Shows I’ve enjoyed over the past year…

Ever since I finished school around June, I haven’t been feeling to write an article on this blog, especially being in such a chiller mind state. Although I was able to let a review out earlier this month for Griselda’s WWCD, for the most part; I kinda struggled to think of what albums to review on here, especially since most of the albums I thought of at the time were those which I knew I was gonna talk about in my year-end write up (which is coming in a week’s time, by the way); and I didn’t wanna basically review them twice.

But I wanna talk about something different right now, and that is… TV shows. Throughout the year, there were a lot of shows that I found myself binging through within days and weeks. Outside of a few Netflix shows (the Marvel Netflix universe and Stranger Things), I haven’t been the biggest TV and film person, especially considering how my attention span be like a lot of the time. I can admit that on some average days, I could watch 5 minutes of a movie or a television episode and I would already reach for my phone just to scroll through Twitter for the 50th time in a row that day. But this year, I put the phone down and concentrated, binging through a lot of shows and tuning into new seasons every week; whether on Netflix, BBC or on US channels like FX and HBO. If you’ve followed my Instagram account for a while (@livinginafulltimeera), then you might have seen a few posts where I’ve briefly reviewed shows that I had watched recently, and maybe talk about a trailer for a new season or completely new series that I am looking forward to.

For today’s special Christmas/Boxing Day article, I wanted to compile my brief thoughts on the shows that I have enjoyed this year, and turn it into a blog article instead. I expected this to be a 5 minute short article, only speaking on 5 or a bit more shows, but I ended up talking about damn near every show I binged and tuned into this year (that’s 12 shows, by the way). Anyway, without further ado…

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is a show that I have delayed on watching a lot. Back when I was studying for GCSEs, one of my good friends back in Year 11 was bugging me so much to watch it and every single time, I basically ignored him, ha! But as the new year of 2019 meant an increase in anticipation for the show’s final season, I decided to finally binge through the show after finishing my early January exams. Binging through GoT was a great watching experience, there were a lot of great moments such as Bran’s journey with Hodor, Osha, Jojen and Meera; “Battle of the Bastards”, “Hardhome” and majority of Daenerys’ storylines as she tries to build an army in particular cities and areas around Essos. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss did do a good job adapting from the original book series from George R.R. Martin during the first four seasons. I did start to realise after my binge how season 5–7 featured some of the show’s weakest moments, especially considering that they started to create more original storylines to continue the story. But as soon as you get to season 8… oh brother, D&D fucked up BAD! And when you’ve heard everything those two bastards have said or have done after the finale (and even during the airing of the final season), you’ll just get more mad.

It’s hard to recommend that show for those who haven’t seen it, because as soon as you rightfully get hooked into certain characters and their arc, you’ll get to the final season realising it was all for nothing. But it’s whatever, don’t just listen to me, you can peep it for yourself if you still haven’t watched it yet. A lot of the moments on the show still makes it such a great watch.

Plus, I’m looking forward to the show’s “successor series” House of the Dragon, based on the Fire and Blood book from GRRM. Hopefully, they can do this one justice!

Westworld

Based on the 1973 Western/sci-fi film, Westworld follows an environment of programmed androids called “hosts” in a Western theme park, in which a number of them start to become self-aware and remember their past “lives”; as they attempt to achieve sentience. I heard a lot of good things about this show, mainly when the first season was airing around late 2016; and I’m glad I finally got onto this show. Season 1 was such an amazing watch, featuring some slight complex moments; as well as outstanding and compelling performances from Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton and Ed Harris. Season 2 was solid though, but after the binge, I did start to realise its weaknesses compared to the first; especially the criticism of how it felt like the writers were confusing fans just for the sake of being confusing. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed that season, regardless of the understandable criticism.

I’m definitely looking forward to the upcoming third season in 2020, introducing Aaron Paul, Kid Cudi, Marshawn Lynch and Lena Waithe to play new characters in the show. I do remember that the first teaser after the GoT finale hinted at a more futuristic Cyberpunk feel, compared to the neo-Western atmosphere of the past two seasons. Not to mention, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (the show’s creators) said at this year’s SDCC that this season would be less confusing and easier to follow, clearly learning from the criticism they got last year.

