Ryan & Ryan’s 101 Favorite TV Series of the Last Five Years: Part Four (of Four)
Keep Exploring!
Editor’s Note: As mentioned on Monday, we are on vacation in Rome this week! So for the past week (including today!), instead of a Monday article or conversation, a Wednesday libation and a Friday podcast, on each 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! [Click here for part one, here for part two, and here for part three.]
On Wednesday (October 19th) we will return to our regularly scheduled programming with a Mid-Week Libation, followed by a new Aesthetic Arrest podcast on Friday! Enjoy!
[Click here for part one, here for part two, and here for part three.]
Part Four (of Four): Keep Exploring!
Star Trek: Discovery (2017-Present)
The best Star Trek series since Star Trek: The Next Generation! Captained by two fierce women (Sonequa Martin-Green and Michelle Yeoh) and the spellbinding chameleon Doug Jones, with an amazing queer-inclusive supporting cast (Wilson Cruz! Anthony Rapp! Tig Notaro! Blu del Barrio! Ian Alexander!). How does this show just keep getting better every season? “The Federation isn’t just about ships and warp drive. It’s about a vision and all those who believe in that vision.” - Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green)
Star Trek: Picard (2020-Present)
Star Trek: Discovery is the bold, new future of the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is filled with clever callbacks and old-school nostalgia. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Picard is a showcase for the acting genius of Patrick Stewart, serving us Jean-Luc Picard doing what Jean-Luc Picard does best: quoting classic English literature, drinking Earl Grey tea, and saving the known universe.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Present)
We like Star Trek, okay? Got a problem with that? The newest entry in our current Star Trek renaissance is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – a nostalgic, occasionally campy, always entertaining love letter to long-term fans of the show. With more Easter eggs than the Cadbury bunny! A classic Trekker’s dream come true. (Did we mention we both have a crush on Ethan Peck’s baby Spock?)
Succession (2018-Present)
Is there anything left that hasn’t already been said about the universally acclaimed drama starring Brian Cox as Rupert-Murdoch-meets-King-Lear? This show needs no promotion, but at least for once all the hype and praise and awards are genuinely well-deserved.
A Suitable Boy (2020)
Beautiful and compelling family saga about post-partition India, based on the book by Vikram Seth. Stunning cast. Gorgeous music by Anoushka Shankar. Directed by the legendary Mira Nair! Watch this.
Tales of the City (2019, original miniseries in 1993, 1998 and 2001)
Let’s go back to Armistead Maupin’s San Francisco for one more delightful caper at 28 Barbary Lane. Mary Ann, Mouse, and Mrs. Madrigal (portrayed by the legendary Olympia Dukakis) are now joined by a new crop of endearing queer outsiders. Plus the never-before-seen backstory of the young Anna Madrigal (beautifully and perfectly portrayed by Jen Richards).
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (2020-Present)
If there is an heir-apparent to Anthony Bourdain, it’s Padma Lakshmi. Lakshmi and Bourdain were close friends who adored each other, and her gastrocentric docuseries is something all fans of Parts Unknown will enjoy. She’s so reverent, so insightful, so natural and so damn cool. Exploring the nation and its heritage of the culinary arts, she takes you on a journey and guides you every step of the way with genuine empathy, great questions and a sincere curiosity about people and food.
This Close (2018-2019)
Another tragically short-lived series about the hilarious, fabulous and occasionally dramatic friendship between two deaf BFFs (played by Shoshannah Stern and Joshua Feldman). Marlee Matlin is in this!
This Is Us (2016-2022)
The tear-jerker of all tear-jerkers. So many tears. Every episode of this show is carefully crafted to extract a maximum amount of pathos in 42 minutes. The formula only works because the acting, writing, directing, and everything else are absolutely next level. Watch the first season and if you didn’t shed a tear or aren’t hooked . . . go watch The Kardashians.
Tokyo Vice (2022-Present)
The first episode, directed by the legendary Michael Mann, was mind-blowing. And then it’s just a roller-coaster of crime and punishment, Tokyo-style. The spellbinding dance between Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe and Shô Kasamatsu is downright riveting to behold. Can’t believe this is based on a true story.
Transparent (2014-2019)
Transformative television. Judith Light and the insane f-ing Pfefferman family are completely engrossing. Let the fantastic script and the incomparable performances speak for themselves. But if that doesn't convince you, just watch Judith Light's Shelly Pfefferman performing a cabaret-version of Alanis Morrissette's “Hand in My Pocket”:
Trickster (2020)
This short-lived Canadian show was so good! A mythical, magical-realist First Nations drama based on the award-winning books by Haisla and Heiltsuk author Eden Robinson, starring an amazing cast of Indigenous/Native actors. Sadly cancelled way too soon and for all the wrong reasons.
Ugly Delicious (2018-2020)
We will never tire of watching David Chang having drunk discussions over delicious bowls of ramen.
United Shades of America (2016-Present)
For seven seasons now, comedian W. Kamau Bell has been roaming the United States and having intimate, engaging, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations with Americans from the entire political spectrum and a wide range of diverse communities. Bell is utterly fearless at tackling the hot topics people are actually talking about, and each episode is both a much-needed history lesson and a fascinating snapshot of our current culture in these troubled times.
