2019's Top Ten Comedies

On Monday, I posted my Top 10 Dramas of the year.  Today I will be focusing on the top ten comedies.  And I'll again post my Top 50 shows of the decade, posted in early December.  Don't have much time, so I'll quickly get to the post and repost my introductory disclaimer if you're upset about the picks.

A couple of important points to make before I get to the list.  There are about 500 shows out there, and I may not have seen your show.  I am pretty selective with what shows I watch, even though I watch a lot, and I hate to say it, but me happening to read one bad review at the wrong time could put me off that show forever.  So I'm sorry if your show didn't make the list, but if its any consolation, this is a stacked year for comedy, to the point where a couple of no brainer shows at the beginning of this process did not end up making the final list.

#10 Silicon Valley - Season S6 (HBO)

Apologies to the honorable mention shows, which could have easily made their way on this list.  Ultimately, the tiebreaker is that Silicon Valley has never made my top ten and it should make it at least once.  And this was the final season, a season that I think was very good and an improvement over the last few seasons.  With a shortened episode count, they had less "filler" episodes than usual, which has always been my main issue with the show.

#9 The Tick - Season 2 (Amazon Prime)

Another show whose final season just aired, though The Tick's wasn't exactly by choice.  Hard to feel too bad though - the creator was the original comic book creator of The Tick, which then got turned into an animated series for three years, and then a very short run on Fox back in early 2001, and he got a third try at it.  I've seen all three versions - not read the comic book - and this one is by far the attempting to be the closest to reality and I obviously recommend it.


#8 Sex Education - Season 1 (Netflix)

I'm going to forgo trying to describe this series and sell you on its premise and simply tell you that Gillian Anderson plays a sex therapist, too sharing mom and I think that should pretty much sell you on watching the show, shouldn't it?  Also features someone who looks suspiciously like Margot Robbie's little sister.  Anyway, good show.

#7 Bojack Horseman - Season 6 (Netflix)

Yeah Netflix is running the comedy game right now.  As part one of a two part season, it's getting kind of shortchanged for a list such as this - less episodes and less cohesiveness than watching the season as a whole I imagine.  But I like the direction that the show seems to be taking so far, and will be watching the final eight episodes of the show when it comes out.

#6 You're the Worst - Season 5 (FX)

Yet another show whose final season aired in 2019 - if Sex Education's second season hadn't already been made, I'd think it was cancelled based off this - this was yet again a strong final season.  Television hasn't exactly been known for good final seasons, but that trend seems to be changing?  This wouldn't be here if I didn't like how it ended, so feel free to binge this show knowing it ends well.

#5 Tuca & Bertie - Season 1 (Netflix)

If there's one complaint I'll make about this show is that the first and second episodes aren't exactly the best.  The show becomes something great and I'll even give credit that the first two episodes lull you into thinking this show is something it's not - it's from writers of Bojack Horseman for a reason is all I'll say - but I can kind of see why it didn't get viewership numbers to get renewed.

#4 Russian Doll - Season 1 (Netflix)

A Groundhog Day style story told in eight installments, it actually benefits from being an episodic story rather than either in a movie or a one-off of a genre show.  I have no idea how they're going to do a season two to be perfectly honest, but I'm not going to write off any show with an obvious one season premise after American Vandal pulled a great season two out of their ass.

#3 Fleabag - Season 2 (BBC)

Well, you've probably heard all about this show at this point.  I think this is an improvement over the first season - which I won't make you look but made my #9 comedy of 2016 - but the whole and very short-lived show is worth watching.  The season focuses on Pheobe Waller-Bridge's flirtation with "hot priest" (played by Andrew Scott) and of course her relationship with her family.  And would you believe it, this show's final season was this year too!

#2 Barry - Season 2 (HBO)

I cannot give enough praise to a specific, standout episode during this season called "ronny/lilly."  I've truly never seen an episode like this and it's a treat.  It's written, directed, and starring Bill Hader, and I'm not even worried I'm overselling this it's that good.  What I am worried is that I'm giving short shaft to the rest of the season, which perhaps didn't reach the heights of that episode, but just about no other show did either so can't fault it for that.

#1 The Good Place - Season 4 (NBC)

Yeah another final season here, although there are a few more episodes left until the season is over.  I'm a little surprised this is my first #1 posting for The Good Place, but it surprisingly is.  Anyway, it's one of my favorite comedies ever, even if it wouldn't be on my funniest.  I only partially watch it for the laughs, the other part is some good ole existential thinking and philosophical debates.  I can't believe this show works as well as it does.

Honorable Mentions

GLOW - The drop from #2 to honorable mention is probably over exaggerating the drop off, but this was a genuinely uneven season and I'm less sure the writers know what they want to do after they blew up the status quo at the end of season two.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Black-ish - Two shows keeping the network sitcom alive deep into their runs.  I like B99 more, but I had basically the same thing to say about both.

Archer - In what could be a final season - but looks like Adam Reed's final season at the least - it would have fit in well with this list.

Bob's Burgers - Remaining as consistent of a show as it's ever been, this show is comfort food in the best way.

It's Always Sunny - I would have liked this to make my list, seeing as it's one of my favorite comedies ever, but couldn't find a way to squeeze it in even though it had a good season.

Rick & Morty - I'm as shocked as you this isn't on my list, but I'm only working with five episodes, two of which were not very good, so not particularly hard to leave off the list.

Better Things - This show is not really made for me, so it's probably not a surprise it's off my list, but I just can't find a way to include it in a top ten.

Veep - While comedy isn't as strong as the drama field, there seem to be a million comedies I would have been cool putting at the back end of my list.  Yet another final season that I ultimately couldn't squeeze onto the list.

Catastrophe - I like Catastrophe, but it is a six episode a season show with the urgency of a 24 episode a season show, so it's easy to forget about.

Documentary Now! - Only one more show, it's actually ridiculous how many shows I want to at least mention here.

Dear White People - I watched a few shows with incredibly strong second seasons with a third season that isn't as good, and this is another one of those shows.

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.

2017's Top Ten Comedies

I doubt that you have been on the edge of your seat awaiting my top ten, but this top ten is severely delayed.  I originally planned to post this two days after my top ten dramas, which was a little over a week ago.  Well I hadn't written a word when Thursday night rolled around because I forgot about it.  The weekend, New Years Eve, and New Years Day were all out for drinking reasons.  During New Years week, I felt under the weather most of the week, which ended up affecting me more than I thought as I found myself tired all the time.  But better late than never.

I mentioned in my previous post that the comedies may have arguably been better than the dramas.  I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I found myself having tougher cuts.  I found more shows were worthy of a top five and a top ten than there were spots to fill.  Most of the honorable mentions legitimately belong on this list, but I just didn't have room.

#10 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - FXX

Model Episode - "The Gang Turns Black"

There is no better testament to the quality of this list than It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia being the tenth show.   I promise you.  It got the tenth spot mostly because it would be weird if one of my favorite comedies of all time didn't make this list while having about the same quality as it usually has.  It's not a perfect measure, but I don't think the 12th season was appreciably worse than the 11th season, and the 11th season placed #4 last year.

