I haven’t been watching much in terms of actual shows for a good while, then while listening to a podcast a host casually mentioned they had rewatched Chernobyl, how it still holds up, that there’s a reason it got as much acclaim as it did, etc. So I thought I’d give it a go and wow, loved it (still one episode left to watch).
Had me thinking, what else have I missed out on? What are some “absolute cinema” TV shows that still hold up and and are considered must watch?
The Good Place. Season one is just to set it up, please stick with it through at least S2. The ending makes me cry every time I watch it
I’m always ready to plug Bojack Horseman. Yes, it’s an animated show about an anthropomorphic horse, with tons of silly, animal puns and visual gags, and cartoon-ish storylines, and it will sometimes just rip you open emotionally. Will Arnett is a phenomenally gifted voice actor. And despite this, one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever seen is one in which he has barely any lines.
The usual advice, of course, is that it takes until the middle of the first season to get really good. (The first few episodes aren’t bad, they’re just light comedy.)
It did some really cool experimental stuff as well, such as:
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An episode that’s 90% the main character’s monologue, delivered straight into the ‘camera’.
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An episode from the perspective of someone with advanced dementia, where a lot of the important details are scribbled out.
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An episode from the perspective of someone who’s (perhaps) dying, and it’s all explicitly stated to be a hallucination as their neurons are misfiring.
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A lot of exploration into themes of nihilism and pointlessness.
And it all works. That show is amazing.
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I really love this show. I’ll rewatch it every now and again. After my own mom died, “Free Churro” really hit differently. It’s a really beautiful dive into the thoughts and emotions that can come up when your mom is recently dead but your mom was also chronically an asshole.
The exploration of Beatrice’s and Bojack’s relationship thoughout the series, and the flashbacks to how Beatrice’s own trauma shaped her and her relationship with Bojack, and Bojack’s final acceptance that now, finally, he knows there’s no chance she’ll ever be the mother he wanted or the one he needed, really helped me come to grips with what I was going through, mentally and emotionally.
The rest of the show is also really good. I’m a big fan of Character Actress Margo Martindale.
Ted Lasso. Surface level it’s a “fish out of water” story of an American College Football coach going to England to coach Professional Football (soccer). In actuality it’s a show about loss, growth, relationships, and packs more emotions than you’ll know what to do with. I know a lot of people gush about it, but I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that it might be the most perfect show I’ve ever watched.
Similarly, Schitt’s Creek. A lot of similar themes, also a nearly perfect show. I will say that it took me a little bit to get past the first couple of episodes because it seemed like all of the characters were kinda awful, but that’s really setting things up for character growth.
