Top 10 Movies By Female Directors

Welcome back, dear reader!

There has been a lot of talk in the cinema world lately about female directors, and how Hollywood studios haven't exactly given them a fair chance in a historically male-dominated industry. The latest Academy Awards really put this issue in the spotlight, which will hopefully draw some positive results in the future. I've decided to do my part in celebrating the works of female directors with this list of my favorite films directed by women. I figured this would be the perfect week to publish it, since today is the birthday of Jane Campion, one of the most celebrated female directors in the movie industry, who also has one of her films in this top 10 of mine. I hope you enjoy my list!

Here are my honorable mentions: Bend It Like Beckham (Gurinder Chadha), Big (Penny Marshall), Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling), The Babadook (Jennifer Kent), Wayne's World (Penelope Spheeris)

10. The Piano (Jane Campion)

Jane Campion's 1993 art film features beautiful scenery from New Zealand, very beautiful piano music, and extremely beautiful cinematography that captures Campion's stylistic vision with grace. This movie would be even higher on my list, but I did have some problems with the plot - everything else in the film is quite magnificent. The acting is phenomenal, as proven by Holly Hunter's Best Actress Academy Award that she earned without speaking a word (her character is mute), as well as Anna Paquin's even more impressive Best Supporting Actress award - that she earned at the age of eleven years. Better-known stars Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill play thoroughly decent supporting roles, but are totally outshined by the film's powerful women, which fits quite well into Campion's feminist message.

9. Mamma Mia! (Phyllida Lloyd)

If you're looking for a purely fun movie full of entertaining escapism, with the added spices of awesome music and a cast of numerous a-list actors, you can't do much better than Mamma Mia. The musical builds a heartfelt and hilarious plot around some of ABBA's greatest hits, making for a movie that is indeed just very fun to watch. Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep make for great leading performances with their combination of amiable humor, skillful acting (even if their roles here are a bit "easy" for such talented performers) and some incredible singing skills. And Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Colin Firth make for one of the funniest trios in cinematic history as the group of three (potential) dads. Phyllida Lloyd does a very solid job putting all together, making for an all-in-all enjoyable and memorable musical.

8. Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins)

The most iconic female superhero of all time was finally given a proper solo film in 2017, starring Gal Gadot as the titular hero and having the talented Patty Jenkins behind the director's chair. My expectations for the film were high, as Gadot's version of Wonder Woman had been introduced in the previous year's Batman V Superman: The Dawn Of Justice, where she stole every scene she was in. And her solo outing sure was worth the wait: Wonder Woman became one of the very best in the many films DC comics has released. Gadot is perfect in the lead role, the various supporting characters are amusing and memorable, and the lore behind the Amazon warriors that the heroine belongs to is fascinating. The film also includes one of the most awe-inspiring moments from the entire superhero genre: the scene of Wonder Woman emerging from the trenches into no man's land, fiercely fighting her opponents as the epic soundtrack and the use of slow motion in critical parts add even more momentum to the majestic sequence.

7. American Psycho (Mary Harron)

With many of the films on this list, it makes a lot of sense that they specifically are directed by women, as they deal with feminism and the status of the female gender in society in straight-forward ways. Others, like American Psycho, should prove to studios in Hollywood that women can also direct any other kinds of films just as well as men. This fascinating psychological thriller follows businessman Patrick Bateman, terrifyingly played by Christian Bale in perhaps the best performance of his impressive career, as he moonlights as a serial killer who hides his psychopathic traits as well as the bodies of his victims with varying results and chaotic dark humor. The film owes a lot of its success to Bale's unsettling performance matched with Harron's expert directing, as well as the ambiguous script: when all is said and done, a lot is left for the audience to decipher, drawing many different theories and conclusions on what really happened (and didn't happen). American Psycho is one of those films that are dark and creepy to watch, but intriguing and even fun to analyze afterwards - if you liked last year's smash hit Joker, you'll definitely like this one as well.

6. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)

This one is right up there with Speed (1994) and Gravity (2013) as one of the most tense, edge-of-your-seat, hold-your-breath, chills-down-your-spine-while-nervously-sweating movies I've ever seen. The movie follows a bomb squad as they make their way across the grim setting of the Iraq war, risking their lives to dispose of various explosives they come across. Before Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie donned their Marvel cloaks as Hawkeye and Falcon, they played two dead-serious leading roles in this heart-stopping Kathryn Bigelow war film, and they sure played the hell out of those roles.

In addition to a grim war setting, quality acting and some of cinema's best tension-building, the movie also delves deep into the addicting thrill of war that some soldiers experience - a hard concept for a pacifist like myself to relate with, but a very interesting one to explore. Protagonist William James (Renner) is a character who always goes head-first into dangerous situations for the adrenaline rush - a character archetype often glorified in less serious action movies. In Hurt Locker, we see just how dangerous such a personality can be in real life. No wonder the film won the Oscar for Best Picture, and 5 other Academy Awards (including Best Director, making Bigelow the first woman to win said award)!

5. Citizenfour (Laura Poitras)

This is my second week in a row discussing Citizenfour, as it also made it to last week's list of my top 10 favorite documentaries of all time. Laura Poitras does an impeccable job directing this documentary, bravely putting herself in the midst of the setting as she travels to Hong Kong with her camera and two reporters to interview Edward Snowden. Moments of this important interview are then juxtaposed with footage from related political meetings, news clips, and various other media, to fully tell the necessary story detailing both the reasons of Snowden's actions and the fallout from the material he leaked. Citizenfour is a magnificent documentary, very much deserving the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature that it won.

4. Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)

This critically acclaimed coming-of-age comedy-drama from 2017 just hits the spot in a lot of ways. Pretty much everyone will find something to relate to in the film's realistic characters and depiction of youthful struggles, especially if you happen to be an artistically inclined individual. The more dramatic side of the film can be heartbreaking at times, especially in the rift between protagonist Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother (Laurie Metcalf), as both actresses deliver phenomenal, Oscar-nominated performances. As a nice balance to the heavier parts, the film has a good chunk of humor and a whole lot of heart, making it an ultimately cozy film to watch. With a thoroughly nice atmosphere, great acting and the artistic directorial style of Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird is a sweet and memorable movie worth watching to any viewer who appreciates good cinema.

3. Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow)

Kathryn Bigelow appears on this list for a second time with a movie that many consider to be the crown jewel of her filmography: Zero Dark Thirty. This ambitious chronicle of the Osama Bin Laden manhunt answers the question "What if Showtime's Homeland (2011-2020) was based on true events and featured a more stable lead character?". Jessica Chastain shines in a career-defining performance as CIA operative Maya, as we follow the years of the manhunt from the aftermath of 9/11 all the way to the climactic raid of Bin Laden's hiding place in 2011, largely from her perspective and her role in the proceedings. While the movie is filled with tension, thrills and a-list actors, it strongly avoids the simplified morals and over-romanticizing nature of many movies in the biopic genre; the film is thoroughly gripping and honest in the dirty work that went into the manhunt, and what it cost to the people involved. All in all, Zero Dark Thirty is an intense and impeccably directed dramatization of a dark yet thrilling true story.

2. Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola)

Sofia Coppola's masterful drama about human connection strikes a unique tone with its style: the film's Tokyo setting feels vibrant and buzzing, yet the film's story and directorial choices simultaneously make it one of the most subtle and low key -feeling movies I've seen. Lost In Translation is a piece of art that isn't exactly entertaining in the word's conventional meaning, but one of those well-crafted slow-paced movies that suck you into its world when watched in the right mood. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are brilliant in the lead roles as two people in unhappy marriages who come across one another and begin to bond. The film isn't a typical romance yet it does tell a surprisingly sweet story of these two lost souls finding meaning and a sense of belonging through their interactions.

Even the film's dialogue is very unconventional, as many of Murray and Johansson's conversations consist of individual philosophical sentences and phrases uttered by both in turns, which makes for a strange but compelling form of conversation. It might not sound normal to the viewer, yet the two characters clearly understand one another, forming a deep and meaningful connection throughout the film. Rightfully winning an Oscar for best screenwriting, Lost In Translation is a quiet and mellow film quite unlike any other, thanks to Sofia Coppola's unique vision and the powerful leading performances.

1. The Matrix (Wachowski Sisters)

Sure, back when this film was released in 1999 (the year of my birth!), they were known as the Wachowski brothers. But after officially coming out as trans women in later years, they have admitted to always feeling a belonging to the female gender, and so they have a spot on this list. With that cleared up, I will now explain why The Matrix is one of the best films of all time.

The premise of The Matrix is mind-blowing. The idea of a dystopian future where machines rule humankind has been explored quite a few times in the science fiction genre, but this film gives it a paranoia-inducing twist: what if we were living in that world already, but just didn't know that because the reality we perceive is a simulation fabricated by the machines to hide the fact that we're really slaves working for them? I think the great Keanu Reeves sums this creative concept and its dark, mind-bending implications up quite eloquently with his iconic quote from this film:

"Woah".

But despite the darkness of the concept, this is no 1984 - the Wachowskis dodge the bullet (pun intended) of making the film too depressing by simply pouring tons of fun into the mix. Early on in the movie, we're introduced to a group of heroes fighting against these machines, on a mission from their base in the last remaining free human city. Keanu's character Neo (who may or may not be the cinema world's most badass Jesus metaphor) joins these characters, who are played by some of Hollywood's best talent: Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantaliano all turn out some awesome performances, as does Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith, one of the greatest villains in science fiction. The aforementioned fun elements include some impeccably choreographed Kung fu sequences, often humorous chemistry between the main cast, and a soundtrack ranging from Django Reindhart and Duke Ellington's jazz standards to the raw power of Rage Against The Machine's Wake Up - which fits this movie's atmosphere and themes like a glove.

With its oddly perfect mixture of philosophy, Kung fu and Keanu, The Matrix is a science fiction masterpiece, one of my all-time favorite movies, and in my subjective opinion, the best film to come from a female director (or in this case, two female directors). A majority of the movies on my list were quite new ones, which reflects the fact the female directors are slowly but surely becoming a more usual thing and less of an anomaly, which is undoubtedly a good sign for Hollywood's future - like with many societal issues, there's still a long way to go, but at least the direction is right.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Friday The 13th series by ranking every movie from the iconic, hockey-masked slasher franchise.

Top 10 Documentaries Of All Time

Hello, reader!

Today is the birthday of acclaimed documentarian Michael Moore, the man behind one of my all-time favorite documentary films. Therefore I felt that today would be a fitting day to post a list of the very best documentaries that I have come across. Some of these pieces are eye-opening and depressing looks at the darkest aspects of humanity, while others are incredibly uplifting real-life stories of humanity at its best - all of them are very informative and highly recommended to fans of the genre. While the focus of this list is specifically documentary films and not documentary TV shows, I want to use this intro segment to give a shout-out to Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020). I just finished watching it, and it was awesome.