Either you're in or you're out at this point.  It's been 12 seasons and until recently it was on Netflix for the past 5+ years.  It was not hard to figure out how to watch the show.  Most people reading this are probably internet savvy and have interacted with people who praise the show.  So if you've gone on this long without deciding to watch It's Always Sunny, well you're probably not ever going to watch it.  That's fine.  I think you're missing out, but I understand the time value of picking your shows.  For people who do watch it, I probably do not have to sell you on this ranking. 

#9 Vice Principals - HBO

Model Episode - "The Union of the Wizard and the Warrior"

Danny McBride and the writing team evidently filmed both the first and second seasons back-to-back before the first season ever aired.  They planned out a two season show, filmed it, and then the first season aired.  This was rather surprising to me when I learned that.  I watched season one and came away without much of an opinion on it.  I liked Walton Goggins hamming it up, but as for the show?  It was fine.  The second season was like a show responding to a mild response to the first season and improving mightily.  But... the show wrote and filmed season two before there was even a response to the first season.  Like I said, I was surprised when I found that out.

There's much more emotional grounding in the wackiness that occurs this season.  They delve deeper into Gamby's psyche and Goggins is able to provide some shading to Lee Russell as well.  Plus, they got a classic whodunit, which provides a central mystery to the second season.  This is just a well done dark comedy.  I also enjoyed the focus on character - as outlandish as the two main characters can be - showing the two main characters respond differently to adversity.  I'm not going to spoil, but I'll just say that on a character level, it was pretty great where they took the characters.  In hindsight, it's clear that season one was part one of the story - and setup isn't as interesting as when the action happens (and you get action aplenty in the final two episodes of this season)

#8 Master of None - Netflix
Model Episode - "Thanksgiving"

A tough show to place on a list such as this because of its inconsistency.  On the one hand, episodes like "Thanksgiving" were among the best any television had to offer, providing a completely unique and engaging story that you can't see anywhere else.  On the other hand, boy did a lot of this season just not work.  Francesca is not a well-rounded character whatsoever.  There's more chemistry in the first episode with Dev and his failed love connection than there is between Dev and Francesca.  It really drives a lot of the season down.  Dev getting a job as a food host also mostly didn't work that well.

But when they had a fantastic episode, it was among the best there was in 2017.  When I'm looking at shows and what to place on this list, I tend to focus on peak more than overall consistency.  That's why Master of None's second season made this list despite probably being worse than a few shows not on the list.  Because it had a much, much greater peak than a B+ level show usually does.

#7 The Good Place - NBC
Model Episode - "Dance Dance Resolution"

This was not as tough to rationalize as Master of None, as The Good Place had arguably zero weak episodes in 2017.  Keep in mind that I'm grading only episodes that aired in 2017, so we got the thrilling conclusion of season one and the batshit insanity of what happened at the beginning of season two.  There was a few episodes there in a row where I wonder "how in the fuck will they keep this up" and they kept answering that question with great episodes.  It's slowed down a bit since then, but I have complete faith in Michael Schur and the writing team to surprise us again at some point.

I'm going to make this one shorter just because I'm avoiding spoilers since this is a show particularly prone to spoiler ruining fun so I can't exactly specifically explain plot points I loved.

#6 American Vandal - Netflix
Model Episode - "A Limp Alibi"

I spent the first episode too confused as to how it was so good to appreciate what I was watching, so the second episode "A Limp Alibi" is really when I fell in love with this improbably fantastic show.  There's no reason this show should be as good as it is, and it certainly falls squarely under the "I'm really doubting that can even come close to matching this in the second season."  But wow.  I'm going to avoid talking in detail for two reasons mainly.  The first is that it's fucking impossible to try and explain how this show is good in a way that doesn't make you sound insane.  The second and much more minor reason is spoilers.

So go watch the show and find out who drew the dicks and yes that is an example of how I sound insane when I say it is good.

#5 Review - Comedy Central
Model Episode - "Co Host, Ass Slap, Forgiveness, Helen Keller"

This is all the way down to #5 for a very simple reason.  It aired three episodes.  This is the highest I could reasonably justify putting it.  This is a stacked year for comedy.  While all three Review episodes were straight A quality, nearly every comedy on this list did manage to make three A quality episodes.  I'm giving Review extra points for making EVERY episode a straight A and telling a perfect conclusion to a show that did not appear to need a third season.  I mean I wanted a conclusion, but it wasn't strictly necessary.

Forrest MacNeil is a delusional host of a meaningless program that he has convinced is more important than it is.  In fact, it's his whole life.  You really need to watch the first two seasons in order to understand that, but Comedy Central is next to FX in making their programs inaccessible without paying for it, which... fair enough, but in the golden age of streaming TV, people just are just going to skip the show instead of pay for it.  I was just going to recommend watching it on Hulu except it appears that is no longer the case.  Ugh I'm sorry for those who didn't get to watch it.

#4 Bojack Horseman - Netflix
Model Episode - "Time's Arrow"

One thing I really appreciate about Bojack Horseman for the purposes of this list is that it's really great episodes - and really great episodes are an essential part of how I form this list - are really obvious when looking at the episodes because they all seem to knock you on your ass.  "Time's Arrow" in particular - I just can't imagine anyone not being hit hard by that episode.  This is mostly a comedy, but then there's episodes like this where you have a greater than average chance of cutting onions while watching the episode.  If you were affected by the penultimate episode of season three - I won't spoil, but if you watch it, you should know the event I'm talking about - well I was hit much harder by the penultimate episode of season four.  Goddam.

Anyway, Bojack Horseman is another example of a show that really shouldn't work as well as it does when you look at it on paper.  But it straddles dark comedy, silly comedy, pun comedy, and unbearable sadness and depression really well.  This obviously could only exist in cartoon form and I kind of appreciate that.

#3 Broad City - Comedy Central
Model Episode - "Witches"

In reality, I could have picked five different episodes.  There's a great episode about their origin story, which is the first episode of the season.  They conclude it with a celebration of their friendship which gives Broad City nice bookend episodes.  There's also an episode where "Ilana can't orgasm in Trump's America" is a literally accurate headline for what the episode is about.  I mean if you read that headline and you're not in, don't watch Broad City because it's not for you.

For whatever reason this was my favorite season of Broad City.  I'm not sure I can tell you it was the best, although I am literally telling you it was the best in my opinion.  I just have not quite been in tune with Broad City fans in the past so I'm not sure if that's the popular consensus.  But I really loved this season.

#2 Rick and Morty - Adult Swim
Model Episode - "Pickle Rick"

Much like Broad City, I could have picked any number of episodes, but I have to give it to the episode where the creators make its main character a pickle for nearly the entire episode.  It's an insane episode and probably not the best of the season, but I admire the audacity too much not to put it in my model episode.

There are two responses to my ranking, which are probably "Ugh why does everyone love this show" and "Ugh why is it not #1?" and I'm not sure there's many who are in between those reactions.  I slightly am, although it is worth pointing out that the vast majority of the latter response, statistically speaking, do not watch the #1 show.  Which brings me to....

