Honorable Mentions:
Nathan For You (Comedy Central)- Awkward, affection-starved Nathan Fielder attempts
to drum up business to local stores by exposing legal loopholes. Bizarre,
hilarious, and possibly-illegal shenanigans occur. The stakes were raised this
year when Nathan attempted to manipulate a stranger’s heart-rate to prove how
“fun” he is, and by impersonating an average-joe while tight-rope-walking
between two buildings to turn him into a hero. Few shows have made me cackle
with bemused glee as much as “Nathan For You”.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix- New)- The red-headed step-daughter of “30 Rock” proved a
worthy successor to the rapid-fire-joke structure of the 7-season NBC hit.
Titus Burgess is a great discovery of 2015.
Big Brother 17 (CBS)- The best overall cast in years, with nearly all of
them ready and willing to play. The dumb “takeover” theme was abandoned early,
the twin twist returned, and we had our first high-level female manipulator.
Parks and Recreation (NBC)- An all-time great comedy concluded with humor and
heart. One of the better instances of a show flashing-forward to the future.
Speaking of moving on to greater things…
Master of None (Netflix- New)- …Aziz Ansari helmed a show of his own, and it was
kinda great. Tackling issues of feminism, old people, parents, and diversity in
the entertainment industry, Aziz did most of it without coming off as preachy.
His relationship with Noel Wells (in a breakthrough role, after being underused
on a single season of “SNL”) was one of the most realistic and likable pairings
I’ve seen yet.
10. Show Me a Hero (HBO- New)
Norma
O’Neal: “Do you want to live where people are angry at you?”
This
6-part miniseries from David Simon (“The Wire”) dramatizes the real-life
80s/90s crisis in Yonkers, New York, where a judge declared the city must
desegregate itself by building low-income housing for black families in the
predominantly white, middle-class area of town. The young mayor, Nick Wasicsko (Oscar
Isaac), pushes forward with the plan despite strong opposition from his white
constituents and city council colleagues. While on paper the material may seem
dry, the scenes of anger and vitriol from the public are enough to make your
blood boil, and Wasicsko’s inner turmoil during the whole ordeal is
passionately played by rising-star Isaac, whose new major role in “Star Wars”
will hopefully not overshadow his great work here. The ending montage, set to
Bruce Springsteen’s “Life Me Up”, is a tear-jerker.
9. The Walking Dead (AMC)
Enid:
“The world is trying to die. We’re supposed to just let it.”
This
was my favorite show last year, largely due to the quiet, personal stories and
lack of a defensible safe space. Alexandria put the kabash on that second
point, and the first point was reduced but not eliminated. The lack of a huge
climax in the spring was made up for in the fall with the dual-threat of the
gigantic herd plus the Wolves, which is still carrying over. The Glenn business
was kind of rubbish from the beginning, and was the most poorly-kept secret in
entertainment for not one, not two, but four whole weeks. I still think it was
a pretty decent year for the show overall, and has set the stage for another
ascent.
8. Mad Men (AMC)
Don
Draper: “I broke all my vows. I scandalized my child. I took another man’s name
and made nothing of it.”
I
cannot say that that the final episodes of “Mad Men” are among my favorites,
individually. There was too much focus on the personal lives of non-Don
characters, which was never my favorite aspect, but understandably necessary.
It works better as a whole piece, especially Don’s wayward voyage out west,
which I was initially hesitant of. But once we knew what it was leading to, I
came to appreciate it. There are still some classic moments at the end here,
like Peggy and Roger’s last night at SCP, and a run-in with Rachel Menken’s
family. Despite the lack of “office” material that made me love “Mad Men” in
its heyday, it signed everyone off properly, which is more than can be said for
certain other shows in the recent past.
7.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix- New)
Jessica
Jones: “I don’t flirt. I just say what I want.”
A
hardboiled female detective with superpowers must take down an old enemy: a man
with the ability to control people against their will. Krysten Ritter has found
a great niche as the snarky hard-ass. David Tennant is equally wonderful as
Kilgrave, whose power is frightening enough to make him a worthy adversary, but
with enough limits to make it combatable. What I like about this show is how it
handles the victims. In most movies, people would be controlled by Kilgrave and
then tossed aside when their usefulness was up. Here, we have a victim support
group, and a shaken cop who tries to make amends with the woman he was ordered
to kill. Kilgrave’s powers provide automatic fertile ground for discussions of
rape and consent. It can be a heavy load at times, but it’s ultimately a battle
of wits as opposed to a battle of fists; and that’s a welcome release from
other superhero tropes.
6. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
(HBO)
John
Oliver: “We received – and this is all too true – not one, not two, not three, but
four packages containing jars and/or vials of semen. And some looked fake…but
others did not.”
I
didn’t think it would be necessary to include this news/comedy show on the list
for a 2nd straight year, but Mr. Oliver brought his A-Game. He
nabbed an in-person interview with Edward Snowden, and managed to translate the
whistleblower’s agenda for less-savvy audiences by explaining how their
dick-pics could be vulnerable. He exposed the loopholes that allow Megachurches
to rein in millions of tax-exempt dollars by starting his own place of worship:
Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption. He started a feud with FIFA, and exposed the
long trail of carnage left by Janice-from-accounting-who-don’t-give-a-fuck. I
gleefully look forward to what goodies he delivers to us in the upcoming
election year.
