Staff Picks: Best New Show of the Year

As the year draws to a close, we turn to our faithful Geekade staff to tell us what they consider to be the ultimate winners (and losers) of the past 12 months.  Join us as we look at 2019 with a critical eye, and please chime in with your own thoughts on a variety of categories.

Today, we ask the Geekade team…

What was the best new show of the year?

Matt Raimo (Waveback) While it’s a Netflix original, The Chef Show is my pick for best show. There’s something about cooking shows where the hosts are clearly passionate about cooking and are best friends that really makes it sing. And the guests they have on are also friends and passionate as well. My favorite part is the transition screens that are stop motion animation. Brilliant.

Dave Marconi (You Shall Not Pass Go)Watchmen hands down. That show is too good. A sequel to the comic series that doesn’t try to change or infringe upon what happens but expands and gives us something new? Yes please. The Boys would be my solid runner up.

Alex Watley (Watts on Wrestling): This one was tough, but I’m going with The Righteous Gemstones. Danny McBride has done it again with an absolutely hilarious look at hypocrisy and “good ol’ southern values”, whatever that means. And as a recovering southerner, I laughed til I cried at some parts. John Goodman playing an aging televangelist is not something I knew I needed, now I don’t know how I lived without it. If you watch it, prepare to have the song “Misbehavin’” in your head for eternity.

Amy Ebeling (Editor-in-Chief): I have to agree with Alex—HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones blew me away. I have major problems binge watching shows or committing to anything I start, so for me to have watched the entire series in a matter of days speaks volumes. However, had I not stumbled upon this series a few weeks ago, my choice for Best New Show would have been What We Do in the Shadows.

Dean DeFalco (Vest Lord, General Administrator)The Boys, hands down, watch it.

Karen Randazzo (This Week’s Episode, The Think Tank)Oh my God, there’s so many! There have been more great new shows this year than you can even remember. Russian Doll. Veronica Mars. Dickinson. I want to give it to Fleabag, but season 1 came out in 2016; 2019 is just the year it blew up. But I think I have to give it to The Umbrella Academy. I was not aware of the comic, I had no preconceived notions about the show and it just Blew. My. Mind. It came out back in February and I am still thinking about it on a regular basis, not to mention its soundtrack features heavily in my Favorites playlist.

Brenda Cierech (Tardy to the Party, 31 Days of Horror)I didn’t try too many new TV shows this year, but I’m currently enjoying Prodigal Son. Like my choice for best movie, it’s not perfect, but I think it has a lot of potential. Michael Sheen effortlessly captures the temperament of a serial killer—charming and loving one second, manipulative and cruel the next. And Tom Payne is impressive as his obsessive, severely psychologically damaged son trying to function in the world while fighting inner demons inspired by his father’s horrific acts.

Billy Ludt (Select Your Starter): Mandalorian.

Kris Randazzo (Stone Age Gamer, This Week’s Episode, Waveback): I want to say Mandalorian because it’s incredibly awesome, but I have to give it to Watchmen. Not only is it really freaking good, but I didn’t expect it to be. I’m not a huge fan of the source material to begin with, but this sequel series is intriguing, fun, brutal, and smart. A complete home run… so far.

Amy Ebeling

Editor-in-Chief, failed vegetarian, and collector of terrible tattoos.

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