Dramedy dominates 2018’s best TV
Forget the days when a lone TV critic could honestly claim to have watched everything in the past year. This list is more about taking a minute to salute the shows that rose above the streaming/ cable/ broadcast glut and impressed me with their stories, performances, structure and, most of all, left me with a sense of satisfaction.
1. “Barry” (HBO). Wickedly funny, deeply felt and unnervingly tense, Bill Hader and Alec Berg’s dramedy about a tormented hit man who accidentally winds up in acting school is a terrific example of how to push a viewer’s preconceptions: Funnyman Hader turns out to be a remarkably versatile protagonist, and Henry Winkler’s work in the series redefines the concept of a comeback.
2. “The Americans” (FX). There’s little left to say, except to salute creators Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, their writers and certainly their cast (especially Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Holly Taylor and Noah Emmerich) for a near-perfect and emotionally draining send-off to this superb Cold War family drama.
3. “Killing Eve” (BBC America). It was sort of a sleeper hit at first, but word quickly spread about Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s splendidly paced, six-part action thriller about a desk-bound American (Sandra Oh) working in a London intelligence office who begins obsessively hunting for a wily and weird assassin (Jodie Comer). As it charges toward a confrontation, the series soars on Oh’s and Comer’s performances as two women thoroughly absorbed in a game of chase.
4. “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime). Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin’s adaptation (with director Ben Stiller) of this story of two convicted murderers (Benicio Del Toro and Paul Dano) who escaped a maximumsecurity prison in 2015 with the help of a besotted employee (Patricia Arquette) is striking for its unadorned quality. It’s a disciplined example of how a masterful truecrime miniseries can skip the need to play up a theme.
5. “Kidding” (Showtime). Despite my initial worry that David Holstein’s dramedy about a troubled but beloved kids TV host (Jim Carrey as Jeff, aka “Mr. Pickles”) might bump too close to the sacred memory of Mister Rogers, “Kidding” stands entirely on its own. “Kidding’s” conception of Mr. Pickles’ imaginary world — with puppets and songs — shows top-notch creativity while Carrey gives his most memorable performance in years.
6. “Insecure” (HBO). My interest in what happens to the characters Issa Rae and company have created in this hilarious and sharply observed dramedy continues unabated — particularly with the show’s third season, in which Rae’s character leaped before she looked, quitting her job as a social worker, becoming a Lyft driver and testing the patience of friends. Beyond the comedy scenes, which are fantastic (that girls’ trip to Coachella alone is worth a rewatch), there’s covert reporting here about surviving the rapid, widening gentrification of Los Angeles.
7. “The Fourth Estate” (Showtime). With President Donald Trump demonizing the media (and recently implying that it’s OK to kill a journalist under certain conditions), master documentarian Liz Garbus delivered this astounding and intimate look at the inner workings of The New York Times’ Washington bureau. All Americans need to see this example of the First Amendment in action.
8. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon). It’s on this list as much for its first, Emmy-winning season as its just-released (and so far equally marvelous) second season. This comic period drama about a hyperactive 1950s Manhattan housewife who finds her calling in the Village’s stand-up comedy scene is creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s grandest achievement yet.
9. “Atlanta: Robbin’ Season” (FX). The second season of Donald Glover’s dramedy “Atlanta” had deeper story arcs, set against the unease of the holidays (aka “robbin’ season”), further cements the show’s worth as study of the human condition.
10. “Forever” (Amazon). A delicate grief runs through some of the best TV shows, particularly in Alan Yang’s effectively quirky “Forever,” in which Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph play a couple who discover the afterlife is an extension of their bland suburban routines.