My Favorite TV of 2018

Talking Heads: Television Man
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Remember in my last post, where I blamed Trump for my failure to write more here?  Well, I also blame him for the fact that I didn’t listen to as much music this year as I have in the past.  More on that, in my upcoming Favorite Music of 2018 post.  But I also blame Trump for the fact that there is so much good stuff to watch on TV.

Remarkably, as sort of embarrassed as I was  by the number of shows on last year’s list, this year’s list is even longer.  So it goes.  Not everything on here is a gem, but all had something that made me put it on this list.  And, as I mentioned last year, there are a bunch of shows that I watch, even though I know that they aren’t all that great, but are still fun.

Because of the ability to stream older shows, I also discovered some series from prior years, so there’s a separate section for things that were “new to me” in 2018.  But, if the show has a new season in 2018, it is in the main section.

As I have been writing the blurbs for the shows, I noticed that in a surprisingly large number of the shows, the main characters, or the smartest characters, or the most interesting characters, were women, and/or the shows related to women’s friendships, relationships, and issues.  Which is interesting.

Last year, my favorite show of the year was BoJack Horseman, and honestly, it could have been my favorite again this year, because the new season was great–although it probably wasn’t as great as last season, but it still had some incredible moments.  It was hard for me to pick a favorite this year, but if I had to, it would be the final season of The Americans. Last year, I noted that there had been a slight drop off in quality, but the final season was as good as anything the show has done.  They were able to end the narrative in a way that brought closure, but without a happy ending for people who didn’t deserve one, and appropriate ambiguity.  As one of my favorite TV critics, Alan Sepinwall, wrote, “They stuck the landing.”  (He ranked it no. 2, by the way).  The Golden Globes agreed, finally giving this great show its due.

Disclaimer:  I know that there are shows that made many year-end best of lists that I didn’t watch, because you can’t watch everything, or because their premise didn’t seem interesting, or because I’m already too many seasons behind. Some of them I may watch down the line, and some I won’t.

Which is why I call this a list of “my favorites” not a list of “the best.” Shows that were on my list last season are in bold, and my synopsis may be shorter, both to encourage you to read last year’s list, and to make this post a little shorter (although that horse may already have left the barn).  Note also that there may be spoilers:

Absentia (Amazon)–One of two shows on the list which center on a character who has amnesia.  Here, Castle star Stana Katic plays Emily Byrne, an FBI agent assumed dead during her pursuit of a serial killer.  She resurfaces to find her husband has remarried, she has no memory of her missing years, and there’s more murdering going on.

Atlanta (FX)–This difficult to describe show from the fertile mind of Donald Glover is not a traditional comedy, but is more like an anthology series with continuing characters.  Filled with formal experimentation, absurdist humor, commentaries on race and relationships, and unafraid of turning serious, it is a tour de force behind the camera as well as in front of it.  And “Teddy Perkins” was the most bizarre thing I’ve seen on TV all year–and I love a show with a talking cartoon horse.

Barry (HBO)–One of two shows on this list that have an assassin as a main character, it asks the question:  Can you leave that line of work, and if so, is becoming an actor really the best choice of a new career?  Bill Hader is wonderful as Barry, as are Henry Winkler as the D-list actor who becomes his teacher and Stephen Root, who has seemingly been in every show, and is almost always great, as his partner in crime.  It is also a show that probably doesn’t need the second season that has been announced, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not looking forward to it.

BoJack Horseman (Netflix)–If season 5 wasn’t as consistent as its predecessor, it still included a brilliant commentary on #MeToo while condemning toxic masculinity, scathing parodies of popular culture, characters dealing with drug addiction, fertility issues, divorce, and a jaw dropping episode-long monologue/eulogy.  It is funny and sad, absurd and realistic, and highbrow and lowbrow.

Bold Type (Freeform)–The gloss and fun of this show about twenty-somethings in the fashion world provides the spoonful of sugar that lets its serious messages about relationships, class, race, cancer, misogyny, and health insurance, go down smoothly.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)–This show only gets better as it becomes more character driven.  This show often makes me laugh out loud.  And I bet it improves from its move from Fox to NBC.

Casual (Hulu)–Another show that successfully wrapped up its run in 2018.  Incorporating a brief time jump into a future in which the NFL is playing its last ever Super Bowl, it allowed its characters to show change, not always for the better.

