatwa takes the character and I can say with full mavity that I’m hype to watch Doctor Who again. And that’s neat. 2. Wheel of Time  “Is this a sex thing or a murder thing? Because either way I’d rather you skip the talking” The Wheel of Time has been my favourite fantasy series for 25 years with an intricate web of plots and a collection of characters I love. When the first season came out a couple of years ago it was faced with a series of challenges including the first novel’s generic source material, filming that was interrupted by a pandemic and one of their principal actors noping out on the show before the final episodes had finished production. Even so while many fans were down on Season 1 I got a great deal out of it and went into this year’s batch of episodes with much excitement. With the story expanding in scope and developing more of a unique flavour I had high hopes for seeing how this would be presented on screen and I was not disappointed. As far as I’m concerned Season 2 knocked it out of the park, answering the majority of criticisms that had been levelled against it and raising the bar in every aspect. More than anything its the casting in this show that is the absolute standout. They’d set their stall out right from the start with pulling in Rosamund Pike but this year they knocked it out of the park. As soon as I heard Meera Syal was joining the line-up I knew exactly what role she’d be playing and I knew she’d be perfect for it while Natasha O’Keeffe burst off the screen as the new major antagonist. Meanwhile alongside the crop of younger actors that were really finding their feet Dónal Finn slipped into the role of Mat as if he’d been there from the start while Ceara Coveney did a wonderful toeing the fine line between Elayne’s oblivious snootiness and genuine bravery. And next season is only going to get better! We’ve already seen a sneak peek at Laia Costa’s queer af gothy villain but we’re also getting Olivia Williams and Shohreh fricking Aghdashloo! But the cast isn’t the only thing that got me going from the latest season. A bigger commitment from Amazon meant bigger budgets which really pushed the production design to a new level. Ok, we’re not talking Game of Thrones Season 8 here but we’re definitely talking around Season 4. This came into play as the show introduced a good four or five new cultures across its run and each one felt appropriately fleshed out, in particular the Seanchan where they truly captured the horror of their otherworldly and alien society. Yes, there are aspects of the books which are lost and impactful moments in the text that fail to hit but for each one of these that miss there is something new the show brings to the table that delivers a brand new insight or connection to this world that is so close to my heart. I do have one criticism though. Spend more money on Lanfear’s wardrobe. 1. Plagiarism and You(tube)  “There’s a little bit of nothing in all of us, and we’d like to fill it with something” Yeah, she went there. Welcome to the only reason I made the effort to make a top 10 this year, so that I could put a 4-hour Youtube essay as my #1 pick. You may not have heard of this video, although it did take the internet by storm when it was released at the start of December. But you’ve probably heard of its creator, former goon hbomberguy who has built a career out of extended deep dives into fascinating subjects like anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers and the Roblox OOF MP3. And if you’re still drawing a blank he’s the guy who got AOC to say trans rights during a 24-hour stream of DK64. I’ve been a fan of Harris Bomberguy’s work for many years now. He (and his backroom team) have got a fantastic capability for interjecting potentially dry topics with humour to keep the subject engaging while also being able to dissect an argument into well-constructed individual rebuttals that are all back up by a strong amount of citations. This last point is especially relevant for his latest piece, a comprehensive examination of creative plagiarism on Youtube. Over the course of this mammoth video Mr. H Bomb addresses a number of creators and uses their examples to display exactly what plagiarism looks like, how it can be spotted, the impact it can have on its victims and the tactics that plagiarists use to escape requital when their actions are uncovered. However this is all just the prelude because it’s not until the 2-hour mark that the true subject of this exposé is revealed. James Somerton is, or rather was, a queer content creator and media critic with a large online following who released new material at a rather prolific rate. His work was focused on LGBT representation with videos covering topics like the early years of gay representation in Hollywood and the history of queerbaiting. It’s hard to find his videos online any more – he