This is the third article on my How I Spent My 2018 wrap-up, and this time we're going to cover TV shows of the year. Let us begin.
- Inside No. 9 Season 4 - 2nd January -
The brilliant minds behind Inside No 9, along with the equally incredible League of Gentlemen and Psychoville, have nailed it once again with their fourth season. There may only be six episodes as with the previous seasons, however Reece and Steve prove to us that it's quality not quantity that make for great television. Each episode feels an almost entirely different beast to the previous one, with a notable highlight being the single-shot season opening Zanzibar, or the heart-breaking follow up Bernie Cliffton's Dressing Room. There's also To Have and To Hold in the second half of the season, which is possibly the darkest tale the creators have ever told, which seems to be based on some very real and very horrifying events from the past decade. I won't spoil it, but it sure is some grim television. There was also the Halloween "live" special this year, which sadly loses a hefty deal of its impact when viewed outside of its original time-slot, but still worth a watch just to take note of the little details the duo took into consideration when pulling off this very clever special. In brief, get this shit watched.
Should you watch it? I can't rate the alumni of League of Gentlemen enough, and I can't rate Inside no. 9 enough. There's nothing else like it on television, and it's fucking great.
~ Bonus Review - Inside No. 9 Halloween Special 28th Oct. ~
This year also saw the broadcast of No 9's Halloween special, a "live" special that subverted the audience's expectation with some of the most clever and unique TV trickery that hasn't been seen since Ghostwatch. Sadly though as a viewer who watched this episode on a downloaded file days later the impact was hugely softened on me, and after looking into just how many pieces Reece and Steve put together to pull off this Halloween spooker I'm devastated I lost out on the magic. I won't give any plot details, but I will warn you that like me you may be left disappointed when viewing this episode outside of its original air date. Still though, the effort behind it is nothing short of commendable.
- Who is America Season 1 - 15th July -
The best way I can describe Who is America is that it's kind've like watching a horrific car crash that lasts for seven episodes at thirty minutes a pop. It is at times incredibly funny, and other times downright terrifying as you realise the people Cohen has baited into showing their true colours are, unlike his multiple aliases, very real people indeed. Sure it's funny to see racist redneck dudes suck on a massive dildo or dress in a little girl's outfit wearing a fake vagina, but when you see the reaction of Arizona's general public to plans to build a mosque in their town, things turn real ugly real fast. This is possibly the most shocking exposure of America's dark side since Cohen hit the streets of the US as Borat back in 2006, but oh man is the comedy to tragedy ratio out of whack on Who is America. May I also give a dishonourable mention to the finale in which Cohen manages to get OJ Simpson to have a laugh with him about his murdered wife and subsequent trial and acquittal. Damn.
Should you watch it? If you can brave it, I strongly suggest you should. Even if you can't I'd suggest it regardless, just so you can see how bad things are out there.
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 13 - 5th September -
Dennis is back! Rejoice! I along with many other IASP fans were understandably bummed to hear Glen Howerton might not be present in season 13 due to other commitments, however his grand entrance in the very first episode put everyone's minds at ease. Things only got better from there too, as once again the gang found their disgusting behaviour and world views clashing with the modern world, such as their partaking in a sexual harassment course in Time's up For the Gang, or Dee's push for her very own female reboot in The Gang Beats Boggs : Ladies Reboot. The season slows down a little between the clipshow and two-parter, though for separate reasons. The clipshow episode, though it does put a clever twist on the idea of clipshows, just doesn't have too much going for it as it still is what it is, regardless of whether some clips are fresh material. The two-parter starts with a Home Alone homage that begins to feel a little dragged out, a drag that is still somewhat felt in the finale.
There is also a distinct lack of Dennis which is never addressed, which makes you wonder if it was Glen's absence that knocked the episodes a little. Even when we arrive at the final episode there is no Dennis in sight minus a single mention of his name, however this finale has its sight set directly on Mac and his sexuality, so unlike the prior episodes it is not hindered by the break in the gang dynamic, as this is Mac's time to shine. And shine he does, with jaw dropping ending that sees a rarity in Always Sunny, a serious, mature moment with no punchline in sight. Good season? Good season. Not the best season, but a good season indeed.
Should you watch it? Always Sunny has for a long time established itself as one of the best series on television with quality and longevity walking hand in hand through the years unlike many other shows of similar length. Thirteen may not be the best, nor the second best, but it is certainly still an enjoyable watch.
- South Park Season 23 - 26th September -
I've been a longtime South Park fan since an age where I should definitely not have been watching South Park. I've never felt there's been a terrible series, just a few "okay" series, however I do feel as though Matt and Trey bit off more than they could chew with the continual story-line idea they developed across the previous two seasons, most notably season 22. There were just a few too many lackluster moments that I felt stemmed from the decision to create an on-going plot line that perhaps hadn't been fully fleshed out before they hit production, so I was glad to hear season 23 would be going a little more back to basics. There's still a few moments that carry on over the course of the series, such as Stan's continued wearing of his hemp t-shirt following the Tegrity Farms episode, and two separate two-parters, which seem to appease Matt and Trey's continuity cravings without damaging the quality of the season, so everyone is happy.
