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Open Source Idiom posted:Whoops, wrong thread. I meant the decade one. The deadline is going to move don't worry
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Dec 31, 2021 06:58
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I’m not sure if Blindspotting will make my top 10 because I haven’t ranked things yet, but there’s a very good chance it will. What a great show.
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Dec 31, 2021 11:07
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I think we all know the score by now: Esco watches too much TV and then posts a huge loving list. Although I still haven’t topped 2019 for number of shows watched, I did manage to hit 150 easy, and a lot of those shows were extremely good. Invincible and WandaVision aren’t even here, and they were both killer. So, as with last year, I’m doing a top 50. Here’s the first half: 50. We Are Lady Parts (Channel 4) 49. Servant (Apple TV+) 48. What We Do in the Shadows (FX) 47. Ultra City Smiths (AMC) 46. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) 45. Making It (NBC) 44. Love Life (HBO Max) 43. Squid Game (Netflix) 42. Dickinson (Apple TV+) 41. Ten Year Old Tom (HBO Max) 40. Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim) 39. PEN15 (Hulu) 38. Swagger (Apple TV+) 37. Pose (FX) 36. Black Monday (Showtime) 35. Impeachment: American Crime Story (FX) 34. Mr Inbetween (FX) 33. Creamerie (TVNZ) 32. Evil (Paramount+) 31. Snowpiercer (TNT) 30. Search Party (HBO Max) 29. Loki (Disney+) 28. Taskmaster (Channel 4) 27. Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu) 26. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head: An Emotional History of the Modern World (BBC iPlayer) And now I start writing words: 25. Adventure Time: Distant Lands (HBO Max) - One of these episodes was an all-time great episode of my favourite animated show ever, and a near-perfect goodbye to its leads. The other was a pretty ok story about a side character. For some reason the latter was the finale??? 24. Never Have I Ever (Netflix) - A slight step down from the first season but still an excellent high school sitcom with an incredible lead performance. 23. Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform) - Criminally underwatched and sadly now cancelled, this was a peaceful oasis of a show even when the characters were all wildly stressed out. 22. Dave (FXX) - I still don’t understand how the worst rapper ever has made a show this good. Hilarious and poignant in equal measure. 21. Doom Patrol (HBO Max) - While not quite up to the standard of the first two seasons this was still bizarre and brilliant, with April Bowlby really coming into her own as the de facto lead of the season. 20. The Other Two (HBO Max) - One of the best and sharpest Hollywood satires in a long time got even better this season while also having strong character arcs that pushed the leads forward in new and interesting ways. 19. Mythic Quest (Apple TV+) - Another great comedy with a big leap in quality and very good arcs for its main characters. Plus they managed to top last season’s flashback episode with that insane, Craig Mazin-written Longbottom ep. 18. The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+) - I mean it is actually like being in the room with The Beatles. They all seem so fuckin cool and this is just so delightful and a real joy. 17. It’s a Sin (Channel 4) - Perhaps Russell T. Davis’ strongest work ever, a heartbreaking and rage-inducing look at the AIDS crisis that still has plenty of moments of levity and joy. 16. MAID (Netflix) - John Wells brings his Shameless style to the story of a woman working her rear end off to escape an emotionally abusive relationship. A strong look at the injustices and frustrations abuse survivors can face, with an astonishing lead performance from Margaret Qualley, that also happens to be extremely entertaining. 15. Girls5eva (Peacock) - Of all the sitcoms to come from ex-Tina Fey show writers this is easily my favourite. Hilarious music industry satire with gut-bustingly funny songs and a perfect cast. 14. Yellowjackets (Showtime) - In ten years this is either going to be known as an all-timer or a beautiful trainwreck. But right now it’s suspenseful and intriguing and unbelievably well-written and cast. 13. Betty (HBO) - A really beautiful and underrated look at a group of female skateboarders in NYC. Although season 1’s aimlessness was killer the extra focus on story this season added so much humour and great character moments. Pouring one out for a show that deserved way more. 12. Mare of Easttown (HBO) - There is so much good here that I don’t mind overlooking the only-okay mystery side. So much fantastic character work, impeccably-scripted and performed. Jean Smart is loving awesome. 11. Hacks (HBO Max) - Very much struggled between this and the show in tenth place. Fantastic look at generational divides and how to stay relevant in comedy. And Jean Smart is loving awesome. Wait, did I say that already? okay, and now for the bit that actually counts!!! 10. The Underground Railroad (Prime Video) The most essential show of the year, it’s an absolute crime that Amazon dropped this all at once with so little fanfare when it really needed the space to breathe. Barry Jenkins’ sublime adaptation of the excellent Colson Whitehead novel follows an escaped slave on a magical realism-tinged journey through various representations of America’s complicated history with the race they enslaved. The storytelling is so human and powerful and evocative, the acting so moving, the images breathtaking - this isn’t just the most well-shot show of the year, but undeniably a contender for one of the best of all time. There were some minor pacing issues, but mostly this suffered because I tried to watch too much at once, when this show absolutely NEEDS to be savoured. Bezos!!!!!! 09. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) True crime podcasting was so overdue for a roasting that this might actually be a little out of date, not that I care at all when a show is this good. What’s most impressive is that it actually also manages to be a legitimately engaging murder mystery on top of the pitch-perfect satire. A fantastic trio of lead performances and some really effective perspective changes throughout meant it always stayed sharp and interesting, while the mystery was very well-paced. Also it turns out Selena Gomez is a master of deadpan??? Steve Martin was away from our screens for too long and this was a wonderful way for him to return. 08. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix) The first season of this show was about as close to perfect as a sketch show has ever gotten, and this season is about 93% as good as that one, which means it’s still leagues above almost any other sketch show to ever exist. Robinson is still the master of confused belligerence and heightening social situations to unbearable degrees, but there’s so much more here, from the gut-bustingly funny Coffin Floppers to Ezra Koenig’s sloppy steaks soundtrack to Patti Harrison stealing the whole thing with her two appearances. Just….still one of the absolute motherfucking funniest shows I’ve ever seen in my entire life, basically. 07. How To with John Wilson (HBO) Nathan For You meets @whatisnewyork. I had no idea how this season was going to live up to the first, which was one of the most unexpectedly amazing pieces of TV of 2020, but in the end it equals it - perhaps not having as many moments where my mouth was agape with the sheer lunacy on display, but making up for it with more emotional depth and a series of truly insane revelations about John’s past. Made me cry at Avatar superfans on Christmas Day, which is just a wild loving sentence. One of my biggest laughs was during the end credits of each episode when I remembered the two new additions to the writing team this year were Adult Swim maniac Conner O’Malley and Orchid Thief author/Twitter’s official wine mom Susan Orlean. What a combo! 06. Blindspotting (Starz) Daveed Diggs may do a lot of corny poo poo, but he gets a forever pass from me for this franchise. This show - a continuation of the excellent 2018 movie, switching the focus to Jasmine Cephas Jones’ character as she deals with her boyfriend’s incarceration - is so profound and funny and experimental in all the best ways. It’s one of those shows where every frame is just bursting with this vibrancy, especially notable in the rap/dance segments, which are, simply put, extremely powerful and beautiful. Diggs doesn’t show up on screen but him and co-creator Rafael Casal (whose character still appears a whole bunch) make their unique presence felt in every scene. One of the great surprises of 2021, and one I cannot wait to see return. 05. For All Mankind (Apple TV+) The first season of Ronald D. Moore’s alt-history space race drama - the secret star of Apple’s streaming launch - started off a little dry, before slowly gathering steam, leading into an emotional, intense crescendo of a finale, paying off several character arcs in incredibly satisfying ways. This season, it did that exact thing again, but even better. This is such a heavily plot-based show that it can be difficult to talk about without getting into specifics, but essentially almost every single character’s storyline is so layered and emotionally resonant and well-paced. One of the things I really like about this show is how despite being a sci-fi where our spacefaring exploits far exceed what we’ve done irl and getting pretty god damned dramatic at times it remains extremely grounded and realistic. It’s hard to get THIS intense without it becoming a little melodramatic or overwrought, but they pull it off exceptionally well. There is one major exception, one storyline that is really extremely bafflingly bad, but it is so separate from the vast majority of the show that it hardly matters. The finale of this season is the hardest I cried at any piece of media in 2021, and even several months later I’m astonished at how well they pulled off these perfect emotional climaxes. God! This show is so underrated! Watch this loving show! 04. The White Lotus (HBO) I took a break in between writing the last entry and this one in order to sleep and generally not burn myself out. One of the things I did was go back and look at my old rankings, and my 2013 list had a part in my Enlightened blurb where I call Mike White “one of TV’s only auteurs” or some such thing which is adorable both because of me still thinking the auteur theory was a thing and because of the sheer amount of TV writer-directors we’ve had since. But when The White Lotus - White’s first TV project since Enlightened ended over eight years ago - dropped, and dominated the cultural discourse for a few weeks, it became clear that he was still one of TV’s most singular and interesting creators, and that his voice had been sorely missed. Approached by HBO to create a miniseries that could easily adhere to COVID filming protocols, White penned a wildly funny and razor-sharp satire of the ultra-rich, set in a Hawaiian resort that in real life costs in the realm of five figures a night and populating it with hilariously horrible vacationers - and long-suffering staff - played by some of the best character actors in the game. There are so many instantly memorable characters in this show, from Murray Bartlett’s chirpy and frustrated resort manager to Jennifer Coolidge’s grieving daughter to Sydney Sweeney’s sullen teen to Jake Lacy’s absurdly entitled newlywed t-ok enough of that now, while the slow descent into more tragic territory and surreal filmmaking meant we were always kept on our toes. Usually I dislike when a miniseries gets made into a continuing series due to popularity (Big Little Lies season 2, anyone?), but in this case, I’m just so happy we’re getting more Mike White so soon. He really deserves it. 03. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) The first season of Ted Lasso is one of those minor miracles that came along at just the right time and enchanted us all when we needed it the most. A classic underdog sports story that also served as an ode to kindness and solidarity with a fantastic set of characters, it really deserved all the acclaim and statues it - along with co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis - picked up. The show could easily have sustained this style for the rest of the planned three seasons without any drop in quality, but the writing team - led by Bill Lawrence, always the best at mixing hilarious sitcom work with poignant, emotional drama - chose to instead shoot for the moon with a messy but ambitious and in the end far, far stronger season, which may have had some mild lows but which had some truly phenomenal highs. If Ted Lasso season 1 was a show about how kindness is enough, season 2 is a show about “but is it, though?”, especially in the context of a professional sports team. So ruthlessly interrogating a premise that had served them so well was a risky move, but the addition of therapy and trauma to the show’s key concepts paid off in spades, and mixed with what was there already so well that while it questioned Ted’s kindness it never, ever cheapened it. It also affected me personally - my dad, who loved this show so very much, died in September, and the first episode that aired after his death was about dead fathers in a way that really helped me process my grief, and still having more of his favourite show (I’m not kidding - we actually read out Lasso quotes at his funeral, mixed with Parks and Rec and The Phil Silvers Show quotes) to watch helped me feel a little closer to him when him being gone was still hitting me the hardest. Yet it wasn’t all gloomy, as the show also became a much better joke delivery system, and several characters really came into their own. But the highlight of the season, the storyline it will go down in history for, is Nate’s arc, an equally (to borrow a quote from earlier in this list) heartbreaking and rage-inducing look at how deep trauma can really run, portrayed brilliantly by season MVP Nick Mohammed. We also got a couple of one-off episodes due to Apple extending the episode order RIGHT as the season was all plotted out, and while inserting them in between other episodes and interrupting the arcs may not have been the best decision I personally thought they were both classics. This season didn’t work for some people, and I have to respect that - not everyone is down for ambitious messes like I am. But I can’t even begin to describe just how happy this show made me, and how sad I am that my dad never got to finish this incredible season of television. 