Every year I sit down to write my list of the Top 10 TV Shows of the year, and every year I’m faced with a list that goes well beyond the ten I’ve limited myself to. Sometimes, I cheat a bit and include Honorable Mentions. Or I contemplate opening the list to additional shows, combining some in the list, or just plain accepting that there are too many options and making it a Top 20. This year, my list topped out at twenty-two worthy shows (which isn’t the longest its ever been). We’re in the age of Peak TV, after all, and there are many wonderful shows out there that are worth your time. But here’s my Top 10 (ok, Top 10 and a combo honorable mention) of 2018, all special in their own way.
Honorable Mention: Foreign Language Television (My Brilliant Friend, HBO; Babylon Berlin, Netflix; Deutschland 86, Sundance)
There are people out there who hate watching a films or television program with subtitles. If you’re one of them, these shows won’t be for you. However, if you are the kind of person who loves being swept up in foreign locales and don’t mind doing a bit of work with your watching, these three shows are worth your time. Vastly different in every way (My Brilliant Friend is an Italian drama based on a popular book series- which I had never heard of- detailing the friendship between two girls in post-World War II Naples; Babylon Berlin explores the hedonistic delights and growing dangers in Wiemar Germany; Deutschland 86 is the follow-up to Deutschland 83 and follows the characters as East Germany begins floundering, while delving into their machinations in Africa during that period as spy wars rage on), each show is engaging, smart, complicated, and full of excellent performances. Despite the language barrier, I found myself enraptured with the stories and eagerly wanted to see what happened next.
10. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, CW
Putting Crazy-Ex Girlfriend on this list might have been an excuse to put the above song in the piece, but it also has done more than enough to earn a spot among the best shows on television. Now, in the middle of its final season, the show has honed its focus to churning out the final chapter of Rebecca Bunch’s complex, but oh-so-interesting, story. While season three brought the show to new dramatic heights (with Rebecca hitting rock bottom before slowly beginning to pull herself back up), season four has allowed the character to finally start looking into what she wants, resulting in some of the best character beats the series has had so far. The songs have been just a good (if not better) than in years past, and the show’s supporting cast continues to be one of the strongest on television. And, as a non-practicing attorney, if the song above convinces anyone to avoid the trap of law school, well, then Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will have made a positive difference in the world.
9. The Good Place, NBC
Holy forking shirtballs. That twist in the midseason finale was enough to snag this innovative NBC comedy a spot on this list on its own. But, while season three’s trip to Earth has been a bit uneven compared to the genius of seasons one and two, there’s still some magic left in Michael Schurr’s comedy. This show has been one of my go-to suggestions for people looking for something to watch since it premiered, and I’m thrilled that nowadays when I suggest it I am often told that the person already watches. For those who don’t, this is a comedy that has so much heart baked into a completely brilliant premise that it’s worth your time. And for those who do, be sure to also check out The Good Place The Podcast, hosted by Marc Evan Jackson (he plays Shawn) to supplement your viewing. It’s pretty forking great.
8. Atlanta, FX
Atlanta proves one thing above all others: Donald Glover is a genius. Full stop. The second season of the series was even better than the first, offering a series of episodes that continued to push story arcs for the show’s four central characters while still exploring various film styles and one-off situations. The crowning jewel of the season was, of course, the creepily brilliant stand alone episode “Teddy Perkins” (which is the perfect episode for someone who has never watched the show to sample). While Glover is the star of the show, both in front of and behind the scenes, he’s surrounded himself with a cast of rising stars in Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield (who is so wonderful in “Teddy Perkins”), and Zazie Beetz. Exploring a wide range of issues, from race, relationships, friendship, family, poverty, and male machismo, Atlanta never feels preachy and always feels accessible- even if you haven’t lived the particular experience present on screen. Just another facet of Glover’s brilliance.
7. Homecoming, Amazon
It’s hard for a freshman show to make a Top 10 list (which will sound a bit strange considering the show I’m naming number one this year, but it is true), but Homecoming was compelling in nearly every aspect. Starring a perfectly used Julia Roberts (in a triumphant debut on television, continuing to prove that for women past their Hollywood film prime, TV is a great medium for them to prove they’ve still got it), and introducing the world to the compelling and complex Stephen James (who is starring in the upcoming Oscar contender If Beale Street Could Talk), the thriller is never dull and while the story is predictable in points, it churns forward at a breakneck speed and with great purpose. And that final moment between Roberts and James? Incredible. Oh, and did I mention it’s a half hour drama? What’s not to love?
6. BoJack Horseman, Netflix
Over the years, I’ve written an awful lot about BoJack, one of the smartest, darkly funny, and heartfelt shows on television. If the show weren’t a cartoon, it would a perennial Emmy favorite, as the story (while sometimes trending toward the fantastical) always manages to hit home, exploring essential truths about being human (the irony that a number of the characters are anthropomorphized animals is not lost on me). The deep depression and struggles with his sense of self BoJack faces over the most recent season of the show are all to understandable for the audience. While we may never have been in his exact situation, we’ve all ruminated on why people care or don’t care about us and how to navigate the darkness of losing someone we care deeply about- no matter how fractured that relationship had become. The standout episode of this season was the monologue-based “Free Churro,” which gave us a deeper insight into BoJack’s own struggles and his pain over unanswered questions surrounding his relationship with his family. Even with the deep cuts in the episode, it still leaves room for one hell of a joke, that lightens the preceding 28 minutes, but doesn’t take away from the difficult questions the episode asks of BoJack and of us.
