The Best TV Shows of 2019, Part One
Some honorable mentions include DICKINSON (Apple TV) and EUPHORIA (HBO), two distinctive teen dramas that try very hard to be cool at the expense of legible plots: both have strong lead performances and found their footing by the end of their seasons; YOU’RE THE WORST (FX) overcame a rough past couple of seasons to stick the landing on its acidic anti-romantic comedy; WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (FX) made its potentially dated mockumentary premise work thanks to an exceedingly talented cast; A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (Netflix) ended an impressive run as a stylish and faithful adaptation of the famously hard to adapt book series; SUPERSTORE (NBC) had its best run of episodes and perfected its anticapitalist, bittersweet tone; THE MANDALORIAN (Disney+) took a refreshingly low concept idea to the first Star Wars series, making a surprisingly entertaining TV Western; and STUMPTOWN (ABC) singlehandedly made the broadcast procedural fun again with the help of Cobie Smulders and some snappy, intelligent dialogue.
25. SINGLE PARENTS (ABC)
Easily the best broadcast show on TV right now, Single Parents also has one of the best comedic ensembles on television. Leighton Meester is so good at comedy you’d wish she had more chances to do it (R.I.P. Making History), Taran Killam reminds us of why he was such a valuable player on SNL, Brad Garrett makes his triumphant return to comedy as the gruff old guy of the group, Kimrie Lewis finds the perfect balance between sarcasm and sentimentalism, and Jake Choi is crushing it as the token dumb guy. And that’s not even getting to their kids, who are sometimes even funnier than the parents. With writers from both New Girl and You’re The Worst, Single Parents has perfected a certain not too snarky, not too cheesy comedic tone that meshes well with the well-defined characters and frequently funny gags.
24. TUCA AND BERTIE (Netflix)
So much more than “Broad City meets Bojack Horseman”, this animated sitcom produced by Bojack creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg dives right into lunacy from the very first scene of its theme song, which shows bouncing boobs on a building. Surreal humor, feminist theory, and relationship drama are filtered through a rainbow colored, anthropomorphic animal filled world that feels seemingly chock full of comedic and dramatic promise, even if the show only got one stellar season. Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun are formidably funny.
23. MIRACLE WORKERS (TBS)
Sometimes it’s good enough for a show just to make you laugh. Miracle Workers made me laugh more than anything else this year. Maybe I just miss Man Seeking Woman, but the nearly identical tone (Miracle Workers hails from Man Seeking Woman creator Simon Rich), funny and frequently insightful jokes, and perfect casting (Steve Buscemi as God got plenty of press, but Daniel Radcliffe’s bumbling angel is the stealth MVP) made it the funniest narrative comedy show of the year for me.
22. STATE OF THE UNION (SundanceTV)
SundanceTV remained criminally underrated in 2019 (Rectify is still one of the best, most overlooked series of the decade) even when they released the fantastic State of the Union, which has a pretty impressive pedigree. Ten episodes, ten minutes long, directed by Stephen Frears and written by Nick Hornby. The setup is incredibly simple: a couple (Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd) meets for a drink every week before their marriage therapy session. State of the Union takes this simple premise and imbues it with life and precision thanks to Hornby’s writing and Pike and O’Dowd giving some of the best and most layered performances they’ve ever given in their careers (it’s especially nice to finally see Pike in a role that shows off her talent post-Gone Girl). It’s one of the shortest seasons of TV this year that I’ve thought about the most.
21. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE (Netflix)
Many comedy nerds have spilled words over Tim Robinson’s debut sketch comedy series on Netflix and I don’t have much else to add. It’s riotous, has a runtime that’s very beneficial to its comic timing, and the performers are all great. I Think You Should Leave’s beautifully specific comedic stylings and a keen sense of comedic logic come together to create sketch comedy gold.
20. THE MAGICIANS (Syfy)
While the third season of The Magicians smartly deconstructed the idea of the hero’s journey, the fourth season debated who exactly the hero of this particular story is and to who, exactly. Beyond that central thesis, the fourth season also found an even better balance of drama and comedy, often changing on a dime in a moment’s notice. A season that started with our characters trying to get back to normalcy turned into a season that radically changed the series (not without controversy), but ultimately for the better in my opinion, leading to a more interesting future for the series.
