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As my time balance shifted heavily toward gaming instead of watching TV this year, for a while I was thinking that I wouldn't have enough shows that I cared about to submit a list. But sure enough, as I started thinking back I found myself in the familiar position of "too many shows, not enough spots." So first, the honorable mentions: What We Do in the Shadows Slow Horses Ms Marvel She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Reservation Dogs All fine shows that at one point or another had found a place on my list, but ultimately just barely missed the cut. 10. Undone I really loved the first season of Undone when it first aired, but it was such an under-the-radar show and so much time passed between the two seasons that I really only stumbled upon the second season by accident. I'm glad I did though, because the new season built beautifully on the first and managed to complete the story in a very satisfying way. 9. Los Espookys Another show with a sublime first season that was followed by a very long hiatus. This show is ridiculous and I loved every second of it. 8. Only Murders in the Building The show hit a bit of a sophomore slump, but ultimately still managed to play to the strength of its cast and crafted a compelling mystery. 7. Andor Probably one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. As much as I love The Mandalorian, a couple of duds had made me wary of another new Star Wars show, especially one based around a character I barely remembered from my lone viewing of Rogue One years ago. But the word of mouth was positive, and I figured it was worth giving a shot. So I did, and I was rewarded with one of the best additions to the canon in quite some time. 6. Severance If Andor was a surprise for me, Severance was set up from the start to be one of my favorites. An incredible cast, a unique aesthetic, and a brilliant premise all combined to make me very hyped for this show's debut. With expectations that high it was primed for disappointment, but Severance was simply perfect in its execution. 5. Stranger Things All the talk leading up to the premiere of this season was based around the episode lengths, and bloat was a widespread criticism of the season. For my part, though, I thought this installment was fantastic. My only quibble is that it really felt like this should have been the end, to the point where I'm not really sure what comes next, but taken on its own this was a great season of television. 4. Mythic Quest This was the show I was waiting to finish before making my list. Mythic Quest took my top spot last year, and while I think there was a slight drop-off this season its fall in my rankings was almost entirely due to strong competition rather than an indicator of a decline in quality. Still hilarious, with moments of genuine emotional poignancy. 3. Peacemaker Coming into Peacemaker I was already a fan of James Gunn and of John Cena. Even so, I never would have guessed that they would be able to put together such an incredible show. Great action, strong emotional beats, and some genuinely heartwarming character development of what could have easily been a one-note protagonist. Also, I've watched the opening credits about a thousand times since the season ended, they're perfect. 2. Station Eleven I started watching this in 2021, but finished it in 2022 and knew immediately that this was the year I would list it. For one, it took a few episodes to really hook me, while the back half of the season was some of the most beautiful television I've ever seen. By the end I knew it would take the top spot on my list, unless something truly special came along to unseat it. 1. Better Call Saul And then, of course, came the final season of Better Call Saul. For a few years now I've espoused the controversial opinion that BCS has surpassed its parent show Breaking Bad in overall quality, and this final season only made me more confident in that assessment. Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn put on a masterclass of acting this year, and the show deftly handled the very difficult task of bringing this story to a close in a way that fits with the overall narrative of the previous show. Quite simply, it was a perfect ending.
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Jan 7, 2023 06:14
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 22:24 |
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