If you need an introduction to my top ten lists, here is comedy first. I feel like a top ten list is fairly self-explanatory though and by no means is it necessary to read that first.
Drama seemingly had a weak year for the second year in a row. I think it's weak only relative to my expectations and that in the past, I've had shows that I had watched for a few years that I sort of expected to make my list that did, such as Mad Men, Justified and Fargo. The sort of show that I instantly know will make my list when I start this project. Few of those shows were present in 2018 for me, which made compiling a top ten list feel weaker. But honestly, I think this is just a misconception that I have for whatever reason. Looking at my past years' lists, it's not like all ten shows would wipe out this year's shows.
The list is much different this year. Alias Grace, The Leftovers, FEUD, Stranger Things, and Fargo did not air anything in 2018 and all made my list last year. I chose not to watch Handmaid's Tale, which made my list, because the reviews for season two pretty much aligned with my fears about the season after watching the first, which I even said last year in my top ten post. I watch a lot of shows so I have to be stingy when it comes to choosing what to watch. And onto the list!
#10 DC's Legends of Tomorrow (CW)
Model Episode: "Here I Go Again"
Oh how far this show has come. Never in a million years would I have dreamed this show would ever have a chance to make a top ten list back when this first aired. I probably would find it hard to imagine the show even being better than the other CW superhero shows. But it unquestionably the best of the bunch now.
Legends of Tomorrow is an absolutely ridiculous show and it sure knows it. They have the "Why not?" approach to storytelling, to take something absurd and just put it in the episode because it'll be fun. And it is! The show has weathered cast changes throughout this process, but as long as Caity Lotz is still the center of the show, it can probably suffer a few more changes. I picked "Here I Go Again" because I love Groundhog Day episodes.
#9 Haunting of Hill House
Model Episode: "The Bent-Neck Lady"
This show had a terrible ending and could have been higher if not for that. But at the same time, that tells you about the first nine episodes, that I still have it on the top ten even with a bad ending. I do not like horror stories. I do not understand the want to watch something that will deliberately scare you. However, I will watch horror movies if they are trying to accomplish something other than "scare the shit out of you." My favorite horror movies are the meta ones, which should tell you something.
Haunting of Hill House justifies its horror gene in other ways than just trying to scare you, which makes its scares more effective. The episode above is something that is going to stick with me, not necessarily because I was so freaked out by episode - though I was - but because just the idea of what happens in that episode is tragedy at its finest. It also features child actors who look remarkably like the adult actors so the time shifting narrative is not nearly as jarring as it otherwise might be.
#8 Jane the Virgin (CW)
Model Episode: Chapter 77
Jane the Virgin, a telenovela that can change tones and genres every week, somehow has managed to remain consistent enough through its first four seasons to land on my top ten list every year I've written one. Honestly, when I included on my list in its first season, I fully expected that to be the only year. I sometimes will gives shows extra credit when they are new and original and do something different over an established show that might be a similar quality. Nonetheless, Jane the Virgin has consistently been on the back half of this list.
There's really only so much I can say about this show at this point that I haven't already said three times. I will say, if you see this show on this list and wonder if you'd like it, the show was pretty much good from the beginning. If you don't like it right away, you probably never will. So give it a few episodes, see what you think, and whatever you think is roughly how you'll respond to the show for the rest of its run.
#7 Homecoming (Amazon)
Model Episode: "Protocol"
If you had one complaint about Homecoming, it's that it peaks a little early. There are ten episodes and it peaks a couple episodes before the last episode. It's mainly a mystery show and the show does deliver on the questions it presents, but it ends up climaxing a couple episodes before its actual ending. Homecoming started as a podcast - it was a fictional story told in podcast form.
Amazon or the television people at Amazon knew what type of show they had on their hands and went all-out on the casting and directing. Sam Esmail, of Mr. Robot, directs every episode. If you enjoy Mr. Robot and how it is filmed, you'll probably enjoy this. There are Hitchock homages and while the show can sometimes be slow, Esmail leaves plenty of breadcrumbs for people who are into that. Julia Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Whigman - even minor roles are played by Jeremy Allen Shrier of Shameless and Dermot Mulroney. Stephan James, who I'd never seen in anything before, was nominated for a Golden Globe and it was well deserved.
