procrastinator’s top tv of 2020

High Fidelity

And we’re back to trying to see enough things that I feel like I have at least a representative sample to throw down. And while I still don’t have premium cable and I’m not in with every streaming service I feel like I’m ready for a good selection. For a look at what the critics picked you can try Metacritic.

  • Bojack Horseman (Net))/The Good Place (NBC)/Schitts Creek (Pop) – Ok so yes this one is a cheat but honestly I’m not sure if the final seasons of these series were the best but they are three of my top series so if you haven’t seen them you’re missing out.
  • High Fidelity (Hulu) – I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this show, I was a big fan of the original book, and thought the movie version did a good job capturing the spirit, and was thoroughly along for this ride on this latest take with Zoe Kravitz in the lead and another round of good friends, they were dumb dumbs to cancel after one season.
  • Ted Lasso (App+) – I got a free round of Apple TV+ with the iPad I bought last year but wasn’t really diving into series because 1) I can’t figure out how to play it on my tv and 2) I didn’t want to get hooked on anything because I am for sure not paying for another streaming series, but I had heard so many good things about Jason Sudeikis’s take on fish out of water that I dove in and it really is the type of positive tv we all need these days.
  • The Great (Hulu) – This ‘genre-bending, anti-historical’ look into Catherine the Great gives quite a fun journey along with Elle Fanning in the title role and her education into taking her position in history.
  • Better Things (FX) – I’m impressed each season with Pamela Adlon’s ability to create both powerful half hours of her fictionalized life as well as the overall characters and story arcs.
  • Queens Gambit (Net) – Watching Anya Taylor-Joy grow into and up as a chess prodigy is worth it for her fashion looks and her withering looks alone, but the chess and personal tension really kept me hooked.
  • Brockmire (IFC) – I watched all of this last year so this is more of a series than a season review but this show was sure willing to take risks in creating and following Hank Azaria as this self-destructive baseball announcer through an unusual personal and professional journey.
  • Dead to Me (Net) – Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini sure know how to get themselves into trouble, and while the show is ridiculous as it follows their friendship and their foibles I for sure couldn’t look away.
  • The Boys (Prime) – Another show I couldn’t look away from, what happens when Superheroes become an industry and what happens when they go rogue, is defeating them at all costs worth it, or possible, the character development has been good to keep things a little nuanced in the midst of all the insanity.
  • Teenage Bounty Hunters (Net) – Ok I had something else in this last slot but this show was honestly one that I enjoyed a lot last year so… the interplay between these twin sisters and their new boss as they get caught up in bounty hunting while navigating relationships and high school brings us another terrible call on cancelling after the first season.

I also finished a few old series that would likely have made the list if I had been any where near timely: Counterpart, Downton Abbey, The Shield, and Veep.

Honorable mentions: Dave (Fxx), Devs* (Fx), The Eddy* (Net), Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Free), Evil (CBS), The Good Fight (CBSAA), Killing Eve (BBCA), Little America (App+), Mrs. America (Hulu), Mythic Quest (App+), One Day at a Time (Pop), Ozark (Net), Sex Education (Net), Trinkets (Net), Unorthodox (Net), Upload (Prime), Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC) – (*not done yet).

What were some of your favorites? What’s next on your list?

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new and noteworthy tv: 5/11-5/24

The Great

I’ve been kicking along with some of the shows still airing/wrapping up as well as making some progress on streaming options. I wrapped up High Fidelity which I really liked, thought they captured a good vibe from the source materials which I also really liked. This week a few new things cropping up, Burden of Truth is also back, the Canadian legal drama that somehow got me hooked based on timing as a sort of summer series.

  • The Great (Hulu) Series Premiere, Friday 5/15 – A satirical, comedic drama about Catherine the Great played by Elle Fanning, some good initial reviews.
  • White Lines (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 5/15 – A woman travels from England to Ibiza when her brother is found dead in this offbeat thriller.
  • Hightown (Starz) Series Premiere, Sunday 5/17 – No word on this crime drama exploring themes of addiction, recovery and possible redemption.
  • Snowpiercer (TNT) Series Premiere, Sunday 5/17 – This series has been in the works for a while so I’m a little skeptical particularly since it’s based on what was already an odd film that’s a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller where the remnants of humanity survive on a moving train.
  • Dead Still (Acorn) Series Premiere, Monday 5/18 – A darkly comic murder mystery set in 1880s Ireland, not sure about the show or where one would actually watch Acorn.
  • DC’s Stargirl (DC) Series Premiere, Monday 5/18 – A high school sophomore finds a staff and gathers up a team to superhero, I’m not super eager.
  • Sweet Magnolias (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 5/19 – Lifelong friends lift each other up in a small southern town in this romantic drama.

More streaming

  • Inhuman Resources (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 5/15 – Out of work and attracted by a job opening that leads to more than bargained for in this French thriller.
  • The Unremarkable Juanquini (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 5/15 – A magician makes a kingpin disappear in this Latin absurdist drama.
  • Control Z (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 5/22 – A hacker starts releasing high school students’ secrets in this Mexican teen show.
  • Betaal (Net) Series Premiere, Sunday 5/24 – British soldier unearth zombies when trying to make way for a highway in this Indian thriller.

Returning streaming: Bordertown (Net, 5/11), Magic for Humans (Net, 5/15), She Ra and the Princess of Power (Net, 5/15), Homecoming (Am, 5/22), Trailer Park Boys (Net, 5/22)

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