Top 77 Television and Streaming Video Series of 2019

Is Gentleman Jack any good then? Kind of dismissed it as a bog standard BBC period drama

Gentlemen Jack is killer; one of my fave discoveries of last year.

i haven't seen Gentleman Jack, but it's selling point (at least for me) is of the LGBTQ / feminist sort. If you don't care about that, and you don't like BBC period dramas, then it's probably not worth it to you.

I voted for the latest season of The Expanse but most of it was too grim for my liking (though this season followed the book pretty closely, I seem to remember finding the travails a lot more gripping when I was reading about them). When there are a few glimmers of hope though I enjoyed it.

the next book is even more grim iirc

still need to catch up on the latest season of always sunny. left off at the thundergun episode.

the show has been getting flowers lately, but i still think it's underrated. it's on an unprecedented run of consistent hilarity for a live-action sitcom. they've been doing this shit for fifteen years. i was singing 'day man' when i was in high school.

just a few comments on things I’ve seen so far...

I enjoyed the Witcher, it’s not brilliant or anything but it didn’t take itself too seriously, felt like the fantasy shit I liked as a kid, in a good way. Would have voted for it.

His Dark Materials was okay, I’ll probably watch season 2 but I’m not totally sold. It felt kinda heartless. I can’t decide if it’s too hard to adapt or if the books are just worse than I remember them. Might’ve voted for it.

I just finished the tail end of season 4 of the good place. The ending was satisfying I think, but not as great as season 1 of course. Tough for a show with the premise it had to do well after the first season wraps so the fact it was still a great show to watch til the end was really impressive I thought. Would've voted for it.

I think everyone covered GOT well, I wouldn't have voted for this season.

Lots a stuff I'm interested to watch now though, great work poll runners.

I have always assumed that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was some kind of How I Met Your Mother-type deal, possibly because they both have long names and I'm not very smart.

I've just read the start of the wiki page, and unless it's a hilarious defacement, Holy Shit.

the next book is even more grim iirc

You're right, but the antagonists are at least more charismatic.

I have always assumed that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was some kind of How I Met Your Mother-type deal

Absolutely perfect footing on which to start watching the show imo - happy trails!

We've been waiting like 15 years to find out why it's always sunny!

the gang tries desperately to meet your mother

The focus group episode of the latest season (of ASIP) deserves its place in the pantheon of all-time great episodes. So jealous of anyone just discovering it

the Silicon Valley focus group scenes were always great -- one of the good things about this last season was it gave Monica more to do as a character. Relatedly, getting to see the main characters interact with others outside of each other, where, after 5 seasons, things were starting to be a bit rote. The Monica/Gilfoyle dynamic was really heartwarming and funny. ... Granted, I still had immense nostalgia for "Hot Dog/Not Hot Dog" and the amazing finale from season 1.

Also ... Menlo Bark. .... sometimes when I feel sad and am taking life too seriously, I think about "Menlo Bark" and "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

Need to watch the rest of the latest season of Silicon Valley. I’m glad Monica is finally made into more of something. For me the pinnacle was ‘billions of breadings’. Peter Gregory still missed.

top Silicon Valley bits for me (I watched all the seasons recently) - unranked:

1. Hot Dog/Not Hot Dog
1a. Hot Dog ---> Dick Pics
2. Hand Job calcs
3. Gilfoyle vs. the smart fridge
4. Menlo Bark
5. Black ops mission at Hoolicon
6. Monica vs. the bros
7. Gilfoyle and delegating
8. SWOT analysis
9. Jared
10. Russfest

Is Gentleman Jack any good then? Kind of dismissed it as a bog standard BBC period drama

it's good: the most auteurist work by Sally Wainwright (creator of At Home With The Braithwaites, Last Tango In Halifax, Happy Valley) and her only period piece. She wrote every episode, and directed half. It's applying slightly-higher-than-bog-standard BBC period drama values to a series whose themes are 100% about womens rights and lesbian "rights" in 19th century capitalism, with whatever resonance to the subsequent 190 years that the viewer chooses to apply. There are strongly continuing plot and romance elements, but it's also written like proper telly in that normal viewers can miss a week and pick up the stakes next time.

I had no idea that’s what Gentleman Jack would be. Thanks for that explanation, will definitely watch. AHWtB and LTiH both incredible.

I think someone mentioned it on one of the queer/trans threads when it came out?

https://i.imgur.com/T45hswJ.jpg
#40 (Tie) - Desus and Mero (Showtime) - 40 points, 5 votes

bodega boys desus nice & the kid mero aka's poll

Desus and Mero on Showtime

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

love these dudes so much...but i don't have showtime.

it's worth the investment! they also post about half an hour of content every week

on youtube that is.

https://i.imgur.com/CBZhsi7.jpg
#39 - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) - 40 points, 6 votes

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76bH1b9XreE

bad + sorta antisemitic show sorry to fans :(

it's worth the investment! they also post about half an hour of content every week

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, February 12, 2020 5:43 PM (nineteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

on youtube that is.