#6 The Marvelous Ms. Maisel
Model Episode: "Vote for Kennedy, Vote for Kennedy"
I have not seen Gilmore Girls, the previous series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, but I know all about some of the complaints against the otherwise good series. She has a blind spot to certain characters. Her dialogue can be a bit too whimsy. It's an otherwise beloved show and I think I know why based off my feelings towards The Marvelous Ms. Maisel. Yes, she has a blind spot to a character (Joel) who should be nowhere near as prominent as he is and yes, the dialogue gets too whimsy. But I also know why people put up with that when the show is this good.
It's a decision made for the betterment of the show, but the stand-up comedy element of this is.. pretty unrealistic. I don't consider myself an expert on standup comedy history, but I'm fairly certain her jokes are about 20-30 years ahead of her time. In 1959, standup comedians would have the same 10-15 minute set for multiple years and Midge ends up having a different set every episode. Which again, is fine. It's not like we want to hear her say the same thing every episode. I also tend to think this show portrays standup comedy as much easier than it actually is because Midge very frequently goes on stage and just talks about what she did earlier that day without any sort of preparation for how she would deliver it. And with the exception of a unplanned wedding set, the audience pretty much always loves her. I think a little more struggle sprinkled in would go a long way with me personally. Not the "someone is blackballing" her struggle, but the actual making people laugh part.
#5 The Deuce (HBO)
Model Episode: "We're All Beasts"
I left The Deuce off my list last year and for one main reason: it is somehow forgettably excellent. The show is well done, there's no question about it. David Simon and I assume everyone who followed him to make The Deuce are all so good at their jobs that this show tends to fall under my radar. The Deuce is a perfect example of why it's very hard to make these lists. It's somehow easy for me to forget about the show and what makes it great just a few months later.
Nonetheless, I made sure to put it on my list this year. I remember specifically when I watched the second season that I noted to myself to put it on the list in case the same apparent amnesia fell over me when compiling the 2018 list. It isn't higher because the same exact thing happened to me this year. It is just not a show that sticks with me for very long and I have no idea why. Though fair or not, the next two shows on my list were all watched in the past month, so I'm lying if I pretend that doesn't make a difference. Which is unfortunate. The Deuce might still be here if I had watched in the past month though, so it's no guarantee.
#4 Lodge 49 (AMC)
Model Episode: "Full Fathom Five"
Lodge 49 has an almost impossibly appealing tone. I say it's impossible, because when I describe the tone, it probably doesn't sound that appealing. Its tone is basically what I imagine SoCal personified to be, laidback and not in a rush to get anywhere. The show has a mystery throughout the first season that is to be clear, interesting, but the show's tone makes it almost seem beside the point. It's the journey that matters, not the destination.
See how much of an idiot I sound trying to sell that tone as a good thing? But it unquestionably is, as two characters who lost their father - as in his body has not been found in a year and is suspected dead lost. Never finding the body never gave them a sense of closure and that defines where the characters are at the beginning of the season. They are lost, looking for direction, not sure where to go with their lives or what it can deliver. Until Dud - yes Dud - finds Lodge 49.
#3 My Brilliant Friend (HBO)
Model Episode: "L'isola (The Island)"
My Brilliant Friend is an Italian-American production about two friends, told from the perspective of one of the friends. Both are brilliant and very good at school, but end up taking different paths because of their home life. Neither are rich, but one has a more supportive family. Thus, My Brilliant Friend follows these two young girls from adolescent to their teenage years, reflecting on female friendship in 1950s Italy.
As you can imagine, this would hardly seem to be something that would appeal to me, a white mid-20s American male. But it is very well told, in eight installments, and it passes through time so much, that it never feels boring. The first episode is when the two girls are in 1st grade, the second in 4th, and then they skip to the teenage years. The casting is impeccable, but between the foreign language and the pure amount of characters, it can sometimes be hard to follow who is who at certain points. Because all the kids are played by different actors at two different ages. But if you are able to watch foreign language films, I'd recommend this show.
#2 Better Call Saul (AMC)
Model Episode: "Winner"
Boy do I need to rewatch the entirety of this show before next season. I sincerely hope I have time to do that. In the past, Better Call Saul aired at the beginning of the year and by the time December rolled around, I had different shows more clear in my mind, which made it hard to include on a top ten list. This year, the last episode aired in October, so it's a little clearer, but I still want to watch the entire show again. I have watched every season right after it aired, but never rewatched any episodes.
