|
The games thread has the same rule and that thread's more popular than ever. It's just that the Games subforum is thriving while TVIV is dwindling. Such is the way of things. Anyway i got 3 more shows to watch still but I'll get my list in once I do
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2019 19:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 21:34 |
|
|
This may be a dumb question, but are we voting for specifically the seasons that aired in 2019, or the shows as a whole? For example The Expanse as a show that had a season in 2019 would make my top ten, but I am not sure about the single season alone.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2019 21:08
|
|
|
Voting for the season/s that aired in 2019.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2019 21:46
|
|
|
I edited my list on page 1. Crammed The Witcher in since I finished that, and bolded my choices. May get back to it some more this weekend.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2019 22:07
|
|
|
Oasx posted:This may be a dumb question, but are we voting for specifically the seasons that aired in 2019, or the shows as a whole? For example The Expanse as a show that had a season in 2019 would make my top ten, but I am not sure about the single season alone. It wouldn't make much sense to vote based on previous seasons
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2019 22:46
|
|
|
How are you guys not with the program yet? Most of you have been here longer than most marriages last.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 00:48
|
|
|
Rarity posted:The thread's quiet so far because TV IV's userbase has been dropping regularly over the last few years due to the death of appointment TV and because most people who do contirbute don't do so until the last few days of the month. Also many of us were waiting on season finales (Mr. Robot), and are still trying to watch everything possible before the doing their list (I have to finish Expanse, Marvelous MM, Letterkenny, Castle Rock, Witcher, and god knows what else).
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 00:52
|
|
|
I edited my stuff in go watch The Letdown
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 03:03
|
|
|
It's always hard to make these lists, based on the timing of the releases. I remember last year, the second season of The Orville launched right on 12.31. That was the only episode of that show in 2018. Back then I blindly voted for it just because I liked the season opening. Also I imagine many recent great shows haven't been watched to the fullest yet. The Witcher and You Season 2 are both really amazing and cam out this week. Meanwhile, there are some great shows which aired early in the year, I mostly forgot about. Anyway, I will try to come up with a list in the next few days.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 11:47
|
|
|
I don't know what the problem is, everyone could just quote my list because it was based on facts rather than everyone else's opinion based lists.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 17:43
|
|
|
Croatoan posted:I don't know what the problem is, everyone could just quote my list because it was based on facts rather than everyone else's opinion based lists. Besides the Good Place, I watched literally none of that. So who knows, for all I know, you might be right. The only direct contradiction I see is that there are other better shows than that.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 17:59
|
|
|
Croatoan posted:I don't know what the problem is, everyone could just quote my list because it was based on facts rather than everyone else's opinion based lists. It’s a pretty drat good list but you kinda ruined it with Discovery lmao
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 18:51
|
|
|
I can let go of it not being Trek, however I can't do anything about it being bad.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 19:09
|
|
|
10. Billions There are many reasons I shouldn't like Billions, it is a show about bad people doing bad things, and four seasons in, the financial market is still mostly a mystery to me. But Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis continue to just be super charismatic and make you like bad people. 9. Lodge 49 A recurrent thing that I see here are the "You should be watching X" comments, and they usually never tell you why you should watch the particular show or even what it is about. Lodge 49 was one of those shows and in my head it had already moved to the 'Do not watch' column, until I noticed it on Prime video and out of lack of other shows to watch decided to give it a shot anyway, and i'm glad I did. It's a show about friendship, family and just having a good time, it is also a show about the never-ending grind of capitalism and struggling just to stay afloat. It's the most heart-warming and depressing show I have seen in a long time. And it has a great intro. 8. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The most under appreciated part of the MCU. Extremely solid with a bunch of good to great actors just doing their thing. 7. Game of Thrones When you see talk about the Lost finale there are still a lot of people who just don't get it, the ending is fairly simple but they just don't pay attention, so they get mad at the show for faults that don't exist. The last season of GoT is in many ways similar, it could never live up to the hype and so toxic fandom jumped on any perceived fault. That is not to say that the last season didn't have problems, it felt rushed in many places, but overall it was a good ending to a great tv show. 6. The Mandalorian Pretty much all the best things to come out of Star Wars have happened outside of the three main trilogies. The Mandalorian is simple, very good and utterly unconcerned with Luke Skywalker. 5. Watchmen As a comicbook Watchmen isn't as relevant as when it was first released, and with Damon Lindelof having a pretty bad track record outside of Lost I wasn't expecting much. But this truly felt like a unique experience. 4. Veronica Mars A teenage girl solving crime is quite possibly one of the worst sounding ideas for a tv show ever, but the original series is a cult classic. Coming back 12 years later isn't an easy feat, but Veronica Mars managed to deliver a great single season experience. 3. The Good Place The best american tv comedy of all time. The Good Place continues to be funny, sweet and very smart. 2. Chernobyl An amazing and creepy mini-series and another step in Jared Harris' quest to be in all great tv shows. 1. Legion Legion introduced me to Superorganism, together with the excellent cover of Pink Floyd's Mother those things are practically enough to secure it a top spot. But Legion continued to be extremely weird, while also telling a great story about mental health.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 21:14
|
|
|
Oasx posted:and with Damon Lindelof having a pretty bad track record outside of Lost I wasn't expecting much. His only other show besides LOST and Watchmen is easily one of the most acclaimed shows of the decade.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 23:54
|
|
|
Imagine not stanning The Leftovers.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2019 23:56
|
|
|
