It’s hard to imagine that just 20 years ago, the only place to watch first-run original scripted series was on one of four broadcast networks – and only for six or seven months of the year. Today, in the era of Peak TV, there are so many good TV series on so many different platforms, year-round, that I am constantly discovering new shows to watch – many of which have already been on the air for multiple seasons. Nobody has to watch the so-called “least objectionable programming” anymore, and those under 40 have probably never even heard that phrase.
As a result of so many programs on so many platforms, and the fact that everybody doesn’t have access to everything anymore, television viewing has become much more splintered than even just a few years ago. So, it is possible, even likely, that any list of “best” TV shows will have several that many readers have not seen, or perhaps even heard of.
Here are 27 series that top my list for 2019. Some are new, some returning. They are substantially different from one another, which makes them difficult to compare – so I am presenting them in alphabetical rather than rank order. All have something that make then rise above the pack, and each is worth your time to check out.
Barry (HBO): Seamlessly moving between light comedy and dark drama (not easy to do), Bill Hader is superb as a disillusioned and depressed midwestern hitman. In Season 1, he travels to L.A. to kill an actor who is sleeping with a mobster’s wife. He follows his target to an acting class, where he becomes drawn to this community of dedicated and desperate students, falling in love with one of them (Sarah Goldberg). He remains there to take acting lessons and pursue a more normal life. But changing is not so easy, as gangsters he’s worked for and against come to town.
Henry Winkler is great as Barry’s pompous acting teacher, as is Anthony Carrigan as wacky mobster, Noho Hank. Stephen Root also shines as Barry’s “handler.” Both Bill Hader and Henry Winkler won Emmys in 2018 for their performances. On paper, this high concept show shouldn’t work. On television, with these stellar performances, it somehow creates magic.
Starting with the Season 1 finale and continuing through Season 2, the show gets significantly darker. It is still worth watching, but it’s definitely not for everyone. Each season is eight episodes – perfect for bingeing.
Big Little Lies (HBO): Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz star. What else do you need to know? How about Meryl Streep joining the cast in season 2? A master class in acting.
Lies and secrets (and murder) in the beachfront town of Monterey, California – successful parents, precocious kids, and stunning homes, all masking the dysfunctional relationships among family, friends, and neighbors in this seemingly tranquil community. The short- and long-term impact of rape, and the effect of spousal abuse and bullying on children, is handled in a way seldom seen anywhere, much less on television.
There reportedly will not be a third season, but you never know – it’s hard to coordinate schedules among these busy A-list actresses. The Season 2 finale was a fitting end to the story, so I’m not sure there’s any reason to do another.
Bosch (Amazon Prime Video): This is not only the best procedural drama currently on television, it might be the best procedural drama ever on television (and for those who feel compelled to @ me on Twitter, series such as NYPD Blue and The Wire are not procedural dramas).
Titus Willever is perfect as the smart, tough as nails, flawed and haunted detective Harry Bosch. He’s been brilliant in many supporting roles over the years, and it’s great to see him in the lead. He melts into the role (as he does with virtually everything he touches). The ensemble cast of regulars, including Jamie Hector, Madison Lintz, Lance Reddick, Amy Aquino, Troy Evans, and Gregory Scott Cummins, are spot on for their respective roles. The guest stars have been a string of superb character actors who you will immediately recognize (if you’re over 40) and wonder where you’ve seen them before.
Each season focuses on one main crime that Bosch and crew need to solve, along with one or two related (or not-so-related) crimes. Solving the crimes focuses on the everyday routine police work that the show somehow manages to continually make interesting. The murder of Bosch’s prostitute mom when he was 12, how it has impacted who he is today, and his relentless efforts to solve the crime, is a thread that has sewn its way through the first four 10-episode seasons.
Season 5 is basically a new beginning for detective Bosch, and is as addicting as ever (and shows why Bosch is Amazon’s longest-running original drama). It opens a year after the shocking events in Season 4, and Bosch’s time is split between another two cases, one that requires a dangerous undercover assignment. Bosch continues to be tight, straightforward, and unhurried as the detectives gradually unravel clues to solve each crime.
If you haven’t discovered Bosch yet, you’ll have the joy of being able to binge 50 episodes. They are currently filming season 6.
