This year I’ve given up a few shows. I was struggling to find time to watch them, I wasn’t head over heels about the characters, so I’ve made an executive decision to cut down my loses. Shows I followed last year, but don’t anymore: The Rookie, Seal Team, The Good Doctor and Mr. Mercedes.

To see my review of 2018, click on the following link: https://joanneholly.com/2018/12/30/tv-shows-of-2018/

Last year I followed 41 shows, this year, 50.

Below are the 50 TV shows I followed this year:

1. Grey’s Anatomy

I am still sad about Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew being written off. I have mixed feelings about the show allegedly ending after season 17. Greys hasn’t been ‘Greys good’ since Season 9 and yet it’s still my favourite and it will always stay that way. Season 16 so far focuses on the crime Meredith commited last season, the insurance fraud. It’s quite surprising how this storyline mirrors the Varsity Blues scandal. Mer has done a lot of community hours and has spent a night in jail. From the looks of the midseason finale, that’s all behind us now. They have sent Betty away at the end of season 15 and she hasn’t been back to visit since. I am glad Teddy is back and I hope she never leaves. Avery is slowly becoming the most annoying character, changing his mind when it comes to relationships. Still no development on Helm and her crush on Meredith, we’ll see where they go with this. Is Helm going to be with Karina by the end of the season? I am not a fan of splitting the staff between Grey Sloan and the second hospital, but I’m guessing Grey Sloan will buy the new undeveloped one and then merge the two?

2. SVU

Season 21 and we’re making history! I just love this show. Carissi is now an ADA, and we have a new detective I’m not fond off. Fall season ended on a cliffhanger featuring Amanda and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

3. Shameless

Shameless started quite late this year, and without Emmy Rossum. Ian is back and the show is still the same, and still as exciting as ever. I’m really disappointed with how Debbie is spending the 50 grand she got from Fiona and how Frank messed it all up for her. I really thought she would ensure the money lasts them a year or two. I’m happy with how the rest of the Gallagher’s lifes are going, including the fact that Lip is now a dad!

4. Fuller House

I’m sad it’s the show’s last season. The nostalgia Fuller House brought in 2014, was something I never thought I needed. 2019 wasn’t a good year for this Full House fan. If I wasn’t a Full House fan, I wouldn’t be going through a heartbreak this year. Aunt Becky was why I got so invested in the show. Season 1 wasn’t really a family show, the three main characters kept sleeping around and other than two or three episodes, the show was boring. From the minute Aunt Becky showed up, the show got interesting. Years later, as a teenager, I watched The New Kids, and became a Lori Loughlin fan and followed every single one of her projects.

5. Carol’s Second Act

Patricia Heaton is back on my TV screen, so everything’s going to be okay. I miss The Middle, and I think my mum misses it even more. It also stars Twin Peak’s Kyle MacLachlan. Carol’s Second Act is a sitcom, and even though it’s nowhere near as good as The Middle, or Everybody Loves Raymond, it’s still a funny show and a great way to spend the 20 minutes a week.

6. American Horror Story

Sarah Paulson wasn’t back for this awful season, at least she’s shooting another two Ryan Murphy shows, Ratched and season 3 of American Crime Story, so at least there’s something to look out for. American Horror Story used to be one of my favourite shows, but sadly this season is extremely weak, everyone was dead by episode 5 and everyone was a ghost by episode 5 as well! I liked the aerobic sequences in the very first episode. I really thought it would be a Friday the 13^th type of slasher like the promos suggested.

7. Crikey it’s the Irwins

This show is a delight! Nothing will stop me from revisiting Australia Zoo every time I go to Australia on a holiday. As a vegan of 9 years, I should stand against all zoos, but this series proves all the good zoos do for animal conservation. Even though guests visit, Australia Zoo is really a giant sanctuary. In the second season the Irwins are preparing for Australia Zoo’s 50th anniversary, by renovating the croc enclousure. In order to get the contractors in, they need to move all the crocs, including the biggest and the most aggressive crocs in the zoo. A beloved zebra from season 1 needs to be put down, and Terri goes back to her hometown Oregon to visit a wildlife sanctuary were her cougar Malina spent her final years. Bindi gets engaged and I just hope they show us the wedding when the show comes back for season 3. I also wish there were more episodes in the season.

8. Orange is the New Black

It ended and there will never be a show so raw and brilliant. I cannot even begin to explain what an important place this show has in my heart. Every time I hear someone say they don’t like the show because it mainly has women in it or when they say they’re not going to watch the show because of all the gay characters, I feel personally offended. I am still tearing up thinking of Dockett’s tragic end. I also hate what they’ve done to Red, Lorna and Maritza. Some pars of the ending made me happy though, for example the fact that Alex is back with her crew. I still wish they had shown us more of Big Boo and other original characters.

9. When Calls the Heart

I will never get over the fact that Abigail is not coming back. And Cody, the Culkin lookalike was taken off the show because of the Lori Loughlin scandal too. I will keep watching as long as Rosemary is there. I’ve watched 2 episodes of When the Heart Calls, the web series spin off about the orphanage a few towns from Hope Valley, but I didn’t like it at all. I’ve gotten used to the two new male characters. I doubt Netflix will add the new season to its selection, as they’ve always done it around October time.

