[LIST] My Ten Favorite Drama Debuts of 2019

by Qua-niesha

I’m back with another annual list! This time, we’re reviewing my top ten favorite 2019 series debuts!

Again, I want to reiterate that I’m not a critic, and I don’t base my favorites off of what critics enjoy. I might like art, but I don’t have that eye to appreciate the shows the way they do.

My love and appreciation of art is very different, and I might have seen some critically-acclaimed shows that I vehemently agree with its star quality, but it may not have made the list for my personal favorites.

Another thing about this list this time is that it’ll be shorter and won’t have the full analysis as my first list for the 2018 shows. At the end, I’ll actually preview my favorite mindless binges of the year (unlike last year), and tell you some other great shows that I watched and enjoyed.

10.) Nancy Drew (The CW)

• Developed by Noga Landau (story editor for season three of 2016 series, The Magicians, co-producer of the 2019 series, See), Josh Schwartz (developed the 2017 Marvel television series, Runaways, and the 2017 series, Dynasty), and Stephanie Savage (executive several episodes for the 2011 series, Hart of Dixie and the 2007 series, Gossip Girl), Nancy Drew is a supernatural mystery based on the character of the same name created by Edward Stratemeyer in 1930. It premiered October 9th, 2019 on the CW Network and stars newcomer Kennedy McMann as the titular character, Scott Wolf (The Night Shift, the 1994 version of Party of Five) as Carson Drew, Tunji Kasim (the 2016 film “Florance Foster Jenkins”, Nearly Famous) as a version of Ned Nickerson (who goes by simply “Nick”), Leah Lewis (Guidance, Sing It!) as a version of George Fayne (changed her last name to “Fan”), Maddison Jaizani (Versailles, Into the Badlands) as a version of Bess Marvin (changed her last name to “Tarani”), and Alex Saxon (The Fosters, The Fix) as the original character Ace. Other series regulars include Alvina August (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the 2018 series, Siren) as Detective Karen Hart and Riley Smith (the 2002 film, “Eight Legged Freaks”, the 2001 film “Not Another Teen Movie”) as Ryan Hudson. Melinda Hsu Taylor (executive producer for several episodes of The Gifted and The Vampire Diaries) and Landau serve as showrunners for the first season. Other executive producers include Lis Rowinski; co-executive producers include Larry Teng, Alex Taub, Ramsey Nickell, and Grace Gilroy; supervising producers include Erika Harrison; consulting producer includes Jesse Stern; and producers include Jonathan C. Brody, S. Lily Hui, and Celine Geiger with associate producer Allie Goldstick.
• In my own words, the series catches eighteen-year-old Nancy in the midst of her fall out from solving mysteries a couple months after the death of her mother, Katherine Drew (portrayed by Sara Canning). As she lands a job at The Bayside Claw, managed by George, with employees Ace and Bess, it is soon afterward that Tiffany Hudson (portrayed by Sinead Curry) is mysteriously murdered one night and the police investigation captures The Claw workers along with Nick in locked room mystery over her death. Each of the characters have a story of their own that connects them to Tiffany that get delicately explored, but it is Nancy’s reluctance-turned-curiosity that lands her center into an investigation of her own that connects Tiffany’s story to the fabled tale of Lucy Sable (portrayed by Stephanie Van Dyck), colloquially known as “Dead Lucy.” The slow lead up to the (original) finale—episode 16—is a realization that not only provides closure to Lucy but opens the door to some painful realization for our central characters and the small town of Horseshoe Bay.
• This one swiftly caught my attention from the pilot. Between the coloring, the way it was shot, the costume designs, and the excellent use of fantasy in an otherwise contemporary story, it’s one of the most intriguing out of all the shows I’ve watched in 2019. I personally love the way it focuses on young, post-high school-aged characters (i.e I call this “New Adult” fiction – stories focusing on 18 to 25-year-old adults navigating their way through life). I’m only examining this through the first sixteen episodes although The CW extended the episodes from 16 to 22 after three weeks of airing. The other thing I love about this show is how it race lifted canonical white characters. I might have reservations on Nick’s writing, but George and Bess aren’t simply characters of color who exist as white characters. We get to see George, her family, and her cultural heritage that are all central to her character. In the fourth and fifth episodes, the latter being one of my favorite episodes, we see Chinese spirituality through how George’s mother, Victoria (portrayed by Liza Lapira), but it is integrated in a way as not to mystify the culture (probably due to the factor that the co-writer, who is also the co-showrunner, is Chinese herself). This also happens in the eighth episode with Chief E.O McGinnis (portrayed by Adam Beach)—we are introduced to Ojibwe spirituality. Same with Bess. We know she’s Iranian (unknown ethnicity) from the U.K, and we know a bit of her family background, and it does define who she is. In addition to her ethnic background, she’s also a (presumed) lesbian, which is central to her character. We get romantic scenes of her with Lisbeth (portrayed by Katie Findlay) while also having stories of her outside of that (particularly her induction into the Marvin family). This could be because of the diverse writer’s room the show has. One thing I do hope that improves in the future is the writing around Nick because it feels racially insensitive at times. I also would like to add Detective Hart to this list. The writers do a good job of avoiding the usual racist tropes, but on a deeper level, compared to the writing of Bess and George, it feels like they could do better with them both. Same thing with pushing Nancy with Owen Marvin (portrayed by Miles Gaston Villanueva). I like Owen as a character, and he does bring some interesting elements to the show, but the romance between him and Nancy is inappropriate when you compare it to how the show handled the predatory relationship George was in with Ryan. Owen would be a better friend and mentor to Nancy than a romantic love interest. He’s in the New Adult age range as Nancy, but they are at two very different transitions (18-19 compared to 23-25).
• My personal favorite characters are Ace and Bess, and my favorite performances come from McMann, Wolf, and Lewis. My personal favorite episodes are the fifth episode (“The Case of the Wayward Spirit” written by Taylor and Katherine DiSavino and directed by Claudia Yarmy), the seventh episode (“The Tale of the Fallen Sea Queen” written by Harrison and Andrea Thorton Bolden and directed by Rebecca Rodriguez), the eighth episode (“The Path of Shadows” written by Stern and directed by Alexis Ostrander), the ninth episode (“The Hidden Staircase” written by Taylor and directed by Shannon Kohli), the eleventh episode (“The Phantom of Bonny Scott” written by Bolden and Katie Schwartz and directed by Nickell), the thirteenth episode (“The Whisper Box” written by Landau and Taub and directed by Teng), and the sixteenth episode (“The Haunting of Nancy Drew” written by Landau and Katie Schwartz and directed by Ruben Garcia). I rank this show 8/10.
• The show was renewed for season two in January 2020.