seems to have purged his channels – but judging by the clips in Plagiarism and Youtube they are not particularly great. His delivery is dry and his screen presence is minimal. But he posted a lot and that’s all you really need to do to succeed in an algorithm-driven world. The problem? He was only able to keep up that pace by stealing words from the very queer creatives he claimed to represent, thereby denying them the recognition or reward that their work deserved. (One of his videos, Codebreakers, stole from 17 different authors.) And it’s here that the true genius of Hbizzle’s essay shines through. Over the course of the first two hours of set-up he has given you all the context and methodology of plagiarism you need so that when he turns to Somerton you instantly see the patterns being followed. In a way I feel bad for James. He’s far from the only charlatan to be getting away with plagiarism on Youtube. He’s just the one that lucked into becoming the internet’s main character for a couple of weeks. But at the same time there’s no denying that he is an engrossing character study. There are so many interesting quirks to his misconduct like the use of stock credit sequence, his failed production company and weird brand of misogyny that the rest of the video never feels like its running out of steam. And this feels like the point to bring up my other HM for this year, an accompanying 2-hour video essay from cynical music critic Todd in the Shadows who stepped outside his wheelhouse to do his own look at Somerton, and despite these videos closing in on six hours together there is very little crossover with Todd’s essay focusing instead on the reams of bullshit coming out of James’s mouth. Did you know he thinks that Skype was invented because of gay porn? Or that homosexuality exploded in the West after WW2 because all our soldiers were attracted to buff Nazis? Or that queer activists in the 90s only cared about marriage equality cause all the cool gays died of AIDS? Yeah, it’s loving wild. But coming back to Harry McBomb the thing that I have always found most admirable about his videos is that he is very conscious of the impact of his work and his reach. Throughout Plagiarism and Youtube he is careful to dissuade against witch-hunting and instead use his voice to lift up his community. The earnings from this video have been pledged to Somerton’s victims and he uses his time to promote other queer creators with smaller followings. But most importantly he takes his space as an opportunity to open up a discussion on the level in which we engage with art and the difference between passion and obligation. This essay caused me to reflect on the merits of the works I enjoy, the ways that I support creators and my relationship with my own creative impulses and for that it is my #1 TV show of 2023.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 00:37
|
|
|
Great list Rarity, I really liked your explanation for your top pick. However, my main takeaway is...Rarity posted:next season ... we’re also getting ... Shohreh fricking Aghdashloo! Season 1 of Wheel of Time was kinda generic and I never really felt the need to bother with season 2 as a result, but I've heard it was better and the above news makes me keen to catch up! 
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 01:00
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:Great list Rarity, I really liked your explanation for your top pick. However, my main takeaway is... She's got such an incredible role as well, she's gonna kill it
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 01:14
|
|
|
I hope I made the deadline. Sorry for the rushed job on this! Honorable Mentions: Beef Trigun: Stampede Blue Eye Samurai Murder at the end of the World Loki S2 Party Down S3 What We do In the Shadows S5 Reservation Dogs S3 (still on season 2) The Curse (haven't finished yet) #10 Such Brave Girls This one snuck it’s way onto my list thanks to the posters on the couch chat thread. This show is a very interesting take on the impacts of trauma caused by abandonment. That may sound serious but the show itself is very funny. The humor is smart, witty, gross, uncouth, and left me laughing out loud on many occasions. It’s an easy show to binge in a weekend and can’t wait to see if there is a next season. #9 Silo I love a good post apocalyptic setting and the feeling of confinement in stories. Silo did a great job of both of these while presenting an interesting mystery to chew on throughout the season. There were some b-plots I wasn’t in to but the pacing of the main story was told so well I had to buy the books just to see what happens. I’m looking forward to see how the show will adapt the books moving forward as I had some pretty big gripes about the second book. #8 Scavengers Reign I’m a huge sucker for that Moebius aesthetic. The story was pretty good, nothing