The Cathedral of the Sea (Netflix)–I decided to watch this show which takes place in medieval Barcelona, because my daughter lives in the modern city, and focuses on a church, Santa Maria del Mar, that I visited.  It was an exciting melodrama, featuring a rags to riches to rags to riches story, intrigue, the Inquisition and the anti-Semitism it engendered.  It had both strong, independent female characters, and more rape than was comfortable, but which was sadly probably historically accurate.

Daredevil–(Netflix)–Season 1 of Daredevil was good, but season 2 was dull.  Being a completist of sorts, I had to watch season 3–and it was quite good, in part because it set the good guys against a strong, almost omnipotent bad guy.  Sadly, there won’t be a season 4, because it appears Netflix is cancelling all of its Marvel series.

The Detour (TBS)–Another insane season chronicling the misadventures of America’s most dysfunctional family (not named Trump).  The humor ranges from clever to gross-out, the plot swings in more directions than seems possible, but it is an enjoyable ride.

The Deuce (HBO)–Jumping ahead to 1977, when I was in high school in the NY suburbs, and occasionally ventured into the city, the show recreated that tawdry era which I remember, but not as fondly as some.  Another great job in creating interesting story lines, about the growth of the pornography industry, its effect on the streets, gentrification, burnout, and female empowerment and subjugation.  Despite its focus on dirty movies and prostitution, the creative team includes many women, and the show is never exploitative.  And the acting continues to be strong.

End of the F***ing World (Netflix)–A strangely compelling British comedy about a self-diagnosed teenage psychopath who sets off to kill a teenage girl, only to discover that like many self-diagnoses, maybe he was wrong.  The relationship between the two is great, and the ending is ambiguous.  This is a show that would have been fine with only one excellent season, but its success led Netflix to order a second season, seemingly making the ending less ambiguous.

The Expanse (Syfy)–Another exciting season for this space/politics/science fiction series, as humans appear to encounter an alien life force with powers and properties that are unlike anything ever seen.  Cancelled by Syfy, but picked up by Amazon, so thanks, Jeff.

Fauda (Netflix)–A second tense, entertaining season that plumbs the ambiguity and horror of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  It does make one wonder how it can ever be resolved.  Season 3 is on the way, and is unlikely to provide any solution.

Frontier (Netflix)–I caught up with the first two seasons of this show, about the fur trade in late 1700s Canada, before watching Season 3.  The show sets up the Hudson’s Bay Company as an oppressive, racist, mercenary monopoly being challenged by native peoples, Irish immigrants, and women trying to survive in a male-dominated harsh environment in any way possible.  The main character, Declan Harp, played with both strength and cunning by Jason Momoa, is half Irish, half Cree, and a former ward of the Hudson’s Bay head.  Harp, however, turns on him when his family is killed.  There’s certainly action, and blood, but the portrayal of the native people is sympathetic and usually avoids typical stereotypes, and many scenes are in the Cree language (with subtitles).  Also, the smartest character in the series is a woman, another woman may be a close second, and two clearly gay men are the most ruthless businessmen not wearing British red.

Full Frontal With Samantha Bee (TBS)–Another great year of political commentary and comedy, with a decidedly feminist bent.

GLOW (Netflix)–The second season of this women’s wrestling show delves deeper into the lives of the main characters, and some of the more peripheral ones, and their relationships in and out of the ring.  There is success, and seeming failure, increasing power given to a couple of the women, some truly hysterical scenes, and a sort of strip-club-owner-ex-machina.

The Good Place (NBC)–Spending much of the season with the main characters on Earth was a bit of a letdown, but even weak episodes of this show are better than the strong episodes of most others.  And the show gave us enough twists, including another huge game changer in the “winter finale,” to give your brain whiplash, in a good way.  Plus the episode in which D’Arcy Carden played multiple versions of her character impersonating the other characters was one of the best on TV in 2018.

Godless (Netflix)–Technically, this was released in November 2017, so maybe it should be in the “New to Me” section below, but I’m giving myself a grace period.  A very good western, that is classic in form and style, but modern in its approach to female characters, led by Downton Abbey‘s Lady Mary, Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)–Not quite as good as the stunning first season, but the depiction of the physical, social and psychological oppression of women (and men, for that matter), and its effects on both the oppressed and the oppressors was chilling.  Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel and Yvonne Strahovski gave amazing performances, and they were far from the only ones.

