Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Austin Hebert, Dale Dickey, Danielle Macdonald, Elizabeth Marvel, Eric Lange, Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever, Scott Lawrence, Toni Collette
Find the best movies and show to watch from the year 2019. These handpicked recommendations are highly-rated by viewers and critics.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Austin Hebert, Dale Dickey, Danielle Macdonald, Elizabeth Marvel, Eric Lange, Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever, Scott Lawrence, Toni Collette
This heartwarming comedy-drama is about two best friends in their 20s who are deaf. One of them is a graphic novelist going through a breakup and the other just got engaged but is hiding the news out of fear of making her friend feel bad.
The script is sharp and funny, and like any first big production from a minority group, it also feels fresh and original: the arcs are unlike anything seen before, and the characters are a joy to discover and watch.
The result is something that feels like an easy and fun story until it’s not: in the first episode, when one of them doesn’t immediately put their seatbelt on in a plane, the cops come in and restrain their hands (their only way of communicating) to drag them out.
The two leads are played by the creators of the show - the first deaf showrunners in TV history. When they were trying to find a title for the series, they landed on the sign 🤏, not a phrase, that captured the bond between the two friends. “We’re showing something that’s intertwined... [the “this close” sign is] a sign used for “best friends, “like this” or “this close”. So we came up with “this close” from that."
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Shoshannah Stern
In BBC’s The Capture, a young soldier’s murder conviction is overturned thanks to submitted video evidence. But before he can enjoy his newfound freedom, a different video—this time live CCTV footage—places him at the scene of a new crime. The proof seems damning, but the deeper Detective Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) digs into the case, the more she learns about the wider conspiracy underneath it.
The Capture is everything you’d expect from a British police procedural: intelligent, lean, and sufficiently dramatic: no extra fat and unnecessary bits to be found here as action and mystery take center stage. And although TV may already be brimming with thrillers like it, what sets The Capture apart is its eerie insight into our so-called “post-truth” era. Instead of hardened criminals, our heroes go up against deepfakes, disinformation, and 24/7 surveillance. The series lets us know that the threat manipulated technology poses isn't mere science fiction anymore—it's evolved into an unfortunate and unbeatable reality.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Andy Nyman, Ben Miles, Callum Turner, Charlie Murphy, Famke Janssen, Holliday Grainger, Indira Varma, Laura Haddock, Lia Williams, Paapa Essiedu, Ron Perlman, Sophia Brown
With a masterful sense of character and its finger firmly on the pulse of pop culture, this dark comedy—about two thirtysomething siblings desperately trying to hold on to success in the shadow of their teen brother's fame—manages to be both incredibly specific and instantly timeless. As a comedy, there might not be another show with a greater laugh-to-minute ratio than The Other Two, as a razor-sharp cast fully commit to playing characters stumbling into opportunity then debasing themselves to protect it. And the ensemble's work is only elevated by dynamic direction that knows exactly how best to deploy an insane comic set piece.
But under the surface, there's something gleefully twisted about how the characters gradually lose their souls in their pursuit of the spotlight. As the titular "other two" siblings abandon their values, pander to every audience, and become hooked on arbitrary signs of success, the tension in their family only tightens, too. The show knows it has a big heart deep down—and it's so very good at chipping away at it for the sake of a great laugh.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Case Walker, Drew Tarver, Heléne Yorke, Josh Segarra, Ken Marino, Molly Shannon
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Ane Dahl Torp, Eldar Skar, Henrik Mestad, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Kristin Braut-Solheim, Ragnhild Gudbrandsen, Selome Emnetu
The Guardian’s lead critic said of Trapped: Seductive, involving, gripping...I am already, thoroughly, trapped. I’m quoting a publication to give some grounding to my overly excited claim: Trapped (or Ófærð) is one of the best TV shows ever made. I am obsessed with it. The plot is simple: a cop tries to solve a murder before a storm arrives, but the way it gets stretched is exceptional, and can only be compared to Scandinavian classics like The Hunt, The Guilty or Headhunters. And the fact that Trapped is from Iceland (not Norway or Denmark) adds a more chilling twist to the Scandinavian thriller genre. I don't want to say more and ruin the show for you, but this is an amazing binge.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
This historical fantasy show is based on the best-selling novel The Saxon Stories, a story set during the Viking / Dane invasion of Britain.
Uhtred was a small boy when he was kidnapped and then raised by the Danes. When he unexpectedly gets caught up in the conflict, his half-Saxon half-Dane mix makes at the same time valuable and untrustworthy for both sides.
There has never been a better alternative to Game of Thrones. The great writing and great performances from a cast of newcomers inevitably induce the same sense of addiction.
