Usually, I have a solid standout but this year I will just post some faves in no particular order:
LOCKER BIE: A SEARCH FOR TRUTH (Sky Atlantic):
Colin Firth plays real-life Jim Swire, a father whose world gets turned upside down after the horrific 1988 plane bombing and shows up pain, family support and never giving up for justice.
DELI BOYS (HULU):
Poorna Jagannathan is the breakout star in this quirky comedy, playing a woman trying to show she can be mob boss and just as tough as the bumbling men trying to maintain control of the illegal enterprise that's keeping the family afloat.
ADOLESCENCE (NETFLIX):
if you hadn't been aware of the vast rise of incel culture among young men then the Netflix show has brought it out to light in all its grimy realities and startling consequences.
THE LAST OF US: SEASON 2 (HBO):
the cries shed for Joel's death were not enough to derail TLOU because Bella Ramsey stepped up and HBO did not spare any detail in this unending rabbit hole.
SQUID GAME: SEASON 3 (NETFLIX):
we're used to the game now but the betrayals in the Hide And Seek game, the devastating reality of the Jump Rope game plus the cameo of Cate Blanchett at the very end, means we were in store for effective surprises.
THE GILDED AGE: SEASON 3 (HBO):
though I am sad to see Mrs. Astor not as devious as previously shown, the stakes for all the relationships were tested--some passed, some clearly heading towards an exit.
BOOTS (NETFLIX):
what could have been a sappy look at a gay soldier wannabe in training turned out to be quite an introspective look at how diverse people have to band together when the tough gets going.
THE DIPLOMAT: SEASON 3 (NETFLIX);
the trick to any drama is not morally-questionable characters but the delicious words said characters get to live on screen. The Diplomat understands this most of all shows currently in hot rotation.
THE CHAIR COMPANY (HBO):
Tim Robinson and his every-American middle manager crisis shtick never gets old.
IT: WELCOME TO DERRY (HBO):
Pennywise on the TV screen again and this time, there's no holding back the gore.
