Surprise, surprise, I am super late with the blogging. I thought 2018 was going to be the year I jumped back in but as you can see, it was not very successful. This year, I’m getting back to drafting and scheduling and planning what’s next so come this spring and onward, look forward to a glorious return (and even a newsletter coming soon!).
In the meantime, I want to catch up on some posts, some wrap ups and on my radars and Charmed and more before I move forward because I don’t want to skip some awesome things have had happened and also my TV faves of last year.
That said, I’m just now catching up on a ton of TV as the second half of last year was filled with work so if I leave something out below and you know that I watch it, just assume I’m behind. My End of the Year Movie Survey is here and Books Survey here. TV is finally below!
Let’s Go!!!
1. Best TV Shows I Watched In 2018?
*My goal: List five or less shows per category.
New Drama: Altered Carbon (Netflix), Lost in Space (Netflix), Maniac (Netflix), Black Lightning (The CW)
New Comedy: Forever (Amazon), On My Block (Netflix), Good Girls (NBC)
Returning Drama: 3%, Travelers (Netflix), The Orville, The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Returning Comedy: Superstore (NBC), The Good Place (NBC), Angie Tribeca (TBS), Insecure (HBO), Dear White People (Netflix)
2. New TV Show I Was Excited About & Thought I Was Going To Love More But Didn’t?
The Rain (Netflix) is great but it has a lot of potential to be GREAT. If they push everything just a bit further, I won’t come away feeling underwhelmed at any point. The first half of the season was strong but then it just went downhill because it set up what it couldn’t quite deliver. I’m still all in for season 2 and am excited to see where it goes.
3. Most Surprising (in a good way) TV Shows I Watched in 2018?
Drama: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix)
Comedy: The Chi (Showtime)
If you’re looking for an example of how to remake a show and make it your own, look no further than The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. They did that!! They killed it. It is SO good. I do absolutely hate one scene in particular SPOILER COMING that involves a Black witch being hung (she doesn’t die but the imagery itself is enough to make anyone Black recoil). Other than that, this show is absolutely fantastic.
As for The Chi, I’m not at all surprised at how great the show is, that’s a given with the creatives attached. What I am pleasantly surprised by is that this and in general, so many more diverse stories are being told by diverse voices and cast with diverse actors. I love that our time has finally come when we’re no longer politely knocking on the door, we’re kicking it down and demanding our stories be told. This is the result and I love it.
4. TV Shows I “Pushed” The Most People To Watch (And They Did) In 2018?
Grown-ish (Freeform) and The Good Place (NBC)
5. Best Newish Series That Avoided the Sophomore Slump?
Atlanta (FX) 3% (Netflix), Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu)
Marvel’s Runaways was 10x better than the first season oh my goodness. Wow.
6. Favorite TV Show I Binged in 2018?
Maniac (Netflix) and Altered Carbon (Netflix) hands down. They’ve been on my mind at least once a week since I’ve binged them. They have pleased my sci-fi heart oh so very, very much.
7. Best TV Series From a Genre Out of My Comfort Zone?
I can’t say that any show comes to mind for this one.
8. Most Thrilling TV Series of the Year?
Into the Bad Lands (AMC) was so exciting to watch. I don’t talk when I watch TV but I was shrieking and shouting and just making a bunch of OMG noises while watching all of the fight scenes on this show. It is perfection. It’s such a shame that the Emmys don’t have a stunt category because the stunt crew on this show deserve to be recognized. Wow.
Most thrilling episode hands down goes to Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Netflix). Wow. If you haven’t watched this choose your own adventure inspired episodes, GET ON IT.
9. New TV Show I Watched That I Am Most Likely To Re-Watch?
Russian Doll (Netflix) – You’ll probably feel the same way when you watch it. This show is so freaking good and I don’t want to have missed a single thing.
