Ryan & Ryan’s 101 Favorite TV Series of the Last Five Years: Part One (of Four)
Ryan & Ryan’s 101 Favorite TV Series of the Last Five Years: Part One (of Four)
Keep it Eclectic!
Editor’s Note: We are on vacation in Rome this week! Hopefully right now we are sitting at a bar in the Piazza Navona with our friends Jackie and Alan and a bottle of chilled, slightly effervescent frascati and several plates of marvelous antipasti before us. So rather than serve our devoted readers zero new content this week, we decided to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to provide you with something that has been long-requested . . . possibly our *most* requested article topic: Our favorite TV series! Specifically our favorite recent TV!
So for the next week (including next Monday 10/17) instead of a Monday article or conversation, a Wednesday libation and a Friday podcast, on each of those days you will instead be getting a new installment of our four-part article: Ryan & Ryan’s 101 Favorite TV Series of the Last Five Years!
On Wednesday, October 19th we will return to our regularly scheduled programming with a Mid-Week Libation, followed by an Aesthetic Arrest podcast that Friday! Enjoy!
Ryan & Ryan’s 101 Favorite TV Series of the Last Five Years (A Personal and Eccentric List!)
We are currently living in the so-called Golden Age of Television. For the first time in the history of the medium, there is a vast surplus of great actors, great scriptwriters and great directors making great television for an educated adult audience. There is so much high-quality TV out there right now that we often find friends and family asking for our viewing recommendations.
So here is our extremely idiosyncratic attempt to list our favorite TV shows from the past five years. That means any TV show (or miniseries) that aired at least one episode in 2018 or later is eligible (We’re looking at you, Sense8!). First. A few caveats. Did we mention this is a personal and eccentric list? We watch a lot of PBS, BBC, Channel Four and ITV, for example. We tend to enjoy more dramas than comedies, though we adore British comedy (and British programming in general), and we prefer nontraditional American comedies with incredibly sharp writing and unique points of view. We like our reality shows to feature drag queens, food, or Henry Louis Gates, Jr. We love intelligent sci-fi/fantasy, historical dramas, cultural documentaries, diverse and inclusive casting, intersectional feminism, locked-room murder mysteries, nuanced geopolitical espionage, and period pieces featuring empowered Victorian women. And quality LGBTQIA+ content of any kind! (Emphasis on the word quality.)
People we love: Ava DuVernay, Anthony Bourdain, RuPaul Charles, Oprah/OWN, Jennifer Saunders, David Simon, Shonda Rhimes, David Attenborough, Russell T Davies, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, Ron Cephas Jones, Maggie Smith, Michelle Forbes, Uzo Aduba, Christine Baranski, Jennifer Coolidge, Sophie Okonedo, Dawn French, Sandra Oh, Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho, Laverne Cox, Suranne Jones, Viola Davis, Patrick Stewart, Mahershala Ali, Olivia Colman, Clarke Peters, Edward James Olmos, Billy Porter, Michelle Yeoh, Gil Birmingham, Cynthia Erivo, Wilson Cruz, Sarah Lancashire, America Ferrera, Elisabeth Moss, Omar J. Dorsey and Shohreh Aghdashloo. And Henry Louis Gates, Jr.!
Also, we watch a lot more TV now than we did 20 years ago because TV is significantly better now than before. We also just went through two years of not being able to go outside. So we watched a lot of TV. Don’t judge us.
On to the list! These are all in alphabetical order because ranking them would simply be impossible.
Part One (of Four): Keep it Eclectic!
American Masters (1986-Present)
We love PBS and we’re not ashamed to say it. And all of the incredible documentaries American Masters has showcased over the decades are far too long to list right here. Recent documentary subjects have included Alvin Ailey, Marian Anderson, Buddy Guy, Helen Keller, Rita Moreno . . . and the upcoming 2023 season premieres in January with a new documentary about Roberta Flack! Can’t wait.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013-2018)
Unquestionably *THE BEST* travel show ever created. Anthony Bourdain set the bar so high for this series that it is doubtful that anyone will ever be able to come close to recreating anything like it. A thoughtful, humorous, provocative journey across the globe through the eyes of one of our favorite human beings who has ever been on television. If it weren’t for Anthony Bourdain, The Epicurean Vagabonds wouldn’t exist. Rest in Peace, Mr. Bourdain. Thank you for this unparalleled gift of investigative journalism.