Here are my honorable mentions: In The Absence (2019), Kuningas Litmanen (2012), Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool (2019), Tavarataivas (2013)

10. David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

David Lynch is one of my favorite filmmakers, as avid readers of my blog are probably aware. This documentary details his early life in a fascinating way, shedding light on the events that shaped his unique vision and strange artistic style. Lynch himself is interviewed throughout the film, as we see photographs and pictures of the various eras he is talking about. The film doesn't even delve into his film career very much; the making of his first feature film Eraserhead acts as the climax to the documentary's story. The Art Life focuses specifically on Lynch's upbringing, and the various factors that caused him to go down the path of strange art and filmmaking. It was a truly illuminating thing to watch, and I definitely recommend it to all fans of David Lynch, filmmaking, or the visual arts.

9. The Great Hack (2019)

Sure, we've all seen the news. We all know that our data is being misused, targeted ads are scary, Facebook has a questionable hand in all of this, and somehow this convoluted matter has to do with Russian hackers and the 2016 presidential election. I can't speak for people who know more than I do about data collection, but at least on my behalf this was all very confusing and hard to grasp when it started to flood the news. The best way to learn about this issue properly in a way that helped me understand the scope of it was, unsurprisingly, watching a movie. The movie in question was Netflix's The Great Hack, which explores in great detail just how the Cambridge Analytica company used massive data violations to tailor and target advertising in order to manipulate people politically. I'm guessing everyone who has read about this issue knows that it's a problem, but watching this eye-opening documentary will help you realize just how huge and threatening of a problem it actually is. The Great Hack sure isn't fun to watch, but it is a very important piece of media that sheds light on a very important issue.

8. For The Love Of Spock (2016)

You have to be a pretty darn good actor, playing a pretty darn well-written role, for there to be an entire documentary about said role, filled to the brim with actors, directors, superfans, NASA scientists and others talking about how legendary you were and how your role impacted their lives. But that's exactly what Leonard Nimoy's performance as Spock in the original Star Trek series and its follow-up movies did.

If you've read my blog, you might have picked up on the fact that I'm quite the Star Trek fan myself. I've always been a fan of Nimoy's iconic performance, but this documentary truly gave some perspective to just how perfect and unique he was for that role, and just how much of a positive impact an acting performance in a television series can have on the world of fiction, and the lives of people watching. For The Love Of Spock is a wonderful tribute to Leonard Nimoy, an amazing exploration of the world of acting, and a thoroughly moving family portrait as director Adam Nimoy interviews people about his father and learns a whole new side of him shortly after his passing. The central thesis of the film seems to be that Leonard Nimoy did indeed, as is quite fitting, live long and prosper.

7. Cowspiracy (2014)

If you're an environmentalist and/or vegan, this film quite likely contains a lot of stuff that you already know, but it might provide a lot of powerful facts and statistics to help win arguments with your friends. If you're a big fan of eating meat, this might be the most unsettling horror film you ever see. Jokes aside, I do think we could all learn quite a lot from this shocking yet honest exploration of the meat and dairy industries and their negative impact on the environment. I know some people who have actually credited certain life choices (like going fully vegan) to this movie, which is quite a powerful statement for a documentary that doesn't exaggerate and stays in facts. Even if you don't end up changing your life because of this film, it will surely make you think, and isn't that what the documentary genre is all about?

6. Holy Wars (2010)

Watching this film in my high school's religion class was quite the unforgettable experience. For this documentary, writer&director Stephen Marshall had quite a hands-on approach to exploring the theme of religious fundamentalism: he found a Muslim who advocated global jihad, a fundamentalist Christian on the mission to evangelize the world's Muslims, and put them in a room together so they could talk. For someone who enjoys a good philosophical debate (such as myself), you can't get much more interesting than this premise. Educational and horizon-broadening at times, gripping and depressing at others, and thoroughly powerful and though-provoking throughout its runtime, Holy Wars is a deep and memorable documentary that definitely earns my stamp of approval.

5. Citizenfour (2014)

This documentary about Edward Snowden's infamous whistleblower actions has an intensity to it that is absolutely unmatched in the documentary genre. That is largely because Citizenfour was filmed during the major events, not after them - Snowden had just left the US with the fallout of his actions still very much in the making, when he met with documentarian Laura Poitras and reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill to document his reasoning and actions. You can feel the tension as the man isn't at all sure about what will happen to him, and how his country will react to the documents about NSA's illegal surveillance that he leaked in the name of national security.

If you're confused about the admittedly hard-to-follow Snowden case, this film will clear many things up and make you see the bigger picture. If you have strong opinions of this polarizing figure, this film will be a philosophical viewing experience that brings out many different sides and makes one think. If you think documentaries are boring compared to other movies, this movie will very possibly change your mind. Citizenfour is a thoroughly exciting movie about a real-life story that brings most fictional thrillers to shame with its complex morals, high-stakes tension and escalating plot.

4. Searching For Sugarman (2012)

The true story here is so incredible, that you couldn't really make a bad documentary out of it if you tried. And combining that story with Malik Bendjelloul's expert directing and a strong script that tells the story in a clever way lead to this film being one of the best in its genre, and a very deserved Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. If you're not familiar with the story, well, please watch this movie. What I will say without spoiling everything is that the basic premise is the story of a man who recorded an album in the 1970's, only to retire from music after the album didn't make much money. But somehow copies of the album made it to South Africa, where they gained popularity up to the point that this guy was bigger than Elvis in South Africa. And for years, he didn't know about this, due to some shady money-hoarding by his record company.

Trust me, that didn't spoil the movie, as all of that is found out very early on. The entire story gets even crazier. Watch for yourself and you'll see what I mean.

3. Man On Wire (2008)

"Follow your dreams" is definitely a good message, but it starts to feel less profound more like a cliché after you've heard it in a hundred different songs and seen it in a hundred different movies. When that has happened, it's the right time to watch Man On Wire - a film that conveys the message of following one's dreams better than hardly any other piece of media. Many movies about said message will make you smile and think that it sure would be cool to do something you always dreamed of - this film will quite likely get you off the couch to go and actively pursue said goals.

