Top 12 of 2026

Announcement: I will be winding down on this blog. To anyone who read for the past 20 years, thank you. I will be migrating my content almost exclusively to my Patreon, and potentially to Substack. 

Even if I never get any readers, this would be the one thing I do a year for myself. Read, enjoy, fight, and debate me on this!

1. Resident Alien (Syfy) – Long one of my favorite series on the airwaves, Resident Alien reimagines the Andy Griffith show in the remote mountains of Colorado with a socially out-of-step alien and a surprisingly deep mythology. At times, this mythology could feel overcomplicated for light viewing, but it was remarkable how well things tied together in the last batch of episodes. On top of that, the catharsis of each "yes, he's an alien" reveal gave me such a strong sense of feels, I can't help but let emotion guide my judgment in placing this as the best show of the year. The conclusion validated the show's great run over so many years.

2. Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple) -- It’s the standard plot from the golden age of TV with The Americans, Breaking Bad and Ozark — ordinary guy’s story arc veers towards illegality, he’s in too deep, and has no choice but to find his way from the hole he’s dug. At  least that’s how one expects it will turn out, but the show does some pretty epic zagging as the main character –  a bitter divorced dad (Jon Hamm) – doubles down on his lies through the finish line This is a rare show from this genre that employs a reverse dramatic irony: The audience is rarely let in on how far ahead of the game Coop is. On top of this, the show folds in a convincing family drama and a meaty satire of suburban mores.

3. The White Lotus (HBO) – I can pick at a few minor glitches in the season: The first three episodes were too slow of a burn for an eight-episode season; a few minor character tics didn't quite land; the power lady trio never got hooky enough; Scott Glenn character's actions made no sense; Sam Rockwell felt too much like a stunt cameo; and the White Lotus Parker Posey was more over-the-top than even Christopher Guest Parker Posey. OK, I can pick quite a few. Still, this is generally the best thing on TV and has so much ambition and craftsmanship at every step. The stories resonate with me over a year later. And, my god. the opening credits. That is some unsettling music.

4, The Studio (HBO) - Few shows have infused the Hollywood-mocks-itself format with such zippy energy. The show operates under a standard Murphy’s Law cynicism, but true to the Hollywood spirit, the crew at Continental Studios always knows another opportunity is around the corner. The dialogue rests somewhere between Tina Fey and Aaron Sorkin’s less preachier projects and the cast gels like few others. Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, the deeply missed Catherine O’Hara, the never-failing Kathryn Hahn, are joined by newcomer Chase Sui Wonders and several of Hollywood’s most improbable cameos.

5. The Paper (Peacock)-Considering The Office has been our de facto comfort viewing for nearly 20 years, it would be impossible for Greg Daniels' follow-up The Paper live up to the hype, but let’s take off our rose-colored glasses and remember how much of an egotistical oaf Michael Scott was in the first few episodes. So yes, I do declare this is off to a better start with characters with delightful idiosyncrasies we’re just beginning to peel the layers off of. The inane boss activity (particularly Sabrine Impacciatore) occurring at the level above our lead protagonist, freeing Domnhall Gleeson’s idealistic Ned to be a sweetheart that’s worth rooting for.

6. Poker Face (Peacock)-Leans on the same three tropes every episode -- accidental murderer, detective in the right place at the right time, and deus-ex-machina to get the hero kicked out of her home every -- BUT Riann Johnson imbues every episode with movie-level quality. That's a pretty high level of consistency for a show that switches settings every episode. It also helps that Natasha Lyonne is so charismatic in whatever she's in.

7. The Four Seasons (Amazon)-Unfairly compared to the original film by the critical sphere. Steve Carell, restless from his marriage (to Kerri Kinney), experiences a mid-life crisis and subsequent May-December romance that threatens to throw off the long-standing equilibrium of the friendship between three couples. The show's format of rotating over four vacations is clever. The show is largely populated with comedic actors, but it's oh so sweet, and the automatic reaction by the gang to the May-December romance is surprisingly salient.

8. Stick (Apple)-Owen Wilson has played sleazebags (Wedding Crashers, Starsky and Hutch), wide-eyed nomads (Midnight in Paris, Darjeerling Limited, Royal Tenenbaums) and the occasional sweet spot in between (You Me and Dupree, Internship), but this role as a hustling ex-golfer looking to make a sincere turn on a young talent feels like the culmination of the Owen Wilson persona. With the golfer (Peter Dager) and his mother (Mariana Trevino); a she/they caddy who’s not shy about her zoomer political views (Lilli Kay); and an old friend (Marc Maron), the quintet hits the road on a qualifying tour. The show unapologetically delves into generational gaps with at least one character (Marc Maron) who’s on the wrong side of political correctness, but it navigates some edgy material to pull off the found family trope. It’s even goshdarn heartwarming  without losing its edge:  Each character has at least one solid foil among the other members of the quintet.

