A long tradition that's dated to 2009
1. Decameron (Netflix)-A group of nobles, servants, and a couple of in-betweeners
escape the bubonic plague in a castle and hijinks ensure. Think of it as
Downton Abbey on steroids. Plus, there is a 100% guarantee that all characters
will be medically stupid because, well, medical science wasn’t that were
removed from leeches and lobotomies. With Zoshia Mamet, Saoisre Monika-Jackson, and Tony Hale among others, this is a series that's also rich on characters.
2. Kaos (Netflix)-The modern reinterpretation of Greek myths
swings for the fences with every stylistic choice it makes.
If
you're looking for a plot guide, we'd be here all day because it's a
combination of seven or eight Greek epics, but the storylines merge impressively enough together towards a coherent whole. It dawned upon me when I was approaching this write-up that Greek mythology might very well be history's first extended
universe. If so, it's one I'd take over Marvel
any day.
4. Nobody Wants This, Netflix-The incompatibility between
Jewish values (which discourages intermarriage, if not outright bans it in some
sects) is never easy to reconcile with our modern-day conception of romance and
free will. Kristen Bell plays a sex podcaster , Joanna, who falls into an
unlikely romance with a hunky junior rabbi, Noah, played by Adam Brody.
Although he seems more convincing as a yarmulke-wearing Sex and the City love
interest than as a religious leader (he skips out on the sabbath to go on a
double date, oy vey!), the series deals with his character inconsistencies
well. He seems to be broadcasting entirely different things between his head
and heart. It's an episode where we have no idea what's happening. Why is he
following her into a car on the middle of Shabbat. Even crazier, why is Sasha
going along? Is this a date? It's also the start of Morgan and Sasha as sublime
third and fourth wheels to this pairing.
6. What We Do in the Shadows-The show about vampires living a mundane ennui-filled existence in Staten Island closed out its run with a necessary change in direction. Guillermo, no longer a familiar, but a crasher in their guest house who’s giving corporate America a go? Sure. But add in Nadja speaking in bro-code, Nandoor as a meek janitor, and Colin Robinson as an employee with rage issues: Sign me up! And the best new addition was Michael Patrick O’Brien (who I’ve never has never really done it for me before) as Jerry- a straight man vampire awakened from a 30-year slumber who seeks to rectify the fact that they’ve never done anything productive. Like last year, the season ended in a debatable move for Guillermo. Was it forward progress for the character? I vote no, but it wasn’t enough to move it out of the top 12.
7. Bodkin, Netflix - I’m willing to concede that Will Forte
fans might not even remember this charming Irish murder mystery years from now when their doing a retrospective of his career. It’s a shame because this moody
piece does a great job of bringing equal parts regional quirk, character beats,
and moving parts. Will Forte stars as the titular podcaster looking to tell a
good story, and his two assistants make great foils as he tries to refine his
values in the face of adversity. His co-conspirators serve as excellent foils and rich characters alike.
8. Futurama (Fox——> Comedy Central ——> Hulu)- In it’s 12th season over 25 years, Futurama hasn’t eased up on the visual spectacle in its retro-futuristic tale of a delivery company that seems to do everything other than actually deliver packages. It’s episodes are divided by day-in-the-limelight character pieces (Bender’s Mexican heritage and Hermes inheritance of a Jamaican coffee farm were highlights), trippy sci-fi premises (it was hard to top “The Temp”), and through-the-looking glass takes on today’s cultural flash points (this year touched on Fashion Week, AI chat bots, NFTs and the Squid Game) to a mostly successful set of ten episodes.
10 The Gentlemen (Netflix)-Theo James (White Lotus) plays
Eddie, a member of the British idle rich -- complete with title and all - who
finds himself in over his head when he inherits a drug empire at his father's
funeral. The show’s villains are wickedly cultured (great character actors like
Max Beasley and Giancarlo Esposito do the trick); the aristocratic family
(Daniel Inge, Joely Richardson) is amusingly aloof; and there’s a great
Remington Steele vibe between Eddie and an heiress to a mob dynasty (Kaya
Scodelario) for whom the flirtation is off the charts. The series is
masterminded by Guy Pierce so there’s a definite visual touch with a lot of
playful graphic overlays.
11 Cobra Kai (You Tube Red —-> Netflix) cobra Kai made
the mistake of tying up so many loose threads before its final season. As a
result, we had to endure a painful episode revolving around Johnny Lawrence
throwing a girls sleepover complete with a Cyndi Lauper soundtrack. With the
detente among warring dojos, Cobra Kai devolved into more of a hang out show,
but by those standards, the show still succeeded in juggling a large cast of
characters. Besides in the world of Cobra Kai, there is always adolescent anger
out there in the world to be tamed (via increasingly epic karate battles) and
new enemies to face. Maybe it’s my sentimentality over a show coming to an end
that has consistently delivered at a transcendent level for its genre but the
show deserves its victory lap and a place in my top 12 this year.
12. Tires, Netflix- Shane Gillis it is certainly a lightning
rod that will equal parts hate and admiration (often for unjustified reasons
with both camps). From a pure aesthetic perspective, Gillis’s comedy is not
easy to decipher beneath the surface. His persona is of an overgrown
sloth-ridden frat boy, there’s a lot to be said for how he uses that persona as
a sledgehammer against political correctness. If you’re going to read the show
solely as a manifesto against watching your words, however, you stand to miss
that the show has a solid cadence and makes for good popcorn TV.
Runners-Up: Bad Monkey (Apple), Life and Beth (Hulu), Mulligan (Netflix), Thank God You're Here (Australian Channel 10), Baby Reindeer (Netflix), Death and Other Details (Hulu), X-Men 97 (Disney), Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney), Manhunt (Apple), Resident Alien (SyFy)
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