THE BEST OF 2024 - The Best TV Of The Year

 

THE BEST OF 2024 - The Best TV Shows of The Year

- And so it begins. I say that in reference to me sitting down, here at my desk, to write my annual Best Of lists ... but also in reference to an unpredictable new era of TV that we find ourselves about to head into (because, by the way, this is my Best TV of 2024 list ... so we're here to talk TV!). 

We are now in a world where the TV landscape is changing dramatically - and poised to change even more so in the year ahead. NBCUniversal is planning to spin out most of its cable networks into a new offshoot company. WB may end up doing the same. And most of the big players in sports (including wrestling) are entering 2025 with dramatically re-structured TV deals, in which leagues like the NFL, NBA, WWE, and AEW are all going to be abandoning traditional cable - at least in part - in favor of shiny new streaming deals with platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, and Max. It's a brave (and somewhat scary) new world indeed.

 

Post-strikes, 2024 saw a lot less content overall than what we've come to expect. And it appears that the studios and streamers are taking a more selective approach, especially with regards to original scripted content, going forward. This contraction is not great for the TV industry overall, and has already lead to less work for writers and other creatives, as well as corporate consolidation and layoffs. It remains to be seen if this will continue in 2025. My gut says that the movie business will rebound to a large extent, but that the TV business will remain somewhat diminished. Because as great as the initial streaming / content boom was for many, it was clearly unsustainable in the long-term. With that being said ... what happens next?

 

In a lot of ways, TV is becoming more and more like the movies. Less content, much of it IP-driven. We see that now with Disney and its cascade of Star Wars and Marvel series, WB with its movie spin-offs like Dune: Prophecy and The Penguin, etc. At the same time, I think that as a lot of these streamers "go back to basics," we'll see a return to a lot of the tried and true TV genres. Stuff that doesn't require knowledge of decades of lore to enjoy. We are starting to see that shift occur now when you look at the kinds of shows that have gained popularity on Netflix and elsewhere - both in terms of new content and classic series, i.e. Suits, that continue to enjoy second lives on streaming. Hopefully this means a return for great sitcoms. With the end of What We Do In The Shadows this year, there's a huge void in terms of great TV comedies. It will be interesting to see if it's a "if you build it, they will come" sort of scenario, or if comedy just continue to gets largely ignored in what is a more fractured marketplace.

But the biggest shift may be us now, truly, entering a post mono-culture era. With major sports leagues going to streaming, you have to wonder if those leagues will put up huge numbers initially, but eventually become lost in the streaming scroll bar purgatory. I mean, anyone over 30 will tell you how differently we watch things now vs. way back when, in the days when we channel-surfed and found ourselves suddenly immersed in a good NBA game or other random bit of programming that wasn't necessarily "appointment viewing." But now ... what even is appointment viewing? The vestiges of that era - HBO Sunday Night TV, for example - have slowly been chipped away at and absorbed into the streaming sludge. People are watching what they want, when they want - and hibernating within their self-created pop-culture bubbles. This makes it harder for real news to penetrate the mainstream consciousness with the same effectiveness it once did. It makes it harder for sports and other TV events to reel in casual viewers. 

 

And yet ... you never know. The power of social media means that things can go viral and become mass-viewing events. If it's the right event, and a big enough platform ... then yeah, you can perhaps achieve the kind of crazy viewership that Netflix did with its Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight. Netflix hopes that live events like that, doing huge numbers, will be its new normal in 2025. But that remains to be seen, as does the future of the entire industry in general. And of course, I say all of this not even really getting into the Trump of it all and the way that our next President's vindictiveness could change the way TV is made under a more authoritarian-esque government. Ugh. It's going to be a monumental year for TV - for good or bad - in 2025.

 

But putting all that aside, there were, as always, some amazing TV series in 2024. So let's celebrate that. On with the lists - and a one-two punch of vampires, no less!

DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2024:


1. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

- One of the best TV comedies concluded its amazing run this year in What We Do In The Shadows. I wasn't planning on this being my #1 show of the year ... but this week, as I watched the brilliantly hilarious series finale, I realized that I needed to give this all-timer comedy its due. I mean, six seasons of laugh-out-loud greatness, capped off by one hell of a final season that included several instant-classic episodes and numerous incredible moments. What a cast. What top-tier writing. What a great sitcom. If you've not yet indulged in What We Do In The Shadows - it's high time to binge-watch through the best vampire comedy ever made. It will be missed.

2. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

- Somehow, the best comedy and drama of the year were both about vampires. Indeed, the blood-sucking monsters of myth really had a moment in 2024. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Interview With The Vampire, in its second season, was my pick for TV's best drama in 2024. Killer acting, stunning twists and turns, and an unforgettable S2 setting of 1940's France's Théâtre des Vampires. I can't say enough about the quality of this series, and S2 only upped the ante from S1 and set things up for a potentially insane S3 (with the vampire Lestate poised to enter his rockstar era). If you're not all-in yet, time to catch up.

3. SHOGUN

- Shogun was THE TV event of 2024 - a stunningly shot and impeccably acted miniseries (except now with a Season 2 on its way!) that re-imagined the novel as Game of Thrones esque epic (except without the dragons).I couldn't wait for each new episode, and I couldn't wait to see the unfolding dynamic between Cosmo Jarvis' John Blackthorne and Anna Sawai's Mariko evolve. The way the show handled the "translation" scenes involving Mariko was truly brilliant, and Sawai's acting made it all work impeccably. 

4. THE PENGUIN

- I was a big fan of Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN, and really dug Colin Farrell's transformative version of The Penguin in that film. But holy lord, in the spin-off The Penguin series, Farrell takes things to a whole other level. For episode after episode, Farrell BECAME this character in a way that can only be described as remarkable ... one of the craziest feats of all-in acting I've ever seen. And yet, his performance was matched in terms of broken brilliance by Cristin Milioti's turn as Sofia Falcone, Gotham's crime heiress. The show was a true crime epic in the vein of The Sopranos, often darkly funny and with, of course, the heightened vibes of being set in the Batman universe. This one really surprised, and was among the absolute best TV series of the year.

5. TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY

- I've been a fan of True Detective from the beginning (well, excepting the very mixed bag that was S2) - but man, Night Country was something special. Under the guiding hand of showrunner Issa López, this was a tour de force crime/detective series featuring an absolute stunner of a central performance from the great Jodie Foster. Night Country captured what made the first season of True Detective such a breakout - that sense of existential, supernatural-tinged horror that lives alongside the gritty, lived-in storytelling and characters. But it also did its own thing, telling a story about oppression and abuse of power that had a real social impact.

6. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

- With each new season, I grow to appreciate Only Murders in the Building more and more. It really is a new classic - a show that delivers time and again with its unique mix of comedy, heart, and intriguing mysteries. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez were once again brilliant this season, and they were joined by a cavalcade of great guest stars - from Meryl Streep to Paul Rudd to Kumail Nanjiani to Eugene Levy to Richard Kind. But what got me about this season were the moments where you realized just how much you cared about its central trio. At this point, they're the kind of extended TV family that you just don't get anymore.

7. 3 BODY PROBLEM

- This show was very much my jam - a hard science-fiction alien invasion story, that had me constantly rushing to Google to research the far-out concepts it presented in every episode. Each episode of this series had me dying to know what would happen next - and the show rewarded that curiosity by being extremely unpredictable (well, at least for someone like me who hasn't yet read the books) and very frequently mind-blowing. Filled with great actors, the show truly delivered some epic sci-fi moments. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

8. RIPLEY

- I wasn't sure what to expect from this new adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley books (that spawned a Matt Damon movie in the 90's), but what I got was one of the great TV shows of this past year. Filmed in incredible-looking black and white, the show takes us on a picturesque journey to 1960's Italy - as we follow the manipulative machinations of con-man and killer Ripley - played here to awkward perfection by Andrew Scott (in one of the truly standout performances of 2024). A slow burn that nonetheless kept me on the edge of my seat, I can't recommend this Netflix series enough.

9. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

- House of the Dragon soared in its epic second season, as we pushed towards all out war between the green and black factions of House Targaryen. The show was consistently really, really strong in S2 - with numerous standout moments and consistently excellent performances from Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and the rest of the cast. All I can really say is that this show is now generating equal levels of excitement and anticipation from me as the original Game of Thrones series. When that theme song hits, you know you're about to see something special.