9. Spud Hut (Smosh) - An entirely improvised series that premie on Smosh's YouTube channel with the main cast often doubling on key roles. The basic premise is a Romeo and Juliet story between two employees at opposing baked potato vendors in a mall. Improv is generally inconsistent and can sometimes overly rely on the gimmick, but these guys have a great knack for "yes and"-ing the right spots and building from there. Good improv has a contagious glee from the actors discovering in real time that they hit the right notes. Plus, the costumes are adorable. 

10. Running Point (Netflix) – Inspired by the Buss family of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty, the sports sitcom takes a fish-out-of-water angle at the NBA with a female executive at the helm of the fictional LA Waves franchise. It’s exec-produced by sitcom pros Ike Barinholtz and Mindy Kaling so there’s a familiar pace linking to when the single camera sitcom was finding its stride in the 2010s. The sitcom has inspired casting—Kate Hudson, Drew Tarver, Justin Theroux, and Scott MacArthur—as siblings who inherit a basketball team. It moves fast, cleverly segments certain episodes to tangential stand-alone shots, and features a great array of guest stars.

11. Nobody Wants This (Netflix)-The second season premiere launched the characters with a glaring lack of consistency. Whereas hunky (that adjective appears mandatory, based on the show's treatment of the character) Rabbi Noah had previously delcared that he'd throw his calling away from love, the second season begins with Noah never officially quitting. He and Joanna oscillate heavy between love and faith throughout much of the season. However, everyone in Noah and Joanna's orbit gets a little more colored in that there's hardly a character I wouldn't want to hang out with. Throw in exciting new bears and characters (Morgan's shady ex-shrink/boyfriend; Noah's new uber-lax Rabbi boss), and it still makes my list despite that retcon glitch.

12. Grosse Pointe Garden Society (NBC) – It's a show about gardening and murder but not really either of those things. Even with a flat murder twist, the show delivers a compelling take on an adrift version of adulthood, and the intersecting plots are doubly rich. Two actors that have been begging for meatier work --Melissa Fumero and Josh Radnor -- turn in career-highs here.

Honorable Mention: Deli Boys, DMV, English Teacher, Friend Zonedd, Ghosts, Going Dutch, Haunted Mansion, Krapopolis, Man on the Inside, Rain Maker

For Reference, Everything Else I Saw This Year:
America's #1 Family (Amazon), Bat-Fam (Amazon), Dark Winds (AMC), Cassandra (AMC), Cobra Kai (YouTube Red ---> Netflix), Chad Powers (Hulu), Black Rabbit (Netflix), Destination X (Peacock), Etoile (Amazon), Futurama (Fox ---> Comedy Central ---> Hulu), Good Cop/Bad Cop (The CW), Hunting Wives (Netflix), Long Story Short (Netflix), It's Always Sunny (FX), Krapopolis (Fox), Last Resort (Apple) North of North (Netflix), Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy (Amazon), Shrinking (Apple), SNL (NBC), Studio C (BYU TV) , Stumble (Peacock/NBC), Twisted Metal (Peacock), Universal Basic Guys (Fox), Upload (Amazon) Yes, Chef (Peacock)

Extremely Belated Top 12 TV Shows of 2024

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.

 

3. Ghosts, CBS- Utkarsh Ambudkar and Rose McIver star as a yuppie couple from the Big Apple who inherit a mansion that’s inhabited by eight ghosts of different eras. There’s a Viking who grunts a lot; a Native American; an effeminate Revolutionary War captain; a 19th Century schoolmarm with aristocratic roots; a sassy flapper from the Prohibition Era; a flower child who is permanently tripping through the afterlife; a square scout leader from the 80s; and a Wall Street playboy from the 90s. The octet makes for a brilliantly strange found family of people whose only commonality is that they died in the the same spot -- seemingly all of them in comic ways. Each year, the show does a solid job of finding ways to expand its world further out—whether through recurring characters or new revelations about the existing ten—while also balancing the need for the show to be maintained as popcorn TV.

 

 

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.