This season is certainly a much similar beast to earlier seasons such as seven and eight in fact, with more of an emphasis on silly comedy and a strong shying away from the Trump administration that was lampooned until there was nothing left to lampoon in the previous seasons. Strongest episodes I'd say definitely include Halloween special The Scoots, and two two-parters Time to get Cereal/Nobody got Cereal?, and Unfulfilled/Bike Parade. The ManBearPig episodes in particular seem to showcase a rare moment in which Matt and Trey backtrack on one of their jokes, seeming to present something of an apology for casting doubt on Al Gore's warnings of global warming which were mocked in ManBearPig. That's not to say they don't still rip the shit out of Al Gore however, just that they accept he was definitely right about global warming. All in all it's certainly a strong season, not only in returning to the show's roots but also in its revisiting and readdressing of episodes and topics from its past. Matt and Trey have once again tried something a little different, but this time the pay off was much greater, and I think it's safe to stay they should just stick to the occasional two-parter if they want to explore story longevity.
Should you watch it? If your interest in the series started to wane following the muddling of things in the previous series and aren't too sure if you want to venture back to South Park, I can absolutely guarantee you that this is a shot in the right direction to get the show back on form. It still has a few bad habits it seems to have picked up in recent years, but all in all this was a solid season.
- Haunting of Hill House Season 1 - 12th October -
Stephen King called Haunting of Hill House "close to a work of genius", and I'd have to say I agree - it's really damn good, but just not quite perfection. It certainly ticks all the right boxes: it's scary, it builds tension, and it's a tale that'll certainly stick with you for some time - what more could be expected of a solid ghost story? Admittedly a great deal of the scares make the show at points feel as though the creators looked to what has been effective in the past few decades of horror and incorporated it all in, however there's enough original ideas at play here to make it feel more like a love letter to horror rather than a blatant rip off. There's a number of jumpscares, a taboo for many horror elitists given their cheap nature, however in almost every case the show ensures there is a building of suspense and tension before the ghoulish payoff. Haunting also does not rely too heavily on the jumpscares, which certainly allows it more access from a broader audience of horror rather than just the average teenage Blumhouse film viewer, who only turns up to have a laugh with their friend before getting bored and snapchatting their friends for the remainder of the film.
I did feel as though the end was a little abrupt and fairly weak in comparison to how strong the momentum of the rest of the series had been, but it wasn't enough to dampen my enjoyment. I did feel as though some of the characters got off pretty easily too despite their terrible behaviour throughout the series, so a happy ending seemed a little inappropriate to me seeing as the only two characters deserving of it were the only ones who wound up dead. Regardless, I thought Haunting was an absolute scream, a great ghost story released just in time for Halloween, taking the slot I imagine many people felt was left empty by Stranger Things season 3.
Should you watch it? If you can handle your spookers and a plot that jump back and forward in time across multiple characters, then you're golden.
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 1 - 26th October -
I used to watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch when I was a kid, and once it retreated to the back of my mind along with other miscellaneous childhood memories such as what I had for lunch on my first day of school or eating Cheese Strings after getting sent home early from school on 9/11, I just figured it would stay there locked away forever. However somebody at Netflix decided it was time to bring her back, although this time they figured they'd draw from the Archie Horror version, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, rather than the, you know, other one. It's pretty good. It's no Haunting on House Hill but it's pretty good. It started slow and built momentum with only a few bumps along the way, then it closed on what I felt was a pretty weak ending, a running trend it seems with any Netflix show I seem to watch.
There's also plenty of horror homages scattered about the place for any hardcore fans to pick up on - some like the Susperia skylight in the Spellman's study are subtle little nods, while others like the blatantly ripped off Exorcist scenes with Susie's uncle feel as though you're being slapped mercilessly across the face while the director shouts "REMEMBER THIS?". I found the characters and story interesting and gripping enough to keep me going to the end, and I reckon I may very well check out the second season next year, but as with the homages where there are good aspects there are also the weaker ones, which I hope are ironed out for season two. It's basically a darker, more mature Harry Potter. A less Tory Harry Potter. Oh and there's also a Christmas special out now, but I ain't watched it yet so if it;'s really good it's dipped out on show of the year and runner up. Sorry, Sabrina.
Should you watch it? Aye go on, you've not got much else going on, right?
.:: SHOW OF THE YEAR ::.
Hands down it's Inside No. 9. Season four had such a colourful variety of stories to tell, making it perhaps the most varied season of the series so far. I was greatly impressed at the story telling in Zanzibar, and left silent by To Have and To Hold, and although the magic was lost on me I can't help but be overly impressed at the work put into the Halloween special. Bravo.
.:: RUNNER UP ::.
It was very nearly Who is America, but it's Haunting of Hill House wthat wins the silver medal. Sure Who is America had some hugely outstanding moments showcasing just how clever and devious Cohen can be, but there was also a few too many gags and characters that just fell a little flat. Hill House however, although with its own flaws, still managed to remain interesting and had me engaged throughout. I can work with a slow burn opening that lasts a few episodes if what I'm watching is at least interesting, and though the writers had the challenge of fleshing out multiple characters spread across America in order to make the later, and far superior episodes click with audiences, they pulled it and kept me wanting more.
That's that then, come back in a few days when I cover my last topic of 2018 - the music.
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