02. Station Eleven (HBO Max) It is extremely unlike me to put a show that hasn’t even finished airing its first season this high up on my list, or even on my list at all. I’m pretty sure I’ve never done it ever. But the seven episodes of this show we got in 2021 are just……operating on such a high level that I can’t bring myself to put it any lower. Yes, it’s a post-apocalyptic story where the apocalypse was caused by a flu BUT if you can get past that you’ll find an absorbing narrative about the power of art and community. Creator Patrick Somerville (adapting an acclaimed 2014 novel) previously wrote for The Leftovers, and it’s clear he’s taken some lessons (as well as a few writers) from his old boss Damon Lindelof, as the mix of continuing present-day narrative and character-based flashback episodes works so perfectly, and the hints towards supernatural spookiness are just enough to stay intriguing without dampening anything. It’s also completely gorgeous, with Atlanta’s Hiro Murai setting up a beautiful eerie visual style, and has so so many fantastic actors, including Mackenzie Davis in the first role worthy of her talents since HaCF ended four years ago. I haven’t been able to shut up about this show for the past week and a bit, but I regret nothing. I’m so stoked for the last three episodes and I have every confidence they’ll wrap it up beautifully. edit they did and now it’s here 01. Succession (HBO) (quick note that this entry, unlike the others, contains some mild spoilers) NEVER IN DOUBT. Jesse Armstrong’s ruthless examination of the family at the head of a Murdoch-esque media dynasty, filled with hysterical black comedy and affecting family drama, was already easily one of the best shows on TV, sweeping the 2020 Emmys and deserving every drat trophy, and the two-year wait for this third season, following up on an exciting, mind-blowing s2 finale twist, was a brutal one. The wait was worth it - this is, in my opinion, not just the best season of the show so far, or of all of 2021, but it’s in the running for one of the best TV seasons ever to air on HBO, the network that has produced a great many of the best TV seasons of all time. Smarter, funnier, and more powerful than ever before, every single week felt like I was watching an instant classic unfold before my eyes, and this became the first show in years to be a legitimate rival to Better Call Saul for the title of best show on television. Honestly, I was tempted to just leave it there and let the hyperbolic language speak for itself. I mean, it’s not like there aren’t thousands upon thousands of other people singing this show’s praises everywhere you go, right? But let’s dive further. Perhaps the single greatest achievement of Succession is how it presents a show where almost every single character blatantly deserves the guillotine, yet still manages to make you care about them and their storylines. I can’t even begin to describe what an impossible tightrope this is to walk, yet Armstrong and co manage it by focusing on trauma and parental abuse. The Roy siblings are all insufferable pieces of poo poo, but they were created this way by their monster of a father, whose influence looms large over them at every moment even when he’s not in the room or even the same country as them, and Kendall’s desperate attempt to wage war against him only amplifies this. So it’s a drama about generational abuse that goes behind-the-scenes in the world of people who hold true power. Sounds stuffy as poo poo! Which brings us to the show’s second great achievement, managing to present all this in a package that is frequently hilarious and contemporary. It’s always been unbelievably funny - when your creator used to write for The Thick of It and also co-created Peep Show, that’s gonna happen - but this season upped the comedy game not just in the one-liners and insults, already the best on TV, but with some incredible comic storylines that nonetheless fit perfectly, such as Logan’s UTI. I mean, this is a show where accidentally sending a dick pic to your dad is not just the climax of a three-season character arc, but the most perfect and fitting possible climax to said arc. How the gently caress is something like that even possible? The final great achievement is that this show has in my opinion both the best set of characters AND the best cast of any show currently running. Logan Roy is a menacing and brutal pile of poo poo, and Brian Cox embodies every aspect of his heinous personality. Kendall is so pathetic and tragic, and Jeremy Strong’s somewhat worryingly dedicated acting style makes him such an electric and powerful presence. Roman is like a weird disgusting rear end in a top hat puppy dog, and Kieran Culkin nails every single one of his mannerisms (the dude’s physical acting this season was INSANE). Shiv is the most entitled and blinkered of them all, and Sarah Snook portrays her hypocrisies and frustrations brilliantly. Tom is a manic loyal wounded idiot, and Matthew Macfayden might currently be the funniest person on the show, only rivalled by his best scene partner Nicholas Braun, who continues to play Cousin Greg’s bumbling naivety perfectly while also nailing his turn to the dark side. Alan Ruck continues to give the best performance of his career as eldest Roy sibling, and the most ignorantly privileged of them all, Connor. And this isn’t even everyone! Far from it, in fact! One of my biggest issues as a TV watcher is how high I can set expectations in my mind, but Succession managed to not only meet those expectations but absolutely smash through even the highest ceiling of quality I could have imagined and cementing itself as an all-timer, as well as HBO’s best show since The Leftovers. It is just so superb in every single way, and I cannot wait to see what a seemingly drastically different fourth season will look like. This is why I love this medium. Now gently caress off. Escobarbarian fucked around with this message at 10:24 on Jan 18, 2022 |
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Jan 2, 2022 11:45
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Awesome list! I picked up the Station Eleven book last year but haven't had a chance to read it yet, didn't know they'd made a TV series of it but if Hiro Murai is involved then goddamn, I better read that book so I can watch that show! I should probably watch Succession, too!
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Jan 2, 2022 13:24
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Escobarbarian, I really enjoyed your list and I'm sorry about your father.
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Jan 3, 2022 04:28
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It’s pretty crazy how different each list is. It’s not like the GOTY thread where Endwalker is almost always number 1.
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Jan 4, 2022 09:10
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I didn't finish a lot of 2021 tv this year and I've burned enough on Disney that I'm not putting Wandavision on the list out of protest. Despite that, Wandavision really is a good show and if my 10th ranking doesn't fit within the rules, feel free to replace it with Wandavision in the official tabulation. 10. Ranking of Kings  Okay yeah, I know, but bear with me. I haven't really consumed anime in several years and generally lost a all my patience for any kind of anime cliches or tropes. Ranking of Kings blows any expectations of what it is out of the water in one of the most gorgeous, gripping shows I've ever seen. The story follows Bojji, the son of a mighty king Bosse. Bosse's strength and might has created a culture where it's expected for kings to be fearsome warriors who fight on the front lines. Unfortunately, Bojji was born physically weak and deaf. He's considered the embarrassment of the kingdom and treated like a complete idiot. Bojji aims to prove himself as a proper king and maintain a peaceful, prosperous nation. The central theme of the story focuses on expectations. Bojji is underestimated and dismissed because of his disabilities and even when he uses his disability to his advantage, the culture views it as sneaky and cowardly. The stakes against Bojji are massive and all-consuming. But even beyond that, the show asks you not to judge every character too harshly. The evil prince and the wicked stepmother initially seem like exactly the villains they appear. Yet as the show goes on, those initial impressions are proven completely wrong. The "wicked stepmother" genuinely loves Bojji and proves to be an incredibly selfless, caring person. She just struggles to communicate with her stepson and overprotects him to the point of strictness. Bojji's evil brother comes off as a spoiled brat, but he's completely internalized the culture's negative worldview and how its tainted the love he used to feel for his brother. These are just two characters: the entire cast and world is so complex and well-realized. This would easily rank on the top of my list if it was 1) finished and 2) I feel like anime doesn't really fit in TVIV. Again, replace this with Wandavision if it doesn't fit, I just have a lot more recent thoughts about this than Wandavision. 9. Taskmaster  One of the most creative, brilliant reality shows in years. After watching this year's Series 11 on a whim, I binged numerous other seasons with a fierce passion. But Series 11's cast is really worth showcasing. All the comedians approach the tasks in such interesting ways and Mike Wozniak's charming, relaxed air makes him a stand-out in an already jampacked season of charming figures. If you're looking for a series of absurd tasks to laugh at, this is the one to add to your list. 8. Jellystone  One of the sharpest, funniest kids cartoons I've seen in ages. Jellystone takes the vast world of the Hannah Barbera universe and crams them all together in a chaotic mess of a city. The Yogi Bear cast are the central players as the city's main doctors, which gives the show plenty of excuses to shove them right in the middle of absurd, dangerous situations. But each reinterpretation of these classic characters just completely soars. I thought Doggie Daddy's obsessive helicopter parenting over his daughter Augie would get old, but every time they were on screen was a total delight. It makes you care about forgotten characters like Top Cat or Loopy De Loop or all these other weird animals. It always escalates an episode's premise to the highest possible conclusion, with quick, razor-sharp precision. I needed some stupid joy in my life this year and this gave it to me in spades. Speaking of joy: 7. Lupin  Goddamn Lupin. Its charming, its smart, but most of all its fun. Its things like Lupin and Jellystone that still make me excited for adaptations and reboots: writers can find incredible ways to reinvent these stories for a new audience. When done right, these stories can still appeal to a wide audience in profound, incredible ways. I think the real brilliance of Lupin comes together as Assane gets everything he dreamed for. He's cleared his dad's name, he's put his enemies in jail, and he's finally a gentleman thief like he wanted to be. But becoming a gentleman thief means being on the run, making MORE enemies, and wrecking havoc on his personal life. Its willing to highlight the actual problems with being a Lupin, even as it delights in having fun with it. Its just really well done. 6. Kevin Can F Himself  Probably one of the best executions of a gimmick I've ever seen. Both this and Wandavision really got me thinking about the structure of filming tv in ways I never had before. How lighting and cameras can change an entire mood, how subtle changes can make the same scene look colorful and funny in one shot, followed by depressing and bleak in another. What really sells the show is its complete commitment to the sitcom portions of its premise. If Kevin's sitcom ever winked or nodded at the camera, acknowledging the wackiness of it all, the show would be worse for it. But no, they genuinely crafted a terrible sitcom within its gritty crime comedy and it elevates the show from good to great. The only thing not pushing this show higher is that I kind of want to see the complete picture before I could recommend it to others. I assumed going in that it was a complete miniseries, and I think there's only so far it could take its premise before the show could get tiresome. But at the same time, the show also feels too smart to falter. The show is as much a deconstruction of Allison as it is of Kevin, as it shows how Kevin's world has made her own personality so devastatingly toxic. The show's penultimate episode is one of the bleakest character studies I've ever seen as Allison attempts to act "normal" for appearances and slowly shows that her identity is so tied to being a clumsy gently caress-up, its the only way she thinks she can still hold people's attention. Its heart-breaking. Its beautiful. It could be one of the greatest shows on tv. 5. The White Lotus  gently caress. Skin-crawling. Uncomfortable. Hilarious. Devastating. Its a show that balances all these tones with a pointed knife pointed directly at the corporate Hawaiian resort structure and how they break people. Brilliant, depressing, and more. I watched a lot of bleak tv this year and this is the only one I might consider nigh-unwatchable in just how devastating it is to behold. I'll rec Succession to people, I'll rec Kevin Can F Himself, I'll rec The Boys, or more. But this is a show I'd really need to see how a person was feeling before I could send it their way. It guts you. 4. Adventure Time: Distant Lands I'm not sure how to talk about this. All the specials are great, but I'll just firmly state that Together Again is one of the most beautiful, poignant finales I've ever seen for a tv show. Its a bold ending, reaching incredible heights, masterfully crafted and powerful. The perfect ending to such an influential show. 3. Doom Patrol  I've felt pretty burned out with superhero content. Wandavision lost me towards the end, Loki needed to be much longer to sell its emotional beats, and my opinions on the other Marvel shows are really hard to define. Yet Doom Patrol continues to soar as one of the greatest executions of that genre I've ever seen. Its not quite a real superhero show, more about superpowered people than heroes. Its a show about broken, abused people and how they do or don't lash out against the world around them. Three seasons in, it would be easy for the show to begin to wear out its welcome. Cycle through the same traumas, the same failures, the same obstacles holding the cast back. Yet, season 3 finally offers its characters major steps forward into their future. It changes them in risky ways that no other show would consider doing. Vic/Cyborg's decision to become human is one of the boldest story decisions I've ever seen a show commit to and I can't BELIEVE they genuinely committed to it. No new accident, no last second plan to back out. Vic is finally free of his weaponry and metal skin. That's his new status quo. Wherever the show takes him from now on is a journey I've fully ready to invest in. 2. Ted Lasso  What's there left to say about Ted Lasso that others haven't said better? Its thoughtful, its caring, and its hysterically funny. But in its second season, its not willing to rest on its laurels either. When a first season wraps up so many character arcs and journeys, its hard not to feel like the characters are in a state of purgatory as season 2 begins. As the arcs churn forward, Ted