 

5. Krapopolis- Animated show set in a city adjacent to the glory of Athens. The show gets endless mileage out of reality-bending plots and mythology gags. There's plenty of amusing in-fighting within this clan, but it's more along the lines of a family sitcom, making it a kinder and gentler cousin to the nihilistic-leaning Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites.

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 12^th 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)

1.     , 

Best TV Shows of 2024: Ten Runners-Up

I've been doing this every year since 2009, so no reason to stop now.

In alphabetical order:

Baby Reindeer (Netflix) Despite its bleak subject matter, this trigger tale of an Irish stand-up suffering sexual abuse, female-on-male stalking, and gaslighting from the police managed to catch the zeitgeist of Netflix’s viewership. Why? For god’s sake, it’s based on a true story, so are we sick voyeurs for being spectators? My take: I think the authenticity of Richard Gadd as a likable guy helps, but it’s more that through all the murk, it’s a life-affirming tale of overcoming that doesn’t cut corners. But, be prepared: Major trigger warnings.

Bad Monkey (Apple) Full disclosure: I recently read three Carl Hiassen novels and they were all better reads than this one. But considering this is what Apple chose to adapt and I have to judge it for what it is, let’s face it: Most, if not all, Carl Hiassen novels could be adapted to make great TV. This one has some superfluous plot lines, but it has a great maverick of a hero, a well-defined villain, and plenty of Florida quirk. In an era where there’s not enough real estate on the box office release schedule for comic stars, there’s something worth celebrating about Vince Vaughn being able to sink his teeth into such a fitting role, no matter the medium.

Death and Other Details (Hulu) An ornate whodunnit set in international waters with some solid late-stage twists. What’s most impressive here (not to discount Mandy Patinkin’s measured performance) is that it feels so classic. Despite plotpoints revolving around crypto, cloud storage, BDSM, nepobabies, this feels like it could fit into the repertoire of an Agatha Christie novel.

Life and Beth (Hulu) This tale of love and compromise is based on executive producer and star Amy Schumer’s own experiences in a marriage to a man who was later diagnosed as autistic. The show is shot like an indie dramedy with meandering stories and a camera that isn’t focused directly on the action.   It’s fitting considering this isn’t a typical Hollywood romance. It’s an eye-opening and reaffirming look at life alongside someone on the spectrum from the POV of a complete outsider. The wedding episode was one of the most beautiful episodes of the genre the second season contained a couple clunkers.

Manhunt  (Apple) - The aftermath of the Civil War is an interesting topic in a PBS/Ken Burns way but most tourists to DC delving into Lincoln tourism want to know the juicy saga of John Wilkes Booth, the conspiracy, and his escape route. Characters like enigmatic Dr. Samuel Mudd (though less so from the point of view of the series), Lewis Powell, Mary Surratt and Edwin Booth himself are great fodder for drama, and this series interweaves their fates with the larger currents. It also goes without saying that this is a period piece on Apple TV: There’s some great scenery porn here.

Mulligan (Netflix): From 30 Rock co-creator (the one who gets a LOT less attention than Tina Fey) Robert Carlock, this animated post-apocalyptic comedy borrows some of the same absurdist humor at the dialogue level. In the second season, the show proves it still has momentum. It will likely never achieve must-watch status but it’s great popcorn comedy, and it’s highly rewatchable.

Resident Alien (SyFy) The idyllic town of Patience had two welcome additions this season. It was highly amusing to see the emotionless Harry court and eventually get horny with an alien bird (Edi Patterson, a role she was born to play) this season. Enver Gjokaj also proved a menacing foe and provided a slight bit of situational comedy as a grey alien (I think?) who goes under the loosest of qualifications of a date with Asta to get to Harry’s DNA. On the other hand, the mythology started going backwards and looping inwards on itself. Is there anyone who’s not in on the secret of extraterrestrial life at this point? How did we go this far into the story only to discover two key characters are kidnapped on a nightly basis? And, I’ll admit, I don’t remember who is and who isn’t a grey, but blame the show: I don’t have a reason to care.  Still, this has long been one of my favorite shows on the air. There are few virtual worlds I’d rather live in than Patience, Colorado and a little backwards movement won’t keep me away.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney Plus) It’s not easy to recapture the childlike sense of adventure of Star Wars and translate it to an audience that has now grown into adult sensibilities. But, by Jove! I think Star Wars has done it! Actually, I just wanted to use the phrase “By Jove!” somewhere. In reality, there’s an argument to be made that Star Wars has always approached its far away galaxy with a sense of sharing wonder and awe. Yes, it can lead to a massive overload of special effects, but when done right- a tense plot with escalation (kids being kidnapped), great actors (Jude Law, check, Kerry Condon, check, whoever is behind that robot with the pirate accent, check)- the second-to-none visuals are properly augmented with true vision.