Man On Wire tells the story of Philippe Petit, a French trapeze artist who saw a picture of the under-construction World Trade Center as a child, and decided that he'd walk a tightrope between the twin towers some day. And then the dude actually did that. The documentary feels like a heist thriller at times, as we follow the tense break-in into the WTC that was required for this "art crime of the century", as well as the breathtaking results of Petit's stunt. This documentary will show that a real-life story doesn't always need tiger merchants, hitmen and drug kingpins to be absolutely insane and mind-blowing - sometimes all you need is a dream, a few willing friends and a tightrope wire.

2. Won't You Be My Neighbor (2018)

It's funny how nearly all the best documentaries fall either into the "Extremely depressing revelations of humanity at its absolute worst" -category (See #9, #7, and #1 on this list) or the "Extremely uplifting true story of humanity at its absolute best" -category (See #8, #3 and most importantly, this one). The very best example of uplifting and inspiring documentaries for me is Won't You Be My Neighbor - the documentary of children's television icon Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers was way before my time (and mainly popular in the US) so I never watched his series growing up - I hardly knew anything about him before seeing this documentary. I watched it because it had gotten such great reviews, with the preconceived notion of Mr. Rogers as some funny guy who talked about neighbors and who Tom Hanks was gonna play in an upcoming movie. Well, turns out, there was more to Fred Rogers than that.

What really blew my mind was just how good a person this man was. The film is filled with his family members, as well as people who watched his show as kids, talking about the profound impact he had on their lives. The documentary made me want to be a better person, and that's pretty much the best kind of impact a movie can have. I think all of us could learn something from Mr. Rogers's visionary approach to compassion, caring, and just making people feel better in hard times. The film has so many beautiful moments, memorable quotes and inspiring interviews, that I had just the widest smile on my face once it was over. I saw a review of this film on IMDB, titled "The Best Superhero Movie of 2018", and, well, that pretty much sums it up.

1. Bowling For Columbine (2002)

If I did a blog post on the most depressing films I've seen, this Oscar-winning Michael Moore documentary would be battling for the #1 spot with the likes of Schindler's List. As much as watching this film bummed me out, I remain very glad of having watched it. Much like with Cowspiracy and The Great Hack, it had a lot of information that I knew beforehand, but seeing it all laid out in this format really helped to see the full scope of the issue at hand. Looking at the gun issue in America and the complex reasons behind it, Moore's documentary reveals a lot of things that have gone terribly wrong in my other home country, but also just how hard those things are to fix in the current situation. A truly heartbreaking and sobering film to watch, I believe Bowling For Columbine should be mandatory viewing for every U.S. politician - especially the ones who fail to grasp the gravity of this particular issue, which has only gotten a lot worse since the release of this documentary. No matter what your political beliefs are, this film will present a lot of cold hard facts that really make one think.

No other documentary has moved me to tears or made me feel so angry, even though the film is presented in an objective and straight-forward manner - the subject matter is so captivating, that Bowling For Columbine becomes very emotional viewing without really trying to be. Filled with heart-stopping moments and insane facts, watching this film might very well ruin your day, but might still be worth it, as a sort of breathtaking reality check.


Thank you for reading! Next week I'll be celebrating another filmmaker's birthday (Jane Campion this time; I have to resort to people's birthdays in order to make my lists topical as there are no new movie releases as of now) by listing the top 10 best films directed by women!

Top 10 The Walking Dead Episodes

First things first: SPOILER ALERT! My posts are usually spoiler-free, but since this one is targeted for people who have watched The Walking Dead, I will discuss specific plot points freely. If you have watched but aren't all caught up, you can always read this but just skip the ones you haven't seen yet (the titles say which season each episode is from).

Anyways, today I will indeed be ranking my favorite episodes from the 10-season run of AMC's The Walking Dead. I enjoy the series for its survival drama intrigue, its realistic depiction of what our world might look like after an unrealistic zombie apocalypse, its constant reinvention of itself with new creative storylines to keep the series fresh, and its amazing character stories as the humans change through years of survival. I figured that a Walking Dead list would be topical for two reasons: the tenth season just ended earlier this month, and the show's world of empty cities and a frightening pandemic has felt quite close to home during the last few months. I mean, the characters of this series are world-class experts in social distancing by now - let's hope the Covid-19 situation clears up before we have to resort to violent supply runs and cannibalistic cults!

Here are my honorable mentions: Conquer (Season 5 Episode 16), Evolution (Season 9 Episode 8), Internment (Season 4 Episode 5), Pretty Much Dead Already (Season 2 Episode 7), The Grove (Season 4 Episode 14)

10. Honor (Season 8 Episode 9)

To understand how hard this episode hit me, one must understand my investment in the character Carl Grimes. Chandler Riggs, who plays him, is the same age as me, so his character grew up much as I did. When the series started in 2010, he was a small 10-year-old boy, and when I started watching around 2014 or so, his character was a teenager like I was. And every year with the new season, he had grown up and I saw a reflection of myself in him, while the show's apocalyptic nature gave his character arch a lot of power as he grew from scared little kid to brave young man. And so, the character's death was very emotional for me. What made it even greater was the character's incredible courage in the face of death: after getting bit by a walker, Grimes uses his final moments to help people to safety, spend time with his baby sister, and write letters to all the most important people (including one to the villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), where he urges him to stop the violent warfare between survivor communities and make peace). The episode is a perfect exit for Carl with its heartbreaking yet beautiful nature.