#1 Nathan for You - Comedy Central
Model Episode - Finding Frances

With most model episodes, I intend to give you a portrait of what makes that show great.  It's also usually the best episode of the season, although not in all cases.  "Finding Frances" is why this show is on this list.  This season is seven episodes long, but the seventh is "Finding Frances," and it's the length of a feature length film, which is fucking incredible if you've ever seen this show.  It's not easy to imagine this show as a feature length film.  Until you've seen Finding Frances.

Once again, Nathan Felder is somehow able to use real people's responses to his deadpan suggestions and create a narrative of a lonely person at the center of it.  How in the fuck he does that, I will never know?  But Nathan Felder is genuinely a character in this show.  An awkward, sympathetic, hopelessly lonely character who just wants to make friends and find love.  If this show sounds improbably more profound than a docu-reality series should be, well you're right.  It doesn't make sense.  That's why it's the number one show for me.

Honorable Mentions
Brooklyn Nine-Nine - This was my 11th show.  Ultimately, B99 has a few too many forgettable episodes to place on this list and not quite enough "peak" but that's not a knock on the show.  By my ridiculous standards, it's nearly impossible for a network comedy to fall on this list.

You're the Worst - This sure fell from grace.  I didn't think the 4th season was bad, but it was a definite downgrade from seasons past.  Part of the drop has to do with the amazingness of the shows around it, but it played its part in it for sure.

Silicon Valley - I'm in a perpetuating cycle with Silicon Valley at this point.  I didn't place it in my top ten the first year, and I'm not really finding the show topping it self so I find it hard to justify placing it in a top ten.  Either way, it was going to be impossible for Silicon Valley to find it this year.  But I will give it a shout out because it's the best show that's never made my top ten.

Insecure - I definitely think this show suffered from not having as clear of a narrative structure as the first season, but most importantly, its down here because everything else raised their standard around it.

Glow - Ultimately, this was felled by the fact that I only really considered two episodes of this "really great" and those were the wrestling episodes.  If I could have put it in the top ten, I would have, I just couldn't justify it to myself over these other shows.

Catastrophe - Going over the honorable mentions just makes me realize what a fucking impossible task this was.  I fully intended to include this in my top ten at some point, but look at these shows!  Plus, there's only six episodes and I kind of penalized it for that.

Veep - I finally caught up to Veep!  And it probably put in its worst season yet.  Go figure.

Sorry for typos and poorly written sentences.  I wrote the majority of this rushed and will go over it after I post it to fix mistakes, but you first time readers get my ALL of my mistakes right off the bat.  Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

Top Ten Comedies in 2016

Last year, I experimented with trying a top ten list.  I was pretty unprepared for it and scrambled towards the finish line to watch a bunch of shows to properly make a good list.  You'd think a year of preparation would help me avoid that fate this year?  But alas I suspect that as long as there's a million TV shows out there, I'm always going to hit December with a few "must-watch" shows that need to at least be watched in order to make a competent list.  While I wasn't able to watch every comedy that could make this list - sorry Bob's Burgers and Veep fans, I'm just not caught up to your show - I am happy with how many shows I was able to watch for this list.

It's important to note that my opinion is meaningless.  If I don't have your favorite show on there, it's possible I didn't get to it or that human beings just have different tastes in things!  Also, I'm just going to guess that the amount of people reading this who have seen every show on my top ten is... zero.  Unless my blog reaches a wider audience than expected, it seems like pretty good odds.  The show on Amazon Prime alone probably removes quite a bit of you guys by itself.

With this top ten, I hope to give you a framework of what to watch that you've missed.  Not that it would be easy.  There are shows from FX, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Fox, NBC, and Comedy Central.  Most of those, at this point in the year, aren't easily accessible.  But if you really want to watch a show, most of you will find a way to do that.  With that said, let's begin.

#10 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 3-4; Fox)
Model Episode: "Halloween IV"

As one of the more consistent comedies that needs to air 22 episodes - probably the most consistent of that somewhat specific group - there's not a real reason for Brooklyn Nine-Nine being on the list this year and not last year.  There's also not a real reason it's above the honorable mentions.  Any one of them could have been in the #10 slot.  But I have a stronger affection for B99 than I do the other shows and the reason is Andre Braugher.  His deadpan character is always funny and a highlight of the show.

Also, this year brought Adrian Pimento, played by Jason Mantzoukas.  He only appears in six episodes, but he sure fits right into this show.  He doesn't really do anything different than he normally does either.  He's just as crazily maniacal as he is on The League.  But it works.  B99 is a show that is very funny and entertaining even on its weaker episodes.  Hence, it's placement on this list.

#9 Fleabag (Season 1; Amazon Prime)
Model Episode: "Episode 4"

Picking the model episode was hard, because I liked the overall arc of the series and it was very funny, but I could pick nits with each episode.  This episode is very weird.  I'm not sure what retreat they went to, if it exists, but I found myself questioning the point of the retreat.  I ended up brushing that aside because it's really about the central relationship between sisters, uh, Fleabag and Claire.  I guess I didn't notice they never gave the main character a name.  Now that I look at it, there are characters named Arsehole Guy and Godmother so I guess creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge just doesn't care.

Waller-Bridge's performance makes this series worth watching.  She breaks the fourth wall and she plays those instances perfectly.  The series wouldn't work with a lesser actress.  Not only does she break the fourth wall, but the series has more emotional depth than the first couple episodes would suggest.  The series is at #9 and not higher because it's only six episodes and the finale has a "twist" I saw coming when they first foreshadowed it.  Like I really hope it wasn't meant to be a twist it was so obvious.

#8 Baskets (Season 1; FX)
Model Episode: "Uncle Dad"

Like all shows on this list, there were multiple options for the model episode, but I felt I had to go with a Christine episode, because of Louie Anderson's performance.  I heard a lot about his performance beforehand and when I was watching the first few episodes, I wasn't necessarily as in love with his performance as everyone else seemed.  But it hit me while watching at some point that I was looking him at in the show genuinely as Christine, which is no mean feat when Louie Anderson is dressed like an old woman.  This is the episode where Christine Baskets reveals how much love she has for her son by doing something that she thinks is best for him.

Baskets is a weird show, but I found myself surprised at how easily I accepted everything within the show.  Here's a clown who wishes to make high art, married to a French woman who doesn't love him, living with his mother, who is Louie Anderson.  Thats sounds fucking ridiculous to me on paper.  I did not put Baskets higher, because I did not find it as funny as the shows above it.  It doesn't seem to put laughs first and tries to get laughs organically, and while that's actually a way to get laughs that I like a lot, I would still like it to be funnier. (That said, Chip breaking a stack of champagne glasses and then falling made me laugh for a good minute.)

#7 Insecure (Season 1; HBO)
Model Episode: "Broken as Fuck"

This was the most complicated show for me to rank.  It only has eight episodes and I didn't like one of them at all.  That's not true of any other show on this list.  Ultimately, "Broken as Fuck," the finale, managed to convince me.  While this is Issa Rae's show, Yvonne Orji steals it.  She is incredible in this.  It's only through her performance that she isn't incredibly unlikable.  She really wants to find the right one and through the season, it becomes evident that she's a big reason why she can't.  Insecure makes it on this list because it focuses on the friendship between the two leads (which is the key relationship on the show, not the relationships the two have with other men).  It's hilarious and is unafraid to have its characters do things that frustrate you.

