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There are only six months left in the calendar year of television, but many stellar broadcasts have already had an impact. Television critics Daniel D'Addario and Caroline Framke have come together to choose their favorite shows of the year – so far.
The flawless indulgence of this series vis-à-vis his trashy side did not prevent him from presenting real and meaningful information about his characters. Taking the widely reported story of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard – and appealing to the narrator Michelle Dean, the journalist who first brought it to the attention of the public – " The Act "builds a story of often painful tension rooted in a deep understanding of unusual characters. Patricia Arquette continued her recent acting career with her performance as Munchausen's mother, Dee Dee, but the show belonged to Joey King, a true discovery as Gypsy Rose. His character, protected but insightful, lives simultaneously in the fear of freedom and despair; By the time she hires a boyfriend online to kill her mother, King, who, I hope, will receive rewards for her work, has shown you infinite shades of handling and need. -DD
Barry (HBO)
The first season of the Alec Berg and Bill Hader show was so strong that it would have been a feat in itself. Coming back for more, the second season could have collapsed under the weight of expectations. Instead, it has shot up. Hader continued to prove his good faith to the director (especially with "ronny / lilly", the strangest chapter of the series to date); Henry Winkler was able to explore the more dramatic nuances of his once caricatural character, Gene, a prey to sorrow; and Sarah Goldberg's unparalleled performance grounded insightful scenarios on the more mundane and pernicious aspects of the entertainment industry and the difficulty of recognizing abuse. With a second season even more ambitious than his first triumphal premiere, "Barry" has proven the value of diving headlong into a challenge rather than playing cautiously. – CF
The former author and performer of "Saturday Night Live," Tim Robinson, has been forcefully defending the power to come out of the outdoor format with this series of almost indescribable skits, usually built around a helpless, helpless rage, and then repelling, notions of propriety. Robinson is helped by a set of "SNL" musicians (Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer make memorable appearances) and by his own will to satisfy the fantastic and the absurd. Fans still argue, after the April dropping of the series, which sketch was the best; Rather than murdering one of the comical locals in the series by describing it here, go watch and join the conversation. -DD
"Fleabag" (Amazon)
Like "Barry," "Fleabag" could keep its story for an impressive season rather than face the prospect of diminishing returns with a second. But Phoebe Waller-Bridge's return to her iconic character showed exactly why she was one of the most exciting writers of television, period. Season 2 of "Fleabag" found new things to say about each character, examined his own narrative features and anchored it all in a deeply intuitive story of love and faith between Fleabag (Waller-Bridge) and a priest in conflict (Andrew Scott). The last moment of the season – heartbreaking and hopeful – is for TV history books. – CF
Reviewing "Fosse / Verdon" on the basis of his first two episodes, I presented a panoramic. The series seemed miserably unbalanced and the fascinating story of the dancer Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams) could only exist on the sidelines of the story of the evil genius of her husband and creative partner Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell). It was a story, after all, we had heard about it before. But, by his courage, Williams, helped by a script that seems to learn what works, pulls the series into something much more interesting and powerful. His struggle to be seen becomes not only a subtext, but a story – conveyed with grief and glimmers of hope still existing by a Williams, rarely better. This vexed partnership with a man happy to drag his entourage into the swirling vortex of his self-esteem provides, when the time comes, a springboard for a story whose second half of Verdon, with unsatisfied potential, dominates. -DD
At first glance, a show on a YouTube star seems a few years obsolete. In reality, the comedy of Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider is one of the most relevant looks on celebrity and ambitions. And above all, it's: very funny. While "The Other Two" lets established players such as Molly Shannon and Ken Marino perform, they also feature two flawless performances by Helene Yorke and Drew Tarver. Yorke's Brooke is both a thirsty monster and an eminently reflective sister; Tarver's Cary is a hilarious and nuanced gay character in a genre that desperately needs more. We do not know exactly where this story is going to be in season 2 (at least it refers to more Shannon, which is always welcome), but for my part, I can not wait to find out. – CF
"Pen15" (Hulu)
