Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Here's my list...
10. Only Murders in the Building
The only reason this one is low for me is simply because I’ve only seen two episodes. But even if there’s a drop off after them, these are some really strong episodes. I was expecting a crime comedy but it really revealed itself to be a show that really gets the appeal of mystery and puts character first, keeping us invested in these would be detectives who have their own secrets they might be unwilling to confront.
9. Nomad: Megalobox 2
A more mature sequel to its scrappy predecessor. Megalobox 2 never feels like a rebuke of the original attitude but accepting there are aspects to be left behind with age and a recalibrated sense of what matters in life. Megalobox didn’t need a sequel but I’m glad we got one, presenting a sad, beautiful story where after the glory has faded, there are people in your life you can protect.
8. WandaVision
WandaVision stumbled a bit in the last act and the outside of TV world stuff tends to be a little less interesting but WandaVision doesn’t lack for ambition, that’s for sure. A weird psychological thriller hidden inside sitcoms is a fascinating premise and it made for a great showcase for actors/characters underserved by their big screen incarnations. I also appreciated that it trusted it’s audience enough to actually just let some sitcom plots happen rather than diving right into the creepy undertones. Some great reveals, well-done pastiches and it really felt like some of Marvel’s more oddball comic mini-series, in a good way.
7. Hawkeye
Jeremy Renner is a drip in real life and his character of Hawkeye was one of the less interesting Avengers but as a co-star where he plays the mentor to a wacky protégé finally cracks how to make the character work. It helps that we have a completely stacked cast but overall, we have a fun Marvel series with the kind of wit and fun that makes the series so zippy. Of course, there are also the big surprise cast members but the strongest element is former Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld joining the MCU as probably the most loveable character in quite some time, a character who is stoked to be a hero yet still takes the work itself seriously. Bonus points for Tony Dalton, whom I pray gets more play in the MCU.
6. Loki
Loki lost me a little in the last episode, as the trope of “the entire events of the series were planned from the beginning” is a pretty tired trope to me. Beyond that, Loki is maybe the most successful of the Marvel series and it definitely helps that it takes its Doctor Who meets The Prisoner premise and mixes it with stellar set designs, great players (Owen Wilson is a delight) and a fun lead. I feel like the show hasn’t quite met it’s potential yet and I look forward to a season two (assuming this isn’t just leading into Ant-Man or something) of the TVA.
5. I Think You Should Leave
It’s nice to have a completely unsentimental comedy on the list but I think you should leave is a fascinating take on the modern age, a sketch comedy centered on people who, when confronted, double down on bad ideas and try by sheer force of will to make them work and anyone who questions it is met with white hot rage. Self-reflection is usually shunted in favour of digging a deeper and deeper whole, fueled by deep insecurity. And it’s also as silly as heck. Imagine the most awkward celebrity interview for an action movie but the star is Santa Claus going on about how his movie is a “gumbo”. Or a driver’s ed video that gets lost in the weeds about the job of the character in the video. The show is short, punchy and to the point but it definitely hangs around enough to make you cringe.
I will also say that Bob Odenkirk’s wistful character is extra effective following a recent health scare. I wish him triples of every Emmy for his last Better Call Saul season. It’s weirdly sweet yet pathetic and Bob plays it very well and it makes me feel for this pathetic jerk who is definitely going through a rough time and is trying to use a white lie to leverage an elaborate fantasy life.
4. To Your Eternity
It’s impressive that a show setting up its formula pretty early on and promising us tragedy manages to make it work. That’s because for tragedy to matter, there’s got to be a lot of other stuff going on and while the show can make you cry, it is also often funny, clever, thrilling and does the groundwork to make us invested so when the tears come, they are well earned. I also appreciate that within 20 episodes, it does a great job selling its epic nature, complete with a protagonist who goes from quasi-sentient to a fully fleshed out person. Life itself is a journey were experiences can build us up and define us and To Your Eternity uses it’s fantasy elements to explore it.
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
A cop show in this day and age is definitely fraught and in its last season, Brooklyn Nine-Nine does take the time to contend with the fact that the problem isn’t just the “bad cops”. But in the end, the show is also a workplace comedy and for its final season, it understandably leans heavy on that because as much as right now a “fuck the police” ending is tempting, I think what we really want is simply to have a satisfying goodbye to the characters we love before moving on. It made it to my number three for being a decent season but also for giving me a goodbye that means a lot and allowing us with one more chance with the characters we’ve grown to love.
2. Ranking of Kings
The shounen adventure genre might be full of formula and one is the realizing the need to power up. But while that is part of Ranking of Kings, its big message is that we love you the way you are and you don’t need to measure yourself against other people because you have your own way of doing things. Ranking of Kings takes a lot of time to allow its large cast to deepen but Bojji is the lead and he’s hard not to love. Like many shounen protagonists, he’s a good person and optimistic to perhaps a naïve degree. But he is also vulnerable and while he puts on a brave face, it does hurt when other people lack faith in or respect for him. Which is why Kage, the little shadow who stole his clothes, is a good friend. I’m so glad we are going to keep with this series for another season and once it is gone, I think I’m really going to miss it.
Odd Taxi
Odd Taxi is a wonder of a show, a masterclass of pacing where it doesn’t feel rushed at any point, gradually building from a quiet character piece to a crackerjack thriller with high tensity. I love it’s cast of fuck ups who find themselves trying to get by in modern society but tend to get tripped up by their own human failings. It’s unusual to see an anime with a 41-year-old protagonist but Odokawa is a great one, a deceptively insightful and observant guy who seems aloof but really cares and through the series schemes to avoid the tragedy that much of the cast is setting themselves up for. I don’t want anymore of the show, as it had a pitch perfect ending that left my jaw on the floor, but I can’t wait for the creative team to do another thing.