spectacular, but my god those visuals are why you watch this show. The creativity it took to create that planet and all the flora and fauna is second only to something like Adventure Time. Looking forward to a second season! #7 I Think You Should Leave – Season 3 What I find funny lies on opposite ends of the humor spectrum. To get me to laugh a show either needs to be really smart, sharp, and/or cleaver or really loving stupid and absurd. I Think You Should Leave is clearly the latter. By season three you think I would get sick of Tim screaming while dealing with an odd situation, but you would be wrong. Doggie door, pay it forward, the driving crooner, etc all had me busting a gut. The one odd thing about this show is that it gets better the more I see people quote it outside my initial viewing. #6 Succession - Season 4 I know this is everyone’s number 1 or 2 show but I think I’m just tired of rich people complaining. I really appreciate where the season 4 took the show narratively, killing Logan early in the season. It really reinforced the all the main characters driving motivation. I do love how the three Roy children character arcs ended up at the same conclusion, despite their money and status, they are all worthless coddled pieces of poo poo with no real skillsets. Looking back at the whole series I can’t help but tip my hat to the writers for really kinda hiding in plain sight, the person who would end up being the CEO of the company. My man Tomelette. Since season one he was only character who worked his way up the corporate ladder. #5 Barry – Season 4 As much as I gushed about Succession, I liked Barry more despite having some hang ups with season four, timeskip. There were a lot of great moments in this season. The ending was great. That shoot out in the prison was really good. I also really love the moment where Barry is picking out a bible sermon that would ease his conscience about premeditated murder. I love the characters, shot design, direction, and writing. This season maintained the quality of the last three and I’m really going to miss it. #4 Somebody Somewhere – Season 2 I understand if you’re scratching your head, wondering why this show is as high on my list as it is. In terms of quality prestige television, is it better than Succession or Barry? No, it isn’t. But it’s my list and I love this show. This show is comfort food for me. It’s a coming of middle-age, low stakes, dramedy that’s easy to watch and relate to. It’s a nice reminder that wherever you end up, there is a community ready to accept you. This show is a delight! #3 Game Changer – Season 5 Drop Out tv has really become the only streaming service worth the subscription fee to me and Game Changer, in my eyes, is its flagship show. The stuff they did this season, Shakespeare, karaoke, Sam Says, Escape Room, there really wasn’t a dud this season and I’m so looking forward to what Sam and his crew have in store for season 6. I think what I like most about Game Changer, and Drop Out in general, is the sense of ownership I feel. Sorta like how I feel about certain indie bands that no one pays attention to. It’s got this nice, elevated DIY feel to it that’s beyond what you would find on YouTube but not high budget enough to be on Netflix. The most important element to the show, that really makes it for me, are the rotating cast of Drop Out tv regulars that appear in each episode. It’s easy to develop a favorite. The creators do a great job of creating a game that plays to the strengths of the improv actors. #2 The Bear – Season 2 Aside from an overall high quality show, there has to be a group of scenes or an episode that really leaves an impact on me for a show to make it to the top three. Obviously the episode that left the biggest impact from this season of The Bear was the Christmas episode. I mean holy poo poo. The only way it could have been more anxiety inducing would be if it were shot all in one take. I could say more but y’all have already touched on why this season was so good. #1 Last Of Us The story was already top notch in the game and didn’t need a lot of changes but the changes that were implemented made the story even better. The cast was great as was all the set design and writing. The reason is was my number one show of 2023 is because of the episode with Bill and Frank. At 80 minutes it could have been it’s own movie but It works so well within the confines of the show’s theme that I can’t imagine the episode without the rest of the show. It’s such a nice compliment to Joel and Ellie’s journey through out the season. Wonderful show! Having played the second game I’m eager to see people’s reaction to the second season. Game spoilers In my opinion they should play it off like the Last of Us is an anthology series and just focus on Abby’s journey leading up to her going golfing with Joel. Then season 3 can be about Ellie’s revenge