Another complicated thing that made me question whether it belonged in this list is the music.  You'll read reviews that say it's a positive and maybe even the best thing about the show.  I don't think it's a negative.  That's the best I got.  It works well enough in the episodes and it features a ton of female rappers in its soundtrack, so I can't really complain too much, but whenever I went to Spotify to listen to more, I didn't think the majority of songs were good.  Then there's Issa Rae rapping and I honestly can't tell if the show thinks she's good, but she's not.  Her lyrics aren't the problem, though I don't think they are near as good as we're supposed to think they are.  It's her flow and cadence (I do honestly think she's aware of this at least)  It doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the show while watching an episode because it fits in with the tone - but I was just surprised at my difference of opinion with reviewers considering rap is my favorite genre of music.  (They sure nailed the monotone rapper in the scene with her in the studio though, an unquestionable criticism of modern rap)

#6 The Good Place (Season 1; NBC)
Model Episode: "The Eternal Shriek"

At this particular stage in my life, The Good Place is ideally suited for my tastes.  Not to get too personal, but just about every day of my life for the past few months, I ponder the possibility that there is no afterlife.  So a show that brings about those questions - even if the answer is different - fits my current mindset.  I don't think this is a show that is particular to my current mindset though.  I think I'll be thinking about these things for the rest of my life.

It probably doesn't take much to sell you on this show.  Ted Danson and Kristen Bell.  That's all it takes for me.  I assume everyone is the same as me on this?  There's also the perfectly cast William Jackson Harper as Eleanor's supposed soulmate and D'Arcy Carden as the helpful computer Janet.  I'm curious where The Good Place goes from its midseason finale because they keep pushing its premise to the edge, but apparently Michael Schur has a plan in mind and I trust the creator of B99 and Parks and Rec.

#5 Bojack Horseman (Season 3; Netflix)
Model Episode: "Best Thing That Ever Happened"

WOW!  Here's a show where my model episode was exceptionally tough.  I decided to go with a character-based episode with a knockout ending.  I loved "Fish out of Water," but it was somewhat of a gimmick and I loved "Brapp Brapp Pew Pew," but that mostly gets points for making an intelligent episode about abortion.  "Best Thing That Never Happened" is an episode that isolates two of its characters and forces them to address their problems.  The gold standard of this is "The Suitcase," one of the best Mad Men episodes ever.  So that's ultimately why I went with that one.

Bojack Horseman is the first show to place on both the 2015 and 2016 list.  It placed #9 last year.  If you're wondering for the jump, it's not because of a jump in quality, but because my #1, #3, #4, #5, and #8 shows all disappeared in 2016.  Seriously.  The crazy part is that only one of those shows officially ended.  That's television in 2016, folks.  Anyway, if there's a problem I have with this show is it seems to dead set on misery for the sake of misery.  It feels less like a logical place the character would go and more a dedication to putting Bojack Horseman through the ringer.  Angela Bassett was a great addition to this season.

#4 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 11; FXX)
Model Episode: "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun"

At this point, it's pointless to explain my opinion on this show.  I'd venture a guess that the people who still watch this show are fine with this pick and those who don't are looking at the 11th season and looking at #4 and then getting trapped in a constant loop.  Don't let the 11th season part fool you.  I don't think the 11th season is the best It's Always Sunny season, but it's probably your typical It's Always Sunny season.  Now the people questioning this ranking are wondering how the fuck the typical season ranks this high and how I consider that many seasons to be of this quality (because clearly you've either watched it and don't get it or don't watch it because you are highly skeptical of that one friend who loves that show and keeps trying to get you to watch it)

It's Always Sunny is a show so entrenched in callbacks that the 11th season ranking is purely specific to people who've watched the show for 10 seasons.  So I understand why I haven't seen it in any rankings of the top shows of 2016.  But this is my personal rankings so I don't care.  "The Gang Hits the Slopes" is THE perfect sendup of 80s sports movies, "Being Frank" is one of those inventive episodes that they do every year, and "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun" is as hilarious as its title.  (Or maybe its just hilarious because in the episode, Charlie really thinks he caught a leprechaun because he thinks they are real)

#3 Broad City (Season 3; Comedy Central)
Model Episode: "Burning Bridges"

Broad City's third season is this high because it actually at one point threatened the very fabric of the show, the relationship between Abbi and Ilana.  Broad City had what it hadn't had before and that is a serialized plot.  That's not an obligation for a comedy, but it certainly makes the stakes higher.  Abbi gets into a relationship with someone and lies to Ilana about it because she is ashamed of him.  Meanwhile, llana breaks up with a longtime cast member of the show, Hannibal.  His presence will be sorely missed, but that's a problem for the fourth season since I think he had roughly the same amount of screen time this season as the rest.

Anyway, that's my reasoning for why it is #3 this year, which is quite a jump from last year's #7 ranking.  Again, part of it is that my entire top five basically disappeared on me and part of it is what I consider an improved season.  Ilana also loses her job in this season so basically I'm pretty excited for what they have in store for season 4 since they are willing to tread new ground.  Also, get ready for a whole bunch of famous guest stars in this season, most of them working really well.

#2 You're the Worst (Season 3; FX)
Model Episode: "Twenty-Two"

I was not planning on You're the Worst repeating its #2 placement.  The second season was a slight decline from its second.  "Twenty-Two" was possibly the best episode of television all year.  Both of those things can be true.  After a lot of hinting, the show finally gives Edgar his own spotlight episode where his PSTD is shown from his point of view and it's quite frightening.  This season also gives a better look into Jimmy than the second season did with his dad dying.  His dad basically is his entire inspiration for writing - to prove him wrong - so it sends him into a tailspin.

Gretchen gets into therapy eventually in this season, with the therapist being played by Orange is the New Black's Samara Wiley.  She doesn't get a whole lot to do in this season, but she's good in the season.  It really speaks to how good I at least consider You're the Worst that I definitely don't think it's as good as season two and yet here it is on this list.  When push comes to shove, I tend to look at individual episodes and how many great ones each TV show has, and You're the Worst just has more than most of these shows.  (It might even have more than the #1 show, but the #1 show is consistently better)

#1 Atlanta
Model Episode "Streets on Lock"

With the model episode, I aim for two things: to get a representative of the show and to get the best the show has.  I went for "Streets on Lock" over "Value" because the latter was not exactly representative of the show.  Granted, Atlanta is what you call an experimental comedy so a focus on a specific character isn't exactly outside the bounds of what Atlanta will do.  But "Streets on Lock" - only its second episode - just seems like more of a representative of the appeal of Atlanta than the other.  (There's also "B.A.N." but that's way different than the rest of these episodes to the point where I never considered it)

I wrote my review of Atlanta just two weeks ago so I don't have much to say about Atlanta that I didn't say there.  It's kind of strange because I gave the season an A- and I don't disagree with that grade so I wonder if this was a weak year for flawless comedies. I had so much trouble with my top five.  This was obviously a strong year for comedies as my honorable mentions feature at least three shows I desperately wanted on this list, but it does not seem like many shows quite venture into that top tier range.  That A range.  There's a ton of A- shows.  The distinction isn't important, it just seemed like it made my job more difficult.  (It's also possible last year was ridiculously stacked when I would have given a straight A to Review, You're the Worst, Nathan for You, and probably Rick & Morty.)

