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aaronmaurer · 3 years

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TV I Liked in 2020

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Was there ever a year more unpredictably tailor-made for peak TV than 2020? Lockdowns/quarantines/stay-at-home orders meant a lot more time at home and the occasion to check out new and old favorites. (I recognize that if you’re lucky enough to have kids or roommates or a S.O., your amount of actual downtime may have been wildly different). While the pandemic resulted in production delays and truncated seasons for many shows, the continued streaming-era trends of limited series and 8-13 episode seasons mean that a lot of great and satisfying storytelling still made its way to the screen. As always, I in no way lay any claims to “best-ness” or completeness – this is just a list of the shows that brought me the most joy and escapism in a tough year and therefore might be worth putting on your radar.

10 Favorites

10. The Right Stuff: Season 1 (Disney+)

As a space program enthusiast, even I had to wonder, does the world really need another retelling of NASA’s early days? Especially since Tom Wolfe’s book has already been adapted as the riveting and iconoclastic Philip Kaufman film of the same name? While some may disagree, I find that this Disney+ series does justify its existence by focusing more on the relationships of the astronauts and their personal lives than the technical science (which may be partially attributable to budget limitations?). The series is kind of like Mad Men but with NASA instead of advertising (and real people, of course), so if that sounds intriguing, I encourage you to give it a whirl.

9. Fargo: Season 4 (FX)

As a big fan of Noah Hawley’s Coen Brothers pastiche/crime anthology series, I was somewhat let down by this latest season. Drawing its influence primarily from the likes of gangster drama Miller’s Crossing – one of the Coens’ least comedic/idiosyncratic efforts – this season is more straightforward than its predecessors and includes a lot of characters and plot-threads that never quite cohere. That said, it is still amongst the year’s most ambitious television with another stacked cast, and the (more-or-less) standalone episode “East/West” is enough to make the season worthwhile.

8. The Last Dance (ESPN)

Ostensibly a 10-episode documentary about the 1990s Chicago Bulls’ sixth and final NBA Championship run, The Last Dance actually broadens that scope to survey the entire history of Michael Jordan and coach Phil Jackson’s careers with the team. Cleverly structured with twin narratives that chart that final season as well as an earlier timeframe, each episode also shifts the spotlight to a different person, which provides focus and variety throughout the series. And frankly, it’s also just an incredible ride to relive the Jordan era and bask in his immeasurable talent and charisma – while also getting a snapshot of his outsized ego and vices (though he had sign-off on everything, so it’s not exactly a warts-and-all telling).

7. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

This miniseries adaptation of the Walter Tevis coming-of-age novel about a chess prodigy and her various addictions is compulsively watchable and avoids the bloat of many other streaming series (both in running time and number of episodes). The 1960s production design is stunning and the performances, including Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, are convincing and compelling.

6. The Great: Season 1 (hulu)

Much like his screenplay for The Favourite, Tony McNamara’s series about Catherine the Great rewrites history with a thoroughly modern and irreverent sensibility (see also: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette). Elle Fanning brings a winning charm and strength to the title role and Nicholas Hoult is riotously entertaining as her absurdly clueless and ribald husband, Emperor Peter III. Its 10-episodes occasionally tilt into repetitiveness, but when the ride is this fun, why complain? Huzzah!

5. Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC)

A limited (but possibly anthology-to-be?) series from creator/writer/director/actor Jason Segal, Dispatches From Elsewhere is a beautiful and creative affirmation of life and celebration of humanity. The first 9 episodes form a fulfilling and complete arc, while the tenth branches into fourth wall-breaking meta territory, which may be a bridge too far for some (but is certainly ambitious if nothing else). Either way, it’s a movingly realized portrait of honesty, vulnerability and empathy, and I highly recommend visiting whenever it inevitably makes its way to Netflix, or elsewhere…

4. What We Do in the Shadows: Season 2 (FX)

The second season of WWDITS is more self-assured and expansive than the first, extending a premise I loved from its antecedent film – but was skeptical could be sustained – to new and reinvigorated (after)life. Each episode packs plenty of laughs, but for my money, there is no better encapsulation of the series’ potential and Matt Berry’s comic genius than “On The Run,” which guest-stars Mark Hamill and features Laszlo’s alter ego Jackie Daytona, regular human bartender.