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (Netflix)–When is a standup routine not a standup routine?  When it veers off into a deconstruction of comedy, and a seminar on gender, sexuality, abuse, body image, and introversion.  It is impossible to watch this without feeling like you were punched in the stomach, while knowledge is being shoved into your brain.  And, at times, it is very funny, because Gadsby is also a fine comedian.

Homecoming (Amazon)–The second “amnesia” show on the list.  Here, a glammed-down Julia Roberts is a therapist caught in a military project so sensitive that her memories are wiped when she begins to question the project.  The show proceeds in multiple timelines, as a Colombo-esque investigation restores Roberts’ memories.  Great performances all around, and fascinating direction.

Homeland (Showtime)–Homeland has always been a mess, but some seasons of the mess were better than others, and it was never (to me, at least) unwatchable.  Season 7, the series’ penultimate, transcended some dopey stuff to tell an interesting story about an out of control president (not really Trump, and a woman, played by the usually great Elizabeth Marvel), a confused government and intelligence establishment, and, of course, Claire Danes’ mentally ill, inappropriate, but often correct, spy (whether or not she has an actual job) Carrie Mathison.  Mathison may well be an even worse mother than Midge Maisel, but at least she formally gives up custody of her daughter.

Insecure (HBO)–Season 3 showed more assurance, allowing all of the characters to become more well drawn, to grow in some ways, and to continue to explore their friendships, work, and relationships, all filtered through Issa Rae’s perspective.  With some of the funniest, and most touching, scenes of the series so far.

Jack Ryan (Amazon)–A solid, entertaining spy thriller, adapted from Tom Clancy’s books.  Sometimes it is hard to see even a pumped up John Krasinski as anything but Jim from The Office, and in some ways the show works best when he is goofing around and not doing TV spy things.  With the always welcome Wendell Pierce as Ryan’s mentor with a chip on his shoulder.

Jessica Jones (Netflix)–Not as good as Season 1, mostly due to the lack of the great villain Kilgrave, but still interesting.  Like Daredevil, a “mother” reveal is a major plot point, but the more the story strays from Jessica and to Jeri or Trish, my interest flagged.  Hopefully, it will have a third season return to form, but then will probably be cancelled.

Jesus Christ Superstar (NBC)–I loved this show as a kid, but expected my grownup self would find it trite.  Nope–great performances and a great production.

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)–Another great season of political commentary and humor addressing both the obvious and the less covered stories.

Killing Eve (BBC America/Hulu)–A show that came close to toppling The Americans from the pinnacle of this list, (the Golden Globes agreed with me, for what that is worth), it is the second assassin show on the list, and the first of three that bear the creative imprint of the brilliant Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who developed the show, and wrote half of the scripts, including the first and last episodes.  Often described with the phrase “cat and mouse,” the darkly amusing show is nominally about the attempt by Sandra Oh’s Eve Polastri, an American who is a low-level British intelligence agent, to catch Jodie Comer’s Villanelle, a glamorous, amoral assassin.  What makes the show so great (although I think it tailed off somewhat toward the end), was the way that Polastri and Villanelle became obsessed with each other.  Both leads are excellent (Oh just won the Golden Globe), as is the supporting cast, including Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who is also in three other shows on this list (and was on another on last year’s).

Last Chance U (Netflix)–For the third season, the show left Mississippi for Kansas, and a new junior college with a different overbearing coach.  This season didn’t have a character as strong as the academic advisor from the first two seasons to contrast with the coach, and lacked as many compelling storylines as before, but it was still worth watching.

Little Drummer Girl (AMC)–What made this le Carré adaptation so engrossing was the fact that we never really knew what was going on–and neither did the characters.  Great performances from Florence Pugh, as an actress drawn into espionage by love, idealism, and the desire to play the role of her life, Alexander Skarsgård, as her handler and lover (whose name was Becker, by the way), and the always great Michael Shannon as the team leader.  

Love (Netflix)–Season 2 of this show didn’t make last year’s list (although it was mentioned), because I found that the two main characters, played by Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust to be too annoying. It was close, though, and the final season was better, as the two explored whether two annoying, mismatched, and damaged people could–or should–fall in love and stay together.  Kudos, too, to Claudia O’Doherty, whose character initially seemed shallow, if delightful, but revealed more and more depth as the show went on.