Honorable Mentions

The Last Man on Earth - Last year, The Last Man on Earth improved a significant amount.  The problem was that its first season was still technically 2015 so there was no shot of it making this list.  This year, it continued its success from last year.  It did not make the cut because the heartfelt and tragic episodes tended to come once every three episodes or so.  The other episodes were funny, but inconsequential.  It was a tough cut for me.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Here's another show I wanted on this list pretty badly.  I can't really say why it isn't on this list.  I wasn't a huge fan of this show last year and this season made me into a fan.  I couldn't pull the trigger on cutting any of the ones that made this list so unfortunately it didn't make.

Better Things - I liked Better Things and I liked the idea of it being on my list, but this is another show that just wasn't as funny as I would have liked.  I do like that comedies don't feel the need to be funny all the time and would rather be real, and Better Things is that.  But a lot of shows have figured out a way to do both at once.

Silicon Valley - I think this show suffers mightily from when it airs.  I just can't remember it as well as the shows I just watched and it usually airs its last episode of the season way back in April.  That said, I tried to access my feelings from when I watched it and I've just never truly loved this show.  With the competition it's up against, I don't feel exceptionally guilty about this being off my list.

Blackish - Here's another show like Last Man on Earth.  When it has amazing episodes, it's one of the best half hours on television.  It just doesn't happen frequently enough!  Too many episodes are forgettable.  They also had an unforgivable Disney promo as their first episode of season three.  I realize that was network mandated, but man it really puts a strain on a show.

I will be posting my top ten dramas, either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how my schedule works out.  I may or may not be watching a show that will end up on that list right now and need to finish it before finishing my post.  Hope you guys aren't too mad at this list.

2015 Top Ten Comedies

** If you read my top ten dramas post, you can safely skip these introductory paragraphs.  It's pretty much the same thing I said then.  If you haven't read it, go ahead and click on this link.

I made the foolish decision to make an end-of-the-year top ten list.  Most top ten lists come out before Christmas, but there was just no time for me to watch what I felt I needed to watch in order to come up with the best possible list.  Given that the holidays provide loads of opportunity of free time, it was also more convenient.  I don't regret that decision either.  The comedy list would have looked a hell of a lot different.

For my order, I decided to list them backwards from 10 to 1 and then afterwards list the honorable mentions.  I feel by abstaining from listing the honorable mentions until afterwards, you might actually have some doubt as to what will come towards the top.  Also, I don't want to list your favorite show in the honorable mention, you'll get mad and then not read the rest of the post.

Both lists are what I think are the best, but I will admit a certain element of how much I enjoy the show comes into play.  By that I mean, there are a few shows that could technically be described as better than some in the top ten, but whenever I put them in there, it just felt wrong.  It felt like I was putting it in there only because I felt it was supposed to be in there and not because I thought it was one of my top ten shows of the year.

Anyway my opinions are my own and there's really no need to be offended that I didn't include your favorite show.  There's a decent chance I don't even watch it too.  I'm fairly certain Bob's Burgers most recent year would be strongly considered for comedy, but I'm just not caught up to the show and it was not possible for me to do so.  I've wasted enough words introducing this list so let's just get on with it.

*I only count episodes that air in 2015.  Most of the shows in this list have the entire season air in 2015, but for shows like The Flash that still follow the traditional network television format, 2015 covers one half of two different seasons.  To stay on that example, I'm not technically counting the first nine episodes of the first season of The Flash.

#10 Another Period - Comedy Central (Season 1)
I factored in originality a lot in my picks for both comedies and dramas.  If I felt the show was drastically different than other shows I've seen in 2015 or even ever before, I would probably put it ahead of other shows that perhaps might be considered better.  That is the case with Another Period.  It is a show that is essentially a parody of two things that are very mock-worthy, Downton Abbey and reality television.  It's an odd mix, but it works for this show.  This show evidently came about because someone - presumably Natasha Leggero or Riki Lindhome - thought "What if entitled rich people back in the early 1900s had reality television?"

And... it's probably not a lot different from what Another Period presents, as cartoonish as it tends to get.  We are talking about the reality television here.  Take the stereotypes of that era and the people inhabiting that era and then, because it's reality television, take the craziest of that stereotype and have those people play up their actions for the camera?  Yeah it's not hard to envision at all.

Anyway, I've never seen Leggero in anything except the Comedy Central roasts - and honestly she wasn't that great - but she seems perfectly suited for the tone of this show.  Similarly, I've never seen Lindhome in anything, but I kind of want to watch Garfunkel and Oates.  Jason Ritter is apparently hilarious in anything he appears in, because between this and Drunk History, that dude can make me laugh.  Also Paget Brewster is constantly trying to sound dignified while being high on morphine.  Unfortunately, the show loses Artemis Pebdani after the pilot and her replacement is but a shell of her.

Model Episode - "Switcheroo Day" (S1 E7)

This episode has a pretty sitcom plot actually with two of the servant characters being able to act like they are in the upper class.  One takes the role and pretty much doesn't change (arguing against the lower class funny enough), and the other takes the role and relishes it (by cruelly tormenting the servants).  Also Lillian orchestrates her own kidnapping because that's just the type of person she is.

#9 Bojack Horseman - Netflix (Season 2)

Bojack Horseman comes at a bit of a disadvantage for me in that I watched it directly after a show that dealt with similar issues and it just completely pales in comparison for me.  Needless to say that show will be showing up later in this post.  Nonetheless, Bojack Horseman is a show that deals with a character deep in depression.  Another character isn't sure how to add meaning to her life.  These issues are dealt with seriously and before servicing laughs.

But these issues do not come at the expense of laughs.  It's still a funny show, and at times very silly.  It really likes to make animal-related jokes and Vincent Adultman is still a character so you know it's not all serious, all-the-time.  But the voice actors bring their A game to this show.  Hell, Allison Brie seems to voice characters I only learn she voices later (Vincent Adultman???) and the somewhat famous guest stars always seem to go unrecognized by me during the episode.

Model Episode "Escape from LA" (S2 E11)

I'm curious, when picking the model episode, whether I should pick a show that best represents whatever show I'm talking about or pick the best episode.  I've been picking the best episode so far, and usually the best episodes of a show are the ones that diverge from their typical episode.  Thus, "Escape from LA" is certainly not your usual Bojack Horseman as Bojack gets to see what living like a (relatively) normal family life only for him to fuck things up in the most horrific way imaginable.  Well I'm sure I could think of something more horrific, but you get my point.

#8 Parks and Recreation - NBC (Season 7)

Parks and Recreation is one of those shows that honestly would have found its way on this list one way or the other almost regardless of quality.  I *know* that seasons 4-6 weren't as good as its prime, but I also know I enjoyed those seasons way more than most comedies.  So I have basically no way of being objective about the quality of Parks and Recreation.  But I actually think season seven was pretty good.  This will sound weird - because it's only two spots - but if I just wanted it in for the sake of it being on this list, it would be 10th.  (The implication being that it would not actually be my 10th best pick were I not insistent on having it on here.)