The Boys (Amazon Prime Video): What would happen in a world where superheroes are real, unaccountable, and can basically do whatever they want (such as accidentally kill ordinary citizens)? And what if they work for a multibillion-dollar conglomerate that licenses their images and covers up their crimes? Perhaps a vigilante group would be formed to try and expose the rogue “heroes.”
In this dark comedy-drama, based on the comic book series, such a world exists, as members of a Justice League-type superhero group known as The Seven wreak havoc as they sometimes do and sometimes only pretend to do great deeds, often leaving destruction and death in their wake.
Just because this show centers around superheroes, however, does not mean it’s for kids. Scenes of graphic and implied violence and sex are prevalent throughout. But for adults, this is a surprisingly thoughtful take on the power of giant, faceless corporations in our society, and how they can shape the news and public opinion – and sometimes can only be brought down by whistleblowers and vigilant activists. It has been renewed for a second season, probably in summer 2020.
Dead to Me (Netflix): Christina Applegate gives a career performance in this dark comedy as a woman whose husband recently died in a hit-and-run crash, who meets and becomes fast friends with another woman (Linda Cardellini) at a grief-support group. Her new friend, however. may not be all she seems. Any further explanation will give away too much.
The show seamlessly moves from comedy to crime mystery and back. There are numerous twists and turns, many of which happen in the first few episodes. Produced by Adam McCay and Will Ferrel (the team that brought us Anchorman) this is definitely worth a look and a binge. It has been renewed for a second season, which will probably drop in mid-2020.
Fleabag (Amazon Prime Video): The immensely talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge (she created and writes for Killing Eve) writes and stars in this comedy-drama as a depressed, dysfunctional, yet strangely confident single woman with a voracious sexual appetite, navigating the streets of London (surrounded by other dysfunctional people), and dealing with her equally dysfunctional family (and a “hot priest”).
Breaking the fourth wall has never been done this brilliantly with her side-eyed glances and talking directly to the camera as the show provides insights into the ongoing themes of love, grief, faith, and using sex to fill a void in your life. The sex scenes (of which there are many) are sometimes hilarious and sometimes squirm-inducing, so Fleabag is not for everyone. That said, it should be for everyone else. The supporting cast is excellent. You seldom, if ever, see an aggressive, independent, and sexually autonomous woman like Fleabag on television (even in the age of more creative freedom offered by advertiser-less programming).
Fans had to wait three years between the two six-episode seasons, but it was worth it. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has indicated there probably won’t be a third season. It has managed to break through the clutter of a Peak TV world, at least with Emmy voters, being nominated for 11 awards this year (and winning for Best Comedy and Best Actress in a Comedy). A uniquely inventive gem.
Glow (Netflix): A behind-the-scenes fictionalized look at the 1980s syndicated TV show, the low-budget Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Alison Brie, as an unemployed actress who becomes a GLOW star (as evil Russian, “Zoya the Destroyer”) and Betty Gilpin as a former soap star, now spandex-laden wrestling All-American, “Liberty Belle,” are standouts, as is Marc Maron as a washed up “B” movie director who leads the ladies to fame. Along with a winning and diverse ensemble cast of misfits, they make this way more fun than it has any right to be. It took three or four episodes to get rolling, but then my wife and I were hooked. Season 2 is a blast from start to finish.
Geena Davis joined the cast in Season 3 as the wrestlers’ new boss, when the women of GLOW move to Las Vegas as the headliner at her hotel and casino. The latest season brings some shocking real-life 1980s events into the forefront, and deals with more serious topics (racism, gender inequality, and homophobia, among others), but always manages to walk the tightrope between pathos and genuinely entertaining comedy. The writing and acting in Season 3 raise GLOW to another level. One of the best original series on Netflix (or anywhere). Courageous and triumphant. It has been renewed for a fourth and apparently final season.
Goliath (Amazon Prime Video): Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton), once a high-powered lawyer ln Los Angeles, has become a burned out and washed-up ambulance chaser, who spends more time in bars than in a courtroom. But he’s still got the skills. His naturalistic, laid back style is well suited as a former Goliath, now a David, beaten down but still confident in his ability to take down new Goliaths each season.
