AMERICAN CRIME
that is all too familiar in our nation’s headlines. The brilliant ensemble cast (including Emmy winner Regina King and a revelatory Connor Jessup) brings their A-game, elevating this 10-episode saga to dramatic heights.
2. BLACK MIRROR, “San Junipero” (Netflix) The most beautiful, wonderful, transcendent piece of television I’ve seen all year hails from the third season of
the outstanding series that has found new, vibrant life in the streaming universe. This particular episode, starring the fantastic Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw and brilliantly written by creator Charlie Brooker, introduces viewers to “immersive nostalgia therapy,” taking us on a trip to 1987 and inviting us to witness a romance that boldly stands the test of time. Also: you’ll never listen to Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” the same way again.
3. ATLANTA (FX) Donald Glover’s nuanced comedy filled the void left by last year’s Master of None, delivering a razor-sharp look at the hip-hop scene in the titular city, meticulously observing the minutiae of ambition, and introducing us to TV’s next great underdog, the driven Earn (Glover), who will do anything to keep his head above water.
4. THE NIGHT OF (HBO) Reminiscent of Serial’s first true-crime case, HBO’s mini mystery, led by the wonderful Riz Ahmed and John Turturro, is a crime drama that is so very now: cynical in tone and seeped in xenophobia-driven hypocrisy.
5. WESTWORLD (HBO) Genre nerds, we have a new Lost! HBO, you’ve found your next Game of Thrones!
6. TRANSPARENT (Amazon)
BLACK MIRROR
#140 issue - BELLOmag.com
The third season of Jill Soloway’s drama (I refuse to call it a comedy simply because of its 30-minute running time) beautifully dug deeper into the lives of the turbulent Pfefferman family. 10