Lasso continues to prove its a brilliant examination of adult relationships and adult struggles. From Rebecca struggling to date again, to Ted confronting his inner demons and fear of therapy, to Nate's brilliantly executed unraveling as he allows his internal fears and frustrations take over his soul. It gets a reputation as an overly soft show about white people hugging each other (which isn't entirely wrong), but it also understands that it can't all be lollipops and roses. There's real challenges and real struggles that need to be faced. Its through those struggles that the show earns its emotional catharsis. It earns those hugs every step of the way. 1. Succession  There was a period of time for about two months where I was physically incapable of thinking about anything except Succession. Every drive to school, every night hunched over a desk working on college papers, every single waking second my mind was fixated on Succession. Friends of mine who had no interest in Succession would send me memes they found in the wild. That image above this post is one of those memes, and it resulted in me going on a ten minute explanation of how Roman's realization he sent a dick pic to his father was one of the most harrowing moments of television I've seen in years. Every episode would keep my full attention. Every power play, every one liner, every stupid decision made by these awful rich people. I was relieved when the season ended, because my brain could finally focus on other things in my life. There's so many scattered thoughts and ideas that have been trapped in my every waking moment, I don't know where to begin. Each episode is more impressive than the last, all spiraling together into a perfect picture. But I think, ultimately, the central strength of the show is the very careful line it walks. It never wants you to sympathize too much for these people. Every time a character does something vaguely honorable or every time they suffer through an emotional breakdown, its quick to remind you that everyone here is an absolute piece of poo poo. It doesn't want you to like them too much. It doesn't want you to root for them too much. It wants you to pity them. It doesn't show too much focus on the lower class people the Roys have hurt because it assumes you can take that for granted. Of course they're destroying the world, of course they're thriving on excesses while people starve. We all know that. Instead, the show is about commiseration. Its about pointing at these miserable fucks. It just takes in how they have everything we could ever desire to improve our lives and they're still empty. And it doesn't make this point too overtly with a speech or a monologue that's too well-written to break the realism. It just asks you to crack open a beer, sit down, and watch these complete idiots self-destruct. The show of a generation. Nerdietalk fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Jan 4, 2022 |
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Jan 4, 2022 21:35
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Hello Friends, It's TVI and I just wanted to celebrate ANOTHER YEAR OF TELEVISION! Yes television has grown into being all about those STREAMIN' SENSATIONS and this year it's continued the long standing tradition of the last few years of "mostly being stuff from the internet" from HBO Max, to Paramount Plus, to Peacock and yes, Netflix, there has been just an abundance of shows, and just not enough time in the day to watch all this "content". As always, I'm starting out the list with "10 GAME SHOWS". And if we're going into the voting/scoring, I would give each of these shows ONLY ONE POINT, as my Top 10 list also includes game shows, and I feel they deserve more marks. 10 GAME SHOWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED IN 2021 10. Small Fortune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XWwANQKLMc Lil Rel hosts a game show where teams of three play games of skill and dexterity using miniature sets and props. Yes, I have seen the original british version of this show, but for some reason, the show's art department really needs some praise for it's propbuilding and the challenge team for not fully attempting to do "The Cube" in it's challenges. It was one of those shows that during the summer, I just binged entirely on Peacock and had a blast. 9. F-Boy Island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5u4YCcDrko Dating Shows are really cheap to produce, and while tonight is the return of "Joe Millionaire" and there is always some attempt to "twist the formula", I think F-Boy Island is one of the most interesting formats out there, women are looking for love, and there are guys looking for love too, but also there are dudes just looking for "the sex". At the end, if the last guy standing is just a d-bag, they win $100,000. Otherwise, ROMANCE happens and everybody leaves with money and it's happy. It is exactly what you wanted Love Island to be, but with more comedy. 8. Bank Balance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqiVdNCzOJE That's right, it's a quiz show hosted by  Gordon Ramsay . The show is essentially quiz and topple put together. A team has to put bars on a balance beam 12 times to win money. But the show ended early because nobody won, but the sheer novelty of Ramsay doing a show that has NOTHING to do with food, and do it very well, is something to be admired.7. Wipeout https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgc69U7cBJs John Cena and Nicole Byer are the new John & John in this couples based cable version of Wipeout, it's streamlined faster, and still has the same "people falling into water" that you expect. But it's just weird to see Peacemaker and "The Nailed It Lady" doing the commentary. Some people really love it, others don't, I just think it's mindless enough to work. 6. The Weakest Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gneXkVKCiv8 Jane Lynch serves as the "New Anne" in the 2020/2021 reboot of The Weakest Link, as the players get eliminated, the ladder grows, and the tension builds. The show wound up getting the reboot treatment in Australia and in the UK during the course of the year as well. 5. New World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy4iA46e0NU Netflix has had a steady run of South Korean television series, goons have grown to love korean formats such as "The Genius" and "The Great Escape" and one of my favorites of the year was "New World" this sort of cross between survivor, endurance, fantasy island, sitting on a million dollars, and more. Each episode has a new twist, but the amazing visuals and character dynamics among it's contestants make it a delightful series to watch. 4. Legends of the Hidden Temple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydp-vqaDzQM&t=2s They rebooted that thing from your childhood.... for The CW. Instead of children it's grown adults who still act like children, Olmec is there with some fiverr quality animation, and instead of Space Camp, there is $25,000 credit from "chime", whatever any of that means! 3. Insiders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwoARovwD7w If you had to watch any one "reality show" this year, I would suggest Insiders, a reality show from Spain in which contestants are told they are in the final stages of casting, but the reality show began the second they entered the studio. Morals are tested and twists are thrown every episode, to figure out if people are really who they say they are, when the cameras are turned on. There was a rumor of "The Mole" returning to Netflix, but there was a show called "The Insider" being filmed, so I am lead to believe this show is getting an american version later this year. 2. Frogger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jx1vWBC7vc Holey Moley producers turned Frogger into a wipeout show as well. Contestants jump on lily pads, avoid moving cars (foam blocks) in the hopes to make it to the boss stage in an indoor set that looks straight out of an arcade, with amazing visuals and props, and not that bad of commentary, its probably the best "people falling into water" show of this year. 1. I Literally Just Told You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMIggDSnPGk&t=231s While it is not "officially" top 10 material, it is one of my favorite new game show formats. Literally it's a test of short term memory, questions about what the host just said, where the contestants are from (according to the announcer) to awkward game show tropes being played out make for a wonderful campy, irrelevant, yet hilarious game show, please check this out, to see Jimmy Carr descend into madness. TelevisedInsanity's TOP 10 OF 2021 10. Invitation to Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWNECCsPxA The kids love these "tabletop" shows like Critical Role, but did you know G4 returned in 2021? I have, multiple times. Anyway, instead of picking G4 favorites like "XPlay" or "Attack of the Show", I decided to actually showcase one of G4's sleeper hits, because it's the only Tabletop show that actually airs on television. Invitation to Party is a series where four people play Dungeons & Dragons, however, at random intervals, it turns into an improv show when they step into "The Circle" and act out the scenes in real time. It's very interesting on a multitude of standpoints, one being that while they stream it on twitch, the next day it's edited for broadcast and put on YouTube and then on the actual cable channel, it's the backwards of how things "used to be", and I think the merit alone is why it's on my list. 9. The Cube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak-ceRThMhE Remember when I said that's it with game shows? I kind of lied, my bad. The Cube got it's american version in 2021 with D Wade as the host, surprisingly enough, it does a great job of showcasing what makes the game show so enjoyable to watch. People in panic mode over simple ball-in-a-cup challenges with really cool camera set-ups. 8. Jujitsu Kaisen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6riDJMI-Y8U I don't think I have ever put an anime series on my "best television shows" list, ever. However, Jujitsu Kaisen is probably one of the best "animes" I have ever seen. It takes a Jekyll and Hyde approach of the "high school student fighting monsters" series, and makes it somewhat interesting and, at least to be, as captivating. was it worth leaving out "Cowboy Bebop" and "The Witcher" on this list for this series? I believe so. 7. I Think You Should Leave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Fv3LFGCgo Still one of the best sketch shows currently airing, Tim Robinson continues to bring meme-level quality in it's sketches, from "Coffin Flop" to "Sloppy Steaks" to make it very memorable, even if you have no recollection of ever seeing it. 6. Wandavision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBhlqe2OTt4 A love letter to television, Disney+ this year was REALLY Marvel Heavy - Loki, Falcon and Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, What If... and I'm probably missing others, if I had to pick a favorite from the pile, we would need to jump back to the early part of 2021, when Wandavision was still seen as "the show we should watch", hilarious theme song parodies, wonderful set dressing that transcends the decades of sitcoms, and a heartwarming fascination as to why things were what they were. Even though the Marvel burnout I was facing, I found enjoyment from this. 5. Succession https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kevqiiYNFrc Daddys #1 Candy Baby is Back, and while this might end up in that top spot among others, I decided to leave it at five, just because I know it'll be near the top, if not at the top. Ted Lasso is probably there too, but I don't own an iphone. Anyway, this season of succession had wonderful twists and turns, and continues to be the real "modern day dallas" that will eventually lead to a "Who Shot Logan?" around Season 5. 4. Squid Game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxAJKy0ii4 It's a television show, people really loved it, then the guy who hands out bags of money decided to replicate it, and then nobody wants to talk about the show anymore, welcome to art meeting capitalism, one of the many obvious stories you'll see in Squid Game, the hottest thing globally, because there was a red-light-green-light game for "big cash prizes", kind of like Survivor, but if the contestants actually died. 3. Taskmaster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBI_OyNAhHM Yes, the british panel show is on the list, yes this is the last game show on the list. Taskmaster somehow managed to continue being my "must see" television show year after year, really hilarious tasks for comedians to think about completing, New Zealand's version standing out as well (like a bucket hanging from a string) and when I thought the show is just getting boring, they pulled me back in with amazing celebrities. They also have an app! 2. How To With John Wilson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7aSybHRa6s&t=7s Leaving my top two for the "underground favorites" How to with John Wilson is one of my favorite shows, hands down, a mix of found footage, documentary, and nathan fielder surrealist comedy, it's season two did not let me down at all, from breaking into the Bang CEO's house, to a visit to Waste Management, each episode was one surprise after the other. 1. Saturday Morning All Star Hits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPAr3-4egRU My number one show of the year is probably the most "on brand" show for me, Saturday Morning All Star Hits is Kyle Mooney at his best, at first, it looks like a parody of Saturday Morning TV shows like Denver the Last Dinosaur and Gummy Bears, but as the show progresses, you get Bobby's World, you get Pokemon, and you get a real taste of the surrealist vision of corporate america loving to sell kids early on subs. Just an absolute hilarious and morbid comedy series, that kept me laughing, especially when finding out Sexiest Man Alive Paul Rudd lends his voice as "Dave" in "Createamals"
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Jan 7, 2022 08:30
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So I'm curious if my viewing experience of "Demon Slayer" would count for 2021. The Mugen Train film was released in 2021 in America and is literally a continuation of the TV series. But was released in 2020 in Japan. To make matters more confusing, the studio did release Mugen train as a TV adaptation in 2021 that is pretty much the same thing but I didn't watch it. The series finally got passed the Mugen Train stuff a few weeks ago to start a brand new arc. But the arc won't conclude to around the end of this month or so. So essentially I watched a move that is a continuation of the TV show that was released last year in my country, but in 2020 Japan...however said move was adapted to TV last year (with little to no changes) and I only saw five or six episodes outside of the film segment last year. It's kind of confusing, but would my experience of "Demon Slayer" qualify?
