Best Shows I Watched in 2019
- American Gods (Season 2)(Starz)
Synopsis: The war between the old gods and the new has officially begun, and Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) is caught in the middle. Meanwhile, Laura Moon (Emily Browning) tries to find a way to resurrect herself.
There was a lot of great stuff in this season, but the standout episodes are 6 & 7, “Donar the Great” and “Treasure of the Sun.” Mr. Wednesday has been getting by on Ian McShane’s charisma, but “Donar the Great” gave us some much needed backstory to really start to understand and feel invested in his character, culminating in that final scene of him singing alone in the abandoned theater, the first real moment of vulnerability we’ve seen from him. Then “Treasure of the Sun” does the same thing for Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber), with an equally (if not more) tragic conclusion. It’s not just that these are two of the most emotionally devastating episodes of the show thus far—pairing them together, letting us see into Wednesday’s psyche in one episode before setting him as the antagonist in the next, is really smart, and makes the two episodes much more powerful together than they would be on their own. - Billions (Season 4)(Showtime)
Synopsis: Chuck (Paul Giamatti) seeks a new source of power so he can get revenge on Jock Jeffcoat (Clancy Brown) and Bryan Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore). Axe (Damian Lewis) wants to take down Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) who he feels betrayed him. Wendy (Maggie Siff) gets betrayed by one and betrays her own ethics for the other.
There’s just something fun about watching a bunch of rich a-holes screw each other over. Especially when one of those rich a-holes is Paul Giamatti. While the first half of the season was basically the second act of Hamilton and therefore dragged in places, it heats up toward the end, with the final four episodes being a real tour de force of twists and turns. And the show is smart in its portrayal of these objectively terrible people as protagonists—it lets us feel the satisfaction of a well-executed victory, but then immediately reminds that they really are jerks.
My major complaint with this season is that they hired on Dirk Gently alum Jade Eshete and then seemed to decide, “Actually, never mind,” and gave her basically nothing to work with. They completely squandered her talents, and I only hope that mistake will be rectified next season. - Black Mirror (Season 5)(Netflix)
Synopsis: Two friends (Anthony Mackie & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) reconnect through a VR fighting game, a troubled man (Andrew Scott) goes to great lengths to talk to a tech CEO (Topher Grace), and a teen girl (Angourie Rice) bonds with her favorite pop star (Miley Cyrus) through a robot (also Miley Cyrus).
So here’s a hot take: I think Season 5 of Black Mirror was actually not that bad. I can understand why people might find the broad strokes of “Striking Vipers” to be problematic or just laughable, but I think there’s some really good nuance there that deserves some credit. “Rachel, Jack[,] and Ashley Too” also gets a lot of flack, and it’s definitely not up there with the best Black Mirror episodes. But it’s fun and silly and I think that’s fine in and of itself, even if it’s not at the level we expect from this show, and I don’t think it would be nearly as big a deal if the seasons were longer and/or more frequent. “Smithereens” is just a solid episode, with Scott giving an excellent performance (as per usual); heck, Topher Grace is pretty good too. Is this arguably the worst the season of Black Mirror? Probably, yeah. But it’s still pretty good. - Bob’s Burgers (Season 9)(Fox)
Synopsis: Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) just wants to run a successful restaurant but keeps finding himself drawn into the antics of his wife Linda (John Roberts), their kids Gene, Louise, and Tina (Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, and Dan Mintz), his friend Teddy (Larry Murphy), and his landlord Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline). This season those include a Halloween decorating grudge match, saving a Thanksgiving turkey, and throwing a baby shower for a biker gang.
There’s a heist episode. So, you know. It’s pretty good. - DuckTales (Season 2)(Disney Channel)
Synopsis: Donald Duck (Tony Anselmo) and his three nephews, Huey, Louie, and Dewey (Danny Pudi, Bobby Moynihan, and Ben Schwartz), are still living with Donald’s wealthy (and less estranged than before) uncle, famed adventurer and entrepreneur Scrooge McDuck (David Tennant). Together with Scrooge’s driver Launchpad McQuack (Beck Bennett), his housekeeper Mrs. Beakley (Toks Olagundoye), and her granddaughter Webbigail Vanderquack (Kate Micucci), they all go on adventures and it’s great. But also it turns out Donald’s sister Della (Paget Brewster) is not dead but has been trapped on the Moon, so that’s a whole thing.
This show is so good, not just fun but also full of great lessons for kids, and it just has so much heart.
The big improvement this season was the introduction of Della Duck. Bringing her in was an excellent choice, not just because it cures the show’s case of Disappearing Parent Syndrome (well, partially), but because she’s a great character, bridging the gap between Scrooge’s braggadocio and Donald’s timidity, showing that you can be brave and accomplished but still be warm and caring. And she’s got a prosthetic leg that does not keep her from being a badass (and occasionally actually helps her be badass), which is surprisingly good representation for a show about ducks. And Paget Brewster brings the character to life in the way that only she can.