Better Call Saul, to date, has the misfortune of airing at the same time as one of my favorite shows of all-time. Said favorite show - which you should be able to guess if you have read any of these lists - ended in 2018, so Better Call Saul will have the chance to be #1 next year. I can only hope it achieves that lofty goal.
#1 The Americans (FX)
Model Episode: "START"
Thus The Americans, one of the greatest series to ever grace television, ends. If I'm being honest, I probably shouldn't have put The Americans #1 last year. It was clear they were setting up for the endgame, and while I enjoyed the season, it was mostly a set up season. However, because I did, The Americans has been my #1 show for four straight years. Even with said acknowledgement, The Americans WAS my favorite show all four years too so I can hardly say I made a mistake.
The Americans, as a series who is among the greats, had a very big hurdle to climb. They needed a good ending. A bad ending can destroy a series. Just look at Dexter. I'm happy to report The Americans has a great ending. An ending appropriate to the type of show The Americans was. I will recommend this show to anybody who listens, but I'm just happy that people who ignored me did not lead to it being prematurely cancelled. Thank you FX.
Honorable Mentions
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - I still enjoy the show, but I feel like needing at least two original songs for every episode has caused a slight decline. It was close to making this list however.
Legion - I hope that Noah Hawley goes back to making Fargo, because this show is just a little too weird and out-there for me. I will still watch a season three if it airs.
Sharp Objects - I wanted to include this but I really didn't like the ending very much.
Castle Rock - Showed potential, but was kind of all over the place, quality-wise. Hopeful a season two, if there is one, has more consistency
Maniac - Given the names behind it, I really expected this show to be better than it was. Very weird show though.
This is Us - This show really is better than it has any right to be in my opinion.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
2018 Top Ten Comedies
When I started making top ten lists, I split up the top ten between dramas and comedies for essentially two reasons. The first is that I find it impossible to directly compare a comedy and a drama in terms of quality. They have such different goals. Plus, I tended to favor the dramas. In other words, I knew I'd probably end up with 8 dramas and 2 comedies or some lopsided amount of dramas. Secondly, there were really that many shows I thought deserving of a top ten. I didn't want to ignore 8 comedies or even the 3-4 dramas I wanted on a top ten. I thought they should all be recognized. (If you're wondering why I didn't do a top twenty, same fear: I felt like I might have 15 dramas and 5 comedies)
This might have gone differently if I had started top ten lists this year. I could very easily have made a top ten combining dramas and comedies - though with extremely difficulty still in comparing the two. I don't know what's different, but I used to be able to roughly guess what a top ten show looked like. I'd label the shows I was certain were a top ten show and then see how many top ten shows I had and I usually ended up with 15 for both genres. Then I'd struggle to cut it down to 10. This year, I did the same and... ended up with like 5 shows. Not sure if my standards are greater, or if TV just hit a boom a couple years ago.
With that said, I ultimately decided to stick with this format, because surprise surprise comedy ended up with over 10 comedies that I thought deserving of a spot once I went past my initial impressions. Dramas? Well that's for tomorrow.
#10 - Bob's Burgers (Fox)
Sample episode: "Taking of Funtime One Two Three"
I will present to you a hypothetical on why Bob's Burgers is on this list. I value peak over consistency. A B show with A episodes and C episodes would stand a better chance at making this list than a B show with all B episodes. Neither are likely to make my top ten list and rarely do television shows present me with that specific problem, but I made an exception for this rule with Bob's Burgers.
That's not to say they don't have any A episodes. The episode above is one such example. It just has about the same amount of A episodes as most comedies considered for this list, and they did it with less episodes. But its weakness is also its strength. In 2018, Bob's Burgers aired 24 episodes and there was maybe one or two weak episodes. Bob's Burgers is remarkably consistent. It's always a good show, sometimes a great one. This is pretty much the definitive family show for me. All the characters are nice, the family is extremely supportive of each other, and the closest thing the show has to a wet blanket is H. Jon Benjamin sighing and commenting on how stupid everything is, which is GREAT.
#9 Corporate (Comedy Central)
Sample episode: "Casual Friday"
"It's another day at heartless, multinational corporate hellhole Hampton DeVille where junior executives-in-training Matt and Jake are at the beck and call of tyrannical CEO Christian DeVille and his top deputies, brown-nosers John and Kate."