10. THE DAY OF THE JACKAL

- If you haven't yet seen this recently-launched Peacock series, it's well worth checking out. It's one part prestige British spy thriller, one part 24-style over-the-top actioner. But what holds it together is the A+ central performance from Eddie Redmayne as mysterious assassin The Jackal. Redmayne feels perfectly cast here, and he's got a good foil in Lashana Lynch as an MI:6 agent pursuing him around the globe. With great action, fun twists, and killer cliffhangers ... this was one of the best TV series of 2024.

 

The Next Best:


11. SILO

- One of my favorite series of 2023 is currently in the midst of Season 2 ... so it's a little tough to rank it. The good news is that the last few episodes have really crushed it, and I have a feeling we're headed towards a barn-burner of a season finale. But man, this show is a throwback in that it's a weekly sci-fi mystery series that, in Lost-esque fashion, has me eagerly guessing where this is all going. Thank the folks at Apple TV for delivering a top-quality show like this. And thanks to the show's brilliant cast - including lead Rebecca Ferguson and top-notch supporting players like Tim Robbins - for really bringing it each and every episode.

 

 

12. THE GREAT NORTH

- Fox's perpetually underrated animated comedy The Great North deserves your attention! Because this show is awesomely weird, consistently hilarious, and often has surprising amounts of heart to boot. The voice-cast on this show - including Nick Offermann and Will Forte - is SO good. And the look at life in Alaska has an eccentricity but also a King of the Hill style authenticity. 

 

 

13. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

- This year was the end of an era, as one of the great TV comedies ever - Curb Your Enthusiasm - came to an end. Sure, the show was, like Larry, a bit past its prime - but it still delivered plenty of great moments and memorable episodes in its final run (including some hilarious but bittersweet final scenes for the late, great Richard Lewis). Pret-tay, pret-tay good.

 

14. CONAN O'BRIEN MUST GO

- Finally, Conan O'Brien returned to TV in 2024! Taking the fan-favorite travelogue format from previous specials and doing a series out of it was a great idea, and Conan remains absolutely hilarious when riffing with ordinary people in situations where he's decidedly out of his element. There are so many comedy-gold moments in the new series. And each episode has an intro narrated by Werner Herzog. Comedy perfection.

15. EVERYBODY'S IN L.A. WITH JOHN MULANEY

- One of the weirdest, coolest comedy things of 2024 was John Mulaney's experimental live Netflix talk show ... which played like some strange Twilight Zone deconstruction of what a talk show even is and can be. The show captured the off the wall energy of classic Conan or Letterman, with bizarre guest groupings, Richard Kind as a sidekick, random but awesome musical performances, and humor and discussion topics that were very, very specifically LA-centric. Which may not be for everyone, but as someone who's now lived in LA for 20 years ... this all hit big. More, please.

16. BABY REINDEER

 

- Baby Reindeer could be very hard to watch at times. Dark, disturbing, and undeniably cringe. But ultimately, in a good way? The show dealt in brutally honest fashion with some very difficult topics. It could be darkly funny and it could be deeply unpleasant. But it felt so raw, so unflinching, that I couldn't stop watching.

 

 

17. THE BEAR

- I still really like The Bear. And Season 3 had moments - whole episodes even - that reminded why this show is one of the best TV series of the last few years. At its best, the show has brilliant writing, brilliant acting, and a teeth-grinding intensity that's not quite like anything else on TV. Yes, S3 got a bit indulgent and a bit draggy and a bit too emo. But I'm excited to see what S4 brings.

18. STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW

 

- Star Wars meets Stranger Things? Sign me up, baby. I was feeling a bit burnt out on Star Wars this year (and didn't love the uneven-feeling Acolyte), but Skeleton Crew reignited that old sense of awe and wonder and fun that I was looking for from this franchise. Yes, this show is not subtle about what it is - it wears its 80's influences and aesthetic loudly and proudly - but for me, that is 100% something I can get behind. I love the retro vibes, love the show's cast of lovably mismatched kid characters, and am really enjoying this one overall.

 

 

19. ENGLISH TEACHER

- English Teacher kind of came out of nowhere for me, but ended up being a really pleasant comedy surprise. It worked better once it clicked for me that this was a show about pretty awful teachers who are also not great people. Once you come to terms with that, you can laugh at the awfulness and just appreciate the sharp writing, on-point humor, and satirical look at the failings of Millennial teachers vs. the failings of the generation of high school students they try to teach. 

 

20. INVINCIBLE

- Again, maybe I'm a bit biased here because Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE is one of my favorite comic book series ever. But I still got a huge kick out of this show's second season and how it so perfectly captures the quirky, unique tone of the books. It's a superhero story that isn't bound by convention and can therefore go to the craziest and most mind-bending places imaginable. And the characters can grow and change and evolve. And Kirkman and co can be as weird, as violent, as bizarre as they wanna be. 

 

21. MR. & MRS. SMITH

 

- This show, anchored by two fantastic lead performances from Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, was a clever update on the movie version's premise. Here, two rookie spies are paired together and asked to pose as a couple ... and so each spy mission essentially functions as a first, second, third date (and so on). A lot of awkward humor ensues. And a lot of timely commentary on love and romance in 2024.

22. CREATURE COMMANDOS

 

- The first official entry in the new, James Gunn led DC cinematic universe, the animated Max show Creature Commandos - like Peacemaker before it - is distinctly a James Gunn joint. And if you, like me, dig Gunn's offbeat humor and go-for-broke sensibilities, then you will probably dig this show. And hey, it also doesn't hurt if, like me, you're a diehard DC fan who loves the way the show uses a motley crew of DC's C and D-listers. 

 

23. FALLOUT

- I was a little up and down on Fallout - but overall, I appreciated the show's ability to capture the vibes and aesthetic of the game series while also fleshing out the lore to create a pretty compelling post-apocalyptic storytelling universe. And then of course you had the great Walton Goggins tearing it up as an evil mutant gunslinger. Sure, he's basically playing an irradiated version of Boyd Crowder, but hard to complain about that.

24. X-MEN '97

- A blast of 90's nostalgia, X-Men '97 was a super cool update to the beloved X-Men animated series of many of our childhoods. The show cleverly infused the 90's-era superheroics of the old kid-friendly series with a dose of more adult sophistication - creating a show that could shock and surprise with some of the places it went with its storytelling. 

25. COBRA KAI

 

- While Cobra Kai has felt a bit scattershot in its latest batch of episodes, the first half of S6 was a rollicking way to kick off the beloved series' final run. You just have to go with the flow when it comes to the show's pro-wrestling esque barrage of face and heel turns, and its incorporation of key storytelling beats into its crazy melee fight scenes. There's nothing else quite like it, and I'll be sad when the show ends later in 2025.

 

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:


The Best TV Heroes of 2024:

1.) Toda Mariko - Shogun
2.) John Blackthorne - Shogun
3.) The Star Wars: Skeleton Crew kids (Fern, Wim, KB, and Neel) - Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
4.) Juliette Nichols - Silo
5.) Jin Cheng- 3 Body Problem

 

The Best TV Villains of 2024:

1.) Santiago - Interview With the Vampire

2.) Tom Ripley - Ripley

3.) Bernard Holland - Silo
4.) Terry Silver - Cobra Kai
5.) The Ghoul - Fallout

 

 

The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2024:

 

1.) Toranaga - Shogun

2.) Louis de Pointe du Lac - Interview With the Vampire
3.) Rhaenyra Targaryen - House of the Dragon
4.) Liz Danvers - True Detective: Night Country
5.) The Bride - Creature Commandos

THE BEST OF 2022 - The Best TV Of The Year

THE BEST OF 2022 - The Best TV Shows of The Year

- Wow, it's been a while. 2022 has been ... a year. Some extremely cool and exciting things happened, and some extremely not-so-cool and not-so-exciting things happened. But through it all, pop-culture was there in abundance and helped to get me through the tough times. So I'm excited to finally sit down and write out my annual year in review posts - because there was SO much great content this year, and a lot of it ultimately has special meaning to me given the circumstances in which I enjoyed it. 

As for TV, there was seemingly more TV than ever this year. Seriously, I watched a lot. Like, a lot. And yet my list of still-need-to-watch series remains extremely long. So yeah, apologies in advance for not including such favorites as The Bear, Star Trek: Discovery, and Station 11 on this list. Hopefully I'll circle back to some of those series in 2023. That said - I joke, but we once again find ourselves in a seemingly unsustainable TV ecosystem. Several major, studio-backed streaming services competing for market share. Cable and network TV, more so than ever, struggling to attract viewers - with this year's Better Call Saul finale, airing on AMC, feeling like the end of an era for a certain age of cable-driven prestige TV. 