In Season 1 he reluctantly agrees to take on a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest (and
extremely dangerous) client of the giant law firm he helped create (William Hurt plays his former
partner, now biggest adversary). He puts together a ragtag team that helps him uncover a big and deadly conspiracy. He returns in Season 2 to defend his friend’s 16-year-old son who is wrongly accused of a grisly double murder. He and his team uncover another conspiracy, which leads to the highest levels of city politics and corruption. Season 2 has a harder edge, as it becomes more difficult for David to slay all the Goliaths.
Randy Quaid, Amy Brenneman, Beau Bridges, Griffin Dunne, and Sherilyn Fenn, join the Season 3 cast. McBride takes a case where he goes up against a villainous billionaire rancher (Quaid) and his even more villainous sister (Brenneman), who are accused of illegally drilling for water in draught-stricken Central Valley, California.
Created and written by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro. Each season is substantially different from the previous one, so I can understand only liking one or two of them – I liked Season 1 the most, and Season 3 the least. It was just renewed for a fourth season.
The Good Fight (CBS All Access): The wonderful Christine Baransky stars, along with Cush Jumbo and Rose Leslie in this female-driven legal drama spinoff of CBS’s The Good Wife. They make a diverse team that is as much in (or out of) control professionally as they are in their relationships. Audra McDonald and Delroy Lindo also star.
Sexual harassment, racism, and income inequality have been dealt with here in a more thought-provoking way than is typically seen on television. Having Christine Baransky’s character, Diane Lockhart, take a partner position at a majority black-owned and staffed Chicago law firm lends itself to a wide range of race-related storylines, which the writers have handled well, without getting too heavy-handed.
The first season was uneven with its Madoff-like plot, but as it developed its main characters, the second season hit its stride and found its voice. There remains a clear anti-Trump tone, particularly with the over-the-top animated shorts that appear in each episode during the third season (which are often hilarious if you agree with the politics).
Just the right mix of drama and humor, along with the excellent cast and superb writing, make this great television – although returning to more courtroom drama and less anti-Trump rhetoric would not be a bad thing – but not likely as election season looms.
Season 1 aired on CBS’s linear network this summer. If you don’t subscribe to CBS All Access, watch this cleaned up version. Then subscribe and binge all three seasons of what is one of the very best series on television.
The Good Place (NBC): There’s a good place and a bad place in the afterlife in this sharp-witted, original comedy that’s hard to describe without providing any spoilers. Suffice it to say that this is a show about humanity and hope.
There’s a point system to get into the good place, and life on Earth has become so complex, that it is virtually impossible for anyone to get into the good place under the current system. So how did Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who was a terrible person when alive, wind up there? Michael (Ted Danson), the architect of the heavenly neighborhood (with a frozen yogurt shop on every corner) seems to have the answer. Her group of misfits that might all be in the wrong place include William Jackson, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, D’Arcy Carden, who are all excellent here. Maya Rudolph has a perfect recurring role as the judge.
The surprise ending to Season 1 changes the game for everything that comes after, and elevated this unique comedy into something even greater than it was.
The show has surprisingly insightful conversations and debates about the nature of goodness, does it matter if you’re a bad person, do people have a natural tendency to better themselves, is it possible for people to be ethical when surrounded by unethical systems. These heavy topics are sprinkled in with fart jokes and demons from the bad place discussing particularly gross ways of torturing people.
Currently in its fourth and final season, this series continues to be head and shoulders above any other comedy on the broadcast networks (and among the top anywhere). If you haven’t discovered it yet, you should watch it from the beginning to really appreciate what’s going on.
Harlots (Hulu): Samantha Morton portrays a brothel owner trying to secure a better future for her two daughters (Jessica Brown Findlay, Eloise Smyth) in 18th century London. When her business is attacked by a ruthless rival madam (Lesley Manville), it sets off a war over the sex trade.
This is a story of how every class of woman navigates and tries to survive and thrive in a world where wealth and social standing mean everything, women are essentially the property of men, one in five women works in the sex trade, and either good fortune or disaster is just a deception away. The show is full of sex (although not as much nudity as you might think – they wore so many layers of clothes back then), most of it not for pleasure, but for power or to gain some advantage.
