Happy New Year! To ring in the new year check out some of the best shows and movies there were released “last year”.
2019 was a huge year for streaming. This year laid to rest some of the best streaming shows of the decade, such as Game of Thrones, Big Bang Theory, and Orange Is The New Black. We also saw the launch of two new streaming services — Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus. Competition between streaming platforms was hot and the only winners were the streamers, who got to watch some truly remarkable content this year.
We’ve compiled a list of the best streaming shows of 2019 across Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Disney Plus, and Apple TV Plus. We’ve only taken into account the shows that premiered in 2019 and not returning seasons of older shows. So without further ado, here are the best TV shows from 2019 that you should watch going into 2020.
Best streaming shows of 2019
Chernobyl
HBO’s Chernobyl was perhaps the most important streaming show of the year. The mini-series traces all the missteps that led to the disastrous 1986 nuclear power plant explosion at Chernobyl, Ukraine. It also dramatizes the huge and heroic clean-up effort that followed the incident. Each episode of the 5-part series is riveting, to say the least. The series also boasts of a stellar cast including Jared Harris, Emily Watson, and Stellan Skarsgard. It’s a no brainer why the series took home 19 Emmy nominations in 2019 and won for Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Writing. If you haven’t given Chernobyl a watch, we suggest you cross it off your watchlist now.
The Spy
The Spy is a fast-paced Netflix mini-series based on the thrilling life of Israeli secret agent Eli Cohen. Ali G actor Sacha Baron Cohen dons the role of the spy, perfectly capturing the essence of the character. The streaming show follows Eli Cohen’s dual life; one in Israel with his family and the other in Syria as a wealthy businessman named Kamel Amin Thabet. Through his alias, Cohen manages to infiltrate the Syrian crème de la crème and passes critical information to the Israeli intelligence agency. The show has been criticized for its historical inaccuracies, but it’s Sacha Baron Cohen’s tremendous performance that makes The Spy worthy of this list.
When They See Us
When They See Us is a Netflix mini-series. It is based on the infamous case of five black teenagers, labeled the Central Park Five. The teens were falsely convicted for raping a white female jogger. The four-part series spans 25 years, highlighting how they were forced into confessions, their incarceration, exoneration in 2002, and finally, the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014. Everything, from acting performances to the way the story has been delicately handled by creator Ava DuVernay, speaks volumes about why this show was one of the most critically acclaimed in 2019.
The Mandalorian
Disney Plus launched to much fanfare this year, and a big chunk of that credit goes to Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian. Set in the Star Wars universe, the space western follows the trails of the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy. The events in the Disney Plus streaming show happen five years after the Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens. One of the biggest pulls of the show is Baby Yoda, the 2019 meme sensations and now also a Funko Pop toy. Star Wars fan or not, If you’ve subscribed to Disney Plus, we recommend you give The Mandalorian a watch.
Russian Doll
Wonder what it’s like to relive a moment again and again? Russian Doll is a Netflix comedy that’ll give you a strong dose of dejavu. It follows the story of a young woman named Nadia Vulvokov (Natasha Lyonne) who dies on her 36th birthday. Stuck in a death loop, she keeps coming back to the night of her birthday party. As the show progresses, Nadia tries to solve the mystery of the time loop. However, the series is much deeper and more clever than its central premise. We won’t want to spoil it for you so go and have a look.
Modern Love
Amazon Prime’s Modern Love is a collection of love stories inspired by a weekly column published in The New York Times. The cast of the show includes renowned actors like Dev Patel, Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, Andy Garcia, John Slattery and many more. Each half hour episode of the eight-part series approaches love in its various shapes and forms. The TV show takes viewers through a journey spanning different types of relationships, including the one we have with ourselves. If you’re craving some romance, Modern Love is the perfect fix for you.
The Boys
It’s a superhero show unlike any other you’ve seen in 2019. The Boys is a dark, hilarious, suspenseful and adventurous Amazon Prime streaming show, which explores what happens when superheroes turn bad. It is set in a world where superheroes function as celebrities, backed by an army of PR and marketing professionals. The best of them make it into an elite group called The Seven, operated by a private organization called Vought International. The Boys, a group of ordinary men, get together to bare Vought’s real agenda and expose its murderous, self-serving superheroes.
Watchmen
Watchmen is superhero adventure based on the DC comic book series by the same name. If there’s a superhero show from 2019 you should not miss, its Watchmen for sure. The HBO series will pump up your energy with some great action, a good script, and one of the best soundtracks you’ve ever heard in a TV show. The series follows racist attacks in Tulsa, Oklahoma by a white supremacist organization called the Seventh Kavalry. To save themselves from being targeted, the Tulsa police have to wear masks and hide their identities. Where’s the superhero factor you ask? Well, you’ll have to watch the series to find out for yourself. All we can say is that it’ll be worth your time for sure.
Euphoria
HBO’s Euphoria is an American adaptation of a controversial Israeli show by the same name. Sex, drugs, nudity, and teenagers galore, Euphoria follows the story of a 17-year-old drug addict who comes back from rehab to sink right back into old habits. The show is unapologetically provocative and disturbing, forcing viewers to look past flippant teenage attitudes and find a deeper understanding of the self-destructive decisions young people often take.
Dirty John
Dirty John is a Netflix original series based on a true-crime podcast series. It follows the perfect romance of 59-year-old Debra Newell (Connie Britton) and a man who identifies himself as Dr John Meehan (Eric Bana). Debra is swept off her feet by Meehan and weeks into their romance, the two get married. Little did Debra know the true identity of John Meehan, a story that rocked headlines and shocked the world.
Jett
Cinemax’s Jett is thrilling, sexy, and full of excitement all thanks to Carla Gugino’s solid portrayal of a master thief named Daisy “Jett” Kowalski. Jett is plucked out of retirement and forced to make a comeback into the world of crime, doing what she does best. As she fends off crime bosses and police detectives, things spiral out of control. She must do whatever it takes to protect herself and her family.
The Morning Show
The Morning Show is Apple TV Plus’ crown jewel at this moment. The show stars Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Steve Carell. It follows the makings of a hugely popular news and entertainment TV show called The Morning Show and tracks the lives of producers, network executives, and anchors associated with it. Everything goes to hell when the lead anchor (Carell) is accused of sexual misconduct at the workplace. The show hits the Me Too movement hard and exposes the political and power struggles that plague multi-billion-dollar media conglomerates.
Don’t F**k with cats
Don’t F**k with cats is not a fictional TV show but a documentary series about how a bunch of internet sleuths were successful in tracking a Canadian serial killer named Luka Magnotta. It might be the most disturbing true-crime documentary you’ve ever seen, but it’s definitely one of the best ones we’ve come across in 2019. It’ll make you think you’re watching a Hollywood thriller.
Living With Yourself
If one Paul Rudd is not enough for you, there’s two of him in Netflix’s Living With Yourself. A dejected and depressed man named Miles (Rudd) undergoes a spa treatment, only to find himself cloned, not just in body but also in mind. Turns out, his new version is better than the real him, both in marriage and at work. Miles finds he must fight himself for his wife Kate (Aisling Bea), his career, and his very identity.
Traitors
Emma Appleton plays a British spy named Feef Symonds in this Netflix original series. She is recruited by the American Office of Strategic Services to spy on her own country and find a Soviet mole working in the Cabinet Office. It’s a classic game of cat and mouse, thrilling to the core.
So that was our list of the best streaming shows of 2019. How many these shows have you seen and how many have you skipped? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also tell us about your favorite streaming shows from 2019 if they’re not already in the list above.
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