So much content, so little time. Here are some more shows I’ve finished, more or less in order of preference. Enjoy.

Seinfeld (1989-1998)

created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld

written by Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Matt Goldman, Peter Mehlman, Larry Charles, Elaine Pope, Tom Leopold, Bob Shaw, Don McEnery, Peter Mehlman, Bill Masters, Larry Levin, Marc Jaffe, Greg Daniels, Peter Farrelly, Bob Farrelly, Steve Skrovan, Bill Masters, Jon Hayman, Bruce Kirschbaum, Andy Robin, Lawrence H. Levy, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Carol Leifer, Ron Hauge, Charlie Rubin, Andy Cowan, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, Fred Stoller, Marjorie Gross, Sam Kass, Gregg Kavet, Jonathan Gross, Spike Feresten, David Mandel, Matt Selman, Jennifer Crittenden, Steve O’Donnell, Steve Koren, Darin Henry, Dan O’Keefe, Jill Franklyn, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Billy Kimball, Steve Lookner, Marc Jaffe, and Kit Boss

directed by Art Wolff, Tom Cherones, David Steinberg, Joshua White, Jason Alexander, Andy Ackerman, and David Owen Trainor

I finally finished Seinfeld after so many years of only watching isolated episodes here and there. And let’s be honest, it’s such a cultural behemoth I’m not sure what else there is to say that hasn’t been said before. To me, the brilliance of Seinfeld lies in the fact that it subverted the standard of American television into an existential, sometimes even nihilistic experience. Throughout its 180 episodes, co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld sold audiences on a deeply misanthropic, absurd view of of life through four selfish, neurotic, eccentric characters who, despite their unlikable nature, became our weekly friends. I’m not sure I’d ever want to hang out with Jerry (Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), or Kramer (Michael Richards), but watching them try to make sense of the mundane and meaningless aspects of daily existence is a wicked delight.

Rating: ***½

The Crown (2016-2023)

created by Peter Morgan

written by Peter Morgan, Amy Jenkins, Tom Edge, James Graham, David Hancock, Jonathan Wilson, Daniel Marc Janes, and Meriel Sheibani-Clare

directed by Stephen Daldry, Philip Martin, Julian Jarrold, Benjamin Caron, Philippa Lowthorpe, Christian Schwochow, Jessica Hobbs, Sam Donovan, Paul Whittington, Alex Gabassi, May el-Toukhy, and Erik Richter Strand

I’m someone who does not get the fascination with the British monarchy, an old system of power that for hundreds of years has been largely symbolic – Parliament and the Prime Minister take care of governing, whereas the “Royals” largely play a symbolic role. Thankfully, The Crown knows this, and it achieves the rare feat of being both critical and empathetic about the family, covering around six decades of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and her role as an intelligent, self-sufficient woman trapped in a world she both respects and questions. And while the later seasons tend to be a bit soapy for my taste – i.e. the whole Princess Diana storyline – this is a thoughtful show with excellent acting, production design, and cinematography.

Rating: ***½

Treme (2010-2013)

created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer

written by David Simon, Eric Overmyer, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Lolis Eric Elie, Tom Piazza, Davis Rogan, Anthony Bourdain, James Yoshimura, Mari Kornhauser, Chris Yakaitis, Jen Ralston, Chris Offutt, Chris Rose, Micah Kibodeaux, Jordan Hirsch, 

directed by Agnieszka Holland, Jim McKay, Ernest Dickerson, Anthony Hemingway, Christine Moore, Brad Anderson, Simon Cellan Jones, Dan Attias, Tim Robbins, Alex Zakrzewski, Rob Bailey, Roxann Dawson, Adam Davidson, and Alex Hall

Treme is another great series from co-creator David Simon, who previously helmed one of the best TV shows of all time, The Wire. True to that earlier effort, this one is another dense, complex drama about a community trying to navigate the societal and governmental structures of a city, in this case New Orleans after the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Yet it’s looser, with an emphasis on culture, music, and resilience, all set to a banging jazz soundtrack that takes center stage as another character in the story. This is once again intelligent storytelling at a level that’s increasingly hard to find. (See also Simon’s Show Me a Hero and We Own This City, which I mention below).

Rating: ***½

Breeders (2020-2023)

created by Martin Freeman, Chris Addison, and Simon Blackwell

written by Simon Blackwell, Barunka O’Shaughnessy, Oriane Messina, Fay Rusling, Jamie Brittain, Rebecca Callard, Rose Heiney, Taylor Glenn, Gabby Best, Daniel Cullen, and Sonya Kelly

directed by Ben Palmer, Chris Addison, and Ollie Parsons

If you’re a parent, then the very first scene of this dramedy series will strike you as completely truthful: Stressed-out dad Paul (Martin Freeman) approaches his screaming children while telling himself to breathe and speak calmly, yet upon opening the door lets out a, “Jesus fucking Christ! How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?!”. I admit I’ve been there and have wanted to strangle my son multiple times, while at the same time loving him to the moon and back. Breeders skillfully balances that contradiction over four seasons that explore the highs and lows of parenting with the sort of British humor that makes you laugh as well as cringe. Think twice before having kids.

