Attribution: Photo by Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash
Bingeworthy: The Ten Best Cable and Streaming TV Series
By Geoff Carter
Just this week, the one of the oldest and most distinguished movie theaters in my city closed. The Downer Theater, part of the Landmark theater chain that originally began as a showcase for independent and arthouse films, has closed permanently. As the same time—smacking of irony—one of the theaters in another local cinema complex is getting a bigger screen, a more massive sound system, and even more comfortable seating. (For some reasons, these theater seats remind me of the recliners in the film Wall-EE.) More sound, more action, bigger explosions, more color… fewer small and unique films. Fewer singular cinematic visions like The Lobster, Swiss Army Man, Asteroid City or Eraserhead. But the irony is that many of these small independent films can still be found and viewed in—strangely enough—our own homes on cable or streaming television.
Netflix, Hulu, Cinemax, Prime Video, AMC, HBO, and other networks are all providing documentaries, current small movies (Hulu is presenting How to Blow Up a Pipeline right now), and other less-known foreign films in their catalogs, but their bread and butter is something rooted deeply into the home viewing phenomenon: cable and streaming series.
In 1999, with the premiere of The Sopranos, quality television drama started making the shift from broadcast to cable and then streaming TV. With this move came a sea change in the quality and content of television drama. Content that formerly would have been banned from network TV was now acceptable. Nudity, cursing (major-league cursing), drug use, and sexual content became commonplace in programs like The Sopranos, Oz, Game of Thrones, and Breaking Bad. At the same time, the quality of the writing, acting, and direction rose exponentially.
Programs stretched envelopes in ways never before attempted on television. Six Feet Under, a series about a family-owned funeral home, had characters conduct internal monologues with corpses. Game of Thrones took place in the epic fictional landscape of Westeros, including deserts, frozen wastelands, and tropical paradises. To achieve an appropriate level of believability, the producers filmed in world-wide locations.
Acclaimed actors like Bryan Cranston, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Spacey, and Jeff Daniels appeared alongside talented newcomers like Bob Odenkirk, Kit Harington, and Aaron Paul. In short, television had become a new and—in some cases improved—Hollywood.
Trying to catalog the best of cable and streaming series is a daunting task. There are hundreds of productions in dozens of genres and countless formats. The Pen in Hand’s attempt to list the ten best is based on production quality, ingenuity, originality, and appeal. This last is based partly on popularity and partly on the Pen in Hand’s own tastes.
So—here, in no particular order, are The Pen in Hand’s top cable and streaming series of all time.
Big Love: This odd family saga centers on Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) a successful Utah businessman who happens to have three wives, Barbara (Jeannne Tripplehorn), Nicolette (Chloe Sevigny), and Marjene (Ginnifer Goodwin). Bill and his wives belong to a Mormon fundamentalist group that still believes in polygamy, but because the practice has been outlawed by the church, the Henricksons must keep their private lives secret. The wives and their children live next to each other in a cul-de-sac. Barb is the legal wife and the other two are explained away as friends. Needless to say, this arrangement results in a fair amount of friction—and some occasional humor. The moms have to juggle babysitting, finances, and conjugal visits while ensuring that their secret stays safe. When Bill’s family, still living on a polygamous compound outside the law, threatens to enter into his life, he is forced to make some tough choices in order to keep his uneasy balance. The great supporting cast includes Bruce Dern, Harry Dean Stanton, Amanda Seyfreid, and Mary Kay Place.
The Handmaid’s Tale: This harrowing dystopic story takes place in future in which most women, because of environmental contamination, are infertile. Those that can bear children, handmaids, are enslaved by the state and used as breeders for the ruling class. Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is captured while trying to escape to Canada with her husband and child, who manage to escape. Assigned to be handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford (Ralph Fiennes), Offred is forced to take part in the ceremony, a ritualized rape attended by both Waterford and his wife Serena (Yvonne Strahovski). The depiction of Gilead, the repressive theocratic society, is chillingly believable. When Offred and other handmaids-to-be are indoctrinated and sexually re-educated in the ways of Gilead, their brutal treatment at the hands of Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) is beyond simply frightening—and, more chillingly, on another level, it seems almost inevitable. As the handmaids walk—and whisper—past background shots of dissidents who have been hung, it bring back memories of the streets of Berlin or Rome during the days of fascism.
Ted Lasso: This extremely quirky comedy centers around American football coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) who is hired to coach an English soccer team whose owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) wants it to fail to spite her ex-husband. Against all odds, Lasso, with the help of Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), eventually gain the respect of the players and start to mold a competitive team. Lasso’s homespun wisdom and irrepressible optimism are at times so sincere, it’s almost painful, but the sometimes raw humor and graphic nature of the show is always grounded in Lasso’s unsinkable faith in human nature and people’s inherent goodness. When the irascible Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) begins to mellow under Lasso’s influence, it is somehow entirely believable—and welcome. The great supporting cast includes Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammad, and Juno Temple.
