Top 77 Television and Streaming Video Series of 2019

No, they stick with pastiching existing docs.

Aah I see. It’s a bizarre premise for a show. Maybe I’ll get around to watching more some day.

nailed it is the only one so far i voted for, and that was kind of a throwaway vote - it's cute but repetitive, i mostly voted for it because i like watching it with my kids

Did I vote for Jessica Jones? Anyway, I really disliked one of the main plot developments, but I'll add that season 2 is better than most people give it credit for. Season 1 is still the best Netflix Marvel thing by a wide margin though.

Documentary Now! the only thing I've voted for so far, exclusively on the strength of the Co-Op ep.

i watched two episodes and liked it but got hung up on the glaring and unavoidable fact that it is meant for children and the script reflects that. i may need to retry.

they just wrapped "book 2" btw!

I get this, but IMO Infinity Train is kinda like Steven Universe in that it obviously wants to get some important messages about self-worth and acceptance through to the kids, but the whole scifi/fantasy setting provides a lot to enjoy for adults too, who may find the messages a bit too obvious. (Not saying that it's as good as Steven Universe - what is? - but it's still very enjoyable.) The concept of having each episode take place in a separate train car/micro-world provides with a lot of space to do cool and surreal imagery, and they also apparently intend each season to have different protagonists with different issues means that they shouldn't be stuck repeating the same themes. They already did that in the second season, and it went into some pretty dark and deep waters for a Cartoon Network show (don't want to say anything more not to spoil it). So based on the two seasons so far (they're very short, only ten 10-minute episodes per season), I feel IT has a lot of potential for both kids and adults.

Never heard of Documentary Now! and it's not showing on UK Netflix so guess it's US only?

Thought I was the other voter for Too Old Too Die Young but just checked my ballot and it's not on there. Great show though (if not for everyone) and glad that stuff like that can get made these days even if Amazon did their best to bury it before it was even released.

I got excited when this poll mentioned Documentary Now is on Netflix but it's not in my country. Still have yet to see an episode

I've really only enjoyed the Doc Now episodes with Hader and/or Mulaney involved, but those are great. Hader as the James Carville type in the War Room parody is one of my favorite comedic turns of the last few years.

Criterion is including the DN parody of the Mayseles Brothers' Salesman as an extra on their reissue of that movie.

Haven’t seen Documentary Now! but I did just want to mention (since there doesn’t seem to be any discussion about it) that I think HDM deserves its low position.

Kind of reneging on my own vote here, full disclosure.

I submitted one of those four-vote ballots...There sure are a lot of TV shows I've never heard of.

I'm a four-voter too, and I probably couldn't have found twenty things I saw and liked enough to vote for even if I'd wanted to. This poll is doing a great job of pitching me on stuff I didn't know about that I might at some point watch.

at a meeting now but will be updating with several more in the later afternoon.

https://i.imgur.com/CYEAWZh.jpg
#53 (Tie) - This Time with Alan Partridge (BBC) - 30 points, 3 votes

Alan Partridge comes to BBC America

This Time with Alan Partridge on the BBC 1 Website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77IZttD_pU8

that...was a goal

https://i.imgur.com/a4ThCc6.jpg
#53 (Tie) - The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix) - 30 points, 3 votes

The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_owZfYVR8

https://i.imgur.com/xHntUCN.jpg
#53 (Tie) - Repair Shop (BBC, Netflix) - 30 points, 3 votes

The Repair Shop on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0tpFmcChPs

as someone born in the 90s, i am blissfully ignorant of dark crystal.

and these stills aren't convincing me to take the plunge lol

no offense to moka, whose images are immaculate

https://i.imgur.com/gagafsE.jpg
#53 (Tie) - Queer Eye (Netflix) - 30 points, 3 votes

Queer Eye For The Straight Guy WTF

Queer Eye on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SZbVV6eVFk

Love the Repair Shop, just beautiful watching the connection between objects and memory come alive again.

Dark Crystal too low!