Lovesick (Netflix)–I caught up with the first two seasons of this delightful Glasgow-set comedy, before watching the third and last season, released in 2018.  Originally titled Scrotal Recall, the rebranded title was much, much better (it would have been hard to be worse, right?) The premise of the story is that the main character, Dylan, played by actor/musician Johnny Flynn, gets diagnosed with chlamydia, and has to contact all of his many sexual partners to let them know to get tested.  But really, that is just a gimmick to jump back and forth in time to fill in the blanks in the relationships between Dylan and his on again/off again roommates Luke and Evie, and their circle of friends.

Making It (NBC)–Somehow, this crafting competition show was charming, thanks to the hosts, Amy Pohler and Nick Offerman, whose Parks & Recreation chemistry and goofy humor carried over to the real world, and the overall niceness and decency of the contestants.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)–Season 1 was such a bravura achievement in television, that it obscured some of the show’s flaws.  Now that the surprise factor is gone, Season 2 has faced a bit of a backlash, but I still loved it.  Yes, it is unrealistic, yes, it portrays a “Stars Hollow” version of New York (and Paris, and the Catskills….), and yes, the plot doesn’t completely hold together.  But it is visually striking, the dialogue and jokes are sharp (except when they were supposed to be dull), and we got to flesh out more of the characters, particularly Susie, the Maisels, and Joel.  And Zachary Levi was a good “love interest” for Midge, despite the fact that she wasn’t really in love, or ultimately all that interested.  As the father of a female comedian, the question of whether it is possible to follow that calling and still have a semblance of a normal life is still an issue, more than half a century later.

My Brilliant Friend (HBO)–Definitely one of the most memorable shows on this list.  Based on the first book of a series of novels by Elena Ferrante that my mother, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law read, but which I never heard of, it tells the story of two girls growing up in post-war Naples, their lives, loves, and mostly the ebb and flow of their friendship.  Beautifully shot, acted (in many cases by amateur actors), and written, the show seems to proceed slowly, with dignity, interspersed with moments of violence and pain.  A gem, and I’m waiting for season 2, when presumably the main characters will have grown from teenagers to young adults.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (Netflix) This six episode series reminded me of why I miss David Letterman so much.  Each episode was a long form interview by Letterman, usually with breakaway location segments that related to the interview in some way.

One Day At A Time (Netflix)–I was totally shocked at how much I enjoyed Season 1, and Season 2 was another winner.  Although it lacked a plot arc as strong as the daughter’s coming out story, it did address her exploration of her sexual identity, as well as racism, citizenship and immigration in Trump’s America, environmental issues, gun control and PTSD.  The cast is uniformly excellent, and Rita Moreno continues to steal the show, which ends with her character, apparently, making a considered decision that it was not her time to die.

The Rookie (ABC)–I assumed that this would be fun fluff, like Castle, star Nathan Fillion’s last series.  Here, he plays the oldest rookie on the LAPD, which gives him a different perspective from his fellow “boots,” as well as the training officers and higher-ups, who all seem generally unhappy at his presence.  Although Fillion’s character is probably on camera the most, the show weaves in stories about two other trainees and their trainers.  It is fast paced, entertaining, and not afraid to address serious issues.

Runaways (Hulu)  Another Marvel superhero show, but this one about teenagers with powers (mostly), who band together to fight against their evil parents, and the alien who controls them.  Season 1 was OK–last year, I mentioned that it didn’t grab me like other shows–but season 2 was much, much better.  It took the whole of season one to set up a pretty rip-roaring second season, in which the teenagers finally became runaways, and were forced to not only contend with surviving off the grid, but fighting their parents (who some of the kids still sort of missed), dealing with relationship issues like teenagers, and trying to figure out their powers.  Season 1-kinda slow.  Season 2–very bingeable.

Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix)–Based on chef Samin Nusrat’s cookbook of the same name, this show has four episodes, each focused on one of the titular ingredients.  The show is visually ravishing, the food and discussions are top-notch, and Nusrat is warm, welcoming and generally snark-free.

Sharp Objects (Showtime)–Another outstanding show about women’s relationships, in this case a mother and two daughters, is also about women’s roles in society, the power of men and women over each other, and ultimately, mental illness.  Also, lots of murders.  Amazing performances from Amy Adams, as the prodigal daughter returning to investigate said murders for her newspaper, Patricia Clarkson as the controlling matriarch, and Eliza Scanlen as the younger daughter who is never what she seems to be.  And if you turned off the finale before the credits were done, you missed the most important scene.