9.) Roswell New Mexico (The CW)

• Developed by Carina Adly Mackenzie (writer’s assistant-turned-producer and executive story editor on The Originals), who also stars as the showrunner, Roswell New Mexico is a supernatural western adaptation of the YA science fiction novel series, Roswell High created by Melinda Metz in 1998. It debuted January 15, 2019, and stars Jeanine Mason (Grey’s Anatomy, Of Kings and Prophets) as Liz Ortecho, Nathan Dean Parsons (The Originals, General Hospital) as Max Evans, Lily Cowles (BrainDead) as Isobel Evans, newcomer Michael Vlamis as Michael Guerin, Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars, Wendy) as Alex Manes, Heather Hemmens (Yellowstone, Hellcats) as Maria DeLuca, Michael Trevino (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals) as Kyle Valenti, Trevor St. John (Youthful Daze, Containment) as Jesse Manes, and Karan Oberoi (Combat Hospital, Counterpart) as Noah Bracken. Other executive producers include Darryl Frank, Lawrence Bender, Kevin Kelly Brown, Justin Falvey, and Julie Plec; co-executive producers include Tim Andrew, Adam Lash, Kamran Pasha, and Cori Uchida; consulting producer includes Lance Anderson; and producers include James L. Thompson III, Ken Topolsky, and Stewart Lyons with associate producer Ani Arutyunyan.
• The series starts out as Liz returns to her old town of Roswell, New Mexico after ten years just in time for the anniversary of her sister Rosa’s (portrayed by Amber Midthunder) death. She only intends to catch up with her father Arturo (portrayed by Carlos Compean) and old friends Maria, Alex, and Kyle and pay respects to her sister, but after encountering her old crush, Max, she is drawn in to investigate the circumstances surrounding her sister’s death. Max and his siblings have more to do with Ortechos than they let on, but even they have their covered reasons as to what led to the events that unfolded ten years ago. What starts out as a simple story of returning home turns into a full-on joint government-military conspiracy uncovering the aliens that discretely inhabit the town.
• I was not a fan of the pilot. I covered that and even rated it a 6/10, but I still continued to watch because it was still intriguing and planned for it to go on my “Mindless Binges of 2019,” but as I dived deeper into the show, it completely won me over. The storytelling is rich and refreshing, and I do complement that to the diverse writer’s room. The changes the show made to the story–such as upping the character’s ages to mid to late twenties adults, casting Hispanic actors of various racial backgrounds, and even making Michael bisexual, Alex gay, and Isobel possibly a repressed lesbian or bisexual–were some of the better choices for an adaptation. While I did want more from Maria in the first season, I still enjoyed the hints at a broader story in the coming seasons. The other thing I liked was the friendship between Maria and the Ortechos. I wish we got more of that with Maria’s dynamic with Alex. I find it impressive that the writers paralleled the xenophobic fears of Americans post-9/11 with that of the characters like Jesse Manes and the U.S government and military. I’m a big fan of shows that know how to do references and parallels of real-world issues in a subtle and natural way. It helps to have writers who have lived those experiences and have done extensive research to draw those parallels effortlessly. Another thing I loved was the handling of drug addiction, repressed sexuality, and trauma through sexual violence. One thing I hope the show improves on is handling racism and (non-drug addicted) mental illness. There were writers of color in season one, and many of them were South Asian, but there was still favoritism toward white characters with sidelining of Black characters, demonizing of Native peoples (episode nine), and the mishandling of Hispanic characters (i.g the reveal of what happened to Rosa and how that impacted the Ortechos was not handled well at all; neither was the show attempts to make Kyle the bad guy in subtle ways with no exploration into his actions). Likewise, the way the show handled Isobel’s trauma was weird because they denied her blackouts to Disassociative Identity Disorder and let that be an unknown illness like they did with Maria’s mother, Mimi (portrayed by Sherri Saum) and her neurodegenerative disease. I also did not like the way the show didn’t explore the privilege that came with Max, Isobel, and Michael being racialized as white compared to Noah, who is a South Asian man. I still have trouble with Costa Rican actress Hemmens not playing Maria as a Hispanic character despite the 1999 television adaptation, Roswell, having white Cuban-Venezuelan actress, Majandra Delfino, portray Maria as a Hispanic character. It could be because Black Hispanic actors don’t get to portray Hispanic characters due to their brown skin. Another thing I had an issue with was Hunkpapa Lakota actress Midthunder portraying a Mexican American character or that Blackburn, who is not Native, portrays a Native character.
• My personal favorite characters are Michael, Liz, Rosa, and Alex while my favorite performances came from Cowles, Mason, Blackburn, Oberoi, and Trevino. My favorite episodes are episode three (“Tearin’ Up My Heart” written by Rick Montano and Vincent Ingrao and directed by Geoff Shotz), episode five (“Don’t Speak” written by Lash and Uchida and directed by Jeffrey Hunt), episode eight (“Barely Breathing” written by Glenn Farrington and Pasha and directed by Ruba Nadda), episode ten (“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” written by Montano and Ingrao and directed by Anderson), and episode eleven (“Champagne Supernova” written by Lash and Uchida and directed by Edward Ornelas). I rank this show an 8/10.
• On April 24, 2019, the show was renewed for a season two that premiered on March 16, 2020. In January 2020, it was renewed for season three.