The series is created, written, and directed by women, and it shows, as the point of view is refreshingly from the female, not male perspective. Enjoyable, entertaining, and insightful. Season 3 hasn’t lost a step from the great and gritty first two seasons. No word yet on if there will be a fourth season.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix): Krysten Ritter shines as Jessica Jones, a reluctant hero, brooding and haunted by her past (she was given super strength in a medical experiment that saved her life after a car crash killed her family).
Darker than other Marvel TV series, Jessica Jones turns the standard noir elements of the show upside down. More hard-boiled detective than femme fatale, Jessica swears, drinks too much, has meaningless sex, and thinks nothing of breaking the rules if it suits her idea of the greater good – the type of woman you virtually never see on television (or in the Marvel universe). Traditional female roles – sidekicks and “the girlfriend” – are the male characters in this world. The first two seasons were strong social commentaries on male/female relationships and the abuse of privilege and power, focusing on topics such as addiction, sexual harassment, rape, retaliation, and redemption – subjects seldom dealt with on television, and never in the Marvel universe at large.
Season 1 has one of the great supervillains of all time in the mind-controlling Kilgrave (David Tennant), and was brutal in its depiction of violence. Season 2 is more introspective, as Jessica searches for the origins of her power and discovers some shocking truths. Season 3 is a fitting end to Jessica’s journey as she not only has to fight a serial killer, but her sister/best friend as well, as she struggles with what it means to be a hero.
This is the last of Netflix’s Marvel series about street-level heroes to be officially canceled, as Disney ramped up its Disney+ streaming service and took full control of Hulu. The others were, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher.
Killing Eve (BBCA): Sandra Oh has justifiably received critical acclaim and awards for her role as the title character, a bored, but ambitious and insightful mid-level MI5 security officer. But Jodie Corner (who just won an Emmy for her performance) is the real revelation as a mercurial and brutal female assassin, named Villanelle.
In Season 1, Eve is tasked with hunting down the sociopathic killer. As they become equally obsessed with one another (admiration, fear, love?), a fierce game of cat and mouse ensues. Men are the peripheral characters here, and most of the victims
.
Season 2 picks up immediately following the surprise Season 1 finale. The chase and head games between the two adversaries continue for another eight addicting episodes. The second season lacked some of the magic of the first, no doubt because the great Phoebe Waller-Bridge is no longer the head writer, and there were a few extra (and unnecessary) storylines, as Eve and Villanelle become even more obsessed with and attracted to one another. It’s still a great show, however. It’s been renewed for a third season, which will also have its third female showrunner.
The Kominsky Method (Netflix): Created by comedy master, Chuck Lorre, and starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin as an iconic aging acting coach, Sandy Kominnsky and his long-time agent and friend, Norman. Life is constantly throwing them curveballs as they navigate their later years in Los Angeles, a city that places more value on youth and beauty.
The inspired pairing of Douglas and Arkin, combined with brilliant writing, make for a hilarious and often poignant 8-episode first season. Danny DeVito has an extremely funny recurring role as Kominsky’s urologist. If you’re over 50 (or 60), this will resonate, if you’re under 50, this is what you can look forward to (or not).
In Season 2, Paul Reiser joins the cast as Sandy’s daughter’s new boyfriend (who is uncomfortably close to Sandy’s age), and Jane Seymour guest stars as Norman’s former flame (and they renew their relationship after 50 years). Kathleen Turner, who worked with Michael Douglas during the 1980s (Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses) also joined the cast as Sandy’s ex-wife. Another winning season. No word yet on whether there will be a Season 4, but I’d be surprised if there wasn’t at least one more. This was the first Netflix series to win a Golden Globe for best comedy (and lead actor in a comedy for Michael Douglas).
Mindhunter (Netflix): In the late 1970s, FBI hostage negotiator Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and veteran agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) pioneer behavioral profiling of a new type of murderer – the serial killer. Anna Torv also stars as a psychology professor who helps them categorize the killers and predict future behavior.
Their interviews with imprisoned serial killers can be tense and chilling, as they and the viewer start to realize how many multiple killers are out there, and how far behind the curve law enforcement was at the time.