9. Beside The Dying Fire (Season 2 Episode 13)

The season 2 finale was a game-changer. By now, fans of the series are used to homes and communities being under attack and going up in flames, but at this stage it was quite a new and big thing. The Greene family farm, where season 2 took place, was the first real long-term home for the main group of characters, and it had become a cozy setting that the viewers were used to. But after gunshots attracted a horde of walkers to overrun the farm, this season finale followed the main characters in a sequence of unforeseen panic and chaos as the farm is destroyed and they try to escape in one piece. The episode also revealed that the virus affects everyone who dies (not just the people who get bitten), introduced the fan-favorite character Michonne (Danai Gurira), and ended with an epic shot of the prison where season 3 would take place - what more could you ask from a season finale?

8. Walk With Us (Season 10 Episode 12)

The most recent episode to make my list, this season 10 episode surprised fans positively with its Shakespearean power dynamics that one might not expect from the 10th season of a zombie series. Viewers will remember this as the episode where the villain Alpha (Samantha Morton) is finally killed by former-villain-turned-anti-hero Negan, but it's so much more than just a big death. It's a moment that brings both character archs to a perfect climax, after being built towards very well. It's the perfect end for Alpha, as her evil ways go too far for even Negan, as Alpha's decision to kill her own daughter (a plan that thankfully never comes to fruition) is the final nail in the coffin for Negan's decision. It's also a game-changing moment for Negan, who finally proves his worth to the good guys with this act.

Fans had wondered where Negan's loyalties lied as he had showed signs of redemption before shockingly joining forces with the nefarious Whisperers, but this episode revealed that he had been there to get close enough to Alpha that he could slit her throat. What makes this even better are the complicated morals that went into Negan's decision - killing Alpha took so long because a part of him enjoyed being with the Whisperers and being a "bad guy" once again. That makes it so much more powerful when he finally decides to do the right thing at a critical moment.

7. The Day Will Come When You Won't Be (Season 7 Episode 1)

The Walking Dead has always had a knack for impressive season openers, and this one was especially memorable - by being possibly the most shocking TV episode of all time (at least right up there with Game Of Thrones's The Rains Of Castamere). Long before the character Negan became an anti-hero that viewers wanted to root for, he was a frightening and powerful villain. After being introduced in the final scene of the sixth season, Negan truly made his mark as a force to be reckoned with in this episode. Killing off not one but two major character in a season opener is quite the bold move, especially when one of them is Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), a man who had been there since the beginning and who the fans absolutely loved. They're both killed by Negan in this season premiere as an ultimate show of force, a way of Negan telling the main survivor group that they don't want to cross him. Of course they eventually would, leading to the war between the communities in season 8, but Negan's actions in this episode held Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and company back for a long time - as well as cementing Negan as one of TV's greatest antagonists.

6. The Calm Before (Season 9 Episode 15)

Speaking of shocking, well, this episode. While season 9 was largely memorable for being significantly more uplifting than previous seasons as the survivors finally start to build a new world instead of mourning the loss of the old society, the season still had its dark moments. Chief among them is this penultimate episode, featuring the by-now infamous pike death scene. The Calm Before is a perfect title for the episode, as everything until the final scene feels like an edge-of-your-seat build-up to something huge that's about to happen - who didn't feel nervous chills down their spine when Alpha simply walked through the fair in the Kingdom while in disguise?

The final scene sure was a gut punch. Multiple major and minor characters are killed off at once, and the way this is revealed is truly heartbreaking. The Whisperers leave the heads of the people they killed on top of pikes at the border between the territories, and the scene goes back and forth between people in the Kingdom realizing that some of them are missing, and a group of main characters finding these heads and realizing who they have lost. Melissa McBride's acting as Carol is absolutely phenomenal, as she sees the head of her adoptive son Henry (Matthew Lintz) on the final pike, and breaks down in tears. The dramatic soundtrack makes this scene all the more powerful, all of this making for a truly gut-wrenching moment.

5. No Sanctuary (Season 5 Episode 1)

As I mentioned before, The Walking Dead has some seriously awesome season premieres - none more so than this heart-pounding extravaganza that kicked off the show's fifth season. Season 4 had ended with quite the cliffhanger (more on that later), and the fallout was absolutely breathtaking. Instead of dragging the Terminus storyline out for a season or more (the series has been known to drag storylines out), the threat is dealt with in one incredibly action-packed episode. The cult-like cannibals of Terminus are about to kill the main group of survivors, when Carol (who is outside the facility at the time) begins to break them out by going full Rambo and blowing up a propane tank to distract the Terminus residents and attract walkers to the era.

This leads to an expertly directed adrenaline-inducing sequence of chaos as the group of survivors escapes in the midst of walkers, cult members and fallout of the explosion. After all of the episode's intensity, we get a heartwarming ending as the group reunites with Carol and makes their way far away from Terminus. And as a cherry on top of this delicious cake, the episode featured a post-credit scene where popular character Morgan (Lennie James) made an epic return! No other season of television has started quite this explosively.

4. A (Season 4 Episode 16)

The episode that preceded the previously mentioned one, A is a very unconventional season finale. It isn't so much climactic as it is a set-up for the climax that would take place in the season 5 premiere, and this works surprisingly well. A lot of season 4 had been spent leading up to the potential safe-haven of Terminus, as the main group had split into smaller groups who were all heading there. In this episode, Rick and his fellow survivors finally arrive in Terminus, only to discover that there is something very off about the place. The entire episode dives deeper and deeper into the mystery of what exactly is going on there, making the viewers feel very invested and excited as the tension builds.