8.) Swamp Thing (DC Universe)

• Developed by Gary Dauberman (writer for the Annabelle film franchise and the It film franchise) and Mark Verheiden (executive producer of the Marvel television series, Daredevil, and the DC television series, Constantine), Swamp Thing is a southern gothic thriller based on the comic series of the same name created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. It premiered May 31, 2019, and stars Derek Mears (the 2009 film “Friday the 13th”, the 2010 film “Predators”) as the titular character, Crystal Reed (Teen Wolf, Gotham) as Abby Arcane, Andy Bean (Here and Now, the 2019 film “It Chapter Two”) as Alec Holland, Maria Sten (Channel Zero: The Dream Door) as Liz Tremayne, Henderson Wade (Riverdale, Extant) as Matt Cable, Kevin Durand (the 2009 film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, the 2010 film “Legion”) as Jason Woodrue, Jeryl Prescott (The Walking Dead, Ray Donovan) as Madame Xanadu, Will Patton (the 1997 film “The Postman”, the 2002 film “The Mothman Prophecies”) as Avery Sunderland, and Virginia Madsen (the 2004 film “Sideways”, the 1992 film “Candyman”) as an original character, Maria Sunderland. Dauberman and Verheiden served as the showrunners. Other executive producers include James Wan, Len Wiseman, and Michael Clear; co-executive producers include Doris Egan, Rob Fresco, Erin Maher, Kay Reindl, and Deran Sarafian; producers include Terry Gould; and co-producers include Tom Flores, Rob Hackett, and Dale Williams.
• The series begins with CDC pathologist Abby Arcane returning to her hometown—the small and rural corporate town, Marais, Louisiana—after an infectious disease spreads over the town. She gathers information about the disease and works with her team of doctors—CDC and local—to treat it and eventually meets Alec Holland, an out-of-town ecologist contracted to investigate into how the wildlife are impacted by the disease. Alec is initially a pain in her ass, but he eventually grows on her, and by the end of the pilot, we are introduced to our titular character which also spawns several questions that get answered throughout the series. The Cables, the Sunderlands, the Woodrues, Liz Tremayne, Dan Cassidy (portrayed by Ian Ziering), and Madame Xanadu all have stories of their own that interconnect in their own way.
• I wrote a review on the pilot when it premiered, and I was immediately captured. My interest in this show remained intact throughout the season. I think my favorite thing about the series was the scoring, the production design, the costume design, the hair and makeup, the SFX and VFX, and the way it was shot. This show was the first time I could actually appreciate the score because most times I don’t notice it enough to say “That’s my favorite!” I’ve read that is the point of scoring: to not be noticed, but even then, when some scores do their job, critics and audiences alike still have their favorite scores that they appreciate, and I’ve never had that. This show changed that. Each episode was so cinematic and breathtaking. The scoring and the other creative departments had much to do with that. I can’t say how much I loved the designs for Liz and Xanadu alike because not only were they racelifts (along with Matt), but they were designed to be Black instead of having the comfortable appearance most comic book shows and films have for Black characters, whether racelifts or not. And don’t get me wrong, you’re not inauthentically Black for having straightened hair or wearing straight weaves, but we know why white employers (and even some Black employers) demand that Black women (and men alike) have their hair straightened. It’s refreshing to see that narrative shift with this show. I loved the Senegalese twists for Xanadu and box braids for Liz. My least favorite thing about this show, however, was the writing. It’s not that it was bad. It was good, but it wasn’t to the level of the other aspects of creativity. It’s weird, though, because there are veteran writers who have worked on some critically acclaimed projects, but the writing here could’ve been better. The show wanted to explore capitalism and environmentalism, but it couldn’t explore racism and how well-connected it is to those two topics. I can’t say if it was because of the shortened episodes or not, but Liz and Xanadu were both reduced to the magical negro trope (the former on an emotional aspect, the latter on an actual magical aspect). The handling of ableism was messy. With the way both Caroline Woodrue (portrayed by Selena Anduze) and Maria were treated, it could’ve been better. My favorite storylines were Abby’s journey with Swamp Thing, Jason’s devolvement into Floronic Man, and Dan’s escape from Marais. I did appreciate how much change they made with Liz and Matt. Matt, in the comics, was married to Abby, was abusive, and was an alcoholic. In the show, he only has an expired crush on Abby, and he’s a gentle guy who is manipulated. Liz was not only racelifted into a Black woman, but she’s also a lesbian, and that couldn’t have made my heart happier. I would have loved for more from both the Phantom Stranger (portrayed by Macon Blair) and Xanadu.
• My favorite characters were Liz, Harlan Edwards (portrayed by Leonardo Nam) Abby, Dan, Swamp Thing, Delroy Tremayne (portrayed by Al Mitchell) and Jason. My favorite performances came from Mears, Madsen, Mitchell, Given Sharp (who portrayed Shawna Sunderland), Prescott, Ziering, Anduze, Durand, and Jennifer Beals (who portrayed Lucilia Cable). My favorite episodes were episode one (“Pilot” written by Dauberman and Verheiden, directed by Wiseman), episode two (“Worlds Apart” written by Verheiden and Egan, directed by Wiseman), episode three (“He Speaks” written by Fresco, directed by Sarafian), episode five (“Drive All Night”, written by Franklin Rho, directed by Greg Beeman), episode seven (“Brilliant Disguise” written by Andrew Preston and Fresco, directed by Alexis Ostander), and episode nine (“The Anatomy Lesson” with teleplay by Verheiden and story by Noah Griffith and Daniel Stewart, directed by Michael Goi).  I rank this show a 9/10.
• On June 6, 2019, the show was prematurely canceled for unknown reasons.