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Jan 7, 2022 08:41
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TelevisedInsanity posted:1. I Literally Just Told You I love that at one point, even the cameraman has just loving lost his poo poo and can't stop laughing.
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Jan 7, 2022 09:26
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punk rebel ecks posted:It's kind of confusing, but would my experience of "Demon Slayer" qualify? If your nominating the TV show, and the TV show aired in 2021 then it's fine (although it would be odd to nominate a show you didn't watch)
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Jan 7, 2022 12:51
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I think I forgot most of what I've seen last year, but fine... I'll make a list. (Just got kicked out of the top 10) Kevin can gently caress himself It's like two sets of comedies (one shallow and the other quite dark) crashed together on a highway. 10 Wandavision They evoked the TV shows of the time quite well, but a lot of stuff just did not work out well in retrospect. 9 Girls5Eva A good cast and some jokes which landed well. 8 Invincible Fun little show about flashy superhero stories. 7 Yellowjackets I'm honestly not sure if I actually like this show. I am looking forward to it each week and it is kinda exciting, but it has complete potential to make me retroactively hate every episode. 6 It's always sunny in Philadelphia Yeah this is still going on and it's still good. At this point you're either watching that show, or you wont. 5 Mythic Quest An all-star cast in front of and behind the camera. When I first saw a trailer I had no idea that the majority of the producers came over from the Sunny crew. I actually have some respect for Rob McElhenney nowadays. 4 You I just love how the main character is so incredibly smart, but doesn't have a lick of self awareness. That dynamic of mutually assured destruction was a real plus to the marriage life. 3 Brand New Cherry Flavor Rosa Salazar did an incredible job as the main character. Some of the story arcs felt like they went nowhere, but this show was just so incredibly stylish. 2 Search Party Such a ridiculous mess of a farce! 1 Hawkeye Personally, my favorite show Marvel has produced so far. Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh and most of the rest of the cast were a delight and unlike the other ones, they made a satisfying finale. There, you can all mock me for my taste now. EDIT: Oh yes Search Party aired in January! cant cook creole bream fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Jan 7, 2022 |
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Jan 7, 2022 17:47
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Looten Plunder posted:If your nominating the TV show, and the TV show aired in 2021 then it's fine (although it would be odd to nominate a show you didn't watch) Only the movie aired in 2021, but it was edited into a TV version. That’s why he’s asking if it counts.
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Jan 7, 2022 19:38
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Escobarbarian posted:Only the movie aired in 2021, but it was edited into a TV version. That’s why he’s asking if it counts. Then I'd say make it an honorable mention to let people know about it and avoid putting it on the list cause that all just sounds like a mess
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Jan 8, 2022 22:58
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10: Flip or Flop : Last year I watched quite a few house flipping shows, most of them did not hold my interest into 2021, but this one did. I enjoy watching them cruise around the area, and a lot of the gentle humor has returned now that the divorce is well in the rear view. 09. Blade Runner: Black Lotus: The art is wild, it's all dark, gritty and realistic, and captures the feel of the world of Blade Runner, but then the people are anime. I eventually stopped thinking about it too much. If you would've asked me if I wanted to a Blade Runner extended universe I probably would have said no but they handle it well and I enjoyed the mystery. 08: Ted Lasso: It's a very pleasant show, leaves me with a nice feeling. 07: House Hunters: This show is relaxing in a way that few things can match and somehow most of its clones (other than its sister show, international) are for some reason unable to match. Also I wish there was an easier way to post about it, because sometimes I see some wild poo poo that I want to post about, but I'm watching an episode on my DVR of the show from like 3 years ago. 06: The Challenge: The gimmick of the show is absolutely stupid and the horning-in of various spy phrases is completely ridiculous especially considering that the cast has very little buy-in. But they continue to find ways to innovate when it comes to challenges on the show, and ways to keep the gameplay fresh despite having a large (the largest ever this time) returning class. Expanding the field to finally include American Survivor players (they already had Survivors from other countries) has been welcome. 05: Survivor: The gameplay this season was pretty bad,as were the twists, but I did like that they peeled the layers back at least a tiny bit on the the production, and I liked that they had a more diverse cast and they discussed a lot of the racial realities not only of the show but of the United States. 04: Illegal Freedom: Youtube series about an "Eastern European" (he doesn't say where exactly) in a mask ridin' the rails like an old time hobo when he's not busy exploring abandoned places all around Europe. The show has very little pretense and even a healthy patreon and a big youtube channel hasn't changed the product much. The show basically combines the pleasantness of Slow TV train shows with the real tension of going places you aren't supposed to be with people that really will throw you in jail for a night if they catch you. Shiey seems very nice and genuine and is a great guide through all these adventures and I really hope he doesn't fall off a tower or plane or something. 03: Inside the NBA: Chuck's takes getting more old man every year is sad, but the show is still very good and still leaves me feeling very nice many times a year. There's no better coverage of the sport, it's done with humor and insight and heart 02: NJPW G1 Climax: For the first time, I decided I was going to watch as much of this live as possible, and I did it in a year that most people were disappointed by the announced lineup of the show. But for a few weeks I managed to go to bed at 9 or 10 (or honestly like, 12:00 since I suck at going to bed) and get some sleep and then wake up at 1:00 am or 2:00 am to watch wrestling until 4:00 or 5:00 AM, and then go to bed for a few hours before work. And it was extremely worth it. There were almost no bad matches,and a lot of the disappointing entrants had some of the most entertaining contests. A very satisfying TV experience. 01: Abroad in Japan : This youtube channel ultimately was my favorite thing to watch this year. Chris Broad's rather pleased with his sardonic wit and it certainly is enjoyable, but he has more than a little bit of heart and his love of the various places he visits in Japan show through. Usually coupled with a large cast of Japanese natives, other expats, and his friends from the UK, there's a look at Japan from a large group of perspectives. In a bad year, escapism and nostalgia for my brief visit to Japan were essential for getting through, as was this show. Edit for grammar Rick fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Jan 9, 2022 |
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Jan 9, 2022 01:24
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[/i]edited for because I got around to watching station eleven and so should you[/i] Look I'm mostly here to shill for Cobra Kai because it's a badass name for a dojo, so forgive me if my reasoning for 10 through 2 is a little lackluster. Also, I might go edit some out and switch in stuff I learn about from this thread and manage to watch before the end of the month! 10. Hawkeye I thought most of the marvel shows were pretty lackluster, but the small stakes and a couple of the high notes of this season on balance made it pretty good. Hawkeye, who knew? 9. Star Wars Visions The various shorts are a really mixed bag, but I respect the effort of the franchise for just going out there and throwing a bunch of weirder off-beat poo poo at the wall. 8. Ted Lasso S2 Roy Kent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDSl74KeTMs 7. Wheel of Time Having given up on the series in book 5 in like 10th loving grade when I read any sort of poo poo, expectations were very low. And thus very much exceeded! 6. Arcane It’s worth seeing just for the flourish and beauty of its animation style. 5. Star Trek: Lower Decks S2 This show makes me want to go watch all the garbage Star Trek shows I never got around to just so I can get more of the references. 4. The Owl House S2 It’s a show about a human kid living with were-witches and monsters on an island that’s the corpse of a demon god. On Disney+. It's a lot of fun! 3. Mythic Quest S2 Brad and Jo are one of my favorite villain/hench duos of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu6g2KUPc0I 2. Station Eleven Got around to watching this due to this thread. It's really good! Thanks thread! Depending on your relationship with the actual pandemic we've been living through this can be a pretty harrowing ride, but goddamn if it didn't manage to stick the landing. I have some nits to pick but this is not the place for it because it's just a stellar and griping production all around. 1.Cobra Kai S3 & 4 Possible recency bias because I binged seasons 3 and 4 right at the end of the year. But. From season 1 I thought this show somehow was way better than it has any right to be. And it still is way better than it has any right to be. It’s incredibly cheesy but knows it and can play in that space so perfectly, and uses all its cameos from the movies with such glee. I had so much fun with this show. Also this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cco_Z6e6yb0&t=53s It’s on-screen for like 2 seconds, but the (visible) text of Johnny’s facebook novel is: quote:AND THEN IN 1992, IRON EAGLE 3 CAME OUT. YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON’T CARE WHAT THE CRITICS SAY, I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. NOT AS GOOD AS IRON EAGLE 1 AND IRON EAGLE 2, BUT HEY, WHAT MOVIE IS? I THINK WAYNE’S WORLD WAS THAT YEAR TOO. THAT ONE WAS OKAY. THOSE NERDS HAD GREAT TASTE IN MUSIC, AND THE CHICK WAS HOT. WHAT WAS SHE DOING WITH HIM? HOW COME THE HOT CHICKS GO FOR THE LOSERS IN THESE MOVIES? ANYWAY, OTHER THAN THAT 1992 WAS A PRETTY QUIET YEAR. GOT FIRED AGAIN, BUT WHAT THE HELL DO THEY KNOW. I DIDN’T LIKE CONSTRUCTION ANYWAY. THEY ALL SPEAK SPANISH AND I’M PRETTY SURE THEY WERE MAKING FUN OF ME SOMETIMES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT A “GRINGO” IS? I STARTED LEARNING A LITTLE BIT OF SPANISH FROM MIGUEL AND HIS FAMILY. I KNOW “HOLA”, “PLANTAIN”, “TACO” AND “DINERO.” PRETTY GOOD, HUH? WHERE WAS I? OH, RIGHT, 1993. THERE WAS THAT DINOSAUR MOVIE. PRETTY GOOD FOR THE NINETIES. I MEAN, NOT ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT WE HAD BACK IN THE DAY. REMEMBER PREDATOR? THAT MOVIE WAS BADASS! THIS DINOSAUR THING WAS PRETTY COOL BUT TOO MUCH SCIENCEY STUFF FOR ME. I GUESS YOU PROBABLY LIKED THAT THOUGH, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU’RE A DOCTOR NOW. I COULD NEVER BE A DOCTOR. NOT AFTER THAT INCIDENT AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE (I TALKED ABOUT THAT A COUPLE PARAGRAPHS AGO, DOES FACEBOOK LET YOU GO BACK AND REREAD?) STILL THINK THEY OVERREACTED. ALL THE GREAT SCIENTISTS SET THINGS ON FIRE, RIGHT? LIKE EINSTEIN OR WHOEVER. ANYWAY, 1993. DUTCH GOT ARRESTED. THAT ONE WAS PRETTY STUPID. I WAS DRUNK FOR MOST OF IT, BUT I’M PRETTY SURE HE HOTWIRED A GOLF CART FROM THE COUNTRY CLUB. I LOOKED UP FROM THE BAR AND DUTCH IS DRIVING THIS THING AT HIGH SPEED, OR I GUESS AS HIGH AS SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN GO, AND CRASHES IT INTO THE POOL! THEY HAD TO BRING A CRANE IN TO GET IT OUT. HE DID SOME TIME BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! ANYWAY, I DON’T THINK I’VE BEEN BACK TO THE COUNTRY CLUB SINCE THEN. SID WON’T LET THEM BAN ME BUT THOSE GUYS ARE ALL UPTIGHT, AND THEY ONLY SERVE FOREIGN BEER. IT’S OFFENSIVE. WE WON TWO WORLD WARS DRINKING AMERICAN BEER. WHAT THE HELL HAS BELGIUM EVER DONE EXCEPT GET INVADED? WHO WANTS TO DRINK THAT poo poo? I THINK I GOT OFF TOPIC AGAIN. LET’S GET BACK TO THE MID-NINETIES. 1994 WAS A SLOW YEAR. THE NINETIES SUCKED. MAN, YOU TURNED ON THE RADIO AND IT WAS JUST CRAP. WHO WRITES A SONG ABOUT BEING A LOSER? AND ALL THOSE GRUNGEY TYPES WITH THE FLANNEL. LET ME TELL YOU MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT BEING BADASS AND AWESOME, NOT ABOUT WANTING TO KILL YOURSELF. THAT poo poo CAN’T BE GOOD FOR KIDS TO HEAR, RIGHT? LOOK AT ME, WORRYING ABOUT WHAT THE KIDS ARE HEARING. I GUESS BEING A PARENT CHANGES YOU. NOT THAT I’M ALL THAT GREAT OF A PARENT. WELL, MIGUEL SEEMS TO LIKE ME OKAY. ROBBY DOESN’T, I MESSED THAT ONE UP PRETTY GOOD. CAN’T EVEN GET THE KID TO TALK TO ME ANYMORE. HE’S STUCK IN THERE FOR A FEW MORE MONTHS, AND HE’S GOT NOBODY. HE WON’T TAKE MY CALLS. I HOPE HIS MOM IS TALKING TO HIM AT LEAST. I THINK IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE FOR ME AND HIM. I MESSED UP TOO MANY TIMES. NOT THAT I’M A TOTAL SCREW UP. I’VE DONE SOME GOOD STUFF TOO! WHICH BRINGS ME TO 1995 AND HOW I MADE TWO GRAND BETTING ON THE OJ TRIAL. Hobbes fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Feb 1, 2022 |
