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Is television going to slow down anytime soon?
It sure didnt in 2019.
Thank goodness, then, that we have four.
Some of these shows youve probably seen; others you may have never even heard about.
But all of them are significant additions to the TV canon.
Maybe youll even find time to watch them before 2021.
MattZollerSeitzsTop10Showsof2019
10.Shermans ShowcaseandDocumentary Now!
Every scene is packed with so much detail that repeat viewings are a must.
Your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie could never.
But they made it work in cringey, amusing, and poignant fashion.
For millennials in particular,PEN15operated on an appealingly age-specific nostalgia frequency.
It consistently surprised me.
A sketch aboutthe pressure to go makeup freeturned into a medical horror movie.
An absolutely hilarious riff onPose,the Basic Ball, became a relatable hit parade of personal issues.
(The categories were, among others, Clinical Depression and Awkward in the Body.)
These six episodes were groundbreaking, refreshing, and most important for a sketch show, a freakin riot.
(Part twoarrives on Netflix in January.)
5.Succession(HBO)
I shouldnt likeSuccessionas much as I do.
Anyone who disagrees can, in the words of Logan Roy, fuck off.
What truly distinguishesWatchmenis how challenging it is.
It is challenging in its commitment to discuss the history of race relations in America.
It is challenging in its refusal to spoon feed the audience exposition covered by the comic.
2.Unbelievable(Netflix)
Unbelievabletook an overfamiliar genre the true-crime-based procedural and flipped it inside out.
But it was also the most feminist crime series Ive ever seen.
That made it revolutionary.
(Guys: Hot Priest is apriest.)
Despite that, the show itself felt as complete as a television show can be.
Theres so much to love about the show, including an episode featuringan astonishing lineup of vampire guest stars.
One of TVs jobs is to make you happy, andWhat We Do in the Shadowsdid it for me.
9.Couples Therapy(Showtime)
Couples Therapyis a reality show that should not work.
Real therapy on TV is almost always bad, exploitative, voyeuristic, and unrealistic.
Fictional therapy is rarely any better.
And yet,Couples Therapy, a near miracle of a docuseries, does exactly that.
Its works because its therapist, Orna Guralnik, is brilliant and empathetic and incisive.
The result is intensely absorbing.
Sometimes its bleak and depressing.
I cant wait for season two.
5.Russian Doll(Netflix)
Ive rewatchedRussian Dollmore than almost any other show this year.
ButRussian Dolls rewatchability, likeRussian Dollitself, operates on a few different levels.
The deeper level, the one that will keep you coming back, is the shows beautiful thematic ambiguity.
It is open to multiple interpretations, many different experiences, a range of conclusions and emotions.
In the closing months of the year, the top answer to Whats great on TV right now?
has been and will continue to beWatchmen.
HBOs not-really-an-adaptation of the legendary comic proves that high-risk ideas can yield incredibly high-reward results.
It is the most feminist, thoughtful, radical piece of true-crime television ever made.
2.Succession(HBO)
Successionis almosttooof this world.
No show in 2019 buried itself deep in my brain and refused to let go the wayFleabagdid.
AngelicaJadeBastiensTop10Showsof2019
10.Doom Patrol(DC Universe)
Whatan unexpected delight.
9.Bobs Burgers(Fox)
There is something to be said about chasing joy.
For me,Bobs Burgersis the most joyful series currently on air.
Watching it is akin to slipping in a warm bath.
I remain in awe of how its bright cheeriness has an undertow of wistfulness.
Tartakovsky and his collaborators have crafted a story about a caveman and aT.
All without a shred of dialogue.Primaldemonstrates the potency of television as a visual medium.
Its an arresting, richly detailed series that surprises me with its ingenuity.
6.Unbelievable(Netflix)
Rape is a hard topic to explore in any medium.
The POV shots of rape sequences are bruising without being gratuitous.
The performances by Collette, Weaver, and Dever are fierce in their detail and their beauty.
4.Fleabag(Amazon)
What more can be said about the greatness that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has created?
Theres much to love about the romantic gut punch that isFleabags second season.
Theres the meta relationship Fleabag has with with the audience itself.
Theres the intense chemistry between Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott.
3.Mindhunter(Netflix)
What can I say?
This second season ofMindhunterboasts mesmerizing, astute, and impactful direction from David Fincher and Carl Franklin.
2.Russian Doll(Netflix)
Russian Dollis like the perfect dessert.
How can we find joy?the show asks.
The show is visually astounding, brimming with ingenious transitions and striking blocking.
Kings performance is a masterwork of fierce anger and heart-wrenching loss.
The shows exploration of blackness and generational trauma is provocative.
Every time I rewatch a new episode, I discover something new and Im dazzled all over again.