7.) The Birch (Facebook Watch)

• Developed by CryptTV, The Birch is contemporary fantasy thriller based on the 2016 Ben Franklin and Anthony Melton-directed, short film of the same name. It premiered October 11, 2019, and stars Xaria Dotson (American Vandal) as Evie Grayson, Dempsey Bryk (Heartland, Mary Kills People) as Thurston Polk, Brady Bromberg (stunt performer for the 2017 film “Logan” and the 2011 film “Captain America: The First Avenger”) as The Birch, Brad Beyer (Jericho, Extant) as Buddy Grayson, Katie O’Grady (the 2011 film “Rid of Me”, the 2016 film “Undeserved”) as Lily Grayson, Michael Cram (The Girlfriend Experience, Flashpoint) as Sebastian Polk, newcomer Tucker Lipp as Gavin Polk, newcomer Midori Francis as Lanie Bouchard, Marguerite Moreau (“The Mighty Ducks” film franchise, Wet Hot American Summer TV franchise) as Rachel Bouchard, Wayne Pére (the 2016 film “Free State Jones”, Cloak and Dagger) as Don Bouchard, October Moore (Trinkets) as Dr. Sampson, and newcomer Sheaden Gabriel as Darren. It was executive produced by Jack Davis (Ghosted, Afterlife), Kate Krantz (Ghosted, Real Scares), Darren Brandl (the 2015 film “Nightlight,” the 2016 film “The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez”), and Jijo Reed (the 2018 film “American Dreamer”, the 2018 film “The Oath); co-executive produced by Jeremy Elliot; and co-produced by Cliff Wallace.
• The series is split between three different stories in two different timelines. We have Evie and Thurston’s story in the present, and Lanie’s story in the past. All three characters are high school teenagers, and only Evie’s story connects with Thurston’s. Evie is socially outcasted and nicknamed by her classmates “Creepy Eve” for her asocial and avoidant nature. She struggles with the death of her mother and regularly visits her grave. Thurston is a relatively social guy who makes money dealing under his Uncle Sebastian’s watch and takes care of his younger brother, Gavin. Lanie is a special child who doctors struggle to understand, and while she was not bullied at school, she was raped by her ex and birthed his child whom her adoptive parents tried to raise as her sister. Lanie’s story focuses on mothering and domestic abuse (content warning for those who are tokophobic because there are some violent, unwanted abortion scenes); Evie’s story focuses on grief and needing a mother’s protection; and Thurston’s story focuses on poverty and child abuse. Each of these stories connects to the forest divinity known as the Birch in their own way befitting to the series tagline: “Protector. Predator. You decide.”
• I actually randomly discovered this series right after watching Swamp Thing, and I was hooked right away because it was this contemporary fantasy series about nature and its interaction with humans which is similar to the aforementioned series. Unlike it, this show explores poverty and some other mature themes I would’ve expected from a TVMA show without network restrictions. The writing is layered and complex and touches on racism indirectly. The ending was unexpected, but it made sense when I thought about it, and it made me happy to know what the Birch actually is.
• My favorite characters are Evie because I relate to her so much, but also Darren and I did like Thurston and hoped he didn’t end up in his misfortunate situation for so long. My favorite performances came from Dotson, Bryk, Lipp, Francis, and Haskiri Velazquez (who portrayed Charlotte). My favorite episodes were episode one (“Through the Woods” directed by John Ross, written by J. Casey Modderno), episode (“Postpartum” directed by Amy Wang, written by Modderno, David Aslan, and Dylan Mulick), episode seven (“Jailbreak” directed by Wang, written by Modderno, Aslan, and Mulick), episode eight (“Creepy Eve is the King’s Points Killer” directed by Ross, written by Modderno), episode ten (“I Will Be Calm” directed by Wang, written by Modderno, Aslan, and Mulick), episode twelve (“Murphy’s Law” directed by Ross, written by Modderno), and episode thirteen (“Love Is Colder Than Death” directed by Ross, written by Modderno). I rate this show a 9/10.