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Jan 9, 2022 07:47
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This is tough because there are 2021 (and earlier) shows that I haven't gotten around to watching.....but need to.....:'Station Eleven', 'Foundation', 'For All Mankind', 'Invasion', 'Squid Game', 'Servent', 'Loki', 'What We Do In The Shadows' and several more. Hopefully my casual writing style here doesn't make anyone want to destroy their computer. That said....here's my list of top ten shows of 2021 (honorable mention for 'Only Murders in the Building'....Steve Martin and Martin Short both flexed their comedic chops here. The actual murder mystery ended being far less interesting than simply watching these two play off one another): 12. Succession One of the best dramas in the past few years. Really interesting to watch the (fictionalized) politics surrounding big conglomerates like the one depicted here. I have it a bit lower on my list than some as I find basically every character to be despicable and grating. There's really no character in the entire show that I find myself rooting for. Also.....Kieran Culkin's character.....Roman.....kind of gets on my nerves at times. Can have some funny lines....but the snide/snarky remarks can be a little too over the top. Doesn't take away from the fact that the show is very entertaining. 11. Yellowjackets Very intriguing premise. A mystery/thriller with heavy shades of horror/drama/comedy. Sharp writing that is able to jump between 1996 and 2021 without issue. Helps that both the current and the backstory are both equally interesting and compelling. Despite the large number of characters....the writers have managed to make them all mostly matter. After about three or four episodes....I thought I was going to have to alter my top ten....but I feel like the show lost some of the steam towards the end of the season. Could have been a GREAT limited run series of one or two seasons. But I can't really blame Showtime. They are kind of in desperate need of a show that gets plenty of attention and this is that. Not sure I've seen them advertise a show as much as this one since Shameless was in the middle seasons. They knew that this was really good...and very unlike anything currently on television. Best comparison I could make would be to Channel Zero....which I liked a whole lot. Top Ten: 10. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Consistently funny.....every single year. The premier, '2020: A Year in Review', caught us up with the gang and wove their participation into some of the biggest (political) stories of the past year in hilarious fashion. There were a couple of below average (which is still better than most sitcoms) episodes early on in the season....but when they shifted gears to Ireland in the second half.....the laughs came at fast pace. Introducing Charlie's father was a nice touch that made for a really good storyline. 9. Ten Year Old Tom I am a HUGE fan of 'The Life and Times of Tim'......and I truly think it may be the funniest show ever created.....so it was a major surprise and an early Christmas gift when I logged onto HBOMax and saw that they had finally added 'Tim'. I quickly realized that it was ACTUALLY a brand new show that I was starting at. While I don't think it hit the heights of its predecessor....'Ten Year Old Tom' is 'Tim' in a different setting. Everything from art style, to humor style, to tone remain completely unmolested. And the creator, Steve Dildarian (creator of the Budweiser lizards), does not even bother to change his voice despite being a 52-year old man, voice acting as a ten year old. Makes me smile just typing that out. Anyways....I laughed throughout the ten episode run and pray that we'll see more of this show. My one complaint.....no "The Boss".....who might be the best character in television history. 8. White Lotus Really well written and acted. I'm a huge fan of these mini-series type shows as they can tell compelling and interesting stories in a concise manner. 'The White Lotus' checks all the boxes here. I zipped through it in little time. Would like to see Steve Zahn in more things. 7. Ted Lasso Light hearted and fun. Writers managed to add some layers to Sudeikis's eternally sunny character which I think helped elevate the second season over the first. There's very little to criticize with this show. 6. Doom Patrol I have little to no interest in superhero stuff. I believe the last Marvel movie I've seen may have been the first Avengers. Doom Patrol is a DC universe show based on a comic that is so unlike anything that I've ever seen. And not just because the content is more mature than your typical comic book show, but because the main characters are so heavily flawed that it's hard to determine whether they are the good or the bad guys in many cases. Writing is extremely strong with single episodes seeming like self-contained movies at times. Most shows couldn't get away with taking big shots like that....but it works here. The writers manage to scrape the deep roster of DC characters in order to introduce new characters, concepts, and storylines and have them wrapped up all in one single episode if they so choose. You'd think that would make things sloppy....but again....it just works. 5. Mythic Quest Really fun workplace sitcom. There have been moments in which the characters get a little TOO exaggerated, which can lead to lazy jokes, but for the most part, they reel it back in before letting it get out of control. The show is at its best when they explore the backgrounds of characters and lean into more serious/dramatic territory. They took an ancillary character (C.W.) and turned him into a three dimensional character over the course of a few episodes. Looks like after two years, the showrunners are not going to be content with letting the show fall into a boring routine. While I know that the quarantine episode was 2020....it's a great example of how creative the writing is for this show. Most shows that tried pulling off a distancing episode like that mostly faceplanted. 'Mythic Quest' managed to put together one of the best standalone episodes of 2020. 4. Curb Your Enthusiasm Another great season of Curb. There were a few moments that I had to rewind and rewatch because I hadn't laughed out loud like that in quite a while....specifically in episode five where LD decided to continue eating through a medical emergency at the golf club. Losing Bob Einstein a few years back was obviously a blow to the show....as Super Dave absolutely STOLE every scene he was in.....but big ups to Larry David and crew for helping to fill the void with the addition of Vince Vaughn as Funkhouser's brother. His regular role this past season...along with the mannerisms that VV is known for are a perfect fit. Then of course.....the hilarious Tracey Ullman playing the extremely offputting council women (Irma Kostroski) that Larry needed to get close to in order to sway a law in his favor was one of the best storylines in recent CYE years. Unfortunately....like last year with the spite store storyline....the finale was probably the worst episode of the season. Trying to tie the loose ends and wrap up the stories from the season tend to get overly outrageous and sloppy. No different this year. That in no way means that the episode was bad. Just everything leading up to it was better, imo. 3. Mare of Easttown Hooked me early on and I ended up binging the entire show in one night. Was planning to stop after episode 5 and finish up the next morning and couldn't. Kate Winslet is great in just about everything. As you can tell by the rest of my list....mysteries and the like aren't really my go to....but I couldn't turn it off. Super compelling throughout and the conclusion was very satisfying. 2. Station Eleven Incredible show. Perfect example of why television has taken over film. Attempting to condense a story this sprawling into a couple hours would seriously compromise the quality. While the acting is great....the visuals are top notch. Of course....neither would matter without a wonderful story. Jumping back and forth between present day and twenty years past when the outbreak occurred gives enough depth to the backstory of the characters without being too jarring. It also keeps the show from digging too deep into either despair or hope which creates a nice balance. It's fascinating to see how all the stories come together in the end. Touching stuff. Loved it. 1. The Other Two Awesome cast and awesome writing. Drew Tarver is one of my favorite podcasters. Excellent improvisor and super funny. I'm trying to think of anything that I don't like Ken Marino in.....and I'm coming up blank. He's just a really likable actor and makes it seem easy. Molly Shannon is a really versatile actress if given the right script. Has had some really good roles on HBO shows....like the aforementioned 'White Lotus' and the criminally underrated 'Enlightened'. She's great here. Didn't know who Helene Yorke or Case Walker were prior to this show, but both are excellent as well. Then of course....there's John Segarra as Lance. Another actor that I did not know prior.....but get this guy more screen time. One of the best characters currently on TV. Interesting concept behind the show. A couple late 20's/early 30's fraternal twins chasing celebrity status....while their much younger little brother gained superstar status on the back of a viral music video. As I said....the writing is some of the best currently on TV. While technically a sitcom....it's far deeper than most. Despite the two main characters (Tarver and Yorke) showing some less than admirable behavior at times....there's still something that makes them relatable and easy to cheer for. Really is a testament to the writing here. The jokes are strong and don't rely on cheap laughs. But again....what really sets this show apart from other typical sitcoms is that it is easy to get invested in the characters, and even when the show dips into some darker territory.....the overall tone of the show remains good natured and mostly light hearted. Can't recommend this show enough. Lots to look forward to into 2022. 'Better Call Saul' coming back for its last season (?). 'Search Party' just dropped its final season on HBOMax. Thought the last season was the weakest of the bunch. The newest one looks absolutely zany....in a good way. 'The Righteous Gemstones' is returning for season two (premier tonight!) after a brilliant debut. 'Ozark' will be wrapping up with season four. New seasons of 'The Boys' and 'Atlanta'. New series premiering which include: 'The Lord of the Rings', 'House of the Dragon', and 'Halo'. Going to be a good 2022 for television. Overtook feature length films as the best format several years ago and never looked back. RestingB1tchFace fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Jan 21, 2022 |
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Jan 9, 2022 16:39
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RestingB1tchFace posted:here's my list of top ten shows of 2021 Be sure to update your post with some commentary/reasoning.
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Jan 9, 2022 17:13
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Looten Plunder posted:Be sure to update your post with some commentary/reasoning. Yes, I am going to be filling it in.
