Like music and movies and books, television shows kept me plenty company this calendar year, when I felt more “at home” and isolated than ever before. Here are some shows I watched this year, many of which came to a close in 2021 and/or were simply one-off seasons. Either way, all 11 below were a delight to watch.
Gomorrah
[2014-2021]
Currently in the running for best television series I’ve ever seen, the Italian crime drama Gomorrah wrapped its fifth and final season earlier this month, a grisly and glorious story arc worthy of talk amongst The Sopranos and The Wire.
Perpetual Grace, LTD
[2019]
A show that was gone before I found out about it, the one-off season Perpetual Grace, LTD should be treated as a mini-series, as an absurdist daydream in the desert, lost in the tumbleweeds of peyote and greed, of getting out of the dust and finding something beautiful, like this poetic western, this flawless mirage of a series.
[note: shameless self plug, but I wrote a prose poem inspired by this beautiful show, and it was published over at Blue Arrangements.]
Fargo
[2014-ongoing]
Season four of Fargo had a slight delay, but it arrived at the end of last year, standing tall with their previous one-off Midwestern Winter seasons, this time with Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, and Salvatore Esposito (of Gomorrah acclaim).
Goliath
[2016-2021]
With many twists and turns and absurdist side stories and meandering paths, Billy Bob Thornton’s legal drama came to a close this year with a season that sought to take down Big Pharma, further proving (to me, at least) that this felt like a soap opera for men, one where I couldn’t look away.
The Patriot
[2015-2018]
Written and directed by the same person as Perpetual Grace, LTD, the two seasons of The Patriot are a dream come true, full of slacker-stoner-meets-secret-agent-worker-burnout in a show full of so many ins and outs that it was a delight to just revel in the personalities and characters, more original than most you see on television and a serious shame that creative shows like these don’t get more attention because damnit they have something to say and they’re having a fun time saying it.
Invincible
[2021-ongoing]
I’m always a bit hesitant with superhero shows/movies for some reason, but Invincible (knowing little about its background in the comic world) was a blast, topped off with next level gore and an interesting approach to the genre.
ZeroZeroZero
[2020]
This show! I know the rest of these write-ups are one sentence each, but this one deserves that first sentence as well as a brief explanation - a miniseries from the mind behind Gomorrah showcasing how a lot of cocaine goes from point A (in Mexico) to point Z (in Italy) and all of the international mayhem along the way.
Watchmen
[2019]
Yet another wonderful one-season show that seemed ahead of its time in an almost prophetic way, somehow speaking to the masked-up/unmasked and visibly racist society that followed one year after airing, resulting in an adaptation and viewing experience miles beyond the movie (in my humble blogging opinion).
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
[2017-ongoing]
I’ll keep this blurb brief because I haven’t watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel since 2020, I’m just beyond excited that it’s returning on February 18 with season 4. It’s one of my favorite shows and maybe it’s a guilty pleasure but I don’t care! It makes me happy damnit!
Narcos: Mexico
[2018-2021]
Following the original three seasons of Narcos (2015-2017), Narcos: Mexico came to a close this year after three violent seasons, further documenting the drug trafficking mayhem throughout Mexico and into the States, one kilo and hand grenade at a time.
Primal
[2019-ongoing]
I finished the first (and only) season of Primal earlier this week and I remain in awe of its non-verbal storytelling, its sweeping landscapes, its brutal gore. Word around town is that season 2 will air in 2022. Fingers crossed.
Other shows I’m watching but haven’t finished:
Lovecraft Country (2020)
On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019)
The Mask: Animated Series (1995-1997)
Men in Black: The Series (1997-2001)
Made for Love (2021)
Landscapers (2021)
Reno 911! (2003-2020)
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? (1969-1970)