Silicon Valley (HBO)–Somehow, this very funny satire about a tech startup was left off last year’s list.  The show, which debuted in 2014, follows a crew of quirky to bizarre programmers as they try to make it big in the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley, confronting a series of jerks, self-promoters, rapacious venture capitalists, buffoons, bullies and competitors that stand in their way.  Most seasons have the team somehow blow any success that they achieved, only to bounce back to try again.  In Season 5, they achieve success, then failure, but it ends on a high note.

Single Parents (ABC)–We are only part way through Season 1 of this ensemble sitcom about a group of single parents (duh) who bond over their elementary school kids, and their singleness in a sea of happy seeming couples.  The cast is funny and appealing, and features Taram Killam, Brad Garrett and Leighton Meester, along with a crew of precocious but somehow not obnoxious kids.  The show’s creators are Elizabeth Merriwether, whose New Girl improved as its cast began to gel (as I see this one doing), and J.J. Philbin, daughter of Regis, who also worked on New Girl (and other shows), and who is married to Michael Schur, writer and creator of some of the best sitcoms of the last 15 or so years (and maybe of all time.)

Supergirl (CW)–My wife and I started watching this because it was a fun, female-centered escapist adventure. Last season, though, was a mess, but it recovered for an excellent 2018 season that focused on nativism and authoritarianism.  With flying.

This Is Us (NBC)–Still emotionally manipulative, still interesting.  Although the whole Randall runs for city council in Philadelphia while living in northern New Jersey was a headscratcher, even if it gave Sterling K. Brown yet another chance to show how good an actor he is.  And I have to admit worrying about Beth and Randall….. (edited to add–really?  Randall won?  In what universe?)

Trial & Error (NBC)–Following up a very silly first season featuring John Lithgow as the suspect with an even sillier second season featuring Kristen Chenoweth as the accused, the show built on the eccentric and odd characters it had created and placed them in an even more twisty plot, set in fictional East Peck, South Carolina, which makes even Pawnee, Indiana, seem like a normal town.

Ugly/Delicious (Netflix)–Chef David Chang travels the world to discuss eight specific foods/styles, ranging from Pizza, to Shrimp & Crawfish, to BBQ, to “Stuffed.”  Not unlike Anthony Bourdain’s shows, but with more focus on food across cultures, than a focus on a particular culture’s foods, and with somewhat less snark.

What Could Have Been

These shows had some nice moments, but seemed like they missed the chance to be great.

Forever (Amazon)–Putting Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph in a show where they get to play a comfortably, if not really happily, married couple in an idealized afterlife could be comic gold, but this show just fell short, despite a number of excellent moments.  When the most talked about episode of the show focused on two characters never seen before, or again, and barely included Armisen or Rudolph, you wonder if a creative mistake had been made.

Ghosted (FOX) Adam Scott and Craig Robinson are two of the funniest comic actors working, and it was clear that this show, about paranormal investigators, was supposed to give them a setting to be funny.  But the early episodes of the series seemed to just miss their mark.  After a change in showrunners, to The Office‘s Paul Lieberstein, the show dramatically improved.  But, the show was cancelled anyway, and the final episode, which was already in the can when the creative team changed, was a non-sequitur.

Last Man on Earth (FOX)–The pilot episode of this series, in which we follow Will Forte’s Phil Miller who believes himself to be alone, around a post-apocalypse America was one of the best single sitcom episodes that I’ve seen.  Sadly, the brain trust behind the show decided to make Forte’s character an asshole and an idiot.  There were times when the show was hysterical and compelling, but those times were unfortunately greatly outnumbered by the cringe-worthy and painfully unfunny.

Who is America? (Showtime)–In this show, Sacha Baron Cohen created a series of characters who interacted with politicians and others, who appeared not to know that they were being duped.  When his satire was on, it was hysterical, pointing out the hypocrisy and irrationality of those he mocked, and the unfortunate tendency of too many to seek fame at the expense of their own dignity.  But it too often missed its mark, leading to, yes, cringe-worthy and painfully unfunny segments.

