It's so exciting when something like "Killing Eve" comes along. A TV show as cool, smart and funny as this doesn't come around very often. Its brilliance is in no small part thanks to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator of the acclaimed comedy series "Fleabag," who has helped turn all the familiar old tropes and clichés in spy thrillers on their head. But it's also due to the wonderfully committed and crackling performances from the two leads, Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer (or three leads if you include Fiona Walsh), but especially Comer, who has created one of the best and most entertaining portrayals of a psychopath since Hannibal Lecter. "Killing Eve" arrived on our screens almost entirely under the radar, and didn't sound like anything special on paper, but its originality lies in its darkly comedic mix of dangerous thriller and overtones of lesbian psycho-drama that always stays too sly and stylish (and weird) to lose its bearings. These days we often have to sit through TV shows with too many episodes that are too long and too short on ideas, but in the case of "Killing Eve," it's the opposite: once the eight forty minute episodes are up, we're starving for more. Fortunately, it appears that this cup of joy isn't going to run out any time soon. Easily the best TV show of the year, and a strong contender for one of the best shows of the entire decade.
SEX EDUCATION
Another British comedy that is bound to become a modern classic is Netflix's "Sex Education," which has all the ingredients needed for a super good viewing time - a great premise and a superbly well-rounded cast, all the way from the top down to even the smallest parts. "Sex Education" boasts some truly inspired writing, which is as touching and sincere as it is awkward and whimsical. It is also anchored by the presence of Gillian Anderson, in all honesty one of the greatest actresses ever, as Dr. Jean Milburn, sex therapist and mother to teenager Otis, who finds he has inherited some of her therapy skills and puts them to good use on his sexually confused school mates. "Sex Education" is a show that never fails to surprise you in the way it constantly reinvents itself and always finds new ways to charm you even further. It won't take long before Otis, Maeve and Eric are your new favorite characters on TV.
SUCCESSION
The perfect drama series for 2018, "Succession" is Shakespeare's "King Lear" for the Trump era, partly made in the style of Aaron Sorkin and in the style of "The Big Short" and "Vice," which is no surprise as it is co-produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. It's quite amazing how a show with such despicably avaricious and/or moronic characters speaking such absurdly smutty and rude dialogue can be so engaging and engrossing, but underneath the veneer of something like "Veep" on Wall Street, it is sneakily intelligent and quite sharp in its satiric skewering of the 1%. Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Mcfadyen are always good actors, but they have truly surpassed themselves here, especially Mcfadyen, giving perhaps the best performance of his long television career. Which of course isn't to say that the rest of the cast isn't tops as well, and I must not omit to praise Nicholas Brittell's beautiful score along with the most memorable opening credits of 2018. In short, I can barely contain myself in anticipation of season two.
THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA
I'm sure everyone remembers "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," like I do, by which I mean the sitcom with Melissa Joan Heart that pestered the TV landscape back in the late 1990s. But Netflix's new hit show is not a remake of that, but an adaptation of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's darker, more adult reimagining of the old Archie comics character Sabrina Spellman in a story where witchcraft, demons and the supernatural in general has more heft and consequence to them. It doesn't hurt that the series features such experienced and talented actresses as Miranda Otto (from "The Lord of the Rings") in the role of Sabrina's aunt Zelda, Lucy Davis (from the original "The Office") as Sabrina's other aunt Hilda and Michelle Gomez (from "Doctor Who") as the demon Lilith in the form of Sabrina's high school principal. With strong feminist themes and a lot of references to classic and contemporary horror film and literature, "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is outrageously appealing. All in all, a very well-made show, with some highly relatable teenage problems and with some episodes that are properly creepy and others that are quite touching. However, though I know it's silly of me, it takes me a while to get used to seeing Kiernan Shipka in the leading role because every time she's on, I can't help seeing little Sally Draper from "Mad Men." But I guess that's often the case with child actors.
MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
One of the most talked about book series of the last couple of years became one of the most aniticapted TV series of the year. And thank goodness it is made in Italy, in Italian, because it sure wouldn't have worked any other way. Naturally, novels as masterfully written as Elena Ferrante's will in some way disappoint when they're adapted for TV, partly because of the limited format, but also because so much of the pleasure is in the reading and so much of the beauty is in the prose. But I can't for the life of me see how it could be any better than Saverio Costanzo's adaptation for HBO, not only when it comes to the cast and the production values, but in its look and how it feels, how it captures a time when Naples wasn't yet completely taken over by the Camorra. At times it almost feels like watching an old neo-realist film from the 1940s or 50s, but in color and with higher resolution, and that is high praise indeed. I think one of the things that makes Ferrante's novels so great is that you can basically put any two girls in the shoes of Lila and Lenù and it'll work, because there is something so universal and something so relevant for everyone about these two best of amicas.