19. YEARS AND YEARS (HBO)
The most anxiety inducing television I’ve watched all year, Years and Years is a period piece that flips the genre on its head: instead of looking into the past, Years and Years follows a family living in Manchester as they experience the next couple of decades. Speculative fiction at its finest, the show is both terrifying, given how likely some of the scenarios it presents are, and almost blindingly ambitious. What holds it all together is a fantastic cast and Russell T. Davies’ terse, unsubtle writing, making Years and Years a family drama with emotional bite that will leave you reeling. Davies’ writing isn’t for everyone but it works wonders on me (his Cucumber and Banana series are two of my favorite shows ever), and its especially effective here when his righteous political fury mellows out to something more existentially curious near the end of the series’ run.
18. WATCHMEN (HBO)
While I wasn’t as enamored by HBO’s Watchmen adaptation as others, I frequently enjoyed watching it do a decent job of matching the tone of the original comic. The cast is stellar (even though I do think that making Regina King’s character, and not, say, Jean Smart’s or Tim Blake Nelson’s characters the main point of view was a mistake), the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is one of the best TV scores of the year, and the alternative history behind the series provides a pointed, often subversive means of political commentary on our own world. I’m just not sure what anyone who isn’t a huge fan of the original comic is getting out of this increasingly complex adaptation that draws on and reflects so many specific events that occurred in the comic. Watchmen’s a blast but mostly feels like a fan-only event (one that I feel plenty home at, but I suspect many don’t).
17. LOS ESPOOKYS (HBO)
Julio Torres has been the best part of Saturday Night Live for the past couple of years with his sketches, including “Wells for Boys” and “Papyrus”. His sensibility comes to the forefront in his HBO series Los Espookys, a deeply surreal, hilarious series that combines the supernatural with the utterly banal. While the titular group sets out to create hauntings for those who hire them, plans usually go awry at a moment’s turn, leading to what is an even more bizarre set of circumstances. A truly singular piece of art from one of our best comedic voices, Los Espookys is truly strange and effortlessly unique in its humor and performances.
16. HIGH MAINTENANCE (HBO)
High Maintenance went deeper into the interior this season, delving deeper into The Guy and specifically Lee (Britt Lower), the love interest of The Guy and her own particularly thorny situations. What High Maintenance found, as it always does, is an intriguing humanism that manages to be at once surprising and completely expected, as the series continues to explore myriad social situations in and around New York City.
15. GLOW (Netflix)
Like the titular wrestling group during this season, GLOW perfected its ensemble comedy drama in its third season, finding use for every single one of its characters while never losing sight of main focuses Ruth (Alison Brie) and Debbie (Betty Gilpin), the latter of which has never been better on the show, and she’s already been fantastic. Add in some fun guest stars (including the fantastic Geena Davis) and you have what’s one of the most consistently enjoyable character based comedy dramas I’ve seen this year.
14. BETTER THINGS (FX)
Pamela Adlon had to work through some major changes with the third season of Better Things, the first season without any contributions from disgraced former writer/director Louis C.K. As the season proved, we’re not missing much from his absence: this has always been Adlon’s show and this season showcases how great she’s gotten (and always has been) at writing cohesive seasons that have loose themes that nevertheless feel impactful. Better Things only gets better with age.
13. RUSSIAN DOLL (Netflix)
The Groundhog Day formula was perfected by, well, Groundhog Day, but Russian Doll found gold in placing that formula in a specific sense of Jewish culture and characterization. Natasha Lyonne’s Nadia Vulvokov is one of the best characters of the year, thanks to her careful writing as well as the sense of the world around her. One of the few Netflix shows that feels like it should have been an HBO show, and that’s a high compliment.
12. CASTLE ROCK (Hulu)
Castle Rock continues to be a refreshingly singular journey through (semi) established IP in its second season. Instead of relying solely on frequent Easter eggs that reference the work of Stephen King, Castle Rock again found tonal success in adapting the feel of King’s work, versus the specific material. While the second season’s mishmash of Salem’s Lot and Misery didn’t always square off well, Castle Rock found the best of each book and turned it into a very compelling, pulpy season of television, bolstered by an exemplary Lizzy Caplan, who breathed fresh life into the character of Annie Wilkes without making the viewer wish they were watching Kathy Bates, a remarkable feat.