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, February 12, 2020 5:43 PM (nineteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah that's where i experience most of their stuff (plus twitter, obviously)

first season of maisel was good, feeling pretty ok with my decision to not keep up, especially since i don't have a vote in any major award shows.

Was going to jump in with 'TOO LOW', but saw Mordy's post. The antisemitism has clearly gone straight over my head, but I know the show's creators aren't exactly great with subtlety or nuance, so I'm not super surprised, but can you direct me to what is so off about it so I can understand better?

would like to make it abundantly clear that tt is on her own with this one, even more so than bloody Gilmore Girls, which I gather this is some sort of edgier reboot of

https://i.imgur.com/JittrfS.jpg
#37 (Tie) - Pen15 (Hulu) - 41 points, 6 votes

Your Ten Favorite Shows Currently on Television

Pen15 on Hulu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdt2COuH4Js

That's my 3rd (I think) to show up. Stath Lets Flats is fantastic and I completely ignored it because British comedy until imago's incessant positivity got me interested so props to him

― or something, Wednesday, 12 February 2020 18:41 (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

👌

I barely watch Desus & Mero anymore but that’s more than any other talk show.

PEN15 is great! Thank you ulysses for this one. The pop culture references concerning being a nerdy teen in the early 00s are so painfully on point that I can't not love it. The AIM episode killed me.

https://i.imgur.com/D2FbKtn.jpg
#37 (Tie) - Corporate (Comedy Central) - 41 points, 6 votes

Corporate on Comedy Central

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gmyg43jE_4

and one more just to get me out for the night

https://i.imgur.com/EQOXB9Y.jpg
#36 - Broad City (Comedy Central) - 45 points, 5 votes

ah fuck it it's the BROAD CITY thread

Broad City on Hulu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNFRG_qGJ3o

(not 100% sure Mordy doesn't mean Desus & Mero!)

xp to Corporate: And another! This season was so strong. The male makeup episode was one of my favourite episodes of anything last year. The soullessness and labyrinthine contours of the office building are some stunning set design.

Didn't see much Corporate but enjoyed what I did

Corporate maybe my 2nd or 3rd vote to show up. Frequently a riot.

Was going to jump in with 'TOO LOW', but saw Mordy's post. The antisemitism has clearly gone straight over my head, but I know the show's creators aren't exactly great with subtlety or nuance, so I'm not super surprised, but can you direct me to what is so off about it so I can understand better?

sorry didn't mean to drop that bomb and then just walk away. it's that its depiction of jewishness - predominately by a non-jewish cast - feels very caricatured and false/superficial to me I could really hardly watch it for this reason. this emily nussbaum article touches on some of the other problems i have with the show. antisemitic is maybe overstating it but there's just an uncomfortable falseness i feel when i watch it and particularly bc of how it portrays jewishness (and judaism) not in an obviously pejorative way but in a kind of superficial + shallow one.

it portrays everything in a caricatured and superficial tone tbh. it's a total fantasia of show business, of wealth, of creativity, of performed comedy, of social progress, and of cultural jewishness.

first season of maisel was good, feeling pretty ok with my decision to not keep up

I did the same, but caught lots of the later two when my housemate was watching them recently and I think it gets better. there were a couple of eps in S3 that I went back and finished myself bcz I got caught up in the bits I'd seen.

Corporate was good, at least the half season I saw of it. Didn’t vote for it cause I still have five episodes to go.

Need to use more exclamation points in my emails!

Considered voting GoT in one those "give the Oscar to someone to acknowledge their previous snubs" type situations, but couldn't do it. man, the last season was disappointing

Leeee summed up my thoughts on the Dragon Prince rather well so I'll just say more people should check it out

I haven’t heard of Stath Lets Flats but I liked Jamie Demetriou in Fleabag

didn’t think the main character’s turn in Season 8 of GoT was surprising at all, they were autocratic and uncompromising from the beginning, and the events in previous seasons seemed to be predicting it

PEN15 and Broad City were my #1 and #3, respectively. The latter arguably provided the former a template, tho filtered thru an uneasy, uncanny recent-part period filter that is never scared to verge on creepy. Broad City, in an age of shows peaking early and burning out quick (Maisel), somehow managed to roll up shop at just the right time and the finale was gut-wrenching.

Shows I voted for: Dark Crystal. Puppets >>> CGI, amazing turn from Simon Pegg as the Chancellor. Tuca and Bertie. I wasn't totally convinced by the middle, but the last episode or two really made
it worthwhile. Shame it was cancelled.
Shows I have seen and didn't vote for: Mortimer & Whitehouse - a bit too gentle for me. The Good Place - made it through half of the first season, meh.
Shows I might have voted for except somehow I missed that they were nominated: Pose.
Shows I have seen earlier seasons of and wish I could have voted for but they moved to a service I don't subscribe to: The Expanse. Have just found a site where I can stream Picard so might see if they have this too.