All of this culminates in the final scene, where the group is trapped in a cargo container by the cannibals running Terminus, as Rick delivers his iconic line "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out - they're fucking with the wrong people". AMC actually gave the series special permission to use the F-bomb in this scene, as the line was so fitting that it had to be said in the same way as it is in Robert Kirkman's awesome graphic novels that the show is based on. And that's a good thing, too - it just may be one of the most memorable TV lines of all time, making for one of the best season-ending cliffhangers ever.

3. No Way Out (Season 6 Episode 9)

I love stories that get very dark and desperate yet end up with a surprisingly happy ending - the bigger the challenges have been, the more powerful a happy ending feels. That phenomenon is very much present in this season 6 episode; halfway through the episode, all hope seems lost. Carl has lost an eye, Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) and her sons have brutally died, and a gigantic horde of walkers has overrun Alexandria as the surviving major characters hide away in the dark, essentially waiting for their inevitable deaths. And in this moment of unforeseen desperation, the tables turn in the most magical way.

Of course, it's Rick Grimes who first decides to go down fighting. When he and others go outside, shooting at the walkers, they soon realize that they actually have a fighting chance to salvage their home and come out of this alive. Soon enough, Daryl (Norman Reedus) and his group return to Alexandria from their detour in the nick of time, and begin to fire upon the walkers. Glenn, who had been thought to be dead by his beloved Maggie (Lauren Cohan), also makes his way back and has a sweet reunion with her. When this incredibly well-directed battle sequence is finished, the horde is gone and Alexandria has survived. While everything else in the episode has happened during the dark of night, the final scene takes place during the next day and is very bright, symbolizing the uplifting nature of the episode's outcome. In this scene, Carl is recovering from his wound, and has a profound conversation with his father about the hope that the future will bring. Truly powerful stuff.

2. Too Far Gone (Season 4 Episode 8)

The first two thirds of this episode are some of the most suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat moments of tension that I have ever come across in television (as well as cinema). The Governor (David Morrissey), one of the show's best human villains, has returned and is now trying to take over the prison that the main group of survivors inhabit. He has taken two major characters, Hershel (Scott Wilson) and Michonne, hostage, as he negotiates with Rick from outside the prison, with a small army of followers behind him. The tension of this portion is so incredible, with the soundtrack and cinematography and everything else signifying that something big is about to happen, causing some major goosebumps to any first-time viewer. This segment of tension-building comes to an end when the Governor chops Hershel's head off - and the rest of the episode is even better.

The final 20 minutes or so are a sequence of chaotic action that has been outdone in television only by Game Of Thrones's battle of Hardhome. The direction, shock value and overall chaotic atmosphere are off the charts, as the situation gets more and more insane - people are shooting each other, walkers arrive and start killing people from both sides, the major characters get separated as they try to escape, the Governor is killed yet the fighting rages on, no side wins as the prison goes up in flames, and somehow in the midst of all this, Daryl Dixon has the time to dispose of a tank in a very badass fashion.

Too Far Gone was a very game-changing episode for the series; it disposed of the prison, that had been the show's setting for a long time, but it also changed the nature of the show's storytelling. Up until that point, the main group had been one intact group who shared their adventures together. Now, it got split up into several smaller groups, whose individual stories would be followed in the rest of season 4. The episode's final shot, where a severely wounded Rick Grimes and his son Carl make their way forward as we see the burning prison facility in the background, is a memorable moment signifying the fact that after this point, the series would never be the same.

1. What Comes After (Season 9 Episode 5)

Rick Grimes is the best character of the series. He's the second-most badass television character of all time (the one ahead of him is obviously 24's Jack Bauer and any other opinion is false). After being the heart and soul of the series for over eight seasons, it was time for Grimes to be written out, as Andrew Lincoln was moving towards other acting projects. Thankfully, the series managed to stay good without its original leading man - but not before giving him the most perfect exit one could imagine.

Rick's final episode is a love letter to the whole series and to his character. As he struggles to stay alive from his injuries, he flashes back to past moments and has strange visions, allowing for characters like Shane (Jon Bernthal) and Hershel to reprise their roles in some nostalgic and poignant scenes. After a long while of this, Rick arrives at his explosive end (or so the viewer is meant to think) as he realizes the only way to protect his community from the approaching herd is to blow up the bridge that he had built after the war with Negan. The symbolism of the scene is striking, as is the acting as Michonne (Danai Gurira) watches, horrified that she can't help the man she loves. Rick destroys the bridge, saving everyone in the group and going down with the explosion, and this makes for an emotional and satisfying end to his character.

...But they didn't leave it at that. Rick is found by the mysterious Jadis (Polyanna McIntosh) down the river, and she rescues him, carrying him to a helicopter. Mind you, this isn't the typical "character thought to be dead is rescued at the last moment" -cliché - Andrew Lincoln was leaving the series, so they weren't keeping his character alive just to boost ratings. The manner of his exit is made so much more epic by this last-minute reveal: while the emotional power of his "sacrifice" remains intact as all the main characters believe him to be dead, it is quite heartwarming to know that Grimes is still somewhere out there. And the mysterious nature of the helicopter group that Jadis belonged to is left deliciously open, so that anyone can imagine where exactly Rick is headed and what he'll do there - hopefully this might one day be answered in a Rick Grimes follow-up movie. All in all, that helicopter scene made his exit even more perfect, guaranteeing that this was the show's best episode by far.