 10. The Mandalorian (S1) - “Word is he still has the target with him. Some say it’s a child.” Honestly I don’t even like Star Wars much but I cannot deny the cultural contribution that Baby Yoda has given us. I would die for this wrinkly green 50 year old Ikea monkey lookin' rear end. https://twitter.com/nocontextrvd/status/1207024233748017152 9. Riverdale (S4) — “I as your student body president will make sure that he is beheaded by homecoming.” I’m not going to give this my #1 rating this year because the latter half of season three was more dumb than usual but it will always be in my top ten on account of how it can still make me go “what the gently caress” multiple times a week. A brothel owner orchestrated a Dungeons and Dragons themed murder party and an organ stealing cult leader tried to rocket into space for God's sake! 8. Schitt’s Creek (S5) — “It’s gonna happen, happen sometime, maybe this time I’ll win.” It’s odd seeing Schitt’s Creek now getting all these accolades and mentions on other end-of-year lists when it’s had better seasons but I’m not mad at it. There’s something harmonious about a show that can have a fanbase in the small-town Canadians that started watching it at the beginning and gay twitter discovering it currently on Netflix. I want Catherine O’Hara to run me over with her car. 7. A Series of Unfortunate Events (S3) — “Is Countie not my daddy anymore?” 6. Stranger Things 3 — “You know what this half-baked plan of yours sounds like to me? Child endangerment.” I know this is the fast food equivalent of a TV show but this Big Mac really hit the spot this time. 5. Chernobyl (S1) — “Vnimaniye Vnimaniye!” Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted any and all Chernobyl content inserted into my eyeballs. I watched this production for the disaster itself but I also learned more about the bureaucracy behind the scenes, so I was entertained and got an education too! Episode 3 is the scariest poo poo I’ve ever seen on TV.  4. Watchmen (S1) — “Hey baby, we’re in fuckin’ trouble.” I waited to post my list to digest this late-in-the-game entry. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ this would make the list, just ‘where.’ Watchmen was a show that I was uncomfortably excited for each episode every week and I’ve missed that. After all these years I’m still a fan of Lindelof’s nonlinear storytelling and foreshadowed mysteries (when done right). I’m loosely aware of the source material but I was hooked by the end of episode one realizing Regina King would be the main character and not just in the pilot. 3. Derry Girls (S2) — “What kind of person brings hash scones to a wake?” Alright, I’ll say it: Derry Girls is the funniest show on TV right now. If it isn’t in your recommended algorithm on Netflix you’re doing something wrong. Also Michelle > James > Orla > Claire > Erin.  2. Attack on Titan (S3 Part 2) — “On the other side of the ocean is freedom. We believed that for so long... but it’s not true.” After masterfully adapting the worst arc in the manga, Studio Wit was tasked with adapting the best arc—and unsurprisingly pulled it off. The Battle of Shiganshina is beautifully animated, well-acted, and emotionally resonant with one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.  1. Broad City (S5) — “I may be a dumb white bitch but I’m not that dumb.” I’m going to miss Broad City so much. This may be more of a legacy placement because the show shaped my sense of humour so much, but the final season was still strong. It shaped its surreal NYC situations with the emotional thread about finding yourself and maintaining friendships along the way. This season was obviously shaped by Abbi Jacobson’s experiences as an artist and discovering her bisexuality but Ilana Glaser is the sun that this season orbits. She laid all her talent out and I cried and laughed when she cried and laughed. Goodbye my kweens.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 01:27
|
|
|
Honourable mentions (basically tied 10th): Game of Thrones, and Silicon Valley. 10. Legion I'm a sucker for its visual inventiveness. It wasn't at its best this season, but its highs remained excellent (I really loved the fairy tale episode, but something even as small as the shepherd's crook used by division 3 just killed me). 9. Bon Appetit's Gourmet Makes Maybe not traditional television, but close to the thing that I watched most religiously week to week (or bi-weekly, or whatever it is). Its just super fun watching Claire Saffitz slowly lose her mind, I guess. 8. The Good Place One of the funniest and most thoroughly enjoyable things on TV. I find a lot of the Eleanor/Chidi romance stuff a bit uninteresting and think it takes time away from the gags I love the show for, but it's been a great season nonetheless. 7. What We Do In The Shadows I loved the movie, so I'm glad they've managed to capture the same magic for the TV show. All the new characters and perfect and hilarious. 6. You're The Worst It turned out to be a love story the whole time, and it was a great one. 5. Chernobyl The most horrifying thing I couldn't stop watching. Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard are excellent. 4. Barry Funny and upsetting in equal measure. The Chechen mafia remain the best. Also, ronnie/lily is one of my top television episodes of the year. Just an insane trip. 3. Mr. Robot This probably goes down as one of the most beautifully-composed television shows I've ever seen. I think this season hit a number of highs for the series (the house play episode stands out). It definitely helps that I never gave a gently caress about the sci-fi macguffin, but I thought it 100% stuck the ending. 2. Watchmen Lindelof gave us the Leftovers in capes. It lets itself be funny and weird in between impactful moments. It's perfect. 1. Fleabag In hindsight, I can't believe Phoebe Waller-Bridge managed to fit so much into 6 25-minute episodes. Its incredibly funny, sad and romantic, and I'm bummed that it's over.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 02:48
|
|
|
10. Los Espookys An extremely weird, goofy little show that managed to make me laugh more than just about anything else this year. 9. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson Except maybe this! A strange show that I binged in one sitting, this show managed to produce some of the funniest sketches I've seen on any show in years. 8. The Mandalorian Another single-session binge, this one makes the list for just being a ton of fun. A simple concept perfectly executed. 7. Arrow The finale season has been a perfect victory lap, simultaneously revisiting characters and plots from the show's past, building to the big crossover event, and providing an interesting foundation for a spin-off. 6. The Magicians A show that seems to get better as it goes along. The finale was beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure, and gave me a new appreciation for A-Ha. 5. Game of Thrones The much-maligned final season probably won't land on too many lists, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and the ending worked just fine for me. GoT at its peak was must-see appointment television, and however polarizing it may have been this season was no different. 4. Legion How do you make one of the strangest shows on TV even stranger? Add time travel! This final season had some issues, but the highs were so very, very high. 3. Watchmen The idea of this show was so strange to me when I first heard about it, but I put my trust in Damon Lindelof and that trust was rewarded. Just excellent television start-to-finish, and a worthy “adaptation” of one of the great graphic novels of all time. 2. Mr Robot Another final season! The show went off the rails a bit in previous seasons, but this year Sam Esmail brought his A-game, culminating in a thoughtful and affecting series finale. 1. Fleabag Hilarious and moving. As soon as I finished the season I penciled it in as my #1, and nothing over the rest of the year dethroned it. ShakeZula fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Dec 29, 2019 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 06:15
