My, what a spectacular year we’re having on television. With half of 2019 left to go, TV has already delivered the bulk of the best in entertainment this year, across the board. From streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon, cable standouts like HBO and Starz, upstarts like DC Universe and more, everywhere you turn, there’s some fantastic TV to watch.
Likewise, the best TV shows of 2019 represent an impressive lineup of diverse genres; superhero and fantasy entertainment, prestige dramas and mini-series, horror comedies, sketch comedy, animation, genre-bending hybrids and everything in between. No matter where you turn or what you’re watching, you’ve probably run into some standout TV this year.
Now that we’re about half-way through 2019, the Collider staff rallied to pick our favorites series so far, and what a list we’ve got! With so many outstanding series to pick from, we’ve culled quite the selection. Without further ado, check out the best TV Shows of 2019 so far below.
Doom Patrol
From showrunnerJeremy Carver, the DC Universe streaming seriesDoom Patrolfollows a team of uniquely quirky and downright odd superheroes who have all suffered a horrible accident that’s given them abilities, leaving them moreanti herothan anti-hero, as they work together to find their purpose while investigating weird phenomena. After bringing togetherRobotman, aka Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), Negative Man, aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer),Elasti-Woman, aka Rita Farr (April Bowlby), and Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), the mad scientist known as The Chief (Timothy Dalton) mysteriously disappears and Cyborg (JoivanWade) presents them with a mission that will force them to face their own fears, if they are to succeed.
On paper, and especially to someone who’s not familiar with the comics,Doom Patrolsounds absurd, but if you give it a chance and tune in anyway, what you’ll find is characters that you may connect deeply with and even find yourself shedding a tear or two over. They may be five disparate individuals, and the pain at the core of each of them might not necessarily bring them a happy ending, but they are coming to terms with who they are now and what they can offer to this very unique team. Even if you have superhero fatigue and think that you can’t watch one more comic book TV series, I strongly urge you to check out Doom Patrol, or you’ll miss out on a charming, quirky, funny, tragic and heartfelt story that includes such memorable guest characters as Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, the Beard Hunter, Danny the Street and Ezekiel, a doomsday-prepping cockroach who believes he’s a prophet of the Lord –Christina Radish
A Discovery of Witches
Adapted from the best-sellingAll Soulstrilogy byDeborah Harkness, the supernatural drama seriesA Discovery of Witchesis set in a world where witches, vampires and daemons secretly live and work alongside humans. For academic and historian Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), who also happens to be a witch that’s denying her magical abilities, the discovery of an ancient manuscript not only brings on an awareness of this dangerous and scary world, but it places her directly into the path of geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), igniting a relationship between them that threatens to unravel the fragile peace between the creatures and destroy them all.
The exciting news is that the series was so successful that it’s already been picked up for a second and third season, that will follow the second and third books. With only eight very binge-able episodes in its first season, it’s a highly addictive story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, as you learn about the secrets buried deep inside of Diana and why Matthew is so drawn to her. Whether you’re a history nerd or a vampire fan, you want to admire the beautiful scenery in the locations that the series is shot, or you just want to bask in the chemistry that the characters and actors have with each other, A Discovery of Witchesis a fun ride that feels like a fresh take on this particular lore and mythology. –Christina Radish
What We Do in the Shadows
Taika WaititiandJemaine Clement’s vampire comedyWhat We Do in the Shadowsis easily one of the best and most creative things to happen to the vampire genre in the post-Twilightage and their silly bloodsuckers are reborn on TV with FX’s series of the same name. It’s not quite as tight and lough-out-loud hilarious as the film (and there’s something lost in translation without that distinctly New Zealand sense of humor), but the new batch of vamps bring plenty of laughs all their own — especially the greatMatt Berry, who steals pretty much every scene as the luxuriating gothic romantic with a penchant for perfectly timed F-bombs. Like a lot of docu-style comedy (a laThe Office andParks and Rec), the series takes a minute to settle into its rhythm, but once it gets there, it’s quite the delight. —Haleigh Foutch
Sex Education
By now, ya probably the tropes of the high school sex comedy: Doin' it is kind’ve super awkward! What are you supposed to do with your hands! Boners are weird! But no one ever got mad at a master musician for playing a familiar melody, and Netflix’sSex Educationhas such a refreshing handle on the tropes that even they start to feel new. A seamless blend of 80s, John Hughes-ish drama with 90sAmerican Pieraunchiness, the series follows Otis Milburn (a wonderfully jitteryAsa Butterfield), a virgin who becomes his school’s top sex advisor. There’s a charming, dreamy quality to the whole thing that brings to mind that warm haziness that comes with being young and confused. Throw in actual treasureGillian Andersonas Otis' sex therapist mother, and you’ve got a modern-day coming-of-age curriculum worth signing up for. –Vinnie Mancuso