Rises way above a typical procedural. Smart, compelling, and cinematic. You won’t want to wait for the next episode – and if you have enough time, you don’t need to. If you enjoy series such as Criminal Minds, Hannibal, and Prodigal Son, you’ll probably like this too – but keep in mind there’s no murder of the week that conveniently get solved by the end of each hour. This aims much higher, and, for the most part, hits the mark.
Season 2 has more urgency and gets darker, as the series focuses on events such as the Atlanta child murders, which uncovers deep flaws in the FBI’s methods, and raises doubts into how effective they are. Critical acclaim doesn’t always result in renewal at Netflix, but if I had to guess, I’d say there will be a third season.
The Morning Show (Apple TV Plus): The first original show on Apple’s new streaming service, inspired by Brian Stelter’s 2013 book, Top of the Morning, is a winner. Jennifer Aniston is great as half of an iconic morning show couple, who is stunned when her partner of 15 years (Steve Carell) is fired for sexual misconduct (shades of Matt Lauer and the Today Show).
As she learns how to exert her power against the many male executives who want to push her out, she forces them to team her with the new correspondent her smarmy new boss ( Billy Crudup) brings in – an aggressive female reporter from a conservative leaning local station (Reese Witherspoon, who is wonderful here), whose “freak out” when her cameraman was attacked by a protester went viral.
The episode 3 scene between Steve Carell and his director friend (Martin Short), who are commiserating about both being caught up in the #MeToo movement, which they see as discriminating against men who have done nothing wrong (or at least nothing that men in power haven’t always done), is one of the best couple of minutes of television I’ve seen in years – as Steve Carell’s character slowly starts to realize his friend is a sexual predator (and maybe he is too). At this writing, I’ve only seen the first five episodes, but so The Morning Show is a winner.
Mr Inbetween (FX): A half-hour Australian dark comedy/drama about Ray Shoesmith (the magnetic Scott Ryan, who also created and writes the show). Ray seems to have a relatively normal life. He’s juggling raising a pre-teen daughter with his ex-wife, a relationship with a new girlfriend, and caring for a sick brother. He also has a day (and night) job collecting debts from deadbeats, and occasionally as a hitman.
Season 2 brings a bit more introspection, as Ray starts to realize how his propensity to handle every problem with his fists (with a glint in his eye as he knows he can win almost every fight) starts to impact the people he really cares about – as his work and personal lives start to collide. This season also examines why Ray sees no real difference between his years in the Army when he was told to kill people and his life at home where he is hired to kill people.
The series is lean and taut, sharply written with no bloat or wasted content. It seamlessly jumps from humorous to violent moments. That we like and root for Ray despite his casual brutality is a tribute to Scott Ryan’s talents. It also fits the mold of many FX dramas, where you root for bad or flawed people with some redeeming qualities who go up against even badder people with no (or at least fewer) redeeming qualities. Each season is just six episodes – perfect for bingeing.
Pose (FX): This fabulous show from Ryan Murphy is set in 1980s and early 1990s New York City, and juxtaposes the ball culture world, the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene, and the specter of AIDS.
Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) forms a “house” that provides support to LGBTQ youth who have been rejected by their families. Billy Porter (great as drag ball emcee and Bianca’s mentor), Evan Peters, Kate Mara, and James Van Der Beek also star.
Season 2 starts out in the summer of 1990, when the influence of Madonna’s Vogue briefly shone a spotlight on this subculture of the Manhattan “drag ball” scene – although it took almost 30 years for a look into its origins and what it was really all about. At the same time, this is the peak of deaths within the LGBTQ community from the AIDS crisis.
I’m including this here not because it “makes television history” by having the largest cast of transgender and LBGTQ actors ever for a scripted series (five transgender actresses are regulars). I’m including it here because it’s great television, which at its core, in addition to being revolutionary, is a surprisingly addictive and sweet family show.
Queen of the South (USA): This crime drama’s uneven first season got better and hit overdrive in seasons 2, and 3, as Camila Vargas (Veronica Falcon) and her former protégé, Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga), battle for supremacy of a drug cartel. Both are seductive and conniving, occasionally vicious, and always captivating. Hemky Madera is wonderfully menacing as Teresa’a loyal lieutenant.
