Check out the previous year-end reviews.
The Top 11 of 2018:
Generation Kill (2008)
Written by: Ed Burns, David Simon, Evan Wright
Directed by: Susanna White, Simon Cellan Jones
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, James Ransone, Lee Tergesen
Rated:TV-MA
Plot
A Rolling Stone reporter, embedded with the 1st Recon Marines chronicles his experiences during the first wave of the American-led assault on Baghdad in 2003.
Verdict
It has a raw, real feel to it. Soldiers are fighting a war and ill equipped. They're a bunch of kids just trying to make it. Incompetence runs rampant and is often rewarded. In that regard, it's like any other work place, the difference is that the stakes are much higher, life and death.
Nothing makes sense to the guys on the ground. The people making decisions don't always see what's happening, don't care, or both. It's an amazing show that captures all the emotions of war and everything wrong with chain of command. The camaraderie constantly builds with dialog feeling realistic, even when soldiers break into song. The ending is great, everyone watching the video an enlisted made, but none can stand to see the entire video.
Better Call Saul (2015-)
Season 3 - 10 episodes (2017)
Created by: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Michael McKean
Rating: TV-14
Plot:
Jimmy McGill is a former grifter who is now a lawyer. He wants to do the right thing, but at the same time, becoming a lawyer hasn't been the dream he imagined.
Verdict:
We know where Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Mike (Jonathan Banks) end up, but getting there is quite the journey. There are plenty of cameos from Breaking Bad, including Hector, Tuco, and Nacho among others. It never feels like a gimmick. Each episode delves into Jimmy and his relationships. Jimmy being Jimmy, strains those bonds.
The introduction of each episode deserves a mention. They often feel like short films, tangentially related to the episode and always well done. This show is well crafted. It's a joy to watch and Odenkirk really shines.
Star Trek Continues (2013-)
Watch Star Trek Continues
Created by: Vic Mignogna
Starring: Vic Mignogna, Chris Doohan, Todd Haberkom, Michel Specht, Grant Imahara
Rating: TV-14
Plot:
Star Trek Continues is an American fan-created web series set in the Star Trek universe. Produced by the non-profit charity Trek Continues, Inc. and Dracogen. The series is an unofficial direct continuation of Star Trek: The Original Series, and emulates its visual and storytelling features to achieve the same look and feel.
Verdict:
It's amazing at how well it captures the original. From the look, theme, story, acting, even to lighting, and how scenes ramp up and stop for non-existent commercial breaks, everyting is faithful and the people that made this are incredible fans that picked up on all kinds of details. There are call backs to the original, as within this series that only happened the previous year. While the characters don't look exactly like the originals after two episodes you don't notice. Reboots and remakes try to change content to be darker and edgier or to fit the modern style, and this proves it isn't necessary. It's a lot of fun and incredibly impressive. More than fan service, it's a full recreation and that's only possible from devout fans who labored and were passionate about this. A great show that will mean a bit more if you've seen the original but amazing nonetheless.
Succession Season 1
Watch the trailer
Created by: Jesse Armstrong
Starring: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
Logan Roy and his four children control one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. When the aging patriarch begins to step back from the company, the children contemplate what the future and company will hold for them.
Verdict:
I wondered where this show would go after four episodes, but it has places to go. This is a cutthroat world of business and family is even worse. Great characters developed, what really strikes me about the show is you can begin to piece together why the kids are the way they are even though the show never states it. Kendall is forever searching for his father's love, because as a kid I imagine he was put down a lot. Roman is comic relief because that's how he dealt with everything. Instead of crying he laughed. Everyone in this show is broken.
The trailer made the children overthrowing the father is the culmination but it happens early on. The way the season ends is crazy, but its the character that pull me in, not the crazy events. Can't wait for season two.
Atypical Season 2
Watch Atypical on Netflix
Created by: Robia Rashid
Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Rapaport, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Amy Okuda, Nik Dodani, Jenna Boyd
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
A coming of age story about autistic spectrum teen Sam (Keir Gilchrist), his search for love and independence upends his family as they struggle with what it means to be normal.
Verdict:
This is such a neat show, and a really hard hitting season. The parents are having a rough time, the sister is in a new school, but the manages to find humor in it. Sam is an observer of the human race, an alien taking notes. This shows the importance of a support system, and that family is a strong bond even if siblings don't always state it.. I like how it treats characters and mistakes. All the characters are likeable despite their downfalls.
What he goes through is applicable to anybody, though sometimes a bit exaggerated due to how he perceives the world. It's really cool looking at the world through his eyes. The last episode really challenges perceptions. How many people see a person that seems like a freak on that stage, but don't realize the epic journey? It is awesome to see someone interact in the world with out all the social pretense. Completely honest and straight, nothing has meaning, the world is made of facts.