6.) David Makes Man (OWN)

• Developed by Tarell Alvin McCraney (writer of the 2016 film “Moonlight” and the 2019 film “High Flying Bird”), David Makes Man is a lyrical drama series about the coming of age of fourteen-year-old David Young (portrayed by newcomer, Akili McDowell) that premiered on August 14, 2019. It also stars newcomer Alana Arenas as David’s mother, Gloria; Cayden K. Williams (the 2017 film “Girls Trip”) as his younger brother, JG; Isaiah Johnson (Think Tank, Person of Interest) as the late Sky; Ade Chike Torbert (I Am The Night, East Los High) as Raynan; Nathaniel Logan McIntyre (Tickerty Tock) as Seren Kelly; Jordan Bolger (Peaky Blinders, The 100) as Shinobi; Travis Coles (Liza On Demand, Superstore) as Mx. Elijah; and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, the 2010 film “For Colored Girls”) as Dr. Woods-Trapp. It was executive produced by McCraney, Denitria Harris-Lawrence, Michael B. Jordan, Mike Kelley, Melissa Loy, and Oprah Winfrey; consulting producers include John J. Strauss; producers include Wayne Morris; and co-producers include Elsa Boccuzzi with associate producer Nantale Corbett.
• I really do love this show. I like the way it handles some of the most violent and haunting topics in a non-fetishistic way, and I believe this comes from personal experience and perfecting your own writing. I love the way Black-American-culture specific to southern Florida is integrated into this show. There are scenes that are very Hoodoo, and the way the cinematographer, directors, editors, composers, and music department work together to elicit that specific cultural experience is one of my favorite things for this show. I also love how queer it is, and how that queerness is very normal (which is odd because the whole purpose of queer is to break the norm). I mentioned Hoodoo, and that isn’t normal to whiteness or the average, conservative Black person, but it is very integral to queerness, so for a show like this to combine both queerness and Hoodoo lets me know the writers and producers are very connected to their cultural background. My hope for later seasons is to for the show to focus on the brighter aspects of David and Gloria’s life. It’s been hinting at that throughout the duration of season one, but the show overwhelmingly focused on grief and the painful parts.
• My favorite characters are Mx. Elijah, Star (portrayed by Logan Rozos), Gloria, Femi (portrayed Trace Lysette), Marissa (Lindsey Blackwell), and Tare (portrayed by Teshi Thomas). My favorite performances came from McDowell, Nick Creegan (who portrayed Desmond), Arenas, Torbert, Elvis Nolasco (who portrayed Raynan’s uncle, Teo), and Bolger. My favorite episodes are episode one (“David’s Sky” written by McCraney, directed by Michael Francis Williams), episode four (“Gloria” written by Harris-Lawrence, directed by Kiel Adrian Scott), episode five (“Love or Poetize These Hoes” written by Jaquen Castellanos, directed by Daina Reid), episode seven (“Son of Man” directed by Reid, written by Allison Davis), episode nine (“Some I Love Are Dead” written by Davis and Harris-Lawrence, directed by Cheryl Dunye), and episode ten (“3 Son’s Sky” written by Lucien Christian Adderley and Richard Wilson, directed by Dunye). I rate this series a 9.5/10.
• On December 2019, the show was renewed for season two.

5.) Boomerang (BET)

• Developed by Lena Waithe (The Chi, Bones) and Ben Cory Jones (Underground, Insecure), Boomerang is a half-hour dramedy continuing the story of the Eddie Murphy-led, 1992 film of the same name. The series premiered on February 12, 2019. It focuses on Simone Graham (portrayed by Tetona Jackson), daughter of Marcus Graham and Angela Lewis, and Bryson Broyer (portrayed by Tequan Richmond), son of Jacqueline Broyer, as they begin to make a life for themselves separate from their parents’ influence. It also stars newcomer Lala Milan as Tia Reid and newcomer Leland B. Martin as Ari Thomas. Halle Berry serves as an executive producer as well as Rishi Rajani and David Warren; co-executive producers include Dime David, and Jenny Lee; producers include Alex Orr; and associate producer Amanda Kay Price.
• I wrote a two-episode review for the first two episodes. The season is very episodic, meaning, you can pick up at whatever episode you want and not be confused. That threw me off when I first watched it, but I think it works to gain new viewers especially on a network like BET. The thing I loved most about the show was the way it was shot, and how it played around with the coloring and editing. The music was well-placed, and it’s nice to see a group of darker brown-skinned and dark-skinned actors portraying carefree and goofy characters. Two very underrepresented sexualities among Black characters (lesbians and bisexual men) feature heavily on here, and I do love that a lot.
• My favorite characters are Crystal (portrayed by Brittany Inge), Tay Tay (portrayed by Dreezy), Tia, and Ari. My favorite performances came from Richmond, RJ Walker (portrayed David Walker), and Inge. My favorite episodes were episode four (“Call A Spade” written by Leigh Davenport, directed by Tiffany Johnson), episode five (“The Let Out” written by Shawn Boxe, directed by Sean Frank), episode seven (“Family” written by Azia Squire, directed by David Warren), episode eight (“Housekeeping” written by Henry B. Chen and Jingyi Shao, directed by Juel Taylor), and episode nine (“Us Too” written by Lee and Waithe, directed by Dime Davis). I rank this a 9/10.
• In April 2019, it was renewed for season two which premiered March 11, 2020.