Snowfall

Snowfall is a show set during the 1980s crack-cocaine epidemic, which mainly focuses on Franklin Saint, a young man who makes money selling cocaine in his Los Angeles neighbourhood, as well as to rich white people. At first, it was powder cocaine but the story begins to develop more when crack gets introduced properly to the streets. Other storylines focus on CIA agent Teddy McDonald/Reed Thompson, Mexican luchador Gustavo Zapata and Lucia Villanueva (who was absent in the recent third season). The show features a lot of really great acting performances, especially from Damson Idris (who showed out a lot on season 3 this year), Reign Edwards and Isaiah John. Both the first and second seasons see Franklin understanding how the dope game works, but getting himself into a little bit of trouble before he bounces back coming out of jail at the end of the second season finale. But the recent third season was definitely a lot more action-packed, seeing Franklin at his most aggressive self while also realising the impact these drugs have on the people around him, including his own girlfriend.

The fourth season will arrive in 2020, and I’m really excited to see how things continue off, especially after how season 3 ended. At first, my anticipation for next year’s season felt a bit shaky, considering the passing of the show’s co-creator John Singleton earlier this year; but at the same time, I still have hope that the writers have a great idea of where things will go for Franklin. The third season finale definitely made for a lot of potential that we’ll have another amazing and action-packed season next year.

True Detective

Created and written by Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective is a crime drama anthology, with each season featuring a entirely different cast and focusing on a new case. The first season, starring Woody Harrelson & Matthew McConaughey, was an amazing watch. McConaughey’s acting was especially stellar throughout the 8 episodes; and I loved the non-linear approach they took, switching from the 1995 flashbacks of investigating a specific murder and the current 2012 storyline of the detectives being interviewed before working together again to continue the case, along with a few other unsolved crimes. I started watching the first two episodes of the second season, even though most people told me it sucked. But after tweeting about starting on it, it wasn’t long until Little Brother/The Foreign Exchange’s Phonte of all people found my tweet and told me to skip that shit. Moving onto the current third season, however, was another spectacular watch; definitely one of my favourite TV binges I’ve done this year. I personally prefer it over the first season, and it was good to see Pizzolatto bring back the non-linear narrative for the season’s Ozark location setting. Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo and Stephen Dorff delivered with their performances, and I was hooked so much from the jump.

I’m definitely looking forward to the fourth season, whenever it comes out. It’s been interesting hearing about the little development and progress so far from Pizzolatto, especially working on a new storyline with an undisclosed actor apparently. Hopefully, it’ll be another stellar and outstanding season, just like the first and the third season.

The Boys

The Boys is a new show that premiered on Prime Video earlier this year. Based on the comic book series, the show follows a group of vigilantes who try to fight back against particular superheroes who are corrupt and have abused their abilities behind closed doors. I heard a lot of good things about this on Twitter, and just like with True Detective season 3, I was proper hooked from the jump. Every character on the show was pretty intriguing, specifically Homelander’s sadistic self, Billy Butcher and Frenchie. And I loved how different it was from your normal comic book show, especially making the point of how superheroes aren’t as perfect as they appear.

After how the season finale ended, I’m so interested in how the second season will turn out next year. A teaser was posted recently after filming was wrapped up weeks back, and shit definitely looks promising as hell. Definitely gonna be another great watch, but I’m hoping it’s just as action packed or even better than the first.

The Leftovers

The Leftovers was a show I decided to watch while I was anticipating the Watchmen TV series on HBO. Just like that show, this was created and developed by Damon Lindelof (as well as Tom Perrotta, the original writer of the novel it was based on), and also had Regina King as a main character from the second to third seasons. The show features an ensemble cast, and follows the lives of mainly Kevin Garvey and his family (as well as reverend Matt Jamison), and how they struggle to cope three years after 2% of the world’s population started to disappear. The show definitely opened up for a lot of emotional moments, especially with Matt as he deals with his wife being in a vegetated state throughout majority of the series. Overall, a great watch, which lowkey helped me prepare for what to expect with Watchmen.

