Butthe showsrich journalistic texture grants a star turn to every member of the giant cast.
While the sex-power-money subject matter is endlessly provocative,The Deuces real kickcomes from its magnificent sprawl.
It’s a whole vanished NYC brought to life with cinematic-universe precision.
Patrick Harbron/CBS; Jeff Daly/FX; Guy D’Alema/FX; JoJo Whilden/FX; Nick Briggs/BBC AMERICA; Jordin Althaus/HBO
A remarkably sensitive abortion subplot raised the Very Special Episode format to a shattering art form.
Plus, it’s shot with a luscious opulence that makes every freeze-frame a dorm poster waiting to happen.
it’s possible for you to hear them screaming inside.
Eddy Chen/NBC
Credit Bill Haders hitman comedy for reviving genuine dumbstrucksurprise, like youre watching something that wasnt allowed to happen.
The premise an assassin who wants to be an actor offered a riff on showbiz.
Then the body count piled higher.
Paul Schiraldi/HBO
All hail Paula Newsome as the years most most diligent TV sleuth.
5.Homecoming(Amazon Prime Video)
The thrilling cure for the common overlong bingeable drama.
Then she gives a brilliantly frayed performance as Heidi, a waitress dodging questions about her professional past.
Saeed Adyani/Netflix
All hail Shea Whigham as a confused government bureaucrat gradually revealing himself as the yearsothermost diligent TV sleuth.
(Dear 2019: Buddy-cop show starring Newsome and Whigham, kindly?)
This freshman drama is definitely the most humane TV mythology sinceThe Leftovers.
Comedy Central
The story of a Freemason-ish secret society certainly has its eccentricities (local real estate demigod Bruce Campbell!
), but listing the loopy plot turns doesnt capture the shows profound sweetness.
And isnt that why we watch TV?
John P. Johnson/HBO
Surreal imagery demanding rewatches!
An ode to the heroic possibilities of communal engagement!
They have a perfect act to follow.
Jennifer Clasen/Amazon Prime
1.Atlanta(FX)
Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) wants a haircut.
Van (Zazie Beetz) hunts for a Drake selfie.
Earn (creator/2018 avatar Donald Glover) is a black man trying to spend a $100 bill.
Jackson Lee Davis/AMC
And Darius (Lakeith Stanfield) simply must escape Teddy Perkins.
The tragicomedy felt surgical, likeAtlantawasTemple of Dooming Americas broken heart right out of our schismatic rib cage.
Thats beautiful, Teddy Perkins told us, but wrong.
Cartoon Network
Its TVasRube Goldberg contraption, and its a marvel to behold.
Every cold open is a finely crafted work of absurdity (that Backstreet Boys lineup!
); every sight gag designed for maximum hilarity (Cheddar the dog in tiny swim trunks!).
Patrick Harbron/CBS
There will be no survivors."
8.YOU(Lifetime)
Dating is a nightmare under the best of circumstances.
And dating in the era of Insta stories and eggplant emojis?
Guy D’Alema/FX
It can be deadly.
Watching a woman in peril on Lifetime has never been so much fun.
Until this seasons final scene, Kim allowed herself to hope that Jimmy could conquer his inner shyster.
Amazon Prime Video
Even with all theBreaking Baddetours (oy with the superlab already!
),Saulremains TVs most deftly constructed character study.
6.Cobra Kai(YouTube Premium)
A potentially terrible idea that became a delightfully entertaining reality.
JORDIN ALTHAUS/FOX
All “made-up bulls—.")
Give it a chance.
Judgment does not exist in this dojo!
Lifetime
5.Pose(FX)
The ads with queens serving face madePoselook like an explosion of fab-ulos-i-ty.
The stories about the transgender cast made it sound like a Very Important Drama.
The show was neither; it was both.
Nicole Wilder/AMC
In truth, it was a tender tale about a mom and her kids.
Traditional with a side of glamour,Posewas the most heartwarming show of the year.
As the titular hitman-turned-actor, Bill Hader is heartbreaking, a man made toxic by war.
YouTube Red
No disrespect to ’90s UPN travesties.Reveriewas so bad, it madeDeadly Gameslook likeVR.5.
Worse than Tess' excruciating naivete is the show’s need to fetishize her doe-eyed innocence.
Send this dish back to the chef it’swayoverdone.
JoJo Whilden/FX
Is the show fat-phobic?
2.Who Is America?
(Showtime)
Sacha Baron Cohen, last decade’s most profound provocateur, becomes part of the problem.
Jordin Althaus/HBO
We know people say crazy things on camera.
The real trick would be to get them to say something sane.
Ignore everything about it so you’re able to just makeThis Is Us in Space.
Elizabeth Fisher/CBS
Spread maybe 90 minutes of plot across 10 neverending episodes.
confirm every stupid moment looks expensive.
Then cancelEverything Sucks!while you order another season of this borefest, you monster.
BBC America
Jeff Daly/FX
Vivian Zink/NBC
Christopher Saunders/Starz
Tina Rowden/Netflix
SHOWTIME
Netflix
Finlay Mackay for EW; Ruven Afanador for EW; Art Streiber for EW; Matthias Clamer for EW; Eric Ray Davidson for EW; Williams + Hirakawa for EW; Alexei Hay for EW; Joe Pugliese for EW
