What We Loved and Loathed on TV in 2019 (PHOTOS)
LOVED: The Streaming Wars’ Upside
Sure, there’s even more content to sort through now that there’s Apple TV+, DC Universe and Disney+ and so many other outlets. But it also means we get killer options like The Mandalorian, The Morning Show and Doom Patrol to choose from!
LOATHED: Family Guy on Santa’s Naughty List
Christmas came early and wildly inappropriately (even for this show!) after Meg Griffin sat for a little too long on Santa’s lap in the Dec. 15th episode. Let’s just say Stewie wasn’t the only one sickened by her kinky new thing for ol’ St. Nick.
LOVED: Reese Witherspoon, TV Maven
We thought her best work was Walk the Line and the “You have a baby…in a bar” line from Sweet Home Alabama, but lordy has she shown us the light! Not only does the multi-hyphenate star and exec produce on The Morning Show, Big Little Lies, and Little Fires Everywhere, she also EP’d Apple TV’s Truth Be Told featuring Octavia Spencer and has a bunch of projects brewing in development. This legally blonde powerhouse sure has come a long way from Cruel Intentions‘ Manchester Prep!
LOVED: The Leading Ladies Who Led the Pack
Flawed, funky, and downright fabulous, the characters created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Ruby Rose (Batwoman), Aidy Bryant (Shrill), Yara Shahidi (grown-ish), Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll), Kat Dennings (Dollface), and Kathryn Hahn (Mrs. Fletcher) were front-and-center examples of why the future of TV is female.
LOATHED: Survivor for Treating Sexual Harassment Like a Game
Instead of heeding Kellee Kim’s myriad complaints about fellow player Dan Spilo’s unwanted touches, the producers waited until he got too handsy with a crew member off-camera before sending him home. The tribe has spoken: CBS should be ashamed.
LOVED: Reboots That Tread New Ground
The CW’s Dynasty update went musical for a week, CBS’ SWAT got more personal with the team than the O.G. drama, BET+’s First Wives Club did right by bringing new shades of fun to the original film and HBO’s Watchmen dared to tell a fresh story set in the world of its comic-book source material. It’s all about innovation, not imitation, people!
LOATHED: The Bachelor Franchise’s Widespread Horticultural Homicide
Given that both Colton Underwood and Hannah Brown wound up un-engaged — and heartbroken in Hannah’s case — at the end of their respective seasons this year, we can’t help but note that all of those roses they handed out died for no good reason.
LOVED: The Late Bloomers
HBO’s insanely addictive Succession found an adoring audience in its second season, 9-1-1 on Fox earned a lot more folks’ attention with its impressive Season 2 tsunami, and suddenly everyone is into Schitt’s Creek now that PopTV’s crown jewel is sadly heading into its fifth and final round. Better late than never, right?
LOATHED: The Early Deaths of Gems That Deserved More Time to Shine
Grand Hotel, Now, Apocalypse, Swamp Thing, The Kids are Alright, The Passage, and Pearson were all woefully one-and-done, while Krypton, The Gifted, and For the People only got two seasons to plead their case. At least NBC saw the err of their ways and revived A.P. Bio for their planned streaming service.
LOATHED: Marvel TV’s Official Endgame
Between Marvel’s shutdown of its television division, Hulu’s axing of The Runaways, the death of all of its Netflix titles, and ABC retiring Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. after its upcoming seventh season, we’re starting to think Thanos’ snap did more than mess with just the Avengers.
‘Tis the season to be judgy, fa-la-la-la-la!
That’s right, it’s another year-end list because it’s that time of year when folks start aud lang sighing over the past, be it personal relationships, work issues or our favorite: Television! And with so much going on in 2019 — New streaming services! More scripted shows than ever! Grotesque sexual harassment situations at Survivor! — it’s impossible to fit in everything that was good and bad about TV over the last 12 months.
So scroll through our picks in the gallery above and put in your own two cents in the comments section. Just keep it polite and on topic.