The concept is alienating and, at times, her performance is also – the creators of this comedy, two adult women (Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle) play their versions of themselves at age aged 13 in 2000, surrounded by real children. The performances, however, are perfectly calibrated to offer the odd appearance and resembling that of a foal. Erskine and Konkle embody the physiognomy of uncomfortable teenagers in their bodies and tell their emotional lives with every flowery melodrama that will be remembered by the old school dyars. The stories told by "Pen15" are small: evolutions, divisions and reunions whose characters will not remember in a year. But the show follows a continually shifting arc, transforming its two central interlocutors into participants of a friendship that has practically its own character and treating their serious concerns, enough to make it worthwhile to write good jokes. . -DD
"Ramy" (Hulu)
Even if we're only halfway through the year, it's safe to say that there will not be another TV episode like this "Strawberries", the fourth episode of the moving series of Ramy Youssef, who talks about the birth of an Egyptian-American in the suburbs of New Jersey. Looking back on what he seemed to be a Muslim on September 11 is treated with care, even if he does not care about the harsh reality. And though "Strawberries" is the highlight of the series, this combination applies to the set of "Ramy," a compassionate comedy that represents the best of what Hulu's original programming can do. – CF
"Russian doll" (Netflix)
Rarely has a TV show me as surprised as "Russian Doll". This collaboration of Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler could have taken off quickly, but he is so smart and fully aware that he will undoubtedly land gracefully. Her meditations intertwined on trauma, depression and the power to deal with demons are beautifully rendered, especially when they are performed by Lyonne (in one of his best performances in career) and Charlie Barnett. There simply was no other TV experience like this one this year, or frankly no other. – CF
"Special" (Netflix) and "State of the Union" (SundanceTV)
These two abridged series – with "Special" only 15 minutes per episode and "State of the Union" 10 even shorter minutes – have used the current experimentation of the television format to create the ambiance of a collection of short stories. Each set included carefully chosen details that were more distinguished by the brevity of the series. On "Special", the show's creator Ryan O'Connell interprets a version of himself: a young homosexual whose professional and personal life is complicated by the fact that he has cerebral palsy, a secret he tries to first to hide. And on "State of the Union," a couple (Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd) meet to take a pint of ten minutes before the council meeting, which will help determine their future. Living with a disability and the dissolution of marriage are important topics, but the two series approach them with a literary twist and an elegant oblique, discovering the unexpected angle or joke that defuses tension at each turn and giving the impression that ten or fifteen minutes is one of the most important meetings. TV. -DD
"Tales of the city" (Netflix)
An imperfect but adorable return to the fantasy created by Armistead Maupin in San Francisco, this new version modernizes the world of Barbary Lane with a new generation of characters undergoing readable gender and sexuality crises for a public of 2019 in a way that they would not have been a generation before. (The merit, in part, is due to Lauren Morelli, the writer of "Orange is the New Black," who stepped in to launch new "Tales.") The story of Mary Ann Singleton (now a character Laura Linney always plays with luminous and touching narcissism) to a more prismatic understanding of queer life, old and new, changing and in some ways still meaningful. -DD
"Tuca & Bertie" (Netflix)
Who knew that a cartoon about an exuberant toucan and a hesitant lily of the valley would be one of the most insightful and moving shows of the year? First of all, everyone who knows the work of Lisa Hanawalt, the long-time decorator of "BoJack Horseman", whose looping and dirty work is quite unique in itself. With a dream voice composed of Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun and countless guest stars, "Tuca and Bertie" touched on everything from sexual harassment to the debilitating cornea with empathy and a undeniable spirit. – CF
Ava DuVernay's look at the case of the so-called Central Park Five will make you never use that name for them again. It's so unfair that they continue to be defined by an incident in which they have not made anything happen. Color. Director DuVernay examines the legal ways in which a quintet of boys has been sentenced to convictions and difficult times. But it also takes the time to look at them deeply, as individuals and not just as vectors within the legal system. A special credit for the acting game goes to Jharrel Jerome, a notable player among the five and who should receive special attention this season from the Emmy. -DD
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