|
|
|
Rocksicles posted:
Thanks for posting this, Rocks! Never heard of the series (now in its 6th season!?) and it's exactly what I need to replace the sorely missed The Last Boat. Sitrep: Just like The Witcher, they go off on dangerous missions and whether successful or not, leave a swath of destruction and dead tangos in their wake.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 12:48
|
|
|
Escobarbarian posted:His only other show besides LOST and Watchmen is easily one of the most acclaimed shows of the decade. I am fully comfortable with the fact that there are show that I loathe or just won't watch, even though they are critically acclaimed.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 13:18
|
|
|
I held off doing my list because i had the feeling i couldn't put up 10 shows at all this year. Anyways after a little date-checking i came up with this: Honorable mentions: His Dark Materials: Superb cast which nail their roles and beautiful settings - at least for the "main quest". Dragged down by the "our world"?-sideplot and a schizophrenic use of violence (traumatizing children: ok, but bears fighting not?). Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Didn't care much for the story this time. Characters still great - but they should have went with Snowbunny! The 100: As long as Murphy's gonna murph and Octavia is fed up with everything i'll watch. This season was just not unique enough to be top10. 10 The Outpost  Opening with my guilty pleasure of the year. Cheap as gently caress fantasy that makes even Xena look like some Marvel Movie and GIS only delivers variations of one Shot. Found it's own brand of silly which i hope gets build upon in the future and a surprisingly "clever" cliffhanger keep me waiting for season 3. 9 The End of the loving world  This is kinda like "Wayne light". But i could hear the girl go "Whaaa...?" all day 8 The Mandalorian  Another show that doesn't try to be more than it is and is better for it. Just about 30 minutes per episode, of which there are only 8. Simple story arcs that are often executed well enough to satisfy. Great side characters (Cara Dune  ). Bitching soundtrack and Art in the credits. But not as stellar as the fanbase tries to make it. It would als be extremely better with less Baby Yoda or without him being a force-user!7 It's always sunny in Philadelphia  Contrary to the popular opinion i found this season to be the consistently funniest in a long time. Especially the noir-detective Episode or the one in which they are interviewed about that movie made me laugh hard. 6 Killjoys  Farewell, my silly Space Bounty Hunters. Team Awesomeforce retires. 5 Legends of tomorrow  A bit weaker half season but still the best, read: the most self-aware and thus entertaining superhero-show on any media and they have tons of fun with it. Arguably best cast-chemistry of any show as they produce stuff like this in their off-time: https://youtu.be/b74ifz1inqY 4 Wayne  This is the serialized version of a Life is Strange game with the twist that the protagonists are so far into poo poo that they don't care about their and others helath anymore. Angry teenage Loner trying to do what's right in an unjust world...while finding his perfect match.  3 Strike Back  Best straight action series right now. The new team found its roles and chemistry this season and it shows. As a poster before me said: i will always rep this show! 2 The Expanse  Rising like Phoenix from the ashes only to land on a dump of an alien planet. A totally different beast than the previous seasons because it has to set up the new state of the human universe. Some found it rather boring, i was fascinated by all the details about life on Earth, Mars and beyond. 1 Chernobyl  Best Drama in years. This gives you a tragic love story, the fight of some upright scientists to tell the truth against politicians, some true working class heroes and finishing off with an astoundingly gripping courtromm drama. The whole atmosphere and constant feeling of dread is just overwhelming. Plus an extremely informative accompanying podcast on youtube. I swear, if i ever hear a PA go “Vnimaniye Vnimaniye!” in my life i will probably freeze in terror and run for the hills simultaneously. ...gave up on trying to make the sunny-gif move...
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 14:18
|
|
|
Binary Logic posted:Thanks for posting this, Rocks! Never heard of the series (now in its 6th season!?) and it's exactly what I need to replace the sorely missed The Last Boat. I don't know how you missed this for so long, there is a small but dedicated TVIV fan club for this brotastic show. You're in for a hell of a ride. e: see above ^
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 14:20
|
|
|
bou posted:10 The Outpost Oh man oh stranger oh buddy oh pal. You get it. Robyn Malcolm is completely wasted on this trash and she's having the time of her life, so why shouldn't the rest of us? I love that there's gonna be a third season of this inexplicable, strange, barely capable show. Edit: Also that was Glynis Barber as her sister? wtf. Open Source Idiom fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Dec 29, 2019 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 14:25
|
|
|
Open Source Idiom posted:Oh man oh stranger oh buddy oh pal. You get it. Main actresses instragram is like 98% bikini shots. She's living her best life.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 14:29
|
|
|