I think I said it on my top ten drama post, but for shows that aired and finished early in the year, I tend to have trouble remembering specifics of the season.  So I tend to lean more on the great episodes to help guide me.  I know Parks and Recreation began the season with Ron and Leslie at odds and I know that the show would never, ever end with them at odds because that's just not the type of show it is.  But the show did two interesting things with this concept.  First off, given their very natures, it actually seems very inevitable that they would eventually both be stubborn enough to fight over a small issue and not resolve their differences.  I'd say the only reason that it didn't happen before season seven is because the writers didn't really want a multi-episode conflict between two main characters.  While I have no doubt it would have made for some good television, Parks and Rec just isn't the show that's going to have its two characters have a season-long conflict against each other.  Secondly, the way the show handled their eventual reconciliation was one of their greatest episodes.

Model Episode - "Leslie and Ron" (S7 E4)

Like I said above, I think this is one of their greatest episodes.  They took advantage of the time jump by having Leslie and Ron have a previous fight that festered and continued for at least a year.  Both got to see what life was without the other and neither liked it all that much, especially Ron.  It's not hard to see why Leslie likes Ron - she's naturally inclusive of other people and fiercely loyal.  But Ron has always been a mystery.  So to have this fight be the result of Ron essentially feeling abandoned and then both of them being too stubborn to admit wrong is a good piece of writing.

#7 Broad City - Comedy Central (Season 2)

When Broad City writers run out of ideas - when they don't know how to fill the next episode - they have one of the most reliable formulas to turn to: just have Abbi and Ilana shoot the shit and talk about whatever the hell those two want to talk about in that episode.  Seriously, there's no way this show can fail when those two are doing their thing.  Add in about 3-5 minutes of Hannibal Buress - they've deployed him basically perfectly, always keeping us wanting more of him - and Broad City is good to go.

You know what I wish Broad City would do though?  Get rid of Bevers.  That actor is way too successful at making him a lazy, poaching boyfriend.  He sucks the life out of scenes for me.  There's also basically one joke here - a joke worthy of a one-episode appearance, not a recurring character.  The other supporting characters?  Paul Downs has done great work as Trey, making him more interesting and funnier this season.  Arturo Castro as Jaime is used even more sparingly than Buress, but he's also welcome to stay on this show for as long as it airs.  Lastly, everything involved with developing Jeremy into a more complex character was just amazing writing.  Speaking of which...

Model Episode - "Knockoffs" (S2 E4)

It's a tough pick for me between this and "Coat Check."  One the one hand, you have Kelly Ripa having a secret crazy side.  You also have Ilana find out she is in love with herself (duh).  But on the other hand, you have "pegging" and Susie Essman as Ilana's mother (perfect casting).  Ultimately I'm going with Knockoffs because, while funny, the Ripa story has been done before (Wayne Brady on The Chappelle Show) and I don't think I've ever seen an episode of television deal with pegging.

#6 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - FX (Season 10)

Can I just say that I probably suffer the same symptom about this show as I do with Parks and Recreation?  This is up there for my favorite comedies of all time.  The show is also as strong as its ever been in its tenth season.  There are a couple classics here, episodes that would rank among the show's very best.  The show has also so mastered its formula that it's middle-of-the-road episodes are more entertaining than most comedies out there.

While I definitely think It's Always Sunny belongs below the upcoming five spots for reasons I'll explain above, the decision whether to rank It's Always Sunny or Broad City higher was among my tougher decisions.  One spot doesn't really matter, but I could have gone either way.  Ultimately, I went with It's Always Sunny, because I just enjoy the show more.  I enjoy watching the show more than any other comedy.  Among the shows above this, a couple mine comedy from cringe-worthy situations which, while funny and often brilliant, aren't exactly enjoyable to watch.  Another couple shows develop comedy through characters' pain.  Neither of those things are problems with It's Always Sunny.  I can enjoy it guilt-free without feeling bad for the characters and since the characters have no shame, there's very little cringe comedy here.

Model Episode - "Charlie Work" (S10 E4)

Here's another show with two really tough picks for me.  It was between this and "The Gang Misses the Boat."  I went with "Charlie Work" because it's a drastic change from anything they've done before, while "The Gang Misses the Boat" is a different variation of a theme they've been doing for years (albeit with an ending they've certainly never done before).  This is essentially the show's version of the movie Birdman, even though apparently this was written and filmed well before that movie was in theaters (which is shocking really since it's so eerily similar between having "one shot" and the drums)

#5 Master of None - Netflix (Season 1)

Master of None is a good example of a show that would probably be lower, but I value originality in picking my spots.  The concept of the show itself isn't that original - a comedian who finds dating life hard - but in its perspective.  The show dealt with "Indians on TV" and how they were portrayed.  It dealt with immigrant parents who moved to America for a better life.  They also had a great episode about how men will leap to other men's defense even if you're a guy like Aziz Ansari on Master of None.

Even in the well-worn familiar territory of a couple dating, Master of None changed it up.  They have their first date over the whole episode in Nashville.  We experience their relationships over months through only their mornings.  The way they first met each other was also fairly atypical of a relationship that's supposed to last a year.  This show is a good example of how diversity can make a television premise that's been done to death (Seinfeld and Louie for one) seem original because it's being told from a new perspective.

Model Episode - "Indians on TV" (S1 E4)

I could have went several different ways with this pick, but I've seen relationship issues tackled before while I haven't seen this addressed on a television episode.  (Aziz has probably dealt with this in his standup, but HOT TAKE I don't think his stand-up is that great - which to be fair, I seem to only really like three or four stand-up acts)  I would really like to watch this episode RIGHT NOW, but I simply don't have time.

#4 Rick and Morty - Adult Swim (Season 2)

Let's get this out of the way.  "Get Schwifty" is terrible.  I don't really mean the episode, but holy shit that song sucks.  I have no idea how the same show that did "Goodbye Moonmen" made... whatever the hell that was.  Is it a commentary on how shitty pop music is?  I don't care, that song sucked.  The rest of the season was pretty fantastic.

This season seem to deal with Rick having more humanity due his growing connection with his grandchildren.  While Rick is becoming a better person (relatively speaking I guess - he does still tell both of his grandchildren "fuck you" in the finale after all), Morty is starting to get a bit darker.  Meanwhile, Summer gets more involved and Beth gets further development as a daughter terrified her father will leave her again.  And Jerry... is still Jerry.

Besides "Get Schwifty" it seems like every episode is at the very least very hilarious.  They have an inferior sequel to "Rixty Minutes" and as much as I enjoy "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez," they are dealing with material already explored.  But the rest are episodes of television that I would say must be watched.  (At that point, might as well just watch the rest of the series though.)

Model Episode - "The Wedding Squanchers" (S2 E10)

Of course I have to pick this episode.  Rick & Morty, before this episode, didn't really work for me in terms of emotional attachment.  It felt like The Simpsons/Futurama strategy; ignore really trying the emotional aspect until the last minute.  However, man does this episode land like a gut punch.  It finally emotionally affects me on this episode.  "Total Rickall" was also a classic.