I Think You Should Leave
This sketch comedy show worms its way into your brain to where you’re quoting along its absolute bizarre premises and situations while everyone wonders why you’re singing, “The bones are their money, and so are the worms.” Netflix turns out to be a perfect home for this kind of sketch comedy from former SNL writerTim Robinson. There’s no mandate on how long sketches need to run for, and they can be as weird as they want. At only about 15 minutes per episodes,I Think You Should Leaveis a breeze to watch as you wander through its bizarre world involving the World’s Best Baby, a time traveler who needs the help of Ebenezer Scrooge, wanting a car where the steering wheel doesn’t fly off when you’re driving, and many more. Just be warned that once it has its hooks in you,I Think You Should Leavenever lets go. –Matt Goldberg
Legends of Tomorrow
A werewolf becomes a Lucha Libre star in 1961 Mexico City. An Indian sex god turns Jane Austen-inspired high society into a Bollywood dance number. A man’s cursed nipple brainwashes an entire Time Bureau. This is but a brief list of the things that happen over the fourth season ofLegends of Tomorrow, the objectively insane step-child of The CW’s DC Universe. Other 2019 superhero series may have had more pathos, been grittier (The Punisher), or even come close to the all-out madness that LOT delivers (Doom Patrol), but simply nothing on TV is as unabashedly joyous asLegends. What started as a rag-tag spinoff of other CW shows has evolved into a pure delight that reinvents itself every season, somehow becoming a better version of its own bonkers self every time. –Vinnie Mancuso
Santa Clarita Diet
Horror comedies don’t get better thanSanta Clarita Diet, one of the most fearlessly weird and wild family comedies ever made. Netflix recently canceled this gem after its third season, so soak in the whacky brilliance while you can (and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be rewatching it anyway.) The series starsDrew BarrymoreandTimothy Olyphantas a suburban couple in Santa Clarita whose life is thrown into chaos when a bad batch of clams turns Barrymore’s character into a vivacious zombie. By the time they get to Season 3,Santa Clarita Dietdips into delightfully zany mythology while continuing to be lowkey the best show about marriage on TV. Packed with standout supporting characters, goofy gags, and a surprising amount of bloody gore,Santa Clarita Dietofficially joins the ranks of the “Gone Too Soon” Hall of Fame and is well worth checking out if you haven’t already. —Haleigh Foutch
The Magicians
Not unlikeBreaking Bad, Syfy’sThe Magiciansis a show that’s gotten better and better with each respective season. Not to say Season 1 is bad, but it’s clear that the writers and performers got more comfortable and found their own voice as the show went on. The most recent fourth season of the series continued on with the show’s signature mix of dark, filthy humor, dazzling fantasy, and ambitious narrative twists, but with an added sense of melancholy as the characters worked to save the soul of one of their own. It concluded with one of the most devastating twists in recent TV history which I dare won’t spoil here, but suffice it to say this particular story beat was handled with a keen understanding both of how this event would affect the show’s characters, but also how it ties into the real-world struggles of the show’s fans. That’s part of what makesThe Magiciansspecial. Sure, it’s a show about angsty twentysomething magicians, but through its exploration of LGBTQ+ relationships, gender dynamics, and mental illness, it also feels like a show in tune with us, living in this moment, right now. Long live one of the best, weirdest, ballsiest shows on TV. –Adam Chitwood
The Redemption Project with Van Jones
At a time when empathy and compassion seem to be lacking and cancel culture runs rampant, news commentator and political activistVan Jonesis on a mission to seek the truth in its purest form, with the CNN seriesThe Redemption Project. As someone who has spent about 25 years working on criminal justice issues, his incredible access to the U.S. prison system allows him to take viewers into the room as offenders come face-to-face with those impacted by their violent crimes, as part of the restorative justice process.
During its eight-week run, it would be impossible not to be deeply moved by the display of courage from everyone who chose to sit across from someone who has altered their life forever, either by taking the life of one of their family members or by causing them harm, in some way. While humanizing both sides of each of the stories, the audience takes a harrowing journey, as they learn what brought each individual into the other’s path and how it ended up in the act of violence that irrevocably changed everything. The profound sense of humanity you feel from watching the conversations between survivors and offenders will not only bring tears, but will also greatly inspire, as you learn that if you can get to a place of forgiveness, it’s never too late to affect someone’s life for the better.–Christina Radish
Swamp Thing
What else can be said about the sad saga of theSwamp Thing, a story of DC Universe pulling the plug on its best original series after airing one (1) episode. Nothing, it’s depressing, ignore it; as long as there is a thing in that swamp I’ll be telling you to watch it, because the episodes aired so far are some of the best, ooziest horror to hit TV in a long time.Derek Mearsbrings pathos and pain to the title creature from underneath fantastic prosthetics work from Fractured FX, whileCrystal Reedgrounds the human side as Abby Arcane. Watch these stellar ten episodes now so you can be on the forefront of “shows tragically canceled too soon” conversations for decades to come. –Vinnie Mancuso