4.) Doom Patrol (DC Universe)

• Developed by Jeremy Carver (Supernatural, Being Human), who also serves as the showrunner, Doom Patrol is a superhero drama series adapted from the team of the same name created by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, and Bruno Premiani. It premiered February 15, 2019, and stars April Bowlby (Drop Dead Diva, The Big Bang Theory) as Rita Farr, Diane Guerrero (Orange is the New Black, Jane the Virgin) as Jane Challis-Oliva, Joivan Wade (the 2018 film “The First Purge”, Doctor Who) as Victor Stone, Riley Shanahan and Brendan Fraser (The 1999 film “The Mummy”, the 1997 film “George of the Jungle”) as Cliff Steele, Matthew Zuk and Matt Bomer (Will and Grace, The Sinner) as Larry Trainor, and Timothy Dalton (The James Bond film franchise of the 1980’s) as Niles Caulder. It was executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, Chris Dingess, and Glen Winter; co-executive produced by Tamara Becher, Neil Reynolds, Demott Downs; produced by Gideon Amir and Marcus Dalzine; co-produced by Jolly Dale, Jennifer Lence, Carl Ogawa, and Joanie L. Woehler with associate producer Daphne Raves.
• The center plot is to recover Niles Caulder because his arch-nemesis, Mister Nobody (portrayed by Alan Tudyk) kidnapped him and won’t let him free unless he gives Nobody what he wants, and what he wants is unraveled throughout the season. Meanwhile, the focus is on the five characters: Jane, Rita, Vic, Cliff, and Larry. We see their backstories, and how it impacted it throughout the years, and we learn how they develop as a person from it (develop doesn’t always mean progressive). The end sees these characters finally coming together as a family with a satisfying conclusion.
• I wrote a pilot review for the show, and in my review, I expressed displeasure at some things that were remedied so well (namely Rita’s arc, Cliff’s arc, and Larry’s arc). This is like my favorite show of all time. It’s the perfect show, I can’t stress that enough. The way it handles redemption arcs is so amazing. The way it explores the complexities of life. It’s a recurring theme that corrupt systems create imperfect people, and we, as individuals, are still accountable for our actions despite it not being our complete choice to make those actions. The absurdist humor of the show was a big fave as much as the way it handles complex mental illness and layered emotional arcs. I hope this show becomes a study in how to write complex and compelling characters. Now, as much as I love this show and will talk your ear off with my analysis on how well I think it portrayed multiple topics, I was sadly disappointed with some stuff, and no, it’s not something the average white-led show deals with. This show, like Nancy Drew, avoids the obvious racist tropes, but it doesn’t explore racial dynamics in a layered way the way it explores misogyny and homophobia experienced by marginal white characters. The writing for The Underground and Vic’s disability as an amputated man were done well (despite the outdated language for DID/OSDD), but how those two characters, in particular, are shaped by their race as a Latina woman and a Black man were largely ignored, and it kinda frustrated me. Now, does this make the show bad? No. The show is phenomenal. But, it does need to work on carrying the energy it carries for the white characters (in writing complex and nuanced stories) for the characters of color, and that means having a writer’s room that racially diverse instead of having only two writers of color (I’m sure there are writers of color who could match their tier writing). Likewise with disability representation, this article by Chelsea Jackson explores what I want to say the best. It’s a good symbolic representation, but it could also improve. Lastly, there was the unnecessary transphobic addition in episode nine, and the messy story in episode ten. I get what the writer tried to do there, and I understood that immediately with the documentary-style directing Salli Richardson-Whitfield did, but it did a lot less humanizing of Slava (portrayed by Pisay Pao) than what they wanted. They definitely could’ve put more effort into her story even if it was all through Niles’s point-of-view. Instead, we ended up with something racist where everyone calls her “hairy cave woman” and she fits right into the monolithic, unhygienic trope white people have for various Native communities. And then there is the casting of a Cambodian actress to portray a First Nation character from the Yukon Territory, or not having an actual First Nation person to produce or direct the episode, let alone write the episode. It could have been better. Again, none of this makes the show bad, but it does make me hope for improvements in those areas in the coming seasons.
• My favorite characters were Larry, Joshua Clay (portrayed by Alimi Ballard), Rita, Jane and the Underground (especially Penny Farthing, Silver Tongue, Doctor Harrison, and Driver 8), Flex Mentallo (portrayed by Devan Long), Dr. Steven Larson (portrayed by Alec Mapa) and drag performer Maura Lee Karupt (portrayed by Alan Mingo Jr.). My favorite performances came from Guerrero, Bowlby, Fraser and Shanahan, Zuk and Bomer, Mapa, Ballard, Ted Sutherland (who portrayed Elliot Patterson), Mark Shepphard (who portrayed Willoughby Kipling), Anna Lore (who portrayed Penny Farthing inside The Underground), Long, Mingo Jr., and Pao. My favorite episodes were episode eight (“Danny Patrol” written by Tom Farrell, directed by Downs), episode eleven (“Frances Patrol” written by April Fitzsimmons, directed by Wayne Yip), episode thirteen (“Flex Patrol” written by Farrell and Becher-Wilkinson, directed by T.J. Scott), and episode six (“Doom Patrol Patrol” written by Becher-Wilkinson, directed by Christopher Manley). I rank this show a 9.5/10.
• In July 2019, the series was renewed for season two which will premiere sometime in 2020 on both HBO Max and DC Universe.

