Embarrassing note on number 10: I would’ve loved to have included Pierce Brown’s “Dark Age” and Erin Morgenstern’s “The Starless Sea” in this countdown, but I wasn’t able to finish them in time. However, since I’m fairly confident at least one would’ve been included, it didn’t feel right to exclude them completely. 9. [tie] “My…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Best TV Shows of 2019
Runner-Ups: I didn’t want to count TV movies, although HBO had a trio of great ones in “Brexit,” “OG,” and especially the return of “Deadwood.” Also, “Crashing,” “On Becoming a God in Central Florida,” and especially “Veep”‘s final season were all worth watching. 10. “The Righteous Gemstones” …Given the outrageously over-the-top nature of televangelists, it…
My Favorite TV Episodes or Moments of 2019
Runner-Up: I wasn’t a fan of “True Detective”‘s third season overall, but the final episode (resolving the mystery…without the main detective knowing it) was excellent. Mahershala Ali’s dementia-suffering detective having a flashback to where he disappeared into the Vietnamese jungle is one of my favorite shots of the year. 10. Walton Goggins and Edi Patterson…
The BEST TV Characters of 2019
Best Group: “The Good Place”…This series may be a victim of its own success, as there was simply no way I could pick just one or two characters to list here. Conscientious Chidi (William Jackson Harper) grew smoother and more relaxed in the final season, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) found new layers of management skills and…
The WORST TV Characters of 2019
Note: As always, this list is made up of the worst characters on good TV shows or ones perceived to be quality since there’s really no point calling out bad characters on bad shows. Also, this is the very first time half the list has been made up of characters from the same series. I…
All I Want for Christmas is…Trump’s Removal From Office
Dear Santa, I hope you and Mrs. Claus are doing well. [What is her name by the way? She should have a name. I want to recommend “Ashanti Claus.”] Hopefully, all is well with the North Pole–which I hear is suffering heavily from climate crisis–and bless the Elf Labor Union as well. It may seem…
“Mr. Robot”–Ranking and Grading All the Seasons
Since this is literally the third “Mr. Robot” article I’ve written today, I won’t spend too much time writing this up. I just hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did, and look forward to seeing your rankings. The “Worst” Season: Season 2…This is a relatively easy one since season 2 lost the…
Mr. Robot’s Most Daring Feature: A Chinese Villain
[Note about spoilers: There are only the vaguest possible spoilers for the series finale–and all season four spoilers are only in the first two paragraphs. This article isn’t about that.] “Mr. Robot” is hands-down the most audacious Drama on television (sorry Damon Lindelof, I know you try). Any given episode can feature head trips, fake…
Mr. Robot’s Series Finale…WTF?
“Mr. Robot” is one of the most unusual (and I would say best) shows on television, so it only makes sense that the series finale would have most people either sobbing profusely while proclaiming “this is perfect” or scratching their heads saying “What the fuck was that?” Creator Sam Esmail has always been more than…
Live-Blogging the December Debate (And Ranking/Grading the Candidates)
4:58 p.m….Are you ready for some debaaaaate! CNN literally says “Debate Pre-Show…Moments Away: Democrats Face Off in High-Stakes Debate.” Ohhhhh…dramatic. 4:59 p.m. We’re seeing live footage of the candidates scribbling notes at the podium. Riveting stuff 5:01 p.m. An introduction of the moderators, who I have never heard of… 5:01 p.m. Introducing the candidates–who are…
What Would Trump’s 2nd Term Look Like?
This seems like a strange question to ask on the day after Trump became only the third U.S. President to be impeached, and most people are so terrified of this possibility they might secretly curse me just for speaking it into existence. Please understand that I’m not saying he’ll be reelected and I damn sure…
What Would a Tulsi Gabbard Presidency Look Like?
Okay, so Tulsi Gabbard isn’t even remotely in the top 5, and if you want serious predictions, please check out the other articles in this series… –Dosvedanya comrades. “I can see Russia from my White House…because this is Putin’s summer home.” Vladimir Putin would very quickly reabsorb Ukraine, and Gabbard wouldn’t lift a finger to…
What Would a Pete Buttigieg Presidency Look Like?
This is probably the biggest mystery of all the candidates. While Warren and Bernie have been crystal clear about most of their progressive plans, and center-leftist Biden has given every indication of what he’ll do (hint: not much), Buttigieg is taking a slightly more mysterious, Clinton-esque route. He has detailed, pragmatic plans on most things…