Season 4 sees Teresa and her allies move to New Orleans and try to expand her fledgling empire, while facing a whole new level of threats and enemies. No awards or brilliant writing here. Just a gritty and entertaining guilty pleasure. It has been renewed for a fifth season.
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim): My 20-year-old son got me hooked on this Adult Swim animated piece of brilliance several years ago. It follows super-genius (and boozy) scientist, Rick, as he drags his not-so-bright grandson, Morty, on wild adventures through other worlds and alternate dimensions. While other great animated series, The Simpsons and Family Guy, are grounded in reality and have some absurd situations, Rick and Morty is grounded in absurdity. It’s at once high- and low-brow, clever and silly, but always hilarious. You’ll either love it or say “huh?” After making fans wait more than two years, Season 4 came out this November. It’s better than ever. Seasons 1-3 are available on Hulu. I suggest catching up before watching the new episodes.
Russian Doll (Netflix): Star, Natasha Lyonne created this comedy-drama with Amy Poehler. She is stuck in her own “Groundhog Day” loop, as she repeatedly attends her own 36th birthday party in New York City, dies at the end of the night, and re-awakens on the same day unharmed as though nothing had happened. No matter how many times she goes through slight variations of the same events and tries to alter the ultimate outcome, she reaches the same end by a variety of means (getting hit by a car, falling down a flight of stairs, etc.).
When she gets stuck in an elevator about to fall to her umpteenth death, she meets a guy (Charlie Barnett) who is going through the same thing. They team up to try and figure out what is going on and how to stop it (and how they might be connected) – but each time, they only have a day to figure it out before the cycle begins again.
Natasha Lyonne gives an award-worthy performance in this inventive, clever, thought provoking, and all-around wonderful series. The dialogue is fast-paced and witty, and provides several different and insightful views of life in New York City. A rare gem that borders on art. There will be a second season, but it probably won’t be until summer 2020 at the earliest.
Sneaky Pete (Amazon Prime Video): Con man and ex-con Marious (Giovanni Ribisi), on the run from some very bad people, assumes the identity of his still imprisoned cellmate Pete, and tries to hide out with Pete’s family (who hasn’t seen him for 20 years). They have a bail bonds business in Connecticut and their own set of problems and sinister characters to deal with, so it takes a while before any of them question his story.
All three seasons have multiple cons and obstacles to solve that are handled in a crisp, keep-you-guessing manner. There are short cons, long cons, and double crosses, as “Pete” cleverly navigates the new world he finds himself in, while trying to avoid the old, as certain family members become increasingly suspicious.
The excellent cast includes Margo Martindale and Peter Gerety as Pete’s grandparents, and Marin Ireland, Shane McRae, and Libby Barer as his cousins. Bryan Cranston is executive producer, and has a role as a gangster who is after Pete in Season 1. Intelligent, gritty, and a good mix of drama and humor. Unfortunately, Season 3 was the last for this fine series. Definitely worth a look.
Star Trek Discovery (CBS All Access): Taking place a decade before Captain Kirk and crew’s original five-year mission, the series follows the exploits of the U.S.S. Discovery as it seeks out new worlds and new civilizations (and battles Klingons and other alien forces along the way).
Star Trek TV series are not known for strong starts – the original series was continually on the verge of cancellation during its three-season run, while both Next Generation and Deep Space Nine didn’t hit their strides until their third seasons. Discovery’s first season was no exception – it showed potential but was uneven as it introduced the many new characters. Season 2, however, found its way, revved up the action, and gave this series real potential to become a classic and revitalize the Star Trek franchise (there are more Trek series on the way).
Sonequa Martin-Green is excellent as science officer Michael Burnham, a human who was raised on Vulcan by Spock’s parents. Michelle Yeoh is also excellent as Captain Philippa Georgiou. Season 2 has several nods to the original series, introducing us to a young Spock and Captain Christopher Pike (James T. Kirk’s predecessor on the U.S.S. Enterprise), but you need not be familiar with Star Trek canon to like this series.
Season 2’s ending propels Star Trek Discovery into new terrain to make Season 3 a completely new entity with endless possibilities. After season 3, CBS should air this series on its broadcast network during the summer as it is doing with The Good Fight.
