Mare of Easttown but darker, if that was somehow possible, but this one did it. The same accents (if anything, even more earthened). The same tone centering around catching a murderer, but this one ripped the cord in a way Mare didn't - showing the unlimited way crime infiltrates in small town America, the way loss never truly leaves. The way forgiveness is such a fleeting concept. The performances were all great, but truly Mark Ruffalo was something else in this one, playing so many emotions at all times. Yes, the depressing nature of his backstory seemed a bit like piling on, but in this case, it worked because everything else was as dark. The beautiful moment where Grosso and Stover start dancing and cozying up, you know in a show like this that this was a death sentence. What was made clear as we went as the criminal side was even better and more captivating - the character of Maeve drawn so interestingly. Darkness knows no limits in rural Pennsylvania I guess, but it still remains captivating. I do hope coming back for a 2nd season is not a mistake - doing the one thing Mare never did - double down for more darkness.
14.) Paradise (Season 1, Hulu)
One of the earliest shows of the year to make the list, Paradise was like throwing three great ideas together, from Political Thriller to Neighborhood Crime Show to, of course, the reveal of adding a final course of Apocalypse show. The Apocalypse aspect seemed at first an amazing reveal at the end of the pilot, than something shoehorned in, but by the back couple episodes, it was all I could think about. The episodes that went into the actual apocalpytic event, the supervolcano in the Antarctic, the slow tidal wave coming across the world, the grainy image of the reporter seeing it unfold. All of it was raw, all of it was real. All of it made teh political thriller stuff of who killed the President (and the President's own dastardliness) a bit trite, but let's not lose how good some of that stuff was as well, from Sterling K. Brown, to even an against-type James Marsden, playing the dastard so well. There was a craft here, even if the apolcapyse aspect kind of swallowed everything else, much like that tidal wave. Excited to see where this goes from here as we see that there is some life left "above".
13.) Adolescence (NETFLIX)
The whole one-er of it all got the headlines, and yes the fact they pulled it off so well was an amazing feat of filmmaking, but if anything it overshadowed how good a small, but incredibly well acted and told story, Adolesence was at its core. In a way, this is similar to the other famous recent one-er, in Birdman, which also maybe overshadowed a great movie. In this case, yeah ti was a small story, but of heartbreak, fear, delusion, bullying, and so much more without ever not treating the source material as anything other than real. Stephen Graham was great (as he basically always is), but Owen Cooper put in one of the better child perfroamnces ever for a character that was asked a hell of a lot. Some of the social media commentary felt a bit heavy handed, but maybe that is the one area it is easier to connect with from a younger person's perspective. I connect more with the cops and the dad, which were all just brilliantly raw and real. In this case, I really don't hope there is a second saeson - this was just a perfect, poignant showcase for something dark but raw.
12.) Hacks (Season 4, HBO)
Hacks continues to be just such a well oiled machine - it is incredible how flawlessly Jean Smart plays the role of a comedian. From my knowledge of Dame Smart she was never really a comedic actress - more a brilliant dramatic one. Well, can she method-act the shit out of being a comedian. If anything, this was to me her strongest season yet - even if other parts of the show are starting to feel a bit stale, like the two talent managers budding office romance, or the lack of a real story of Deborah's old Chief of Staff. But anyway, the up-and-down simultaneous success or failure of Deborah's late night show, and for once believable spite and animosity between the two lead characters, did still carry the day. It ended on a great note for what seems to be the final season ahead, but while we await it, we can marvel at a show still mining interesting, new storylines out of two comedians. However real or not the writer's room scenes were, they seemed great and so indicative of what that is probably like. The pressures of modern television also were so well played - expertly with the Dancing Mom character. They narrowed the story, and truly I think it paid off and sets us up for a great finish.
11.) Death by Lightning (NETFLIX)
I'll admit, the four part story of the assassination of James Garfield - easily the least notable presidential assassination / death - was not one I expected to lead to compelling television. I guess it is because, as Garfield's widow greatly foresees towards the end, history has kind of forgetten about him. But man did this show reveal firstly how interesting a character he was, but more than that how natively crooked and interesting politics were at the turn of the Century (the last turn). The amazing characters of Roscoe Conkling (brilliant Shea Wigham), James Blaine (Whitford) and even the great Mrs. Garfield were excellent, but it's the three leads that made this sing. How pitiful a charlatan Charles Gaiteau was (the best being when it was revealed he couldn't get laid during his tenure at a polygamy cult), how boorish a loaf Chester Alan Arthur was (I'm sure taking taht particular affectation way beyond what was real), and how decent a man Garfield was. It did showcase a lot of truth - that in Garfield's death, Chester Arthur changed tune on backing Garfield's wish to end the spoils system (granted, seems like that system is 100% back in Trump's America), that Garfield really was the ultimate compromise candidate foisted on the country out of nowhere, adn he did just campaign from his farm's porch. All of it so interesting. The only two reasons it isn't higher are (a) there is a lot of great television to come and (b) it was just four episodes. I easily could've watched 8-10 on this random ass topic.