Ok big “I watched too much TV this year” post incoming because literally everything in my top 50 was good enough to deserve a top 10 spot in a non-peak TV world: 50. Why Women Kill (CBS All Access) 49. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) 48. David Makes Man (OWN) 47. Unbelievable (Netflix) 46. Documentary Now! (IFC) 45. The Deuce (HBO) 44. The Morning Show (Apple TV+) 43. Stranger Things (Netflix) 42. Sex Education (Netflix) 41. Tuca & Bertie (Netflix) 40. Harley Quinn (DC Universe) 39. Pose (FX) 38. Big Mouth (Netflix) 37. Rick and Morty (Adult Swim) 36. Los Espookys (HBO) 35. Steven Universe (Cartoon Network) 34. On Becoming a God in Central Florida (Showtime) 33. Euphoria (HBO) 32. Dead To Me (Netflix) 31. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) 30. High Maintenance (HBO) 29. The Good Place (NBC) 28. You’re the Worst (FXX) 27. Fosse/Verdon (FX) 26. For All Mankind (Apple TV+) now to start actually writing things: 25. Wayne (YouTube Premium) Hilariously violent and heartwarming. I really wish we were getting more! 24. Dark (Netflix) Super good German time travel madness with a great set of characters. 23. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) Maybe my favourite season of this show so far? Consistently hilarious and loveable. 22. Undone (Amazon) Awe-inspiring blend of time travel fuckery, complimented perfectly by the gorgeous rotoscoped visuals, and true-to-life characterisation and dialogue. 21. The Other Two (Comedy Central) Maybe the biggest surprise of the year. An extremely funny look at celebrity with some fantastic performances. 20. The Mandalorian (Disney+) Episodic television at its best, with extremely fun writing and amazing puppet work on the correctly iconic Baby Yoda. 19. One Day at a Time (Netflix) The best multicam in years and a masterclass in blending serious subjects with loveable comedy. So glad it found a new home. 18. What We Do in the Shadows (FX) The perfect spin-off from the already hilarious movie. An incredible cast and one of Matt Berry’s best-ever roles. 17. Russian Doll (Netflix) Wasn’t quite as enamoured with this as many, but it still has an excellent unique tone and interesting storyline, plus many great characters. 16. The Righteous Gemstones (HBO) McBride’s best cast and what may very well turn out to be his best show. Skewers evangelical Christianity brilliantly while also adding more of a human heart. 15. Chernobyl (HBO) As with Russian Doll, I don’t quite get the level of acclaim, but at its best it was still a stirring, gripping, and draining watch. 14. Mr Inbetween (FX) The early promise of season 1 paid off in dividends in this fantastic dry hitman comedy, with heartwarming and gut-wrenching sequences galore. 13. Brockmire (IFC) Severely underrated Hank Azaria vehicle returns with a newly-found sobriety but still managed to be hilarious, while also more morose and emotional than before. In an amazing year for J.K. Simmons, this may have been his best work. 12. Doom Patrol (DC Universe) Toed the line of being supremely weird without tipping over into irritatingly random as well as I’ve ever seen, while still having the exceptional character work that made the best comic runs so effective. 11. BoJack Horseman (Netflix) Still as madcap and funny as ever, and with a perfect cliffhanger ending. It’s the right time for this show to end, but with only a month left until the last half-season drops I know I’m going to miss it. and now the actual bit that matters for this thread, the top 10! 10. The OA (Netflix) I already really loved the New Age magic dance nonsense of season 1, but the noir detective action dimension-hopping psychic octopus-starring utterly baffling s2 was a big improvement. Did right by s1’s incredible cast while adding new, excellent characters. Absolutely gutted this won’t be returning. 09. Perpetual Grace, LTD (Epix) As one of TVIV’s biggest Patriot stans, I was overjoyed to see another network give Steve Conrad a show with such a similar tone, as well as many of the same cast. While not as strong as Patriot’s first season, it’s still a darkly hilarious caper with beautifully strange and idiosyncratic moments. Still no word on a season 2, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for now. 08. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix) I’m so very happy this show blew up!! I loving adore Robinson’s style of comedy, but I never thought it would reach as wide an audience as it has. One of the best sketch shows I’ve ever seen, with perfect subversion and over-the-top reactions and performances, that knew exactly when to continue or end a joke. The bones are their money, and the worms are their dollars. 07. Mr. Robot (USA) While the wait for this final season was far too long, it was absolutely worth it in the end. This show kept on adding new tricks up until the very end (this season especially having a great 70s spy thriller tone at times), but it also learned when to fully hold back and let the cast take centre stage. All the characters got extremely satisfying and fitting endings. 06. Better Things (FX) Since 2016, Better Things has been one of the best and most underrated shows on air. Unfortunately, it was also a show where Louis CK was one of a two-person writing team. Thankfully, the other part (as well as sole director and star), the incomparable Pamela Adlon, was able to overcome such a huge obstacle and make her autobiographical show’s best season yet. While not quite as laugh-out-loud funny as in previous years, it made up for it by getting more ambitious, dark, abstract, and soulful. I do not understand how this show has passed so many goons by!!!! 05. Lodge 49 (AMC) Of all the year’s cancellations, this one hurts the most. Last year Lodge 49 was a nice surprise, a great mix of warmth, silliness, and economic anxiety, but this year it took those elements and just rose into the stratosphere. A calm oasis of a show in a sea of conflict and despair, it also widened its scope to include more surreal elements, while still continuing to serve its completely loveable cast of misfits and oddballs and bringing in producer Paul Giamatti for his best role in years. I was very glad so many of you discovered this show in 2019, and I hope it’s reputation only grows in the years to come. 04. Barry (HBO) The first season of Barry felt like it ended on the perfect note, so a second season felt like it could have been superfluous. Thankfully, Hader and Berg delivered a darker and stronger season that only deepened the characters’ emotional journeys - particularly in the titular lead, where it took away all semblance of anything resembling redemption. Plus NoHo Hank is still around and he’s just the best. 03. Succession (HBO) Last year Succession burst into the scene fully formed and confusing to many, with its electric mix of supremely black comedy and prestige drama dressing. Season 2 both perfected and elevated this formula, continuing to flesh out exactly how the Roy siblings are trapped under the thumb of their domineering and Murdochian father, and becoming both funnier and sadder than before. Maybe TV’s best current ensemble cast were all on the top of their games, and the final twist was utter perfection, setting up what should be an incredible third season. 02. Fleabag (BBC One) You may have noticed a trend so far in this top 5 of second seasons that improved upon their predecessors. No show is a better example of this than Fleabag, which started strong in 2016 but became one of the best shows of all time in this second and final season. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a virtuoso writer and actress, and her central arc alongside Andrew Scott’s Hot Priest is one of the most powerful and bittersweet love stories of the decade. Mix that with fantastic arcs and/or moments for every side character and you have what is, in my opinion, one of the best single seasons of television to ever come out of the UK. How could anything top it in 2019? .....oh, wait, Damon Lindelof made a thing? WELL THEN. 01. Watchmen (HBO) There is no loving way this show should have worked even a little bit. A sequel to the most acclaimed graphic novel ever, in a different medium, over thirty years after the original. It’s an insane idea. But hey, the creator of LOST and The Leftovers is a pretty insane dude, so it’s not a bad fit. Simply put, I thought everything about this show worked basically perfectly, or at least was about as close as a show can get. The new characters and thematic focus on racial hatred were perfect, the tie-ins and characters from the previous text were excellent, the updating/reiteration of the ideas from the original comic fit in beautifully.....I could go on forever. It’s definitely not a slavish devotion to Alan Moore’s original work, with Lindelof’s darkly surreal comic streak coming across in so many hilarious and irreverent ways, but I believe that if Moore were not so strongly opposed to other takes on his work, he would be able to appreciate the way Lindelof blazed his own trail while still having the utmost respect for what came before. Of course, it’s not fair to put all of this on one guy. The diverse and thoughtful team behind the show all deserve equal credit, from the directors and cinematographers who filmed so many gorgeous shots (with match cuts to rival the comic), to the writers who penned tons of smart and hilarious lines (special shout-out to whoever wrote the Peteypedia, an essential part of the story that added so much depth), to the absolutely stunning cast doing the work of their lives, to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ brilliant score, maybe their best since Social Network. I guess I should calm down and stop writing so much. But seriously, out of the nine episodes of this show, I think seven are masterpieces, and I was so happy when my main worry - that the thematic backbone of the show, the racial stuff, was getting pushed to the side in favour of original text stuff - was laid to rest by an incredible finale that wrapped everything up perfectly. It doesn’t top the original graphic novel - and honestly, it was never, ever going to - but it stands almost shoulder-to-shoulder with it, in my opinion, as well as being one of the best shows of this decade and possibly of all time. TV GUD
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 14:35
|
|
|
bou posted:His Dark Materials: Superb cast which nail their roles and beautiful settings - at least for the "main quest". Dragged down by the "our world"?-sideplot Also, I felt there was a distinct lack of any character to be a proxy for the audience. Someone should be there to ask the questions like "what the hell is 'dust'?" and "so these 'daemons' are, like, your souls or something?" and "do you think bears don't have souls, or are their souls just different in some way?" or "if only witches can be a long distance from their daemons and your mum can be a long distance from her daemon, have you considered that she might be a witch? Is that possible? What actually is a 'witch' anyway, in this world?" Escobarbarian posted:36. Los Espookys (HBO)
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 15:36
|
|
|
I changed my #9, because while I loved Russian Doll I completely spaced on I Think You Should Leave and that definitely deserves a place on my list.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 19:48
|
|
|
bou posted:10 The Outpost i need to check these out
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 21:30
|
|
|
Does anyone have or know where one could find a list of shows that started or continued to air in 2019, thx in advance
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 21:31
|
|
|
esperterra posted:Does anyone have or know where one could find a list of shows that started or continued to air in 2019, thx in advance I used this, not sure who made it but Alan Sepinwall retweeted it a while back https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oPPV_lYwhin0NvLaniY2H8xAxSYkEmlyUKl2hywO4sE/edit#gid=1854891953
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 21:38
|
|
|
ShakeZula posted:I used this, not sure who made it but Alan Sepinwall retweeted it a while back Excellent, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2019 22:34
|
|
|
esperterra posted:Does anyone have or know where one could find a list of shows that started or continued to air in 2019, thx in advance It's not the most convenient if you don't already use it to track what you've watched, but I used https://www.pogdesign.co.uk/cat/.
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2019 03:23
|
|
|
I haven't seen the Mandalorian or Watchmen yet, and they both seem like they have the possibility to be My Kinda Thing, so this list doesn't include those. Otherwise, here we go: 10. The Great British Bake-Off  This 'competition show for Hobbits' is the perfect antidote to the rest of the world. Mild stakes, delicious food (plus a bunch of weird British meat pies that always look like a science experiment gone wrong), likeable and ultra-British competitors, and now half of the Mighty Boosh. What's not to love? Other than Paul Hollywood. 9. The Orville S2  While I enjoyed this show when it was "Family Guy on the Enterprise", once they dropped the Bros In Space aspect as the main push and focused on the scifi stories, I felt like The Orville really came into its own. The weak spot is McFarlane's acting, but otherwise this show has really stepped up a level to deliver some quality Star Trek in a time when Discovery is trying to do its best BSG impression. 8. The Tick S2  It wouldn't be a version of the Tick if it wasn't great, under-appreciated and cancelled early. So welcome to the club, new Tick! They found their tone this season, and were firing on all cylinders. I really enjoyed John Hodgman's turn as the scientist, and the fact that Overkill was never quite who you thought he would be. Also, Alan Tudyk plays a talking boat who is in love with Arthur, if you are on the fence about this show. 7. Brooklyn 99 S6  The fact that this show is still around is amazing, and I was glad to see it kept doing its thing so well. They have found a great rhythm and the characters are so well-defined that you can pair them up in almost any combination for immediate excellence. Highlight of this season? Hard to choose, probably Captain Holt wearing a novelty t-shirt featuring a pineapple in a thong with the label "Slut". 6. The OA Season 2  I just love this show. I totally understand how people could hate it, it's deeply weird and very earnest, and if you don't buy into the whole thing it would be very easy to roll your eyes at it until your skull exploded. But for me, the tone is just perfect and they walk that tightrope amazingly well. The ending was insane and audacious, and I am disappointed we will never get to see more. 5. Barry S2  It's rare enough to have a killer first season, but to keep the level of quality so high through a second season is a real achievement. This season had some of their best scenes yet (the rooftop with Hank, Sally's play, the final scenes in the hallway), and some of their weirdest (everything with Lilly), but it was a delight and one of the few shows that makes their comedy actually funny while their drama is truly heartbreaking. 