There's a glut of content - much of it not getting the awareness or time needed to have a decent shot at attracting an audience. I was so disheartened earlier this year, for example, when the breathtakingly original HBO Max sci-fi series, Raised By Wolves, was unceremoniously canceled after a second season that launched with extremely minimal fanfare. I think it's also increasingly difficult for non-franchise series to compete with the pull of Disney's regular stream of Star Wars and Marvel series. TV has traditionally been a medium where original ideas can thrive, and I hope it stays that way even in the face of so much new content based on massive IP (even if a lot of that content - i.e. the impressively sophisticated Star Wars drama Andor - was pretty damn good). 

It's interesting to think about - the golden era of modern prestige TV has ended ... so where does that leave us now? It does sometimes feel like we've gone from an era of consistent A-level series to a lot of good-but-flawed B+ content. I think a lot of us will, for a long time, look back with wistful fondness on the halycon days of The Sopranos, Lost, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Americans, and Better Call Saul. And I say that, but ... I also know that there were an absurd number of great TV series this past year. So much so that I've been agonizing over my Top 10 list, worrying that I'm leaving out some absolutely killer TV. 

So let's get to it. Here's the list.

DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2022:


1. BETTER CALL SAUL

- With as much great TV as there was in 2022, #1 was an easy choice for me this year. Better Call Saul's final season was a masterclass in writing, direction, action, and in damn good television. Fans will eternally debate which was better: Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. But the fact that anyone is even having that conversation is a testament to the remarkable talent of Vince Gilligan and his team of writers, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn (where's her Emmy?!), and the rest of the incredible cast, and all the many others who brought this superlative show to life. One of the great TV series of all time, and it ended on the highest of high notes.

2. RESERVATION DOGS

- If you haven't seen Reservation Dogs, get to it. This Hulu dramedy, about wayward teens lost in place on a Native American reservation, is alternately hilarious and moving and poignant. The cast is filled with breakout talent, the writing is second to none, and the show has genuinely taught me so much about a culture and way of life that I had only passing familiarity with. I hope there's a lot more of this series to come.

3. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

- It's always a pleasure to see a great TV comedy just completely find its groove. And that's what happened with Season 4 of What We Do In the Shadows, which fired on all cylinders and was an absolute joke machine. The five main cast members crush it every time, the characters are now TV comedy icons, and some of the episodes in S4 had me absolutely rolling with laughter. Time to give this vampire sitcom its due - it's up there with the all-time great comedies.

4. THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES

- Thank the lord for Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jody Hill. The trio behind such dark comedy classics as Eastbound & Down and Vince Principals is working their unholy magic once again with HBO's gemstones, and it's a joy to behold. The series brilliantly and hilariously satirizes Big Religion while also delivering a surprisingly epic saga of family power struggle.

5. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

- Just when you thought cable TV was dead ... AMC releases this delightfully dark series about the undead. Forget what you know from the 90's movie, this series takes the Anne Rice source material in several bold new directions, using its lead to tell the story of a black, gay man in 1910's New Orleans - whose life is forever changed when he's bitten (and smitten) by the mysterious vampire Lestat. Brilliant writing and acting make this one an absolute must-see.

6. STRANGER THINGS

- I didn't anticipate that this latest season of Stranger Things would rank so high on this year's list, but man, after a bit of a lull, S4 brought it. This year, the show delivered its best season since the first, packed with memorable character moments, creepy horror, and epic action. I mean, "Running Up That Hill" - need I say more? Okay, how about Eddie Munson rocking out to Metallica's Master of Puppets in the Upside Down? I'm geeking out just thinking about the awesomeness. It was great to see Stranger Things in top form once again.

7. THE AFTERPARTY

- In a year filled with great murder mysteries, this Apple TV series stands out as maybe my favorite. The story of a high school reunion gone wrong, the show had the brilliant conceit of framing each episode from the point of view of a different character - with each ep taking on an appropriate genre trapping that reflected the POV character. And so we got, for example, the brilliantly hilarious Ben Schwartz-led musical episode - one of the best and funniest episodes of TV I've ever seen. More, please.

8. ATLANTA

- The final season of Atlanta was a tour de force, cementing it as one of the best ever. Long ago, Donald Glover and co. established this as a series that could do literally anything with a given episode - but even so, I never expected things like a late-series ep that took the form of a mockumentary about how Disney's first black CEO created A Goofy Movie in order to reflect the black experience. This final season was one hell of a send-off, filled with hilarity and poignancy and randomness. End of an era.

9. THE WHITE LOTUS

- This is a surprise. I was a big fan of the first season of The White Lotus, but this year's S2 - even if it took a little while to really get going - ultimately became something truly special. Mike White is simply a master when it comes to exploring social dynamics. This season was funny, awkward, and then, in the incredible finale, ridiculously gripping. What a cast, too - from Aubrey Plaza's wound-tight newlywed to Jennifer Coolidge's nervous-energy-filled socialite. It's a tribute to this season that we all went from "wait, another one?" to "a new White Lotus every year, please."

10. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

- Okay, I was kind of torn about which series to give the #10 slot here. And let's face it, House of the Dragon got off to a slightly rocky start, had some fits and starts, and had a huge legacy to live up to as the first official spin off of Game of Thrones. But then ... I kept coming back to that one scene. Paddy Considine's Viserys, weakened and near death, making that long walk to the Iron Throne one final time. I mean, it doesn't get more epic than that. And I can only hope that we're in for more such epicness in future seasons. Because if we are, this is going to be one kick-ass show.

The Next Best:


11. THE HANDMAID'S TALE

-For anyone who gave up on The Handmaid's Tale, I've got some news for you: this show just had a pretty amazing season - its best in years. S5 brilliantly focused on the rocky relationship between June and Serena, taking it in many unexpected directions.

12. SEVERANCE

- This Apple original has one of the most compelling series premises in a while: a near future world in which people can "sever" their brains in order to experience a work life that's completely separate from home life. Of course, this all leads to intriguing mystery, conspiracy, and lots of weirdness - all delivered in thrilling and often darkly funny fashion. I'm excited for S2, no question.
 

13. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

- S2 of this excellent Steve Martin / Martin Short / Selena Gomez vehicle matched S1 in just about every way - a compelling whodunnit, plenty of hilarious schtick from its two comedy legends, and more great characterization for their younger companion, played with wonderfully sardonic wit by Selena Gomez.

14. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH

- Taika Waititi's subversive pirate saga was one of the best new series of the year. While at first I assumed this would be, essentially, What We Do in the Shadows but with pirates - this one proved to be a very different beast. Anchored by the amazing Rhys Darby, Our Flag is often extremely funny, but is also a surprisingly soulful and nuanced look at heavy concepts like masculinity and sexuality.

15. ANDOR

- 2022 saw some really fun Star Wars content (I'll still go to bat that The Book of Boba Fett was a lot of fun), but who saw this one coming? Andor is Star Wars as true prestige TV - with writer Tony Gilroy lending real gravitas and grittiness to this story of a rogue turned reluctant rebel. The series takes a little time to hit its stride, but by the time we get to the episodes set in one of the Empire's work-camp prisons (featuring an amazing supporting turn from Andy Serkis) - hot damn, business picks up. 

16. THE GREAT NORTH

- The best and funniest new FOX animated sitcom in I don't know how long, The Great North is poised to take its place alongside the greats like The Simpsons, King of the Hill, etc. With an amazing voice cast (including Nick Offerman, Will Forte, and Jenny Slate), the show is a great comfort-food watch that never fails to make me smile.

17. SEARCH PARTY

- I binged through all of Search Party leading up to its early-2022 fifth and final season - and if you haven't seen it, I'd encourage you to do the same. I love the show's cast (Alia Shawkat! John Erly!), its guest stars (Jeff Goldblum is fantastic in S5), the way it deals with Millennial aimlessness and angst (better than almost any other show ever), and the way it isn't afraid to go pretty much anywhere (S5 gets into insane sci-fi/horror territory in a way I was not expecting whatsoever). I will miss this show.

18. RAISED BY WOLVES

- One of the toughest cancellations of 2022, I was so bummed when HBO Max gave Raised By Wolves the proverbial axe. Especially because it felt like, after two seasons, the show was still just scratching the surface of the epic story still to come. But man, this show was just a mind-bending blast of dark, hardcore, horror-tinged sci-fi that evoked classics like Alien and Blade Runner. In a fair world, its cast would get Emmy noms and the show would have six seasons and a movie.

