About The Best Shows
Post 579:
Greetings one and all. Today I endeavor to briefly provide you with the best five TV shows of the decade. A few rules. The show needs to be more than two seasons, and obviously, has to have started 2010 or later. The three seasons thing is a touch arbitrary, but this is my deal and I think three years establishes a solid pedigree. I am mostly concerned with the writing, but I’ll try to take everything into account. Spoilers for all, but I’m mostly doing broad strokes. This ain’t to drive a stake into your future prospects for enjoyment. Not my bit. My bit is to try my best at remaining the paragon of straightforwardness and sarcasm-free information you’ve come to know.
Let us proceed.
5. Rectify: The story of a man a released from death row after nearly two decades. DNA sets him free, but he still might be retried. Apparently that’s possible. Totally one of those good news/bad news deals. It’s subtly and beautifully acted, dark, depressing, and slow. You may find yourself doubled over in emotional pain at the end of each episode, but it’s sort of like the end of a good run. Yeah, it seems weird that God would make some things difficult and beneficial at the same time, but we know not His ways. So. The writing is truly unique and sparse. It’s definitely the most philosophical show on the list; the meaning of existence and the way in which we connect to the world are concepts explored through the main character. He’s almost an alien interacting to his environment, and the people around him treat him in kind. A small cast and some tense character exchanges make for some heavy stuff. There are sweet comedic moments, but these are primarily deep waters. It’s great.
4. Peaky Blinders: Gangsters in post-Great War Birmingham, schemes and machinations on top of one another, misdirection, smoke and mirrors aplenty. The main character Tommy is brooding and cold, but of course, not fully understood. (Sounds oddly familiar) He’s got a code of sorts, where and when he can afford it. The sets and direction are slick and this sucker is plotted with deft hands. It feels, unlike a lot of shows, like it was written by one dude in a room with an idea. Uniformity of style and flow is what I’m getting at. The old lonely at the top, rise from nothing routine should be stale, but this drags you down into the muck for a great time. Give it a few episodes. Tommy’s got irons in the fire you weren’t thinking about.
3. Poldark: Our monarchical overlords are at it again, putting out quality programming. I say we break away at some point and make our own country and shows. Kidding. Go crown and things. God save those people and their houses of unearned opulence. Long may they piddle. Okay, sorry. Let’s get back on track. Poldark. It’s about an English soldier who comes back from the Revolutionary War to pretty much a life in shambles. His woman, land and prospects have all gone south in his absence. Remember Robin Hood when Kevin Costner’s got no accent and his dad is hanging dead from the ceiling? This is that without the ceiling part or the lack of accent thing. Really, it’s an interesting look at a man with title but basically no money. He has to work to rebuild all that’s fallen to tatters. There’s a love story that parallels his “man of the people” character. It’s all a bit ironic, though. Our “Average Joe” is brave, smart, loyal to a fault, and ridiculously good-looking. The main strength of the show is the titular character himself. You simply root for the guy. It’s written well enough to make him flawed and heroically headstrong. Add in beautiful cinematography and a sneaky, patient plot, and you’ve got gold. I didn’t expect to love Poldark, but there it is. This is a case of expectations being subverted through competency and solid storytelling.
2. Fargo: The first season is fantastic. The second season is even better. The third season is weird and goes for it. Fargo is an interesting show, in that it adopts a style and setting from the Coen Brothers movie, but not much else. These are stories unto themselves, quirky and dare I say better than the movie. The sheer oddity of the characters and situations gives a person enough to stay engaged, but the plots are ingenious. There’s a lot of symbolism as you watch the idiosyncratic struggles of good and evil. You may dislike the good guys or relate to them, or you may change your mind completely by the end of the show. It’s dark, brutal, polite whimsy. I’m not sure it gets as emotionally deep as some of the other shows on the list, but there’s nothing else like it when it comes to straight-up entertainment.
1. The Leftovers: You know, someone said I was talking about HBO shows too much. I was accused of shilling. This disgusting piece of libel hurt my feelings and I will be taking action to refute these vile, slanderous allegations. Anyway, my number one show is HBO’s The Leftovers. Two percent of the world vanishes for no discernable reason, but life goes on. Or does it? The show plays the situation absolutely straight. It’s based in a regular town, regular people. Some try to bury what happened, others can’t move on. A bunch join creepy cults. The religious symbolism is heavy. This show can make a subplot about missing dry cleaning feel like an epic tale. It’s great if you’re binging or watching one episode. All three seasons are fantastic and have their own feel, though the theme of loss and the struggle to find meaning and surety amidst peril runs through the whole thing. In other words, it’s just like being punched in the face over and over. Trust me, though. Give it time. This is some art-level stuff. Short of reading, you won’t find better storytelling—and who’s gonna read? Haha. Losers. Losers read.
Anyway, have you guys heard about my books?
I wanted to throw out some honorable mentions. Bosch and Justified are straight up. Longmire as well. Bloodline went off the rails and the Knick is only two seasons. Black Mirror and Sherlock are movies but yeah. The Haunting on Hill House is money, as is Mindhunter. We’ll see how those things progress.
Alright. Enough talking. That’s all you need to know for at least a week or so. Report back how I’m wrong or how I have a dumb face. I’m sure I missed something. Cheers and see you after.