Bojack Horseman Season 5
Watch Bojack Horseman on Netflix
Created by: Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Starring: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, Paul F. Tompkins
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
In this animated world, anthropomorphic animals and humans live side by side. Bojack Horseman is a TV actor trying reclaim fame.
Verdict:
This season tackles the patriarchy in Hollywood with Bojack filling in for that. It's another great season, often very meta. Each season seems to have one really uniquely formatted episode. This season it's a eulogy by Bojack. The entire episode is a eulogy and it provides a lot of insight into Bojack. The show goes out there creatively and I like it.
Bojack has quite an arc. He's always been self destructive. The ridiculous side of this is Todd becoming a CEO of an ad company. This show is so melancholy, but so comical too. It's amazing how they blend those.
Maniac Season 1
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2018)Created by: Cary Joji Fukunaga, Patrick Somerville
Starring: Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Sonoya Mizuno, Justin Theroux, Sally Field
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:This dark comedy is about a man that joins a pharmaceutical trial that supposedly deals with past traumas by exploring the emotions through dreams.
Verdict:
This works on so many levels. Each episode almost feels like a digression, but we're learning about the characters. Digressions are never to tightly woven to a character. We're experiencing an adventure while unpacking these characters. The retro-future setting is a cool touch too. It's incredible what this set out to do and almost more incredible the show achieved it. It's a wild, impressive ride and Fukunaga's visuals are stunning as usual.
The Haunting of Hill House Season 1
Watch The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix
Created by: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Timothy Hutton, Annabeth Gish
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.
Verdict:
While I wondered where this would go during the season, the ride as a whole is amazing. By the end my doubts had no merit. Each episode primarily focuses on one character and we get a lot of small reveals with a different perspective completely changing story elements later in the season. The plotting is impressive. This is a horror series and it's creepy. There are plenty of jump scares, but this also is effective at setting a mood that causes you to warily peer in the shadows for that monster lurking.
Bodygard Season 1
Watch Bodyguard on Netflix
Created by: Jed Mercurio
Starring: Richard Madden, Keeley Hawes, Sophie Rundle
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
David Budd, a war veteran-turned-cop, is assigned to protect a senior politician.
Verdict:
Intense action from the jump. This is surprising, defying what you think this will be. It's a thrill ride all the way through and Madden does a great job. It seemed like every episode defied where I thought this would go. This touches upon government surveillance and politics while also being a solid action thriller.
Homecoming Season 1
Watch the trailer
Created by: Micah Bloomberg, Eli Horowitz, Sam Esmail
Starring: Julia Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Shea Whigham, Sissy Spacek
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
Heidi works at Homecoming, a facility helping soldiers transition to civilian life. Years later she has started a new life, when the Department of Defense questions why she left Homecoming. Heidi realizes there's a whole other story behind the one she's been telling herself.
Verdict:
What a great story. This has the same dedication to craft as Sam Esmail's Mr. Robot. The story overlaps time periods while the question remains, what actually happened at the facility? The thirty minute episodes compel you to keep watching, but they also keep the pacing very quick. We get answers by the end and the culmination of this show is great.
The Shield Seasons 1-7
Season 2 - 13 episodes (2003)
Season 3 - 15 episodes (2004)
Season 4 - 13 episodes (2005)
Season 5 - 11 episodes (2006)
Season 6 - 10 episodes (2007)
Season 7 - 13 episodes (2008)
Watch the Season 1 trailer
Created by: Shawn Ryan
Starring: Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Walton Goggins, Jay Karnes, Benito Martinez, CCH Pounder, David Rees Snell, Kenny Johnson
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:Follows the lives and cases of a dirty Los Angeles Police Department cop and the unit under his command.
Verdict:
I'm rewatching this for the third time. It's amazing. It's intense. This show never lets up, and while certain story aspects shift, it remains a thrill ride until the very end. This has a great finale. One of the best all time.
Michael Chiklis is a dirty cop, but he bends the rules for the greater good. It's an easy excuse sure, but the ends justify the means for him. Little by little we've slipped down that rabbit hole with him and the finale holds us accountable for everything we've let slide.
More than Chiklis's Vic Mackey, we've become attached to many characters. This is absolutely incredible. It's one of my all time favorite series, top three all time.
From Vic and his desire to control crime by being a de facto mob boss to detectives Dutch and Claudette. The tension between all these cops just increases. Vic may be dirty, but it makes him an effective cop. That's used for full effect. There are no truly good characters. Every single one of them will bend the rules if it benefits them. Some have limits, some don't.
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