Love, Death + Robots

Premiering on Netflix earlier this March, Love, Death + Robots is an adult-animated sci-fi anthology, which serves as a modern reimagining of the classic comic magazine Heavy Metal and its 1981 film. I could easily call this a cartoon Black Mirror, but to be honest, it isn’t really like that. Unlike the former show’s content and themes which focus more on humanity’s relationship with technology, this show mainly consists of eighteen standalone episodes (which normally run up to 17 minutes and less); most of which connect accurately with the series title. This was a very intriguing watch, and I’m glad I didn’t sleep on it. The fact that the series showcased a range of talent from various animation studios was definitely a main highlight I loved. There were a lot of great and interesting animation styles, especially on “Beyond the Aquila Rift” (which I almost would’ve thought to be live-action; just like a few others), “The Witness” and “Fish Night”.

The series got renewed for a second “volume” later on in June, and I can’t wait for it, especially with the stories that are to be told and the various animation styles to expect. Jennifer Yuh Nelson will be helming and overseeing this season, and considering her past work on the Kung Fu Panda series, this will be interesting to see…

Infinity Train

Infinity Train was a cartoon series that I was anticipating since the pilot on Cartoon Network’s YouTube channel back in 2016. From there on, I was rooting for this one to become a full series straight away, and thank God that was the case. When the show was finally preparing for an August premiere date this year, it was originally advertised as if it was a miniseries, but luckily, it was then confirmed to be an anthology, with each season being a “book”. The first book focuses on a girl named Tulip, who struggles with her parents recently divorcing before coming across a mysterious train; where she is accompanied by a robot named One-One and a corgi named Atticus through her journey. Each episode is 11 minutes, making for a quick but very intriguing watch, and it gets even better near the end.

The second “book” premieres on January 6 next year, focusing on a new character on the train named Jesse accompanied by the Mirror Tulip character that was in the “Chrome Car” episode last season. The trailer definitely looked a bit more exciting than the first, and I know Jesse’s story is gonna be an interesting one, hopefully like Tulip’s.

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal

I think most people should know Genndy Tartakovsky is a legend in this cartoon shit. His resume is top tier, especially with Cartoon Network: Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars (the micro-series, not the 2008 one), Sym-Bionic Titan… even a bit of work on The Powerpuff Girls and Batman: The Animated Series. This year, he came back with another great show: Primal, which is much more mature than his past work, airing on Adult Swim just like his 2017 Samurai Jack continuation.

Set in a prehistoric era, Primal is a no-dialogue series, which is about a caveman named Spear who bonds with a tyrannosaurus named Fang, fighting together and against some of the violent creatures who live among them. The first five episodes of the series aired earlier in October, and they were fire! Genndy successfully incorporates the idea of less dialogue, as well as some slow moments sprinkled within the show, while still maintaining the style and traits that had most viewers drawn to his work in the past. The 22-minute length on each episode is perfect, featuring a lot of action and blissful moments between Spear and Fang. It was even sad seeing how the fifth episode ended off.

The remaining five episodes of the series will air in 2020, and I can’t wait to see how the story between Spear and Fang will continue (and maybe conclude). Genndy got another hit with this one!

Mindhunter

Based on John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker’s non-fiction true crime book, Mindhunter is a Netflix show, which follows a pair of FBI agents, alongside a psychologist; who interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their thought process and feelings, as a way to apply this knowledge to ongoing cases. The first season focuses on the early days of criminal psychology, with the agents frequently using the notorious Edmund Kemper to help them in understanding the mind of a serial killer. However, season 2 focuses more on the 1979–81 Atlanta murders, while still continuing through the process of criminal psychology. I really enjoyed this one a lot, Jonathan Groff as Holden Ford was very interesting, even when he started to become more irritating and obsessed in the second season. And I really loved how each episode of the series showed Dennis Rader (aka the ADT serviceman) developing as a serial killer, it gave such a mysterious vibe. Sierra McClain was even a bit of a recurring actor, but I still wanna give her props for her performance as Tanya Clifton. She did well!

