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I meant to do this sooner, but better late than never, even if it means that many of these justifications have to be shortened. Also, some of these placements were very spur of the moment decisions, but I would say all would definitely be in my top ten even if the placements within the ten might vary depending on my mood. 10: Nine Perfect Strangers The plot made no sense at all, but this miniseries had some of the most fantastic acting I've seen in an ensemble (outside of Nicole Kidman's ridiculous accent, but even that was fun in how over the top it was). Combine with a gorgeous location, and the plot nonsense is more than made up for. This show actually made me a fan of Melissa McCarthy. 9: Servant It's not a comedy, it's not psychological horror, it's not a supernatural thriller, it's not a family melodrama, it's not food porn, it's all of them. 8: For All Mankind I think the second season lost a little of the spark of season 1, but the second season was able to dive fully into the alternate history space race of 1980s dreamers while also inverting the Cold War jingoism of Reagan-era space dreams, and with solid character studies that (mostly) avoid falling into cliches. 7: Mythic Quest As someone who does not play MMOs, I've loved both seasons of this show about the creators of a very familiar MMO. Simultaneously hilarious and heartfelt, the second season is an improvement on the first, and its historical flashback episode was one of the best single episodes of any show this year. More than any other, Mythic Quest really highlights how Apple+ stealthily became the best quality 6: Yellowjackets So much of this show's appeal came from the killer opening scene (and probably also the push it got from being connected to the release of the Dexter spinoff), but it says something that despite the fact that we never even get to the first nibble on one of the girls that the intro promises, the show is so compelling that the lack of payoff (so far) does not feel like a ripoff, but a promise. One that the show might well fumble in future seasons, but if so, I am sure it will fumble them in an extremely pulpy, melodramatic way. 5: How To with John Wilson I discovered this show with just enough time to watch the first season before the second season started, which was the best way to watch it. I lived in Queens the last few years, and moved to a new state just this month. Seeing John Wilson's exploration of Queens (including some areas I knew quite well) and the broader sense of what it's like to be in the borough during the pandemic as a slightly alienated, insecure creative type spoke to me a lot more than I was expecting. On New Year's Eve, we hung out with another Queens couple, the husband of whom was also starting to watch. Getting home in the first few hours of January 2022, we capped the night off by watching the finale of John Wilson. I can't think of a more comforting way to end my last year in NYC. 4: Only Murders in the Building True crime podcasts have played a role in a number of shows I watched this year, including Yellowjackets and Dexter. And then there are the true crime shows based on podcasts either out or soon to be released, like WeCrashed, The Dropout, and The Shrink Next Door. Only Murders in the Building is not based on a podcast, but it captures the essence of being a podcast fan perfectly (I say as someone who listens to podcasts all the time, but not really into the true crime genre). Steve Martin Short were perfect in it, even if I thought that Selena Gomez was... not. But it was fun, actually suspenseful, and had a great sense of how its characters would not only behave, but see the world. 3: What We Do in the Shadows Sometimes, you just want to watch idiots being dumb. And sometimes, those dumb idiots are vampires who undergo a metaphysical crisis when they play The Big Bang Theory-branded slot machine after forgetting to bring their dirt with them to a Jersey City casino. The best ad campaign Staten Island has had in a long time. 2: On Cinema On Cinema enters its tenth year in 2022, and the past decade has included a spinoff movie, multiple Oscar specials, the hit spy action thriller series Decker, the rock band Dekkar, a murder trial, and the launch of its own streaming platform. Trying to explain On Cinema to someone with no knowledge remains as difficult as ever, but it's to the show's credit that it not only remains just as funny, but continuously innovates and re-invents itself rather than keeping a holding pattern. Dr. San is my angel. 1: Station Eleven Haunting, beautiful, funny, insightful, accidentally topical. I could get lost writing about this show. Rather than ramble on for so long, I'll say that I hope those who decided against watching it due to pandemic burnout reconsider, because it's the exact opposite of every stereotypical post-apocalyptic show. As an example, there's an actress who was in both Station Eleven and Y: The Last Man. She played a delightful standout here despite being in only one episode, and is completely forgettable in Y despite being in multiple episodes of it. But on a deeper level, as I wrote above, I lived in NYC through the pandemic, and then moved away not too longer after the Station Eleven finale. The show's story about living through a pandemic, being uprooted from your city, moving on, losing some friends but gaining new relationships in the process, and learning to say good bye but with the hope of seeing each other again in the future - the show is good on its own, but on a personal level, it really spoke to me and what I was feeling at this exact time without even being aware of it. A lot of my previous entries were somewhat randomly placed on this top ten list, but Station Eleven was unquestionably my number one, and I am so glad it aired into 2022 because I am sure it will be on my next year's list as well. Honorable mentions: American Horror Story: Red Tide Baking Impossible Brand New Cherry Flavor Chopped Creamerie Dexter: New Blood Good Eats: The Return Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted The Great British Baking Show High on the Hog I Think You Should Leave Never Have I Ever The Other Two School of Chocolate See Squid Game Succession Wellington Paranormal Disonorable mentions: American Horror Story: Death Valley And Just Like That... Book of Boba Fett (just one episode aired in 2021, but still earned it) Foundation Ted Lasso (come at me!) The Stand Y: The Last Man
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Jan 31, 2022 23:08
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Escobarbarian posted:lmao this is an extremely great and accurate description. love your list, although Nine Perfect Strangers was more of an amusing hatewatch for me Haha fair enough and I don't think I would even push back on that description of it too much. But if it's amusing, it's amusing! I am serious that it completely turned me around on Melissa McCarthy, though.
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Feb 1, 2022 02:26
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Great work, Looten! And echoing others, seeing everything here... 2021 really was a pretty solid TV year. ShakeZula posted:Very glad my decision to leave Station Eleven off my list didn't damage its standing (I loved it, but it felt like a 2022 show to me so it'll be near the top of my list next year) It's definitely going to be on my 2022 list also, unless of course the next ten months give us so much extraordinary TV it gets crowded out. Which seems unlikely.
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Feb 22, 2022 16:49
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Just wanted to remind everyone that Station 11 did air in 2022 and so should be on everyone's list again this year as well. 
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Dec 6, 2022 17:27
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What’s the consensus on nonfiction shows being on the list? I really liked the ILM miniseries on Disney but don’t know if that’s against the rules of the poll.
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Dec 11, 2022 19:26
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