11. PEN15 (Hulu)
An ingenious take on the teen drama, PEN15 fearlessly looks at the turn of the millennium with adult creators (and stars) Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine playing their middle school selves. What could have easily been a one-off joke in the vein of Summer Heights High quickly reveals itself to be something deeper as the viewer can’t help but begin to actually perceive the main characters as the children they’re actually playing and take them completely seriously. Anna and Maya’s performances show off an acute self-awareness of their own ridiculous adolescent behavior, but also a deep understanding of how all too different the world feels when you’re a kid. Wickedly funny and surprisingly affecting, PEN15 marks a new watermark in the televised teen drama genre.
And here are the best musical moments on television this year.
“Shake It Off” by The Hollywood High School Choir // BETTER THINGS
Better Things ended its third season with a thrilling cover of this Florence + The Machine cover that underscored the bittersweet tone of Sam celebrating a milestone birthday, fighting with her best friend, and emotionally wrestling with daughter Frankie as she lets go and moves on to, well, better things.
“All of Us” by Zendaya & Labrinth // EUPHORIA
Euphoria was at its most visually stunning when it fully broke its reality in the last scene of its first season to portray Rue’s relapse in this haunting musical number.
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush // GLOW
The strains of “Running Up That Hill” play as a homophobic hate crime reveals itself to the characters of GLOW after a drag show, bringing a harsh dose of reality to an otherwise effervescent episode (and season) and reverberating through the storylines of the show’s queer characters for the rest of the season.
“Do Your Best” by John Maus // HIGH MAINTENANCE
High Maintenance ended its third season with a sneakily quiet episode that ends with Timothy “Speed” Levitch, the famous New York City tour guide, giving a monologue that sums up the entire series and the character of The Guy, while Brooklyn superstar John Maus plays.
“I suppose if I had an essential goal on the cruise right now, it would be to exhibit the fact that I’m thrilled to be alive and to still be respected. I suppose the soulful or the Buddhist out there might ask, ‘Why do you need respect from others? The thrill to be alive, that’s your own business. You can do that in your living room.’ But that’s not what the cruise is for me. The cruise is about the searching for everything worthwhile in existence. I mean, I will appreciate the beauty of a flower, and then likewise, I will stand exhibitionistic and have the flower appreciate the beauty of me.”
“Take On Me” by The Cast of The Magicians // THE MAGICIANS
The Magicians says goodbye to a main cast member in a very Magicians way: singing a pop song while unbeknownst to them, the deceased witnesses his own funeral.
“In Every Dream Home a Heartache” by Roxy Music // MINDHUNTER
Mindhunter began its second season with this perfectly eerie and tense opening that makes you wish David Fincher would direct a feature film again (or even just more Mindhunter) soon.
“Outro” by M83 // MR. ROBOT
Mirroring the previous season finale’s use of M83’s “Intro”, M83’s “Outro” scores the final scene of Mr. Robot as Elliot looks back at what he’s done and finally comes to terms with himself. “Outro” has been used numerous times in media over the past decade but this just might be the best, most effective use of the song.
“My Brother’s Gay and That’s Okay!” by ChaseDreams // THE OTHER TWO
This parody song singlehandedly murdered every single faux-progressive “uplifting” pop song that came out over the past decade.
“Misbehavin’” by Jennifer Nettles and Walton Goggins // THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES
“Running through the house with a pickle in my mouth!” Like the show itself, “Misbehavin’” is a harrowingly specific, darkly hilarious parody of televised religion.
“Gotta Get Up” by Harry Nilsson // RUSSIAN DOLL
Not a bad choice for the “I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher from Groundhog Day” hole that Russian Doll needed to fill.
“LIFE ON MARS?” by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross // WATCHMEN
Watchmen followed its best, most “what the fuck?” reveal with Reznor and Ross’s best piece of score written for the series: a haunting, mysterious David Bowie cover that’s fit for the re-introduction of a god.
“No Children” by The Mountain Goats // YOU’RE THE WORST
We witness the future of Gretchen and Jimmy, central couple of You’re The Worst, set to the song that perfectly captures the prickly, romantic, fucked up, and strangely sweet nature of their relationship over the course of the series.
