Because this is a reboot — new cast, new setting — and not a revival, it qualifies as a new show. And because it’s loving, interesting and jubilant, it qualifies as one of the best new shows. The new Fab Five, based out of Atlanta, give makeovers to deserving individuals and emotional sustenance to viewers. There were two seasons of the show in 2018, and the second is superior, but both have an earnestness and positivity that are a welcome respite from the grinding misery of life. (Streaming on Netflix.)
6. ‘You’ (Lifetime)
I ripped through the 10 episodes of “You” like a fiend, like it was salt and vinegar chips, like it was Christmas morning, like I had rabies. It’s that fun and that addictive — and that close to the edge of being straight-up trashy. Instead, the drama about a bookstore manager stalking an MFA student is a savvy sendup of social media culture (well, “culture”) and New York nonsense, packaged in a tight thriller with a gloriously nasty sense of humor. (Streaming on Lifetime.)
7. ‘Sorry for Your Loss’ (Facebook Watch)
TV is not great at depicting grief. Usually shows race through the mourning period, never mention dead characters again and don’t acknowledge the looping nature of despair and the permanence of profound loss. Then there’s this show, which … does. Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of a young widow is prickly and real, and the characters around her are all dealing with their own lives in addition to supporting her through her trauma. There’s only so much support anyone can give, and that anyone can accept. (Streaming on Facebook.)
8. ‘Corporate’ (Comedy Central)
The latest entry in the terrible workplace genre, “Corporate” is as nihilistic as they come, so bleak it often becomes absurd and even supernatural. Because the corporation at the heart of “Corporate” is so large — their slogan is “We don’t make anything, we make everything” — the characters have no respite from their overlords, and even weekends, parties and restaurants are tinged with office-adjacent misery. Because many people will experience work drudgery in their lives, shows or movies about it are better when they’re surgically specific in their critiques — and “Corporate” is. (Streaming on Comedy Central.)
9. ‘Cupcake and Dino: General Services’ (Netflix)
Warning: This show has the catchiest theme song maybe ever, all the more dangerous because its lyrics are just the name of the show, so every time you mention “Cupcake and Dino,” it’s an invitation to just sing the song. This gleeful cartoon about two brothers who take on odd jobs all over their town of Big City is reminiscent of “Adventure Time,” but a little more wild and silly. (Streaming on Netflix.)
10. ‘Pose’ (FX)
Ryan Murphy’s ensemble drama set within the drag world of 1980s New York knows how to balance its sad side with its soapy side with its fun side with its human side. It’s a show about allegiance and community, about characters who have found one another on the fringes and made a life and a world for themselves.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/arts/television/the-best-tv-shows.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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