Veneno (2020)
The best miniseries of 2020. La Veneno was a trans pioneer who helped Spain become a more tolerant place. Her story is utterly riveting. The cast is stellar! Produced by “Los Javis,” aka Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, the ridiculously handsome boyfriend-and-boyfriend writing/directing team who are also judges on Drag Race España.
Vida (2018-2020)
This show was so good! Wish we’d gotten a few more seasons. A proudly queer, unabashedly feminist Latinx/Latine family drama that is oh-so-very East L.A. With a fantastic soundtrack! (Which introduced us to the stunning music of San Cha!) Check it out.
Vigil (2021-Present)
Suranne Jones. On a nuclear submarine. Trying to solve a murder. Talk about a locked-room murder mystery!
Watchmen (2019)
Don’t tell Alan Moore how much we loved this. It’s fascinating to see how something inspired by a quite famous and quite beloved graphic novel can stray so far from the original source material while remaining utterly spectacular, dynamic and potent. Regina King and Jean Smart are perfect. And Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has a cameo!
We're Here (2020-Present)
Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela and Eureka O’Hara transform lives while exploring small-town America (mostly in red states). Part makeover show, part drag show, and part investigative journalism. Keep your Kleenex box handy!
We Are Lady Parts (2021-Present)
The feminist Muslim punk band you didn’t know you needed. Their song titles say it all: “Ain’t No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me,” “Bashir With The Good Beard” and “Voldemort Under My Headscarf.”
The Wheel of Time (2021-Present)
Feminist epic fantasy on a grand scale. Yas queens! Game of Thrones could never. Game of Thrones wishes she was this show. Did you hear me, Game of Thrones? You 👏 are 👏 not 👏 that 👏 kind 👏 of 👏 girl! 👏 <*throws cocktail*>
When They See Us (2019)
Ava. Ava. Ava. You can do no wrong. Everything Ava DuVernay touches turns to gold, and this harrowing and cathartic miniseries about the Central Park Five is no exception.
The White Lotus (2021-Present)
Jennifer Coolidge. Natasha Rothwell. Connie Britton. Murray Bartlett. Did we mention Jennifer Coolidge? Seriously, this bizarre show was so damn outrageous and side-splittingly funny. Though Jennifer Coolidge manages to steal almost every scene.
Work in Progress (2019-2021)
Abby McEnany’s comedy-drama about a self-identified “fat, queer dyke” was a complete surprise and an utter delight. Also: Julia Sweeney! Discussing SNL’s problematic nonbinary trailblazer “Pat”!
Years and Years (2019)
Beginning with BBC radio news headlines from the same day it originally aired, Years and Years propels us forward into a terrifying, often hilarious, yet ultimately very disturbing vision/prediction for what the future might hold. Written by Russell T Davies and focusing on a single family (played by an all-star British cast) as they navigate the coming decades, this bingeable show’s twists and turns veer from the tragicomic to the downright chilling. The aging Muriel (Anne Reid) repeatedly calling out to “Señor” (her constant companion – an A.I. modeled after Alexa/Siri) over the years is something that stays with you. Also, Emma Thompson is truly frightening as a sinister populist politician. The same type that keep getting elected all over the globe lately . . . sigh. Let’s just hope this show remains fiction.
Yellowstone (2018-Present)
We honestly did not expect to be interested in a modern-day Western set on a cattle ranch in Montana. However, the strong writing, combined with powerful acting from the impressive cast (especially Kevin Costner, Gil Birmingham, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser and scene-stealing daughter Beth – played by the brilliant Kelly Reilly) won us over.
Edited to add two more we forgot!
Rita (2012-2020)
One of our favorite shows EVER! Rita is one of the most iconic characters ever created around the subject of teaching. She's a rebel, rock-n-roll teacher with questionable ethics but a heart of gold. Season after season, she bucks the system, sleeps with whomever she wants and wins the hearts of all her students. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST WATCH!
Heartstopper (2022-Present)
Such a cute and charming teen romance with the most adorable/endearing leads ever! The whole show can be summed up in two words of dialogue: Charlie: “Hi.” Nick: “Hi.” Followed by much blushing and crushing and swooning. ♥💕❤
And that’s our list!
Now that we’ve finished, we implore you to tell us in the comments what we left out! What did we miss? What did we forget? What recent TV shows do you recommend? What shows have you been enjoying lately?
We always want new recommendations! Tell us in the comments!
We also forgot Heartstopper! Such a cute and charming teen romance with the most adorable/endearing leads ever! The whole show can be summed up in two words of dialogue:
Charlie: "Hi." Nick: "Hi." Followed by much blushing and crushing and swooning. ♥💕❤
OMG...we forgot Rita!!! One of our favorite shows EVER! Rita is one of the most iconic characters ever created around the subject of teaching. She's a rebel, rock-n-roll teacher with questionable ethics but a heart of gold. Season after season, she bucks the system, sleeps with whomever she wants and wins the hearts of all her students. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST WATCH!