4. Stranger Things S3  The second season was decent but was really just a remake of Season 1, to lesser effect. This time they decided to split the group up into different 80s genres (Joyce and Hopper were in a spy drama/Terminator pastiche, Nancy and Jonathan were in a workplace underdog story, the Scoops Troop were in a Red Dawn style thriller, and Eleven and crew were in The Thing) and it worked really well. But the real achievement was in being able to capture that melancholy of watching your friend group grow up and drift apart. 3. The Good Place S4  This continues to be the best and most ambitious comedy on TV, and if they stick the landing next month it will go down as one of the all-time greats. This season started pretty slow, which is why it is at #4 for me, but some big home runs near the end made up for it. It is hard to overstate the difficulty of what this show has managed to do so effortlessly. It is a great comedy, a great exploration of friendship and morality, and is truly unpredictable and surprising. Hard to beat. 2. Russian Doll S1  This show seems like it was tailor-made for my tastes. Dark comedy, twisty time travel shenanigans, bold plotting and killer performances. I really don't need another season, and I hope the next season is up to this standard. I was ready to make this the top spot of the year, but then I watched: 1. Fleabag S2  Holy poo poo. When I watched the first scene of S1 where she talks about her rear end in a top hat, I really didn't imagine it would end with such a complicated mix of hope and deep, crushing heartbreak. She managed to pull off the ultimate high-wire act in this show, threading that needle between pathos and comedy, and the ending was note perfect. I wish I could have the opportunity to watch it again for the first time. Hall of Shame award this year is....a tie! A tie between Game of Thrones and Arrested Development! Two shows that I loved fervently, and both poo poo the bed with such force that they ruined the enjoyment of the show for me forever. It's hard to imagine anything loving up its own ending as badly as Game of Thrones, which used its final episodes to tell you that literally none of the plot points of the past 7 seasons were important, but Arrested Development tried its best! Dubbing half the dialogue in post to try to craft some kind of story out of nothing, it threw away the concept of comedy to embrace bad coincidence as the theme of the show. Nice work everyone involved!
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2019 03:23
|
|
|
Tiggum posted:It's not the most convenient if you don't already use it to track what you've watched, but I used https://www.pogdesign.co.uk/cat/. Trakt is easier for me using kodi. I just watch stuff and it does everything but rate it for me
|
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2019 04:05
|
|
|
Living in the age of Peak TV is exhausting, because there is almost too much quality programming to keep up with. Television has gotten so good that former favorites from recent years like Mindhunter, Killing Eve, Big Mouth, Stranger Things, Arrested Development, and the final season of Game of Thrones didn't even crack my Top Twenty! And my LEAST-favorite show I watched in its entirety this year was Too Old to Die Young. I'd love to find other people that suffered through it. We should start a support group. So here goes nothing. I'll start with my #20-11 shows of 2019: 20. I Am the Night (miniseries; TNT) 19. Barry (season 2; HBO) 18. South Side (season 1; Comedy Central) 17. Russian Doll (season 1; Netflix) 16. Wu-Tang: An American Saga (season 1; Hulu) 15. The Umbrella Academy (season 1; Netflix) 14. iZombie (season 5; CW) 13. Bosch (season 5; Amazon Prime) 12. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (season 3; Amazon Prime) 11. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (season 1; Netflix) And now, more detailed descriptions for the Top Ten: 10. Dead to Me (season 1; Netflix) -- this show makes the list for the career-best acting of Christina Applegate (who I never thought could be this good) and Linda Cardellini (who I wasn't that familiar with, so shame on me). The twist happens early, so what's left is a complicated character study of two flawed and broken women and their strange bond. It's coming back for a second season, but even if it didn't get picked up, I think it ended on a good note. 9. Fosse/Verdon (miniseries; FX) -- I love learning the history of music and culture I missed out on, so this was an educational look at the careers of talented, troubled theater and film director/producer/writer/choreographer Bob Fosse and his wife and muse, dancer/actress Gwen Verdon. I loved the movie version of Chicago, and this summer, my wife and saw it on Broadway, caught up in Fossemania (a Fosse frenzy?) after this miniseries gave us a look behind its scenes. It was also some of the best acting I've ever seen from Sam Rockwell (one of my favorite actors) and Michelle Williams (someone else I wasn't that familiar with, so shame on me). 8. Veronica Mars (season 4; Hulu) -- a pure nostalgia bomb, bringing us back to the seedy beach town of Neptune, the tiny and tenacious blonde private eye, my favorite fictional father Keith Mars, and a lot more mysteries, quips, danger, and heartache. It was nice to see these characters one more time, some of them for the last time... but I have a feeling (more like a hope in my heart) that we still have more cases to solve with Veronica and Keith. 7. The Good Place (seasons 3 and 4; NBC) -- we got the last few excellent episodes of Season 3 in January, and then the majority of Season 4 this fall. I feel like they spent a lot of time treading water so far in the final season, especially introducing some unlikable new characters near the end, taking time away from the core six we have come to know and love. But this smart, sweet, clever, hilarious, hopeful, good-natured show has earned plenty of goodwill from me, and I look forward to the last few episodes when it returns in January 2020. I have no doubt it will stick the landing and give us an unforgettable tearjerker of a finale, while still teaching us college-level philosophy and making us think about becoming better people. 6. Doom Patrol (season 1; DC Universe) -- one of two comic book adaptations in my Top Ten, this show is about people with super powers, but instead of gifts or talents, they are presented as disabilities. The Doom Patrol members aren't heroes by choice, but trauma survivors, broken and damaged people who form a "found family" and deal with existential threats to reality itself. It was a remarkably accurate adaptation of Grant Morrison's classic Doom Patrol comics of the late '80s and early '90s, with excellent production value and fun acting by Diane Guerrero (another pleasant surprise as Crazy Jane, a woman with 64 alternate personalities, each with their own powers), Timothy Dalton, Brendan Fraser (we missed him!), Matt Bomer (this dude should have played Superman), and the always-great Alan Tudyk as one of the most entertaining, most terrifying villains in a long time. 5. Fleabag (season 2; Amazon Prime) -- first of all, I really don't care for British comedy. I often find it either too dry, smug, or mean-spirited. Yes, including that one that you love. But I enjoyed the first season of Fleabag well enough, and really liked the first season of Killing Eve, written by Fleabag's creator, writer, and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. But after Fleabag Season 2 won all these awards and accolades, I gave it a chance here, at the very end of 2019, and binged the all six episodes in one night -- the very night I'm writing this Top Ten list. (Luckily they're only about 25 minutes each.) It was outstanding -- streets ahead of the first season. So funny, sad, clever, and cathartic, even ending with a bit of hope. Waller-Bridge is so incredibly talented and funny (she even salvaged the usually execrable Saturday Night Live this season), and I'll be on board for whatever she does next. Hopefully it will have more asides and knowing looks to the audience. 