3. Ted Lasso: Season 1 (AppleTV+)

Much more than your average fish-out-of-water comedy, Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso is a brilliant tribute to humaneness, decency, emotional intelligence and good coaching – not just on the field. The fact that its backdrop is English Premier League Soccer is just gravy (even if that’s not necessarily represented 100% proficiently). A true surprise and gem of the year.

2. Mrs. America (hulu)

This FX miniseries explores the women’s liberation movement and fight for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and its opposition by conservative women including Phyllis Schlafly. One of the most ingenious aspects of the series is centering each episode on a different character, which rotates the point of view and helps things from getting same-y. With a slate of directors including Ryan Bowden and Anna Fleck (Half-Nelson, Sugar, Captain Marvel) and an A-List cast including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Sarah Paulson, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ulman and Elizabeth Banks, its quality is right up there with anything on the big screen. And its message remains (sadly) relevant as ever in our current era.

1. The Good Place: Season 4 (NBC)

It was tempting to omit The Good Place this year or shunt it to a side category since only the final 4 episodes aired in 2020, but that would have been disingenuous. This show is one of my all-time favorites and it ended perfectly. The series finale is a representative mix of absurdist humor and tear-jerking emotion, built on themes of morality, self-improvement, community and humanity. (And this last run of eps also includes a pretty fantastic Timothy Olyphant/Justified quasi-crossover.) Now that the entire series is available to stream on Netflix (or purchase in a nice Blu-ray set), it’s a perfect time to revisit the Good Place, or check it out for the first time if you’ve never had the pleasure.

5 of the Best Things I Caught Up With

Anne With An E (Netflix/CBC)

Another example of classic literature I had no prior knowledge of (see also Little Women and Emma), this Netflix/CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was strongly recommended by several friends so I finally gave it a shot. While this is apparently slightly more grown-up than the source material, it’s not overly grimdark or self-serious but rather humane and heartfelt, expanding the story’s scope to include Black and First Nations peoples in early 1800s Canada, among other identities and themes. It has sadly been canceled, but the three seasons that exist are heart-warming and life-affirming storytelling. Fingers crossed that someday we’ll be gifted with a follow-up movie or two to tie up some of the dangling threads.

Better Call Saul (AMC)

I liked Breaking Bad, but I didn’t have much interest in an extended “Breaking Bad Universe,” as much as I appreciate star Bob Odenkirk’s multitalents. Multiple recommendations and lockdown finally provided me the opportunity to catch up on this prequel series and I’m glad I did. Just as expertly plotted and acted as its predecessor, the series follows Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman on his own journey to disrepute but really makes it hard not to root for his redemption (even as you know that’s not where this story ends).

Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim)

It’s hard to really describe the deadpan and oddly soothing humor of comedian Joe Pera whose persona, in the series at least, combines something like the earnestness of Mr. Rogers with the calm enthusiasm of Bob Ross. Sharing his knowledge on the likes of how to get the best bite out of your breakfast combo, growing a bean arch and this amazing song “Baba O’Reilly” by the Who – have you heard it?!? – Pera provides arch comfort that remains solidly on the side of sincerity. The surprise special he released during lockdown, “Relaxing Old Footage with Joe Pera,” was a true gift in the middle of a strange and isolated year.

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

One of the few recent Star Wars properties that lives up to its potential, the adventures of Mando and Grogu is a real thrill-ride of a series with outstanding production values (you definitely want to check out the behind-the-scenes documentary series if you haven’t). I personally prefer the first season, appreciating its Western-influenced vibes and somewhat-more-siloed story. The back half of the second season veers a little too much into fan service and video game-y plotting IMHO but still has several excellent episodes on offer, especially the Timothy Olyphant-infused energy of premiere “The Marshall” and stunning cinematography of “The Jedi.” And, you know, Grogu.