Definitely, was at the top of my ballot

Partridge too low

https://i.imgur.com/fFgOxVF.jpg
#53 (Tie) - Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC) - 30 points, 3 votes

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishin on BBC 2 Website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm6HVs3myvI

The way the colour of each of Moka's numbers is picked off a detail of the image is wonderful, and in the case of #53 made me flat out lol.

in the case of #53?

Yes, as in the Alan Partridge one? I found the colour ref of that one downright funny somehow.

agree, but that needed clarification tbf

Can anyone explain Mortimer and Whitehouse Go Fishing to me? I tried an episode and it was opaque.

as someone born in the 90s, i am blissfully ignorant of dark crystal.

and these stills aren't convincing me to take the plunge lol

as someone born in the 70s, i saw Dark Crystal as a kid, thought it was fine at the time, but have no desire to revisit it

I don't watch enough telly to vote in any meaningful way, but would have voted for Gone Fishing. It's a bit like the Trip in that it's beautiful to look at and it happens to have two old men enacting their dotage in it. The difference here is that it's done with a real light touch.

I'm not a big fan of the 'it gets better in season 9!1!!!' argument but this definitely benefits from accumulation (after 3 episodes, I basically dozed through the rest with my eyes open).

it reminded me of the thing Alan Plater said about the best bits of writing on Z Cars being when they were just sitting in the car and chatting about nothing, it was a welcome change from the constant pressure for things to happen on tv

xxp: Still have the warm feels of seeing Dark Crystal at age 10 (and Time Bandits at 9). I recall my playground mates would hum the deepest chords we could manage, mimicking the urRu/Mystics.

They seem absent here.

I'd hope DC:AOR has less CGI, greenscreen, and impossible/weightless camera movements than the highlight reel of the trailer. Just charmless for me.

You should definitely give it a go. There's obviously some CGI but it's done with real puppets and sets and had a charm of its own because of that. It's also got a very good story and is absolutely gorgeous to look at.

https://i.imgur.com/UneC7qZ.jpg
#53 (Tie) - Euphoria (HBO) - 30 points, 3 votes

Euphoria on HBO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziMUD0_TTg0

https://i.imgur.com/b1j3nxB.jpg
#53 (Tie) - Bosch (Amazon) - 30 points, 3 votes

"If you can smoke and drink while doing it, it's not a sport" - a thread for BOSCH

Bosch on Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnVtSOTfbEU

hey it's the man in black

https://i.imgur.com/WY1WlGj.jpg
#53 (Tie) - 63 Up (ITV, UK) - 30 points, 3 votes

7-Up (The Michael Apted documentary series)

63 Up Website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugw7hUoJ0C0

https://i.imgur.com/VOylam0.jpg
#48 (Tie) - Veronica Mars (Hulu) - 30 points, 4 votes

Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars on Hulu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0QuaQ0huk

The new season of Veronica Mars seemed about on par with season 2 and 3, though I completely forgot it existed from after I finished watching it until right now.

#48 (Tie) - Tuca and Bertie (Netflix) - 30 points, 4 votes

Netflix Watch Instantly Recommendation Thread

Tuca and Bertie on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZybYIJtbcu0

^ harshly done by

that said I still haven't seen the final one or two

Never before has a single episode torpedoed my liking of a show as much as the Sex Bugs episode of this did. Struggled on for one more but I was done. Shame as this could have been pretty good

opening minute was enough to torpedo my interest

https://i.imgur.com/Dkr6v5b.jpg
#48 (Tie) - The Dragon Prince (Netflix) - 30 points, 4 votes

The Dragon Prince on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc2gmVTb6-k

https://i.imgur.com/O1yCI0A.jpg
#48 (Tie) - Pose (FX) - 30 points, 4 votes

Pose on FX Website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJFCY2mITHY

Not familiar with a lot of these Netflix shows but ... lotta parents of young kids voting here?

Sometimes kid content is great on its own terms. I'm going to be voting (quite high) for the latest Shaun The Sheep in our movie poll for example

Would be nice if a few fans of these shows turned up and talked about why they like them though. Do your job ILX!