Rating: ***

Atlanta (2016-2022)

created by Donald Glover

written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Jamal Olori, Taofik Kolade, Ibra Ake, Janine Nabers, Francesca Sloane, Jordan Temple, and Karen Joseph Adcock

directed by Hiro Murai, Donald Glover, Janicza Bravo, Amy Seimetz, Ibra Ake, Angela Barnes, and Adamma Ebo

I’m not sure how to describe this show which follows a music manager (Donald Glover, also the series’ creator), a rapper (Brian Tyree Henry), and their friends (LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz) in an alternate version of Atlanta, Georgia. It certainly defies explanation, as Glover mixes comedy, drama, social commentary, and even horror in unique, surreal ways. This is a universe in which invisible cars exist and Justin Bieber is black, a whole episode can abandon the main characters completely, and satire goes hand in hand with the absurd in ways that would make David Lynch proud (Glover himself has said he wanted to make his own Twin Peaks [1990-1991], but with rappers). It doesn’t always work, but when it does, wow.

Rating: ***

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott

based on the novel by Walter Tevis

written and directed by Scott Frank

Whether you’re into chess or not, you’ll likely be swayed by the zippy, well-acted, and beautiful-to-look-at The Queen’s Gambit, a miniseries about a young chess prodigy (Anya Taylor-Joy) who dreams of becoming the best player in the world. Veteran writer/director Scott Frank tells the story through intelligent dialogue, interesting characters, and calibrated performances, and in Taylor-Joy he found the perfect mix of magnetism and vulnerability. Pair this with the excellent Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) for a double dose of chess royalty.

Rating: ***

Dark (2017-2020)

created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese

written by Jantje Friese, Ronny Schalk, Marc O. Seng, Martin Behnke, and Daphne Ferraro

directed by Baran bo Odar

The first season of this German sci-fi thriller is fantastic, as a kid gets lost in a cave and is transported 33 years into the past. Yes, it’s a time travel show, and there’s a wormhole under the local nuclear plant. From there things get stickier and more complicated, as more timelines, paradoxes, and alternate universes are introduced in a heady stew that I’m not sure I completely understood, but which kept me enthralled throughout. It all leads to an emotional, satisfying finale, a great example of how to tie loose ends in a manner befitting the twisty narrative without recurring to corny, dumb resolutions. Dark demands a rewatch.

Rating: ***

Succession (2018-2023)

created by Jesse Armstrong

written by Jesse Armstrong, Tony Roche, Jonathan Glatzer, Anna Jordan, Georgia Pritchett, Susan Soon He Stanton, Lucy Prebble, Jon Brown, Will Tracy, Mary Laws, Ted Cohen, and Will Arbery

directed by Adam McKay, Mark Mylod, Adam Arkin, Andrij Parekh, Miguel Arteta, S. J. Clarkson, Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Matt Shakman, Becky Martin, Kevin Bray, Cathy Yan, and Lorene Scafaria

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more despicable cast of characters than the ones that make up the obscenely rich family at the center of this series. Led by patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the devious owner of a media conglomerate, it’s impossible to sympathize with any of them. And yet, as all of Logan’s offspring scheme and manipulate to gain control of the empire daddy built, creator Jesse Armstrong gives us moments of fleeting humanity that shed light on all the traumas and dysfunctions that shaped all their monstrous behavior. It’s all a bit one-note for my taste, but the darkly funny Succession is still a fine skewering of capitalism and the upper class.

Rating: ***

We Own This City (2022)

created by George Pelecanos and David Simon

written by George Pelecanos, David Simon, Ed Burns, William F. Zorzi, and D. Watkins

based on the book by Justin Fenton

directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green

Corruption. Systemic racism. Crooked cops. It’s all in a day’s work for co-creator David Simon (see Treme above), who imbues this true-story miniseries about the Baltimore Police Department with his trademark gritty realism and attention to detail. We Own This City can be seen as a natural follow-up to Simon’s groundbreaking The Wire, yet it’s probably bleaker in its portrayal of people working (and believing in) fractured institutions. Still, Simon is a humanist in the end, and flashes of that empathy abound even in flawed characters like Sergeant Wayne Jenkins (a never-better Jon Bernthal), a delusional detective who thinks he’s one of the good guys.

Rating: ***

Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)

created by Dustin Lance Black

based on the book by Jon Krakauer

written by Dustin Lance Black, Emer Gillespie, Gina Welch, and Brandon Boyce

directed by David Mackenzie, Courtney Hunt, Dustin Lance Black, Isabel Sandoval, and Thomas Schlamme

Another true story, this time about the double murder of Mormon wife Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her infant daughter at the hands of extremist family members (Sam Worthington and Wyatt Russell) who believed she was a heretic. Under the Banner of Heaven is occasionally heavy-handed, and the reenactments detailing the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feel flimsy and unnecessary. Yet the series benefits from the uncommon perspective of its setting, strong performances by the whole cast (Andrew Garfield is great as the conflicted Latter-day Saint detective), and interesting questions about duty and faith.