19. THE REHEARSAL

- Nathan Fielder, of Nathan For You (quasi) fame, finally returned to TV in 2022 for his most talked-about project yet. The Rehearsal was some of the most flat-out compelling and awkwardly hilarious TV I've ever seen, and it walked that fine line between reality and fiction in a way that only Fielder can really do. What was real here and what was staged? Who can say. But that is, I think, exactly the conversation that evil-genius Fielder wants us all to be having.

20. PEACEMAKER

- Okay, so let's state this upfront - Peacemaker has maybe the greatest opening credits sequence ever in TV history. But, it also saw James Gunn take a DC Comics D-lister and make him the lead in one of the funniest, weirdest, and most entertaining superhero comic book adaptations ever. Who knew John Cena had this in him? This is, easily, his role of a lifetime.

21. WESTWORLD

- Personally, I don't get those who jumped ship on Westworld. Okay, perhaps it struggled, over the years, to live up to its zeitgeist-y first season. But there's IMO no denying that its fourth and final season was truly top-notch science fiction TV. The show boldly took its premise to new places - a mysterious world in which every aspect was controlled by Tessa Thompson's Charlotte Hale and Ed Harris' Man in Black, where only synthetic freedom fighters (played by the always great Aaron Paul, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and Evan Rachel Wood - among others) stood in their way.

22. COBRA KAI

- After having fully caught up on Cobra Kai last year, I was excited to jump into the latest season and get even more awesomely melodramatic line-readings, epic fight scenes, and pro-wrestling style face and heel turns. Cobra Kai is just a ridiculous amount of fun, and an easy show to love if you're of a certain age.

23. RESIDENT ALIEN

- I've really developed an affection for SYFY's lovable alien dramedy. Alan Tudyk is so effortlessly hilarious as an awkward extraterrestrial who's taken on human form. But the show also does such a great job with its large supporting cast, really creating this feeling that, with each episode, you're visiting all your old friends in a quirky small town. Don't sleep on this one.

24. THE BOYS

- Season 3 of The Boys gave us more timely superhero satire that pulled zero punches. Antony Starr keeps getting better and better as sadistic superman Homelander, and his highly meme-able facial expressions are always a highlight. Give props too to Erin Moriarty as Starlight, who, as was the case in the comic book series, is so often the heart and soul of the show.

25. BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD

- Paramount Plus' revival of Beavis & Butthead is, believe it or not, freaking fantastic. Series creator Mike Judge proves himself as genius as ever with these latest episodes, which alternate between segments where Beavis & Butthead are teens, and ones where they've aged in real time and are now middle-aged losers (even more haplessly and hilariously pathetic than ever). For years, lazy critics blasted this show as being dumb. Time has shown that, if anything, it was (and continues to be) brilliantly prophetic.

Just Missed the Cut:

- The Sandman

- Ms. Marvel

- She-Hulk

- Barry

- Wednesday

- Stargirl

- Winning Time

- The Book of Boba Fett

- Harley Quinn

- Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities 

- Big Mouth

- Rick & Morty

- Picard

- Mr. Mayor

- Murderville

- American Horror Story: NYC

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:


The Best TV Heroes of 2021:

1.) Ms. Marvel - Ms. Marvel
2.) Cassian Andor - Andor
3.) Starlight - The Boys
4.) Eddie Munson - Stranger Things
5.) Wednesday Addams - Wednesday

The Best TV Villains of 2021:

1.) Gus Fring and Lalo Salamanca - Better Call Saul
2.) Homelander - The Boys
3.) Serena Joy Waterford - The Handmaid's Tale
4.) Terry Silver - Cobra Kai
5.) Charlotte Hale - Westworld
 

The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2021:

1.) Peacemaker - Peacemaker
2.) Lestat and Louis de Pointe du Lac - Interview with the Vampire
3.) Saul Goodman - Better Call Saul
4.) Rhaenyra Targaryen - House of the Dragon
5.) Harry Vanderspeigle - Resident Alien

THE BEST OF 2021 - The Best TV Of The Year

THE BEST OF 2021 - The Best TV Shows of The Year

- And we're back. But, wait - what year is it, again? Was 2021 really a thing, or did we just live 2020 again on repeat?

While there were some glimpses of hope in 2021 - moments where it seemed like we'd emerged from the proverbial muck of 2020 and that some degree of normalcy would soon resume ... this still felt like the slightly less-darkest-timeline spinoff of the hellscape that was last year. And nobody, it seemed, quite knew how to process that.

But if we're talking TV (and we are!), that weird murkiness about the state of the zeitgeist meant a constant discourse about what, exactly, the people demanded in these strange times. Was it feel-good fare like (well, on the surface, at least) Ted Lasso? Dark social satire like Squid Game? Or brain-dead reality TV to simply help tune out the noise? Turns out, the answer is all of the above. Not to worry though - there was content a-plenty in 2021, as production resumed and the floodgates of the post-golden-age age of "too much content" resumed. There was a seemingly infinite supply of television this past year, and there was absolutely no way most could keep up with even a fraction of it all. But hey, the good news is that there was something for every taste. And if your taste happened to be, say, Marvel superheroes - well, your plate in 2021 was likely overloaded *just* from the deluge of MCU content that hit Disney+ throughout the year. <Exhales>

There was more TV in 2021 than anyone knew what to do with. But the macro-level question here is: who, exactly, is all this for? With Gen Z's media time occupied by shortform social media videos, gaming, etc. - the whirlwind of content often felt like it was competing for the increasingly short attention spans of an ever-shrinking media marketplace. Actual on-air TV ratings were worse than ever, while the success of streaming series was kept close to the vest - frustrating the pundits used to Nielsen numbers to contextualize the marketplace. Something like Squid Game saw viral success seemingly out of nowhere - and to me, that's super cool. It allowed a Korean-language import - that, in past eras would have been relegated to, at best, cult classic status - to become one of the most watched series in America and around the world. Pretty awesome, right? At the same time, plenty of high-profile, big budget series bombed - a victim of the hard-to-navigate tsunami of content that is streaming-era TV, where a big-name cast is often less valuable than a novel premise that gets people talking on social media. And unfortunately, the Netflix's of the world are often quicker to swing the ol' cancellation axe than even network TV back in the day. How is all of this sustainable? Honestly, I have no idea. It speaks to the chaotic nature of TV now that so many streamers are going back to the tried and true "one episode per week" method of releasing - at least, there, you have a proven method to sustain a series' time in the conversation beyond just that first weekend of release.

Despite the chaos, I'm still heartened by the sheer variety of cool content out there right now. Not all of it is amazing, but we're seeing concepts thrive that *never* would have gotten past traditional network development back in the pre-streaming era. The doors that were opened by the likes of Lost, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Office, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones have led to a world where no genre or premise is off limits. And even still, there is room for something like Squid Game to surprise.

Caveats for my list: it goes without saying, but there is way too much TV for even me to watch. I've yet to catch up on Succession or Hacks, I'm behind on several shows like The Other Two, Locke & Key, and Doom Patrol, and just at the tail end of this month alone there's been new stuff dropping like MacGruber, The Witcher S2, and The Book of Boba Fett that I haven't yet seen. 

I also just want to give a shout-out to the programming that perhaps did the most to keep me sane during this crazy year: pro-wrestling. The rise of AEW as legit competition to WWE has been a joy to behold - and while my interest in WWE has waned, I'm positively pumped to tune in each Wednesday evening to AEW's flagship series Dynamite - especially now that heavy hitters like Bryan Danielson and CM Punk have joined the fray. High-quality wrestling, a stacked roster, and a refreshing sense of unpredictability have all helped to make AEW programming feel like can't-miss event TV. If you're a lapsed wrasslin' fan, check it out if you haven't already. Shout-out too to the documentary series Dark Side of the Ring on Vice TV, which is an ultra-compelling show chronicling some of the most sordid and tragic moments in the always-crazy pro-wrestling industry.

Oh. a shout-out too for a notable piece of content from the very beginning of 2021 - In and Of Itself, the remarkable Hulu special featuring Derek DelGaudio. The special - a filmed performance of DelGaudio's one man show in New York (well, an amalgam of various performances of the show) - is thought-provoking mind-#$&% of magic, mystery, and storytelling that ponders any number of deep questions. Another highly-recommended, slightly uncategorizable pop-culture thing I loved in 2021.