Succession (HBO): One of the buzziest shows in the past couple of seasons is that rare series that actually lives up to the hype. When Logan Roy (Brian Cox), an aging Rupert Murdoch style media tycoon has a stroke, his four adult children (Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Sarah Snook) start jockeying for control of the family’s international media and entertainment empire. When he recovers and lets them know he has no intention of stepping down anytime soon, all types of power plays, backstabbing schemes, and elaborate infighting ensue, as ambitions collide with family loyalties.
One might think a series about unlikeable and privileged one-percenters is not the recipe for broad success, but the sharp writing, fierce acting, acid wit, and effortless shifts between comedy, tragedy, and family drama, make this compelling viewing. Season 1 started out slowly, but built into something great as the season progressed. Season 2 is near perfection, with strong guest starring roles for Cherry Jones and Holly Hunter.
This is Us (NBC): In its fourth season, still checks off all the boxes on how to tug at viewers’ heartstrings, still checks off many diversity boxes, and still makes for great television. Anything but a typical family drama, This is Us somehow manages to continually and seamlessly flash back to various periods of each character to weave a tapestry of their family history and how they all became who they are today, often through memories of interactions with their (not so) perfect father/husband/friend, Jack Pearson. It has also started adding new characters who either impact or become part of the Pearson clan.
Vida (Starz): Two vastly different and estranged Mexican-American sisters Lynn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma (Mishel Prada) – both perfectly cast – are forced to come together to deal with the death of their mother (nicknamed Vida) and the discovery that she had a secret wife, Eddy (Ser Anzoategui). They also have to deal with the apartment building and bar Vida owned in her East L.A. neighborhood, which is in the process of undergoing gentrification.
Emma is a buttoned-down Chicago lawyer (and closeted lesbian), while Lyn is more fun loving, hopping from one job and sexual partner to another. They are both insiders and outsiders, having left the neighborhood, but still intimately familiar with the life on these streets. Their friend and anti-gentrification activist, Marisol (Chelsea Rendon), calls them “chipsters,” Chicana hipsters who traded their Mexican roots for more snobbish and stereotypically white personas.
This half-hour dramedy has all Latinx writers (a first). LGBTQ characters fill the writer’s room and supporting cast as well, and queer communities are dealt with in a casual matter-of-fact way you never see on television. The sex scenes, of which there are many, are shown from a female perspective – they are often graphic, but treated with a certain gentleness and care. There’s nothing else like Vida on television.
Watchmen (HBO): Those of us familiar with Alan Moore’s 1986 graphic novel of the same name will either love Watchmen or hate it. Those unfamiliar with the mythology involved will either love Watchmen or hate it.
Rather than remake the original (which has been done in a less-than-successful 2009 theatrical release), writer-producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) decided to set this tale of an alternate reality 30 years later, moving the main action from New York City to Tulsa, Oklahoma (the site of the real-life race massacre committed upon Tulsa’s black population, known as Black Wall Street, in 1921, which was virtually erased from history books, and figures prominently in the story).
In this version of the United States, Richard Nixon remained President well into the 1980s, the U.S. won the Vietnam war (with the help of Dr. Manhattan, a blue, omnipotent “superhero,” now living on Mars), there is no internet or smartphones, and an interdimensional psychic giant squid appeared in Manhattan, killing 3 million people 30 years ago, in 1985. In 2019 an unseen Robert Redford is President, and a white supremacist group called the Seventh Kavalry is at war with the police (who wear masks to protect their identities after several cops and their families were murdered).
Numerous mysteries abound, and whether or not you are familiar with Watchmen canon, you will likely be confused at several points in the first few episodes. Episode 6 will either thrill or outrage hard-core fans of the comic. The stellar cast is led by Regina King (as a detective and masked vigilante known as Sister Night), Jean Smart (as FBI agent and former costumed “hero,” Silk Spectre), Jeremy Irons (as the mysteriously exiled “smartest man in the world.” Adrian Veidt), Lou Gossett Jr (as the mysterious Will Reeves), and Don Johnson (as the Tulsa Police Chief). Watchmen is strange, complex, ambitious, and exhilirating.