Rating: ***

Atypical (2017-2021)

created by Robia Rashid

written by Robia Rashid, Mike Oppenhuizen, Brian Tanen, Annabel Oakes, Dennis Saldua, Jen Regan, Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal, Bob Smiley, D.J. Ryan, Lauren Moon, Nicole Betz, and Annie Mebane

directed by Seth Gordon, Michael Patrick Jann, Joe Kessler, Ryan Case, Silver Tree, Geeta Patel, Wendey Stanzler, Pam Thomas, Pete Chatmon, Ken Whittingham, Rebecca Asher, Victor Nelli Jr., Wendey Stanzler, Michael Medico, Annabel Oakes, Robia Rashid, Tom Magill, Angela Tortu, Heather Jack, Jennifer Arnold, Fernando Sariñana, Kevin Rodney Sullivan

Atypical is a comedy-drama about autism that’s, well, pretty atypical. A couple of decades ago, or even in an Adam Sandler comedy, the laughs would be broad and quite possibly insensitive. Yet this coming-of-age show is endearing and fun, as ASD teenager Sam (Keir Gilchrist) navigates becoming an adult while dealing with his somewhat dysfunctional family. A bit traditional and safe, but a thoroughly entertaining watch.

Rating: **½

The Leftovers (2021)

created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta

based on the novel by Tom Perrotta

written by Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta, Kath Lingenfelter, Jacqueline Hoyt, Elizabeth Peterson, Curtis Gwinn, Carlito Rodriguez, Patrick Somerville, Tom Spezialy, Nick Cuse, Monica Beletsky, Tamara P. Carter, Haley Harris, Lila Byock, Carly Wray, 

directed by Peter Berg, Keith Gordon, Lesli Linka Glatter, Carl Franklin, Mimi Leder, Michelle MacLaren, Daniel Sackheim, Tom Shankland, Nicole Kassell, and Craig Zobel

I like the concept of The Leftovers, in which 140 million people suddenly disappear and the remaining population try to figure how to go on after the bizarre event. In its execution, though, I am not as sold. Similar to co-creator Damon Lindelof’s unsatisfying previous show Lost (2004-2010). The Leftovers is rife with mystery box mechanics, frustrating ambiguities, and plenty of contrivances. Yet its ideas about grief, faith, and existence land far better than in Lost, and we get a haunting ending that’s miles above the cheap denouement of Lindelof’s earlier series.

Rating: **½

Daisy Jones & the Six (2023)

created by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

written by Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Jenny Klein, Nora Kirkpatrick, Will Graham, Stacy Traub, Charmaine DeGraté, Susan Coyne, Jihan Crowther, Liz Koe, Judalina Neira, and Harris Danow

directed by James Ponsoldt, Nzingha Stewart, and Will Graham

A miniseries inspired by the classic 70s lineup of Fleetwood Mac, Daisy Jones & the Six follows the rise and fall of its titular band and the tumultuous relationship between its two lead singers (played by Riley Keough and Sam Claflin in the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham roles). On paper this is the sort of thing I should like, but despite a strong start the series is more interested in cliché and melodrama than the intangible process of creating music. Still, songs like Let Me Down Easy and The River are absolute gold.

Rating: **

The Outsider (2020)

created by Richard Price

written by Richard Price, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, and Dennis Lehane

based on the novel by Stephen King

directed by Patrick Bateman, Andrew Bernstein, Igor Martinović, Karyn Kusama, Daina Reid, J.D. Dillard, and Charlotte Brändström

The first couple of episodes of this series based on the novel by Stephen King had me in their grasp, as the investigation into the murder of a young boy starts to show contradictory evidence and an eerie presence worms its way into the narrative. And then it turns out that the big bad is… El Cuco, the Hispanic equivalent to the boogeyman. Sigh. As usual, adapting King is a difficult task, and The Outsider just becomes sillier as it goes along. Then again, it’s still better than another King title coming up below…

Rating: **

1923 (2022-2025)

created by Taylor Sheridan

written by Taylor Sheridan

directed by Ben Richardson and Guy Ferland

This second prequel to Yellowstone (2018-2023) also serves as a sequel to1883 (2021-2022), with another generation of Duttons facing the trials and tribulations of frontier life. But it’s not content in exploring just that, with side plots that include an epic romantic adventure in Africa and an indigenous teenage girl escaping from a sadistic Catholic school.1923 feels like three different series at once, resulting in a mishmash of genres, odd pacing, and gratuitous violence. A mixed bag for sure.

Rating: **

Lisey’s Story (2020)

created by Pablo Larraín

written by Stephen King, based on his novel

directed by Pablo Larraín

Lisey’s Story has a great title sequence (by Imaginary Forces) in which marionettes and animation expertly set the stage for a haunting, poignant mystery. Or so I hoped. This series based on Stephen King’s novel is one confusing mess, as Lisey (Julianne Moore), the widow of a famous writer (Clive Owen), discovers a parallel dimension while trying to fend off a deranged fan of her husband’s. The whole thing feels stiff and unsure of itself, and the overacting from everyone involved certainly took me out of any possible suspension of disbelief. What a disappointment.

Rating: *½

Carlos I. Cuevas