10. Favorite Key Art for a TV Show I Watched in 2018?
11. Most Memorable Characters of 2018? Most Memorable Guest Stars of 2018?
- Dr. Rydakto (Fred Armisen) on Splitting Up Together (ABC) Episode 1.06 “Letting Ghost” / Karl Cowperthwaite (Fred Armisen) on The Last Man on Earth (FOX) Episode 4.10 “Paint Misbehavin'”
Especially now that Portlandia is over, I really love seeing when Fred Armisen pops up and makes me laugh elsewhere.
- Chet (Dax Shepard) on The Good Place (NBC)
Dax Shepard meeting (his real life wife) Kristen Bell’s character at a bar and saying to her, “I’ll smash you later” is hands down the funniest moment of TV comedy in 2018.
12. Most Beautifully Written Episode of 2018?
The Flash (The CW) – Episode 4.15 “Enter Flashtime”
13. Most Thought-Provoking/Impactful TV Episodes of 2018?
Drama: Doctor Who (BBC America) Episode 11.03 “Rosa”
Comedy: Blackish (ABC) Episode 4.21 “Blue Valentime”
14. TV Show I Can’t Believe I Waited Until 2018 To Finally Watch?
Nothing really comes to mind here since 2018 was really the year for me to play catch up and just maintain.
15. Favorite Quotes From TV Shows I Watched in 2018?
You guys, I had an entire document FULL of quotes that got accidentally deleted, I am so, so sad. I had been saving those quotes all year just for this. Boo. Now I know to save in multiple places for 2019 and on haha.
16. TV Shows I Watched For the Last Time on Air in 2018 (Cancelled/Ended) & Will Miss?
Drama: 12 Monkeys (Syfy), Quantico (ABC), Timeless (NBC), Shades of Blue (NBC), The Path (Hulu), Freakish (Hulu), Colony (USA), The Librarians (TNT), The Arrangement (E!)
Comedy: The Last Man on Earth (Fox), Portlandia (IFC), New Girl (Fox), Great News (NBC), Ghosted (Fox)
Reality: Face Off (Syfy)
This is just a sampling of the shows I’m going to miss. So many great shows got the boot in 2018. RIP!!
17. TV Show That Shocked/Surprised Me The Most?
Maniac (Netflix) was cohesive and yet so totally completely different in each and every episode. I didn’t know what to expect going into this show but that feeling didn’t change after the first episode, it continued ll the way through and I loved it.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (You will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing)
*insert gif of someone scrambling* I’m trying to recall a relationship that I cared about but being someone who is not a romantic, this could take awhile…
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year?
Sisters, Jennifer and Anissa on Black Lightning (The CW) – The relationship dynamic here is absolute perfection. Since I have two sisters, I see and appreciate all of the nuances that have been put into their dynamic and I could cry, it makes me so happy to see.
20. I Want Their Closet: Best TV Fashion?
Iris on The Flash (The CW) and Petra on Jane the Virgin (The CW)
21. Best TV Show I Watched In 2018 That I Watched Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody:
Lol who has time to take recs when I’m behind on the shows I actually want to watch????
22. Best World Building/Most Vivid Setting of a New Series?
Altered Carbon (Netflix)
23. TV Shows That Put A Smile On My Face/Were The Most Fun To Watch?
Dramas: Black Lightning (The CW), The Orville (Fox) 3% (Netflix)
Comedies: American Housewife (ABC), Grown-ish (Freeform), Superstore (NBC), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC), The Good Place (NBC), Angie Tribeca (TBS), Dear White People (Netflix), On My Block (Netflix), Happy Together (CBS)
24. TV Show That Made Me Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?
A Million Little Things (ABC)
25. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes (Netflix), The Final Table (Netflix)
26. Most Unique TV Show I Watched In 2018?
Maniac (Netflix)
27. Favorite Award Show in 2018?
Film Independent Spirit Awards and SAG Awards
28. TV Show I Didn’t Get To In 2018 But I Will Attempt To Watch in 2019?
Legacies (The CW)
What are your TV standouts of 2018?