#3 Nathan for You - Comedy Central (Season 3)

I really though this series would have a limited shelf life on being great television due to its very premise.  There's only so many places you can seemingly go.  After watching season two, I was actually kind of bummed, because I thought season three wouldn't be as good and I wanted Nathan for You to be represented on this list.  But I know nothing and this might have been even better than the second season.

In this season, Nathan challenges Best Buy's price match policy, creates a fitness regime where you move boxes, create a fake play so that people can smoke in a bar, and impersonate someone else so that they can be considered a hero.  All of these episodes have hilarious, natural twists that only a show like this could produce because he's dealing with real people's reactions.  The fitness regime spokesman turns out to be an expert liar - like he's willing to lie about anything and everything - and of course Nathan takes to being another person well by being able to connect better with people.

Nathan the character is a brilliant creation.  He's just a guy with poor social skills who wants a friend.  In this season, he's able to make a friend - a guy with hilariously flexible boundaries.  (I'm curious about that guy now that he's seen the show, although if that episode is any indication, he'll just take it in stride.  More likely, the show has told him what's what by now, but a man can dream.)  Oh my god this season also features porn actors loudly having sex near a small child in a soundproof fake spaceship.  How exactly is he allowed to do that?  This might be too low of a ranking the more segments that I remember that he did.

Model Episode - "Smoker's Allowed" (S3 E5)

There are a few options here, namely his stunt in "The Hero," his way to get workers to work for free by making it a fitness craze in "The Movement" or even his antics to get Best Buy to sell a rival store TVs for $1, but ultimately I have to go with "Smoker's Allowed."  More than others, this just seemed like they had an idea for one segment, the people reacted unexpectedly, and they ran with it.  They not only ran with it, they took it to absurd levels.

#2 You're the Worst - FX (Season 2)

This might be a bit aggressive.  This show takes their characters' emotions and puts it first and foremost.  It's more important than comedy.  However, a lot of times, the comedy is used in order to highlight characters' emotions.  It doesn't necessarily need to be one or the other.  For instance, and this is more prominent in season one, Edgar frequently displays symptoms of PSTD, but he does so in a way that is usually very funny.

The reason it's this high though is because of Aya Cash's performance and the way the show treats mental illness.  I mentioned above that Bojack Horseman paled in comparison to a show above and that show is You're the Worst.  Both tackle the same issues roughly speaking, but You're the Worst is so much better at it and it's not even like that's a weakness of Bojack Horseman.  It's a strength.  But that just speaks to the ability of the You're the Worst writers.

One, shall we say, weakness of this show is that it treats Kether Donohue oddly.  Like, we're just supposed to pretend she's a fat girl or something and not ridiculously attractive.  She's not miscast.  But I tend to think they had a different vision of the role at the beginning, liked her so much that they cast her, and then pretended as if nothing had changed.  I might be alone on this.  In any case, this show is well cast.  Chris Geere and Cash have great chemistry - obviously a very necessary component of making a show around one specific relationship.  Both excel at the serious, the emotional, and the comedic aspects of their character that are necessary for the show.  They also have a few very reliably funny side characters like the rappers and their fake turned real beef, Lindsay's ex Paul, and Vernon (who's way funnier and more complex than he has any right to be)

Model Episode - "LCD Soundsystem" (S2 E9)

Like pretty much all of the comedies towards the top, there were some strong contenders for this part.  "There is Currently Not a Problem" features Gretchen's breakdown and is probably Aya Cash's Emmy submission.  The finale "The Heat is a Dumb Dumb" also ends the season on a positive note, although this still involves Gretchen trying to hook up with Jimmy's almost-fling.  But ultimately I went with "LCD Soundsystem" because Gretchen lives vicariously through a neighboring couple and temporarily is able to convince herself of happiness based off their relationship.  Of course, this relationship isn't as great as it seems and Gretchen takes it pretty hard.

#1 Review - Comedy Central (Season 2)

Here's another Comedy Central show whose very premise seems very limited to creating amazing television.  It was hard to imagine how they could follow season one, but they managed to even outdo that season.  Forrest McNeil at this point has convinced himself that Review is this extremely important public service that he's doing.  He's got to believe that Review is "very important work."  Of course it's just a TV show where people get to watch a man continually humiliate and hurt himself.

Review presents a man who consistently lets the show ruin his life and is unable to see that.  Even when he becomes aware of the absurd number of injuries he suffers, he blames everyone but himself.  Granted, the producer Grant is one evil, manipulative son of bitch, but it's not as clear how much he's manipulating things behind the camera.  In this season, Forrest cycles through three girlfriends over the course of four episodes, one due to blackmail, one due to trying to have sex with her on a plane, and one because she took over the cult he started.  (Ah writing episode descriptions of this would be fun.)  He also gets shot with a gun, he gets shot with an arrow, he burns a house down, and he voluntarily gets buried alive.

Meanwhile as part of the deal for coming back on the show, Forrest gets two vetoes this year.  Needless to say if you've ever seen this show, but he of course uses both of his vetoes only for the worst possible request comes into play.  Seeing as this show IS his life, he feels compelled to actually take that action.  The cruel part of watching Review is that we want him to figure out that it's just a show, but we also want to watch him hurt himself and ruin his life, because it is endlessly hilarious and at times heartbreaking.

Model Episode - "Happiness, Pillow Fight, Imaginary Friend"

The imaginary friend segment is by far one of the most brilliant things the show's ever done.  And that's saying something.  I'm tempted to go with "Conspiracy Theory" because watching Forrest try to figure out the conspiracy of him continuously do tasks that end with him harming himself is thrilling.  But ultimately, the conclusion of "imaginary friend" - which I won't reveal - is somehow both insane and plausible in this world while also being devastating to watch.

Honorable Mentions

Traditional Network Sitcoms
Network television gets a deservedly bad rap.  However, it still has a few comedy programs worth watching while I'll make the hot take that you can safely just ignore any hourlong drama on network television with no problems.  The best of these is Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  It actually hurts me to not have it be put on this list.  Blackish is pretty hilarious despite the fact that ABC doesn't know how to title its goddamn shows.  (RIP Trophy Wife)  Similarly, Fresh off the Boat is mostly worth watching for the parents, played by Constance Wu and Randall Park.

Sketch Comedy
This gets its own section because I think by sketch comedy's design, it'd be hard for me to include it on a top ten list.  I tend to gravitate towards shows that have a heart, an underlying season-long narrative, or character progression (or all of them.)  Sketch comedies... don't really have this.  So Key & Peele deserves to be mentioned.  For Inside Amy Schumer, if I could isolate all her top sketches, it would make my list.  "12 Men Inside Amy Schumer" is one of the best comedy episodes of television I watched this year.  Unfortunately, I'm not doing that.  The problem is that she seems to have a pacing problem with her sketches - she has far too many either one-joke sketches or predictable sketches that just run at least a minute longer than they should.  But when a sketch is good, it's really  good like the Friday Night Lights parody focused on rape.

