I know we have been in the era of Peak TV for a while, but for the first time in this era, I felt overwhelmed. There was just so much to watch and the second I fell behind, it was impossible to catch up with everything. However, the shows I did have the pleasure of watching did their best to send the decade out with a bang. Honestly, 2019 might go down as one of the best years for television: such variety and the amount of risks taken was staggering. Here are my choices for the best tv shows of 2019, in alphabetical order.
Barry – There was no sophomore slump for Bill Hader and company as Barry consistently found new ways to dig deeper. ronny/lily is an all-timer.
The Boys – This show is a nasty piece of work and one of the best riffs of the superpowered individual in a banner year of riffs on superheroes.
Chernobyl – The most I’ve been excited to be depressed and anxious since American Crime, Chernobyl provided a beautifully rendered look at the disaster and the people affected by it.
Dark – What I love about Dark is how no matter how confusing the show gets, I never felt like I would be left bereft of answers or lose my interest. Doubling down on the craziness made the show even more emotionally potent.
Dollface – Inventive, hilarious, and eminently relatable, Dollface is one of the smartest comedies to come along in a minute.
Doom Patrol – What would happen if you sprinkled some cocaine on a comic book and threw it at a TV? Doom Patrol, one the craziest shows I’ve ever seen. It also might be the most heartfelt and inclusive.
Fleabag – The uneven first season and three years of maturity set the stage for what was a firecracker of a season of television. Phoebe Waller Bridge digs deep for laughs and emotional resonance with equal measure.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series – I still haven’t seen a single HSM movie but this series is absolutely brilliant at being just foolish enough to make you laugh out loud and smart enough to keep you going.
The Other Two – Specificity makes comedy all the better and the depth to the jokes and characters on this show are second to none.
Watchmen – I would write more about how amazing, groundbreaking, game-changing this show is but I’m still trying to locate my wig from where it’s been launched.