BBC Proms (1947-Present)
That’s not a typo. The BBC Proms were first aired on television all the way back in 1947! And they are still going strong! The 2022 Proms program included everything from Mozart and Beethoven to Cynthia Erivo, Yuja Wang, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, and a tribute to Aretha Franklin.
Back to Life (2019-Present)
The hilarious Daisy Haggard (her hair!) shines in this dark British comedy about a woman attempting to return to “normal” life after twenty years in prison. The premise shouldn’t work, but with clever plotting and interesting characters, Back to Life is a smart sitcom with a melancholy edge.
The Bear (2022-Present)
Ever been a cook? Ever been a server? Ever worked in a restaurant? Best representation of what it really looks like behind the scenes. This isn’t Mel’s Diner but “kiss my grits,” it’s great television.
Berlin Station (2016-2019)
When asked in an interview about what genres to avoid, Anthony Bourdain (had to reference him again) said: “Any spy novel in which the hero carries a gun. I like my spy fiction dreary, realistic and preferably written by a former intelligence officer.” This is what Berlin Station gives you in abundance. Brilliantly written and brilliantly acted – Rhys Ifans, Michelle Forbes, Richard Jenkins, Leland Orser, Richard Armitage and Ismael Cruz Córdova are all phenomenal.
Better Things (2016-2022)
We literally binge-watched the first four seasons of the brilliant Better Things, from writer, director and producer Pamela Adlon. She’s a genius and the show might be one of the best sitcoms on American TV in recent times. And the final fifth season did not disappoint. Cannot recommend enough!
Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
How can you not be interested in the combination of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoë Kravitz (joined in season two by none other than Meryl Streep!), all acting at the highest level, with a script most people in Hollywood would literally kill for?
Black Earth Rising (2018)
Michaela Coel and John Goodman star in this criminally-overlooked political drama about a survivor seeking justice in Rwanda. This should have won every major acting and writing award.
Call My Agent! (2015-2020)
A triumph of French comedy (no Jerry Lewis here) with a revolving door of incredible cameos from legends of French cinema and TV. Binge-worthy.
The Chair (2021)
Sandra Oh stars as an English literature professor in the best academic satire we have ever seen on TV. (Also the only academic satire we have ever seen on TV?)
Chef’s Table (2015-Present) & Street Food (2019-Present)
Without question, these sister series are the most gorgeously produced and filmed series about chefs and food we’ve ever seen. This is food porn at its pinnacle. The stories, the restaurants, the back story . . . riveting. And don’t miss all the variations and spin-offs! Chef’s Table: France, Chef’s Table: Pastry, Chef’s Table: BBQ, Chef’s Table: Pizza, Street Food: Asia, Street Food: Latin America, Street Food: USA . . . hours of foodie pleasure via Netflix!
Cherish the Day (2020-Present)
Ava DuVernay does it again with this beautiful romance, portraying the ups and downs of a love story played out across many years. Cicely Tyson is in this show! The brand new season (just premiered last week), with a different cast and storyline, looks quite promising as well.
Counterpart (2017-2019)
Is Spy-Fi a genre? It is now. J.K. Simmons and Olivia Williams deliver astonishing performances in this parallel Earth spy drama. No spoilers – viewers and characters alike are on a strictly need-to-know basis, and you don’t have clearance yet – so just dive in.
Cunk on Britain (2016-2018) & Cunk on Earth (2022)
Diane Morgan’s Philomena Cunk just might be the funniest person on television at the moment. An epic parody of every BBC documentary ever, Philomena Cunk brings her naïve questions and bizarre insights across the U.K. and across the globe, confounding scholars and amusing viewers with her unique brand of historically absurdist comedy. The closest comparison is Monty Python at their very best.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
This is everything all that “80s nostalgia” should be! We were both hurtled back to our Jim-Henson-inspired childhoods with a return to the beloved animatronic fantasy saga of Skeksis, Mystics and Gelflings. With a voice cast that includes Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, Harvey Fierstein, Benedict Wong, Toby Jones and Eddie Izzard! Who doesn’t want to attend that cast party?
