Claire Spellberg’s Top 10 of 2019: ‘Succession’, Beyonce’s ‘Homecoming’, and More

I’m not ashamed to admit that my first concert was Miley Cyrus’ Best of Both Worlds tour, opened by none other than the Jonas Brothers, so yeah, I was excited when the JoBros got back together this spring. The “Sucker” video is, for lack of a better term, fucking awesome, and Amazon’s feature-length Chasing Happiness doc is even better. While the documentary more or less flew under the radar, the Jonas Brothers’ comeback was such a large part of my year that I had no choice but to include it on this list.

Kevin*, next time you’re buying diapers at ACME all alone, know that you’ve got fans out there.

*Obviously Nick is my favorite. That lower lip bite!

Where to stream Chasing Happiness

Bow down to Queen Hannah Ferrier. After dealing with her own drama in Below Deck Med Season 3, Chief Stew Hannah took on a less romantic role this season when she was tasked with babysitting temporary third stew June. Their contentious (albeit short-lived) relationship caused plenty of drama, but it also led to the song of the summer: “June, June, Hannah.” Between June’s endless struggle to keep her radio in her ear, the Sirocco’s chef problem, and Jack and Aesha’s flirty boatmance, Below Deck Med Season 4 was one for the ages. Is it summer yet?

Where to stream Below Deck Mediterranean

As a former Skins fan, I was hesitant to see how Euphoria would take on the “sexy teens doing drugs, having sex, and dealing with very serious problems” genre, but obviously, I shouldn’t have worried. Every episode of Zendaya’s HBO drama pushes boundaries in new and exciting ways, from its plot lines, to its awards-worthy performances, to its jarringly beautiful visuals. It’s difficult to sustain a 100 mph pace for eight episodes, but Euphoria managed to stick the landing in a way that few purposefully over-the-top shows have ever done.

Also, “All For Us” has been playing on a loop in my head since August.

Where to stream Euphoria

Have you ever been so drunk that you pour your entire drink on your head? I think not.

It’s a shame that no one watches MTV’s Floribama Shore other than Karen Kemmerle (who makes these dope ass GIFs every week) and I, because this show is balls to the walls crazy. In the Season 3 premiere, the roommates get so drunk that it’s a surprise they don’t burn the entire city of St. Pete to the ground. I’ve watched a lot of televised drunkenness in my 25 years on this earth, but damn, this scene deserves its spot in the reality television canon. Best of the year? More like best of the decade.

Where to stream Floribama Shore

Is this hyper-specific category a way for me to shoehorn an eleventh item into this list? Yes. Would I be remiss not to include Fleabag, Decider’s Best Show of 2019, and Sex Education, my personal Top 3 Best Show of the Year? Also yes.

Both Fleabag and Sex Education combine non-stop laughs with emotionally-grounded premises. There may not be a Hot Priest in the latter, but there is a masturbation scene (read: multiple) that would make the hottest of priests blush. Okay, maybe not Fleabag‘s.

Where to stream Fleabag

Where to stream Sex Education

For the past three months, I’ve tried to convince everyone I know to watch Unbelievable, a searing, empathetic true crime drama. I’ve mostly been unsuccessful (hey, at least the Golden Globes listened?), but I’ll try one more time right now. Based on a story reported by ProPublica in 2015, Unbelievable follows a teenager named Marie (Katilyn Dever) who is accused of lying after she reports her rape to the police. The male police officers continue to dismiss Marie and quickly close her case; three years later, two female detectives (Merritt Wever and Toni Collette) in another state pick up the investigation and finally give it the attention it deserves.

Despite the dark subject material, Unbelievable succeeds because of its female-centric, victim-first point of view: the limited series is much more interested in exploring the emotional impact of sexual assault rather than assault itself. From the writing to the detectives’ actual investigation, everything is done carefully and empathetically, putting it at odds with certain shows that may or may not find their way on “Best Of” lists this year.

If the combined forces of Toni Collette, true crime, and Netflix can’t convince you to watch Unbelievable, nothing will. But in the off chance that this did work, you have full permission to stop reading this list and start watching now.

Where to stream Unbelievable

Time shall henceforth be divided into two specific eras: before Hustlers, and after. I loved everything about Lorene Scafaria’s drama — the dance scenes, the costumes (J.Lo’s fur!), the nuanced portrayal of class and economic inequality, all of of it. As I reflect on my favorite movie of the year, I’d like to give a special shout-out to Lili Reinhart, who excelled in a role that can pretty much be described as, “Girl who throws up when she’s nervous.” Reinhart spends Hustlers‘ entire third act with her head in a trashcan, and she’s still great. An icon. A star. The actress of our times.

Where to stream Hustlers

Dramas like The Irishman and Marriage Story may be dominating Netflix’s year-end conversation, but it was their springtime documentaries that most affected my year. In April and May, Netflix handed viewers a one-two punch with Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé and Knock Down the House, two very different documentaries about powerful women. While the former follows Beyoncé as she prepares for (and then executes) her 2018 Coachella performance, the latter charts four progressive female candidates, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as they challenge powerful incumbents in the 2018 primaries. The subject matter may be different, but watching Beyoncé and AOC do the unthinkable is endlessly inspiring, particularly during a year that zapped the inspiration out of practically everything.

Where to stream Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé

Where to stream Knock Down the House

I missed Veronica Mars when it first aired from 2004 to 2007, but when Hulu announced that it was bringing back Kristen Bell’s detective drama, I was ready to give it a shot. While I knew that the series would be up my alley (hot teens boning and solving mysteries, yes please), I wasn’t prepared for just *how* much I enjoyed my Veronica Mars binge-watch. Bell is excellent as the sassy, nonconformist Veronica Mars, and each season’s central mystery — or plural mysteries, in the case of Season 3 — is endlessly compelling. If you haven’t watched this noir drama, you’re missing out.

Where to stream Veronica Mars

This year, it’s likely that I put more effort into watching Succession than I did anything else. Sorry to this man. Like Kendall Roy at a certain Waystar Royco press conference, Succession demands viewers’ attention: turning away for just one second could mean missing a crucial look, a well-timed joke, or even a major plot point.

I loved every single minute of Succession Season 2, but I particularly enjoyed watching each Sunday with all you slime puppies. The memes, the think pieces, the Pusha T remix — thank you for all of it. As a token of my appreciation, here are some amazing things that were said this season, with zero context:

“My boy Squiggle cooked up this sick beat for me.”

“If it is to be said, so it be. So it is.”

“King of Edible Leaves, His Majesty, the Spinach.”

“It smells like the cheesemonger died and left his dick in the brie.”

“But…”

Where to stream Succession