15.) Nobody Wants This (NETFLIX)
I will watching anything with Kristen Bell, and similarily a show with Jonah Ryan and Willa playing the side characters will make it even more of a must see. So this show was right up my alley. And it paid off - it's a fairly small, fairly traditional romantic sitcom storyline of a girl falling for a guy from a wholly different backgroudn, but the side aspects were so enjoyable. I also appreciate they teased the two siblings (Willa and Jonah) having a crush on each other, but never doing anything with it. Kristen Bell can still play amazingly funny, and it was great to see good old Spiros Vondas himself back on teh stage playing the aggreived Jewish dad. I guess I was also happy this show opened my eyes to the concept of hot, young rabbis.
14.) House of the Dragon (Season 2, HBO)
It became a running joke about how little actually happens in Season 2 of the show. Season 1 covered a ton, and Season 2 started with us almost at war and ended with us almost at war, but now with more dragons and dragon riders. Yes, some of the plot was off - either slow or completely devoid of logic. But you know what? I don't care - at its best House of the Dragon can still hit some truly high peaks - from the for battle where we really see dragon on dragon for the first time, to the beautiful, mystical scene or Rhaenyra calling out for Vermithor in valeryon in the dragon lair. No show looks better. The acting is still top notch (even if the plot and dialogue is fairly middling). I'm still super excited to see what this show will be in Season 3, assuming you know we actually get around to war this time.
13.) Interior Chinatown (Hulu)
At its best, Interior Chinatown was a searing portroyal of the Model Minority problem the asian community has faced, the namelessness of so many in that community. It played great games with the politics of that community. It did many of these things so well all teh while telling it from this bizarre point of view. It featured some great central performances - from using Ronny Chieng so well, to a great performance from start to finish from Chloe Bennett. I just wish it was 10% less weird and/or less obvious about its conceit of it all being a fake story. After an episode or two that all was pretty clear. Still, it mined a lot of humor and great moments from it. This was a spectacular show being hidden by merely a very good one. I hope we continue to get these swing for the fences type shows, even if most won't be as good or memorable or, mainly, fun as Interior Chinatown was.
12.) The Bear (Season 3, Hulu)
My #1 show from last year was similarly thought of by many people as being excellent. Many of those same people called out some of the shows flaws in Season 3, just like I am here. It still remains impeccably well acted, and the combination of its frenzied and exacting style is so unique. Few shows making anything look as good as cooking does here. But it is undoubtable that the show got a bit too high on its own supply this season - from bringing in so many celebrity chefs as guests (rather than just making them up with actual actors) that blur the lines a bit with the reality of the show vs. 4th wall breaking. Case in point, bringing actual chefs on the show highlights the absurdity that even in Carmy is brilliant, the rest of the chefs just don't have the training to successfully run a tasting menu restaurant that changes recipes daily. The show tried to have its cake and eat it too. Anyway despite all of that, its highs were still super high. Their impeccable ability to avoid a Carmy and Sydney romance, and similarly fall into a lot of other cliche traps. It's just this was the first season I found the stuff outside the restaurant more compelling than what happened inside it.
11.) The Diplomat (Season 2, NETFLIX)
Sure, teh show could get a touch too complicated at times, and I'll never forgive them for the fact it was only six episodes, because man a well written political / spy drama is catnip, especially when its so well acted as this one. Of course, Keri Russell is the star, and this is a performance that honestly I feel like is better than she was in The Americans, but it was all the others that made the show even better this season - from a far better use of Hal (I thought, way less overbearing this time), to the great addition of Vice President in Allison Janney. I still have no idea if politics works this way at all - especially the around the clock access and involvement the Ambassador to the UK has to the Prime Minister, but whatever, I'll let taht slide. The show, the emotions, the drama, it's all just too good. Just wish we had a few more episodes.
