As broadcast channels move into reruns for the holidays, it’s an ideal time to catch up on the best scripted series of the year:
1. “Pluribus” (Apple TV): Writer Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”) re-teams with “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn for this unique, often darkly comic story of an alien virus that sweeps the planet, “joining” all but a few humans into the happiest, least human version of themselves as they share one collective consciousness.
2. “The Pitt” (HBO Max): Melding “24,” “ER” and medical realism to a degree never attempted on American TV turned this streaming series into the critical and crowd-pleasing hit of the year. “The Pitt” also proved it’s still possible to create a watercooler series that doesn’t have to cost $20 million per episode. Expect to see more shows made at this lower, more reasonable, $5 million per episode price point.
3. “Andor” (Disney ): A successfully audacious effort to make a political thriller set in the “Star Wars” universe, “Andor” showed this franchise is more malleable than the retreads that play like fanfiction that Lucasfilm too often churns out (looking at you, “Obi Wan Kenobi”).
4. “Adolescence” (Netflix): It’s one thing for a show to be harrowing and heartbreaking, but to film each episode in one take, too? That takes a special kind of filmmaking bravery. “Adolescence” is feel-bad TV at its finest.
5. “Boots” (Netflix): The story of a gay Marine recruit at the height of don’t-ask-don’t-tell and the closeted drill sergeant who ruins his own life in adherence to that unfair policy, “Boots” evinced a surprising degree of depth and heart. It’s a shame Netflix canceled the show this week.
6. “The Diplomat” (Netflix): There’s no better contemporary soap opera than this political drama about a competent American ambassador (Keri Russell) and her always-failing-upwards husband (Rufus Sewell), who manages to become U.S. vice president despite lacking the temperament for the job that his wife has in abundance. But what really makes “The Diplomat” great fun is its willingness to depict the absurdities of the situation, adding a streak of comedy foreign to most political thrillers.
7. “The Gilded Age” (HBO): Benefiting from a cast stocked with Broadway regulars, this American “Downton Abbey” continued to up its quotient of dramatic turns in season three while still allowing star Christine Baranski to make the funniest snooty quips on TV.
8. “Severance” (Apple TV): Complex and twisty, this character-driven, sci-fi-tinged drama about technology’s impact on personhood advanced its story and mythology in ways that were satisfying for viewers even after a three-year wait for new episodes.
9. “Dark Winds” (AMC): This ‘70s-era crime drama following Navajo Nation tribal police embraces its setting and the characters’ culture, imbuing the show with authenticity as it tells stories through a native lens. It’s shameful that star Zahn McClarnon has yet to receive an Emmy nomination for his leading role.
10. “Happiness” (PBS): In a year of dismal news, there’s no better antidote than this rare PBS comedy. Imported from New Zealand, “Happiness” offers feel-good vibes in its depiction of a community theater trying to put on “The Trojan Horse: A New Musical” while its former star, a disgraced Broadway director, returns home to tend his wounds.
Honorable mention (in alphabetical order:“Alien: Earth” (FX), “The Bear” (Hulu), “Death By Lightning” (Netflix), “Hacks” (HBO Max), “The Last of Us” (HBO), “The Lowdown” (FX), “Heated Rivalry” (HBO Max), “IT: Welcome to Derry” (HBO), “Landman” (Paramount ), “North of North” (Netflix), “The Paper” (Peacock), “Overcompensating” (Prime Video), “Spartacus: House of Ashur” (Starz), “The Studio” (Apple TV), “Task” (HBO), “Too Much” (Netflix), “The White Lotus” (HBO), “Yellowjackets” (Paramount with Showtime).
‘Busker’ TV series
McMurray’s Nancy Hahn, who built and owned low-power Pittsburgh station Channel 63 in the pre-digital era, didn’t know about the music phenomenon of busking until 2019. Six years later, she’s created and premiered a streaming series about street performers, “American Busker: Street to Star.”
Hahn first learned of busking during a visit to Chataqua Institution where a friend introduced her to an Irish band and said, “They busk back in Ireland.” Hahn thought she misheard her friend who explained the concept.
“I went home and that weekend, I was immersed,” Hahn said. “I saw everything I wanted to do with it.”
The pilot episode of “American Busker,” hosted by Quincy Bonds (“Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”), debuted last month. Episode two will stream in mid-January.
Hahn said the 12-episode series features performers from all over the world. Post-production and editing on the show was completed in Western Pennsylvania.
“It’s unique,” Hahn said. “The genre is very popular but there was no variety-entertainment show about busking.”
“American Busker,” which also has a radio/podcast component, streams via Freecast TV (Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV), DBTV (Roku, Amazon Fire, Google TV, Android TV) and One Caribbean Television (Apple TV, Roku, iOS, Android).
Channel surfing
Beginning in 2029, the annual Oscars telecast will move from ABC to YouTube for its 101st ceremony. The Academy Awards will stream for free globally on YouTube through at least 2033. … Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Cree Summer and Darryl M. Bell will reprise their “Different World” roles in the sequel series ordered by Netflix. … On Wednesday’s “Pittsburgh Today Live,” Rania Harris, a regular on the show’s cooking segments for two decades, announced her retirement. … Tina Romero, daughter of the late Pittsburgh filmmaker George A. Romero, directed zombie flick “Queens of the Dead,” which, after a brief theatrical run earlier this year, streams on Shudder Dec. 19.