20. “Bojack Horseman”
The first half of “Bojack Horseman‘s” final season stands apart from the seasons that came before it. Now that the show is winding down, it appears that creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has decided to break the show’s regular tradition of circular storytelling, which, in the past, had the show’s eponymous horse learning essentially the same lesson over the course of every season: that change is impossible. With the series finale now in clear sight, “Bojack Horseman” is finally allowing for natural change to take place. This applies to all its characters’ storylines, from Diane (Alison Brie), to Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins), to Princess Caroline (Amy Sedaris) most of all. It’s given the show a new burst of energy in its final stretch, making “Bojack Horseman” appointment binging once again. – EF
19. “Sex Education”
Teenage dramas or comedies of any sort seem to be proliferating like wildflowers across different streaming networks and premium cable networks. Netflix itself has so many from so many different parts of the world it’s slightly hard to keep track of. That’s one reason “Sex Education” is so good, it completely stands apart from the basic clutter. Set in a small town in rural England, it follows the trials and um, business practices of teenager Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), his gay best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and the resident bad girl, Maeve (Emma Wiley). Otis, it turns out, is the son of a professional sex therapist (scene-stealer Gillian Anderson) and begins to use the knowledge she’s talked about at home to assist his schoolmates who have numerous questions and problems with their hormone-heated sex lives. The first season is a wonderfully funny and charming look at friendship and unrequited love with a tone series creator Laurie Nunn has fashioned with a slight nod to the American high school movies of the ’80s. More importantly, Nunn and her ensemble have created a whole cast of characters that you simply want to root for as the series progresses. And in this age of Peak TV, that’s harder to find then you’d think. – Gregory Ellwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o308rJlWKUc
18. “The OA“
**Spoilers ahead** There are really not enough words to describe the “The OA” to the uninitiated, and there have been few shows not just in the past year, but in the past decade, that have so thrillingly put all of their chips on the table. The sprawling and ambitious series from co-creators Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling follows a young woman named Prairie Johnson who, after being missing for seven years, returns claiming to be an angel, who can possibly open the door to other dimensions. The first season ended with a school shooting in which the OA’s life is saved by a special dance she taught her followers and friends. If audiences thought that stretched credulity, Batmanglij and Marlin pushed the envelope even further in a second season which included among other things: a noir-ish ‘70s-style mystery, a psychic octopus, dancing robots, and an internet tree. The thing is, all of it works. The confidence of the storytelling and trust that Batmanglij and Marlin put in the audience to follow them on the journey is what made “The OA” such an extraordinary and truly unforgettable experience. Which makes it all the more heartbreaking that Netflix canceled the series, leaving us with a dazzling and brilliantly meta second season finale, with our imaginations left to decide just where Prairie, Hap, and Homer have gone. – Kevin Jagernauth
17. “Mrs. Fletcher”
“Mrs. Fletcher,” perhaps more so than any other show on this list, is a deeply affecting miniseries. Its power comes from two incredibly strong lead performances: Kathryn Hahn in the titular role and Jackson White as her son Brendan. Now, it’s no surprise that Hahn is great here. She’s been doing great work as a character actress going back over a decade now (“Step Brothers” came out in 2008!). Hahn is wonderful here, as an elder-care worker who finds herself with a lot of time on her hands when her only son goes off to college. Jackson White, on the other hand, is a revelation. His performance as Brendan is at times infuriating (Brendan is an unrelenting bully), frustrating (Brendan unwittingly uses offensive language in an autism-related support group), and heartbreaking (especially in an episode that focuses on Brendan’s relationship with his father, played by Josh Hamilton). With limited previous credits, Jackson White emerges here as one of the breakout TV stars of 2019. Owen Teague also deserves a shout-out for a quietly sad performance as Eve’s much younger love interest. The show also has a polished look, with director and EP Nicole Holofcener establishing the show’s cool, cinematic aesthetic right out of the gate. While some might argue that it falls just shy of sticking the landing in the finale, “Mrs. Fletcher” is phenomenal and deserves all the praise in the world. – EF
16. “SMILF”
Maybe it was the off-putting, questionable title, or the way it struggled to receive attention, maybe from its own cable network too—it has a 100% Season 2score on Rotten Tomatoes, yet all of eight critics reviewed it—but no one watched Showtime’s “SMILF,” which is really a crying shame. Motherhood is hard and single-motherhood is even more soul-crushing when you’re a young, attractive, 20-something who should have their whole life ahead of them. Instead, broke, struggling, desperately unskilled, and arguably unqualified to be a mother, Bridget Bird is barely keeping it together and, “SMILF” really poured one out for the mom’s out there just trying to make it through each day. But terrifically written and directed—often by its own star and creator Frankie Shaw who is a multi-hyphenate you must watch (Steven Soderbergh’s already got his eye on her and is producing her next movie and he has an eye for talent), “SMILF” found the humor and heartache in that dire situation with some much real and lived-in empathy and compassion (Rosie O’Donnell co-starred as Shaw’s mother doing her best work in years). Small scale, but complex in scope “SMILF” was ostensibly about unconventional families and working with what you’ve got, but always layered in notions of class, race, socio-economic hardship through sharp feminist sensibilities. Already ambitious, season two pushed the envelope delivering something surreal, absurdist and pushing the boundaries of magical realism in a way that felt like the show was attempting a dialogue with “Atlanta,” only for single moms. And then with a whimper, it all tragically ended in cancelation. But you just wait, when Frank is pulling in accolades at Sundance or creating something that takes the culture by storm like “Transparent,” remember we told you so. – Rodrigo Perez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5f30auPp68