The Tick (Amazon Prime)

I’ve been a fan of the Tick since the character’s Fox cartoon and indie comic book days and also loved the short-lived Patrick Warburton series from 2001. I was skeptical about this Amazon Prime reboot, especially upon seeing the pilot episode’s off-putting costumes. Finally gaining access to Prime this year, I decided to catch up and it gets quite good!, especially in Season 2. First, the costumes are upgraded; second, Peter Serafinowicz’s initially shaky characterization improves; and third, it begins to come into its own identity. The only real issue is yet another premature cancellation for the property, meaning Season 2’s tease of interdimensional alien Thrakkorzog will never be fulfilled. 😢

Bonus! 5 More Honorable Mentions:

City So Real (National Geographic)

The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)

How To with John Wilson: Season 1 (HBO)

Kidding: Season 2 (Showtime)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs The Reverend (Netflix)

#tv #television

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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30 Minute Experiment: Reset/Reboot #30ME

Okay, let’s do this. A bit earlier than usual since I’m up early but also because I missed Saturday’s #30ME and when I decided to try to do it yesterday instead, I couldn’t get Tumblr working, and it took all day for me to try actually just logging out and signing back in again. I’ll know now if that ever happens again.

Anyway, the topic I wanted to write about on Saturday that ended up seeming better for Easter Sunday... without me really knowing much about the actual holiday other than it representing rejuvenation, although that seemed rather apropos for the topic I had chosen which is the concept of either resetting or rebooting.

There’s a bit of a difference between the two, although in some ways they’re related. I consider resetting like literally going back to the beginning and starting from scratch, while rebooting feels more like reinventing yourself. Both ideas seem very timely and appropriate to write about because it seems like there is a lot of that going on in this month where many of us have been quarantined due to the pandemic.

I see friends who always seem to be busy with their work baking bread and cooking and doing all these things that I seriously would have never imagined them having any interest in it. In some cases, I’m wondering if they’re bored or they’re enjoying these new hobbies so much that they might consider changing career paths and trying something new. This isn’t something that new as I’ve seen one friend who went from being a writer/editor at a serious New York newspaper pursuing his dream of writing comics. One long-time film critic colleague turned his back on that to bake brownies. Then there’s the case of my brother who was an amazing security and IT guy working for the likes of AOL and Langley before he decided to get a masters in library sciences, get into archiving and library, and now, he seems very happy and stress-free as a beekeeper. And a quite successful one, mind you, going by the honey his hives produce that I’ve putting in my tea the past week and enjoying via some honeycomb I nibble on at night.

The thing is that I’ve seen so many friends and family reboot and reinvent myself, and I just can’t seem to get into that head myself, even when it comes to using this downtime from movies to do something more constructively than doing this 30 minutes of free-writing each day. (I have been working on a few of my screenplays, too, and trying to do 30 minutes of that and 30 minutes of housecleaning every day to varying success.)

I understand why there is a necessity to reset and reboot and try to change thing when something like this pandemic happens, and it’s not like my life is so grand and wonderful as it is that I’m clutching onto it longingly not wanting to lose what I have. Far from it.

No, I can definitely see my life being better or different than it is, and I know full well that it’s up to me to take that plunge and reset/reboot. I have no one in my family or any friends that will push or prompt me to do so, since most of them know full well how tenacious I am. I have literally become that old dog that doesn’t want to learn any new tricks. I mean, it’s not like I’m sleeping that late or taking long naps or suffering from depression (which has been the case last year even though I was working and writing about movies again... for money, if not a living).

You see, I’ve already rebooted myself several times in my life already. I didn’t actually start writing regularly until about 25 years ago. I didn’t start writing about movies until about 18 years ago. Heck, I didn’t even start watching movies regularly until about 20 years ago. I just started doing it, discovered it was something I could do, and then discovered I could get paid to do it (and presumably read) so I just kept doing it... over and over... often with weekly columns that sometimes brought me more joy when they were done then when I was actually writing then. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy doing the Weekend Warrior now more than ever, especially since I have more freedom to write about what I want when I write. It’s just harder to get excited about it when I can’t talk about the box office or theatrical releases which have become a real passion for me during those 18 years or os.

So no, this won’t be me deciding to quit writing about movies. When they come back, I’ll be back to trying to do interviews with filmmakers of interesting movies I like, but it’s hard not to spend so much time not thinking about box office/movies and not having other things circulating around my brain. (if reading these 30 Minute Experiments hasn’t made it all too obvious.)

