Thursday, December 26, 2019

Funny and Surreal: My Top Ten for 2019


As the 2010s came to a close, a lot of series came to an end, while several new accomplishments filled our screens. I’ll be making larger assessments as to what some of the best series of the decade were in a later article, but suffice to say there have been many works of genius.
But with all the darkness and chaos happening all around us, I found myself yearning for comedy far more than I did for a drama. And a surprising number of series were more than willing to take a viewer in new directions – some of which were even more imaginative than the greatest of dramas. Perhaps comedy has reached a new level of Peak TV.
So here are my choices:

10. Evil (CBS)
Robert and Michelle King continue to reach new heights exploring the boundaries of network television. In Evil, they have created something even more imaginative than the X-Files -  a priest in training, a skeptical forensic psychologist, and a computer hacker. None of them are prepared to readily believe in the supernatural which is why it’s increasingly fascinating watching them deal with a world that crosses both. They’ve created the first genuinely terrifying series in a very long time, which is an accomplishment for a genre that TV has increasingly played for camp or laughs. And Michael Emerson’s work as a psychotherapist who may be the devil himself seems to finally be playing a role he has been working for his entire life. It’s a little early to consider whether this will be a great series, or just another failed mythology one, but I have faith in the Kings that I never had in Chris Carter. Enjoy the ride.

9. The Bold Type (Freeform)
Freeform has in the past year become one of the most remarkable sources for entertainment in an already crowded world of cable, showing that you can have series with equal representation, and still be entertaining. It was a question whether I was going to list grown-ish or Good Trouble, two spinoffs so extraordinary I really wish I’d seen the source material.  But ultimately I chose to go with a series that is as close to flawless as anything basic cable can throw at you. The story of three besties working at Scarlet, a fashion magazine that you really want to be around in real life, is fearless in nearly everything it deals with – sex, classism, race, queer relationships, and perhaps most importantly, friendship. This is the series Sex and the City and Girls tried to be, but in my mind, never came close to pulling it off with such flare or delight. (For the record, I’m a Jane.)  It is fearless, funny, and yes, bold. And I really hope it hangs along for a while.

8. Russian Doll (Netflix)
I came a little late to this series, mainly because I couldn’t see how the format -  a woman turning thirty six  keeps dying and reappearing back at her own birthday party – could possibly work as a series. But slowly, it began to show layers that a lot of dramas – certainly not ones on this service – manage to pull off. As it slowly became clear that Nadia wasn’t the only one who this was happening to, and that with each successive death the world began to decay – it actually began to deal with more intriguing parallels and alternate universes as well as questions about the meaning of existence that other series don’t even try. I’m still not a hundred percent sure it can work as a series for more than one season, but lead actress/showrunner Natasha Lyonne has clearly demonstrated that she has a capacity for genius that the medium of television has been letting her reveal in a way few other talents have. In any case, I’d be more than willing to live through it again. And again.

7. Fosse/Verdon (FX)
There were a lot of great limited series over 2019, and I’d love to give spots to the resurgent True Detective and the remarkable Chernobyl. But since I don’t want HBO to entirely dominate this list, I’m going to focus on one of the smaller and more remarkable accomplishments. Watching Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams inhabit two of the greatest geniuses who ever worked on Broadway, who created some of the greatest shows in the history, who couldn’t live with each other, but couldn’t work without each other, was one of the most outstanding pieces of television all year. And the work of the limited series – which featured a weekend in the summer which showed just how poisonous Bob and Gwen could be to each other, and an episode where Bob, in the style of Lenny related his pain and sexual abuse through the guise of a stand up routine – were some of the most imaginative works that I saw on TV all year. It may not have painted as broad a canvas as some of the limited series this year, but it sure as hell drew a remarkable portrait,

6.  Big Little Lies (HBO)
There were many – myself among them – who didn’t thought that David E. Kelley’s adaptation should have stayed a limited series. But the second season helped add to what was is quickly becoming something of a master class in acting. As the Monterey Five dealt with the fallout from last season, we saw everybody deal in different ways. Madeline had to deal with the deterioration of marriage. Renata had to deal with that, as well the complete collapse of her entire life. Jane had the first real relationship of her life, and tried to deal with the fact that Ziggy had a larger family. Bonnie, whose guilt was the greatest of the group, had to deal with the problems of her mother’s life. And Celeste had to deal with the most horrid repercussions – including the fact that she still loved her husband. All of this led to extraordinary performance before you add in the master class that Meryl Streep put in as Celeste’s mother-in-law, who proved to be just as destructive as her son was. When the first season ended on a perfect note, I couldn’t see how they could do another. When the second one ended on just as perfectly, I hoped and prayed that their would be a third. I hope this incredible cast can find their way back to Monterey.

