THE AMERICANS (2013)
6 seasons / 75 episodes
One of my favorite shows of all time, this show is about an ordinary, All-American family living in the Washington, DC suburbs in the early ‘80s. Philip and Elizabeth, played by Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, are regular suburbanites with two teenage kids. They are completely normal, except for one small thing: Philip and Elizabeth are really Russian spies, planted in America as children to spy on America for the Motherland. Everything you’ve ever loved about spy stories, including spycraft, disguises, dead drops, clandestine meetings, elaborate ruses and just basic great storytelling, it’s all here in this most excellent series that is never dull and finishes as strongly as it starts. One of the all-time greats.
***EMMY WINNER***
THE BEAR (2022)
1 season / 8 episodes (so far)
This high-stress series that takes place in the kitchen of a Chicago restaurant, is anxiety-inducing, but if you coast on the adrenaline, you will be rewarded with a fast-paced, energetic, chaotic and nerve-jangling glimpse into the lives of two brothers who are forced to take over management of the family restaurant after their older brother commits suicide. The episodes are short and sweet, and I guarantee you’ll be quick to push “next episode” so you can continue the high.
THE DROPOUT (2022)
1 season / 8 episodes
Based on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes, the celebrated inventor of a breakthrough medical technology who was later revealed to be a complete fraud, The Dropout tells a fascinating story of a rampant ego and the complicit sycophants who enabled her. If the story itself doesn’t intrigue you, the outstanding (and Emmy-winning) performance from Amanda Seyfried as Holmes makes this a must-see.
***Emmy Winner***
FOSSE/VERDON (2019)
1 season / 8 episodes
Oscar winner Sam Rockwell plays legendary choreographer Bob Fosse and multiple Oscar nominee Michelle Williams plays dancer/choreographer Gwen Verdon in this biographical series about the working and professional relationship of these two icons of American musical theater and film. No matter how much you’ve seen of Rockwell and Williams, they each deliver perhaps the most textured performances of their careers in this series that is an absolute treasure for anyone who loves theater, who loves music, who loves dance, and who loves cads, as Fosse was one of the biggest in history.
***Emmy Winner***
PAM & TOMMY (2022)
1 season / 8 episodes
If I tell you this is the true story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape scandal, you might not give this excellent series a try. So, forget what the series is about and revel in an absolutely riotously energetic, funny, charismatic and surprisingly moving and socially relevant show that features two of the best performances of the decade. Not even kidding. Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee and Lily James as Pamela Anderson will knock your socks off with their nuanced, totally immersive performances that give these two real-life characters much more texture and depth than they probably even deserve. But one of my favorite directors in Hollywood (and one of the most exciting), Craig Gillespie (who directed Cruella and I, Tonya) brings his unique flavor to this show, directing three of the eight episodes. I beg you to give this one a try…I guarantee you will be amused, surprised and just a little embarrassed at how much you enjoy it. It also stars Seth Rogen and Nick Offerman.
***Emmy Winner***
KILLING EVE (2018)
4 seasons / 32 episodes
Writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge followed up her masterpiece comedy series Fleabag with this killer drama about a professional international assassin and a British security operative obsessed with bringing her in. Each season is weaker than the previous one, but there is absolutely no denying the genius first season of this show that made Jodie Comer a star and cemented Sandra Oh in Emmy lore, becoming the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Oh was nominated four straight years, and her co-star, Jodie Comer, was nominated in three, winning in 2019 for playing Villanelle, the most loveable, charming, funny, twisted and talented assassin you’ve ever seen. Comer and Oh’s chemistry, blended with Waller-Bridge’s wickedly funny sensibility, makes Killing Eve a true must-see.
***Emmy Winner***
FEUD (2017)
1 season / 8 episodes (so far)
You don’t have to work too hard to figure out why I recommend this series from Ryan Murphy, especially because season one stars Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis in a re-imagining of the famous actresses’ infamous rivalry in Hollywood in the ‘40s, leading up to their legendary pairing in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, a film intended to resurrect both fading careers. Lange and Sarandon are expectedly excellent in this series that provides a glimpse into the Hollywood studio system and the sad fate that actresses have always had to battle in the system that favors youth over talent. It didn’t help Crawford and Davis either that both had larger-than-life and notoriously prickly personalities, elements that, in the hands of Lange and Sarandon, are truly sublime to watch.