Thank God You’re Here (Australia Network 10) You young’uns have to remember that back in my day shows being bought back from the dead didn’t happen very often. We would have to got together in the kinds of numbers needed to cure world hunger and mailed subway sandwiches to the studio. So yes, it feels miraculous that this mid-2000s Australian improv game show has found a second wind about 15 years after going off the air. The show’s format is one where comedic actors are thrust into an unfamiliar scene where non-cooperative scene partners try to trip them up. The show’s original featured a number of Down Under talents (Rebel Wilson, Rhys Darby, Angus Sampson, and Josh Lawson) before they were known to US audiences, as well as at least a dozen others who should get that privilege soon. The remake does little tweaking to the old formula with a new host. The vast majority of these episodes can be found on YouTube and the adventurous improver in you can even play along.

X-Men 97 (Disney Plus)-I'll admit to being thoroughly engrossed by the original X-Men cartoons as a child of the 90s. Upon rewatch as an adult, I was mostly amused by the cringe puns and awkward national stereotypes. I'm sure some comic book fans feel differently, but I think most of us can agree that the show did an impressive job of taking the contours of a child's cartoon (and yes, I'm likely picking a fight with comic book enthusiasts) and gaving the material a grown-up makeover. The characters are still cringe, but the arcs tie together more smoothly, actions are filled with  more consequences, and the stakes elevate so much each episode, it's almost like a Peak TV serial. Plus, who would have thought we'd see the day when Jubilee wouldn't be annoying? She even got her own episode and it wasn't awful.

Top 12 Shows of 2023

 

Photo by Freestocks on Unsplash

Here is my annual Top 12 in TV (for past editions, see here and here). My list of honorable mentions is here:

1. Party Down (Starz)

Party Down

When it debuted in 2009, Party Down was one of the early runners of TV’s Golden Age with its strong ensemble, dripping ennui, and envelope-pushing humor. The show centers around six creative has-beens and not-quite-there-yet characters in Hollywood during their downtime at various catering gigs. In the original run, a status-quo-favoring Murphy’s Law kept the characters from getting too successful. To counter this depressing set-up, the characters fully embrace their purgatory with a sense of hedonism that rubs against the subculture of the week in hilarious ways.

To see Party Down return without a single change is worth celebrating, but the show opted for the more challenging route and allowed them to exit and find success. Or at least the possibility of it, however fleeting. The show’s hiatus lasted 14 years and a decade has passed in-universe. To keep the truth and fun in these characters amid such changing conditions is no easy accomplishment.

Stories are made and broken based on how they resolve. At the end of the day, Party Down resolved on the most pitch-perfect note for me.

2. Futurama (FOX)

Futurama (FOX)

Good news, everyone! Like Party Down, Futurama came back from the dead. For the third time, no less! The show continued to provide sharp evergreen humor balanced with seasonings of topicality: The show approached anti-vaxers, Amazon warehouse conditions, cancel culture, binge-watching, and a particularly clever cross-genre episode set in the old West amidst a Bitcoin mining rush. The show also continued to navigate the aftermath of the Leela-Fry relationship while keeping things fresh.

3. Killing It (Peacock)

Peacock’s ode to the bizarre scheme, Floridians is so popular that it grows in its sophomore season to cover more challenging moral implications while maintaining the sense of free-for-all fun. As the second season opens, the two protagonists (Claudia O’Doherty and Craig Robinson) are enjoying a brief respite of success as proprietors of a palmetto berry farm before getting entangled with a truant inspector (Beck Bennett); a white trash family (led by Dot Marie Jones) who are not above coercing our heroes for free health care); a mob boss (Tim Heidecker) and his adorably vicious daughter (Anna Mae Quinn); and the FBI because that’s where all these stories tend to end. The now well-established chemistry between Robinson and O’Doherty grows into the rare opposite-sex platonic relationship on TV that grounds the show with warmth. This is a season that establishes itself as next-level TV, however, by adding another layer to show their subtle moral differences and how unadulterated kindness can only take you so far in the business world.