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Drama, History, War & Politics
Actor: Adrian Bower, Adrian Schiller, Alexander Dreymon, Alexandre Willaume, Amy Wren, Arnas Fedaravicius, Brian Vernel, Cavan Clerkin, David Dawson, David Schofield, Eliza Butterworth, Emily Cox, Eva Birthistle, Ewan Mitchell, Gerard Kearns, Harry Gilby, Harry McEntire, Henning Valin Jakobsen, Ian Hart, James Northcote, Jamie Blackley, Joseph Millson, Julia Bache-Wiig, Mark Rowley, Matthew Macfadyen, Millie Brady, Ola Rapace, Peri Baumeister, Peter Gantzler, Phia Saban, Ruby Hartley, Rune Temte, Rutger Hauer, Simon Kunz, Stefanie Martini, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Thomas Gabrielsson, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Thure Lindhardt, Timothy Innes, Tobias Santelmann, Toby Regbo
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Betty Gabriel, Harry Lloyd, J.K. Simmons, James Cromwell, Nazanin Boniadi, Nicholas Pinnock, Olivia Williams, Sara Serraiocco
Director: Alik Sakharov, Jennifer Getzinger, Stephen Williams
I can’t think of a good reason why this review shouldn’t just be two words: David Attenborough. With a voice that makes you wish every other voice in your life was the same, the star of Planet Earth teamed up with Netflix to make this new nature show. It took four years to film, and it bounces countless times between continents in every episode. It’s rich, vivid, and oh so beautiful. So they just made another Planet Earth? Not exactly. Our Planet has a much stronger environmental message. It’s not a line here and there about the negative impact we’ve had on the planet - it’s the theme behind the whole show. It’s frank, sad, but always, always, stunning.
Genre: Documentary
Actor: David Attenborough
This is one of those reviews where it’s probably enough to say: watch the pilot. There is no better proof of how good Modern Love is than its first episode. The show is based on true stories that were shared in The New York Times column by the same name. That first episode is about the relationship between a doorman and a New Yorker. But, plot twist, Modern Love isn’t just about romantic relationships. It’s also about friendships, family links, and all displays of love and affection. The second episode is with Dev Patel and Catherine Keener, which I found to be also excellent. There are other ones with Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway, and many other big names, but the first two episodes are still my favorites. The power of Modern Love is in the riveting true stories it tells. It might as well have been called “you can’t make this stuff up.”
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Andy Garcia, Anne Hathaway, Cristin Milioti, Dev Patel, Laurentiu Possa, Tina Fey
16th century Korea—the small kingdom is governed by a royal family, but the sudden death of the king causes a power struggle among the elite, which in turn opens the window for either genuine change or further corrupt rule. At the heart of this is Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who conspires with the rebel scholars to bring his corrupt rivals down.
This all sounds familiar, if not a bit trite, but before you can start to pin it down, Kingdom quickly morphs into something more than just a period drama. The introduction of fantasy, terror, and neverending gore elevates Kingdom into a multi-genre feat—an impressive blend of political intrigue and pure zombie horror that never fails to keep you at the edge of your seat.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Bae Doona, Heo Joon-ho, Heo Jun-ho, Jeon Seok-ho, Ju Ji-hoon, Jun Kaname, Jun Suk-ho, Jung Suk-won, Kanata Hongo, Kanna Hashimoto, Kento Yamazaki, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Jong-soo, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Tae-hun, Park Byung-eun, Ryu Seung-ryong
Director: Kim Seong-hun, Shinsuke Sato
Dark Side of the Ring is where the comfort of pro wrestling and the mystery of true crime meet. The very premise of the series is that the wrestling industry is rife with with sketchy and downright depressing stories; and while it continues the tradition of depicting pro wrestling tragically (to great results), the episodes are streamlined and very consistent with having an insightful and balanced pool of perspectives. There's a lot of details for wrestling fans to sink their teeth into, but for the true crime and mystery-loving crowd, expect baseline stories about drugs, self-destruction, and outlaw wrestling practices unless it's one of those transcendent stories.
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Chris Jericho
It’s a near-impossible feat to turn something as tragic and devastating as the Chernobyl disaster into a gripping and enlightening tale, but the HBO miniseries does just that. Through insightful storytelling, affecting performances, and sharp dialogue, Chernobyl the show stuns viewers into awareness and, at its best, galvanizes them into action.
It’s a well-crafted five-hour series that does just enough in the way of humanizing a distorted reality, bringing to light the all-too-relevant consequences of power plays and placing the interests of the political elite and national image over real, human lives.
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Actor: Adam Nagaitis, Adrian Rawlins, Alan Williams, Alex Ferns, Barry Keoghan, Con O'Neill, David Dencik, Emily Watson, Fares Fares, Jared Harris, Jessie Buckley, Mark Lewis Jones, Michael McElhatton, Paul Ritter, Ralph Ineson, Robert Emms, Sam Troughton, Stellan Skarsgård
There is a very good case to be made for Veep being, pound-for-pound, the best American comedy to air on TV. Because while many other workplace sitcoms comment also comment on current events and satirize bureaucratic processes, no other show has committed this deeply to the inherent corruption and stupidity of every single one of its major characters. Selina Meyer and her staff are either so evil or so incompetent that they circle around to being irresistibly fun to watch and hilarious in all their own unique ways—which the series' writers expertly wrangle together in each script. And with much of the show's humor being built on creative, devastating insults, Veep also possesses a truly vicious edge that make it more challenging than its contemporaries.
But one shouldn't forget that the series also tells a compelling story of how soulless a nation's leaders can be, putting a magnifying class to every little political decision made in the name of saving face or pushing forward some other unrelated agenda. It's surprisingly insightful for something that seems so crass. And as Selina Meyer herself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (surrounded by a brilliant, dynamic cast) turns in one of the greatest comedic performances on TV as a pathetic vice president who can't help but let the monstrous side of herself win every time.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Anna Chlumsky, Clea DuVall, Gary Cole, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Dunn, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Sam Richardson, Sarah Sutherland, Timothy Simons, Tony Hale
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Mauro Prosperi, Michael Bentt, Surya Bonaly
Director: Lissette Feliciano