Streaming masterpieces dominated a bountiful year. Dark-hued series can be seen aplenty in the list below but I also swooned over a doco, a comedy and some fine dramas. The first two received 10/10 ratings, the rest were 9/10. You won’t be disappointed by any of them.
Season 2 of “Succession” transfixed me. A revolting Murdoch-style family propels an amazing plot. Character depth is also astounding. Review.
Craig Mazin’s pitch-perfect game changer of a disaster doco, the “Chernobyl HBO mini-series,” changed the world. Review.
Sometime genius Ricky Gervais hits the mother lode with the sentimental, yet sharp comedy “After Life.” Review.
“Berlin Station Season 3,” set in Estonia, with a setup fresh out of our present day, is furiously paced and captivating. Review.
The seamless closing half to the fifth season of police procedural “Bosch” vanishes in a blur of tension and satisfaction. Review.
Julien Faraut’s “John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection” is as quirky as all-get-up but as a study of the genius and rage of McEnroe is riveting. Review.
Dark but revelatory, the second season of “Mindhunter” is as fine as the first. Review.
“Mr Inbetween,” a noir, black-as-pitch Australian series, is graced by a closing scene that is the most unforgettable of the year. Review.
“Russian Doll” is a tour de force for Natasha Lyonne but she’s not the main attraction, which is the stunning Groundhog-Day-in-the-modern-era plotline. Review.
A wrenching tale of the most egregious miscarriage of justice, Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” will stand as a classic. Review.
If you need more delectable fare, check out these reviews of honorable mentions: high-finance drama “The Hummingbird Project“; Season 3 of the atmospheric police procedural “Cardinal“; another, especially imaginative police drama, “Criminal“; brilliant documentary “Diego Maradona“; quirky Icelandic climate change drama “Woman at War“; and “2040,” a rare upbeat climate change documentary.