And finally, I've got to mention that 2021 brought the end of CONAN - Conan O'Brien's long-running TBS late-night talk show. In turn, this marks the likely end of Conan's storied career as a late-night talk show host. While he's set to return to TV with a new HBO Max variety show, his talk show ending is, truly, the end of an era. And of course, as a former intern for Late Night With Conan O'Brien, I have a special attachment to the show even beyond my longtime fandom. But man, there was so much hilarity on the TBS show over the years - some of the funniest stuff Conan ever did with the format. From the instant-classic Jordan Schlansky remote sketches to the "Conan Without Borders" travelogue specials, Conan's TBS show was an amazing run of late-night that was too often under-appreciated. During the pandemic, too, Conan was daily slice of comfort-food TV - an old-reliable that never failed to cheer me up in these crazy times. I'm sad to see the show end, but here's hoping that Conan's TV absence won't be long, and that whatever he does next will be something special.

And now, on to my picks ...


DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2021:


1. SQUID GAME

- Squid Game, for me, was *the* series of 2021, no contest. I watched each episode hanging on every word and moment, on the edge of my seat. You can talk about the show's astute social commentary and capitalist critique - that's a big part, no doubt, of why it resonated so much. But ultimately, Squid Game is just an example of flat-out fantastic storytelling that transcended language or nationality: memorable characters, a jaw-dropping and increasingly insane premise, kick-ass world-building, and killer cliffhangers. More, please.

2. THE HANDMAID'S TALE

- The best acting I saw on TV this year was from the always-formidable Elizabeth Moss as June - the titular Handmaid who, over the course of four seasons, has gone from enslaved servant in the dystopian future of Gilead to mother of the coming revolution. I know, I know - many dropped off from the show in S2 or S3. But Season 4 was the series' best since its first - filled with drama of the highest order, and the sort of fight-the-power spirit that is still very much needed and appreciated.

3. RESERVATION DOGS

- Another out-of-nowhere surprise favorite was Hulu's Reservation Dogs - a new series about a bunch of Native American teens trying to escape their bleak lives on the reservation. I absolutely loved this series - it's hilarious, for one thing. And though it dabbles in some absurdist humor and magical realism, it's also an incredibly authentic-feeling show that actually taught me a lot about Native American culture. But yeah, it's funny as heck and filled with heart as well. It's hard not to love this one.

4. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

- With S3, it's safe to say that What We Do In the Shadows is, officially, one of the comedy greats. Put it right up there with modern classics like The Office, 30 Rock, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The show is at that glorious moment in a comedy's lifespan where it's just firing on all cylinders - the jokes are popping, the characters' chemistry is a well-oiled machine, and yet, the show still manages to surprise and delight at every turn. The quick pitch is that this is The Office but with vampires. The reality is that, whether that premise immediately appeals to you or not, this is arguably *the* must-see comedy on TV right now.

5. MARE OF EASTTOWN

- I was late to the Mare of Easttown party, but when I finally caught up late this year, I was sort of blown away. For one, this is a moody, gritty crime-noir that's a little bit Fargo, a little bit True Detective, and a lot Kate Winslet. Winslet delivers one of the finest performances of the year, making Mare - ever driven, often ornery, and always haunted - into an instant-classic character. The whodunnit mystery at the heart of the show was incredibly compelling - but it was Winslet's iconic performance that made this a must-see.

6. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

- Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez (along with a killer supporting cast) joined forces to bring us one of the best series of 2021. Only Murders is an absolute delight - a legit murder mystery that's also filled with hilarious comedy from two of the all-time greats (and a very game Gomez). Watching Steve Martin and Martin Short play off of each other was a real treat, and Gomez fit right in - bringing an almost Veronica Mars-esque vibe to her droll, sardonic character. Bring on Season 2.

7. MIDNIGHT MASS

- Mike Flanagan does it again - in what may be his best TV outing to date. Indeed, the creative force behind Netflix's Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor (not to mention kickass horror movies like Doctor Sleep) returned in 2021 with an absolute banger of a show that, for the sake of not spoiling its many twists and turns, will only say is a total must-watch. This series - gorgeously directed - is a Stephen King-esque slice of gothic small-town horror that's got a ton to say about religion, morality, prejudice, and conformity. It's got one of the best performances of the year in Hamish Linklater's turn as the mysterious Father Paul Hill (I mean, seriously - damn!). I can't wait for whatever Flanagan does next.


8. IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY

- I went into this one a bit weary (like many, I'm sure) - but my curiosity and interest in politics led me to give it a shot. And, wow, what a surprise this was - an absolutely riveting series that was just the right mix of high drama, astute political commentary, and winking Ryan Murphy camp. The cast was truly all-star, but let's take a moment to call out the all-timer performance of Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp - which was mind-blowingly good, and arguably a career highlight for the always-great Paulson. The series turned the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal into a story both fascinating for its intrigue and for the way it hits differently when viewed from a modern lens.


9. INVINCIBLE

- I was a huge fan of Robert Kirkman's Invincible comic book series, so was curious to see how Amazon would adapt it as an animated series. Turns out ... incredibly faithfully! Season 1 of Invincible not only captures the aesthetic of the comic book art from Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, but it also, thankfully, captures Kirkman's unique storytelling style, offbeat sense of humor, penchant for hyper-violent action, and his talent for epic cliffhangers. The show adds to that with a top-notch voice cast, including Steven Yeun as our lead hero. The result: a hugely entertaining, highly-binge-able season of TV. This is a bar-raiser for comic book adaptations.

10. TED LASSO

- I have a lot of complicated thoughts about Ted Lasso. To me, it's the most misunderstood show out there. So many hold it up as an example of light, feel-good TV - when in fact, it's a pretty dark series in a lot of ways. Yes, Ted's outward persona is that of an almost preternaturally cheerful and good-natured dude, but, as Season 2 explored with a lot of depth and nuance, that is in many ways a manufactured personality hiding a lot of pain and anxiety. In S2, the show explored that in ways both hilarious (Ted's evil persona "Led Tasso") and serious (Ted's panic attacks). And really, this is a show about broken people working out their issues - and so it is ultimately hopeful, but also not exactly "light." But when it's at its best, man, this show can be great. In fact, my absolute favorite TV episode of the year was the Coach Beard-centric S2, Ep 9 - an absolutely sublime long night's journey into day that was a total stunner.


The Next Best:


11. PEN15

- This one was tough to exclude from the Top 10, because the second and final season of PEN15 was so fantastic. And the truth is, I was a latecomer to the show, and throughout 2021 the series was one of my big comfort binges. Rarely has there been such a funny and poignant look at adolescence. I'm going to miss this one.

12. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE

- Speaking of shows I'm going to miss ... all hail Brooklyn Nine-Nine, aka one of the greatest TV comedies of all-time. The show's final season - airing two episodes per week in rapid succession, flew by - and I wish the series had had a more drawn-out send-off with a longer season and a lot more fanfare. But, man, the show was funny to the end. Special shout-out to Andre Braugher, who over the course of the series made Captain Holt one of the great comedy supporting characters ever. Nine-Nine!


13. SCHMIGADOON

- Another fun surprise, this Apple TV series was a comedic homage to old-timey musicals that was incredibly creative, stacked with an amazing cast, and legitimately funny af. The musical numbers were hilarious but also extremely well done, and Keegan Michael Key and Cecily Strong were fantastic as the leads.

14. SWEET TOOTH

- I'm a longtime fan of the Sweet Tooth comic book series and of its writer/artist Jeff Lemite, so I completely geeked-out for the first major adaptation of one of Lemire's works (and, in Sweet Tooth, arguably his magnum opus). The show made changes to the story, but I thought they largely worked - blending Lemire's quirk with Spielbergian awe and wonder to craft a unique and gripping adventure.

15. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

- The long-awaited return of Curb was a much-needed dose of familiarity during these uncertain times, as one thing is indeed certain about this long-running series: Larry David will never change. And thank god for that. This latest season of Curb was slightly uneven at times, but delivered a handful of classic episodes and great finale to boot. Pretty, pretty good.

16. HELLBOUND

- Squid Game wasn't the only buzzworthy, high-concept Korean series to make waves on Netflix this year. Hot on the heels of that series, Hellbound also gained traction with an insane yet thought-provoking premise: what happens when an otherworldly force appears, and decrees that various people are sinners who will be condemned to hell (and then massive demons come to drag them straight there)? Shocking and unpredictable, the show came from the director of Train to Busan - and that same grim, pulpy, anything-can-happen vibe was on full display here.

