Top Ten: My Favorite Show of 2019

Another year has passed and lots of shows were consumed. Some good, some bad. This list will focus on the good, or at least the better shows of 2019.

With nearly 500 scripted series being produced each year, it is now becoming normal to take a year, or two, to get to a series. A few on this list were release in 2018, even early 2018. So, here is what I watched and enjoyed the most, in 2019.

1) STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (CBS All Access) - The quality and top story writing is still there in season two. I want more DISCOVERY and I want a series on a Pike-led Enterprise. Yes, it is worth the $6 per month to subscribe to CBS All Access, and, more importantly, there is more Trek coming!

2) LIVING WITH YOURSELF (Netflix) - The funniest comedy this 2019-20 season and one of the smartest. Paul Rudd is fantastic and the writing is expertly done, wanting, keeping you to watch the next episode right away. I know I did as I binged the first season in one night. This is a must watch for you and yourself.

3) STRANGER THINGS (Netflix) - ST3 was a fun and wild ride that did not disappoint. Season three did not just gives us a third rendition of the same story, but gave us a new, related story within the world, while growing our favorite characters.

4) TRAVELERS (Netflix) - The third and final season did not disappoint. Great stories and a solid series finale, that leaves room for a possible reboot/spin-off. If you have not tried this smart sci-fi series, do it now!

5) THE MANDALORIAN (Disney+) - This first live action STAR WARS series is totally a western in space, but The story is good and since these are new characters, not associated with STAR WARS canon, we are experiencing the episodes with an unknown outcome. The new filming techniques come off flawlessly (pretty much everything is filmed indoors with "CGI" done in pre-production).

6) THE CROWN (Netflix) - The all new cast picks up right where the old cast left off. Solid story telling with insight of how the Royal Family, and the crown, dealt with the events and crisis of the day.

7) LOST IN SPACE (Netflix) - Season two was just as fun and action filled as season one, while giving us some good character developments. Netflix has done a great job on the re-imaging of this series and is a must see for all.

8) THE WALKING DEAD (AMC) - Season 9b and 10a - The time jump helped refresh the series, allowing new stories to be told and new backstories to develop. The Whisperers are an interesting foe that they have not seen before. The first half of season ten has been entertaining and they are getting back that early feel the series had, but I feel the series needs a completely different foe. The Governor, Negan and Alpha all did the same thing, just in different ways.

9) MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (Amazon) - A great season 3, but I do have mixed emotions on this season. It felt a little to "soap opera" like, with as many people who are sleeping with others, and the amount of scenes with people smoking. I think there was some second hand smoke that came through my streaming box! I will be getting ot season 4 in 2020.

10) DAREDEVEL (Netflix) - Season 3 may have been released in 2018, but it has taken me this long to finally get to the final season of the best Marvel TV series. The story arc is a great story, but there were more than one episode that when WAY too long on a specific character building. It obviously felt like filler to get the episode count to the mandatory 13 episodes.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:


THE TERROR: INFAMY (AMC) - The horror anthology series hit a home run with its second season. A riveting story with a fresh angel that we do not get to see much of, with its all-Asian cast.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE (CBS All Access) - It is not the original, but there is lots of potential for the series, as long as the creators can remember to put STORY first, POLITICS fifth. Half the season suffered, tremendously, from the soapbox placed above the entertainment of a story.

THE BLACKLIST (NBC) - Season six was refreshed with the story line of Reddington going to jail and going through a trial. We get different character dynamics and story lines with the new setting. The first half of season seven has kept up with more changes and different situations, yet keeping the overall fell familiar.

VIKINGS (History) - Season 5b is still lacking without Ragnor! The action/battle season are a little better than the first half of season five, which aired in early 2018. Season 6a began in late 2019 and will be watched in 2020.

MR.MOM (Vudu) - The Walmart backed streaming service, VUDU, has released its first original series, a sitcom adaptation of the 1983 theatrical film, MR. MOM. Surprisingly the shows is actually pretty good. The single camera comedy is only 10-episodes long, for the first season, and each episode is just 10-15 minutes in length. Its is a lot better then most sitcoms I have seen on Network TV, over the past decade. Yea, I'm looking at you, over-hyped NBC sitcoms.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (AMC) - This season was not good. Still better than most other TV series, but the writing id bad and situations/character decisions, are unbelievable. It may be time to drop this series from the playlist. One of the podcasts I listen to about the show, put it best that the writers created great characters, but are awful at writing plots and stories.

PROJECT BLUE BOOK (History) - Lots of tropes, slow moving. It almost seems like the investigations in to the UFO sightings are secondary to all the conspiracies going on. I gave up on the series with 3 or four episodes left to watch.

JESSICA JONES (Netflix) - Season two is very slow moving. Not as fun and exciting as season one. I will skip season three with the cancellation and the unexciting season two.