My Favorites of the Year: 2019
A selection of films, TV shows and performances.
Films of the Year 1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2. Marriage Story 3. Parasite 4. Little Women 5. Queen and Slim 6. Hustlers 7. Bombshell 8. Booksmart 9. Rocketman 10. Us
TV Series of the Year |first premiering in 2019| 1. Watchmen 2. Chernobyl 3. When They See Us 4. Unbelievable 5. Fosse/Verdon 6. Pen15 7. Euphoria 8. Dickinson 9. The Other Two 10. The Morning Show
Standout Performances |film + tv| Adam Driver (Marriage Story), Amy Sedaris (BoJack Horseman), Andrew Scott (Fleabag), Angelica Ross (Pose), Awkwafina (The Farewell), Billie Lourd (Booksmart), Billy Eichner (The Lion King), Billy Porter (Pose), Bokeem Woodbine (Queen and Slim), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Cate Blanchett (Documentary Now!), Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Charlize Theron (Bombshell), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Daniel Kaluuya (Queen and Slim), Florence Pugh (Midsommar), Gwyneth Paltrow (The Politician), Jane Lynch (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Jean Smart (Watchmen), Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers), Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Josh O’Connor (The Crown), Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable), Kate McKinnon (Bombshell), Laura Dern (Marriage Story), Lupita Nyong’o (Us), Margot Robbie (Bombshell), Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon), Renée Zellweger (Judy), Robin Weigert (Deadwood), Saoirse Ronan (Little Women), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Zendaya (Euphoria)
|supplemental reading: “‘Pose’: Angelica Ross Breaks Down Candy’s Emotional Episode,” “Why It’s a Great Time to Be Billy Porter,” “The Low-Key Success of Catherine O’Hara and ‘Schitt’s Creek’,” “Cynthia Erivo on Her 2(!) Oscar-Worthy Performances and Possible EGOT for ‘Harriet’,” “Jharrel Jerome: Get to Know the Breakout Star of Ava DuVernay’s ‘When They See Us’,” “Will ‘Us’ Land Lupita Nyong’o an Oscar Nomination? It Should.,” “Robin Weigert on Playing Calamity Jane on ‘Deadwood’ and Returning to ‘Big Little Lies’”|
Favorite Directors 1. Greta Gerwig (Little Women) 2. Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers) 3. Lulu Wang (The Farewell) 4. Melina Matsoukas (Queen and Slim) 5. Olivia Wilde (Booksmart)
TV Episodes of the Year 1. “This Extraordinary Being,” Watchmen 2. “Ruthie,” BoJack Horseman 3. “Shook One Pt. II,” Euphoria 4. “Original Cast Album: Co-Op,” Documentary Now! 5. “Tywysog Cymru,” The Crown 6. “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” Pose 7. “Part Four,” When They See Us 8. “It’s Comedy or Cabbage,” The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 9. “Silent All These Years,” Grey’s Anatomy 10. “Your Boss Knows You Don’t Have Eyebrows,” A Black Lady Sketch Show
LGBTQ Films 1. Booksmart 2. Rocketman 3. Pain and Glory 4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire 5. Moving Parts
LGBTQ TV Series 1. Pose 2. Schitt’s Creek 3. The Other Two 4. Euphoria 5. Dickinson 6. Special 7. Bonding 8. This Close 9. Broad City 10. Elite
|supplemental reading: “Ryan Murphy Explains How ‘Pose’ Season 2 Is Shaped by Hope,” “‘Euphoria’: Your Guide to Zendaya’s Shocking Teen Drama and All the Wildest Moments,” “Ryan O’Connell and Rightor Doyle on Subverting the Norms With Bite-Sized Queer Content,” “Trixie Mattel Says ‘Moving Parts’ Documentary Is a Snapshot of the Golden Age of Drag”|
True Crime TV 1. Fyre Fraud and Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened 2. I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs. Michelle Carter 3. When They See Us 4. Unbelievable 5. The Preppy Murder: Death In Central Park 6. Leaving Neverland 7. Surviving R. Kelly 8. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes 9. Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Daughter 10. The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
|supplemental reading: “Michelle Carter Doc: Director Reveals How Lea Michele Played a Part in the Texting Suicide Case,” “‘The Preppy Murder’: Inside the New True-Crime Docuseries Recounting the Trial of the Century,” “‘Leaving Neverland’: The 8 Most Shocking Allegations Made Against Michael Jackson,” “Inside the NXIVM Cult: ‘Dynasty’ Actress Catherine Oxenberg on Bringing Her Story to Lifetime”|
Unexpected Trend of the Year |The relevancy of Broadway legends in film and TV| The works of Stephen Sondheim as seen/heard in Documentary Now!, Joker, Knives Out, Marriage Story, The Morning Show, The Politician, Pose; Rodgers & Hammerstein in Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” Watchmen; Andrew Lloyd Webber in Cats