I’m also glad they brought back Lena (Kimiko Glenn). She never really got the chance to be a real character in the first season, so it’s nice to see her come into her own, and the trio of her, Webbigail, and new character Violet Sabrewing (Libe Barer) balances out the nephews nicely.
Honestly, at this point I’m not even embarrassed that it’s a kid’s show. It’s just great. - Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Season 4)(TBS)
Synopsis: News commentary and satire featuring Samantha Bee and correspondents.
I stand by my theory about standing. - Good Omens (Season Only (Hopefully))(Amazon)
Synopsis: Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), an angel, and Crowley (David Tennant), a demon, try to stop the Antichrist (Sam Taylor Buck) from triggering the end of the world.
This is pretty much a perfect adaptation—it sticks to the book where it’s important, the changes all serve the story, it updates the setting to modern times without it feeling gimmicky, and the cast are all excellent. Sheen and Tennant’s performances at the end are especially impressive (you’ll know what I mean when you get there). Really this is just a fun, charmingly heretical romp, and the only thing that could ruin it is if they try to make a second season. - The Good Place (Season 3)(NBC)
Synopsis: To use the show’s own synopsis of the finale, “Various events occur, in a certain specific order.” But seriously, there is so much that happens in this season that I wouldn’t know how to synopsize it. Also I still don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t watched Season 1.
Aside from one episode about determinism that was really disappointing, the show continues to be mind-blowingly smart, hilarious, and emotionally resonant. - Klepper (Season 1)(Comedy Central)
Synopsis: Jordan Klepper travels around the country to find people fighting for their rights, from undocumented immigrants trying to get an education to Black activists using their right to bear arms to bring attention to police violence.
I’m still bitter about The Opposition getting canceled, but Jordan Klepper’s new show, while not as funny, is arguably more valuable. You can see his Daily Show experience really proving its worth, as he’s essentially taking the idea of a Daily Show fieldpiece and extending it to a whole episode. The result is a series of mini-documentaries that explore a wide range of issues and, most importantly, do a pretty good job of centering the voices of those actually affected by the issues. Klepper obviously cares about these issues, but is also very much aware of his position of power, and for the most part uses it responsibly. I mean, he gets arrested in the third episode, which I get isn’t as big a deal for him, but that’s also kind of the point—he knows that he can afford to get arrested, so he’s not afraid to put himself in that position. Anyway, this show will probably get cancelled too so whatever. [Edit: It did. He now has the dubious honor of being (I think) the only Daily Show correspondent to return as a correspondent (not as a guest) after leaving to start their own show(s).] - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 6)(HBO)
Synopsis: John Oliver does news commentary and satire and now Daniel O’Brien has won an Emmy.
DOB was in one of the background pictures, so that was cool. - Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 6)(ABC)
Synopsis: Daisy (Chloe Bennett) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) fly around the galaxy looking for Fitz (Iain De Caestecker). Back on Earth, a mysterious group of aliens led by a man with a familiar face start killing people, supposedly to stop a greater threat.
I will never stop telling people to watch this show. Yes, Season 3 is rough, but if you can get through it it’s so worth it, because the show stops trying so hard to tie into the MCU and focuses on telling its own stories. As some predicted based on the complete lack of Thanos in Season 5, Season 6 breaks away from the MCU completely, and it’s all the better for it, going in some crazy, cool directions that the movies never could. It’s kind of a shame that next season will be the last, because it feels like the show has only recently been able to really spread its wings, but I’m glad they’re going out with a bang. - The Mash Report (Season 3)(BBC 2)
Synopsis: It’s like The Daily Show but British. Hosted by Nish Kumar.
I just wish this show had longer seasons. Six episodes a year is not nearly enough for a show this funny and sharp, with such a great diversity of voices, especially since I’ve pretty much stopped watching The Daily Show. - Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Seasons 2-5)(Netflix)
Synopsis: News. Satire. Etc.
As the youngest and least-white American “late night” host (I get that it’s Netflix, but it’s stylistically late night), Hasan Minhaj is an important voice, and one worth listening to. His YouTube-exclusive audience Q&A/guest interview segments are also pretty fun. - Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Season 6)(The CW of all things)
Synopsis: Magicians from around the world come to Las Vegas to try to fool Penn & Teller. Hosted by Alyson Hannigan.
I like magic, this show has good magic. If you don’t like magic probably don’t watch this show. - Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (Season 2)(HBO)
Synopsis: This season focuses on education.