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Jan 9, 2022 17:32
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You better because that’s a fantastic list and I’d hate to see it not counted
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Jan 9, 2022 17:50
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10. The Wheel of Time The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. My most anticipated show of 2021, and also the one I was most worried about. How do you turn Robert Jordans flawed but magnificent fantasy into a working tv show, when you only have a limited amount of episodes and a (relatively) small budget, the answer seems to be that you just try your hardest. The first season was flawed and rushed but ultimately it was still Wheel of Time, there is plenty of room for improvement but what we got was good. 09. The Nevers It's no secret that I used to admire Joss Whedon, his work was very much my jam. A lot has happened since then, and you can't but look at his work differently. But still The Nevers was more of what I wanted, and it will be interesting to see what a new showrunner does with the show. 08. Only Murders in the Building She's not a kid. We only think she's a kid because we're old. The biggest surprise of the year, that really shouldn't have been a surprise with Steve Martin and Martin Short on the cast, plus an excellent Selena Gomez. This show was fun and compelling. 07. Dopesick We're Going To Cure The World Of Its Pain. An utterly tragic story, made even more tragic by the fact that it's all true, and the bad guys got away with it. 06. The Good Fight I dreamt that Donald Trump was our president. 2021 was the year when The Good Fight just went nuts, it's just such an absurdly entertaining show. 05. Landscapers Nobody is beyond help in this world, that's the whole point of this world. A black comedy about a couple that may have murdered two people. With a group of lesser actors the series might not have worked, but David Thewlis and Olivia Colman are both so good. 04. AEW Dynamite It's Wednesday. You know what that means After years slowly losing interest in wrestling, because an insane billionaire controls most of the market, I discovered AEW and suddenly remembered that pro wrestling can be good and fun. 03. The Beatles Get Back If we'd know we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder. Like most people I was a casual Beatles fan, I liked all their hits but never really thought about the band and its history much. So the fact that I watched and loved this 8 hour documentary says something about how good this is. And I was left with a major admiration for the sheer amount of talent these four people had. 02. Falcon and the winter soldier Just an excellent buddy cop show, a traditional superhero story told extremely well. 01. Wandavision A unique story told with two of the more underused Marvel characters.
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Jan 9, 2022 18:58
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You all make me want to watch wrestling again
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Jan 9, 2022 19:10
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Pillowpants posted:You all make me want to watch wrestling again I can't speak for WWE, which made me turn away from wrestling back in 2005, but AEW is a joy, and watching it has been a fun, enjoyable constant in my life throughout this pandemic. Last summer, Gavok created this incredible AEW Primer thread for new and lapsed viewers, which would really help anyone get up to speed quickly: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3977525
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Jan 9, 2022 19:57
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Escobarbarian posted:This except 13th!!!! It’s extremely bingeable, and although it’s had up and down seasons it’s never had any major drop in quality and some of the later seasons have been among the best. The 13th season was definitely one of the weakest ones. But 'Mac Finds His Pride' was a great finale. And 'Time's Up For The Gang' is a top ten....possibly top five episode of the entire run.
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Jan 9, 2022 21:25
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It turns out I haven’t watched that many 2021 TV shows, so I’m going to put everything on here. Honorable mention: Dave I want to like this show, but Dave is such an unbearable rear end in a top hat at times. I hate him and I love him. Because of that, he doesn’t get a ranking. 14. Mythic Quest Funny but doesn’t really grab me most of the time. When it’s good it’s amazing, but when it’s not I just don’t care. 13. The Witcher Geralt is a badass, and I need to beat The Witcher 3. The season finale fell flat for me, however, so it landed just outside the top 10. 12. Dexter: New Blood I used to love Dexter, so I of course had to watch this. It didn’t really do anything new, but nothing too terrible either. 11. Only Murders in the Building Funny and shocking at times. Not enough to jump other shows though. And now for the official list! 10. Ted Lasso This season wasn’t as good as season one, but still had some great points. 9. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia The second half of this season was great. I don’t know how they manage to still be funny after 15 years. 8. The Wheel of Time This one is complicated. I read all of the books and therefore have opinions. Many many opinions. But it was still fun to see my teenage/young adult nerdiness on screen. 7. Joe Pera Talks With You Joe worms his way into my heart a little more with this season. I also want to take up woodworking now. 6. Yellowjackets This started out absolutely insane. While it somewhat fell off as the season went on it was still a heck of a lot of fun. I especially like that they keep making you anticipate what’s going to happen in each time setting. 5. Squid Game Binged the hell out of this with my wife. The cameos were neat but the story itself and games were the fun part. There were also things I didn’t like, but overall I thought it was a really fun show. 4. How to with John Wilson A bizarre look at the world through John Wilson’s camera. At the same time very heartwarming. It really makes me want to pay attention to the weird things around my neighborhood. 3. What We Do in the Shadows The antics that these vampires get up to just get weirder and weirder every year. 2. Reservation Dogs This show isn’t particularly hilarious, but at times it is extremely funny. It is, however, very human. There’s something I can’t quite put my finger on, but whatever it is it really makes me love this show. 1. Station Eleven Thanks to the extension I got to see this and I’m glad I did. It was a very emotional and surreal experience. Not many shows make me “feel” things but drat if I didn’t almost cry numerous times. Fantastic television. Beautiful. There it is. My 2021 list. If I get to Station 11/Yellowjackets or any of the other shows on peoples' lists before the 31st I'll update this. If not, this is it! Edit: Finished Yellowjackets and updated the list. Edit 2: Finished Station Eleven! cryptoclastic fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Feb 4, 2022 |
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Jan 10, 2022 00:57
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Big Bad Voodoo Lou posted:I can't speak for WWE, which made me turn away from wrestling back in 2005, but AEW is a joy, and watching it has been a fun, enjoyable constant in my life throughout this pandemic. I stopped watching wrestling around then too. But I keep hearing about AEW. Thank you
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Jan 10, 2022 01:15
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AEW is great, WWE's insane billionaire is a monster, but AEW's insane billionaire is a coked-up forums shitposter and it absolutely rules.RestingB1tchFace posted:3. Curb Your Enthusiasm Oh poo poo, Tracey Ullman is in the show now? I need to catch up on Curb, I haven't watched anything since the New York/Michael J Fox season.
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Jan 10, 2022 03:53
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Honorable Mentions - Hawkeye, and What If? Great fun. Really enjoyed both. Tiger King, still weird and wild and hard to look away from. 10. Falcon and The Winter Solider - Cinema quality action and a timely exploration of patriotism, race, and the flag. 9. WandaVision - Daring, bold and heartfelt. Around this time last year, some friends were talking about WandaVision and I asked if you had to be into Marvel to understand it. At the time I had only seen Iron Man 1 and Avengers in theaters, and nothing since then. When I was growing up, I was a DC kid. WandaVision was my gateway drug to becoming a Marvel fanboy. As soon as I was done with it, I got to binge the whole MCU (did it chronological starting with Captain America: The First Avenger. It enjoyed every minute of it. Better late than never, I guess. 8. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - The show makes me laugh and makes me angry when I learn about things and can't understand why "real" news isn't talking about them. 7. Loki - Take one of the most charismatic characters/actors from a universe full of them, give him his own show with a great supporting cast and ask crazy questions about timelines and parallel universes and enjoy the ride. Because of timelines the show was handed a much less lovable version of Loki than the one that left off in his last movie appearance, but the show deftly solved that problem with some exposition that didn't feel like exposition. The style of the series matched perfectly with the tone of the show and the music matched both. Sophia Di Martino had no problem stepping into a big role against an already well-established character and Owen Wilson was a joy to watch. At first viewing, I didn't like episode 3 Lamentis but on my second viewing I loved it. It was a throwback to when shows had more episodes to play with and more frequently made episodes that didn't "advance the story" but instead allowed their characters to simply be and us to get to know them better. Also, Alligator Loki. 6. Cobra Kai - Cobra Kai never dies. This show is masterful at threading the needle between not taking itself too seriously while still telling real stories. When characters describe events from the past movies, it is inevitably hilarious. This show gets so many little things right. The utter seriousness with which Johnny replies to being asked about Rocky III is perfection. Thomas Ian Griffith steals the show and the dojo! this season. 5. The Line - Three in a row for AppleTV! I can't believe this got made. For one I can't believe the Navy released all of the actual footage they used. The really mind-blowing thing though is the level of participation they got from the people that were actually involved. This four-part docuseries tells the story of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher who was court martialed for war crimes. The level of transparency and openness is stunning. It paints an unflinching picture of the lines that define combat brotherhood, wartime morality, and how they all interact with the 24-hour new cycle. This made it so far up my list just because of the insane level of access it had. 4. For All Mankind - I watched both seasons one and two in the last few weeks largely due to what I read about it here. I loved season one. To borrow a soccer analogy from Ted Lasso this show was dazzling me in the first half of season two. Comfortable in possession it was hanging with the big boys, and in episode 3 scored a goal that vaulted it to #1 on my list. All it had to do was maintain possession and not concede and it was going to pull off a shocking upset in Bulky's list. Then late in the second half, some really dangerous passes. And then, in the 80th minute (Episode 8) the most baffling own goal I've ever seen. The show made a choice that was so jarringly gross and strange it marred not just that episode for me, but the entire season. Hell, the entire show to an extent. Goons were right. The highs on this show are magnificent. But, oof, that low. 3. Ted Lasso - A second season with impossibly high expectations to meet, and largely pulled it off. Speaking of a throwback to when shows had more episodes to play with my goodness did Ted Lasso make the most of their extra time. First it delivered an instant classic of a holiday episode. And then it served up Beard After Hours. Destined to be polarizing, but for me it was an absolute thrill. I don't know what it says about me that I think the best episode of the series has the lowest IMDB rating of any episode but I don't care. It was weird, it was daring and it was beautiful. 2. Succession - This show ALWAYS WINS. If there was an award for best season finales, this show wins it over ANYTHING I can think of. Too Much Birthday was incredible. 1. White Lotus Paradise has never looked so bleak. A wonderful story filled with sad, broken people brought together by unseemly wealth and privilege. The mystery element started as a background noise and built to a deafening crescendo. It had the courage to give people the ending that would happen in real life, not the ending they wanted. Except Quinn, the most decent one of them all Bulky Bartokomous fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Feb 17, 2022 |
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Jan 10, 2022 14:03
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 VOTING RULES1. Every show you pick must have had a first time airing in its country of origin in full or in part during 2021. This could be a network show, a cable show, an online show, a TV movie (not movies from streaming services), it could even be a Youtube thing if you're down with what the kids are calling 'it'. I'm confused. I interpreted this to meet it must have aired for the first time - like debuted in 2021? Am i understanding wrong?
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Jan 10, 2022 17:04
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Pillowpants posted:I'm confused. I interpreted this to meet it must have aired for the first time - like debuted in 2021? Am i understanding wrong? It means it must have had new content airing for the first time in 2021, not that it must have first aired new content in 2021
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Jan 10, 2022 17:06
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Oh my god I’ve been trying to come up with a list I deemed worthy of shows that started last year and couldn’t. Thank you
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Jan 10, 2022 17:12
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I was holding off on posting my list so I could try to fit in another show or two (looking at you, Station Eleven), but I haven't really even started the ones I was looking at so I'm just going to call it now. This year TV took kind of a backseat to gaming for me, but I still did manage to watch a number of good shows. The standout, looking over my list, is that I have a lot more comedies than usual. In fact the usual "prestige drama" is almost completely absent. What does that say about me, or television, or the world in general? I don't know, here's a list! 10. Hawkeye This spot could honestly go to any of the MCU Disney Plus shows this year (except Falcon and Winter Soldier, probably), but Hawkeye gets the nod primarily because of recency bias. It really was a fun and entertaining show, though, and pulled off the “MCU movie in TV show form” better than any of the others. 9. The Great I loved the first season of The Great, and in many ways the second season continued the same quality. The performances were still excellent, and the show is as fun and funny as ever. The only thing keeping me from putting it higher on my list is that this season kind of spun its wheels plot-wise. I can understand wanting to keep certain actors in the fold given how hard they're crushing it, but the narrative really suffered as a result. 8. Girls5Eva I didn't really have much in the way of expectations for this show, but it seemed like an easy binge so I gave it a shot. Boy am I glad I did, because it was a delight! Just the classic Tina Fey model of rapid-fire joke delivery, general silliness, and a good amount of heart. Very excited for the next season, whenever that may be. 7. Mare of Easttown As someone who's watched both Broadchurch and Happy Valley, Mare of Easttown didn't really break much new ground. The DNA of both those shows was evident, but where MoE really shone was in the performances. A lot of people were nominated for and won awards, and they were all deserved. 6. I Think You Should Leave The first season of ITYSL was lightning in a bottle. It came out of nowhere and was instantly one of the funniest individual seasons of a show I'd ever seen. The sophomore season had a lot to live up to as a result, and I think it generally did. There were a few clunkers throughout, as is the nature of sketch shows, but bits like the Existential Crisis Prank Show, Dangerous Nights, and Tables have become instant classics in my mind. 5. The Witcher Despite sharing many of the usual concerns about the timeline shuffling, I was a big fan of the first season of The Witcher. The second season, though, improves upon the first in two important ways: opts for a more linear approach, and it brings Ciri into the main action of the story. These changes make a huge difference. 4. Only Murders in the Building I've never really been a big Martin Short fan, it's been years since I really enjoyed a Steve Martin project, and prior to this show I don't think I'd ever even heard Selena Gomez speak. But somehow the combination of all these elements was a weird, quirky little show that managed to hit all the right notes for me. 3. What We Do in the Shadows Quite simply, WWDITS is pound-for-pound the funniest show on TV, and this season was no exception. We got to see a bit more range from the characters this year, and every one of them proved up to the challenge. 2. Ted Lasso I waited until the season was over before I started watching (I was a late arrival to the first season and I found the binge to be a fantastic experience), and some of the negative chatter had me a bit worried. As it happens, though, I found myself enjoying this season as much as I enjoyed the first. What was once a surprise delight has now officially become a reliable pleasure. 1. Mythic Quest Honestly, no one is more surprised than me to find this at the top of my list. When I sat down to make this list there were several that came to mind, and then I went in search of any I might have missed. When I saw this on a list and was reminded that the second season aired this year, all of a sudden I knew I had my #1. I originally heard about this show while its first season was airing, but I didn't want to sign up for yet another streaming service, so I ignored it. It was Ted Lasso that got me to try out AppleTV, and once I was in I figured I'd give this show a shot. The end result: I binged the first two seasons in less than a week. I was hooked. The writing is sharp, the characters are compelling, and the performances are both hilarious and emotionally resonant. Just an all-around great show.