4. Sherman's Showcase (season 1; IFC) -- this is a high concept comedy, cats and kittens: Sherman's Showcase (a show within a show) is a loving homage to Soul Train and other musical variety shows, and it has been running continuously since the 1970s, hosted by the mysteriously ageless Sherman McDaniels. The Sherman's Showcase we watch is a collection of clips highlighting the fake show's almost 50-year history, featuring hilarious musical homages that stand on their own as great, catchy songs that SLAP (including a weirdly prophetic song called "Time Loop" that might have deeper significance to the narrrative). There are also interview segments, fake commercials, movie and TV parodies, surreal sketches, and plenty of running gags. Co-creators Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle (who also created the great new Comedy Central sitcom South Side, which made my Top Twenty) are brilliant, drawing their influence from those old Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime specials I have very vague childhood memories of, as well as half a century of popular music and variety shows. 3. Ken Burns' Country Music (miniseries; PBS) -- I doubt this eight-part documentary miniseries will end up on many other "Best TV Shows of 2019" lists, but I loved it. I've spent most of my life listening to, playing, and learning everything I could about rock and jazz music, got deep into hip hop later in my life, but made it pretty far without ever giving country, that other major American musical genre, much of a fair chance. There's so much awful country music, especially now, but to be fair, there is plenty of awful rock and hip hop too -- especially now. This documentary took us back to the early 20th Century and introduced me to a lot of the names and songs I've heard my whole life, only with more historical context and framework to better appreciate the songwriting, the musicianship, and the evolution of the sounds and styles. I've always loved Johnny Cash, but now I've embraced Patsy Cline, Hank Williams (not Junior!), the Western swing of Bob Wills, and lots of other twangy crooners, honky tonk angels, and outlaw poets. My favorite decades of country music are the '30s, '40s, and '50s, but even now, there are great modern artists to be discovered, like Margo Price, Orville Peck, and Kacey Musgraves (and that's not even getting into the virtuoso musicians in folk, bluegrass, and Americana). I feel like I just audited a brilliant college course on country music, and I have more of an appreciation for it than I ever dreamed possible. Plus, the documentary introduced me to this bit of pure sunshine: a young Dolly Parton performing "Mule Skinner Blues": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwc1FkkWulc Even if you think country music sucks (like I once did, not having been exposed the really cool old stuff), I think this would be awfully hard to not fall in love with. 2. Star Trek: Discovery (season 2; CBS All Access) -- I admit it, I've never been the biggest Star Trek fan. Sure, Captain Kirk was a cool dude, and William Shatner used to be pretty amusing. And Picard was awesome, but the shows in general left me cold. I wanted to be a Trekkie; I WISHED I was a Trekkie. But now, I finally found the Star Trek that made it all click for me: Discovery. I subscribed to CBS All Access for a month and binge-watched both seasons of Star Trek: Discovery over the course of two weeks. Last year's Season 1 (co-created by the great Bryan Fuller, the creative genius behind Hannibal) looked gorgeous, with the nicest production value I've ever seen on a Star Trek show, and it introduced us to a compelling cast of characters and an interesting status quo, set shortly before the events of the original series from the '60s. I also appreciated that it was a serialized narrative, which I'm not used to from Star Trek, but perfect in this age of prestige television. This year's Season 2 was even better, improving on the first season in every way. It introduced my favorite Star Trek captain ever, who is probably my fictional boss of all time. (I've worked for a few toxic, bullying bosses, so I honestly get choked up whenever I see a capable, competent, courageous, patient, kind, loyal boss in any media.) The show had so many twists and turns, a surprising amount of tension-relieving humor, and so much empathy, heroism, and heart. My wife and I laughed a lot and cried far more than we ever would have expected. In a year full of ups and downs, dizzying highs and terrifying lows, Discovery was the show I had no idea how much I needed. 1. Watchmen (season 1; HBO) -- who watches the Watchmen? There was no reason for it to exist. The twelve issue series by legendary writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons is often considered the greatest comic book of all time. It already got one adaptation back in 2009, a pretty, but flawed, movie directed by Zack Snyder. While Watchmen really required a long-form TV adaptation on a channel like HBO to do it justice, it didn't seem necessary, and fans were skeptical. I was skeptical! But I should have had more faith in showrunner Damon Lindelof, co-creator of two of my favorite shows of all time, Lost and The Leftovers. He didn't give us a straight adaptation of the comic, but an audacious sequel, set 35 years after the events of the graphic novel (which was set in 1985). It ended up a brilliant and ambitious epic about America's fraught history of racism (starting with the Tulsa massacre of 1921, which I never learned about in school, even as the son of a history teacher), generational trauma, the dangers that come from vigilantism and self-appointed saviors and people wearing masks, and how the sins of our ancestors continue to affect us and threaten the world itself. We caught up with some old faces from the original comic, but our point of view character in this strange alternate 2019 was the unforgettable Sister Night, aka Angela Abar, played by the great Regina King. Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Hong Chau, and Jeremy Irons were also excellent in their roles. This series included the single best TV episode of the year: the sixth episode, "This Extraordinary Being." (But don't you dare watch it out of order!) I was blown away by how good Watchmen turned out to be, defying any and all expectations and truly surprising everyone with what we were going to see on our screens every week. In this age of binge-watching everything, with entire seasons of shows dropping on streaming services at once, Watchmen reminded us of the joy of watching a new episode every week, giving us time to ruminate and analyze and read reviews and craft theories about what the hell is going on. It was a very nice touch to have supplemental readings available every week on the HBO website, fleshing out the world of Watchmen after each episode with additional world-building details. Up above, I mentioned that Star Trek: Discovery was the show I didn't realize how much I needed. Well, Watchmen was the show I didn't realize how much I wanted. Ultimately, it edged out Discovery on my list because it was so unpredictable, in the best possible way. If this is the only season we ever get (and it might be), it more than accomplished everything it set out to do, and the ending really satisfied. Big Bad Voodoo Lou fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Dec 31, 2019 |
