What an unexpected treat to get another full season of Veronica Mars. With much more narrative runway than a 2-hour Kickstarter film, and without many of the production uncertainties that plagued Season 3, Rob Thomas was able to craft a run, tight 8 hour mystery with his patented wry banter and story twists. Straight-laced Logan continued to disappoint, but the addition of conspiracy theorist Patton Oswalt, and the return of Max Greenfield livened things up to compensate. People will gripe about the ending, and while I would agree there were issues with it, I thought it was effective.

This is how to do nostalgia. The Mandalorian managed to feel like a fresh story that inhabited the same universe as the original trilogy. The world felt grimy and lived in, the ships and aliens both familiar and new. It had the same curt, to the point dialogue with the occasional bits of humor mixed in. Baby Yoda, whom Disney insists we call “The Child”, is adorable, yes, but is the perfect odd couple foil to the hardened, stoic bounty hunter, leading to many of the most delightful moments, yet importantly that well wasn’t pulled from in excess. (Unless you count the internet, which has a way of ruining any beloved thing with its endless meme-ification.)

I cheated a tiny bit for The Good Place. I didn’t want to have to rank the 4 final episodes on their own next year, so I included them in the 2019 ranking.

While not all of the ideas felt like wins (the test subjects storyline fell flat for me), this show was so unique and full of ideas and unlike anything else that has ever been on TV. I didn’t know how they were going to stick the landing after all of those twists and turns, but doggonit they did it.

A grand resurgence after an uneven S3. So glad they were able to end it on their own terms, even though I had no idea until the episode aired, and I was like, “That felt like an ending. Is it ending???” Loved how they balanced Galifinakis’s dry slapstick with deeply moving personal growth and catharsis. A triumph.

Along with Unbelievable, When They See Us is a challenging and heart-breaking portrayal of the failings of our justice system. It does an important job in laying out the pieces of how something so awful could happen in a very human and understandable way. I also loved the gentle reminder that our wonderful current President, at the time, called for these wrongfully accused kids to be killed.

After meandering a bit in S2, Legion came back for a delightfully weird and satisfying final season. They played around with a late-added time travel mechanic in fun new ways, which ended up being a pretty clever way of resolving a corner it seemed like they’d backed into, without it feeling like a cheat. It won’t be for everyone, but if you have patience for some strange, it’s well worth trekking through this unique Marvel property.

While admittedly having a high emotional bar for entry, Unbelievable is an important examination of how the justice system handles assault allegations, as well as just an extremely satisfying serial police drama. The first episode is very challenging. But it also makes the final episodes all the more powerful and satisfying. Plus Toni Collette and Merritt Wever are a detective dream team.

With the obvious parallels to the show Dexter, one thing I feel makes Barry stands out is the show doesn’t go as easy on Barry to couch his choices in “necessary evil” to make us feel better. He’s been in some crappy circumstances, so we can understand these choices, but he’s not as clean cut as Dexter was. The second season carried over hard consequences from the events at the end of season 1, and managed to keep the laughs and shocking moments in the same unique balance. Barry’s relationship with Cousineau (Henry Winkler) evolves in great and layered ways. Can’t wait for Season 3.

Damon Lindelof does it again. He takes a seemingly thankless task, in adapting an ageless comic book beloved by generations of white male fanboys, and creates an intricately crafted visual novel replete with easter eggs, but turns it into a layered examination of race relations in America. Alan Moore turned the established comic book norms on their heads as a lens with which to view issues of war and violence and politics. Lindelof then took that culturally heavy tome, and turned it on its head to point that lens on one of the biggest issues facing the country today. It’s brave, and brilliant, and expertly crafted. It’s weird, and it starts out fragmented, leaving the viewer to wonder if Damon is going to manage to pull all the disparate pieces together. And he does, in a way that feels satisfying, yet not overly clean.

He has said in interviews that he doesn’t have any inspiration at the moment for another season, and HBO seems to not be leaning on him at the moment. I have to say, if he finds something he’s passionate about to explore, I’m on board, and if not, those 9 episodes stand great on their own, and I’m also on board for that being it.

Hilarious. Moving. Brilliant. Messy. Heart-warming. Hot Priest. Spirit fox. Indescribable, other than all the spot-on descriptors I’ve already used. I normally have paragraphs for my #1, but I don’t feel like my thoughts on Fleabag are even that complex. Every moment is a joy. The dialogue is crisp. The timing is masterful. It’s short, but no other show does it like Phoebe does it. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m confused.

The second (and final?) season took the pretty intriguing premise and mined it for all it was worth. The confusing S1 finale was soon forgiven, and a much more interesting arc kicked off, with great emotional beats.

The setup to this season felt a bit more contrived than the anarchic and haphazard team up of the first season. But it eventually gelled into an engaging story and fine send-off to a dark, clever romantic comedy.

The creator of BoJack Horseman creates a gorgeous animated series that is both dream-like and grounded, both funny and tackling big questions. It in some ways reminds me of a less wacky The Good Place via Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Okay, enough comparisons. It’s really cool, and you probably have Amazon Prime, so watch it.

A strong, delightful, powerful, moving, and funny finish to an unheralded gem.

A short half-season aired in 2019, but with some real gems to close out the year.

I know, I know, another show about a self-destructive white male public figure. It has major parallels with BoJack Horseman, for sure, though I’d say it has less bleak bleakness and less wacky comedy. Sold yet? Well, it’s very funny and moving all the same.

A wild, moody, unexpectedly thought-provoking time travel romp. The fact that it’s European definitely adds some gravitas to a sci-fi show pretty clearly influenced by Lost. And I think influenced is the right word, because it takes some of those ideas and just runs wild with them, building a complex story web that you may need both a flow chart and a second viewing to keep track of. But worth it!

It was harsh, but not as tough to watch as I feared. It was dramatic, interesting, powerful, and the examination of what truth is rings very relevant to today.

After the very briefest wheel-spinning at the back half of S4, my favorite modern-day rom-com finished with a great final season. It may not have been the top season overall (there were a few misses in there), but it found the right time to finish up, and it ended with an ending that felt both earned and not overly sappy or cliche. Loved it.

A fun and emotional Netflix series built for bingeing. Twists and turns galore, and a couple of great lead performers.