Given the channel it's on and its viewership numbers, most people probably haven't heard of this show. I didn't think I could provide an adequate description and I think whoever wrote that in Wikipedia did as fine a job as I would. Corporate is not for everyone. It's a very dark show and I mean that literally. It's like all black, grey, and blue. The episode above is "Casual Friday" and the place goes into chaos because one character actually dresses casual for it. It's that type of show. The highlight is easily Lance Reddick, who plays the CEO. Watch him in this Funny or Die skit, which predated the show by a few years, and if you enjoy that, you'll enjoy him in this show. It's basically the same performance.
#8 Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
Sample episode: "Showstopper"
Bojack is a victim of its own success. I don't mean the character, though it applies there too. I mean that I know what Bojack at its best and I think the most recent season was not Bojack at its best. I'm not sure if any of the episodes from this season would make my own personal top ten Bojack episodes.
But it's still Bojack Horseman. My above paragraph is only necessary because Bojack finished 4th last year. It finished 5th the year before. The fundamental nature of Bojack Horseman the show is such that I imagine it will have a difficult time for the next few seasons without just repeating itself. Bojack must always be struggling, must always do something self-destructive. It's a pretty clear pattern at this point. While I still love the show, I'm not sure it will ever get back in the top five because of this. Happy to be proven wrong though.
Cool note: Bojack Horseman's 4th selection in my 4th year of doing this makes this the only comedy that has been on my list every time. Two other shows were on my list for three straight years. Broad City took the year off. The other show is in my honorable mentions.
#7 Barry (HBO)
Model episode: "Loud, Fast and Keep Going"
It feels like Barry deserves to be higher, but unfortunately two things kept it at a very reasonable 7. The first reason is that it took legitimately three episodes to set up the premise. The premise is that a hit man wants to stop being a hit man and turns to an acting class. To not get into too many details, but they basically need a reason for him to stay in the same city so that he can attend the same acting class in order to make the premise work. Thus, it took about three episodes in order to get the characters where the show wanted them in order to make the comedy they wanted.
The second reason is that the show is only eight episodes. This was probably not an option, but I think it would have worked better if they essentially had an hour and a half pilot episode. Because the third episode still felt like part of the pilot. Nonetheless, the show's last three episodes are all great. If you didn't know Bill Hader was a hell of an actor by now, where the fuck have you been? He's perhaps giving the best performance of his career and Henry Winkler is just delightful in this.
#6 American Vandal (Netflix)
Model Episode: "The Dump"
American Vandal should have been a global phenomenon. It's just way too hard of a show to sell. It's impossible to tell people to watch the show without sounding like an idiot. Season one was such a perfect, impossibly good season that it was foolish to even make a second season. I mean where could they possibly go from there?
While I wouldn't say American Vandal's second season is as good as the first, I think it's about as good as it could possibly be. I don't know that there was a way to improve on this season, because it's got a self-limiting premise. The first season's tagline was "Who drew the dicks?" The second season's is "Who is the Turd Buglar?" This show's greatest strength is that they actually care about the mystery. Well, that and that they nail the mockumentary format.
#5 Big Mouth (Netflix)
Model Episode: "Dark Side of the Boob"
I watched Big Mouth's first season earlier this year, and thus have no idea if it would have placed on my top ten last year. Just decided to write it off too soon. It happens. Once I watched the first season this year, I made sure I wasn't going to forget to watch the second season in time. John Mulaney and Nick Kroll have a good comedic relationship, in case you haven't watched Oh, Hello or any of their openings for the Spirit Awards. Big Mouth is no exception.
Big Mouth is a show that I think would be good to show to kids going through puberty. It's too dirty to be shown in schools, but it's freely available on Netflix, so I'm sure kids going through puberty are watching the show. Some people are probably freaked out about that, but the show clearly strives for comedy AND to be educational on these topics. The highlights of this show are still the Hormone Monster, played by Nick Kroll, and the Hormone Monstress, played by Maya Rudolph. Watch this show for Rudolph if for no other reason.
#4 Dear White People
Model Episode: Chapter VIII
Congratulations to DeRon Horton, who appeared in both American Vandal's second season and Dear White People. I liked Dear White People's first season, but it was very clunky in a lot of parts. It reached a high most shows do not, hitting its stride in the middle of the season, but the rest did not live up to a particular incident that colors the whole season.