Better Call Saul: This spinoff from Breaking Bad is a prequel to the hit show that follows Walter White’s shady lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) from his humble beginnings as a law student to his left turn from legitimate criminal law to participation in his clients’ criminal activity. Odenkirk’s Goodman is charming combination of con man and shyster with a faint trace of conscientious citizen. His girlfriend Kim (Rhea Seehorn) is a careful, by-the-book attorney who—through a wild streak of her own—is irresistibly drawn to Saul’s raffishness. When Jimmy (Saul’ name before he changed it) makes his attempt at being a legitimate lawyer, he is constantly thwarted by his brother Chuck’s passive-aggressive putdowns. Another fascinating character study of a man who—despite his best intentions—cannot escape his criminal tendencies.
Boardwalk Empire: Based loosely on the criminal exploits of bootlegger Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), this series focuses on the political rise of Thompson and his relationships with a variety of historical and fictional characters. Nucky’s shrewd dealings with Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), and Al Capone (Stephen Graham), among others. Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), an FBI officer who switches sides and starts working for gangster Johnny Torrio. As the narrative follows Nucky through negotiations, payoffs, killings, and betrayals, Boardwalk Empire never seems to lose sight of the humanity of its characters. Even the malicious gangster Capone shows a soft side when dealing with his disabled son. The series also weaves in the fascinating story of two World War I veterans and the problems they encounter returning to normal life.
Succession: This drama follows the highly dysfunctional—and filthy rich—Roy family as the children angle for control of their aging father’s massive media empire. And yes, the Roys do bear a striking resemblance to the Rupert Murdoch family. While the patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is still in control of the business, his health is failing. Oldest son Connor (Alan Ruck) is as clueless as only the insanely rich can be. On a whim, he decides to run for president—and does. Kendall (Jeremy Strong) who has groomed himself to take control, constantly finds himself undercut by his fathers and siblings. Roman (Cauley Culkin) is a ne’er-do-well who still believes he should be heir to the company. Sister Siobhan (Sarah Snook) works in politics outside the family business but is never far from joining into the constant familial strife at the Logan’s house. There are more betrayals, backstabbings, and manipulations than in one of Shakespeare’s historical plays. Yet there always, even in the most emotionally brutal moments, an undercurrent of love and regard of the Logans for each other. Satellites to the inner circle Tom (Matthew McFayden) and the feckless Greg (Nicholas Braun) are disgusting but comically trying to ingratiate themselves to the royal family.
The Wire: This tautly produced program began as a crime series which took up the first year. In successive seasons, The Wire devoted its content to topics of public education, the port system, the print media, and city government. Creator David Simon said even though the show is framed as a crime drama, it is actually about the American city and how its institutions affect the lives of citizens, whether they be cops, teachers, longshoreman, drug dealers, or reporters. The grittiness of The Wire and its realistic portrayals of urban life eventually made it one of the most popular streaming series of all time. The cast, including Wendell Pierce, Clark Peters, and Frankie Faison were joined by real-life figures like former mayor Kurt Schmoke, Baltimore Sun editor David Ettlin, elevating the realistic tenor of the series. It is compelling watching.
Game of Thrones: This adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy classic managed to create the entire fictional universe of Westeros with landscapes as varied and wild as desert wastelands and artic tundra. Parallel narratives followed ruling families like the Starks and the Lannisters as they vied for power, struggled for survival, or watched their worlds crumble around them. From the cruel King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), the ruthless Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) to the beleaguered dwarf Tyrion Lannister (Peer Dinklage) to Daenerys the Dragon Queen (Emilia Clarke) to many, many others, viewers were irresistibly drawn into these perpetually unwinding narratives. Major characters cross paths, diverge, and are constantly drawn into the constant political intrigues and power struggles of the various kingdoms in Westeros. And then there are the dragons. The enormous cast’s performance is very nearly impeccable and the direction is flawless.
Breaking Bad: Frustrated high-school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) discovers he has cancer. In order to save his family from devastating medical bills, he enlists the help of ex-student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to start cooking meth to keep his loved ones out of debt by producing the illicit drug. At first, the two stumble their way through the drug underworld but soon—thanks to the quality of their product—find themselves on top of the game. Walter White’s slow descent into criminality, especially his growing utter ruthlessness and his naked lust for power is a fascinating study in psychology of frustration and ambition. The great supporting performances by Giancarlo Esposito as the chillingly ordinary Gus Fring is exceptional.
The Sopranos: One of the first, and arguably the best of the cable series. New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is caught between the pressures of his mafia crew and his biological family to the point where he begins having panic attacks. His wife Carmela (Edie Falco), teenage daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), preteen son AJ (Robert Iler), his recalcitrant uncle—and competitor Uncle June (Dominic Chianese) and toxic mother Livia (Nancy Marchand) cause him the normal stresses of raising a family, but his work is another story entirely. To allay his panic attacks, Tony starts seeing Dr. Malfi (Lorraine Bracco), a psychiatrist. The intersection between Tony’s personal struggles with the drama of an his crime family’s conflicts with the FBI, competing families, and other interests in beautifully intriguing. This series was incredibly well-written and acted. The best of the best.