I made my list a little longer than usual because I wanted to highlight a few things I’ve watched without limiting myself to a smaller number.
Vida, Seasons One thru Three (Starz)
“Vida” is a drama series about two Mexican-American siblings from East Los Angeles. Party girl Lyn lives a carefree life in the Bay Area. She couldn’t be more different than, or distanced from, her sister Emma, with whom she has no relationship. A death in their family forces them to return to their old stomping grounds, where they confront long-repressed feelings and learn the surprising truth about their mother’s identity.
All hail Tanya Saracho for making this series that was primarily written and directed by Latinx, queer, and femme folks. As a Puerto Rican woman living in Europe, I found myself homesick for what I knew. Vida moves fast, unapologetic, it is unafraid of what it is. Also, let’s all stand for Melissa Barrera, who has lost jobs for her stand in support of Palestine.
Scavengers Reign Season One (HBO Max)
The crew of a damaged deep space freighter are stranded on a beautiful but dangerous planet.
It feels like Western animation’s response after being inspired by Hayao Miyazaki for years. The animation is both unique and familiar. It was created with a lot of love and details, and you can tell by how lived-in the world feels while also being new for our eyes to feast on. This series is made more for adults, although for any kids who have watched it- what a delight for you!
Reservation Dogs Season Three (Hulu/FX)
After making it back to Okern, Elora considers the idea of college, Bear comes across a conspiracy theorist named “Maximus,” Willie Jack grows more invested in healing her community and Cheese, well, he still lives with his grandmother who’s not his grandmother.
The last season of Reservation Dogs is bittersweet as you start to realize you won’t be seeing these faces regularly together again on the screen. From their return home after their trip to California to honoring their elders’ struggles, we have to appreciate that Sterlin Harjo ended the series as he wanted to.
Also, fuck Taika Watiti for being Pro-Isreal while brown people are being genocided from their land in Palestine. He doesn’t get to claim to be pro-indigenous and then turn his back on others just because of religion.
My Brilliant Friend Seasons One thru Three (HBO Max)
A woman recounts her lifelong friendship and conflicts with a girl she met at primary school in Naples during the early 1950s.
It starts with a phone call about Lila missing, pushing Lenu to write down their long history as friends. My Brilliant Friend recounts how strong and painful friendships can be, especially going from girlhood into womanhood with little to no guidance from your elders. There are clearly marked moments in the book, but the extraordinary acting they got from the young actresses was incredible. Season two was beautifully shot, and the absence of the first two seasons’ director was felt in the third with a few editing mishaps. It’s still excellent, and if you’re intimidated by subtitles, don’t be.
The Bear, Seasons One & Two (Hulu/FX)
A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he’s used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff, and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother’s suicide. As Carmy fights to transform both the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family.
The Bear feels the closest to a comfort show for me. It’s one of the few shows with resolutions for problems and characters while not wholly changing that character or having them ultimately leave before forcing them into a cartoon version of themselves. Although Jeremy Allen White is excellent, the three others that really had me were Ayo Edebiri as Sydney, Abby Elliott as Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie. The rest of the cast is just as good, but Abby Elliot, as Sugar, carries a guilt around her neck about her mother that is hard to look away from. Richie, you end up rooting for in season two, but it’s Ayo Edebiri who surprises you, especially considering her comedy background.
I’m a Virgo, Season One, Drama
A coming-of-age joyride about Cootie, a 13-foot-tall man, who escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world; he forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol named The Hero.
Boots Riley makes me want to read about communism. Boots Riley is one of the greatest minds working in American film and television of our time. I may not love everything, but I can feel the love he puts into what he does and how he tries to mold thoughts in our minds while trying to stay original.
I’m a Virgo was also the first time I felt that someone explained neurodiversity in a way that would click for money. Some might relate to Cootie, played by Jharrel Jerome, who is trying to relate to the Black culture he’s been alienated from, but the episode that got me was Flora’s, played by Olivia Washington, on how to her, the world moves too slowly and can’t keep up with her.
Better Call Saul, Season One thru Six, Drama
He wasn’t always Saul Goodman, ace attorney for chemist-turned-meth dealer Walter White. Six years before he begins to represent Albuquerque’s most notorious criminal, Goodman is Jimmy McGill, a small-time attorney hustling to make a name for himself. He’s a forceful champion for his low-income clients, an underdog whose morals and ambitions often clash. Jimmy works with private eye Mike Ehrmantraut, a former Philadelphia cop and recent transplant to the Southwest. Mike has a specialized skill set — he’s a “fixer” of sticky situations — that Jimmy soon learns to appreciate.
Confession: I’ve never watched the entirety of Breaking Bad. I watched the last season in utter confusion as Seth was determined to finish it in real-time. Thankfully, you don’t need to watch Breaking Bad to appreciate Better Call Saul.
There are so many twists and turns, moments you’re convinced this is it, this is the moment that Jimmy becomes Saul, but it’s a slow torture. Once it happens, you’re no longer excited. Instead, you wish for him to stop and become a better man, but he never does.
Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler is a sight to be seen with her acting, but also seeing a character come to terms with who she was and is capable of. She was the redemption writing-wise needed after fans slaughtered Skyler for not sticking it out with Walter.
Deadwood Seasons One thru Three & The Movie (HBO)
“Deadwood” is set in a mining town that was not part of any U.S. state or territory in the post-Civil War years, and thus was literally lawless. Deadwood attracts people looking to get rich after a huge gold strike, as well as those looking to capitalize on the lack of organized law in the town, built on land stolen from the Sioux.
Watching this after having moved to the Netherlands with barely any connections and no firm work contract, I understood those who went through the Western Expansion (colonizing of the Americas). I felt sympathy and empathy because they were profoundly out of their depths.
Deadwood is so well acted, and it made me wish I had bothered to watch a Shakespearean play in my life to appreciate the monologues better. The movie was not my favorite. I know it was done to appease the fans since HBO canceled it without a solid ending, but there were so many good actors.
Succession, Season Four (HBO)
The saga of a fictional, American global-media family that is rich, powerful and dysfunctional.
“But I’m the eldest boy!” – Kendall Roy.
It’s just good.
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