Each year, I marvel at the outcome of Best TV Show. It's not because of the winner or even a particular program I didn't expect to see nominated, although that does happen. Instead, what I find remarkable is how much television has changed during the course of The Calvins.

I commented on the sliding scale in last year's vote, pointing out that only three broadcast network programs earned a nomination in 2017. That number lowered to two last year, and the trend continues in 2019. Yes, the four major networks (and The CW) earned a combined TWO selections in Best TV Show. Two of them can claim one of the picks, however, as the program recently changed networks.

With so much change, our staff is hard-pressed to name our favorite channel…or even our favorite streaming service. It seems like everything got at least a few votes, demonstrating the broad spectrum of options available during the golden era of television. But we seem to like Netflix and HBO the best.

The winner of Best TV Show this year isn’t a surprise. It’s a repeat winner, The Good Place. Last year, I chronicled the battle for first place between three shows. Two of them, Stranger Things and Game of Thrones, didn’t air a new episode during the past year. That may have played a factor in the scoring this time, as The Good Place absolutely eviscerated the competition.

The score doesn't quite reflect this, as our top three shows appeared on most ballots, but The Good Place absolutely dominated our first-place votes. It's far and away our favorite television program, collectively. Those of you who haven't watched the series may wonder why. The short answer is that it's the most important show on television today.

You may feel dubious about a sitcom having such an impact. The Good Place isn't easily subjected to your finite cataloging, though. This series follows the travels of possibly blessed, possibly damned humans as they interact with demons, angels, and a not-a-robot named Janet. During their afterlife, they pose and debate many theological and philosophical questions about the nature of humanity. Oh, and they've learned about the metaphysical law of Jeremy Bearimy, too.

Folks, you need to watch The Good Place. It’s not just pure joy. It’ll drive you to better yourself as a person. How many television series can do that?

All three of our favorite series this year received cross-ballot support. The overwhelming majority of our staff voted for each of these shows. The only question was where they fell on the ballot. Due to the strong support in some circles, a new program earned a spot in the top two. That series is The Haunting of Hill House.

Last October, as horror movies bored us, this Netflix production dazzled and terrified us with its examination of The Crain family. After losing their mother at a young age, these kids grew up with a distant father and a series of macabre events that have scarred them for life. Forced to face their fears when they return to their home, they gradually realize that the line between fiction and reality is blurred.

By the time we learned why one person wore gloves and another saw a broken-neck ghost, we were hooked bordering on obsessed. I, for one, binge-watched The Haunting of Hill House in three days. I couldn’t stop until the house had revealed all of its mysteries. It’s brilliant horror television.

GLOW moved up a spot this year, as we selected it as our third-favorite program of the year. It sounds like an accomplishment, and it is. I should mention that the second and third shows from last year weren’t eligible, though. GLOW actually got passed by a competing Netflix project, which means it lost a touch of momentum from our staff.

Don’t get me wrong. We still adore it. During season two, the GLOW team fought against one another and even broke the cardinal rule of professional wrestling. The sport is fake, and nobody should ever get injured intentionally. It happened, and the cracked bone led to a surprising emotional journey for several characters. I give the show huge bonus points for using Destination Unknown, an obscure 1980s song to punctuate the irregularity of the women’s relationships. Finally, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention this music video. GLOW’s quirky fun yet able to deliver a satisfying emotional punch when needed.

A pair of longstanding favorites completes our top five. Better Call Saul hasn’t dominated this award the way that Breaking Bad did, but it’s consistently finished between third and seventh since its inception. This year, we list it fourth, just ahead of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

We almost lost that show, as Fox canceled it in May, but NBC stepped up and saved us by renewing it for another year. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has finished on our list almost every year of its existence, and its scoring totals have remained consistent, too. We unabashedly adore it.

Sixth and seventh place go to robots and wizards. The confounding but engrossing second season of Westworld borders on impenetrable. Our staff isn't afraid of a challenge, though. We tuned every week to figure out the mystery of too-knowledgeable robots. Our seventh selection, The Magicians, turned out its best season to date and thereby earned a nomination for the first time. In particular, we loved episodes entitled All That Josh and A Life in the Day. They're two of the best one-hour stories in recent memory.

The rest of our top ten consists of two HBO shows and one from BBC-America. The HBO shows are Barry and Sharp Objects, and they finish in eighth and tenth place. Splitting them is Killing Eve, a cat-and-mouse game of serial killer hunting. Yes, all three of those involve murderers. I’m not sure what that says about us, but I figured I’d point it out.

Narrowly missing selection this year are the second season of Jessica Jones, the climactic year of The Americans, and Netflix’s Maniac. A few other series we liked that you may want to check out are Succession, Bodyguard, The Rookie, Jack Ryan, The Deuce, and Cobra Kai. Television’s gotten so ridiculous that I must admit that I haven’t even seen a few of the shows listed here…and I try to watch everything.

2019 Calvin Awards
Calvins Intro
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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