9 January 2024 top ten list tv rankings
I always like to wait until the year is officially over before finalizing and publishing my top ten lists, but even this is a little late for me due to getting COVID to start the year and now trying to shake a sinus infection…
Anyways, I’m going to start publishing my top ten and most anticipated lists over the next few weeks, starting with TV (expected my most anticipated post before the week is over). Next week will cover music, the following week will be comics, and then I’ll wrap with movies (so I have some more time to catch some of the limited release award bait movies).
If you want to be kept in the loop of new media as it comes out on a weekly basis, my newsletter, foofaraw, does just that.
in no order, limited to ten
Slow Horses S3, Fargo S5, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia S16, Rap Sh!t S2, The Gilded Age S2, The Diplomat S1, Mrs. Davis S1, Love & Death S1, Perry Mason S2, Shrinking S1
To start off with, I’m cheating a bit… we have two shows I didn’t actually finish… Given I haven’t finished either of them and they are both animated, I decided to lead with them here, together, in the ten spot. They are both brilliant and beautiful in their own unique ways and deserve better than I have treated them thus far as I slowly make my way through their episodes when my wife isn’t around. Had I finished them, I imagine they’d be even higher and likely force me to make some hard decisions as they’d get their own positions in the list.
I’ve seen general positive sentiment around Lessons in Chemistry, but not much love. I loved it. I thought Brie Larson was perfect and delightful, as was Lewis Pullman alongside her. The story captured my interest from the get go and I thought it touched on a lot of political issues, that somehow, still seem relatable today.
When this season started, I was over the moon. It started with a bang and I thought it would elevate the show to be one of my favorites of all-time. Unfortunately, I thought it faltered a bit in the middle. Still an enjoyable season and a masterpiece of a show overall though. Can’t wait to see what Bill Hader does next.
I feel like this show got better with each season and it’s a shame to learn about the environment it was made in, but somehow, hardly surprising. There was just so much quirkiness and camp going on in this season that it was really something to behold in how they pulled it off and made it both so cringy at times, but also endearing and enjoyable.
Where Barry ended up falling a bit short, Succession absolutely delivered. There was the obvious E3 that had the viewing audience gripped, but even after that they brought their usual wit to the table and the performances jumped off the screen. Every single person brought their A-game and I could watch them do anything in a room together and I’d probably enjoy it.
Another show that continued to find its stride as it went on. I’m not sure if this season was better than S2, but it was still something truly special. They found away to tell meaningful and diverse stories throughout the entire run of the season that is truly enviable and should be studied for years.
I’m not sure this deserves to be this high, but I just had so much fun watching Natasha Lyonne do her best Columbo under Rian Johnson’s writing and direction. The episode Lyonne directed was also one of the best of the season.
Another show with an exquisite E3, that was both masterful and heartbreaking. It was truly a remarkable way to start 2023 and I’m surprised I haven’t seen this consistently higher on other people’s lists.
What more can be said about this show that hasn’t already be said. The writing, direction, and performances are all top notch. This show brings me back to Chicago in a way no other show has done before. The frustrating hectic-ness paired with these wonderful performances that make you truly care about the characters—truly chef’s kiss. Both “Fishes” and “Forks” were some of the best episodes of television in the last decade.
To beat out my beloved The Bear you really have to deliver the goods and that’s exactly what Ali Wong and Steven Yeun did in Beef. They were truly a tour de force in and of themselves that brought this truly wild, unraveling epic of revenge to the screen. I can’t wait to see what Lee Sung-jin does next. Hopefully it comes with a blank check.
HBO: 5 Hulu: 2 Netflix: 2 Apple: 1 Peacock: 1
HBO: 4 Apple: 2 Hulu: 2 Netflix: 1 Peacock: 1
HBO: 9 Hulu: 4 Apple: 3 Netflix: 3 Peacock: 2