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2019 07:35
|
|
|
Another year comes to a close. I don't frequent the forums as much as I used to but always pop in for this thread. I've learned about so many wonderful shows through the years thanks to you guys. It's unfortunate that I have less and less time while the amount of content just seems to grow exponentially. The OP is great Looten Plunder, thank you for taking the time to put this together for us. I would suggest considering pushing the final deadline a bit. If I recall we've had some luck getting more entries if we move it into the first week of January. I imagine some people's lives are very hectic over the holidays.  10. Good Omens I feel this series was carried by David Tenant and Michael Shannon but they knocked it out of the loving park. It introduced me to a new Queen song I had never heard! The show had a lot of heart and told a complete story.  09. Watchmen I was extremely reluctant to give this adaptation a shot, I have a deep love for Alan Moore's work and have been burned before. I have to begrudgingly admit that Lindelof and co. did a fine job of a telling an engaging continuation of the original story. I loved the soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. I think Jeremy Irons and Jean Smart killed.  08. Undone Another great production from Tornante. I'm a sucker for unique visuals and the rotoscope definitely worked for me. I thought all of the performances were great. There are many funny, beautiful and emotional moments.  07. Fleabag If this is the last series of the show it went out with a bang. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is brilliant and I'm onboard for whatever she does next. The show was able to punch me in the gut at times and her character in particular was given so much depth.  06. Catastrophe Another great British series that I'm sad to see go. Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan are a goddamn delight. I feel there is something special when a team is able to create, write and star in their work. Like Fleabag they do an incredible job of fleshing out their characters and showing a relationship with so many layers.  05. Joe Pera Talks With You This might top my list by the time the season is over. There is no other show like this, it has so much heart. I love all of Joe Pera's work and am glad he is getting the recognition he deserves. We need more of this in the world.  04. Umbrella Academy It had some real hacky moments but also some incredibly memorable ones. I loving hated Ellen Page and most of her storyline. Fortunately the rest more than made up for this. Number Two was a stand out for sure with some of the best scenes.  03. The Righteous Gemstones This world does not deserve Danny McBride. This show had one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen, the final scene and closing out with Stand by the Word by The Joubert Singers was incredible. I knew it would be hilarious but I was surprised at how good they were with the drama.  02. Doom Patrol What a fantastic first season, I don't think there was a bad episode throughout. They did a great job of developing all of the characters and building the team. So many standout moments. I feel like everyone gave an incredible performance. The cover of People Like Us sung by Negative Man and use of Flex Mentallo were amazing.  01. Legion The show probably got a boost for it being the final season and them sticking the landing. I love this series from start to finish. It wasn't always the most coherent, sometimes it took big swings and missed but when it landed nothing else could compare. Every performance was superb but Dan Stevens deserves to be singled out for his work. The musical sequences throughout were incredible. I loving died when Melanie and Oliver came back for a standalone episode and getting Jason Mantzoukas to guest star was genius. The finale with the cover of Mother by Pink Floyd was amazing. I'm sad to see it go. Levin fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Jan 3, 2020 |
|
#
?
Dec 30, 2019 21:29
|
|
|
2019 I was really busy with getting more deeply involved in DSA organizing, but I still tried to watch TV! Apologize for the barebones nature of this list 10 Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: vento aureo: I love me Jojo's and this had everything I wanted in great stand battles and distinctive characters in dumb names changed because of dumb copyright laws; shame that it really starts to fumble in the end with convoluted stands. 9 AEW Dynamite: Exciting to seeing a new wrestling promotion in America challenge the WWE monopoly, but while great there are still a lot of kinks to be worked out. 8 Doom Patrol: I'm glad Brendan Fraser is able to make a comeback by playing a robot man and I love how gonzo this show is 7NXT: Really good year for the brand able to have some of the best matches week to week while keeping with simple story telling that works 6 The Twilight Zone: It's the Twilight Zone nuff said 5 Bon Appetit's Gourmet Makes: I too like to watch Claire have existential crisis's trying to make gourmet versions of candies 4 The Mandalorian: I love me episodic space westerns plus this has Werner Herzog too boot 3 Chernobyl: Some of the most tense scenes I've ever seen and god the body horror  2 Marvel's Agents of Shield: You know me, I always rank this way higher than most people, but you will no longer have to worry 2 years from now since next season will be the last of this wonderful show. 1 Good Omens: Welp where American Gods Season 2 (  ) failed to deliver me good Neil Gaiman material this did in spades, you can tell that Neil put all he could in making this adaptation work and he did with a superb cast. Was it perfect? No, but it was all I wanted and hopefully the Sandman adaptation won't go to poo poo like American Gods
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2019 00:47
|
|
|
Everyones ballot up to this post should have now been linked in the second post of this thread. If that isn't the case, please comment and I'll fix it up.Corte posted:I would suggest considering pushing the final deadline a bit. I'll leave it for now to hopefully keep the fire lit under peoples asses, but yeah probably.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2019 01:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 21:34 |
|
|
I finished the Expanse (fuckin great) and have 2 eps of his dark materials left so my list will go up early tomorrow. Gonna be hard to pick an order tho hoo boy
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2019 01:23
|
|