20.) Dear White People (NETFLIX - Season 1)
The reason I had to expand the list this year to 20 (up from 15 the last two, and 10 the first year I did this) was for shows like Dear White People. I watched it on a lark, hearing a few people compliment it on twitter. It was an easy watch, 10 episodes, 30 minutes. It was one of a few great NETFLIX shows that showed young adults/adolescents, and while not the best, it was the lightest. The show focused on the life of a select group of black students at a largely white, prestigious Ivy-League type university. The stakes never got too high on the show, but beautifully detailed the small issues of racism that can pervade even a liberal environment. What the show also did was touch on homosexuality, playing to normal cultural customs, pressure of institutions of higher learning, all the while being so darn fun. It never got deep enough in any one area to make a lasting impact, but the show was well acted, well written and well manufactured.
19.) Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO - Season 9)
Larry David said he would only create more Curb if he had a good enough idea. After this, I do wonder what his other ideas he discarded were, because while the show was still funny, it didn't really have a lasting plot. The show is only on this list because when you get a group of that many funny people together, having them shoot the shit is still hilarious. There were certain moments of magic, like Larry claiming he never though Sammy was anything special in music, or any moment between Larry and Richard Lewis or Ted Danson, but the show never really drove towards anything. Weirdly, I honestly was more disappointed Curb decided to come back than Arrested Development way back when. If anything, we all yearned for more Arrested Development. No one needed more Curb. We got it, it was still really good at times, but I did leaving, "why did we need this?" The Finale I thought was excellent, the actual glimpses of the potential Fatwa musical were inspired, so much so I wish more of the season were dedicated to the play. Apparently there can be a further season, not sure if it is needed, but it ended on enough of a high note, and the characters are so inherently funny themselves it won't not be entertaining.
18.) Veep (HBO - Season 6)
So, two years ago I had Veep at #1 - it was their 4th season that had Selina as President throughout. Two years later, it is dropped. Partly because a huge number of shows have premiered since then (8 of the 16 shows above it weren't around two years ago), and partly because the show just isn't as good. Much like Curb, the characters, and the actors behind them, are too funny and good to not make the show worthy of the list, but more than anything, I think the show swung and missed with Selina as an ex-President, especially since it ended with Selina deciding to run again. Some of the storylines were interesting, like Selina's long goal of getting the Library open, but others flopped. Again, the characters are funny enough, and I loved Jonah's brief run in congress, but I do fear the show lasted a few years too long at this point. I will still say the one criticism I don't buy about Veep is that the characters have gotten too mean. I don't think that is true. They've always been mean. Just they haven't been as funny, and the plot, which has always mattered on Veep more than on many comedies, has been way too wayward.
17.) iZombie (TheCW - Season 3)
iZombie remained one of the most fun shows on TV, if a little lost at times with plot. Like Veronica Mars before it, iZombie packed a ridiculous amount of plot in a case-of-the-week model, and the plot itself didn't work as well as the first two seasons, but what absolutely did was expanding the zombie universe - having everyone in on the secret. It opened up so many new relationships and pairings. This season gave us better arcs with Clive and Major than in previous seasons, especially Major dealing with being and then not being a zombie. The 3rd season ended at a great point, and I have high hopes for a 4th season where the secret is out to the world. It remained my favorite guilty pleasure TV show, really entering the pantheon of that category. It helps to have such great characters. Blaine has mastered his Spike from Buffy impression. Liv herself is such a joy with her changing styles week to week based on the brain she eats. Even Payton had more to do this year apart from being the love interest. The overcomplicated plot actually made Season 2 better than it should have been, but I found it a bit too overwhelming in the shorter 3rd season. I just want time with these characters and the joy they have more.
16.) Sneaky Pete (Amazon Prime - Season 1)
I have a hard time ranking Sneaky Pete, the show about a con artist who essentially pretends to be someone else, gaining entry into the family of his ex-cellmate, conning both them and running a long con with the mafioso (played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston) who put him in jail in the first place. The acting on the show was superb, from Giovanni Ribisi as the lead, to Margo Martindale and Peter Gerety as his Aunt and Uncle, to the long list of character actors making up Bryan Cranston's Vince Lonigan's team. The reason I knock it down a peg was the plot was a little too confusing and circuitous to really follow. Especially the long con with Lonigan's poker game, which played out as a less understandable version of the Ocean's 13 plot. Sure, the quick cuts at the end were particularly pleasing, to see our underdog take such revenge, but it was somewhat of a slog to get there. There are a few shows on this list that plot wise don't really deserve it, but acting wise should be in the Top 10. Sneaky Pete is one of those. If they can simplify and better modulate the plot in Season 2, it could fly up the list - assuming there aren't 10+ new shows in 2018.
