With so many TV shows to choose from on broadcast networks, cable channels and various streaming services, there is no shortage of dramas and comedies, and those that are a mixture of the two—which means that there’s also no shortage of great storytelling. As someone who watches a large portion of those TV shows, I like to highlight the stand-outs each year.
And just because something isn’t on this list, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve to be. It just means that with so many TV shows, featuring so much talent, and so many places to watch them, I can’t possibly watch all that there is, which means that I not only likely miss some good ones, but some great ones also slip through the cracks. Given all of that, here are my selections for the Best TV of 2019.
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Be aware that spoilers are discussed
TV Series of the Year: When They See Us
From creator/co-writer/directorAva DuVernay, the four-part Netflix limited seriesWhen They See Ushas haunted me since the moment I watched it. Chronicling the notorious case of the five teenagers of color from Harlem – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – who became labeled the Central Park Five after being accused of a violent rape in New York in the spring of 1989, the story follows their questioning by police as teenagers, how they were pressured to the point that they confessed, their conviction and sentencing, and how serving between 6 and 13 years in prison before their exoneration in 2002 permanently altered their lives.
Watching their journey is an undeniable gut-punch that will break your heart, turn you into a sobbing mess angry at the injustice of it all, and inspire hope. What these men went through when they were still just boys is unconscionable, and the fact that they are a beacon of light today, now known as The Exonerated 5, is truly a miracle, but they went through it and even though it is, at times, heartbreaking and physically painful to watch, it’s also important to witness and understand why their story is still so relevant today. That’s why it’s my TV Series of the Year, it’s on my list of Best TV of the Decade, and it will likely remain on my list of Best Television, period.
Best Comedy Series: Fleabag
Family gatherings can be painful and scarring, and with the TV seriesFleabag(available to stream at Amazon Prime), you have a safe space to laugh at the awfulness of it all. As the show’s namesake (the fantasticPhoebe Waller-Bridge, who is the jack-of-all-trades star, creator, executive producer and writer) continues to deal with family and tragedy, which are often one in the same, she meets The Priest (Andrew Scott, who will forever be known as “Hot Priest,” whether he likes it or not), who teaches her that there is more than one way to see the world. Over the course of the season, the story’s blend of uniqueness and universality hit me so hard that I found myself both laughing out loud and sobbing, sometimes both in the span of one scene. All hail Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and while I believe her when she says she has no plans for another season ofFleabag, I am grateful that we were gifted with the two seasons and 12 episodes that we have.
Best Drama Series: Succession
There’s something about the dysfunctional Roy family, wrapped up in and warped by their own immense privilege and wealth, on the HBO seriesSuccessionthat you just can’t turn away from. It’s hard to root for any of them because then you start to wonder whether you, yourself, have gone full sociopath, but you also can’t help but be compelled. Whether it’s Kendall’s (Jeremy Strong) latest meltdown, Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) wardrobe, whatever is going on between Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), the odd bromance between Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), or whatever Connor (Alan Ruck) is up to, it almost always comes down to what they’re willing to do to impress family patriarch Logan (Brian Cox). Every member of the Roy family is despicable in their own right, and that bleeds out into everybody that crosses their paths, but you still just can’t get enough of their every dastardly deed. I’m so glad that there will be a Season 3 to continue watching their every wild manipulation.
Best New Series (Comedy): What We Do in the Shadows
I loved theWhat We Do in the Shadowsmovie from writer/directorsTaika WaititiandJemaine Clement, and as a result, I wasn’t sure what to make of the FX TV series. By tuning in, what I found was a delightfully delicious and deranged story of bloodsucking roommates who are terrible at just about everything, including their planned world domination, mainly because it just takes too much effort. This supernatural comedy is equal parts wacky, weird and wildy hilarious while also being heartfelt, poignant and socially relevant. It plays with vampire mythology in a refreshing and entertaining way that gives the characters a charm that they wouldn’t have, if they were just evil bloodsuckers who were looking to take over the world.
And can we please talk about Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), the loyal human servant stuck in a toxic relationship with vampire Nandor (Kayvan Novak), always wishing, hoping and begging to someday be turned into a vampire himself, only to take a DNA test and learn that he’s descended from Abraham Van Helsing, the original vampire hunter? I have to say, now that we know he’s not supposed to become a vampire, but instead be the one to kill them, I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to see how that plays out in Season 2.
Best New Series (Drama): Evil
The biggest surprise for me this season has been the CBS drama seriesEvil. I’ve come to expect great writing and storytelling from show creatorsRobertandMichelle King(The Good Wife,The Good Fight), but what I wasn’t expecting was such a thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of good and evil, and how the line can be very blurry between the two. Throughout its freshman season, its core trio – skeptical female psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter) and contractor Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) – have delved deeper and deeper into the origins of evil and the dividing line between science and religion, as they investigate the Church’s backlog of unexpected mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Their job is to assess whether there is a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work, but when it comes to the topics of racism and sexism, nothing is ever that clear cut.
