BETTER CALL SAUL
The fifth season of this enthralling drama reinforced once again that it is much, much more than simply a “Breaking Bad” spinoff. Bob Odenkirk’s performance as Saul/Jimmy just gets better and better every year — displaying a range that many may have thought was beyond him when the series was first announced, given his comedy sketch-show background. The fact that Rhea Seehorn, as Jimmy’s partner Kim Wexler, is more than his match when it comes to acting chops is another huge bonus. This year, the writing embraced an even sharper ethical decline than “Breaking Bad” did, but balanced that out with some hilarious moments and some genuinely moving ones. Jimmy and Kim’s marriage is a typical example of the show’s ability to muddy the moral waters; at first glance, it’s the natural next step in their romantic relationship — indeed, it’s Kim’s attempt to revive their romantic relationship — but typically for these two it’s also a way of ensuring that neither of them can be forced to testify against the other in a court of law.
Taking into account the stellar performances and writing, along with the great soundtrack and art direction, there’s a strong case to be made that “Better Call Saul” has now outstripped its acclaimed predecessor in the ‘best TV show’ rankings.
I MAY DESTROY YOU
Michaela Coel’s brilliant and deeply personal series has received breathless praise from critics around the world — and it’s hard to disagree. The partly autobiographical show is centered on a sexual assault that Arabella — perfectly played by Coel — cannot remember entirely, and therefore cannot properly process. Each episode takes Arabella a little further down the road to some kind of reconciliation, but the series never becomes a soapbox; it’s a brilliantly nuanced look at sexual violence, its fallout, survival, and recovery. Ultimately, too, there’s an optimism here that turns the threat of the title into something much more positive.
THE LAST DANCE
Netflix’s enthralling documentary series about basketball legend Michael Jordan and the all-conquering Chicago Bulls team that he led has an appeal that goes way beyond the sport itself. You do not need to be a basketball fan to appreciate this show. Jordan, of course, is one of those handful of people whose name was known around the world — almost at the same level of incomparable fame as that other MJ, Michael Jackson — and the series offers up plenty of examples of the extraordinary talent that built his legend. But to its credit — given that it is co-produced by Jordan’s own company — the show also reveals the ruthless ambition and frightening level of commitment that it took, and how often that meant inflicting pain or humiliation on teammates and friends.
THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA
HBO’s mini series has some serious writing pedigree — it’s adapted from a Philip Roth novel by David Simon and Ed Burns (the team behind “The Wire” and “Generation Kill,” among others). So it’s no surprise that this alternate history — set in the World War II era, with Charles Lindbergh as a US president determined to keep the country out of World War II and insistent that Europe’s fight against rising fascism was not America’s fight — is compellingly told. It is also brilliantly acted. Most of all, though, it is frighteningly relevant, capturing in uncomfortable detail the effects of political polarization on families and communities and the dangers of an ‘It couldn’t happen here’ attitude.
TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM AND MADNESS
Any documentary series exploring the insanity of the big cat owners’ universe — particularly a big cat owner who calls himself Joe Exotic and looks like the result of a 1980s-inspired fever dream — and featuring an explosion in an alligator compound, a three-way marriage, death threats and an actual murder was always likely to capture a cult fan base. But probably only the fact that it landed on Netflix in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic can really account for the cultural phenomenon that was “Tiger King.” Any other year, this would have been a flash-in-the-pan and nowhere near any end-of-year roundup, but for a month or so in the madness of 2020, “Tiger King” *was* television.
I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK
Director Liz Garbus takes the true-crime docuseries into new territory with this pitch-perfect adaptation of Michelle McNamara’s posthumously published book about her (and others’) investigation into the Golden State Killer — the perpetrator of a series of home invasions, sexual assaults and killings over decades. Not only does Garbus eschew the gory recreations so popular in the genre, instead focusing on haunting scenes of the domestic tranquility that the killer (finally identified, thanks in great part to McNamara’s obsessive pursuit, as Joseph James DeAngelo) ripped apart, she also deals sensitively and movingly with the effect the investigation had on McNamara herself and on her friends and family.
RAMY
Having picked up an Emmy award for the first season of his autobiographical comedy about a Muslim twentysomething in New Jersey, Ramy Youssef didn’t rest on his laurels. The second season digs even deeper into the absurdities and complexities of second-generation Arab immigrants caught between tradition and modernity without ever becoming an ‘issue’ show. The addition of the exceptional Mahershala Ali to the already accomplished cast also helps raise “Ramy” to a new level.
THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Chess isn’t the obvious choice as the focus for a compelling new drama, but the success of “The Queen’s Gambit” isn’t really down to the chess (although it does capture the tension, focus and stress of high-level chess quite superbly). The real strength of the show lies in its exploration of a young woman battling addiction and the other demons that are a result of the same brilliant mind that allows her to rise to the top of a game dominated by (mostly dour, mostly white) men. The luscious cinematography is escapism at its finest, and Anna Taylor Joy’s beguiling portrayal of rising star Beth Harmon is one of the best performances of the year.