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Jan 13, 2022 04:42
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Who is all in for escapist TV? First some honorable mentions. sorry to be a pain in the rear end, but I finished For All Mankind and I wanted to get it in my list. I've edited my post with new rankings for 5 through 10.
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Jan 13, 2022 18:27
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Oh god let's see if I can hit 10 this year (apologies it's a lot of wrestling lol) 10 Dorktown- Jon Bois is one of the greatest documentarians/storytellers of the 21st century in that he can make the statistics from reading the phonebook interesting and engrossing 9 PBS Monstrum- I love learning about the history of monsters, how they relate to the material conditions of the culture they developed in, and how they expand beyond the borders of their point of origins to popular/worldwide culture 8 PBS Eons- I'm a 90s dino kid at heart, I'm really happy Eons is around not to just to talk about dinosaurs but also anything from stuff that is relatively well known or asked to some stuff that is fairly niche and mysterious in the field. (I for one didn't know that scientists are taking samples of tooth plaque which yes because it mineralizes is actually a fossil and seeing how micro-ecosystems have evolved) 7 Falcon and Winter Soldier- would say the weakest of the Marvel Disney+ shows I watched fully; the rewrites made due to COVID made things a little half baked, but still some good character beats and overall satisfying 6 Wandavison- loved the gimmick and thought the finale landed stronger than F&WS 5 Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean- I love me some Jojo's and am pissed as hell that Netflix is releasing the show in batches 4 AEW Rampage- the best 1 hour wrestling show, just able to pack everything in a concise package 3 AEW Dynamite- Best wrestling show that has gotten me back in the fandom after burning out the last couple of years. 2 Loki- carried by amazing performances, style, and music; can't wait for season 2 1 Hawkeye- recency bias maybe, but I love a good tight paced/low stakes superhero plot so this was put it on top for me.
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Jan 14, 2022 00:49
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RestingB1tchFace posted:This is tough because there are 2021 (and earlier) shows that I haven't gotten around to watching.....but need to.....:'Station Eleven', 'Foundation', 'For All Mankind', 'Invasion', 'Squid Game', 'Servent', 'Loki', 'What We Do In The Shadows' and several more. Hopefully my casual writing style here doesn't make anyone want to destroy their computer. That said....here's my list of top ten shows of 2021 (honorable mention for 'Only Murders in the Building'....Steve Martin and Martin Short both flexed their comedic chops here. The actual murder mystery ended being far less interesting than simply watching these two play off one another): Had to make an edit to include 'Station Eleven' after watching it this past week.
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Jan 17, 2022 21:48
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Hey, Looten: after a lot of umming and ahhing I decided to move Station Eleven from #5 to #2, which means Ted Lasso, The White Lotus, and For All Mankind all moved down a spot. I was hesitant about changing it because my placement was based on the 2021 episodes, but it wrapping up so well really does help elevate everything that came before, and my favourite episode (7) aired in 2021 anyway. Holy poo poo I love Station Eleven so much
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Jan 18, 2022 10:28
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I really hope I can catch that before the poll closes
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Jan 18, 2022 10:36
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Escobarbarian posted:Hey, Looten: after a lot of umming and ahhing I decided to move Station Eleven from #5 to #2, which means Ted Lasso, The White Lotus, and For All Mankind all moved down a spot. It was fantastic. The first episode nearly bored me to tears...so the second episode I didn't pay great attention. Glad I stuck with it. And I noticed that my list has SEVEN HBO/MAX shows! Really incredible how much competition has emerged in the past five to ten years....just for HBO to launch Max and go back to dominating. Along with the WB premiers.....HBO is hands down the best premium streaming service. Just my opinion. Apple TV+ got two on my list. Starting to get better content out there. With the cash they have....I expect them to continue closing the gap. I have multiple shows there that I need to watch still. FX because Always Sunny is one of the funniest shows of all time.....got one spot on the list. Along with AMC....these two consistently produce high quality shows that compete with the premium services and mostly shame the rest of the cable networks. Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/Starz/Showtime need to step it up.
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Jan 18, 2022 22:59
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Apple TV+ and HBO Max are the two streaming channels I find are the most reliable. I appreciate that Apple, for the most part, are concentrating on new shows and ideas, rather than developing existing IP. And HBO does a lot of that too, plus their DC content (which, for whatever reason, i like more than the Marvel stuff, i think because there's more of a diaspora).
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Jan 18, 2022 23:06
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Honorable Mentions Odd Taxi (Crunchyroll) – An enjoyable anime that tries to be a series of “multiple stories that connect at once” crime drama. All the stories are interconnected and for the most part the show tries to be serious and adult (at least by anime standards). It’s an enjoyable watch, but at the end of the day the show just isn’t as smart as it thinks it is and while watching it, you are reminded that similar stories have been done far better before. Attack on Titan (Crunchyroll) – The final season is a huge shot in the arm the series needed. It shakes the show up in many ways and gives off a vibe and atmosphere that isn’t really like anything else. The issue is that some of the changes are just...dumb. I have no problem with Eren’s heel turn but doing a giant time skip and having him going from “I’m timid but I got to be the hero” to basically being a rebellious sociopath is a bit too much. It’s entertaining, if a bit hard to follow. But it makes me glad the series is ending before it gets too stupid. Hellbound (Netflix) – What if Judgement Day came true but instead of it being all at once, instead it was done little by little, person by person? That’s more or less the concept of “Hellbound”. Despite it’s terribly slow start and boring first episode, the show ramps up by the credits of the second and it gradually escalates from there. Not the best show, but worth watching. Can’t Get You Out of My Head (BBC) - “Hypernormalisation” is my favorite documentary of all-time. And as each day passes, the film becomes more and more relevant. So much so, that Adam Curtis’s follow up documentary is literally the exact same film, just focused on different events and players, with far less cohesion. Like with all Adam Curtis documentaries, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” is a fun and informative watch. But at the end of the day, it’s essentially a weak B-side piece of an already almost perfect album. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO Max) – After the phenomenal tenth season, as was very excited for season eleven. Prior to the last season, I was firmly in the camp of “the show hasn’t been the same since they brought it back”. Season nine was absolutely horrible comedy wise and racist as poo poo. It was a delight to see the show get back on track with the tenth season, which I found to be one of the best. Unfortunately, season eleven goes back to being mediocre. There’s nothing “bad” about it, it’s just simply so-so as all the episodes are standard Curb episodes that don’t do anything new or aren’t witty enough to stand out from the hundreds of others. Plus, the ending was just so disappointing. Lupin (Netflix) – France’s answer to Sherlock Holmes, the gentleman thief is a hallmark of French literature. It is no surprise that these books have adapted several times and referenced heavily in countless media (hello “Persona 5”). Staring an anti-hero who is suave, intelligent, compassionate, and elegant, he is the ideal Frenchman despite being a criminal. Sure, he steals but only from those who deserve so, and those that don’t he always returns what he takes. Netflix gave the greenlight of a modern take on the old novels with the charismatic Omar Sy playing the aforementioned “Lupin”. The series was very good and had me hooked during the second half of it. Unfortunately, the first half is far too boring at times. Not to mention the whole premise of “it’s the real world, the person is just obsessed with the books but ironically takes the name of “Lupin” but isn’t really Lupin, but in a way technically is Lupin!” is something I found dumb. If the entire series was like the second half, this would easily have made the top ten. Unfortunately, the draggy nature of the first half puts it down enough for the series to JUST miss the top ten. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Top Ten 10. Reservation Dogs (Hulu)  I'll address the giant elephant in the room. Reservation Dogs is the first TV series to focus on Native American characters, with primarily a Native American cast, and produced by a Native American. It’s astounding fact that with several African American, Latino, and Asian American series over the years, there has yet to be even one Native American series. Now, while I admit this is a monumental step, this alone wouldn’t warrant a spot in the top ten. The show needs to be of quality. But the fact that it is the first, one has to take into account that there is no template for the show to follow. Considering this, the show achieves its objective of bringing Native American life and style to the small screen very well. The show has a bit of distinct feel that isn’t quite like other shows, such as some supernatural elements that are woven into the story. There’s also the picture of life in a Native town the show paints. The town the show takes place in is small and declining. It’s dozens of miles from a metro area, and has virtually no economy as the “downtown” portion is filled with abandoned buildings or tepid shops. The residents of said town do their best to make ends meet. You frequently see residents in several side hustles such as making jewelry or cutting hair. Since the town’s economy is in such a poor state, this is the best they can do in order to still make payments in their lovely one bed room apartment or 700 square foot house. Crime is also prevalent. With people frequently stealing copper and various items to get buy, or stealing being so common that shop owners ask local teenagers what they are going to steal so they can just write the items off. All this is done in a way that’s very show and not tell. Not one of these things have a single episode dedicated to them and are all just in the backdrop, leaving the audience to piece the puzzles together. And it’s fantastic. When it comes to main characters however, that’s a different story. The show bills itself as a show about teenagers who commit crimes and stop crimes in order to help the town, but that’s not really accurate. It’s often about the daily life of the main cast. It’s pretty enjoyable, especially with episodes that focus on a single character. But overall, it’s lacking. Outside of a select few the characters just aren’t that interesting. It’s not that they’re “bad”, they just don’t really stand out. And being honest, the main plot of them raising money to move to California just seems kind of...dumb. As someone who recently did the whole “move from the heartland the West Coast”, the concept of a group of teenagers saving money to move to Los Angeles of all places is laughable to me.Then again maybe that’s what the show was going for, being how Elora’s mom reacts. Overall, the show’s good, but it primarily stands out due to its excellent weaving of the Native Americab backdrop into the story. 9. Exterminate all the Brutes (HBO Max)  One of the most unflinching documentaries I’ve seen. The series takes the viewer by the hand and has them look at the history colonialism in the eye without blinking. The series doesn’t pull any punches showing the brutality during colonial times and how it affects the world today. It really puts into perspective to as of why there is so much turmoil and inequality in the modern world. What’s interesting is that no matter how educated you are on the subject, there is likely to be at least something you’ll learn that you didn’t know before. Such as scalping actually being a European thing that was introduced to the Native Americans, and not vice versa. Or how it was common practice in the Belgian Congo to punish their slaves by chopping off their hands and propping them around. There is always some interesting and morbid information every minute. Finally, a huge stand out area of this documentary compared to others are the dramatizations. Typically, in documentaries I roll my eyes as they tend not only take me out of the experience but also are very mediocre and cheap. Not in the case with “Exterminate all the Brutes” however. The dramatizations are extremely well done, with Hollwood quality writing, acting, cinematography, and directing. To the point I was actually sad when they ended. The documentary has tons of love and passion, as it acts an honest prosecution of colonialism and racial supremacy. Its goal was to be an unflinching look into the history of the world’s brutal past and on that note, it excels on every front. 