Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Decision to Leave (Theaters) – The latest from Park Chan-wook!
–Halloween Ends (Theaters and Peacock)
–Till (Theaters)
TV
–High School Series Premiere (October 14 on Freevee) – Based on the lives of Tegan and Sara!
–Whose Line is it Anyway? Season 19 Premiere (October 14 on The CW)
–Jeopardy! Second Chance Tournament (October 17-October 28, check local listings) – The inaugural edition of a new tourney!
–Documentary Now! Season 4 Premiere (October 19 on IFC) – AKA Season 53.
–Inside Amy Schumer Season 5 Premiere (October 20 on Paramount+)
Music
-Brian Eno, ForeverAndEverNoMore
-M.I.A., Mata
-The 1975, Being Funny in a Foreign Language
-Red Hot Chili Peppers, Return of the Dream Canteen
-Tove Lo, Dirt Femme
In assembling my picks for the best TV episodes of the past decade, I noticed that I was leaning heavily on the comedy side. This was unsurprising, as I tend to watch more sitcoms than dramas. But the difference was even more pronounced than usual. I think that makes sense, because on average, comedies tend to be specifically designed on an episodic basis moreso than dramas.
I should also note that I did not limit shows to any prescribed maximum. You’ll notice that certain programs keep popping up, like Community and Nathan for You. They deserve it, as they’re the types of shows that revolutionized themselves on the regular.
So here are the television morsels from the 2010s that shine within the context of their full works and also stand brilliantly on their own.
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – Not Safe with Nikki Glaser
Wednesday – Jeopardy!
Thursday – Inside Amy Schumer, even though I’m not especially afraid of bats
Friday – Comedy Bang! Bang!, weird and psychotic
Saturday – O.J.: Made in America Part 1
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Silicon Valley
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – The Civil War letter writing sketch from Maya & Marty
Wednesday – The Chris Gethard Show … ?!
Thursday – Inside Amy Schumer (Hacky sitcom parodies always get me.)
Friday – Comedy Bang! Bang!
Saturday – Ladies French Open Final – is this the beginning of an all-time great?
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Silicon Valley at its sharpest (but Mr. Pickles wins Scene of the Week for its dinner with a cannibal)
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – The Grinder
Wednesday – The MiddleThursday – Inside Amy Schumer gets the edge for taking the nanny sketch as far as it can stretch.
Friday – VICE
Saturday – SNL, esp. Dead Bopz
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – An assist from Lin-Manuel Miranda gives Last Week Tonight the edge.
Monday – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Tuesday – New Girl, more the bachelorette party than the bachelor party (Although of course, the characters that won Tuesday – and the whole week – were FitzSimmons.)
Wednesday – black-ish
Thursday – Inside Amy Schumer – guns, trolls, Neeson (Don Cheadle)
Friday – W. Kamau Bell: Semi-Permanent Negro
Saturday – “Obama out.“
If you binge through this list, you will get a good sense of the televisual excellence of 2015. These selections lean heavily toward comedy, for two reasons: I watch more comedies than dramas, and comedies naturally distill their greatness more readily into individual episodes while dramas do so more naturally in multi-episode arcs. The top 5 are ranked below, while the rest are unranked and organized alphabetically by show.
“12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer” Perfectly cast and intricately directed, “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer” reaches all-time highs in homage and long-form sketch comedy. It also features some of the most dignified dildo-based humor around.
For my detailed thoughts on my predictions and wishlists in the major Drama, Comedy, and Variety categories, check out these links:
–Comedy
–Drama –Variety
Guest Actor, Comedy John Hawkes, Inside Amy Schumer
Michael Rapaport, Louie
Chris Gethard, Parks and Recreation
Dwayne Johnson, Saturday Night Live
Guest Actress, Comedy Susie Essman, Broad City
Guest Actor, Drama Mel Rodriguez, Better Call Saul
Guest Actress, Drama Allison Janney, Masters of Sex Linda Lavin, The Good Wife
Directing, Comedy Rob Schrab, “Modern Espionage,” Community
Directing, Drama Adam Arkin, “The Promise,” Justified
Writing, Comedy Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna, “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television,” Community
Writng, Drama Thomas Schnauz, “Pimento,” Better Call Saul
Animated Program Bojack Horseman – “Downer Ending” American Dad! – “Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas” The Simpsons – “Treehouse of Horror XXV”
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