The second season has one of my favorite episodes of 2018, if not my favorite, when it has two characters in a room for pretty much the entire episode. They have a 25-30 conversation and it's great television. The show was just much stronger in this season. The show has always dealt with complex issues, but it was just better written in this season.
#3 The Good Place
Model Episode: Janet(s)
The Good Place did not have an appreciably better third season than the first two seasons. I placed the first season 6th and the 2nd season 7th in the past two years. The first season is a consequence of the show only airing about 9 episodes in 2016 and the ending of the first season, which I had not reached, kind of changed the game. Last year, The Good Place was in a ridiculously stacked year, full of shows that have ended or didn't air an episode in 2018.
No such issues this year. The Good Place is still constantly changing as a show and I can't explain why without spoiling it. But you should definitely be watching this show. I won't say anymore for fear of accidental spoilers.
#2 GLOW
Model Episode: Mother of All Matches
Unlike The Good Place, which I felt had a similar quality to its last few seasons (if not arguably weaker in fact), GLOW was a huge improvement over the first season in my opinion. I'm not saying it was bad. Indeed, it was only left off my list last year entirely because 2017 comedy was incredibly stacked (Nathan for You, Review, Rick & Morty, Broad City, Master of None - literally none of these shows aired a single episode in 2018 for various reasons).
In "Mother of All Matches," GLOW truly makes one of the hardest episodes of television to watch, but in the best way possible. Starting with that episode, GLOW pretty much nailed the rest of the season's episodes too. They had about seven straight great episodes in a row, with maybe one exception.
#1 Atlanta
Model Episode: "Teddy Perkins"
Atlanta is a show that changes what type of show it is from week to week. It can shift easily from being a horror film (Teddy Perkins), a coming-of-age period piece (FUBU), a road trip buddy comedy gone wrong (North of the Border), or a tale between a couple (Helen). You don't know what you're getting when you start an episode of Atlanta.
That makes it sound like a show that is wildly unpredictable and in some ways it is, but the show still has Earn being a manager for Paper Boi, with Van as the sort of love interest, and of course Darius being Darius. It's not that confusing of a show to follow despite the fact that the tone constantly changes. That's why this is #1. Because it has achieved the difficult task of being unpredictable but not with that pratfalls usually associated with an unpredictable show.
Honorable Mention
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The was the other show that was on my list for three years running. Ultimately, the show had two outright bad episodes out of 10 and I couldn't really say that about any shows on this list. The finale was excellent.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine - I wanted to include this, I did, but I had to give the nod to Bob's Burgers over B99. I'm unfortunately holding it against the show that they had less episodes and I felt a few more "duds," which is kind of unfair because I still enjoy watching a dud episode of B99.
Insecure - Insecure has taken a weird approach to storytelling since it has just eight episodes. Just too many pointless detours in plot that end up not mattering at all. Good finale kept it in the honorable mentions.
Casual - I'll give a shout out to Casual, which kept me entertained as a solid, but unspectacular show for four seasons.
Archer - Archer is changing its setting and tone for each new season and that's admirable, but I think it's well past its prime. I do give it credit for being different at least.
Blackish - Very solid, very consistent network comedy that only suffers because it's hard for a network comedy to make a list such as this.
Alright, that is my top ten for comedy. I am hoping I can write my top ten drama tomorrow, though I am definitely not guaranteeing it will get done. So if you're here tomorrow and it's not up, well this is your warning of that possibility.
This might have gone differently if I had started top ten lists this year. I could very easily have made a top ten combining dramas and comedies - though with extremely difficulty still in comparing the two. I don't know what's different, but I used to be able to roughly guess what a top ten show looked like. I'd label the shows I was certain were a top ten show and then see how many top ten shows I had and I usually ended up with 15 for both genres. Then I'd struggle to cut it down to 10. This year, I did the same and... ended up with like 5 shows. Not sure if my standards are greater, or if TV just hit a boom a couple years ago.
With that said, I ultimately decided to stick with this format, because surprise surprise comedy ended up with over 10 comedies that I thought deserving of a spot once I went past my initial impressions. Dramas? Well that's for tomorrow.
#10 - Bob's Burgers (Fox)
Sample episode: "Taking of Funtime One Two Three"
I will present to you a hypothetical on why Bob's Burgers is on this list. I value peak over consistency. A B show with A episodes and C episodes would stand a better chance at making this list than a B show with all B episodes. Neither are likely to make my top ten list and rarely do television shows present me with that specific problem, but I made an exception for this rule with Bob's Burgers.