10. Only Murders in the Building
The only reason this one is low for me is simply because I’ve only seen two episodes. But even if there’s a drop off after them, these are some really strong episodes. I was expecting a crime comedy but it really revealed itself to be a show that really gets the appeal of mystery and puts character first, keeping us invested in these would be detectives who have their own secrets they might be unwilling to confront.
9. Nomad: Megalobox 2
A more mature sequel to its scrappy predecessor. Megalobox 2 never feels like a rebuke of the original attitude but accepting there are aspects to be left behind with age and a recalibrated sense of what matters in life. Megalobox didn’t need a sequel but I’m glad we got one, presenting a sad, beautiful story where after the glory has faded, there are people in your life you can protect.
8. WandaVision
WandaVision stumbled a bit in the last act and the outside of TV world stuff tends to be a little less interesting but WandaVision doesn’t lack for ambition, that’s for sure. A weird psychological thriller hidden inside sitcoms is a fascinating premise and it made for a great showcase for actors/characters underserved by their big screen incarnations. I also appreciated that it trusted it’s audience enough to actually just let some sitcom plots happen rather than diving right into the creepy undertones. Some great reveals, well-done pastiches and it really felt like some of Marvel’s more oddball comic mini-series, in a good way.
7. Hawkeye
Jeremy Renner is a drip in real life and his character of Hawkeye was one of the less interesting Avengers but as a co-star where he plays the mentor to a wacky protégé finally cracks how to make the character work. It helps that we have a completely stacked cast but overall, we have a fun Marvel series with the kind of wit and fun that makes the series so zippy. Of course, there are also the big surprise cast members but the strongest element is former Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld joining the MCU as probably the most loveable character in quite some time, a character who is stoked to be a hero yet still takes the work itself seriously. Bonus points for Tony Dalton, whom I pray gets more play in the MCU.
6. Loki
Loki lost me a little in the last episode, as the trope of “the entire events of the series were planned from the beginning” is a pretty tired trope to me. Beyond that, Loki is maybe the most successful of the Marvel series and it definitely helps that it takes its Doctor Who meets The Prisoner premise and mixes it with stellar set designs, great players (Owen Wilson is a delight) and a fun lead. I feel like the show hasn’t quite met it’s potential yet and I look forward to a season two (assuming this isn’t just leading into Ant-Man or something) of the TVA.
5. I Think You Should Leave
It’s nice to have a completely unsentimental comedy on the list but I think you should leave is a fascinating take on the modern age, a sketch comedy centered on people who, when confronted, double down on bad ideas and try by sheer force of will to make them work and anyone who questions it is met with white hot rage. Self-reflection is usually shunted in favour of digging a deeper and deeper whole, fueled by deep insecurity. And it’s also as silly as heck. Imagine the most awkward celebrity interview for an action movie but the star is Santa Claus going on about how his movie is a “gumbo”. Or a driver’s ed video that gets lost in the weeds about the job of the character in the video. The show is short, punchy and to the point but it definitely hangs around enough to make you cringe.
I will also say that Bob Odenkirk’s wistful character is extra effective following a recent health scare. I wish him triples of every Emmy for his last Better Call Saul season. It’s weirdly sweet yet pathetic and Bob plays it very well and it makes me feel for this pathetic jerk who is definitely going through a rough time and is trying to use a white lie to leverage an elaborate fantasy life.
4. To Your Eternity
It’s impressive that a show setting up its formula pretty early on and promising us tragedy manages to make it work. That’s because for tragedy to matter, there’s got to be a lot of other stuff going on and while the show can make you cry, it is also often funny, clever, thrilling and does the groundwork to make us invested so when the tears come, they are well earned. I also appreciate that within 20 episodes, it does a great job selling its epic nature, complete with a protagonist who goes from quasi-sentient to a fully fleshed out person. Life itself is a journey were experiences can build us up and define us and To Your Eternity uses it’s fantasy elements to explore it.
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
A cop show in this day and age is definitely fraught and in its last season, Brooklyn Nine-Nine does take the time to contend with the fact that the problem isn’t just the “bad cops”. But in the end, the show is also a workplace comedy and for its final season, it understandably leans heavy on that because as much as right now a “fuck the police” ending is tempting, I think what we really want is simply to have a satisfying goodbye to the characters we love before moving on. It made it to my number three for being a decent season but also for giving me a goodbye that means a lot and allowing us with one more chance with the characters we’ve grown to love.
2. Ranking of Kings
The shounen adventure genre might be full of formula and one is the realizing the need to power up. But while that is part of Ranking of Kings, its big message is that we love you the way you are and you don’t need to measure yourself against other people because you have your own way of doing things. Ranking of Kings takes a lot of time to allow its large cast to deepen but Bojji is the lead and he’s hard not to love. Like many shounen protagonists, he’s a good person and optimistic to perhaps a naïve degree. But he is also vulnerable and while he puts on a brave face, it does hurt when other people lack faith in or respect for him. Which is why Kage, the little shadow who stole his clothes, is a good friend. I’m so glad we are going to keep with this series for another season and once it is gone, I think I’m really going to miss it.
Odd Taxi
Odd Taxi is a wonder of a show, a masterclass of pacing where it doesn’t feel rushed at any point, gradually building from a quiet character piece to a crackerjack thriller with high tensity. I love it’s cast of fuck ups who find themselves trying to get by in modern society but tend to get tripped up by their own human failings. It’s unusual to see an anime with a 41-year-old protagonist but Odokawa is a great one, a deceptively insightful and observant guy who seems aloof but really cares and through the series schemes to avoid the tragedy that much of the cast is setting themselves up for. I don’t want anymore of the show, as it had a pitch perfect ending that left my jaw on the floor, but I can’t wait for the creative team to do another thing.
