We've already looked at the show that Lost It, weren't any good in the first place, or where I See The Title I Can't Remember The Show. So what were my Top 40 shows that I actually liked?
This scrapes in because it is what it is. And it's been worse. I try telling folks how bad this show was in the 1980s, and they either remember it differently or don't care. But really, these Chris Chibnall stories are not the worst it's ever been, and at least Power Of The Doctor gave me the opportunity to make a TikTok that's had 92,000 views. But still, we all look forward to what comes next.
39 - Werewolf By Night
Marvel spend all that money, and sometimes you're left wondering whether anyone would get who half the characters were. I didn't, and not only did I grow up reading this comic, but I wrote it in the 90s!
38 = The Witchfinder
= Ten Percent
I must confess that Witchfinder is one of those shows I forgot about until after I'd written this list, then slotted it in. It was ambitious, and parts of it were funny, but ultimately it wasn't as good as other BBC comedies with medieval witches in. (OK, there's only one other, but given its place in the top ten again this year, it's a hard one to compete with). Ten Percent was a remake of the French show Call My Agent, and wasn't bad.
37 - Ms Marvel
The amount they spend on these things, it's good to be reminded they're not all great. This was neither one thing nor another, and had the worst car chase seen on TV this year.
36 - Drole
French show about stand ups, pretty good.
35 - The Watcher
If you want to be reminded how Ryan Murphy's shows always lose their way halfway through their over-long run, watch any Ryan Murphy show. They always begin with such promise, and end with the sound of Fonzie having jumped shark.
34 - Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities
A couple of these have been great, but too many are not great. They're selected by Del Toro, and presented by him, but then written and directed by a grab bag of people, hence the variable quality.
33 = A Very British Scandal
= SAS Rogue Heroes
Two series based on true stories about some of the less likeable people at the privileged end of the British class system. British Scandal was better than The Crown this year, but suffered from being so early in the year you can't remember it well. SAS was a bit of a guilty pleasure, being the least Bechdel-Test friendly show of the year, and being about the bloke who, 30 years later, would try and lead a military coup to overthrow the Labour government.
32 - Patrick Melrose
So low down the chart because we've only just started it and are only 3 out of 5 episodes through it. Truly remarkable storytelling, adapted from a book, more successfully than most.
31 - The DVD period: Jekyll, Bilko +
When we moved house in March we had no broadband and no TV aerial for over a month. So we could watch live TV in one room only, and online stuff through 4G, which used up too much juice to watch on the big screen. So we watched a lot of DVDs, the best among them being Bilko and 2006's Jekyll.
30 - Around The World In 80 Days
Very good big budget adaptation, with a great sense of humour. Strayed a lot from the books. For example they used a hot air balloon which, famously, they don't in the book. (You can look it up if you don't believe me).
29 - Inside No 9
Always good, though never quite as novel and amazing as that first series. I'm also enjoying the podcast that comes with it.
28 - Taskmaster
Rare for me to include a game show in the list. After all, HIGNFY never gets a mention, though we never miss an episode. But Taskmaster has become such reliable laugh out loud entertainment that it has to be in here.
27 - Moon Knight
They spend so much money on these shows, did I mention that? And this one started better than most, with a character who I used to read 40 years ago, that has obviously changed totally since I last looked. The initial multi-identity nature of this story was fabulous, and really kept you gripped. Then it gets a bit giant-sized monster-punchy silly-beggars in multiple realities, and loses your interest by the end.
26 - Reacher
These are such good fun. So formulaic, but somehow always gripping and unpredictable, with a great sense of humour while remaining po-faced and faux-serious. The casting makes up for the Tom Cruise versions, which pale in comparison.
25 - The Thief His Wife And The Canoe
A splendid retelling of a true story we've already seen done on TV before. A good take on the story.
24 - Only Murders In The Building 2
Almost as much fun as the first series, though the denouement was disappointing. I guess these things will get more and more contrived as they over-stretch the bounds of credibility. Bet it loses it next season.
23 - Sherwood
A good drama, extrapolated from a true story, with a lot of dramatic license. Bizarrely, with all plots resolved and characters stories told, they're telling us there's a second series. Cannot imagine how that will work. It probably won't.
22 = Welcome To Wrexham
22= Get Back
Documentaries? One about a football team and the other about The Beatles? What are they doing in here? Wrexham was a surprisingly entertaining show which has had us turning the TV over during the news cos we don't want to know Wrexham's actual fate in real life so as not to spoil the show. The Beatles was amazing, in that the footage had stayed hidden for so long. Possibly one for real musos who want to hear the same song twenty times over.
21 - Wednesday
We're still in the middle of watching this, so it could go up or down the chart depending where it goes from here. But a witty and original twist on the Addams Family set up, with dark humour making up for the kids soap opera parts nicely.
Coming next, My TV Of The Year, 20 to 11
My Books and where to get them:
1 comment:
For now Wednesday works for me, a mash-up of Harry Potter and The X-Men. Until you notice that it doesn't have the character strength of the comic book series or the powerhouse Potter novels and movies and as soon as it gets to close to Potter, the individual ideas are all less smart and more cheaply executed than the Potter ones (the canoe race and the sabotage efforts used are nothing compared to any of the Potter school games).
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