***EMMY WINNER***
CATCH-22 (2019)
1 season / 6 episodes
Based on the classic novel by Joseph Heller about the absurdity of war, this series is exceptional, centered around a solid performance from Christopher Abbott as John “Yo Yo” Yossarian, a World War II bombardier stationed in Italy. As I noted in my review, “Sanity is a precious commodity in war and we watch as Yo Yo desperately tries to hold onto his through a multitude of encounters, actions and circumstances that range from the absurd to the tragic….What moved me the most about this story is the inherent sense of hope that lies buried below the layers of cynicism.” This is a very strong adaptation, executive produced by George Clooney (who also directs and has a small role), with all the production elements to make it a first-class experience that feels like a movie.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (2021)
2 seasons / 20 episodes (so far)
This show is worth it just to see Steve Martin and Martin Short on screen together, but Only Murders in the Building turns out to be so much more than stunt casting, as Martin and Short are positively delightful in a show that turns out to be pretty good. Martin and Short play a has-been actor and director who both live in a ritzy New York City apartment building. When someone is murdered in their building, they, along with a fellow tenant, played by Selena Gomez, decide to start a podcast about the investigation and take it upon themselves to look for evidence and seek out the killer themselves, unaware of the deep trouble and danger they will eventually get themselves into. The show is whip-smart and well-paced, with just enough of a whodunit factor to keep you in suspense, while the charming antics of Martin and Short keep you binging all night long. Look for great supporting performances from Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Jayne Houdyshell and Tina Fey.
***Emmy Winner***
POSE (2018)
3 seasons / 26 episodes
Another one I came to late, and I regret it, as this show is so good, so passionate, so heartfelt, so heartbreaking and so downright glorious that I would have been singing its praises from the roof if I had been watching it when it was actually on. Set against the backdrop of the New York City drag world of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Pose stars Billy Porter as the MC of a weekly drag show/competition, where rival “families” of performers compete for the sought-after trophy. It’s a vibe very similar to the classic film Saturday Night Fever, as most of the performers are ordinary, hard-working, down-on-their-luck average Joes during the day, but, when they join the members of their community and perform, each and every one becomes a legit superstar. Throw in the AIDS crisis and other socioeconomic stresses of being poor, queer and of color in NYC in the ‘70s and ‘80s and you’ll understand why Pose is so much more than a drag show. The absolutely kickass, showstopping cast of trans and queer performers includes MJ Rodriguez, Dominque Jackson, Indya Moore and Ryan Jamaal Swain.
***Emmy Winner***
MRS. AMERICA (2020)
1 season / 9 episodes
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett disappears into her role as infamous conservative sociopolitical activist Phyllis Schlafly in this educational and well-done history of the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment in the ‘70s. Blanchett is supported by a cadre of excellent supporting performances, including Sarah Paulson, Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Banks, Uzo Aduba, Melanie Lynskey, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ullman and John Slattery.
***Emmy Winner***
AMERICAN CRIME STORY: IMPEACHMENT (2021)
1 season / 10 episodes
This series, which tells of the Bill Clinton scandal through Monica Lewinsky’s perspective, is often cheesy and heavy-handed, but is worth watching for Sarah Paulson’s galling and no-holds-barred portrayal of Lewinsky confidant-turned-betrayer Linda Tripp. Guest stars are everywhere, including Beanie Feldstein, Margo Martindale, Edie Falco and Clive Owen, who plays Bill Clinton eerily well.
AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE VS. OJ SIMPSON (2016)
1 season / 10 episodes
Technically season one of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story series, The People vs OJ Simpson chronicles the entire OJ Simpson case, from chase to verdict, and is predictably pulpy, but the performances, notably from Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark and Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, make it feel much more fun.
AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE (2018)
1 season / 9 episodes
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s series dedicated to true American crime stories, this one focuses on Andrew Cunanan, played by Darren Criss, the crazed fan who murdered fashion icon Gianni Versace and then engaged the police in a manhunt. As with all of Murphy’s series, this season is loaded with great performances and is way too entertaining to be based on something so horrific.
NINE PERFECT STRANGERS (2021)
1 season / 9 episodes
Although this show is slightly uneven and not nearly up to the caliber of the similarly-themed The White Lotus (on HBO), Nine Perfect Strangers is interesting enough and sets up enough of an interesting premise to keep you watching past the first episode. Oscar winner Nicole Kidman stars as the guru of a remote health and well-being retreat to which nine stressed-out clients arrive to embark on a regimen of activities to improve their minds and bodies. But, as expected, not all is as it seems as strange things start to happen and the guests start to question the real motives of Kidman and her employees. The impressive cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale and Luke Evans. From the mind of David E. Kelley.