The reason I had to expand the list this year to 20 (up from 15 the last two, and 10 the first year I did this) was for shows like Dear White People. I watched it on a lark, hearing a few people compliment it on twitter. It was an easy watch, 10 episodes, 30 minutes. It was one of a few great NETFLIX shows that showed young adults/adolescents, and while not the best, it was the lightest. The show focused on the life of a select group of black students at a largely white, prestigious Ivy-League type university. The stakes never got too high on the show, but beautifully detailed the small issues of racism that can pervade even a liberal environment. What the show also did was touch on homosexuality, playing to normal cultural customs, pressure of institutions of higher learning, all the while being so darn fun. It never got deep enough in any one area to make a lasting impact, but the show was well acted, well written and well manufactured.
19.) Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO - Season 9)
Larry David said he would only create more Curb if he had a good enough idea. After this, I do wonder what his other ideas he discarded were, because while the show was still funny, it didn't really have a lasting plot. The show is only on this list because when you get a group of that many funny people together, having them shoot the shit is still hilarious. There were certain moments of magic, like Larry claiming he never though Sammy was anything special in music, or any moment between Larry and Richard Lewis or Ted Danson, but the show never really drove towards anything. Weirdly, I honestly was more disappointed Curb decided to come back than Arrested Development way back when. If anything, we all yearned for more Arrested Development. No one needed more Curb. We got it, it was still really good at times, but I did leaving, "why did we need this?" The Finale I thought was excellent, the actual glimpses of the potential Fatwa musical were inspired, so much so I wish more of the season were dedicated to the play. Apparently there can be a further season, not sure if it is needed, but it ended on enough of a high note, and the characters are so inherently funny themselves it won't not be entertaining.
18.) Veep (HBO - Season 6)
So, two years ago I had Veep at #1 - it was their 4th season that had Selina as President throughout. Two years later, it is dropped. Partly because a huge number of shows have premiered since then (8 of the 16 shows above it weren't around two years ago), and partly because the show just isn't as good. Much like Curb, the characters, and the actors behind them, are too funny and good to not make the show worthy of the list, but more than anything, I think the show swung and missed with Selina as an ex-President, especially since it ended with Selina deciding to run again. Some of the storylines were interesting, like Selina's long goal of getting the Library open, but others flopped. Again, the characters are funny enough, and I loved Jonah's brief run in congress, but I do fear the show lasted a few years too long at this point. I will still say the one criticism I don't buy about Veep is that the characters have gotten too mean. I don't think that is true. They've always been mean. Just they haven't been as funny, and the plot, which has always mattered on Veep more than on many comedies, has been way too wayward.
17.) iZombie (TheCW - Season 3)
iZombie remained one of the most fun shows on TV, if a little lost at times with plot. Like Veronica Mars before it, iZombie packed a ridiculous amount of plot in a case-of-the-week model, and the plot itself didn't work as well as the first two seasons, but what absolutely did was expanding the zombie universe - having everyone in on the secret. It opened up so many new relationships and pairings. This season gave us better arcs with Clive and Major than in previous seasons, especially Major dealing with being and then not being a zombie. The 3rd season ended at a great point, and I have high hopes for a 4th season where the secret is out to the world. It remained my favorite guilty pleasure TV show, really entering the pantheon of that category. It helps to have such great characters. Blaine has mastered his Spike from Buffy impression. Liv herself is such a joy with her changing styles week to week based on the brain she eats. Even Payton had more to do this year apart from being the love interest. The overcomplicated plot actually made Season 2 better than it should have been, but I found it a bit too overwhelming in the shorter 3rd season. I just want time with these characters and the joy they have more.
16.) Sneaky Pete (Amazon Prime - Season 1)
I have a hard time ranking Sneaky Pete, the show about a con artist who essentially pretends to be someone else, gaining entry into the family of his ex-cellmate, conning both them and running a long con with the mafioso (played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston) who put him in jail in the first place. The acting on the show was superb, from Giovanni Ribisi as the lead, to Margo Martindale and Peter Gerety as his Aunt and Uncle, to the long list of character actors making up Bryan Cranston's Vince Lonigan's team. The reason I knock it down a peg was the plot was a little too confusing and circuitous to really follow. Especially the long con with Lonigan's poker game, which played out as a less understandable version of the Ocean's 13 plot. Sure, the quick cuts at the end were particularly pleasing, to see our underdog take such revenge, but it was somewhat of a slog to get there. There are a few shows on this list that plot wise don't really deserve it, but acting wise should be in the Top 10. Sneaky Pete is one of those. If they can simplify and better modulate the plot in Season 2, it could fly up the list - assuming there aren't 10+ new shows in 2018.