As of now, the series hasn't been renewed for a third season (apparently it’s “on hold”), and while I’m trying to have hope that it returns, Netflix is well known to cancel some critically-acclaimed shows, and I pray that’s not going to be the case. But for now, these two seasons so far are A1.

Watchmen

Ever since I first watched the Watchmen film adaptation a few years back, I’ve been anticipating the Watchmen TV series a lot. Reading the original comic book later on boosted up my anticipation even more. I mean, shit, this was the reason why I started on The Leftovers, especially being recommended to me in the YouTube comments as Damon Lindelof & Regina King both contributed to that show as well as this comic book television adaptation. It was a great week, when it finally arrived though…

The new series premiered on HBO in October, and served as a “remix” (not a sequel) to the comic book; telling an entirely new story set 34 years after the original comic’s events. While still maintaining a few of the comic book characters, Damon Lindelof introduces a set of new characters, as the show focuses on racist violence occurring in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After an attack was set out on 40 police officers within the city by a white supremacist group named the Seventh Kavalry, the police now have to wear masks to protect themselves. However, three years later, past history is learned and more secrets begin to be uncovered overtime.

This show was one of the best things I watched this year, and it’s still crazy (but not surprising) to me that it gets a lot of hate, especially from comic book fans. I had a few minor issues with this season (mainly just one scene and how Dr. Manhattan was made to look in the final two episodes), but Lindelof did a stellar job continuing such a classic comic book. A number of Watchmen fans have complained about this show apparently having such a political agenda, which is funny since the original comic book featured a lot of political moments and social commentary. Yes, in this progressive era of BLM, Trump, LGBT rights and feminism, Hollywood has been pretty guilty of forcing political content into established and long-running works. But Lindelof approaches themes of racism, politics and white supremacy in a way that doesn’t feel forced or shoved in just for the sake of it.

The way the show ended a few weeks back, I wouldn’t even mind if the show doesn’t return for a second season. Watchmen definitely feels like it can ride out so much better as a miniseries/limited series, the same way the original comic book basically was. I can’t even think of how you can even continue this shit.

But for somewhat reason… I lowkey want someone to adapt this sequel into comic book form, ha!

His Dark Materials

The release of 2007’s The Golden Compass was a sticky one… based on Phillip Pullman’s Northern Lights novel (the first in the His Dark Materials novel trilogy), the film received a lot of criticism from the book fans and critics for diluting certain elements that were in the original book. The only thing people could praise about this film was the visual effects. This film was one of New Line Cinema’s most expensive projects, and it had such a disappointing opening weekend that the company had to restructure in February 2008, merging into the Warner Bros. name. But after 12 years, the novel trilogy finally got another chance in being adapted, this time, to television.

His Dark Materials premiered in November as a co-production between BBC and HBO. Set in a alternative multi-world reality where all humans have animal companions named daemons, the series follows a girl named Lyra, who discovers a dark secret involving Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter; but also uncovers a series of kidnappings and its link to the mysterious substance called Dust. I never had the time to properly read through the original His Dark Materials novels growing up, but I still know that this series does a great job adapting it, way better than The Golden Compass did. Dafne Keen and James McAvoy’s performances as Lyra and Asriel were really great, and Ruth Wilson pulls it off so well with her Ms. Coulter performance. There were some other great moments throughout these eight episodes too, and the finale from earlier this Sunday kicked in a lot.

The show has already been confirmed to return with its second series in 2020, even starting filming before the show even premiered; apparently necessary due to Dafne Keen’s age especially. This first series ended off very well, and I’m looking forward to how this second series will continue this story. Matter of fact, now I wanna start reading the novels…

*phew* well, that was long. It’s been a good year of binging and watching shows, new and old. 2020 even looks a bit more promising with the upcoming shows and seasons as well. And I know I missed out on one or two more shows that I could’ve written about. But I’m done, look out for my year-end music write-up, next week on New Year’s Eve. For now though… Merry Christmas and happy Boxing Day!