Hap and Leonard
I'm still scratching my head as to why I forgot to include Hap and Leonard last year because their second season which aired in 2017, based on Joe R. Lansdale's book Mucho Mojo, was one of the most suspenseful and riveting seasons of ANY television show I've ever watched. Words can not do justice to the investigation of a sinister serial killer in their midst whilst also somehow complimenting that with dark humor that is spot on. As I've said before when talking about Altered Carbon, I will watch anything with James Purefoy in it, but there are only a few Purefoy shows that achieve a level of near perfection, The Following and Injustice being the only two which came to mind before I found Hap and Leonard. But add to Purefoy the charismatic relationship he has onscreen with the always wonderful Michael Kenneth Williams and they're the best dynamic duo to be seen in a long time on our screens. And as an aside, Michael Kenneth Williams is, in my mind, the only thing that could have improved Solo: A Star Wars Story which is easily my favorite Star Wars film since the original trilogy, and yes, I know that might be a controversial opinion, but there you have it. What's interesting about the show, besides wonderful casting from Andrew Dice Clay to Jimmi ('My father was named Mary. His father before him was named Mary. And his father before him was named Craig.') Simpson is that for a period show, set in the late eighties, it is so timely and relevant. This past season, and sadly it's last as Hap and Leonard was cancelled, dealt with racism and the KKK, a sight that is not unfamiliar in today's America. Perhaps it was too real for some people. For me it was perfect.
Altered Carbon was one of the shows I was most looking forward to this past year. This had nothing to do with the desire to see an ambitious cyberpunk book series brought to life and everything to do with my love of James Purefoy and Joel Kinnaman. I watched that horrid adaptation of Mansfield Park for you James Purefoy, I will watch anything you are in! And the truth is, at times, this show was brilliant. The problem was the moments of brilliance made you realize they were capable of achieving perfection so when the show lagged you really felt it. Set in the future where human consciousness can be downloaded into new bodies, AKA sleeves, this allows death to no longer be an obstacle and the rich can literally live forever. Enter Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs hired by the wealthy James Purefoy to find out who murdered his previous sleeve. Takeshi is downloaded into Joel's beautiful body and has to deal with this new body's history, his own history, and his job. If the show had stuck to a linear storyline of who killed James Purefoy instead of going off on long expository rants mainly dealing with Takeshi's fucked up personal life this show could have really worked. But going forward I don't know if I will be interested in watching. The show hinges on the interesting conceit of different actors playing the same role. Now this conceit isn't that original, even Woody Allen has done it, but where this conceit fails is I have this connection to the characters played by these specific actors, do I want to see Joel replaced by Anthony Mackie? Eh, I'm not sure.
You know what I find amazing? That each and every year more and more books are being adapted for the small screen. Yes, I could criticize and say that Hollywood lacks imagination, instead I will celebrate seeing some of my favorite books and some books I hope to be favorites being adapted into another medium. Last year two book adaptations took the awards season and the Emmys by storm. I of course am talking about HBO's adaptation of Big Little Lies and Hulu's adaptation and expansion of 