That's not to say they don't have any A episodes. The episode above is one such example. It just has about the same amount of A episodes as most comedies considered for this list, and they did it with less episodes. But its weakness is also its strength. In 2018, Bob's Burgers aired 24 episodes and there was maybe one or two weak episodes. Bob's Burgers is remarkably consistent. It's always a good show, sometimes a great one. This is pretty much the definitive family show for me. All the characters are nice, the family is extremely supportive of each other, and the closest thing the show has to a wet blanket is H. Jon Benjamin sighing and commenting on how stupid everything is, which is GREAT.
#9 Corporate (Comedy Central)
Sample episode: "Casual Friday"
"It's another day at heartless, multinational corporate hellhole Hampton DeVille where junior executives-in-training Matt and Jake are at the beck and call of tyrannical CEO Christian DeVille and his top deputies, brown-nosers John and Kate."
Given the channel it's on and its viewership numbers, most people probably haven't heard of this show. I didn't think I could provide an adequate description and I think whoever wrote that in Wikipedia did as fine a job as I would. Corporate is not for everyone. It's a very dark show and I mean that literally. It's like all black, grey, and blue. The episode above is "Casual Friday" and the place goes into chaos because one character actually dresses casual for it. It's that type of show. The highlight is easily Lance Reddick, who plays the CEO. Watch him in this Funny or Die skit, which predated the show by a few years, and if you enjoy that, you'll enjoy him in this show. It's basically the same performance.
#8 Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
Sample episode: "Showstopper"
Bojack is a victim of its own success. I don't mean the character, though it applies there too. I mean that I know what Bojack at its best and I think the most recent season was not Bojack at its best. I'm not sure if any of the episodes from this season would make my own personal top ten Bojack episodes.
But it's still Bojack Horseman. My above paragraph is only necessary because Bojack finished 4th last year. It finished 5th the year before. The fundamental nature of Bojack Horseman the show is such that I imagine it will have a difficult time for the next few seasons without just repeating itself. Bojack must always be struggling, must always do something self-destructive. It's a pretty clear pattern at this point. While I still love the show, I'm not sure it will ever get back in the top five because of this. Happy to be proven wrong though.
Cool note: Bojack Horseman's 4th selection in my 4th year of doing this makes this the only comedy that has been on my list every time. Two other shows were on my list for three straight years. Broad City took the year off. The other show is in my honorable mentions.
#7 Barry (HBO)
Model episode: "Loud, Fast and Keep Going"
It feels like Barry deserves to be higher, but unfortunately two things kept it at a very reasonable 7. The first reason is that it took legitimately three episodes to set up the premise. The premise is that a hit man wants to stop being a hit man and turns to an acting class. To not get into too many details, but they basically need a reason for him to stay in the same city so that he can attend the same acting class in order to make the premise work. Thus, it took about three episodes in order to get the characters where the show wanted them in order to make the comedy they wanted.
The second reason is that the show is only eight episodes. This was probably not an option, but I think it would have worked better if they essentially had an hour and a half pilot episode. Because the third episode still felt like part of the pilot. Nonetheless, the show's last three episodes are all great. If you didn't know Bill Hader was a hell of an actor by now, where the fuck have you been? He's perhaps giving the best performance of his career and Henry Winkler is just delightful in this.
#6 American Vandal (Netflix)
Model Episode: "The Dump"
American Vandal should have been a global phenomenon. It's just way too hard of a show to sell. It's impossible to tell people to watch the show without sounding like an idiot. Season one was such a perfect, impossibly good season that it was foolish to even make a second season. I mean where could they possibly go from there?
While I wouldn't say American Vandal's second season is as good as the first, I think it's about as good as it could possibly be. I don't know that there was a way to improve on this season, because it's got a self-limiting premise. The first season's tagline was "Who drew the dicks?" The second season's is "Who is the Turd Buglar?" This show's greatest strength is that they actually care about the mystery. Well, that and that they nail the mockumentary format.
#5 Big Mouth (Netflix)
Model Episode: "Dark Side of the Boob"
I watched Big Mouth's first season earlier this year, and thus have no idea if it would have placed on my top ten last year. Just decided to write it off too soon. It happens. Once I watched the first season this year, I made sure I wasn't going to forget to watch the second season in time. John Mulaney and Nick Kroll have a good comedic relationship, in case you haven't watched Oh, Hello or any of their openings for the Spirit Awards. Big Mouth is no exception.
