Disorderly Top 10: Our picks for the best TV shows of 2019
Now I don’t want to undermine my Top Ten Albums list because I really do want people to check out those projects. I listened to a lot of albums, compiled and ranked my top ten, and spent some time trying to do a write up that would convince you guys to give them a listen.
But to be honest, my musical knowledge pales in comparison to my knowledge of television. So please take that music list seriously. But please take this television list more seriously. Deal? Deal. Let’s get to the rankings:
10. True Detective – Season 3
What a comeback for True Detective, huh? Season 1 is up there for the best television season ever made and season 2… well, it stinks in comparison. So for season 3 to do what it did, thanks in large part to a brilliant performance by Mahershala Ali – an all-timer in my opnion – that’s pretty darn impressive. For anybody who jumped off the series after the monstrosity that was season 2, go ahead and hop back on because season 3 was outstanding.
9. Stranger Things – Season 3
This was my favorite season of Stranger Things to date. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first and second season, but the show seems to be growing with its audience. This year brought a darker, more adult feel to it; a welcomed next step for the series. It felt less like a kid’s show than the first couple seasons and while that fun element is still there, there’s now an added depth, as well. And that ending! Stranger Things man… where will we go from here?
8. Veep – Season 7
The series finale of Veep was one of the best finales I’ve seen, particularly in the comedy realm. I almost think it’s harder to wrap a comedy series than a big drama sometimes, because you don’t have the crutch of an emotional element built into the show. You can break from the norm and add it in, but that takes some clever writing to have that make sense. Without getting into specifics, the way Veep finished things, particularly with the Jonah story arc… it was pretty darn close to perfection. Shame this thing got overlooked due to the last season of Game of Thrones.
7. The Crown – Season 3
You may notice a trend starting to develop, that this list features a lot of shows that hit their peak in 2019. And the best example of that might be The Crown. Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the first couple seasons with Claire Foy. She was great. But this season, set further in the future – or rather, closer to present day – with Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret really blew me away. Season 4 is set to go even further into the future as well and I can’t wait for that in 2020. But season 3 man… practically flawless.
6. The Deuce – Season 3
Another third season and another final season. For whatever reason, a lot of the shows on my list this year are in their third season, I just noticed that. And like Stranger Things and The Crown, season 3 was my favorite season of The Deuce. You finally see the fallout from the wild lifestyles lived by the characters in this show and it wasn’t a pretty result. Without getting into any details, there were a few moments in this season that really blew me away. Those jaw-dropping moments that you buzz about with fellow TV snobs at the water-cooler the next day. Allegedly. I don’t work with any. The Deuce will forever be in that great, but underrated category for me. Like Treme, it just sort of fell through the cracks for a lot of people. Unfortunate.
5. I Think You Should Leave – Season 1
I don’t know how many people watched this Tim Robinson sketch show, but it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while. Truly hilarious on first watch, but I’ve had two experiences that really cemented its place on this list. First, my cousin Braden was in town for Thanksgiving and he mentioned it. So we watched a couple episodes again and I laughed harder than the first time. Then around the holidays, my buddy Pete brought it up and we watched again. I laughed even harder that time. The style of comedy is almost improved when you know the awkward moment is coming and you allow that tension to build. It all adds to it.
4. Succession – Season 2
This is probably lower than a lot of people were expecting. Which isn’t to say that the #4 best show of 2019 is some kind of insult. But when a lot of people are throwing it in the #1 spot, some explanation is required on my end. I absolutely loved the second season of succession. In fact, the second-half of the first season right through the entirety of season 2 stands as one of the best shows on television of late. Rather, its placement on this list is more of a reflection on how I feel about the three shows above it. I loved Succession. And it continues to improve with time.
3. Fleabag – Season 2
We’re really getting into the thick of it now. Succession is probably #1 on a lot of lists and I know that Fleabag is #1 on a lot of lists. Unfortunately, it’s another bitter-sweet situation, because It’s also the final season of Fleabag. These god damn British shows are far too short man. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is getting a ton of praise and she absolutely deserves it. I thought Andrew Scott was unbelievable as the priest, a new addition this year. He played it in a really nuanced, complex way while maintaining the levity and overall silly vibe of the show. Fleabag was absolutely brilliant and I’ll miss it.
2. Chernobyl – Mini Series
Between this and The Crown, I’m learning more about European history than I ever did in school. From the opening scene of Chernobyl, I was completely and entirely hooked. The subtlety of the way the disaster story was told – the kids playing in the ash like it was snow, the people watching from the bridge like it was a fireworks display – only to know, as the viewer, that all these people were doomed to die. The range of characters who were in denial vs. the characters who were rightfully panicked and seeing how these two parties clashed and collaborated. The tremendous acting top-to-bottom. Chernobyl was one of the best shows I’ve seen in quite some time. Period.
1. Watchmen – Season 1
Or maybe a mini-series? I’m not quite sure. Anyway, bravo Damon Lindeloff!! Anyone who has remotely brought up television around me in the past few months has been subjected to my ravings about Watchmen. I’ve been super excited about this show since the end of The Leftovers when rumors started swirling that this would be his next project. I read the book, I watched the movie, I did a weekly podcast about it, culminating in a great conversation with Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports – highly recommend you guys check out that episode if you haven’t yet.
Needless to say, I put a lot of my eggs in the Watchmen basket – egg pun definitely intended – and it paid off in a big way. The Nostalgia episode and the Dr. Manhattan episode were two of the very best episodes of television I’ve ever seen. Reminded me of the hotel episodes from The Leftovers in that they just stood out from an already terrific show. I can’t say enough good things about Watchmen. Regina King is incredible. The #1 show of the year. Easy choice.