10. Station 19

Season two was alright, but season 3 was delayed until 2020. The show’s creator left to pursue something else, which is quite odd as she’s only done 2 seasons, so from next year the show will be ran by Krista Vernoff who has been running Grey’s Anatomy, after Shonda Rhimes’s departure. One of the characters is now a quest star on Greys.

11. The Handmaid’s Tale

I even got my mom into this show! And Christopher Meloni was in 2 or 3 episodes, playing a role completely opposite from his SVU’s Elliott Stabler, a rapist! Alexis Bledel’s character got a satisfying ending, and the scene where Canadian border police officers ask her whether she’s going to be in danger if she was to be sent back to her country and she says yes, this is simply my favourite scene of the entire 2019.

12. One Day At a Time

After a quite boring season 3, and Netflix’s cancellation, the show was saved by POP and will be returning in 2020! I am still not a fan of the annoying girlfriend, but everything this shows says about immigration, PTSD and LGTBQ issues is on point.

13. The Insatiable

Season 2 differed from season 1 in the most important way, it focused on the main character, Patty’s binge eating disorder. Patty joins Overeaters Anonymous and learns the cause of her addiction to food. Yes, it’s still crazy when it comes to her psychotic behaviour resulting in murdering people, but most of the season is about her BED, and that makes it interesting.

14. The Unbelievable

A TV show about a girl who thinks she’s been raped, comes forward, and then revokes her statement, 5 times. Then two lady cops try to solve a series of rapes and eventually come across the main character’s statement. Netflix’s best show of 2019, it’s just amazing and Short Term 12 and Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever delivers a beautiful performance.

15. Big Little Lies

The show came back after 2 years, to finish what it started, it was better than season 1 because we didn’t have to sit through hours of sex and abuse.

16. Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

This show was a hit for me. I’ve only learned about it in February, and watched all 3 seasons in two weeks. I’ve since read Leah Remini’s book ‘Troublemaker’. I am really sad to see this show go, it’s extremely informative and brings hope to victims of Scientology. It’s my favourite discovery of 2019.

17. The Goldbergs

It’s still good, but it feels like they have run out of nostalgic 80s memorbilia last season.

18. Schooled

Lanie’s spin off is now in its second season. It’s not as good as The Goldbergs, but It’s only 20 minutes a week, which makes it watchable. AJ and Aly Michalka released a single last summer, that was undoubtedly my song of summer 2019. It’s called Church and it’s amazing.

19. How to Get Away with Murder

Thank goodness it’s the last season. The first 3 seasons were great, but anything from season 4 has been bad. Someone’s killed Annalise? What was the point of the series then?

20. Killing Eve

I still haven’t caught up with season 2 fully, but I’ve been a fan of Jodie Colmer since ‘Thirteen’.

21. Ozark

My dad’s favourite show. Julia Garner is killing it every single episode. Where’s season 3?

22. Good Girls

Beth and the dealer hooked up, and Season 2 was quite different, but still entertaining.

23. Thirteen Reasons Why

I loved the first 2 seasons, but this was a mess. Why introduce a new character, and give them ALL screen time?

24. This is Us

3 more seasons yes please! I am just not okay with the writers telling us about Rebecca’s death so early in the series.

25. 911

Never disappoints with the drama, I mean the freaking tsunami blew my mind!

26. The Resident

I think I am okay with whom they killed off in the first episode, but this season introduced us to a new doctor that’s an even more arrogant copy of the new doctor they introduced last season.

27. Modern Family

Final season is here and it’s just as mediocre as everything else after season 3.

28. For the People

Sadly this Shondaland show starring Britt Robertson has been cancelled. I feel like I was the only one watching it.

29. Chernobyl

A mini docuseries from HBO everyone loves, and rightfully so.

30. Riverdale

I’m just not into it anymore. I liked season 1 and that’s it. I liked the Luke Perry tribute, but I haven’t had the time to watch all of it.

31. The Simpsons

Awesome as always. Sixty seasons should be enough for me.

32. The Good Fight

I still haven’t caught up.

33. The Good Place

They keep resetting the afterlife and it’s all the same at this point.

34. Veronica Mars

I’m just happy they didn’t kill Keith Mars, and I like the noir aspects of this season.

35. Absentia

I still haven’t fully caught up, I will update once I do.

36. F For Family

It’s a funny show and I cannot wait for season 4. I wish the main character still worked at the airport, all this vending machine business wasn’t very entertaining.

37. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

I like it when it’s darker, but I just cannot stand Kiernan’s wig.

38. Divorce

The Sarah Jessica Parker show has ended and the ending surprised me. I will miss the dark humour.

39. Younger

The secret is out, Liza’s secret was exposed and she no longer has to hide. I’m a fan of Liza and Charles, but this wasn’t a good season. Kelsey makes a dumb social media mistake and gets demoted from publisher back to editor. Diana gets married. The Irish girlfriend’s baby storyline doesn’t give immigrants a good rep.