4. Pain Killer (Netflix)

Limited series docudramas have made quite the dent in the TV landscape as of late with Inventing Anna, Drop Out, and the like. None have had the bite and emotional truth of Pain Killer. The show presents a tapestry of people involved in the opioid crisis. Matthew Broderick epitomizes the modern-day corporate oligarch who’s completely detached from the deathly consequences of his profit motive. He’s so slimy and aloof in this role, that he washes away any goodwill that used to come with his boyish features since the days of Ferris Bueller. Facing off against him and his corporation is a federal prosecutor in rural Virginia on the side of the righteous (Uzo Adoba). While the series is set with the proper gravity of the opioid crisis (AKA it can be a downer), there are glimmers of hope and pathos. It’s a thoughtful series, but also a kinetic one like a police procedural.

5. American Auto (NBC)

American Auto https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/american-auto-season-2-on-nbc-what-to-know

Justin Spitzer’s follow-up to NBC hit Superstore aims for a target in the upper-income bracket. Starring SNL alum Ana Gasteyer, the show takes place in the executive suites of a Detroit motor corporation. Our audience surrogates are put-upon communications officer Sadie (Harriet Dyer) and the blue-collar worker Jack (Tye White), who got promoted upwards through sheer dumb luck. As the series progresses, however, Jack and Sadie show signs of being more comfortable in their first-class digs than they do being among the common people. Rather than poke fun at rich and powerful people for simply being rich and powerful (the method of present-day satire like The Menu or Glass Onion), American Auto presents rich people as both being victims of their detachment but also a product of an ecosystem of enhanced scrutiny and increasing demands on the shareholders. Most of the time, however, it’s just a damn funny workplace sitcom.

6. Rough Diamonds (Netflix)

Rough Diamonds on Netflix.com

The issues of insularity, abuse, and lack of free will in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, have made a rife breeding ground for great drama in film and television. Rough Diamonds adds a European flavor to the mix as it is set in the shady world of the diamond trade in Antwerp, Belgium. The story centers around family pariah Noah who went straight from an insular, religious life into the criminal underworld of London. A dozen years later, he returns when one of his three siblings commits suicide. He soon learns that despite their holier-than-thou attitude (quite literally), his family isn’t much better at keeping their professional aims above criminal activity. The parallel compromises in morality that Noah and his brother must make, are a theme here. It is a tense pressure cooker of the show that provides a relatively even-keeled look at the issues surrounding the community.

7. The Class of 07 (Amazon)

The Class of 07

The 10-year reunion at an all-girls Australian school turns into a semi-apocalypse whereby all the participants’ old grudges resurface. If Crayola’s top engineers ever arrived at a color blacker than black, that would be the best description for this show’s brand of comedy. Few shows so tonally bleak have ever been played out for comedy like this — at various points, the characters resort to eating shoes, hold a town hall over which survivor they’ll be eating, and make their peace with intended murder. Yet, it’s all juxtaposed against the kinds of delights of long-lost friends reconnecting and working out their struggles. To the degree that the Bechdel Test still is a thing, this show deserves credit for adding so much weight to each of its female friendships and treating them as a means to their end.

8. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

In its fifth and final season, the show boldly incorporates several time jumps to show that there’s light at the end of the tunnel for our struggling Borscht Belt comedian and her cantankerous agent. Managing parental expectations, commercial success and lasting love will never be easy for someone who ventures so far outside of the bounds of her era’s norms, but that’s what makes Midge a character to root for. That, and she can work a room with such charm. In its final season, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was as sharp, funny, and warm as ever. In other words, it left us wanting more and that’s what any good performer would hope for.

Check out my interview with Caroline Aaron ahead of the final season

9. Schmicago AKA Shmigadoon Season 2 (Apple)

Schmicago AKA Shmigadoon Season 2 (Apple)

What do Sweeney Todd, Hair, Pippen, Annie, Godspell, Chicago, and Cabaret have in common? If you’re thinking “Virtually nothing”, you’re not wrong. This is why Schmicago (AKA Schmigadoon) deserves much credit for integrating such a tonally wide range of musicals and weaving them into a coherent story in just episodes. As with the best parodies, the production values and quality of the songs veer razor-thin to the source material while making notable departures when there’s an opportunity for a good joke. Cecily Strong and Keegan Michael Key play the audience surrogate and Strong in particular has to be given credit for her deadpan reactions. Several heavy hitters on Broadway (Aaron Tevit, Dove Cameron, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Krakowski, etc.) set the bar even higher, and now how to add a winking dose of humor to an authentic show-stopping number.