LOST IN SPACE
The cult classic original from the 1960s was quite before my time, but even so, the legendary line "Danger, Will Robinson!" is as familiar to me as "Beam me up, Scotty!" or "You will be exterminated!" As a sci-fi lover, all I had to do with for many years was the below average film version from 1998, but now we've got a high quality and more up-to-date long format version to fill our long winter evenings. This time around, it takes a little while for the line to come, but by the time it does, Netflix's "Lost in Space" has already won me over with its sweet charm, its cool design and its affable cast. And the little gender reverse casting of the always reliable Parker Posey in the previously male role of Dr. Smith is a stroke of genius. In this age of remakes and reboots and shows based on existing content, this is a remake that doesn't feel forced or gratuitous. Maybe the time is just right for a new "Lost in Space," a show where kids get to be as smart as adults, and grown-ups of all types and appearances get to work together (or plotting against each other) in a visually stunning, interstellar sci-fi world that is as intriguing as it is tastefully grounded. Here's hoping the showrunners will keep this level of quality going for hopefully at least a couple more seasons.
CASTLE ROCK
How familiar are you with the works and the artificial worlds of horror author extraordinaire Stephen King? I mean, when a character goes by the name of Jackie Torrance, does that make you tingle a little? When you see an old cop named Pangborn, does that make you go, where do I know that name from? Or simply the setting and title Castle Rock? Surely, Shawshank Penitentiary will ring some bells, but everyone knows that one. And do you see the connections between Stephen King and "Castle Rock" co-stars Sissy Spacek, Bill Skarsgård and Frances Conroy? If the answer to all above is yes, then check it out. "Castle Rock" is in part produced by King himself, and J.J. Abrams, and that collaboration behind the whole production should tell you all about what you can expect from Hulu's very atmospheric drama. The series adheres more to mystery than outright horror, although there are a couple of jump scares and creepy moments, even a little dip into sci-fi. But it's the moments of genuine tragedy and just real life issues that are most memorable, such as Spacek's Ruth Deaver struggling with dementia, portrayed in one of the most gripping and imaginative ways I've seen on TV. Impressive how it manages to feel entirely like its own thing, despite being so heavily influenced by the King's style. Decidedly, a very strong premiere.
DISENCHANTMENT
2018 saw a strong return to form for Matt Groening, legendary creator of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama," and it's truly a welcome return. "Disenchantment" is basically to fantasy what "Futurama" was to sci-fi, and if you love those genres both, then that's not a bad thing. The similarities to "Futurama" is pretty much due to the fact that it features much of the same voice cast, but with some great new voices adding some freshness, including Abbi Jacobson of "Broad City" in the lead as the princess who'd rather party than live a courtly life, Eric Andre as a cute little demon and Nat Faxon as the often abused elf aptly called Elfo (top Groening humor there). That is a trio at the centre of this hilarious world that you simply cannot get enough of, and by the looks of it, a lot of people would agree. "Disenchantment" has already been approved for two more years, and there is a lot of fun to fill all those episodes with. It's a little bit ruder than "Futurama," and the animation is a little bit sharper, but we'll just have to see if it will stand the test of time the way "Futurama," which is one of if not the best animated comedy series ever made, has. Based on the first ten episodes, it has a bright future.
THE ALIENIST
When Netflix first released "The Alienist," a period drama crime mystery based on a novel by Caleb Carr, it was released as a limited series. It has since then gone on to receive a follow-up season, and I'm thrilled about that, because "The Alienist" (a late nineteenth century term for a psychiatrist) hits all the right spots for a viewer like me. It's set in an endlessly fascinating time of history, and New York is always the best setting for anything, but even more so at that particular period - a combination of time and setting that has not exactly been overused in film and TV. On top of that you have macabre murders, well-written characters portrayed by Daniel Brühl, Dakota Fanning and Luke Evans and some excellent cinematography. It's one of those TV series that definitely feels like a film, through and through, and the fact that there is already a series of books with these characters and in this place available for adaptation is a sign that it will bear further mystery adventures. A crime show where the police is not the primary investigator or protagonist (à la Sherlock Holmes) is always an interesting conceit. "The Alienist" is also quite historically rich, with a lot of details based on historical facts, that will leave you feeling like you learned a couple of things here and there, which is always an added bonus.
ALTERED CARBON
In Netflix's 2018 output of new sci-fi material, we were also gifted with this cyberpunk series starring Joel Kinnaman as a former soldier put into the body of a cop in a future world where such things, and many other fantastical things, are possible. Cyberpunk is a subgenre of sci-fi that, when done right, is unbeatable. "Altered Carbon," based on a novel by Richard K. Morgan, is not a masterpiece on the same level as William Gibson's "Neuromancer" or Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner," but that would be a tall order by any means. No, what "Altered Carbon" lacks in plot or originality it more than makes up for in its great premise, in looks and in the world it creates. Plus, though it may be flawed, it does contain some truly unforgettable moments, such as a hotel run by a hologram Edgar Allan Poe and a fight scene with an army of naked clones.
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