8. You (Netflix)  Female “trash novels” are every bit as part of American culture as comic books and YA literature. As the name implies, they are every bit as nonsensical and embarrassing as the latter two genres listed. However, also like the other two genres, they can also be very fun. And that’s the best way to describe the third season of “You”. To describe the series as a whole it’s similar to “Jaws” in which it attempts to take a genre that is seen as lowbrow but make it more prestige and digestible for general audiences. Both season 1 and 2 received a lot of commercial and critical acclaim. For those not in the know to give a brief non-spoilery rundown of the show’s premise, it follows the story of a stalker with murderous tendencies who obsesses over random women as he woos them with his charms and becomes extremely paternal about their life. It sounds extremely creepy and par for course of the genre, but similar to Jaws, it’s how well “You” executes its story and fleshes out its characters. Season 3 stands out as it takes the trashiness of the series to a whole different level, focusing on a quiet town in suburbia becoming a murder town with duo stalker serial killers. It sounds stupid, and is stupid, but the execution is on point and it is so entertaining. If you didn't like the first two season, season three won’t win you over. However, if you enjoyed the first two seasons and were hesistant on continuing on as you were thinking “where does the series go from here?” you’ll be happy to know that it still chugs along without feeling redundant. 7. Awkwafina is Nora from Queens (Comedy Central/HBO Max)  There's nothing else to really say about Nora from Queens other than it’s a very funny show and that it paints a realistic portrait of being in your mid-twenties and still struggling to get on your feet in this modern capitalistic world. The show revolves around Nora a 25-year-old slacker who lives with her extended family and tries to find a stable job that pays enough for her to move out. Awkwafina is absolutely hilarious and it isn’t hard at all to see why she has so much success. She brings Nora to life as a woman who is lost in life and has good intentions but always George Constanza’s her way into creating schemes that blow up in her face. As someone who watches a lot of international TV, it really gives perspective in just how American the show is. The comedy is very “wet” as the jokes are very upfront, blatant, and at times crass. However, due to how funny the show is, this is obvious a huge positive. It isnt’ a show that’s likely going to be inducted into the TV Hall of Fame, but it is the perfect show to tune into for laughs and I’m surprised that it doesn’t have a stronger “cult following”. 6. Castlevania (Netflix)  Arguably one of the most important, if not the most important, TV series in adult animation. The show was: action focused and NOT a comedy, high production, rated TV-MA, with much if not most of the animating being done in-house in American soil. And on top of all these factors the show as a critical and commercial hit. Castlevania takes the lore and feel of the video games and brings them to the small screen in spectacular fashion. With great fights, memorable characters, and an engaging story. Unfortunately, while season 4 was ultimately as enjoyable as the other seasons, it just didn’t leave as much of an impact. I found it to be weaker than the previous two seasons at least, but a relatively weak season in Castlevania still makes for one of the best seasons of TV. 5. Love Life (HBO Max)  The first season of “Love Life” was good enough for me to finish the season, but not much else. Even Ana Kendrick’s charisma and skills couldn’t save the show’s flat characters and boring story. The second season improves on the first in every way imaginable. As it focuses on a man in his early thirties who is divorced by his wife, seeking for a new love in his life. The season has quality characters, pacing, and story as I was engaged each and every episode. Being in the same age group as the characters, I found myself relating heavily to them, as each episode introduced a new topic. The show isn’t a masterpiece but it’s an insightful and very relatable portrayal of finding love in your thirties. 4. Cobra Kai (Netflix)  “You” is the perfect execution of the female trash novel. Taking something that is low brow and making it very compelling and interesting. “You” has better than any right it has to be. But if there is show where the tagline “better than any right it has to be” that is even more appropriate, it is “Cobra Kai. For starters the show is a TV sequel to an original trilogy from the 1980s, to which even then only the first film was seen as “good”. The series genre is a mix of the teen trash drama and ‘80s karate exploitation films. All the while getting it’s start on Youtube Red of all places. The show just screams disaster on all fronts. Yet despite all of this, “Cobra Kai” is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year and possibly in all of television. Like “You” the magic is in its execution. The show manages to take itself seriously enough that you care about the characters and stakes, but not to the point that the show still isn’t fun. The characters are both relatable and likable, and it’s really cool to see the old Karate Kid cast back together. But what really makes the show is just how much love and respect there is for the material. Similar to the original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy for films, “Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical” for theatre, or “Batman: Arkham Asylum” for videogames, “Cobra Kai” fully embraces its source material and expands on it in the most respectful fashion. Yes, having a plotlne focused on the school holding a board meeting on the dangers of karate riots is hilarious, but the show manages to make it work perfectly and at times suspend your disbelief enough for it to be believable. While the show is great, there are some nitpicks I have with it. To address the giant elephant in the room, as someone who trains in martial arts himself, there are several things the show portrays that just...aren’t true. Some snippets:
⁍ Karate in general isn’t that good of a martial art. It’s not “bad” but it’s “incomplete”. It’s amusing since the main bully of the show is a wrestler but drops it to learn karate, when wrestling is actually one of the most legit martial arts around. ⁍ When it comes to fighting, Cobra Kai is right about virtually everything. Even little things such as in the latest season when Robbie is losing to his mentee so he ends up actually having to try which results in him kicking his mentee in the face. The issue is that the dojo has some strange edgelord fetish, all of them have some strange “philosophy fetish”, but this is based on ‘80s cinema so it makes sense. There are others but it’s amusing to see. Yes, “Cobra Kai” can be dumb to a fault at times, but it’s all good fun. Highly recommended to anybody who is likes teen dramas, fighting, or ‘80s films. 3. Invincible (Amazon Prime)  I typically really dislike superhero stuff. I find it all so...boring. I find the concept of taking the modern world and having a bunch of rent a cops dressed up in tights running around beating up megalomaniacs to be very played out and not all that interesting. With few exceptions such as Spider-man, Batman, One Punchman, and Deadpool, superheroes just don’t interest me. And to be fair, looking at that list, only one of them is actually about being a superhero. Spider-man is essentially part teen drama, One Punchman is about a twenty something year old dealing with depression with cool fight scenes, and Deadpool is...Deadpool. So understandably I was a bit hesitant before watching “Invincible”, but after finishing it, it was easily one of the best shows I’ve watched this year. “Invincible” can best be summed up as Spider-man but the main character is the son of Superman with one major twist. And while that twist is something that people say “makes the show”, I have to disagree. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great twist, but the show easily can stand on its compelling characters, themes, and plotlines. I don’t want to delve too deep in order to not spoil the show, but what I can say is that it’s the best superhero related thing I’ve seen. If all comic books were similar to Invincible then I would be a diehard comic geek. Unfortunately, the series seems to be one of a kind, which is all the more reason to give it a watch. 2. Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)  In an era where so much media is so politically charged, it’s easy to forget just around a decade ago how TV was often used as an escape from such issues. This is what comes to mind when I think of “Ted Lasso”. It’s show that if you were to remove all of the various Apple products, I would think came out during the late 2000s. Strangely, I don’t mean this as jab toward “Ted Lasso”, but rather the opposite. It makes for a very digestible show where you can get lost in the story and characters. It also makes for a show that is easy to share with family and friends. In other words, it’s one of the few shows where “everyone” can still watch it. For those who aren’t aware of what the show is, inspired by real events, it revolves around the aforementioned Ted Lasso, an American college football coach who is hired to a coach an English football (soccer) league. The team is in a very poor state, with poor performance, low morale, and terrible culture. But Ted fixes all this with the power of niceness and charisma. Despite the silly premise and the introduction paragraph, the show is far better and deeper than one would think. The cast is phenomenal, the writing Is funny and witty, the American/English culture clash is entertaining, and just everything about the show is likable. I will say there are some parts where the show’s lack of politics is detriment. A good example is when Jamie Tart is blacklisted from all football leagues due to his unlikable behavior, despite being an all-star player. In a world with the likes of Connor McGregor and dozens worse than him roaming about, I don’t buy that for a second, even when suspending my disbelief. Still, it’s a minor complaint in an otherwise highly compelling show. I realize that unlike the rest of the top ten, AppleTV+ isn’t one of the major streaming services, but $5 is a major steal to watch one of the best current shows on television. 1. Squid Game (Netflix)  “Squid Game” is quite possible the most important television show of the decade. It’s the first post “Game of Thrones” show to get everyone talking again. It’s a streaming show released in binge format when many were questioning whether or not shows released in such fashion could even generate as much buzz as shows released weekly. It’s also show that is extremely political, as, admitted by the creator himself, focuses on the failures of modern Capitalism. “Squid Game” was not only the most watched show of the year for Netflix, but the most watched show Netflix has ever had. Everyone I have met has watched “Squid Game”, my family, friends, coworkers, class mates, hell even locals I met in countries like Uganda have watched “Squid Game”. It was a world-wide phenomenon that burned bright for months after its release. Despite all this, none of it is the most shocking about Squid Game. The most shocking thing about “Squid Game” is the country of origin. “Squid Game” is a Korean drama where almost all the characters are ethnically Korean and speak Korean. It is a Korean production through and through that is tailor made for Korea. Yet, despite this it was by far the biggest show of 2021 in virtually every country it was released in... including the United States of America. Something unheard of in country where “subtitles” are a four-letter word. It’s difficult to understate just how notable this is, but the series was the first big foreign language and cultured series to be popular in the America and arguably the rest of the West. Due to this, after the release of Squid Game, several other Korean shows began charting as it curated several new fans to K-dramas. Not only does this offer more opportunity for Korean media being marketable overseas, but media from all other nations as well. However, while the series is important, what about the quality? To sum up “Squid Game” it’s an instant classic. I can’t really explain what it is, but it has a certain x-factor or “je ne sais quoi” that makes one immediately connect with it. Maybe it’s due to its literal perfect casting. Maybe it's due to it being around a decade long project by a starving artist. Maybe it’s due to the themes being more relevant and relatable than ever before. But for some reason “Squid Game” simply “just works.” Having a series focus on a down in their luck individuals who gamble with their life through a series of deadly children games seems strange on the surface, but when woven with such well written characters and tense stakes makes for some of the most compelling television I’ve seen. And when things do go wrong, they really stick with you (episode 6  ) And all this without mentioning how the series just oozes with style due to the fantastic art direction, wardrobe, music, and cinematography. This doesn’t mean the show isn’t without flaws. There’s a subplot that is by and large completely pointless, especially if you aren’t familiar with Korean cinema. There’s also a scene with Americans who speak very...poor English. Though to be fair this is also common in American media when different languages are spoken, we just don’t realize it. But these are just minor hiccups in the massive sleeper hit. If you haven’t watched “Squid Game”, be sure to do so as soon as you can. Not only is it one of the best shows I’ve seen, but it’s landmark in world culture. punk rebel ecks fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Jan 21, 2022 |
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Jan 20, 2022 23:00
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