Best Docu-series: The Imagineering Story
As a lifelong Disneyland attendee and fan, one of my most anticipated projects this year was the Disney+ docu-seriesThe Imagineering Story, and it did not disappoint. DirectorLeslie Iwerks(whose father and grandfather worked for Disney) has turned what was originally meant to be a 90-minute feature into a six-hour series that provides a fascinating and unprecedented look at the unique blend of artists and engineers, known as Imagineers, whose job it is to carry on the legacy of Walt Disney in theme parks around the globe, that could easily continue on for another season. It’s a rare peek behind the curtain at the creation of Disneyland and every subsequent theme park – from Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom to the parks in Tokyo, Paris and Shanghai – and highlights the trials and tribulations, as well as the joys and successes. It explores attractions that aren’t there anymore, ideas that never fully materialized, classic attractions (from Pirates of the Caribbean to Haunted Mansion), and new favorites like Cars Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and even gave a behind-the-scenes peak at what it took to bring the latest theme park experience,Rise of the Resistance, to life.
Best Final Season: The Good Place
I’m going to miss NBC’sThe Good Place. The unique and special story about what makes a good person, which is something that many of us strive to be, has had surprise after surprise and twist after twist, while always bringing things back to a desire to shed a more selfish way of living and just being a better human being. Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is an ordinary woman who’s had many ups and downs since entering the afterlife, but with the help of Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto), Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil), a demon named Michael (Ted Danson) and personal assistant Janet (D’Arcy Carden), she’s also actually learned from her mistakes and become a better person, in the process, which is really all any of us can ask for. Watching this show for four seasons has made my heart happy, and having to say goodbye is forkin’ bullshirt, but I’m happy that the series is saying goodbye on its own terms and I know that tears will be shed before the final credits roll.
Best Comic Book Series: Watchmen
Series creatorDamon Lindelofhas done the impossible. He’s taken the dense, complex and complicated source material ofWatchmen, created byAlan Mooreand illustrated byDave Gibbons, and turned it into a TV series for HBO that is equal parts challenging and thought-provoking, as it looks at so many of the modern issues that plague us today, and questions who the true heroes and villains really are. It’s allowed fans to maintain their love for that source material while also giving them something wholly its own. Through the lens of an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws and the police conceal their identities behind masks to protect themselves from a terrorist organization, it feels uncomfortably raw and real. It’s hard to watch, it challenges your comfort level and, at times, it’s even a history lesson, which makes for some terrific storytelling, fascinating characters, and a great TV series.
One of the greatest assets ofWatchmenis its ultra-talented and incredibly diverse cast. With Academy Award winner and acting goddessRegina Kingat its center, and the duo of King andJean Smartthat is an absolute delight to witness, the combined efforts ofJeremy Irons,Tim Blake Nelson,Yahya Abdul-Mateen II,Louis Gossett Jr.,Hong ChauandDon Johnson, among others, took what were already great scripts and made the material soar. I would love there to be a second season, if it were on the level of what we’ve already been given, but I’m also satisfied by the nine-episode work of art that we have.
Best Superhero Series: The Boys
From showrunnerEric Kripkeand based on the best-selling comic byGarth EnnisandDarick Robertson, the eight-episode seriesThe Boys(an Amazon Prime original series) is an irreverent look at what happens when the popular and influential superheroes abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good, and often need someone to cover up all of their dirty deeds and secrets for them. But when Hughie (Jack Quaid) suffers a devastating loss as a result of one Supes’ recklessness, he becomes so outraged that he teams up with Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and The Boys, in order to seek out their own brand of vigilante justice.
The series is uncomfortable and shocking and, at times, you’ll cringe over the behavior of these morally bankrupt Supes, but the cast is all in with their characters, which sells it all in a way that sparks thought and conversation, and gives it a fresh feel that sets it apart from other superhero/comic book series currently on the air. Special MVP shout-out toAntony Starras Homelander andChace Crawfordas The Deep, for their nuanced performances of characters we shouldn’t like, but still can’t help but be curious about.
Best Limited Series: Chernobyl
From creator/writerCraig Mazinand directorJohan Renck, the five-part HBO miniseriesChernobylexplores how the 1986 nuclear accident becomes one of the worst human-made catastrophes in history. After the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine suffered a massive explosion that released radioactive material across Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, and as far as Scandinavia and western Europe, countless brave men and women sacrificed their own lives, both knowingly and unknowingly, in an attempt to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
Chernobylis masterful in its storytelling, as it shines a spotlight on the domino effect of what happens when a government values their own agenda over human lives. As the viewer witnesses the role that truth and lies played in the outcome of this terrible disaster, you also get to see the incredible strength and courage that was displayed by so many. It has a phenomenal cast with no weak links and includes stand-out performances fromJarred Harris,Stellan Skarsgård,Emily WatsonandJessie Buckley. There are tragic images throughout that will haunt you long after seeing them, like the moment on the Bridge of Death in Pripyat, and as someone who grew up with a father who was a fireman and first responder, I was particularly haunted by the efforts of the firefighters that had no idea what they were walking into, but stayed anyway.