New To Me

Please Like Me (2013-17) (Netflix)-I became aware of this Australian series because I heard that Hannah Gadsby (see above) was in it (she joins in season 2).  It is usually a funny, relatively sweet show about relationships, including the main character’s initial recognition that he is gay, and his exploration of same-sex relationships, but it also is about friendship, family, and mental illness.  It never shies from showing the characters’ significant flaws, or the dark side of mental illness.

Mindhunter (2017) (Netflix)–One of my favorites from last year was Manhunt: Unabomber about the apprehension of the Unabomber, the development of forensic linguistics, which was initially resisted by the FBI powers-that-be.  This year, I watched 2017’s Mindhunter, a fictionalized version of the earlier development of psychological profiling, which was initially resisted by the FBI powers-that-be.  Well written and acted, with great performances from those portraying the serial killers the FBI agents interviewed to try to figure out what made them tick.

Crashing (2016) (Netflix)–I came to this show after watching Fleabag (see below–this is the weakness of sticking to alphabetical order), because it was based on two plays written by Waller-Bridge.  It is about a group of mostly 20-somethings who live in an abandoned hospital as “property guardians,” paying below market rent to maintain the property and discourage squatters.  It is a real thing in England.  Waller-Bridge’s, a free spirit without boundaries, arrives to visit her best friend, who happens to be male, and whose fiancée is decidedly not a free spirit and has many boundaries.  But the show is more than just about the love triangle that ensues.  Some of the humor is hard to take, but it is always funny and often delightful.

Detectorists (2014-17) (Netflix)–If I asked you what country would make a TV series about the quirky world of metal detectorists (as we learn, a “metal detector” is the machine), I suspect, “England” would be the obvious choice.  A mostly gentle comedy that focuses on the relationship between two detectorist friends who dream of finding something more than just tractor parts in the ground, their attempts at normal human friendships and love, the other members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club, and their rival club, headed by two guys who look like Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, it is both funny and touching.

Halt and Catch Fire (2014-17) (Netflix)–I binged all four seasons of this fictionalized drama about the early days of the personal computer and Internet industry, and it was one of my favorites.  The first season was OK, as it focused on the charismatic male visionary/con man character, who drove and manipulated the others to create a portable computer, but it improved in seasons 2-4, as the show gave greater emphasis to the relationship between two female characters.

Fleabag (2016) (Amazon)–You’ve had to read all the way here to finally read about this show, written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her stage monologue.  Fleabag is, as the title suggests, not an easy show to watch.  In fact, after I read about it, my wife and I watched the first episode, and she made it clear that she was not in the least interested in continuing.  I’ll let The Guardian’s Decca Aitkenhead describe the title character:  “a profane, damaged, promiscuous cafe owner who torments her repressed middle-class family, gets caught by her boyfriend masturbating beside him in bed to news footage of Barack Obama, and cracks deeply non-PC jokes to the camera.”  Fleabag‘s dark humor is ultimately engaging, and as wonderful as Waller-Bridge is, the rest of the cast, which includes Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson and Brett Gelman, is also great.  Can’t wait for Season 2.

Gavin & Stacey (2007-10) (Amazon)-A charming semi-legendary Britcom in which the titular mismatched couple are the dullest characters, and their friends and family, including co-writers James Corden (that guy!) and Ruth Jones, and Rob Brydon, bring the often absurd humor.

Disappointments

House of Cards (Netflix)–I didn’t like last year’s Season 5, but hoped that focusing the show on Robin Wright would give it new life.  I was wrong.  Too much focus on Spacey’s dead president.  Way too much focus on two new characters, played by Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear, as faux-Koch Brother and Sister, who are portrayed as long-time powers in Washington and closely related to the Underwoods, but were somehow never mentioned before.  Way too many stupid games played by President Claire Underwood.  A dead major character was returned to life for a plot point.  And Patricia Clarkson’s character, introduced in Season 5, still made no sense.

Legion (FX)–I slogged through this show last year because the critics loved it, but gave up after a couple of episodes of Season 2.  Sometime a show is just too weird.

So, we need a song, and Talking Heads deep-ish track “Television Man,” from Little Creatures, seemed fitting.  As the lyrics say:

People like to put the television down
But we are just good friends
(I’m a) television man

I went to the Whitney Museum the other day and saw this piece by Andy Warhol and thought I’d put it here, both because it is appropriate, and because I wanted my readers to know that I don’t only watch TV and listen to music. And blame Trump…….