Other Comedies
It's a little unfair I never really considered Silicon Valley.  I don't know, this takes the place of Better Call Saul for the comedy post in that I can't really articulate why this show was always an honorable mention and never really considered for my top ten.  Archer's sixth season was going to be in my top ten, but once I watched most of the Comedy Centrals hows on Hulu, it was pretty clear that it wasn't possible.  Nonetheless Archer does have a rebound from its admirable, but failed Archer Vice experiment.  Lastly, two comedies that very possibly would have found a way on this list had I actually seen them are Community and Bob's Burgers.  In both instances, I'm a couple seasons behind and I'm pretty adamant about watching things in order.

Thanks for reading and tell me what you think.

Categories: FX Shows

A side effect of being the greatest channel on television is that it will have a lot of really great shows.  Sorry HBO, FX has taken over your place and it's not close.  The FX category is tied for the largest category with Classic Comedy with 14 shows and that doesn't include The Shield (which is under Shows That Changed Television).  It's a tiny bit unfair: HBO's heyday was in its past which is reflected in my list (four shows in STCT) and it's a lot easier to catch up on and watch FX shows than HBO.  But still, 14 shows is a lot of shows, and most of them are still on the air.

Before starting, there are two shows on this list that I have completed: Terriers and Rescue Me.  I plan to revisit Terriers and write about it here at some point.  And Rescue Me is counted down as finished, but I stopped watching after five seasons, because the quality had dropped tremendously from its first season.  (But man that first season was pretty great)  I may or may not finish Rescue Me, but as you can see, it's not really a big concern for me to finish it.  (Other shows counted as "Finished" despite the fact that I haven't finished them: The Walking Dead, House of Cards, and Downton Abbey)

Comedies
Archer
Duh.  I'm ashamed to admit that I'm not fully caught up on Archer.  It has nothing to do with the show and everything to do with me.  I'm making more of an effort to watch comedy shows - and Archer is not far down the list of shows I will catch up to.  It also has the distinct honor of being one of the few shows I actually want to re-watch.  But first obviously I need to watch it once!

Where I'm at: Season 3, Episode 6

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
This show is in a weird place.  I was way late to watching this show, for some reason decided to watch the first season, and then stopped.  I remember liking and being impressed by the show and yet I never watched more.  (It's pretty much identical to How I Met Your Mother, except I liked this show better)  As it stands, It's Always Sunny will be watched after every other comedy that I've started, but I won't start any new comedies until this one is finished.  (Unless it's a situation like B99 where I can start from the beginning and watch while it airs.  But that's different)

Where I'm at: Season 2, Episode 2 (Yeah for some reason I stopped after one episode)

The League
Here's a show I am caught up to, at least I'm caught up to its latest episode on Netflix.  I'm not sure this show qualifies as a guilty pleasure - it's characters are pretty despicable   It's kind of about fantasy sports, but not really, but the comedic style of this show is one of my favorites.  It's sort of an improvisation/scripted show that just goes for broke a lot and is unapologetic about its shameless guest-star whoring.  Also, Rafi.

Where I'm at: Season 5, Episode 1

Wilfred
Yeah I don't know how this show works.  But it does.  Somehow.  The first season is mostly hit-or-miss, but the last episode was the best and I've heard positive things about the second season.  It's a drastically different comedy than any others on this list, a type of comedy I can appreciate.  And Jason Gann is tremendous as the dog.

Where I'm at: Season 2, Episode 1

Not really a Comedy, but Funny as Hell
Louie
Louis CK is probably my favorite comedian, but it feels wrong to call his show a comedy.  It's not really a drama either.  Either way, it's fantastic and this is one of the few shows I'm completely caught up to, thanks to that two-year break that Louie took.  Not sure what else to say about this.  You've probably either seen it or have actively decided to not watch it.

Where I'm at: Season 4 (Current Season)

Dramas
The Americans
If you've followed me on twitter for a while, you know that I regularly promote this show as if I was getting paid by them.  Well, I'm not and I will take this opportunity to yet again promote this show: go watch it as soon as you can.  The first season is on Amazon Prime and I'm guessing the second will be on there a good amount of time before the third season begins.  The reason I promote this show is because its ratings are not very good and I would very much like to not see this get cancelled.  And as a bonus, the third season has been picked up already so you at least won't have to worry about starting a doomed show.  (While FX seems very much committed to the show, just to be safe, watch it.)

Where I'm at: Season 2 (Current Season)

Justified
I was very late to the game on Justified: I watched my first episode of it probably six months ago.  And guess what? I'm completely caught up.  The show is that good.  Few shows are just purely as enjoyable as this one even when the quality drops off a bit.  The dialogue is maybe the best on television and it's a treat to watch two world class actors in Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins.

Where I'm at: Season 6 (Which will air next year)

Sons of Anarchy
I have run the gamut of opinions about Sons of Anarchy.  The first season was promising and I was optimistic.  The second season was even better and I thought it could be one of my favorite shows.  The third season sucked, but it had goodwill left over and the last few episodes were pretty great.  The fourth season was better, but severely soured me on the show as I realized I had overrated it because of the second season.  And then the fifth season got me back into a mood where I liked the show.  And I haven't seen the sixth season because I have watched it on Netflix and am waiting for it to add episodes there.  (Hopefully, it adds the season before the new season airs, but I'm not optimistic as it did not do that with its recent season.  I WANT to watch your show on live television, help me do that!)

Where I'm at: Season 6, Episode 1

Damages
I have not seen this show.  I do not know if it is good, although I'm reasonably confident it is.  I kind of have a thing for Rose Byrne though so you know any potential doubt I have going into this show is immediately squashed.  You know the show that you're kind of wary about starting and then you realize an actor/actress you like is in it?  Well that's what is happening here.  Either way, there's only 59 episodes so it's not like a huge commitment.

Where I'm at: Not started

Fargo
I missed the boat on this show.  I don't remember why I missed the first episode, but I missed it.  And then I never managed to catch the first episode when FX aired it at a later date.  And then I refused to watch the second episode without having first seen the first episode.  And thus, I have yet to see this show.  I hope it goes on Amazon Prime or Netflix.  Or I'll just record every episode that I see as it comes along (hopefully FX holds a marathon later).  Either way, I really want to see this show.

Where I'm at: Not Started

Nip Tuck
So this is a show that will be watched when I run out of shows.  So if you're a huge Nip Tuck fan - I'm not aware of any that I know - it's going to be a while.  I have no rational reason for choosing to watch this show.  And I may never get to it.  But like I said if I ever run out of shows to watch, then this will be watched.

Where I'm at: Not Started

Not Really a Drama, but Funny as Hell
American Horror Story
Yeah here's a show that's not really a traditional drama, but just an excuse for Ryan Murphy to do a bunch of crazy shit.  It's definitely not supposed to be a comedy, but's pretty funny at times.  And it's not scary, which is good for me because I hate scary movies.  Yeah here's a show that I find I have to watch if I'm interested in TV because it does things no other show does, even if it is objectively not that great of a show.  (For instance, it has one of the worst pilots I have ever seen)

Where I'm at: Season 3, Episode 1

And that's the list of shows that air on FX that I want to watch.