I know we’re in a Golden Age for television and streaming programming, but I have to be honest with you: I’ve never been a fan of shows where people hate each other, and after 2017 my TV viewing moved overwhelmingly to things that were mostly lighter in content. And, and this is a very odd thing to admit to in 21st century America, we only have 1 television, so our TV viewing is always a compromise. There are shows that we both want to watch, but we make slow progress through them, so there are a bunch of fan favorites that aren’t on my list…yet. Plus we are still making our way through the last 2 seasons of The Blacklist because I made a prediction during Season 1, Episode 2 that we are still waiting to be unveiled. Or not, I have no idea if I was on the right track or not.
In no particular order, save the order I thought of them:
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: I love the Bridgerton series. I didn’t read the books, so I have nothing to measure the series against, but I love the sets, the costumes and how each family wears its own themed ensembles (a subtle nod to The Royal Tenenbaums?) Queen Charlotte is a one-off series that imagines the story of the queen and King George III. Yes, that king. Lots of couples deal with medical issues which radically change their lives together. This is a really moving look at a relationship changed by mental illness but which is under-girded by deep love. I didn’t expect any of the things it ended up being about.
Somebody, Somewhere: Coincidentally, this was the next show on the list I made, and it too took me by surprise. I kept seeing the promos for it on HBO, and finally decided to just give in and watch it because it seemed to be funny in the way I think things are funny. And it is. The show is an antidote to the huge production series where people are constantly yelling or running from danger or riding dragons. It’s an intimate look at middle-aged life, the relationship between sisters, loss, and the importance of finding connection with people who laugh at the same things you do. It’s about the healing power of music, and of singing especially. And the pillows project in Season 2 still makes me laugh when I think about it. The good news is that Season 3 is coming in 2024.
The Gilded Age: On paper, this seems like the show I would have immediately gravitated to: Julian Fellowes is at the helm, it’s got fabulous costumes and architecture, it’s about one of my favorite historical periods, and it has Christine Baranski and Nathan Lane. Instead it took me almost all of Season 1 to start watching, and now I absolutely love it. Carrie Coons as the lead protagonist is magnificent, and the show uses real locations when it can. And it’s settled into its groove in Season 2: think Succession, but among rich women, old money battling new, with Season 2’s grand prize of whose opera house will become the center of society. There is also a fascinating story line about the affluent African American community in Brooklyn. And HBO announced on Tuesday that there will be a Season 3.
The Last of Us: Like everyone else, we watched it and we loved it. I had no intention of watching it until the rave reviews of the first episode came pouring in. Well done, a great story, and the perfect cast.
Ted Lasso: What a revelation this show was when it premiered, and of course it was something we didn’t start watching until just before the beginning of Season 2. I remembered the commercials and I had no intention of watching something based on that dumb character. And then we started it and fell in love with the humor and kindness. Is it really over or will there be another season or 2?
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: No season matched, for me, the emotional intensity of Season 1, but I loved the series, and especially the rapid fire exchanges between Susie and Midge.
Abbott Elementary: This is a funny show. The cast is fantastic and I absolutely love how fearless Quinta Brunson is in writing her character. She’s not afraid to let the rest of the characters play off her, and she’s not afraid to be the butt of jokes. The American workplace sitcom is a trope, and she’s the unlikely heart and center of this show.
The Connors: Back in the day I was a huge fan of Roseanne, especially because it was the only show in the late 80s/early 90s to focus on a working class family. I grew up in a working class family and while my family wasn’t like the Rosanne family, we shared the same concerns about money. I started watching the reboot but stopped once Roseanne Barr showed us how vile she is. I was really interested in the reboot without her, and I think The Connors is a better show. The cast is excellent, and the stories continue to focus actual economic anxiety and an ongoing illustration of the despair so many Americans feel about every getting out from under the weight of stretching limited dollars to cover unlimited emergencies. And it’s sardonic and still funny.
Schmigadoon/Schmicago: I liked the first season because I love musicals and especially from the musical’s Golden Age. Plus the cast was packed with Broadway performers who found work while the world stopped for Covid. But the second season was right up my alley, with most of the borrowing coming from some of my all-time favorite musicals: Pippin, Sweeny Todd, Godspell, Annie, and Chicago. It’s weird and it’s obviously fake and it was one of my favorite things in 2023.
Oh, and Schmicago also touched on A Chorus Line. I’ll close with the show’s take on “I Hope I Get It”.