Despite putting out another great season of incisive reporting on an important issue (and wacky hijinks), Cenac still got cancelled. What the hell, HBO? You can’t spend some of your Sex & Dragons money on this great show? John Oliver’s over there daring oil barons to sue him, but you don’t seem to have a problem with that. Gee, I wonder what the difference is.
I Spent 4 Months Watching The X-Files So I Might As Well Write Something About It
I expected The X-Files to be cheesy (it is). I expected it to have bad special effects (it does). But it is also self-aware enough that those things often don’t matter. Its leads have a real chemistry, even when the writers can’t be bothered to write their relationship consistently, with their dynamic veering wildly from romantic to hostile and everything in between depending on what they feel serves the episode best. And some of the writing is actually quite good, especially when the show drops any pretense of taking itself seriously, usually in episodes written by Darin Morgan. And while Morgan’s episodes are some of my favorites, they only work in contrast to the show’s drama which, though convoluted and often heightened to the point of melodrama, is still frequently compelling. And honestly, the lack of consistency in the main storyline is arguably a strength, as it means the show never feels hampered by canon when a good narrative opportunity comes along.
That being said, it can be taken too far, and was when the show returned in 2016 after a 14-year hiatus. The finale of the original run makes a herculean effort to tie together 9 seasons-worth of loose threads, and while it’s not entirely successful, it at least suggests a level of commitment to the broad strokes: the secret cabal of international corporations and government entities working with an alien race trying to (re)colonize earth, hampered in their efforts by a rebel race of aliens and Mulder and Scully’s investigations. Then the reboot starts, and all of that gets thrown out the window. Turns out the aliens weren’t really involved. Rather, the government (they just say “the government,” so the secret cabal’s role in this new version of events is unclear) used alien tech recovered from the Roswell crash to…do stuff, and just made up all of the alien invasion stuff as a cover story. And if that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense whatsoever and is in fact contradicted by many, many episodes of the original run of the show, that’s because it doesn’t and it is. It’s the most haphazard, seemingly pointless retcon I’ve ever seen, and I hate it.
Even with that change, and the fact the main storyline for these two seasons never really ends up working, the reboot could have been decent. The big problem is the tonal shift. The second X-Files movie, X-Files: I Want to Believe, serves, I think, as a pretty good ending for the series, especially if you ignore some of Season 9’s slightly too plot-heavy focus on the main storyline (given that I Want to Believe doesn’t deal with that plot at all). I Want to Believe really makes a case for the main theme of the series, that the search for truth, the desire to believe, is itself a virtuous thing, regardless of what you end up finding. The way this theme plays out over the course of the show, at least interpreted generously, is as an exhortation to be curious, to wonder at the mysteries of the universe and find meaning in trying to solve them, even knowing that often you will fail to do so. It’s a fundamentally optimistic message, and is made only more relevant for the fact that it’s a little bittersweet.
The reboot pretty much ditches this theme entirely, replacing it with paranoia and cynicism. While these were always present in the original show (I mean, secret government cabal etc. etc.), here they’re the primary thematic driver, and are used to give credibility to the worst, most anti-social conspiracy theories. It’s a much darker show, and one that never really justifies its own existence, never offers a solution or a deeper meaning. Arguably the best episode of the reboot, “Rm9sbG93ZXJz,” does actually posit an interesting idea—the only problem is that it’s not really an X-Files episode, it’s just a Black Mirror episode starring Mulder and Scully, even to the point of approximating the latter’s visual aesthetic.
All of which is to say, The X-Files (Seasons 1-9, and two movies, and The Lone Gunmen spinoff which is a whole different kettle of fish) is worth watching, and has a surprising amount to offer if you can get past its flaws. But the reboot was a mistake, and personally I choose to pretend it never happened.
Sidenotes: Although the obvious successor to The X-Files is Fringe, it’s weird how many X-Files plots were stolen by The Blacklist. Also, the guest cast on this show is amazing, from before-they-were-famous appearances of people like Jack Black, Octavia Spencer, and Ryan Reynolds, to late-career episode stealing from greats like Lily Tomlin, Peter Boyle, and Burt Reynolds. Also Terry O’Quinn appears in 2 episodes of the show and the first movie, but never plays the same character, or the character that he plays on Millenium, another Chris Carter show which is canonically set in the same universe. Given that the show had multiple episodes dealing with various sets of identical siblings and/or clones (at least 5 episodes, I think), it’s weird that the frequent appearances of Terry O’Quinn-looking dudes is never commented upon.
Honorable Mentions
- Archer (Season 10)(FX)
- Broad City (Season 5)(Comedy Central)
- Harmonquest (Season 3)(VRV)
- QI (Series P)(BBC 2)
- Star Trek: Discovery (Season 2)(CBS All Access)
- Teachers (Season 3)(TV Land)
- Would I Lie to You (Season 12)(BBC 1)
Certain of Eventual Failure 