Wrapping up my look back at 2019 with the best of everything else (ie: not books or movies). This means sharing the television and podcasts that made my year.
Television
1. Succession
This is absolutely my favourite new find of 2019. I didn't watch it when the first season aired so I got to binge it before season two premiered and I am obsessed. Everything about it from the acting, directing, writing, etc is phenomenal. It's not a show I thought I would love as much as I do, but it is incredibly addictive.
The entire cast stands out but some of my favourites are Jeremy Strong, who delivers 2019's best acting performance in season two, Kieran Culkin who is a delight as Roman. Sarah Snook who is incredible as Shiv (and has a wardrobe to match). Matthew Macfadyen who, as Tom, manages to steal so many scenes, and Nicholas Braun who kills it as fan favourite Cousin Greg.
2. Stranger Things Season 3
I anticipate that this show will be on every end of year list I do until it wraps up. The third season was absolutely everything I hoped it would be (and more). It gave fans exactly what they wanted by offering up more scenes between our favourite pairings, and managed to make a bigger, more action packed season feel just as emotionally satisfying as the others. Dacre Montgomery's portrayal of Billy this season gave me goosebumps, and I felt the emotional impact of his story arc in particular.
3. Mindhunter Season 2
This show managed to make a riveting season around what is basically, for many, still an unsolved case. There are so many questions that linger around the Atlanta Child Murders that I was curious about how they would address it when I discovered that was what this season was going to focus on. The answer to that question was to be as faithful as possible to factual events. This entire season worked for me, and Holt McCallany's Bill Tench was my MVP of this season.
4. The Good Place
I discovered this super late and actually binged watched the entire thing this year. I normally do not watch comedies and have enjoyed very few, so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up loving this show. It's smart, and charming, and actually funny. I, of course, love all of the main characters and ship Eleanor and Chidi way more than I thought I would at the beginning.
This is absolutely my favourite new find of 2019. I didn't watch it when the first season aired so I got to binge it before season two premiered and I am obsessed. Everything about it from the acting, directing, writing, etc is phenomenal. It's not a show I thought I would love as much as I do, but it is incredibly addictive.
The entire cast stands out but some of my favourites are Jeremy Strong, who delivers 2019's best acting performance in season two, Kieran Culkin who is a delight as Roman. Sarah Snook who is incredible as Shiv (and has a wardrobe to match). Matthew Macfadyen who, as Tom, manages to steal so many scenes, and Nicholas Braun who kills it as fan favourite Cousin Greg.
2. Stranger Things Season 3
I anticipate that this show will be on every end of year list I do until it wraps up. The third season was absolutely everything I hoped it would be (and more). It gave fans exactly what they wanted by offering up more scenes between our favourite pairings, and managed to make a bigger, more action packed season feel just as emotionally satisfying as the others. Dacre Montgomery's portrayal of Billy this season gave me goosebumps, and I felt the emotional impact of his story arc in particular.
3. Mindhunter Season 2
This show managed to make a riveting season around what is basically, for many, still an unsolved case. There are so many questions that linger around the Atlanta Child Murders that I was curious about how they would address it when I discovered that was what this season was going to focus on. The answer to that question was to be as faithful as possible to factual events. This entire season worked for me, and Holt McCallany's Bill Tench was my MVP of this season.
4. The Good Place
I discovered this super late and actually binged watched the entire thing this year. I normally do not watch comedies and have enjoyed very few, so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up loving this show. It's smart, and charming, and actually funny. I, of course, love all of the main characters and ship Eleanor and Chidi way more than I thought I would at the beginning.
Other
1. You Must Remember This podcast
If you're a fan of movies, golden age Hollywood, and well produced podcasts I highly recommend you check out You Must Remember This. The amount of research that writer/narrator Karina Longworth puts into each episode is evident and the guest voice actors are always amazing. It'll make you want to watch a ton of the movies that are featured, and will have you searching out some of the books used for the research.
2. The Murder Squad podcast
I am always looking for more true crime podcasts and this one, hosted by Paul Holes and Billy Jensen, is a little unique in that it is being used as a way to get information out there about the cases that are featured in the hopes that new information may be found. It helps channel citizen sleuths by providing avenues to explore and does so responsibly by providing some important rules to be followed. The banter between Paul and Billy make this entertaining as well as informative, and their 'Weekly Distraction' segment has quickly become my favourite.
3. My Favorite Murder podcast
This podcast was on my year end list previously, and I expect that it will be plenty more times, but it is still my go to podcast. I eagerly anticipate the new episode that gets released on Thursday and still find Karen and Georgia just as relatable, and inspiring as when I first started listening. I may have initially been drawn in by the true crime, but am happy to have also found fellow Murderinos to talk to, and the entire community that has sprung up around this podcast.
If you're a fan of movies, golden age Hollywood, and well produced podcasts I highly recommend you check out You Must Remember This. The amount of research that writer/narrator Karina Longworth puts into each episode is evident and the guest voice actors are always amazing. It'll make you want to watch a ton of the movies that are featured, and will have you searching out some of the books used for the research.
2. The Murder Squad podcast
I am always looking for more true crime podcasts and this one, hosted by Paul Holes and Billy Jensen, is a little unique in that it is being used as a way to get information out there about the cases that are featured in the hopes that new information may be found. It helps channel citizen sleuths by providing avenues to explore and does so responsibly by providing some important rules to be followed. The banter between Paul and Billy make this entertaining as well as informative, and their 'Weekly Distraction' segment has quickly become my favourite.
3. My Favorite Murder podcast
This podcast was on my year end list previously, and I expect that it will be plenty more times, but it is still my go to podcast. I eagerly anticipate the new episode that gets released on Thursday and still find Karen and Georgia just as relatable, and inspiring as when I first started listening. I may have initially been drawn in by the true crime, but am happy to have also found fellow Murderinos to talk to, and the entire community that has sprung up around this podcast.
What television and podcasts from 2019 made your own best of lists? Let me know in the comments!
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