3.) NOS4A2 (AMC)

• Developed by Jami O’Brien (Flesh and Bones, Hell on Wheels), NOS4A2 is about the paralleling rivalry between the child-abducting, immortal Charlie Manx (portrayed by Zachary Quinto) and the working class townie, Vic McQueen (portrayed by Ashleigh Cummings). It’s an adaptation of the dark fantasy novel of the same name by Joe Hill. The series premiered on June 2, 2019, and also stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (True Detective, the 2018 film “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”) as Bing Partridge, newcomer Jahkara J. Smith as Maggie Leigh, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Girls, The Punisher) as Vic’s father, Chris, and Virginia Krull (Big Little Lies, The Looming Tower) as Vic’s mother, Linda. Executive producers include O’Brien, Hill, Tom Brady, Lauren Corrao, and Kari Skogland; co-executive producers include Henry Bronchtein, Nina Jack, and Colin Walsh; producers include Shana Fischer Huber; co-producers include Scott Willmann, Marcus Gardley, and Kate Amer with supervising producer Megan Mostyn-Brown and consulting producer Mark Richard.
• I actually was on the edge of my seat for every episode. It has this vibe about it where I really relate hard to Vic. I’m completely immersed in her story, her struggles, and her call to heroism. I think the writing was refreshing and thrilling to me. It was complexed and layered. I hope it does flesh out the Black characters better, and do more behind-the-scenes for the Black actors, namely Ashley Romans (who portrays Tabitha Hutter). There was this connection between Tabitha and Maggie that I appreciated because Tabitha could recall her experiences with her family practicing ATRs to help understand Maggie’s scrabbles. Even Charlie and Bing’s stories were complex and layered.
• My personal favorite characters are Vic, Drew (portrayed by Rarmian Newton), and Maggie. My favorite performances came from the entire main and the supporting cast, but especially Cummings, Quinto, and Moss-Bachrach. My favorite episodes were episode one (“The Shorter Way” written by O’Brien, directed by Skogland), episode five (“The Wraith” written by Lucy Thurber, directed by Tim Southam), episode six (The Dark Tunnels” written by Brady, directed by Southam), episode eight (“Parnassus” written by Mostyn-Brown, directed by Jeremy Webb), and episode nine (“Sleigh House” written by Brady, directed by Hanelle Culpepper). I rank this a 9.5/10.
• On July 20, 2019, the series was renewed for season two.

2.) Chambers (Netflix)

• Developed by Leah Rachel (Audrey), Chambers is a psychological horror series about the aftermath of a sixteen-year-old, Diné girl named Sasha Yazzie (portrayed by newcomer Sivan Alyra Rose), who has a heart transplant after a heart attack, including her identity crisis entering a new environment and the unraveling conspiracy that encapsulates the whole town. The series premiered on April 26, 2019. It also stars Marcus LaVoi (The Young and the Restless, the 2018 film “Den of Thieves”) as Frank Yazzie, Kyanna Simone Simpson (Black Lightning) as Yvette Perkins, Griffin Powell-Arcand (the 2003 film “DreamKeeper”) as TJ Locklear, Nicholas Galitzine (the 2014 film “The Beat Beneath My Feet”, the 2016 film “High Strung”) as Elliot Lefevre, Sarah Mezzanotte (the 2017 film “Central Park”, Royal Pains) as Marnie, newcomer Lilli Kay as Penelope Fowler, Uma Thurman (The 2000’s Kill Bill film franchise, the 1994 film “Pulp Fiction”) as Nancy Lefevre, and Tony Goldwyn (the 1990 film “Ghost”, Scandal) as Ben Lefevre. It was executive produced by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Wolfgang Hammer, Winnie Kemp, Jennifer Yale, Akela Cooper, Stephen Gaghan; co-executive produced by Rebecca Kirsch; produced by Charmaine De Grate, Karen Moore, Andrew Nunnelly; co-produced by Travis Jackson, Joe Lotito with associate producers Jayne Sullivan and Gina Scheerer.
• I really enjoyed this as a contemporary, magical realist series that explored the livelihoods of those in the Navajo Nation and how colonization impacts them. Every character got a complex story, and you had to have been paying attention or you’d miss crucial details. I also love the way the community and scenery were key elements in the story. Some may disagree with me, but I feel like the way the Perkins family were utilized avoided tropes. They all were very human and very susceptible to the Annex preying on their weakness. They were also shaped by their ancestral lineage, in particular the mother. I don’t like that her illness was unnamed, but I do like that her illness got in the way of her understanding of the spiritual world. That’s how it should be—that mental illness and other disabilities impact spirituality. Spirituality isn’t a fix-it cure for disability. I think I would have hoped for the Annex to have appropriated from Judaism as much as it appropriated from various Native Nations because I would hate for this multilayered story to fall victim antisemitic writing.
• My favorite characters were Yvonne, Sasha, and TJ. My favorite performances came from Simpson, Galitzine, Rose, LaVoi, and Lillya Reid (who portrayed Becky Lefevre). My favorite episodes were episode one (“Into the Void” written by Rachel, directed by Gomez-Rejon), episode four (“2 for 1” written by Randy McKinnon, directed by Francesca Gregorini), episode seven (“Trauma Bonding” written by Jason Gavin, directed by Geeta V. Pavel), episode eight (“Heroic Dose” written by Jennifer Yale, directed by Ti West), and episode nine (“In the Gloaming” written by Jackson, directed by Goldwyn). I rank this show a 9.8/10.
• In June 2019, Netflix canceled this series within two months of its premiere.