17. COBRA KAI

- Cobra Kai was maybe my number one pandemic binge this year - somehow, I'd yet to see a show despite it seemingly have been created specifically for me. I absolutely loved S1 of the series, dug S2, and enjoyed S3 as well. While the series gets progressively more cartoon-ish and over-the-top as it goes, S3 still delivers some fist-pumping moments that are among the series' best and most memorable. Cobra Kai, you really are the best around.

18. THE WHITE LOTUS

- From the razorsharp comedic mind of Mike White comes a show that's hard to like but easy to love. What I mean by that is: The White Lotus is filled with characters who are snobby, smarmy, obnoxious, and just plain unlikable - but the brilliance here is the way in which the show examines the lives of its privileged protagonists with a keenly satirical eye (not to mention the way the all-star cast makes each character uniquely unforgettable). 

19. LOKI

- My favorite of this year's many MCU series, Loki gave us Marvel's version of Dr. Who - and was the perfect platform for Tom Hiddleston as Loki (aka, in my view, the MCU's greatest character). This series was filled with witty banter, whimsical imagination, and memorable moments. And it was worth the price of admission alone for all the great Hiddleston / Owen Wilson back-and-forth. "Glorious purpose," indeed.

20. RESIDENT ALIEN

- One of my favorite TV performances of the year was Alan Tudyk playing an alien, stranded on earth, inhabiting an unfamiliar human body in the Syfy series Resident Alien. This show was so funny and weird and interesting - really, unlike anything else on TV. Go seek it out if you haven't seen it!

21. WANDAVISION

- The first Disney+ MCU series felt like a minor miracle in the very dark days of early 2021. Unable to go to the movies (or basically anywhere), Wandavision brought the Marvel movies to our homes in a compellingly serialized form that, smartly, let us savor one new episode per week. The series' trippy weekly homages to classic TV sitcoms were an awesome blast of the past, and the ultimate "Agatha All Along" reveal was one for the ages.

22. THE WHEEL OF TIME

- Amazon's new epic fantasy adaptation brings a brightly-colored, Lord of the Rings-esque adventure to life with plenty of awe, wonder, and cool world-building. While the initial season of eight episodes has its ups and downs, the series delivers some fantastic action and visual prowess. Rosamund Pike, meanwhile, slays as the series' Gandalf-esque magical guide.

23. BIG MOUTH

- As always, Big Mouth is gleefully profane in a way that I'm not sure any other show has ever been. While one might argue that the show is beginning to lose a little steam as it ages, it still delivers some of the biggest laughs of any series out there. The latest season managed to provide some stuff that will likely be endlessly referenced (that whole "edging" episode, for one) by fans.

24. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE

- If you need a fix of weird sketch comedy, this is your show. Season 2 was all over the map, but there's no denying that it gave us some all-time classic bits of comedy. Dan Flashes, anyone? 

25. SHADOW & BONE

- Shadow & Bone gave us epic fantasy with a decidedly YA bent - and while this Netflix series took time to really ramp up, it went out with a bang and really amped things up in its final few episodes of S1. The show also gave us some of the coolest new characters of any show this year - like the trio of loveable yet deadly thieves known as The Crows.

Just Missed the Cut:

- Yellowjackets (caveat: by this time next year, the show could be much higher!)
- Stargirl
- Rick & Morty
- Hawkeye
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- The Great North

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:


The Best TV Heroes of 2021:

1.) Invincible - Invincible
2.) Kate Bishop / Hawkeye - Hawkeye
3.) Moiraine Damodred - The Wheel of Time
4.) Gus - Sweet Tooth
5.) Stargirl - Stargirl

The Best TV Villains of 2021:

1.) Father Paul Hill - Midnight Mass
2.) The Front Man - Squid Gam
3.) Omni-Man - Invincible
4.) Aunt Lydia -The Handmaid's Tal
5.) The Darkling - Shadow & Bone
 

The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2021:

1.) Seong Gi-Hun - Squid Game
2.) Kaz Brekker - Shadow & Bone
3.) Loki - Loki
4.) Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai
5.) Mare Sheehan - Mare of Easttown

THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best TV Of The Year

THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best TV Shows of The Year

- And so ends 2020 ... one of the craziest, bleakest, most sure-to-be-infamous years in most of our lifetimes. I won't spend too much time here ranting about the state-of-the-world-at-large during this hellscape of a calendar year. But I will say that, certainly, if there was something to be thankful for this year it was *content.* TV, movies, videogames, books, comics, podcasts - all of these things helped to keep us sane while stuck indoors and separated from our friends and family. Sometimes 2020 felt like a year in which us pop-culture obsessives had some sort of weird leg-up on everyone else - after all, if you live for watching, reading, playing, and listening ... for storytelling ... then at the least, 2020 had a slight silver lining. Finally, to quote the Twilight Zone, there was time enough at last to binge, watch, play, and read, well ... everything? Okay, I take that back. That might be a stretch. Because even as productions slowed down and big blockbuster movies saw delay after delay, there was still a seemingly neverending stream of things to watch. And again, one more little silver lining of this crazy year: it forced us, as media consumers, to think outside the box and try things beyond just the superhero movie du jour. It led us to collectively binge something as out-there as Netflix's Tiger King (remember that?) or find comfort in warm-hearted comedies like Schitt's Creek. 

Honestly though, 2020 was a pretty excellent year for great television. The TV industry is in a transitional phase, to say the least - too many streaming services, too many good shows canceled too early (GLOW! The Society!) due in part to COVID-influenced delays, and broadcast and cable TV struggling to compete with streamers. But amidst the chaos, there is, thankfully, so much great content to be found. My Best Of list this year features everything from shows like The Mandalorian (which realized the longtime geek dream of a Star Wars live-action TV show that was every bit as epic as the movies) to hard-to-categorize gems like Dispatches From Elsewhere. Some of this great content was lost in the streaming-wars shuffle, and I wonder if some of these shows - in a world where series are dropped and then forgotten a week later - will ever find the audience or appreciation they deserve. I think that's why some streamers are going back to the tried-and-true, one-episode-per-week cadence - especially now, it was much-needed, in my view, to have a new weekly episode of The Mandalorian to look forward to. Or Better Call Saul. Or What We Do in the Shadows. You also kind of have to wonder if the TV industry is just going in a self-destructive loop. Ten years ago, younger people became cord-cutters or "cord-nevers," turned off by bloated cable packages that carried a prohibitively high monthly subscription fee. Cheaper Netflix subscriptions were a great alternative. Now though? To get Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, and more? Now you're back to the same price range that turned people away from cable. One now has to be smart and savvy with how they program their TV time and manage their subscriptions. It's a far cry from the old days of simply flipping through channels hoping to stumble upon something good.

My yearly reminder: I am but one man, and can watch only so much. Even in this strange year, there was way more than I could possibly keep up with! In 2021 I hope to finally dive into Ted Lasso, catch up on Season 2 of Doom Patrol, and finally check out The Undoing - among other things. And by the way, a shout-out to The Witcher - a really fun late-2019 show that I caught up with earlier this year (can't wait for S2).

So without further ado, here are my top TV shows of 2020. I have always loved great television - but this year? - this year I could not be more thankful for the great series that entertained us, moved us, inspired us, and transported us away from the world outside our walls. We got to check in with old friends (welcome back, Jean-Luc Picard), meet new ones (Jackie Daytona - the best comedic alter-ego since Duke Silver), and said goodbye to a few as well (farewell, Rose family!). We even got some great new memes (hello, Michael Jordan laughing at his iPad). 2020, man. What a year.



DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2020:



1. BETTER CALL SAUL

- As Breaking Bad was in years' past, so too is Better Call Saul now the clear gold standard for great TV. Season 5 was not only excellent, but was arguably the series' best season yet, with episodes and individual moments that were up there with BB's best. How Rhea Seehorn was not Emmy-nominated for her role as Saul's partner-in-crime Kim Wexler, I cannot fathom. Hers was the best acting on TV this year, no question. As the season progressed, the question of Kim's ultimate fate became even more urgent - even as the show's intensity kept ratcheting up to vintage levels of Breaking Bad-esque awesomeness. The writing on Saul is the best in the biz - razor-sharp, unpredictable, and never failing to keep you on the edge of your seat. No other TV drama produced as many "holy $#&@!" moments in 2020 as Better Call Saul. 


2. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

- With its hilarious and brilliant second season, What We Do In the Shadows crowned itself TV's new king of comedy. This unlikely gem had a strong Season 1, but as often happens with great TV sitcoms, the show just 100% clicked in S2 as the cast got better, the jokes became sharper, and episode after episode delivered in a way that reminded me of the best seasons of The Office and Parks & Rec. From the introduction of Jackie Daytona to Guillermo finding his true potential as a slayer of vampires, this undead comedy had real bite in 2020.