40. When They See Us

I watched it for Vera Farmiga and I knew about this case from Law and Order: Special Vicitms Unit.

41. Looking For Alaska

I used to know this girl who was obssesed with this book and always said Looking For Alaska is John Green’s best work. I haven’t read the book, so I can just rate the story for what the show is. As a child of immigrants, who don’t speak the language, I related to one of the characters. Sometimes the pressure of your family’s livelihood depending on you is too much. I know it’s got to me a few times when I had to figure out what to do in stressful situations I wouldn’t have been in had i known my family was safe and happy among their own. Acting as a translator for your family can have damaging effects on you, when your family’s health andlivelihood is at stake.

42. Dead to Me

‘Married With Children’ ‘s Christina Applegate and ‘Freaks and Geek’s Linda Cardelini return to TV in this dramedy about a woman who befriends her hit and run victim’s wife. Great acting from both, I’m really sad Linda didn’t get a Golden Globe nomination for her prformance.

43. Soundtrack

Madeleine Stowe is back! I remember when she retired back in the early 2000s and I kept checking up on her non existent projects while she was retired on her Texas ranch. Thankfully she returned to acting and starred in Revenge, portraying one of the best characters on television. When Revenge ended in 2015 I thought, well that’s it, she’s gonna go back to her retirement, but she didn’t! She just took a 4 year break and now she’s back! It looks like Madeleine’s husband, Dream On and Private Practice’s Brian Benben is currently on a break himself. Anyway, I’m a huge fan, and could talk about Madeleine’s filmography for hours.

Soundtrack, originally called Mixtape, is a new Netflix show about stars Madeleine Stowe, Jenna Dewan (is this why she left The Resident?) and Gradfathered’s Christina Millian.

The pilot episode has a depressing ‘This is Us’ twist. Jenna Dewan’s character’s name is Joanna (heck yes!) and she’s a dancer. Above I mention how watching season 2 of The Resident made me think of Step Up every single episode. To see Jenna’s character’s dance audition sequence to a Kelly Clarkson song of all artists, satisfied my 2006 Step Up obsession, and she dances in this show, a lot. The show features a lot of cool mash ups, and includes songs from Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Duffy, Demi Lovato to so many different genres and I will be rewatching the dance sequences a lot. I was really looking forward to seeing Marcia Cross when I noticed this title was added to her filmography on IMDB, but she only lends her voice to a character that’s a supporting’s character’s mother and only has one short conversation with that character, over the phone.

There’s going to be a similar show starting next month, called Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist starring Jane Levy and Lauren Graham, that I just cannot wait to start watching.

‘Every song is a love song’.

‘This is breathtaking, why would you ever give this up?’

44. The Politician

You know I’ll watch anything from the Murphy/Falchuk duo. It’s an average show, my least favourite from them, even lower on my list than Scream Queens. I don’t like how they used a porodied version of Gypsy Blanchard’s story in the show. We’ve seen in in The Act this year and The Act is not only an incredible mini series, but it’s also respectful and true to the story. The Politician’s secret weapon is, same as with American Horror Story, the marvelous Jessica Lange, so you know I’m gonna watch it. Speaking of the Murphy/Falchuk universe, I cannot believe we need to wait until September 2020 for American Crime Story to return.

45. The Act

A beautiful mini series about the tragic Gypsy Blanchard story with incredible performances from Joey King and Patricia Arquette. It’s my second favourite mini series of the year and eagerly waited for next episode every week.

46. The Morning Show

This Apple show starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston focuses on a made up news show, and the behind the scenes sexual harassment. It’s clearly inspired by the Fox scandal, but it’s different from The Loudest Voice. In the last episode Jennifer’s character loses it and exposes everything, it’s a superb episode I’m happy there’s going to be season 2.

47. The Society

A modern Lord of the Flies meets Lost. I enjoyed this show the minute Kathryn Newton’s character executed one of the other characters.

48. Light as a Feather

I have been following Liana Liberato’s career since ‘Trust’. It’s not a good series, but it’s eight 20 minute episodes, and there are worse ways to spend your weekend.

49. Grace and Frankie

A brilliant show from the creators of Friends. I’ve been watching it since it came out back in 2016 and can’t get enough of it! Can’t wait for January when the show’s back!

50. The Loudest Voice

No way Bombshell is going to be half this good. Best friends Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts ended up playing the same character this year, Gretchen Carlson. Showtime’s The Loudest Voice is a 7 episode series about the Fox News sexual harassment.

Shows I need to catch up on (to some extent):

How to Get Away With Murder
Killing Eve
This is Us
Riverdale
Absentia
The Good Fight
Gentleman Jack
I Am the Night

I think Hollywood Darlings has been cancelled? There’s no news online, but there were no episodes released this year and Jodie Sweetin is now doing this podcast I don’t listen to.

I hope you enjoyed this post. One of my resolutions for 2020 is to go back to reviewing TV shows on a weekly basis, because I’ve caught myself a few times trying to remember the episode something happened in and had to google it every time. Had I stuck to reviewing episodes week by week, I would have quickly looked it up here.

Have a wonderful 2020!
Jo