5.  Barry (HBO)
I came late to this series as well, considering that Bill Hader was never a favorite comedian of mine. But the second season of this series about a contract killer who’s trying to become an actor was one of the most mesmerizing dramedies I’ve seen in years. We saw Barry try to leave his killing behind, but continuously was sucked back in by Noho Hank and Fuchs, who kept calling him and in a burst of violence showed he couldn’t leave it behind. We saw his girlfriend face the truth of her abusive relationship – only at the climax of the season to realize that the lie was more comforting for a public face. We saw Gene deal with the death of his girlfriend, not knowing until the last seconds that his favorite student was the one behind it. And all of this without discussing ‘ronny/lily’, the miniature kung fu movie that was one of the greatest accomplishments not only of this season, but of the entire decade.  This is one of the most dazzling inventions I’ve seen in awhile, and Bill Hader more than deserves the two Emmys he’s gotten. He – and the series – have more in the future.

4. The Good Place (NBC)
We’re still four episodes from knowing for certain whether or not this incredible comedy-fantasy will be known as one of the greatest of all time – unlike most comedies, how it ends is crucial. But it remains one of the most remarkable pieces of work that broadcast television – hell, any television has ever tried. It deals with some of the deepest ethical questions in history, and makes some of the greatest twists that any series can possibly do. The third season finale, where Chidi had his mind wiped in order to save humanity, was one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen. Taking a look at just how bad the Bad Place was, revealed just how far Michael has come since the series began. And the mid-season finale in which we finally learned Chidi’s backstory was remarkable as we finally saw how Chidi lived his life and his afterlife(s) – and may have finally found the reason for life – was both hysterical and deeply moving. I’m not sure whether I care so much about whether Eleanor, Michael and company save humanity as whether Eleanor and Chidi end up together. But this series has more than proven its merit in showing their of equal value. Here’s hoping the Emmys see that as well.

3. Mr. Robot (USA)
This series has more than proven that it is the best of the decade. As it entered its final episodes, Sam Esmail seemed determined to up the already incredible game of the writing, directing and acting of this remarkable dystopia. We had an episode with no dialogue at all, an episode where Elliot, Tyrell Wellick and Mr. Robot did their own version of ‘The Pine Barrens’ – only darker. We had a literal five act play in which Elliot faced two demons – one of which led to the weirdest psychotherapy session in history. We saw Elliot and fsociety finally triumph over White Rose and everything they’d been fighting against. And in the last episode, Elliot finally realized that for all the struggles of the series, his greatest enemy had been himself. It’s significant that Esmail and company made the last two bits equally important. This was one of the great accomplishments in the medium’s history that justifiably made a superstar out of Rami Malek. I can’t wait to see what he and Esmail do next.

2. Fleabag (Amazon)
How do you like that? I actually agree with the Emmys choice for once. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has completed one of the great masterpieces in all of comedy, taking her title character – who spent the first season trying to be unlovable – and creating one that in the second season you found yourself rooting for, even though she’d barely change. The second season premiere was one of the most exceptional pieces of TV all season (trust me, the Red Wedding was less painful emotionally), and then went into one of the most unlikely romances in television history. (Hot Priest rules!) In the end Waller-Bridge managed to have her character have everybody have a happy ending but herself – unless, of course, you count the three Emmys she won this year, and the no doubt dozens of trophies she’s going to win for the rest of it. She’s says that Fleabag is finished. Maybe it is. But I can’t wait to see what Waller-Bridge comes up with next.

1.      Jane the Virgin (CW)
It was a battle to see which CW female led master class would end up winning the title ‘Greatest Series of the Decade’. And while Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was by far the most original, this series was by far the most satisfying. From his opening episode, which played off one of the greatest twists in TV history (and led to a five-minute scene that should’ve at least gotten Gina Rodriguez an Emmy nod) to the tribulations of every character but especially Rafael and Jane – to the utter rarest of things in all of television a perfect happy ending, Jane the Virgin never stepped wrong in its entire final season. It even had the good sense to wrap up all the sturm und drang in the penultimate episode so the finale could be one of pure joy – which led to laughter and tears and the final revelation that the incredible narrator of this series had been none other than Mateo the whole time. This was an achievement that we have rarely seen on television anywhere, much less a network that is considered a fringe even among broadcast TV.  If Jane and Crazy were the price we had to pay for so many messy comic book adaptations, then I will consider it a bargain. I just hope that one day the stars align and something as magical comes up. I know! That would be straight out of a telenovela!

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