1. ) The Passage (FOX)

• Developed by Liz Heldens (Friday Night Lights, The Orville), The Passage is a supernatural, action-adventure thriller based on a trilogy of the same name by Justin Cronin. It premiered on January 14, 2019. It starred Saniyya Sydney as the series lead, Amy Bellafonte, who recently lost her mother after bouncing around from state to state and being the target of a top-secret government program called Project Noah. She is taken by agent Brag Wolgast (portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar) who quickly has a change of heart and takes her cross country—even to his ex wife, Lila Kyle (portrayed by Emmanuelle Chriqui)—as they attempt to flee the government. The show also focuses on the doctors (Nichole Sykes, portrayed by Caroline Chikezie; Jonas Lear, portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick), the soldiers (Clark Richards, portrayed by Vincent Piazza), and the patients (Shauna Babcock, portrayed by Brianne Howey; Anthony Carter, portrayed by McKinley Belcher III; Tim Fanning, portrayed by Jamie McShane) of Project Noah. The executive producers of the series include Jason Ensler, Adam Kassan, Clayton Kreuger, Matt Reeves, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Peter Elkoff, and Marcos Siega; co-executive producers include Joy Blake, Daniel T. Thomsen; producers include Judd Rea, Dennis Saldua, Jon Pare, and Neal Ahern Jr.; co-producers include Cronin, David Jeffrey, and Rafi Crohn with associate producers Ani Arutyunyan and Billy Crawford.
• I wrote a pilot review to this. I really enjoyed this science-fantasy, new take on the vampiric lore that touched heavily on real-world politics organically while providing a good message to young Black girls who are dark-skinned and brown-skinned. I also appreciated how it posited various dark-skinned Black women and girls in diverse roles, many of them positive roles, and it humanized them, made them complex. I know some were thrown off with what happened to Sykes, and I was a little bothered by how Lacey Antoine (portrayed by Kecia Lewis) ended up, but it didn’t take away from me finding this show extremely cathartic and enjoyable. It was the only show giving me exactly what I asked for in speculative fiction, and I don’t know when we’ll ever get a show like this again.
• My favorite characters were Anthony, Amy, Shauna, Lacey, Lila, Lawrence Grey (portrayed by Jason Fuchs) and Sykes. My favorite performances came from Sydney, Howey, Gosselaar, Chikezie, Belcher, Cusick, McShane, Piazza, James Le Gros (who portrayed Horace Guilder), and Brett Gentile (who portrayed Winston). My favorite episodes were episode one (“Pilot” written by Heldens, directed by Ensler and Siega), episode four (“How You Gonna Outrun The End of the World?” written by Blake, directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff), episode seven (“Your Are Like The Sun” written by Kate Erickson, directed by Eduardo Sanchez), and episode eight (“You Are Not That Girl Anymore” written by Elkoff & C.A. Johnson, directed by Ti West). My ranking for this show is 10/10.
• In May 2019, FOX canceled this show after one season.

And my favorite Mindless Binges of 2019 (Ranking):

1. The InBetween (NBC) – Cancelled
2. Wu Assassins (Netflix)
3. Shadow (Netflix)
4. Pandora (The CW) – Renewed for season two
5. His Dark Materials (HBO) – Renewed for season two
6. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) – Renewed for season two
7. What We Do In The Shadows (FX) – Renewed for season two
8. Diggstown (CBC) – Renewed for season two
9. Dollface (Hulu) – Renewed for season two
10. Batwoman (The CW) – Renewed for season two

And a couple of other shows I watched and enjoyed but didn’t quite make the list

• Watchmen (HBO) – Limited series
• Bluff City Law (NBC)
• Prodigal Son (FOX)
• L.A’s Finest (Spectrum) – Renewed for season two
• Shrill (Hulu) – Renewed for season two