3. RAISED BY WOLVES

- Coming out of the gate with one of the most jaw-dropping pilots I've ever seen, HBO Max's Raised By Wolves was an absolutely fantastic burst of dark, weird, 80's-style, heavy-metal sci-fi that evoked producer/director Ridley Scott's classic films. This saga of two androids tasked with re-starting human civilization on a new planet was full of crazy moments, eye-popping visuals, and mind-bending science fiction ideas. It featured some incredible lead performances from Amanda Collin as the android Mother and Abubakar Salim as her companion, Father. If you grew up enraptured by movies like Alien and Blade Runner (as I did), this series was sci-fi geek nirvana.


4. THE LAST DANCE

- One of the most compelling docuseries - or documentaries, for that matter - I've ever seen, The Last Dance brought me right back to the halycon days of the 90's when NBA basketball stars like Michael Jordan were like real-life superheroes. The series brilliantly took us through Jordan's NBA career year-by-year - and gave us an inside look at the notoriously guarded superstar that was incredibly insightful and compelling. 


5. DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE

- Jason Segal's strange, surreal, and quirky AMC series was also incredibly heartfelt, moving, and joyful. In the early days of pandemic-induced lockdown, this show - about shared connections and shared humanity - was was one the pop-culture things that really helped me to process and get through the craziness. Full of fascinating characters (shout-out to Eve Lindley's incredible turn as Simone and the great Sally Field as Janice), a mind-bending narrative about an alternate-reality game, and a fourth-wall-breaking finale that was unlike anything I've ever seen before ... this was an absolute gem of 2020 that more people need to watch!


6. SCHITT'S CREEK

- The ultimate pandemic comfort-food sitcom, Schitt's Creek was a show that really kept me going in lockdown. Like many, I binged through the entire series in 2020 - watching in amazement as the show evolved from very-solid sitcom in Season 1 to, by Season 6, a near-perfect blend of spot-on jokes, iconic performances, and huge amounts of heart. The amazing cast deserved all of the Emmy love they got this year. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara (and of course the great Chris Elliott), living legends that they are, were of course fantastic here - but the show also established Dan Levy and Annie Murphy (among other standouts) as some of the best and funniest actors on TV. They helped make the show into, truly, one of the all-time great sitcoms.


7. STARGIRL

- During a dark year, Stargirl was a shining light of classic superhero idealism - filled with the bright colors, sense of legacy, and spirit of optimism that made me a DC Comics diehard when I was growing up. Stargirl was a DC Comics nerd's dream - full of deep-cut comic book references and a true respect and reverence for the comics that inspired it. At the same time, the show was incredibly accessible - full of best-in-class action sequences, some spot-on casting (Luke Wilson for the win as Pat Dugan), and genuinely emotional moments anchored around 2020's best TV father-daughter duo in the form of Pat Dugan and Courtney Whitmore. Stargirl was not just great TV - it was the best superhero story on our screens in 2020.


8. THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA

- A potent mix of prestige and pulp, this HBO adaptation of Phillip Roth's classic novel was nothing if not riveting. In an age when hate, bigotry, and antisemitism were sadly on the rise, the story of a Nazi plot to overtake a pre-WWII America was especially resonant and harrowing. To that end, each new chapter of this series had me increasingly on the edge of my seat, as the dangers posed to the central Levin family went from merely hypothetical to immediate. At a time when so many in 2020's America were in denial about the racism and bigotry espoused by our heartless President, The Plot Against America was a stark reminder of a dark potential reality that we, as Americans, must never let come to pass.


9. DEVS

- This gripping, mesmerizing FX-on-Hulu science fiction series looked at the sinister side of Big Tech and gave us a twisty conspiracy-theory thriller as well. From Alex Garland, who over the last decade or so has established himself as a master of gritty, conceptually-ambitious sci-fi, the series took us down a rabbit hole of what happens when a morally-compromised tech guru pushes boundaries in a way that they probably shouldn't be pushed. As said tech guru, Forest, Nick Offerman was a surprisingly menacing villain. And Sonoya Mizuno made for a fascinatingly off-kilter hero in Lily Chan. If you like smart sci-fi and haven't seen Devs, then what are you waiting for? - add it to the binge-list.


10. THE MANDALORIAN

- In a year without blockbuster movies, The Mandalorian gave us brand-new Star Wars adventures every Friday night in late 2020 - and man, was it awesome. Season 2 in my view improved on the already-very-good S1, delivering more epic episodes, more big-screen-worthy action, and even more cool Star Wars universe moments guaranteed to make any fan jump out of their seat with excitement. Not only that, but the season really brought to a head some of the major character arcs that began in S1 - deepening the bond between Mando and Baby Yoda/Grogu, and giving the titular character some affecting moments of personal growth. While even more Star Wars TV is planned for 2021 and beyond, give The Mandalorian credit: it defied the odds and not only delivered great TV, but actually revitalized the Star Wars franchise for a new era.


The Next Best:


11. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE

-  Arguably the best overall TV comedy of the last decade, B99 had another strong season this year. The show is now just a comedy machine, with its MVP being the should've-won-several-Emmys-by-now Andre Braugher as Captain Holt. Really though, has any other comedy in recent memory had such a strong and funny cast top-to-bottom? It makes following these characters through weddings, promotions, break-ups, and births fun consistently fun and funny.


12. NORMAL PEOPLE

- This British import launched in the US on Hulu, and was an instant cult-favorite here in the States. Why? Because it went very deep into the ups and downs of an on-again, off-again romantic relationship over the course of several years - detailing the ups and downs of leads Connell and Marianne with a can't-stop-watching mix of pointed authenticity and soapy melodrama. The biggest emotional rollercoaster of 2020 TV.


13. HARLEY QUINN

- A perfect mix of Batman: The Animated Series and Rick & Morty, the animated Harley Quinn series (of the late great DC Universe streaming service, and now on HBO Max) was pure awesome from start to finish. The show is perhaps not what you expect - it's a serialized series that is heavy on inappropriate and over-the-top humor ... but also, surprisingly, on heart. The central relationship between Harley and Ivy is done so, so well - I dare say this is the definitive take.


14. THE BOYS

-  Amazon's comic book adaptation stepped up its game in Season 2, delivering sharper storytelling and even more pointed social satire, and making some very interesting deviations from the source material. But yeah, if you come for the shocking "I can't believe they went there" moments, you'll more than likely stay for the super-sweet relationship between Hughie and Annie (aka Starlight) - which really shone brightly in Season 2. 


15. BIG MOUTH

- It was a late-in-the-year treat to get a brand new season of Big Mouth - the reliably hilarious and always boundary-pushing animated Netflix comedy. Season 4 opened with an instant-classic sojourn to summer camp - and while later episodes didn't pack quite the same punch, I was impressed with how the show handled brewing controversies (i.e. the voice-acting of Missy) with a deftly funny and clever hand. Big Mouth remains one of the best TV comedies we've got.


16. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

-  Larry David's now-legendary schtick made a very-much-welcome return in 2020. Many of us understandably became just a bit more easily-agitated and curmudgeonly in quarantine, and so Larry's longstanding grievances with the world seemed to hit a sweet spot this year (even as the real Larry David impressed upon us the joys of staying at home and interacting with as few people as possible). Seriously though, this season of Curb felt like a return to form - with several new classic episodes and lots of instantly buzzworthy moments. I'd say it was pretty ... pretty good.


17. RICK & MORTY

- We only got five new episodes of Rick & Morty in 2020, but man, a good percentage of them were just instant classics. When this show is on its game, there's nothing else like it - the show somehow has this ability to, in under half an hour, craft these mini sci-fi epics (the "Vat of Acid" episode, anyone?) that are as hilarious as they are mind-bending. I hope there's a lot more Rick & Morty to come in 2021.


18. WESTWORLD

- A lot of people seemed down on Westworld S3 and its transition from cerebral puzzle-box sci-fi to action-packed cyberpunk thriller - but for me, I was happily able to go with the flow and accept the show's evolution into full-on pulpy action epic. I mean, in S3 we got to see the ultimate showdown between Delores and Maive play out in uber-dramatic, gravitas-infused fashion. We got to see Aaron Paul join the cast as a fascinating new character with a mysterious past. We got to see high-octane neo-noir car chases through futuristic nighttime cityscapes involving lifelike (and incredibly badass) androids. I mean, what more does one need?