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 07:04
|
|
|
Raspberry Bang posted:#10 Such Brave Girls  (good list)
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 07:14
|
|
|
Honorable Mentions RuPaul’s Drag Race – That Anetra vs Marcia Marcia Marcia lip-sync was amazing. AS8… not as much. Down Under S3 – rough. Deadloch – Would have made the Top 10 if some of the characters weren’t insufferable. (The veterinarian wife for one). Hilda – A beautiful ending for Hilda. A shame we had years between seasons. I’d happily watch more of this. Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake – Did we need this? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes. Bluey – If you have kids – watch this. If you don’t – watch it too. Who knew 7 minute cartoons about anthropomorphised dogs would be this good? The List 10 – Mrs Davis – There were so many moments of, “What the gently caress did I watch?” Honestly, Betty Gilpin was great. I could have done with less of the husband though. It all wraps up in a satisfying way. But cripes, a Nun tasked by Jesus to stop a computer AI? Whoever came up with this…. They need to do more. 9 - Crazy Fun Park – So there’s an abandoned, cursed theme park filled with teen ghosts from across the decades. Of course, two besties have to go and check it out! A little bit Lost Boys, a bit of horror and some humour, it’s a heartfelt story. Plus Judith Lucy’s in it as a jaded teacher. What’s not to love? 8 – The Newsreader – Back for Season 2, The Newsreader continued its entertaining run. Anna Torv & Sam Reid are (surprise!) newsreaders in the 80s of Australia. Whilst the program retells key moments in Australian & world History whilst juggling the politics of the newsroom and their personal lives. Give it a go! It’s on the ABC. 7 - Poker Face – Natasha Lyonne is a treasure and watching her character of Charlie criss-cross the unseen facets of American life (& the subsequent murders/crimes) was fascinating television. 6 – Scott Pilgrim Takes Off – Ok, I’ll admit I was quite a Scott Pilgrim fan when the film came out. I absolutely loved that film. (The game was good too!) So it was a surprise to see an anime released so many years later. Especially with the original cast. The first episode left me cold, as a speedrun of the film essentially. But after the ending of the episode subverts expectations, I was in for the rest of the season. A great little series that gives this eclectic cast moments to shine (Not including Anna Kendrick). 5 – Abbott Elementary – Yeah. I’m more Jacob than I’d like to admit. But a funny & honest sitcom. Season 2 was just incredibly strong. I can’t wait for Season 3. 4 – Silo Did you say post-apocalyptic mystery? SIGN ME UP! Rebecca Ferguson is phenomenal in this series. I’m invested and want to see where Season 2 goes. 3 – Scavengers Reign Oh god if I ever land on this planet, I hope I’m someone locked in the life-support pods. Beautiful but absolutely terrifying. Everything was so alien and imaginative. The character development as they journeyed to their downed ship was so well executed alongside their fight for survival, peppered with some moments of introspection. 2 - The Last of Us. Even thought I’d played the game, this show was fantastic. I could have done with another episode or two so I could have spent more time with the wonderful cast and story. This was event television. Episode 3 was beautiful and heartfelt and left me in tears. What more can I say that hasn’t already been said? 1 – Schmigadoon This delightful musical mash-up from Apple TV had Josh & Mel (two dating doctors) stumble into a living musical. Season 2 was set in Schmicago – a wonderful mash-up of Chicago, Annie, Sweeny Todd, Phantom of the Opera, Hair and more. This program left me with a smile week after week. It’s a shame it’s cancelled, but here, watch some of the songs! You’ll love it! Honest! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wece6G6oIjc – Bells & Whistles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd4B0nIuaTc - Good Enough to Eat
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 13:45
|
|
|
Andrew_1985 posted:Bluey – If you have kids – watch this. If you don’t – watch it too. Who knew 7 minute cartoons about anthropomorphised dogs would be this good? gently caress I meant to include this in my honorable mentions as well, great shoutout. My daughter loves this show and it’s honestly ridiculous how often it has made me tear up
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2024 14:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 07:36 |
|
|
Countdown won't be happening on the 2nd so if there are any late lists that need to be posted - you can probably still sneak it in. I'll let you know the locked in countdown date/time in the next 48 hours.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2024 23:47
|
|