Check out the previous year-end reviews.
The Top 11 of 2019:
The Umbrella Academy (2019-)
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2019 February 15)
Created by: Jeremy Slater
Starring: Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton, Adam Godley, Colm Feore
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer & more information
Plot
A disbanded and dysfunctional family of superheroes reunite after their adoptive father, who trained them to save the world, dies.
Verdict
This show has a great vibe. It's the end of the world, but the siblings are busy arguing with each other. That's the tone of this show, comedy against a dire backdrop. The story is engrossing with mysteries and reveals in equal measure. Be forewarned, this does end on a big cliff hanger. Most of the characters are well developed. The stylized production is really well done and the soundtrack is simply amazing. I rarely binge a show non-stop, but I couldn't stop watching this.
Full review
Babylon 5 (1994-1998)
Watch Babylon 5 Season 2 on Amazon Video Season 2 - 22 episodes (1994-95)
Watch Babylon 5 Season 3 on Amazon Video Season 3 - 22 episodes (1995-96)
Watch Babylon 5 Season 4 on Amazon Video Season 4 - 22 episodes (1996-97)
Watch Babylon 5 Season 5 on Amazon Video Season 5 - 22 episodes (1998)
Created by: J. Michael Straczynski
Starring: Bruce Boxleitner, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, Jerry Doyle, Bill Mumy, Claudia Christian, Michasel O'Hare
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
In the mid 23rd Century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions, and various wars over the course of five years.
Verdict
What this show does is so impressive. It's like a novel in how the first seasons setup the great war while still developing these characters. It's a space opera and I mean that as a compliment. It's a broad story that balances a galactic war with characters that grow and develop almost every episode. This tackles tough issues, and it's hard not to like these characters by the end. Their personal journeys are so intriguing and they change so much by the close of the show. The writing is top notch.
At first I thought this was a knock-off Star Trek, quitting half way into the first episode, but I went back and it becomes so much more, telling a story much bigger than Star Trek ever managed. This show is so entirely underrated.
Full review
The Office (2005-2013)
Season 2 - 22 episodes (2006)
Season 3 - 25 episodes (2007)
Season 4 - 19 episodes (2008)
Created by: Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Starring: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, Craig Robinson, Ellie Kemper
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.
Verdict
I really thought this show might not be as good as I remembered or the first season would be bland, but from the beginning this show is so funny. A big part of it is that I can relate. I work in an office. Few shows make me laugh as much as this show.
While it does lose some appeal once the story gets broader, I forgot Jim and Pam were a thing from the beginning. A lot of plot points I thought happened after the show started declining were there early on.
The series has a normal that it drifts from and comes back to. I didn't like when Jim transferred, but that doesn't last long. Season 4 is the first time I checked the time on an episode to see when it would end. It's the episode where Michael drives into a lake.
It really is one of the funniest shows, with these disparate personalities interacting and reacting This is at it's best when things are just slightly awkward. There's a great understated hilariousness to that and the show lost that as Michael did increasingly dumber things. Once Michael left, it was never quite the same.
While this lasted nine seasons, I only watched the first four in this session.
Love, Death & Robots (2019-)
Season 1 - 18 episodes (2019)
Watch Love, Death & Robots Season 1 on NetflixCreated by: Tim Miller
Starring: Scott Whyte, Nolan North, Matthew Yang King
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer & more info
Plot
In this animated anthology series for adults, the shorts span the genres of science fiction and fantasy to horror and comedy while presenting a variety of animation formats from traditional 2D to photo-real 3D CGI. Each segment is about ten minutes long, created by different teams of filmmakers from around the world.
Verdict
This is a fun watch. Each ten minute episode provides a quick idea, some only half an idea, but I loved every bit of it. Even the episodes I didn't like as much, are over soon enough. Some of the CGI is just crazy good. There are a lot of episodes that are really neat. Even if you aren't a fan of sci-fi, this isn't always heavy on the science. I like that this isn't a show that asks me to remember a lot or watch a dozen episodes for a conclusion. It's easy, fun, and I want more. This contains eighteen unique ideas, and some of these worlds are ripe to be revisited. I hope this gets a second set of stories.
Full Review
Flight of the Conchords (2007-09)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2009)
Watch Love, Death & Robots Season 1 on Netflix
Created by: James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie
Starring: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Bret and Jemaine are Flight of the Conchords, a folk-rock band from New Zealand living in New York City in search of stardom.
Verdict
I'm a big fan of What We Do in the Shadows, and this has been on my watch list for a long time. This is very indie with the band breaking into song at least once an episode. The humor is understated, but very clever. In the first episode they sing a song about a girl "so beautiful [she] could be a waitress" or "a part time model."
I love how subtle the humor is. It's ridiculous, but the actors downplay it. You could miss it if you aren't paying attention. Rhymnocerus and Hiphopotamus are amazing rap names.
