“Oh, Hello”
I was lucky enough to see Nick Kroll and John Mullaney’s hilarious two-man show while it played in Los Angeles before its current Broadway run. Strangely, I’d missed the skits of Upper Westside theater dreamers Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland on “The Kroll Show,” but I’ve been obsessed ever since. If you’ve ever lived in New York for an extended period of time (let alone had relatives from the greater New York Metro area) you know these guys. Kroll and Mullaney’s abilities to continually update the references and interact with a different celebrity guest every night is remarkable. And the show itself – directed by Tony nominee Alex Timbers – is richer than you’d ever expect. Sort of sad I’m gonna miss it one more time before the end of the Broadway run.
“The People Vs. O.J. Simpson”
You could argue actor or actress gave a finer performance in film or television than Sarah Paulson gave as Marcia Clark last year. The first episode is hands down the best thing Ryan Murphy has ever directed. Courtney B. Vance and Sterling K. Brown give career defining performances. Cuba Gooding, Jr. and John Travolta haven’t been this good this century (and arguably in 20 years). In an age of peak TV “People Vs. O.J. Simpson” is a first ballot hall of famer of the first order.
“Search Party”
What a surprise. Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers and Michael Showalter’s 10 episode comedy mystery series is binge-watching at its finest. When many series have problems sustaining a watchable narrative in a 30-minute format, “Search Party” is wonderfully structured to make you keep wondering what happens next. The series focuses on Dory (an Emmy-worthy Alia Shawkat) who becomes obsessed with finding a former college acquaintance (friend would be too strong a word) that has mysteriously disappeared. Her band of close friends who are recruited to help in the search include the painfully self-obsessed Elliott (John Early owning and breaking gay cliches left and right), the smarter than she looks Portia (Meredith Hagner proving she’s destined for comedic stardom) and her conservative boyfriend Drew (John Reynolds giving the quartet the grounded stability it needs). The mystery goes in numerous directions as Parker Posey, Ron Livingston, Christine Taylor and Rosie Perez shine in often unexpected supporting roles. What ices it is a finale episode that goes in a direction you simply can’t believe and – no hype – cements Shawkat as one of the finest actresses of her generation. You can watch the entire first episode here.
Thandie Newton
She’s starred in an unfortunate Best Picture winner (sigh, “Crash”) and appeared in vehicles for Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise and Will Smith, but Thandie Newton has never gotten a role that allowed her to truly show what a force of nature she can be on screen. There’s been hints (she’s superb in the underrated “For Colored Girls”), but HBO’s long awaited “Westworld” has changed all that. Over 10 episodes Newton’s portrayal of host Maeve Millay turned out to be not only a SAG and Golden Globe nomination worthy performance, but a role that transformers her into the gay diva pop culture icon many thought was possible over a decade ago. Thanks for your service Viola, twitter memes have a whole new Thandie to react with.
@thandienewton was the true queen of 2016 pic.twitter.com/ZE4GMHk4QG
— Stuff My Stocking (@EmilioEmm) December 16, 2016
“Veep”
Somehow the already fantastic takedown of Washington presidential politics got better after its creator, the talented Armando Iannucci, decided to move on. In its fifth season “Veep” unintentionally foreshadowed the madness of the 2016 presidential election in such a way that you wonder how on earth they’ll follow any of this up for season six. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss continued to demonstrate her comedic skills are beyond reproach and the overall ensemble stepped up their game, but it’s the writers who killed it making us laugh at the absurdity of it all. We’re almost afraid this fictional world will see more real than the “real world” when it returns.
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
It wasn’t John Oliver (not sorry), Trevor Noah, Seth Meyers or Stephen Colbert. The late night comedian who spoke more truths about the 2016 election was none other than Samantha Bee. Actually, referring to Bee as a comedian might not be high enough praise after her insights the past year. Social commentator is probably more appropriate. Yes, you could lament the loss of Jon Stewart during this election cycle, but Bee has proven she’s the true heir apparent.