One thing I’ve been doing for the last few weeks that’s gotten me more and more excited every day are these nightly events called #TimsTwitterListeningParties. Maybe it seems obvious but Tim Burgess, the singer from The Charlatans (you may remember their break-out single “The Only One I Know” that played a lot on alternative and college radio in the ‘90s). Well, he started this thing where he picks an album for his followers to all listen to at the same time, but what’s even cooler about is that he’s been able to get cool musicians and people involved with those records to listen to them, too, and they tweet stories about the album and the songs and the making of the record and stories from that time, as well as showing pictures. This has led to these amazing experiences with thousands of people listening to records like the Flaming Lips’ “The Soft Bulletin” while two members of the band discuss each track and how they came about, or The Beta Bands’ “3 EPS” where members of the band that have long broken up talk about it. Or yesterday with the double feature of Pulp’s “Different Class” and New Order’s “Power, Corruption and Lies” -- an album I never got into combined with an album I absolutely LOVE.

These are going on for the next few weeks as Burgess has managed to get some amazing artists to talk about classic albums including some of my favorite bands like Supergrass, Ash, The Cult...and more and more... but also bands I never really got into like Mogwai and the Pogues and others who have made classic albums.

So what does this have to reboot/reset, Ed, you’re asking yourself while reading the last three paragraphs? Well, some of you may or may not know that I spent 20 years trying to be a recording engineer and producer of music, because I absolutely love music. I’m quickly learning that I can live without movies or visual stimulation but I can not live without music, and the more I listen to these great albums, the more it reminds me why I moved to NYC and wanted to be a recording engineer and make great records.

That didn’t exactly work out for me for various reasons that include my (still present) immaturity, but I definitely feel that I’ve gotten better at dealing with people i.e not musicians and the more I hear this record, the more I wonder if I should just do something to get back to my love of music.

The thing is that I didn’t always love the process of making records -- and maybe I’ll discuss in this in a future installment -- but as soon as I think back to all my time spent behind a console or computer screen recording and mixing, I also think about how much of a compromise is involved with making music, whether you’re a producer/engineer working with a band or an engineer working with a producer or whatever. I just never felt like I was good enough to earn the respect of some of my peers, and I found that writing was something I could do by myself and either my editors liked what I did and gave it the thumbs up or (in the worst cases) would rewrite something themselves, completely changing any passion I put into the original piece. The latter hasn’t happened in a very long time... okay, maybe a few times... but it also leaves me in a place where I wonder if the best way for me personally to reboot/reset would be find a way to do what I love, get paid to do it and not have to constantly compromise everything I was doing. I kind of had that at ComingSoon.net but had other issues that probably came out of not having the power or control I wanted to call any of the shots. I’m not sure if that changed too much when I started doing freelance work but the money just never was as good.

So the question now is... do I reset? Do I start again doing something brand new at my advanced age and see what happens? Or do I simply reset, where I find a way to reinvent myself, so I don’t get as bored or frustrated with my situation which is something I’m constantly facing.

Listen, I know I’m not gonna start baking bread for a living, but I wonder if there’s a way that I can get back into the music business in some way.. as a manager or record label person or marketing. Obviously, I don’t have as much recent experience as others, and maybe I’m not in tune with NEW music, but I do know what makes a good song that makes me happy so why couldn’t I find a way to help promote music that makes others happy? Surely my advance years gives me a little bit of credibility of having knowledge and experience that maybe someone in their 20s out of college would’t have, even if they obviously would have more energy and enthusiasm than me.

I was thinking of all these great record producers who are now in their 60s and 70s who are still making great records, so maybe my reset/reboot has to be about going back to what I love and doing something that can keep me happy but also give me a little more control of what or how I’m doing it. It’s definitely something I’ll keep thinking about over the next few weeks or however longer I’m trapped in isolation. (Believe me, it’s not been fun sitting in this tiny cramped and cluttered apartment by myself for four weeks but I’ve found things to keep me entertained and relatively happy... now I just need to find a way to earn an income or living doing so.)

I’m almost out of time so ... yup, that’s it for me. Back to writing this week’s Weekend Warrior! Tomorrow!

#30Me #ResetReboot #30minuteexperiment

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