5. Pose, FX
I have a rule about Ryan Murphy shows: The first two seasons are great. Then the wheels fall off. So, I’m a bit worried about the inevitable fall of Pose in two years. But, for now, it’s one of the best (and most diverse) shows on television. Set in the Ball scene of 1980s New York City (check out the excellent documentary Paris is Burning if you don’t know what Balls are), the series follows a number of young LGBTQ individuals as they navigate the city, work, love, and create found families in a world that isn’t welcoming to them. It also delves into the AIDS crisis with stunning honesty, refusing to sugar coat anything surrounding the horrors of watching friends and family die. But, it wouldn’t be a Ryan Murphy program if it wasn’t also full of fun and fabulousness, which is exactly what you get with each Ball scene. The use of Broadway regular and all-around amazing actor Billy Porter turns each Ball into an episode highlight. Murphy made sure to have trans voices in the writing room, directing, and within the cast (Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore are particularly excellent, and real finds that I hope see continued success outside of the series), and it shows in the handling of the trans storylines. This is a groundbreaking series, but it’s also a really great one, and worth your time.
4. Better Call Saul, AMC
When Better Call Saul began four years ago, I, like many, couldn’t wait to see Jimmy become Saul. Now that we’ve reached the point where Jimmy is on the cusp of changing for good, well, I have to say I’m really sad to see the transformation reach the final stages. And that is chalked up to two things: Bob Odenkirk’s ability to make Jimmy into a sympathetic character we don’t want to lose, and Rhea Seehorn’s Kim Wexler. The look on Seehorn’s face during Jimmy’s final speech in season four was heartbreaking. Considering we don’t know what Kim is up to doing during the time of Breaking Bad, the more Saul emerges the less Kim will, presumably, be involved in his life. And with Chuck gone forever, Kim is the only steadying presence left to keep Jimmy from falling over that edge. While the Jimmy side of the story is firing on all cylinders (and heading toward the inevitable crash we know is coming), the Mike side has been floundering a bit. Much more linked to the events of Breaking Bad than the Jimmy story, Mike’s journey to becoming Gus Fring’s fixer has been less emotionally fulfilling than we all hoped it would be. Yes, Nacho’s attempts to save himself and his family from the quagmire he’s placed them in packs an emotional punch, but the rest is simply the story treading water until a certain chemistry teacher decides to cook meth to save his family. Having said that, the rapidly accelerating fall of Jimmy McGill, and the dual spectacular performances from Odenkirk and Seehorn, are more than enough to continue to make Better Call Saul must watch TV.
3. Succession, HBO
I, like many, came late to the Succession party. Considering the hedonistic fun of this incredibly dark comedy doesn’t really show itself until episode six of the ten episode first season, that’s not surprising. If you passed this one up, the most important thing to realize about the Roy family before diving in is that they are terrible, power hunger, morally bankrupt people. All of them. Even Cousin Greg. You won’t root for them to succeed (well, you might root for Roman, as Rory Culkin manages to turn a truly odious person into, well, an actual person, at points in the season), but once you accept that, you will be enraptured at watching them jockey for power. This is a show that’s King Lear meets the Murdochs, without the benefit of a kindly Cordelia (who ended up dead in the Shakespearean tragedy, and would almost certainly have been pushed out by the Roys had she existed here). But while the Roy’s are awful, they are also fun. And complicated. Which is why it takes so long for the series to click: the audience needs time to understand that what’s on the surface of these characters isn’t all there is. This is a family fractured by those that came before them, pitted against each other by their father, and turned into archetypes by expectations. But, despite all of that, the series never lets them off the hook for the bad things they have done and do. There may not always be real world consequences, but there are familial ones. Actions reverberate. There are stakes. This may not be a world many of us are familiar with, but there are elements to these people we can relate to. We just might not like what we see reflected back at us.
2. The Americans, FX
It’s hard to stick the landing on a long running series. The Americans absolutely stuck their’s. I’m still getting over the heartbreaking, heart-stopping finale (and will never be able to hear U2’s “With or Without You” again without thinking of that train platform), but that was only the cherry on top of the excellent final season of an excellent series. The Americans was about many things, but at its heart, it was a tale of a marriage, and the sixth and final season of the show explored the complexities of married life better than almost any other show I’ve ever seen. Sure, the Jennings family had to deal with plenty of things a normal family would never confront (spying, deceiving your best friend and neighbor who just happens to be an FBI counter-terrorism agent, your daughter becoming a spy), but the heartbeat of the show was always the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip (so expertly played by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys). Watching their relationship unravel in season six was painful. Seeing Philip’s despair at not being able to reach Elizabeth, and her growing concern that perhaps the country she willing sacrificed everything for for so long might not be worth it anymore was hard to witness. Hell, the show had us all rooting for Russian spies to escape without consequences. But when it came down to it, Philip and Elizabeth paid a price they never expected for their years of work. It was a wild ride, but it was something pretty special.
1. Killing Eve, BBC America
Killing Eve‘s premiere season was noteworthy for a number of reasons. First, unlike practically every scripted show on television, it managed to gain viewers each week, as word of mouth convinced more and more people to check it out. Second, it was a smartly scripted thriller that starred two women- but that was neither here nor there when it came to the crazy fun and fast-paced season arc, it’s just a fact. And, rounding things out, it managed to get rave reviews from every person I recommended it to throughout the year. Starring the impeccable Sandra Oh (in a star-making turn she should have had years ago) and the understatedly brilliant Jodie Comer, the first season was suspenseful and darkly funny (seriously- it changed tones at a drop of a hat, always earned, and always in service to the story). Sure, it was occasionally predictable, but the cat and mouse game between Eve and Villanelle thrummed with so much tension (of every kind) that their meeting mid-season was one of the greatest television moments of the year. Killing Eve is an absolute cracker of a show, and now that it’s streaming on Hulu, it’s one of the best binges you can have (although, as one of my friends discovered when she watched it all in a day, it leaves you yearning for season two).
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