15. “Too Old to Die Young”
Danish enfante terrible Nicolas Winding Refn’s first long-form arty existential crime series, “Too Old To Die Young,” could easily be the #1 2019 show you attempted to watch and then quickly pulled the eject button on, parachuting as far away to safety as possible. It’s punchably provocative and confrontational, fetishistically pornographic in its depiction of sex and violence, features many odious characters, is glacially slow in a couple of key early episodes, and pivots to what appears to be a Mexican telenovela all of a sudden confusingly on top of its over-the-top maximalist melodrama. But then the absurdist humor creeps in and you realize Refn is making his “Twin Peaks”—by way of the filmmaker’s obsession with sex, violence, and newfound rage at America (there’s a little “Killing Me Softly” from a political angle to it too). It’s hard to sit with and sit through, but when it all comes together, and Refn’s epic, seething treatise on American greed, stupidity and loss of itself—bizarre, hypnotic, intoxicating and funny on top of queasily revolting—is a masterwork. Problematic, hateful and ugly to look at, but a stunning, repellant magnum opus nonetheless. – RP
14. “Ramy”
The fact that “Ramy” is still flying mostly under the radar is likely attributable to the fact that it is on Hulu, and Hulu sucks pretty hard when it comes to properly marketing its content. Still, respect must be paid to Hulu for airing “Ramy” in the first place, and for picking it up for a second season (due in 2020). Ramy Youssef’s self-titled show is one of the most quietly profound series currently streaming. Centered on a fictionalized version of its creator, “Ramy” follows Ramy Hassan, a millennial Muslim-American in New Jersey, as he balances a mildly bohemian lifestyle against his strongly-held religious beliefs and respect for tradition. It’s a genuinely enjoyable watch, with plenty of laughs, that still manages to provoke serious questions about cultural and religious identity in every episode. Check it out if you haven’t already. – EF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Ek09B9YaY
13. “Killing Eve”
As well as Season 2 of “Fleabag,” Phoebe Waller-Bridge can casually boast still having an executive producer credit on the second season of “Killing Eve.” The impossibly stylish cat-and-mouse detective drama, focusing on detective Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) on the hunt for psychopathic serial killer Villanelle (Jodie Comer) returns and is amped up. Waller-Bridge passes the baton to Emerald Funnell as writer and showrunner, at the stage where Eve and Villanelle aren’t just speculatively running to and from each other – they’re urgently aware of the other person’s existence, which is what makes the chase so much more involving. There’s constant speculation on the nature of their relationship. Hatred? Codependency? Infatuation? Obsession certainly drives the show – it’s fitting, for one of the most easily bingeable series for years. – Ella Kemp
12. “Fosse/Verdon”
FX’s bio-musical about acclaimed director Bob Fosse and his life-partner Gwen Verdon tackled weighty issues such as sexual assault, domestic abuse, and infidelity. The Emmy-winning series starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams was also a heartfelt and joyous celebration of the duo’s life’s work. With Lin-Manuel Miranda as one of the show’s prominent creative forces, “Fosse/Verdon” featured energetic dance numbers and dream sequences in every episode, boasting fantastic cinematography and compelling performances throughout. The limited series also had a fantastic supporting cast in Norbert Leo Butz and Margaret Qualley as Paddy Chayefsky and Ann Reinking, respectively. – EF
11 “Mindhunter”
In a TV landscape full of morbid true-crime tales, “Mindhunter” may just take the cake as the morbidest and true-crimiest of them all. (Embarrassingly, this writer spent about a week checking his living room closet for the BTK Killer before going to bed after binge-watching Season 2.) This is especially impressive given that the show rarely features any actual disturbing imagery to speak of. This Netflix series about the minds of serial killers is 90% people in suits having serious conversations, 10% giant block letters in all caps telling you where those serious conversations are taking place. And yet this series from David Fincher is as intense and gripping as anything else on TV. With three great lead performances from Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv as a trio of FBI agents digging into the mindset of the most notorious murderers ever, “Mindhunter” manages to unsettle in evermore unique and interesting ways. – EF