19. PICARD

- Okay, I fully recognize that Picard S1 had some flaws - in particular, the disappointing and rushed finale that led the season to end with more fizzle than sizzle. But that aside, the series largely delivered what it needed to: an exciting, heartwarming, and reassuring return for one of the greatest TV characters of all time, Star Trek: The Next Generation's legendary Jean-Luc Picard. Seeing Patrick Stewart return to his most iconic role, seeing the slow build-up to him regaining his confidence and his drive ... I mean, there were few better or more spine-tingling moments on TV this year than when Captain by-god Picard is, finally, once again aboard a starship, ready to "engage!"

20. THE GOOD PLACE

- One of the greatest comedies of the modern era had its final season early in 2020 - a pre-pandemic TV event that now feels like it happened about 1,000 years ago. But I'd be remiss if I didn't say a fond farewell to one of my favorites - a series whose pilot I first saw several years ago at the LA Screenings and instantly knew was going to be something special. Now, the final season was lighter on big laughs, heavier on high-concept and emotionally-charged character drama. And I'll admit, I missed the quippier, quotable earlier seasons as we headed towards the big finale. That said, the ambition and cleverness and thoughtfulness of this series cannot be understated. The final episode was sad, joyful, and unforgettable.


21. THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR

- If I had to sum up this follow-up to the superlative Haunting of Hill House, well, I'd have to say that it was, you guessed it: "perfectly splendid." Seriously though, I thoroughly enjoyed the latest from horror-maestro Mike Flanagan. It was more straightforward and less twisty than Hill House, but there were some great flashbacks and reveals and, oh man, that one episode that gave us the origin of "she would wake, she would walk, she would sleep" ghost at the center of all the horror was a stone-cold classic. Can't wait to see more from Flanagan.


22. LOCKE & KEY

- The Netflix adaptation of Joe Hill's seminal comic book series was really, really good. While it gave the story a bit more of a YA bent, it still managed to capture the series' unique blend of fantasy, horror, and adventure in a way that was just a lot of fun. The show's casting was great, and some of the visuals were pretty spectacular too. In a year with no new season of Stranger Things, this was the uber-watchable horror-adventure streaming series we needed. 


23. BETTER THINGS

- I'm always a little torn about Pamela Adlon's semi-autobiographical TV series. To me, every season has moments of sheer brilliance - but the show can also just be ... a lot. Adlon's character is always so stressed, so harried, that it can be an exhausting watch at times. But I still find the show worthwhile, because Adlon always has interesting things to say about life, love, family, and friendships. And because she does what she wants with this show, it's never formulaic - you never quite know what you're going to get with each new episode. 


24. LOVECRAFT COUNTRY

- Lovecraft Country was such a cool show. It positively swung for the fences, giving us a much-needed sci-fi/fantasy/horror epic that not only featured monsters, magic, and mystery - but that also had a lot to say about race, the African-American experience, and the systemic injustices in recent American history. The show was ambitious as hell, and occasionally it misfired - with an overarching narrative that occasionally became too convoluted and tangled. But when it did work, man did it work. It earned its spot as arguably the most buzzworthy new series of 2020.


TIE: 25. HIS DARK MATERIALS

- Okay, I'm going to have to cheat a bit here and do a three-way tie for my final spots on the list. I wanted to include His Dark Materials, because in Season 2 the show keeps getting better and better - and is finally starting to have real narrative momentum and stakes. While the series could be up and down in S1, Season 2 has often felt downright epic - providing a genuinely enthralling fantasy saga the likes of which we've rarely seen on TV.


TIE: 25. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

- I also wanted to be sure to shout-out the much-improved second season of Umbrella Academy. Netflix's quirky comic book adaptation really found its groove in S2, with a more consistently engaging and thrilling narrative, more evenly-distributed and effective character arcs, and even more thrilling action than we got in S1. I'm now genuinely excited to see where S3 takes us.


TIE: 25. THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT

- And finally, the Netflix sensation that everyone was talking about this winter. The Queen's Gambit started out amazingly, with one hell of a first episode - and then settled into a slightly more formulaic rhythm as it went on. Even so, the miniseries was highly enjoyable - and featured a superstar-making turn from the always-great Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role. Pure pop entertainment that was made to be binged.

TIE: 25. PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS

- The original Penny Dreadful is one of my all-time favorite TV series - a captivating horror-drama that gave us iconic new takes on classic Victorian horror characters. This pseudo-sequel was a vastly different beast - an LA noir story set in the 1930's - but it dealt with some similar themes of juxtaposing supernatural and real-life horrors. Credit to Natalie Dormand, who, as a demonic entity and the series' big bad, played several varying roles as her character inhabited different personas. While not quite as strong as the original Penny Dreadful, this one was still a whole lot of fun.

Just Missed the Cut:

- Fargo

- The Vow
- Perry Mason
- Tiger King
- Your Honor
- How To With John Wilson

- The Goldbergs


INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:


The Best TV Heroes of 2020:


1.) Stargirl / Courtney Whitmore - Stargirl

2.) Din Djarin (aka The Mandalorian) - The Mandalorian

3.) Jean-Luc Picard - Picard

4.) Starlight - The Boys

5.)  Letitia "Leti" Lewis - Lovecraft Country



The Best TV Villains of 2020:


1.) Homelander - The Boys

2.) Moff Gideon - The Mandalorian

3.) Marisa Coulter - His Dark Materials

4.) The Icicle - Stargirl

5.) Forest - Devs



The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2020:


1.) Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy - Harley Quinn

2.) Mother - Raised By Wolves

3.) Maeve - Westworld

4.) King Shark - Harley Quinn

5.) Saul Goodman and Kim Wexler - Better Call Saul

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Is Perhaps the Definitive Vampire Comedy

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Review:

- Do you miss Flight of the Conchords? I really miss Flight of the Conchords. Luckily, the show's stars remain active and continue to give us new comedy (even if it's mostly separately these days). Also luckily, Jermaine Clement decided to make a mockumentary about vampires - giving us something we didn't know we needed but damned if we aren't lucky to have. Clement co-wrote and co-directed this one, along with Taika Waititi (both also star) - and the result is a memorably funny and surprisingly dark movie that is a must-watch for fans still missing the Conchords and their uniquely deadpan style of humor. Plus: vampires!

The movie tells the tale of four very-old vampires, each of varying degrees of oldness, who live as flatmates in the modern day and whose lives are not that dissimilar from your typical urban hipsters. They argue over the flat rules, hit the town in search of female companionship (and blood to feed on), and have the typical roommate issues that one might expect any regular dudes to have. The movie takes a cue from the Christopher Guest mockumentaries, having these outlandish characters deliver dry confessionals to the camera that are absurdly hilarious.

The main vampires are each very funny. And each is sort of a riff on various eras of vampiric lore - the aristocratic Francis Ford Coppola take, the old-school Nosferatu version, etc. The movie really goes into a lot of vampire tropes and cliches, having a lot of fun skewering all the common perceptions and mis-perceptions about the monsters. Plus, Jermaine Clement with a giant stache and medieval garb is just inherently pretty funny. The wackiness really begins though when the vampires lure an unsuspecting couple into their lair, and end up turning the guy - a regular bloke named Nick - into one of the undead. Nick then becomes our entry-point into this world, and a lot of the film's comedy comes from Nick trying to reconcile his still-very-human way of looking at things with his new status as a bloodthirsty creature of the night. Case in point - Nick's loyal pal Tim. Nick insists on hanging out with Tim as per usual, despite the warnings of his new vampiric chums that hanging out with regular folks leads to potentially uncontrollable bloodlust.

Clement, Waititi, and the rest of the cast are all really funny, and all very much "get" the kind of subtle humor that the movie is going for. At times, I almost found the movie to be too subtle. There are only a couple of big laughs, as the film mostly goes for the more subtle chuckles. And that's fine, except the tone sometimes gets so serious and laugh-free that it feels like it's become a different film. I appreciate that the film doesn't shy away from darkness and horror, but I also think there are a few too many dry spells where the jokes are not frequent enough. It can be frustrating, because the movie gets some really great laughs when it's on its game. Point being, I think WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS tries a little too hard at times to work as both deadpan comedy and legitimately creepy horror film. Its strength is with the comedy stuff, so ideally it would have stuck more to delivering the funny.

Still, this is a really fun, unique film that is well worth a rent on iTunes or the service of your choice. It's the Spinal Tap of vampire movies you always didn't-quite-realize you wanted.

My Grade: B+