February is already upon us, but 2020 has still barely just begun. There is so much to look forward to this year – new books, shows, films, music, and more. It is around this time that S & I always like to reflect on the previous year’s highlights. Last year we did our Best Release series of posts for our top 2018 book, film, TV show and musical album. This year, we’re highlighting a handful of our favourites as opposed to just one. Because let’s face it, 2019 brought about a lot of great content, and we’re all for celebrating the whole lot of them!
Barry (Season 2)
Season 1 of HBO’s Barry, created by and starring Bill Hader, made its mark by becoming one of the most outrageous concepts I’ve seen grace the small screen perhaps ever. A hitman who turns into an actor? An intensely dramatic yet sardonically funny show that delves into the complicated mind of an ex-marine while providing an overarching commentary on the absurdity of Hollywood? The concept is odd to say the least, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Hader and the HBO team. While Season 1 left me baffled by just how good it was, Season 2 managed to outdo itself by being even funnier and more outrageous while simultaneously raising the stakes and making the consequences more tangible. Read our review, which goes into more detail about the dark comedy, here.
Fleabag (Season 2)
If I didn’t sing this show’s praises enough in my Fleabag review, let me sing them some more. It’s become increasingly clear that both critics and viewers alike recognize the genius that is Phoebe Waller-Bridge (and rightfully so), as she has won a whopping 16 or so awards for the show merely between 2019-2020. While Season 1 came out in 2016, Season 2 didn’t grace the screen until 2019, and boy was it great. Andrew Scott’s colloquially known ‘Hot Priest‘ character took the world and internet by storm, and Waller-Bridge delivered an even more exposed, uproarious, and earnest performance in Season 2 than ever before. For many, Season 2 is the preferred season (likely due to the heartfelt drama and intense chemistry between Hot Priest and Fleabag), but for me the entire show is genius. It’s not hard to see that Fleabag is one of my favourite shows of all time.
The Witcher (Season 1)
Fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher, which served as inspiration for the widely popular CD Projekt Red video games of the same name, nervously anticipated the arrival of the Netflix series. With Henry Cavill in the lead, an actor that I had only really seen as Superman in Man of Steel (2013), I was definitely skeptical of his ability to play Geralt of Rivia. However, I’ll be first to admit that I was pleasantly surprised and outright proven wrong about my skepticism: Cavill did an excellent job. While the show itself has its hiccups and the reviews are overall quite mixed, I thoroughly enjoyed The Witcher. It was a visually beautiful fantasy world that intrigued me with its characters, action scenes, lore and creatures (and a banger of a hit, “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher”). I also loved the array of PoC actors in the show, including Anya Chalotra, an Indian-British actress as Yennefer of Vengerberg. We’ll definitely be posting a more comprehensive breakdown of our thoughts on The Witcher soon!
The Mandalorian (Season 1)
Star Wars, epic action scenes, and Baby Yoda. Need I say more? (Well, I actually do say more: read the review here). The arrival of Disney+ original The Mandalorian was a long awaited series and it did not disappoint. This lone-ranger style sci-fi western brings heart, originality, and a roster of amazing actors to the screen. Carrying just the right amount of nostalgia along with it, the future of this show looks like it will be promising – Season 1 is just the tip of the iceberg.
Sex Education (Season 1)
Season 1 of Sex Education, the groundbreaking show that delves into the good, bad, and ugly of sexuality and sexual health within an English high school, premiered in January 2019. It’s very hard to put into words just how progressive this show is (and just how important it is, societally, to have shows like this one in the mainstream), much of which is owed to its commitment to treating sex and sexual health topics in a very real way as opposed to the glamourized Hollywood version we so often see. Yet, the drama that goes down between these gawky high-schoolers is just as addictive as a CW show – the dichotomy is divine. Sex Education utilizes the high production quality of Netflix as much as it utilizes its quirky, deadpan British humour, and it makes for something truly special. Season 2 is incredible as well, but since it was released in 2020, that will be a topic for another time!
BoJack Horseman (Season 6 Part 1)
For us BoJack fans, the arrival of Season 6 was bittersweet, as this is the last season of the acclaimed animated series that shocked viewers everywhere when it revealed itself to be one of the most compelling adult dramas out there. Its profound, introspective, heavy-handed and at times bleak nature has lent to its category as a “tragicomedy”. It is a show that uses a huge range of humour (from puns to satire) while making sure it is never afraid to hit you hard with its commentary on society, particularly that of fame, fortune, and celeb-hood. The first eight episodes of Season 6 were released in October 2019, doing an amazing job at setting up for its final eight (which were just released a few days ago), particularly by ending on a jarring cliffhanger. BoJack Horseman has changed my perspective on life in many ways, so you can definitely look forward to seeing a further review of the final episodes very soon.
Yet-To-Watch from 2019: Euphoria, Watchmen, Succession, and When They See Us
What were some of your favourite shows or series from 2019? Let us know in the comments!
~ Z ~
Photo by Gaspar Uhas on Unsplash
