GregHowley.com

I watched a lot of TV this past year. Mostly on my PC while doing something else, although I'll admit that some of it was so damn interesting that I put down my paintbrush or stopped wrapping Christmas gifts to watch. Here are some of the more notable shows I watched this past year, in chronological order.

Breaking Bad - It was my re-watch of Breaking Bad earlier this year that led to me giving it such a solid place in my top TV shows of all time earlier this year. While the last season falls off a bit at times, the show overall remains one of my all-time favorites.

The Book of Boba Fett - After the surprising success that was The Mandalorian, the jury was still out as to whether Star Wars TV shows would remain good. Boba Fett turned out to be better than I'd expected, especially that huge last episode. And the plot tied in with The Mandalorian far more than I'd expected.

Peacemaker - Stupid and funny. Also better than most of the recent DC movies, although I guess that isn't saying much. I plan to re-watch it.

All of Us Are Dead - Korean shows can be hit or miss for me. This one was entertaining enough to keep my interest, despite the fact that zombie movies aren't really my thing.

Reacher - The key thing that this series had going for it was the fact that in watching it, it felt so very much like the story from a novel. And the actor playing Jack Reacher was a better character than Tom Cruise had been in the role. Recommended.

Severance - An Apple TV show that proved that Apple TV can have some really good programming other than For All Mankind. The premise is super interesting, the characters are good, and I'm really intrigued to see where they go with season two. One of the best this year.

If you're unfamiliar, the premise of Severance is that workers at this company have an operation such that while at home, they have no memory of what they do at work, and while at work, they have no memory of their home life. This gets very interesting once the implications are explored.

Moon Knight - While I still love everything Marvel, I do feel that Moon Knight is the weakest of the Marvel TV shows. Oscar Isaac's performace was no doubt excellent, but the whole Egyptian Pantheon thing somehow just doesn't do it for me.

Lost in Space - Early on, I was interested to see where the show would go, but by the time I got to the most recent season, I completely lost interest.

Better Call Saul - After hearing good things, I checked the show out, and watched every season. While it's really interesting and fun seeing characters from Breaking Bad gradually introduced over the seasons, Better Call Saul is a very slow-moving show. Good, but not as good as Breaking Bad.

Russian Doll, season two - The show's premise takes an interesting twist, and while it's not quite as good as the first season, it held my interest.

Outer Range - This science fiction nugget got increasingly weird as it progressed, yet somehow remained sadly predictable. The best part of the show was one character who liked to sing odd song selections, the best being when he sang Peter Gabriel at a funeral. So strange.

Night Sky - After the first episode, I had no idea where the show was going. But it evolved in an interesting direction, and I can guess where things might head from here as the plot expands. I'm hoping that it gets a second season.

The Time Travelers Wife - So much better than the 2009 movie. The HBO series covered the good stuff in the book, and added/improvised well. Whether or not you've read the book, I highly recommend this one. It sucks that there were only six episodes and that it didn't end on an ending, but it's still completely worth the watch. And if you do want the ending, the book still exists.

Love, Death, and Robots, Season 3 - Despite it being a cartoon, the show is often too graphically gory for my personal tastes. Still, the episode Mason's Rats was excellent, about rats evolving to use simple tools and weapons and fighting back.

Stranger Things, season 4 - Stranger Things remains one of my favorite shows of all time, and I love that they've begun tying things together and explaining the overall lore of the show.

The Boys season 3 - Very dark. But it remains very watchable. I'm enjoying it. Everything else I want to say is spoilers, so I'm done here.

Obi Wan Kenobi - I've not been into Star Wars in recent years the way I'm into Marvel, but the show was well-done and enjoyable.

Ms Marvel - I'm a bit disappointed by the changes to her powers, but I'm excited about the possibilities that come from her being retconned as a mutant.

The Terminal List - I watched it, but I didn't love it. And to Chris Pratt's character, dude, I know you have a reason to go on this revenge mission and kill all these people, but as your murders continue and the excuses grow increasingly thin, at some point you've got to admit that you're doing it just because you like to kill people, you effing psycho.

Resident Evil - While it isn't the greatest, there were two main things I enjoyed about Netflix's new Resident Evil show. Firstly, the nods to the video games. The garudo, the giant alligator, the licker, the “Master of Unlocking” reference. Secondly, Lance Reddick's performance as Albert Wesker.

Raising Dion, Season 2 - A fairly well-done superhero show, with a focus on kids. It's sad that it's been cancelled, as some of the kid actors are excellent.

For All Mankind, Season 3 - While I can't help but feel that they'll soon need to retire the characters that have been around for 30 years, the show remains solid, and one of my favorite shows of all time. Season four can't come soon enough.

Cobra Kai, Final Season - It's not going in my top shows of all time, but I enjoyed Cobra Kai. Stingray was obviously the best character, but I did really enjoy Kreese's ending. I also enjoyed all the subtle Rocky 4 references. If I can change, you can change. We can all change!

War of the Worlds 2019 - I noticed this show on Amazon, and streamed the first season there. It's a very interesting French-made reimagining of the classic, and I liked it enough to get ahold of season two. Roughly half of the dialogue is French, so subtitles are necessary. I liked that parts of it reminded me of my favorite Black Mirror episode, Metalhead, and I liked the technical aspects which were too-briefly touched upon: quantum computing, and how the aliens see via different portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Season two ended with what felt like finality, so I stopped there.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law - A Marvel show that takes itself less seriously than any that have come before. I enjoyed She-Hulk, and I absolutely love Tatiana Maslany. I could go more into depth, but this list isn't the right spot for it.

The Rings of Power - I enjoyed the show more upon my second viewing, when things made a bit more sense to me. I have no issue with non-human races having dark skin, and the happenings of the show made me look up Tolkien lore, actually watch the subpar Hobbit movies, and research the lineages of Elrond, of Durin, and of Isildur. I look forward to successive seasons, and I hope that the show-writers don't draw out the story too long. Three seasons feels right. I know that The Stranger is likely Gandalf, but I'd love so much if he turned out instead to be Radagast.

Ozark, Season 4 - As much as I loved Ozark, it was time for the show to wrap up. They gave it a good ending, and didn't shy away from killing off characters. Fantastic show.

House of the Dragon - I tried watching it, and I really just couldn't get into it. I tried. I suppose I'll probably go back to it at some point.

Seinfeld - When I wanted something on in the background this year, I put on Seinfeld. I was shocked at how many episodes I remember well. I went through six of the nine seasons.

Andor - I started watching Andor and quit after three episodes. Then I heard from two friends separately, and also from a podcast, about how good the show was, so I went back. I'm something like six episodes in now. Time will tell.

And that's what I've got for notable TV this past year. I'll likely post again within a week or two to identify favorites.