It was an odd year with television: beyond the final season of Succession, which this writer woefully didn’t watch, there wasn’t anything that was absolutely stellar or groundbreaking; however, there were a few shows that I would consider to be great. More television is being made than ever, which creates a bigger bell curve. Here are the best of the year.
Notable mention for slots fifteen to eleven: The Curse (Showtime), How To With John Wilson (HBO), The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC), Perry Mason (HBO), Hijack (Apple TV+)
10
DAVE
(FX)
DAVE manages to be silly, fascinating, deep, and caring of its characters all at once, and the third season coalesced into something almost meditative on friendship and love. Dave Burd, the character, found success to a degree and roamed the country using a tour to help find the “perfect girl.” While he may have found a solid love, he comes to realize perfect does not exist. And since affable Dave has that tendency to mess everything up, like so many of us, watching it fall apart is part of the appeal. Plus, a beautifully odd Brad Pitt guest appearance put this season of DAVE as one of its best yet.
9
Fargo
(FX)
Fans of Fargo were hoping for this type of season: intelligent, witty, twisty, and wild. The show lost some of its chuutzpah in the last two seasons, but situating the narrative in 2019 and casting actors against type in some cases made for an excellent season. Going into this fifth season, fans likely assumed Jon Hamm’s sheriff would be on the case. Not quite. Juno Temple’s beleaguered (and worse) wife who was more of a wolf in sheep’s clothing for her own protection was not only great acting but also provided real emotional beats to Fargo‘s odd voicings. Bring on more seasons!
8
What We Do In The Shadows
(FX)
Much in the way that classic comedies like Cheers and Arrested Development become an opportunity for viewers simply to hang out with their favorite fictionalized pals, What We Do In The Shadows does the same and manages also to lay out a seasons-long narrative of the overlooked Guillermo, desperate to become a vampire. These oblivious creatures of the night never fail to create laughs: Nandor on the local news, Naja taking Guillermo to urgent care, Lazlo’s nonstop horniness, the crew discovering the mall. Even Sean, the idiot neighbor, is a welcome sight. And a hill I’ll die on is that there isn’t a better side character in television today than Colin Robinson, the energy vampire. This is one of the best comedies in years!
7
Somebody Somewhere
(HBO)
If there’s a more authentic and sweeter look at regular life on television than Somebody Somewhere, I haven’t seen it. This tender, warm, and hilarious show stars Bridgette Everett and Jeff Hiller as best friends in Midwest Manhattan, Kansas. The second season faced some heavy lifting: now that Everett’s Samantha has found herself inching out of her grief for her dead sister, what story is left to tell? Well, a lot. Add to the fact that off-set, Mike Hagerty, who played Everett’s fictional father, passed away, Somebody Somewhere had to determine if it wanted to continue with more grief or juggle a few ideas in order to move forward. The stories it told in its second season was heartwarming in its normalcy. This is the comfort blanket of TV, and we all need more and more.
6
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty
(HBO)
One of the biggest losses announced this year is HBO’s stupid gutting of both Winning Time and Perry Mason, two shows that were likely too expensive to continue with cost cuts, but also two shows that were as good as anything on television this year. If judging Winning Time on its techniques alone – basketball has to be as hard of a sport to get right on film — then this show deserves a slot. Beyond the editing, pacing, and camerawork, the second season added depth to characters, including painting Magic Johnson as a hero with real flaws, Jerry Buss as a foolish savant, Jeanie Buss as the brains behind some big moves, and Larry Bird as a man with his own reasons for an effort for perfection. The show creates excitement for outcomes already in set in stone. That’s a feat.
5
The Last of Us
(HBO)
Basing a series off of a video game does not inspire confidence, but HBO knocked it out of the park with The Last of Us primarily by sagely casting Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the leads. The show balanced dread, excitement, and true emotion as it told the game’s story of Joel attempting to get Ellie across the country ravaged by its own brand of zombies, zombies much faster and stronger than the usual dead. None of it works without Pascal’s haunted trauma and Ramsey’s mix of wit and fear. The not-so-secret to great television is that you have to care about the characters, and Pascal and Ramsey allowed viewers to fall in love with who they were. All this and that episode of Bill and Frank? No need to blame anyone for binging this one.
4
Reservation Dogs
(FX/Hulu)
Television producers have a big hole to fill now that Reservation Dogs aired its third and final season earlier this year. The story of Elora, Bear, Willie Jack, and Cheese morphed into a brilliant, touching tale of growing up and growing away from its original narrative of grief. There was still plenty of mourning to go around, though, as death haunted the series from the opening season; however, creator Sterlin Harjo never wallowed in misery. Instead, he offered a beautiful story not often told on television or elsewhere: that of Native people in a modern setting. There’s a universality to these characters yet they maintain a uniqueness that’s vital to have on screen. Watch these three seasons and your heart will be full.
3
Beef
(Netflix)
A masterful one-and-done series about pure anger is one of Netflix’s best to date. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong portray real, flawed, lovable, and hateful people who get into a bit of a feud, to say the least. Beef creator Lee Sung Jin lays out a list of thematic possibilities without shortchanging any. Divorce? Rage? Childrearing? Asian-American experience? Affluence? Emptiness? It’s all that and more. To say anything else could ruin the joy of watching it, so just know that Netflix doesn’t do shows like this as often as it should. None of its ten episodes feel like filler.
2
The Bear
(FX/Hulu)
Yes, The Bear is the show that your indie best bud keeps raving about, but there’s a reason. It’s great! The second season dips a little away from its frantic pacing of the first in order to focus on the characters even more. Cousin gets his own story, Marcus takes a trip to Europe not only to feed a mystery cat, and the entire Berzatto clan has a wonderful Christmas together in a bit of shading as a backstory. The depth of each of these characters allows creator Christopher Storer to play with what television can do when it is at its peak and that is allow viewers to get to know the people as if they are real. No sophomore slump with The Bear; this is quality, chef!
1
Barry
(HBO)
Barry lands at the top of the list for its bravery on multiple levels. Allowing its protagonist to go from genial yet dangerous assassin to dark and troubled psycho is a feat, especially one that makes viewers continually want to tune in each week. Then Bill Hader throws in a time jump, commonly a death kneel for other shows. Not here. Barry has a ill-fated family man fascinated me as much as his assassin roots. Hader wraps up all loose ends here in the final season, too. NoHo Hank, Mr. Couisneau, Cristobal, and Fuches may not get the ending they deserve, but they certainly receive a period at the end of each of their sentences. Barry is a griping look at the madness of love, the terror of control, and the absurdity of life.
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