10 shows are in the race for the best television show of 2020 - let's add 10 more.
1. Better Call Saul (AMC)
2. All In With Chris Hayes (MSNBC)
3. Better Things (FX)
4. Ozark (Netflix)
5. Tiger King (Netflix)
6. Upload (Amazon Prime)
7. Last Dance (ESPN)
8. Run (HBO)
9. Last Week Tonight (HBO)
10. The Challenge (MTV)
-Saul's always been good; document review, put your phone in the mailbox - always good. But this year it really became Breaking Bad and Breaking Bad is on Mt Rushmore. It is the presumptive leader in the clubhouse. Hayes is the necessary news show at this moment; the distance between his show and everyone else pronounced. Better Things is strong every year; runs on its own frequency, paints with its own colors. Ozark's fun; not enough Bateman this year - Bateman never misses, elevates everything he's in. Tiger King was an unstoppable force and told a helluva tale. New streaming shows can just fly right by, but consider Upload, my tolerance for genre is thin, but this was a fun high concept. The Jordan doc wasn't that insightful for sports fans, but it had lots of good footage and watching middle aged Jordan complain about his enemies is good fun in a world without actual sports. Run was uneven, but Merritt Wever is not; all she hits are triples. The late night talk shows are all hindered by obvious circumstances (I am late on Desus & Mero; I didn't watch at all prior to their move to Showtime, that was error, it is easily, easily the best show in late night, you know the vibes) but Last Week Tonight is still useful and The Challenge is the best sport going (Wes/Bananas had a legitimately earned emotional payoff).
So - the year's half over; hard to say what the rest of the year brings.
