The State of the Art: Television 2019

Articles, reviews, and conversations with friends have begun to take on a common theme when it comes to the subject of television: How should this show we're talking about be curated? Is it a "You have to see this NOW NOW NOW" show? Is it a "Yeah, it's on my list, and I'll catch up on it at some point" show? There is so much content right now that if a show doesn't fall into one of those categories (and frankly, even some of them that do), it will completely fall through the cracks. As of this post, I've seen 13 movies (you know, those things that are few hours maximum) that were released in 2019, and...23 full seasons of 2019 television. Insane.

With all that television to choose from, though, chances are always good that some of those shows will triumph as the best pop culture of the year across the entire spectrum, and some of those 23 shows blew me away. Others, not so much. Let's focus on the positive for now, though. One of the inherent dangers of year-end lists is that I'll overvalue things I loved that I just saw recently over things I loved that I saw several months ago. It can be tough to take a step back and really do a fair comparison. There was no such problem this year, because my top show essentially kicked off 2019.

Russian Doll is fantastic. It's weird and smart and mysterious and sad and funny and cool and addictive. I certainly wasn't the only one to think so, because while I can't imagine what a Season 2 will even look like, the show was so popular that it's getting picked up. Even if it turns out to be terrible, we'll always have this season, which follows Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), trying to figure out what's happening to her as she keeps inescapably dying and waking up at her birthday party. I'm already looking forward to rewatching it. In the meantime, though, let's go to the full 2019 ranking! All of the shows in this first chunk would earn a full A or A- on the grading scale:

Russian Doll (Season 1)
Undone (Season 1)
Fleabag (Season 2)
Derry Girls (Season 2)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 3)

Of the other shows (some of which straddle from 2018), there were plenty that were pretty damned entertaining, or at least decent, ranking from a B+ to a B on the scale:

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Seasons 2 & 3)
Brooklyn Nine Nine (Season 6)
Black Mirror (Season 5)
Carmen Sandiego (Seasons 1 & 2)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 4)
Bob's Burgers (Season 9)
GLOW (Season 3)
The Great British Baking Show (Season 7)
Superstore (Season 4)
The Dragon Prince (Season 2)
Tuca & Bertie (Season 1)
Good Omens (miniseries)
Nailed It! (Season 3)
Astronomy Club (Season 1)

And the ones that couldn't stick the landing:

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season 4)
Agatha Christie's "The ABC Murders" (miniseries)

Lest we forget, there are also the shows from previous years that I managed to catch up on:

Fleabag (Season 1) (2016)
Derry Girls (Season 1) (2018)
Maniac (Season 1) (2018)
Castlevania (Season 2) (2018)
Salt Fat Acid Heat (Season 1) (2018)
Search Party (Season 1) (2016)

Picking a favorite show of the decade is a nearly impossible task. The Great British Baking Show has brought me immeasurable happiness, but can I really call a competitive reality show my favorite of the past ten years, no matter how gentle it is? Probably not. If this was a "Best Of" list, something critically-acclaimed like Mad Men might be in the discussion, but this is about favorite, not best. Shows that live as a gem of the past, like Community, Futurama, or Parks & Recreation are definitely worthy of consideration. When it all comes down to it, though, I have to pick a show that not only topped my list in the past, but is still going strong, and that doesn't only work as a TV show, but as a musical soundtrack, a t-shirt that I love, and a cookbook I'm anxious to explore:

The Simpsons definitely dominated in past eras, and if there's any show that can be said it's passed the torch to, it's got to be Bob's Burgers. Delightful visual gags, terrific writing, incomparable voiceover work, and fun new songs on a weekly basis have kept me laughing, quoting, and singing to myself for years now.