Dark Winds (2022-Present)
Based on the bestselling mystery series by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds follows the investigations of Navajo detectives Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), as they investigate a series of murders. Nuanced characters, an interesting setting (the Navajo Nation in the 1970s), and a thoroughly engaging thriller from start to finish.
Doc Martin (2004-Present)
There aren’t enough positive things to say about this treasure of the BBC. Absolutely one of our favorite comedy series of all time, it never fails to deliver. Martin Clunes as the haemophobic Doc Martin (that’s haemophobic – he has an aversion to blood, not fabulous people) is as iconic a character as any in the annals of English TV.
The Expanse (2015-2022)
Best futuristic sci-fi space show since the reboot of Battlestar Galactica! Hundreds of years from now, humankind has colonized the solar system. There are Belters on Jupiter’s moons and the asteroids of Saturn, Martians on Mars, and Earthers on Earth and Luna (the moon), all jockeying for power. If Shohreh Aghdashloo’s deep, throaty portrayal of Earth’s leader, Chrisjen Avasarala, doesn’t immediately suck you in, then the Belters’ accent surely will. “Good coffee can save the world.” - Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo)
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012-Present)
Are you watching Finding Your Roots? *Everyone* in America (and anyone who wants to understand America) should be watching this show. Every episode is utterly captivating, offering tantalizing glimpses of deeply personal stories from American history and world history that you’ll never find in a textbook. And the gene testing throws into question many of our received ideas and categories about race and identity, showing just how interconnected we all are, and always have been. It’s streaming for free on PBS.org. And most of the older episodes are on Youtube. So there’s no excuse. Go! Now!
Flack (2019-2020)
Just imagine if Ray Donovan were a feminist British comedy. Starring Anna Paquin and her boss, the always-brilliant and always-scathing Sophie Okonedo, as P.R. “fixers” saving their outrageous clients from even more outrageous scandals. “Be wary of men whose pockets or dicks are too big – it makes their entitlement unbearable.” – Caroline (Sophie Okonedo)
Fleabag (2016-2019)
The insanely talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge shatters the fourth wall in this groundbreaking British comedy. Whether she’s crushing on the “hot priest” (Andrew Scott) or suffering through another uncomfortable family gathering, Waller-Bridge is always shockingly funny. Both Olivia Colman and Fiona Shaw are hilarious as well!
Fosse/Verdon (2019)
The legendary Gwen Verdon was the grandmother of one of our dearest friends in the world and I (Ryan Wildstar) had the tremendous honor of having her sit in the front row of a production of Harold Pinter’s Landscape which was produced by, directed by, and starring her granddaughter and me. This portrait of Verdon (brilliantly portrayed by Michelle Williams) and her tumultuous relationship with Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) was absolutely enthralling.
The Fosters (2013-2018)
Not the groundbreaking 1976 television show from the U.K. (a British adaptation of Good Times), but still absolutely transformative TV. Stef and Lena are one of our favorite couples in TV herstory. The whole extended family is beyond endearing. Even the theme song is so addictive that you… can’t…stop… watching… this… show… and… singing… along. “It’s not where you come from, it’s where you BE-long!”
Foundation (2021-Present)
One of the better new sci-fi shows at the moment. We love Baby Yoda just as much as the next geek (who doesn’t love Baby Yoda?), but it’s refreshing to see a sci-fi show aimed at thinking adults. Based on the magnum opus of the ultimate sci-fi thinker/polymath himself – Isaac Asimov.
That’s it for part one! Check back Wednesday for part two, Friday for part three, and next Monday for part four (the last one).
And tell us in the comments what we left out! What did we miss? What did we forget? What recent TV shows do you recommend? Tell us your picks!