Big Mouth is a show that I think would be good to show to kids going through puberty. It's too dirty to be shown in schools, but it's freely available on Netflix, so I'm sure kids going through puberty are watching the show. Some people are probably freaked out about that, but the show clearly strives for comedy AND to be educational on these topics. The highlights of this show are still the Hormone Monster, played by Nick Kroll, and the Hormone Monstress, played by Maya Rudolph. Watch this show for Rudolph if for no other reason.
#4 Dear White People
Model Episode: Chapter VIII
Congratulations to DeRon Horton, who appeared in both American Vandal's second season and Dear White People. I liked Dear White People's first season, but it was very clunky in a lot of parts. It reached a high most shows do not, hitting its stride in the middle of the season, but the rest did not live up to a particular incident that colors the whole season.
The second season has one of my favorite episodes of 2018, if not my favorite, when it has two characters in a room for pretty much the entire episode. They have a 25-30 conversation and it's great television. The show was just much stronger in this season. The show has always dealt with complex issues, but it was just better written in this season.
#3 The Good Place
Model Episode: Janet(s)
The Good Place did not have an appreciably better third season than the first two seasons. I placed the first season 6th and the 2nd season 7th in the past two years. The first season is a consequence of the show only airing about 9 episodes in 2016 and the ending of the first season, which I had not reached, kind of changed the game. Last year, The Good Place was in a ridiculously stacked year, full of shows that have ended or didn't air an episode in 2018.
No such issues this year. The Good Place is still constantly changing as a show and I can't explain why without spoiling it. But you should definitely be watching this show. I won't say anymore for fear of accidental spoilers.
#2 GLOW
Model Episode: Mother of All Matches
Unlike The Good Place, which I felt had a similar quality to its last few seasons (if not arguably weaker in fact), GLOW was a huge improvement over the first season in my opinion. I'm not saying it was bad. Indeed, it was only left off my list last year entirely because 2017 comedy was incredibly stacked (Nathan for You, Review, Rick & Morty, Broad City, Master of None - literally none of these shows aired a single episode in 2018 for various reasons).
In "Mother of All Matches," GLOW truly makes one of the hardest episodes of television to watch, but in the best way possible. Starting with that episode, GLOW pretty much nailed the rest of the season's episodes too. They had about seven straight great episodes in a row, with maybe one exception.
#1 Atlanta
Model Episode: "Teddy Perkins"
Atlanta is a show that changes what type of show it is from week to week. It can shift easily from being a horror film (Teddy Perkins), a coming-of-age period piece (FUBU), a road trip buddy comedy gone wrong (North of the Border), or a tale between a couple (Helen). You don't know what you're getting when you start an episode of Atlanta.
That makes it sound like a show that is wildly unpredictable and in some ways it is, but the show still has Earn being a manager for Paper Boi, with Van as the sort of love interest, and of course Darius being Darius. It's not that confusing of a show to follow despite the fact that the tone constantly changes. That's why this is #1. Because it has achieved the difficult task of being unpredictable but not with that pratfalls usually associated with an unpredictable show.
Honorable Mention
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The was the other show that was on my list for three years running. Ultimately, the show had two outright bad episodes out of 10 and I couldn't really say that about any shows on this list. The finale was excellent.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine - I wanted to include this, I did, but I had to give the nod to Bob's Burgers over B99. I'm unfortunately holding it against the show that they had less episodes and I felt a few more "duds," which is kind of unfair because I still enjoy watching a dud episode of B99.
Insecure - Insecure has taken a weird approach to storytelling since it has just eight episodes. Just too many pointless detours in plot that end up not mattering at all. Good finale kept it in the honorable mentions.
Casual - I'll give a shout out to Casual, which kept me entertained as a solid, but unspectacular show for four seasons.
Archer - Archer is changing its setting and tone for each new season and that's admirable, but I think it's well past its prime. I do give it credit for being different at least.
Blackish - Very solid, very consistent network comedy that only suffers because it's hard for a network comedy to make a list such as this.
Alright, that is my top ten for comedy. I am hoping I can write my top ten drama tomorrow, though I am definitely not guaranteeing it will get done. So if you're here tomorrow and it's not up, well this is your warning of that possibility.
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