5. Survivor: Cambodia- Second Chances
(CBS)
Ciera
Eastin: “If it’s a move that sends you home, at least you went out trying to
make a move.”
For
the first time, “Survivor” let the fans choose which former players got the
golden ticket to come back and play for redemption. It mixed the aged but
hungry old-school legends (Wiglesworth! Kimmi! Varner! Savage!) with the
unstoppable tank of new-school strategists. Because they were all former
players who were itching to impress the fans that voted them in, it resulted in
one of the twistiest, craziest, funniest seasons ever. Two people collapsed of
exhaustion in back-to-back episodes, alliances turned on a dime every week, and
big Idol plays led to major shake-ups. The Final Six Tribal Council is one of
the best moments of the entire series. I’m satisfied with the Jeremy win, even
though I think I preferred Wentworth. Everyone is a fan, and everyone came to
play. That mentality can’t be appreciated enough. One little drawback was not
enough of Stephen’s Poetry Corner. We could always use more unrequested random
poetry.
4. Better Call Saul (AMC- New)
Mike
Ehrmantraut: “I didn’t say you were a bad guy. I said you’re a criminal.”
It
was a big risk to spin off “Breaking Bad” into a comedic lawyer show, but it
worked. Bob Odenkirk was more than capable of taking the torch from Bryan
Cranston as we zoom back into the past where our mouthy, overconfident lawyer
Saul Goodman was a mouthy, overconfident lawyer named Jimmy McGill who had no
clients. A couple other Breaking Baddies return, but it wisely does not become
a nostalgia tour, which would be short-term fan-service but would sink the show
in the long run. It’s become its own thing now, with a specialty in low-stakes
litigation which provides some great humor (“Fill me up, Chandler! Put it in
me!”- talking toilet). And at the heart of it, you still feel Saul/Jimmy has
become a complex, sympathetic, d-bag of a character like Walter White.
3.
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Maester
Aemon: “Kill the boy…and let the man be born.”
There
were some adaptation issues (Dorne was pretty much a dud), and too much may
have been squeezed in, but GoT gonna always be GoT, and it brought some juice
in the last few episodes. The Hardhome attack is pretty much perfect, and some
supporting characters got well-deserved spotlight. It was largely a piece-mover
season but those pieces moved in some pretty interesting directions.
For
more in-depth thoughts, here is my complete episode ranking.
2. The Leftovers (HBO)
Virgil:
“Look at the way you’re dressed, man. You’re an international assassin.”
Our
tortured souls leave New York behind and emigrate to Jarden, Texas, the only
known city in the world which had zero Departures, thus turning it into a
modern Mecca for hundreds of faith-seekers hoping to have found holy salvation.
Spoiler alert: it’s not.
Taking
a page from his “Lost” days, Damon Lindelof used most of the ten episodes to
focus on one or two characters, and the show may have gotten better for it.
Waving off the tiresome plotlines from season one – by that I mostly mean the Garvey
kids’ shenanigans – the show underwent a creative surge (another, more
terrestrial disappearance forms the crux of the season) and achieved new
spiritual highs. Episode eight is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen;
and that’s coming from a guy who spent six seasons with a smoke monster and
tropical polar bears. Jarden’s Murphy family was seamlessly integrated into the
fabric of the story, and Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Ann Dowd, and Liv Tyler
all upped their games. Against “The Walking Dead” and NFL football, the ratings
cratered but it will receive a 3rd and final season from HBO. Good
thing too, because although the Sudden Departure makes “closure” a thing of the
past, we can still make sure that the Garveys and the Jamisons and the Murphys are
all going to be okay before we say goodbye.
1.
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (HBO-
New)
Robert
Durst: “…killed them all, of course.”
Robert
Durst might have, maybe, kinda, probably killed some people. His wife
disappeared and has never been found. His friend was found murdered in her
home. And he admitted to killing his neighbor, but only in self-defense (the
dismemberment and disposal of body parts were not relevant to the question at
hand, his defense counsel argued). Much can be argued, but little can be
proven. What could have been another cookie-cutter “Dateline Mystery” quickly
turns into something else as the man himself candidly describes his life and
feelings in extreme detail, instantly becoming the most fascinating figure on
television this year. The thick accent, the eye-blinking, the infantile way he
says “mommy”, the casualness at deflecting any suspicion directed at him…and
the burping. Even he knew that was a problem. But the part that makes your skin
crawl the most: you can see yourself possibly liking this guy if the context
were even slightly different.
While
some people complained that the “Serial” podcast did not end with a definitive
statement on the subject’s guilt or innocence, “The Jinx” takes a hard left-turn
at the end of episode 5 when the murdered friend’s son presents the director
with a letter that appears to be the Smoking Gun that could put the nail in
Durst’s coffin. The final minutes of the show are like peering over the edge of
an abyss. While I have reservations about the infamous bathroom “confession”
and the actions (or lack thereof) on the part of director Andrew Jarecki, the
final product is a narrative as a good as any prestige drama. The real-life
nature only ensures it sticks in your craw a little bit longer than something
that was dreamed up in a writer’s room.
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