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)
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