10. Tiny Tunes Looniversity (HBO Now)

Tiny Tunes Looniversity (HBO Now)

Another reboot that hit some chords with me. The show re-imagines some of the beloved figures of our childhood (I’m assuming that everyone is a child of the 90s. If not, I apologize for your imperfections) as existing within a more coherent universe. In contrast to the original which struggled to maintain any geographical continuity in sketches that took place outside of the shared high school that the characters shared, this show takes place entirely within the confines of a university for toons, allowing for a lot more world-building. The five main characters (Babs, Buster, Daffy, Hampton, and an ascended extra in Sweetie Bird) all are dorm mates coping with the rigors of college. The strength of the show is how well they tweak the characters where needed: Characters like Bugs and Babs are the same, but Sweetie (who was only featured in one episode in the original) is maniacally bipolar; Shirley the Loon is more modern-day hipster than a clairvoyant Shirley MacLaine expy; and Dizzy Devil is a needy manchild with a kind heart.

11. Ghosts (CBS)

Ghosts (CBS)

Eight ghosts from different eras (the 60s hippie movement, the Guided Age, Wall Street excess, the Revolutionary War, etc) inhabit an upstate New York mansion with the ability to talk to just one of the home’s two owners. But as anyone can tell you, it’s the delivery that makes the difference. The eight actors (largely unknowns outside of Rebecca Wiscocky) create comically rich characters with rife potential for great comic dynamics (imagine a Victorian-Age snoot interacting with a free-wheeling Prohibition-Era jazz singer: You get the idea), and the dialogue never fails to exploit these possibilities. The eight ghosts provide the laughs while the couple at the center (Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar) provide the TGIF-ish heart.

12. Jury Duty (Amazon)

Jury Duty (Amazon)

This one’s gonna take some explanation, so bear with me. This show is a reality/comedy hybrid in which everyone in a Los Angeles court trial is an actor except one unsuspecting sweetheart named Ron. The goal of the actors is to A) Convince Ron that they are real at whatever they’re supposed to be (judges, lawyers, fellow jury members, etc.), B) Create comedy by adding bizarreness through the proceedings, and C) Give opportunities to show Ron as a good guy. Also, mid-level actor James Marsden is here and he plays himself. Only a little more conceited. Again, it’s one of those things It’s nowhere near the first reality show in the medium’s history to give its contestants or contestants a skewed version of the truth, but few have engineered the story arc in such a heart-warming, funny, and clever way. Credit where credit is due: Showrunners Gene Stupinsky and Lee Eisenberg were big forces behind The Office, and their next project looks to be equally promising.

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Honorable Mentions (covered in a separate article):

The Afterparty (Apple), Captain Fall (Netflix), Florida Man (Netflix), Hello Tomorrow (Apple), History of the World Part II (Hulu), Krapopolis (Fox), Mulligan (Netflix), Night Watchman (Netflix), Poker Face (Netflix)

Everything I watched:

After Party (Apple), Agent Elvis  (Netflix), Alaska Daily (ABC), Alex Borstein: Corsets and Clown Suits (Amazon), American Auto (NBC), Animal Control (Fox), Animaniacs (Hulu), Based on a True Story (Peacock), Big Door Prize (Apple Plus), Black Mirror (Netflix), Captain Fall (Netflix), Carol at the End of the World (Netflix), Class of 07 (Amazon), Cleopatra (Netflix), Cunk on Earth (Netflix), Cruel Summer (Freeform), Disenchantment (Netflix), Diplomat (Netflix), Florida Man (Netflix), Futurama (Hulu), Ghosts (CBS), Good Omens (Amazon), The Great (Hulu), Hello Tomorrow (Apple), History of the World Part I (Hulu), House Broken (Fox), It’s Always Sunny (FX), Jury Duty (Amazon), Killing It (Peacock), Krapopolis (Fox), Mrs Davis (Peacock), Mayfair Witches (AMC), Miracle Workers (HBO), Mubar (Netflix), Mulligan (Netflix), Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon),Not Dead Yet (ABC), Night Watchman (Netflix), Night Court (NBC), One Piece (Netflix), Pain Killer (Netflix), Party Down (Starz), Praise Petey (Freeform), Righteous Gemstones (HBO), Rough Diamonds (Netflix), Poker Face (Peacock), Saturday Night Live (NBC), Scott Pilgrim vs the World (Netflix) (very little), Schmigadoon (Apple Plus), Shrinking (Apple), Studio C (BYU TV), That’s My Jam (NBC), Tiny Toons Looniversity (Toon Network/HBO Now), Transatlantic (Netflix), Unstable (Netflix), Welcome to Flatch (Fox), Working Moms (Netflix), What We Do in the Shadows (FX),Yellowjackets (Showtime)