This year was a big one for television, as streaming sites upped their already stiff competition. Netflix increased its prices, sad news for your friend’s cousin who pays for the account, and Apple and Disney launched their own streaming platforms this fall.
Apple’s shows were middling (The Morning Show) to terrible (the “horny Emily Dickinson” show, Dickinson). Disney released the so-so Star Wars series The Mandalorian, most famous for introducing the world to Baby Yoda, melter of the internet’s heart.
There were some standout shows in 2019, though. Depending on your taste, here were the best shows of the year.
For the fan of a good existential crisis …
Russian Doll is the show that would result if Groundhog Day met Fleabag. Nadia Vulvokov is a chic if selfish New Yorker who suddenly finds herself wrestling with the meaning of life when she keeps reliving the same day. It’s funny and engaging and well-produced, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Instead of falling asleep each night like Groundhog Day’s beleaguered weather reporter, Nadia discovers that the day restarts when she dies, sometimes violently. Without revealing any spoilers, it’s safe to say that the show avoids getting too repetitive despite its theme, and it’s just as fun as it is thought-provoking. (Netflix)
For the politico …
This decade’s greatest political satire, Veep finished its seventh and final season this year. As an Obama aide said a couple of years ago, Washington is neither as appealing as The West Wing nor as nefarious as House of Cards. It’s more like Veep. Selina Meyer and her team are as hilariously incompetent as most elected officials, and even as the final season addresses issues as serious as shootings, it pulls back the curtain to show viewers what’s going on behind that politician’s Colgate smile. It’s always self-interest, and somehow, instead of running like a sad list of headlines on cable television, Veep tells the truth with a cackle. “I’m still not sure about this part, where I say, ‘I want to be president for all Americans,'” Selina says in the final season’s first episode. Her adviser suggests “real Americans.” “Oh, yeah, that’s good,” she responds. “And we can figure out what I mean later.” (HBO)
For the one who loves sitcoms …
Unlike most shows, Schitt’s Creek just keeps getting better with time, like a fine, Moira Rose-endorsed wine. Season five finds the Rose family in the same spot it’s been in since the first season: living in the podunk town of Schitt’s Creek after losing the entire family fortune to a shady business partner. Schitt’s Creek is surprisingly heartwarming for a show about a constantly bickering family with bougie taste and no money to back it up. But parents Johnny and Moira have a reasonable claim to the title of best sitcom couple, and the worst insult that their daughter Alexis can say to her brother is, “Ew, David!” With its unexpectedly charming characters and immensely quotable phrases — “I would be pleased to RSVP as pending” — Schitt’s Creek is hilarious and heartwarming in all the best ways. (Netflix)
For the true crime aficionado …
Mindhunter is the perfect show for anyone who knows a little too much about serial killers. Season two, which came out this year, pales next to the excellent season one. But if you’ve never watched the show, now is a great time to see the (fictionalized) story of how the FBI developed a team to study serial killers in the 1970s. Based on Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, the show explains crime without sensationalizing it, and it invites readers to question the value of studying killers. “When we empathize with the psychopaths, we actually negate the self,” warns psychology professor Wendy in season two. “We deny our own beliefs about decency and humanity, and that can be very dangerous.” What’s not dangerous, however, is watching the show. (Netflix)
For the one who reads Pulitzer Prize winners …
This one is hard to watch, but if you don’t like to be merely entertained, Unbelievable is a powerful show. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting in the 2015 article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” the show follows the victim of a serial rapist and her struggle to convince law enforcement to believe her story. It’s a well-acted and forceful examination of sexual assault that seems all the more relevant in the #MeToo era. (Netflix)
For the Gilmore Girls fan …
Nothing can quite compare to season one, but the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finds Midge as funny and effervescent as ever. The show, made by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, follows aspiring comedian Midge Maisel, modeled after real-life stand-up comedians such as Jean Carroll and Joan Rivers. This season, set in the mid-20th century, finds Midge touring with a singer. Full of snappy comebacks and bubblegum pink midi skirts, the show is as visually appealing as it is full of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it humor. “The ‘Mrs. Maisel’ perkiness will prevail, because it can’t help itself,” writes a critic at the Washington Post. It’s not very serious, but that’s what makes it so fun. (Amazon Prime)