It's great in the way it presents humor and the songs as well. Very enjoyable, very funny.
Chernobyl (2019)
Mini-series - 5 episodes
Created by: Craig Mazin
Starring: Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson
Rated: TV-MA
Plot
In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world's worst man-made catastrophes.
Verdict
From the very start of this series I loved it. It's an amazing story that's true. That fact gives this an extra impact. The production design is fantastic, the directing is effective, and the writing that serves as the foundation is excellent. It's absolutely amazing and a must watch. It follows the Chernobyl disaster from the beginning through the perspective of a scientist and bureaucrat. The series does everything right, presenting this story while also urging the viewer to do their own research. While Chernobyl is an incredible event, this series does an incredible job of portraying that story. I watched each episode as it aired, and watched a second time before the next episodes. That's how good this is.
Full Review
When They See Us (2019)
Mini-series - 4 episodes
Watch When They See Us on Netflix
Created by: Ava DuVernay
Starring: Jharrel Jerome, Jovan Adepo, Michael K. Williams, Logan Marshall-Green, Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, and Kylie Bunbury
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer & More info
Plot
This series spans from 1989 to 2014 focusing on the Central Park jogger case where five juveniles were convicted of assault and rape. They were convicted twice before their sentences were vacated in 2002 when the real perpetrator confessed to the crimes.
Verdict
From the first episode this draws you in. This chronicles the injustice of the justice system. What happened to these kids is brutal, and it's all the worse because it's true. This isn't the only time cops have coerced a confession or made the confession fit what they want to have happened.
While the justice system doesn't always fail, a failure like this is especially egregious when it fails at every step of the way, from the cops to the DA to the trial. It's a tragedy.
The series also depicts life after incarceration and it's bleak. When you can't get a job it's tempting to turn to crime.
Full Review
Fleabag (2016-)
Season 1 - 6 episodes (2016)
Season 2 - 6 episodes (2017)
Created by: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Starring: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the Season 1 trailer
Watch the Season 2 trailer
Plot
A dry-witted woman, known as Fleabag navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy. Without a filter those that don't avoid her are rejected when trying to help.
Verdict
Incredible show. It's well written, blending comedy, drama, and truth. It taps into those feelings everyone has but don't voice. The protagonist is dealing with grief and a terrible mother in law figure, while trying to deal with her business and a love life. The kicker is that she's a horrible person, selfish and unsympathetic. That makes this intriguing to watch. It's a fantastic show.
Full Review
Broadchurch (2013-17)
Rent Broadchruch on Amazon Prime Video
Created by: Chris Chibnall
Starring: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the Season 1 trailer
Plot
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
Verdict
This has a great start that completely pulls you in, but it's the characters that keep you involved. The mystery is sufficient, but the main characters are fully formed, many of the secondary characters too. This murder is starting to pull the town apart as long dead secrets get a second life, and a second chance to destroy lives. The reporters have their headlines changed to something more salacious and that becomes an issue when people believe every word. The mystery is hard to guess, but it's the result that hits other characters hard.
Succession (2018-)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2019)
Rent Succesion Season 2 on Amazon Video
Created by: Jesse Armstrong
Starring: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck
Rating: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Logan Roy and his four children control one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. When the aging patriarch begins to step back from the company, the children contemplate what the future and company will hold for them.
Verdict
Season one soon become my favorite current series, and season two is just as good. The characters are wealthy, condescending, and ruthless. I waver between rooting for them to succeed and fail, but what really sets this apart is the writing. There is a lot of depth to these characters and so much of that derives not from what is said, but how they talk to each other and interact. So much characterization happens between the lines. The series certainly contains big events and dire deadlines, but it's the characters that drive the series.
Full Review
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Season 1 - 7 episodes (2008)
Season 2 - 13 episodes (2009)
Season 3 - 13 episodes (2010)
Season 4 - 13 episodes (2011)
Rent Breaking Bad on Amazon Video
Created by: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Dean Norris, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito
Rating: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine in order to secure his family's future.
Verdict
It's a lot of fun watching this knowing how it ends. Walt goes from a punchline to a villain. He was too smart to be a teacher, but too hard headed to do more. We see Walt devolve. At first he was just a normal human being in a crazy situation.
I forgot how much the show set into motion in just the first season. Skylar was onto him, his brother is a DEA agent, and that's just on the homefront. So many of Walt's actions look much darker in retrospect. We want to cheer when he knocks a jerk BMW driver down a notch, but this belies something much darker in Walt. Walt could have been part of a million dollar company. How did he fall from that? Watching the show the first time you see that through Walt's perspective. Having seen the whole series, Walt can't be trusted.
Walt and Jesse are great characters and their idiosyncrasies are on full display in Fly. Jesse also changes throughout the series, despite how it wants to seem, he has a lot of compassion. Walt takes full advantage of that.
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