...But there's still more. I was sure that the episode was over as Rick was seen flying off into the unknown, yet after a moment of silence we got one more scene. The series jumped ahead six years, where the rest of the series would take place (what other series would have the balls to make a six-year time jump in the middle of a season?). There, we see a new group of characters near Alexandria being attacked by walkers, and then getting rescued by a young girl. The girl (Cailey Fleming) introduces herself as Judith Grimes, in a moment that made the hearts of The Walking Dead fans everywhere bounce with excitement. The original main character may have left the series, but Judith (who had been just a baby before this time jump) was there now to ensure that the Grimes family and Rick's legacy will always be the heart and soul of the series.

Thanks for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the top 10 documentary films of all time!

Top 10 TV Sitcoms Of All Time

Hello, dear reader!

Just yesterday, ABC's Modern Family aired the final episode of its 11-season run. While I have yet to see the two newest seasons, I do recognize this as a big moment for television: Modern Family has been a leading name in television comedy for over a decade, and it could be considered the defining sitcom of the 2010's. But how does it rank among my favorite sitcoms ever? Read this list to find out!

I am excluding animated sitcoms due to difficulty to compare; I'll simply say that my absolute favorites on that front include The Simpsons, Futurama and Rick And Morty. I'll also exclude comedy-dramas that lean more on the drama side, such as HBO's Barry and Netflix's Sex Education, because comparing more serious shows with more light-hearted sitcoms is quite challenging. From the ones actually qualifying for this list, here are my honorable mentions:
New Girl (2011-2018), Ramy (2019-present), That 70's Show (1998-2006), The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019), The Vicar Of Dibley (1994-2015).

10. One Day At A Time (2017-)

Netflix's remake of One Day At A Time (1975-1984) follows a Cuban-American family and balances elements of comedy and more heavy themes brilliantly. The combination is done in an unusual matter: while the comedy is often delightfully over-the-top as a callback to older sitcoms like the show's original counterpart, the real-life issues it deals with makes it one of the more serious and thought-provoking shows on this list. Themes like racism, immigration, depression, PTSD and alcoholism among others are dealt with in a sobering and realistic yet ultimately wholesome and heartwarming manner, as we follow the main characters navigating through these topical problems and coming out as winners. Heartfelt and emotionally powerful while also providing a bunch of laughs, One Day At A Time is an often overlooked sitcom that I recommend to pretty much anyone with a heart.

9. Episodes (2011-2017)

An other underrated gem, Episodes is a series with a premise so clever that it couldn't really fail even if it tried to. It follows two British television writers who have made an acclaimed comedy series in the UK, and move to Hollywood after being hired to do an American remake. The reasons why American remakes of British shows are most often quite hideous are thoroughly explored in this brilliant satire of Hollywood: the main characters insist on making their series with the same sophisticated irony as their original product, yet the Hollywood producers bulldoze all of their ideas in the interest of making more money. While being an amazing satire, it's also an incredibly intriguing show to watch for a TV buff like myself: what's not to love in a TV series about making a TV series?

Oh, and two more things. One; the show features Matt LeBlanc as an exaggerated version of himself, as LeBlanc is hired to play the main character in the series within the series, and having him as a part of the main cast is loads of fun, from the meta humor to the multiple Friends (1994-2004) references. And two: the series culminates in one of my all-time favorite series finales, as the story ends in the most perfect way imaginable, making it all the more worth watching.

8. Modern Family (2009-2020)

The definitive sitcom of the era we currently live in, Modern Family is another one where the premise says it all. If you're somehow not familiar with this mega-successful series, it follows the lives of three interconnected families that serve as caricatures of typical family dynamics of the 2000's. There's the dorky dad and uptight wife with their children, one of whom is a teenage bimbo, one an overachieving bookworm and one a weirdo. Then there's the rich old guy with the attractive young wife, and their wise-beyond-his-years son. And then there's the gay couple and their adopted daughter. In the 11 seasons, we follow the children slowly grow up and the adults grow as people (at least occasionally), through heartfelt and hilarious stories. Having a main cast of 11 people leads to a nearly endless supply of character combinations: there's always a pairing that hasn't really been explored and who can share an amusing misadventure together.

Also, I have to say this. I'm a tolerant person who accepts all kinds of opinions and beliefs contrary to my own - but if your favorite Modern Family character is anyone else than Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell), you're simply wrong. Phil Dunphy is a national treasure and the best human being in any comedy series ever made. Had to get that off my chest.

7. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

I'm a fan of ironic humor, and being a fan of ironic humor and not liking Seinfeld would be like being a fan of action cinema but not liking Die Hard. No other series has such a unique humor to it: a lot of people don't like Seinfeld at first because it takes watching many episodes to get into this peculiar brand of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David's irony, but once you're in, you're in. The four main characters are all perfection. The fusion of Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up comedy with each episode's themes is perfection. The jokes within the actual plot and the satire of society are perfection. Seinfeld is quite a holy work, and if you're wondering why it's only 7th on my list, it's for the reason that comedy shows with a lot of heart to them tend to be even more in my favor. That being said, I definitely don't blame Seinfeld for not having heart: the whole point of the show is not to have lessons or emotional moments, and with this particular show it works wonders.

Seinfeld is also perhaps the most relatable series of all time, as it deals with mundane subjects we all know and roll our eyes at. There's an episode about waiting for tables at a crowded restaurant, where every single annoying interaction and frustrating development that you've experienced in such situations are quite likely featured in the plot. There are similar episodes about looking for your car in a confusing parking garage, taking the subway, being nervous over overdue library books, and anything else one can imagine.

6. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2005-)

A show much like Seinfeld but even a tad better in my opinion, It's Always Sunny is the perfect anti-comedy and the highest-ranking series on this list that isn't in the more heartfelt category of the sitcom genre. While I'd recommend most of the shows on this list to pretty much anyone, It's Always Sunny is only for a very specific type of person: the low-budget style, the no-limits weirdness and the dark humor wrapped around so many levels of irony that the series seems downright offensive until you actually get the points the showrunners are making through their multi-layered humor are elements that keep It's Always Sunny from being a mainstream hit. They've even done an episode about this, where the main characters (who own a bar) transform their bar into a more colorful and playful place like other bars in order to be more successful, only to realize that they enjoy their bar as the dark and questionable place that it is. That's meta commentary at its finest.

The main cast has perfect chemistry, the 14-season run somehow keeps getting better and better each year, the humor has had me cry-laughing multiple times, and there are just so many genius episodes. Never shying away from tough topics, never trying to please mainstream audiences and never jumping the shark, It's Always Sunny is a strange and thoroughly brilliant series that I recommend to anyone with a weird, ironic and dark sense of humor.

5. The Good Place (2016-2020)

NBC's The Good Place is a mind-boggling out-of-the-box comedy series if I ever saw one. Taking place in the afterlife and following a group of recently deceased humans as they navigate through the show's version of life beyond death, The Good Place is very deep and philosophical for a situation comedy at times - yet still manages to be heartwarming, cozy and absolutely hilarious at every turn. The main cast is amazing, as Kristen Bell's Eleanor and Ted Danson's Michael win over the audience's hearts with their well-written character archs, while characters like Jason (Manny Jacinto) and Janet (D'Arcy Carden) provide immense amounts of comic relief.

The balance of humor, philosophy and truly creative storytelling of The Good Place is top notch, and the series has produced some of the best individual episodes in comedy TV history, especially the season 1 finale Michael's Gambit with its magnificent plot twist and the recently aired series finale Whenever You're Ready with its heartfelt closure and larger-than life themes.

4. Friends (1994-2004)

I mean, how do you not like Friends? While the series does have individual elements that haven't aged too well and some overdone plot points, those flaws seem quite miniscule when compared to the amount of humor and good vibes that the series has provided to me and so many other viewers around the world. The humor of the series is simply amazing; whether it's Chandler's (Matthew Perry) sarcasm, Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) weirdness, Joey's (Matt Le Blanc) Joey-isms or the combination of all those and so much more, every single episode from Friends's 10-season run is guaranteed to cause many a laugh to its viewer.

It's the perfect series to watch if you're having a bad day, aching from stress or going crazy in self-quarantine - I myself learned during a case of food poisoning last year that Friends is the one series that will put a smile on my face no matter how bleak I'm feeling. It may not be as creative as The Good Place or as layered as It's Always Sunny, but taken as a sitcom that's fun to watch for a large audience, it's the gold standard of the genre.

3. How I Met Your Mother (2005-2013)

Now, I know that it's unusual and even controversial for anyone to like How I Met Your Mother more than Friends - isn't that like liking Family Guy more than The Simpsons or Greta Van Fleet more than Led Zeppelin? Well, yes, How I Met Your Mother does certainly owe a lot to the "Group of friends in New York who always hang out at the same establishment and consist of the same character archetypes and form various will-they-won't-they character dynamics between themselves throughout the series" -show that came before it. But, it isn't all copying and pasting: HIMYM stands out with its unique premise of the entire series being a flashback story that protagonist Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) is telling to his children at an older age. And the story of the series, as well as the emotional investment and various payoffs that come with it, is what nudges HIMYM to the same level and even a bit above Friends in my subjective opinion.

While the humor is awesome and pretty much just as good as in Friends, I find myself caring about the characters in HIMYM much more, as they are more fleshed-out and likable (again, just my subjective opinion). The story of Ted Mosby and his complex, many-year journey towards meeting the love of his life is addictive and thrilling, with the various close-calls and almost-meetings between the two throughout the years being a constant high point in the show's plot. In the later seasons, flash-forwards and teases of the future become more common, making the story all the more engrossing, while the humor and impeccable chemistry of the cast never fails to stay on the same level. With its epic love story, memorable episodes and endless supply of various catchphrases, running gags and other hijinks, How I Met Your Mother has a special place in my heart and will always be among my favorites.

2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-Present)

Michael Schur and Dan Goor, a true power duo of the modern sitcom genre, teamed up with Saturday Night Live alumnus Andy Samberg to produce this magnificent police comedy in 2013. What followed was a series that, I have to admit, surpassed nearly all others in the field of comedy television. This is thanks to the show's dynamite combo of a) a hilarious main cast, b) great storytelling, c) wholesome themes and d) managing to avoid the flaws that nearly all of my other favorite sitcoms suffer from. The cast is pure gold, with Samberg's protagonist Jake Peralta being over-the-top silly in the best way possible, while the stern Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) and angry Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) provide a hysterical contrast to his hijinks. The writing is exceptionally good for a half-hour sitcom, as the intrigue of police life often comes into play; while some episodes treat the occupation with a Police Academy -level lack of seriousness, at other times (especially the season finales and occasional longer story archs) it actually manages to be a decent crime show with its well-written cases, surprising twists and memorable villains.

Nine-Nine has delved into some more serious topics in the last few years, including workplace sexism and racial issues, yet it always keeps the humor and warmth of the series at hand while still managing to deal with said themes with the appropriate amount of reality. Other episodes are pure fun, with a favorite of mine being the Halloween Heist episodes that continue once each year, with each heist being bigger in scope and more over-the-top than the last. And, as I mentioned, the series gains extra points for managing to fix so many typical sitcom problems. The show's main love story is immensely healthier and less turbulent than the typical dramatic will-they-won't-they's that sitcoms tend to take too far (Ross and Rachel, anyone?), and the series doesn't drag jokes to the point of turning into bummers. A good example is detective Boyle's (Joe Lo Truglio) crush on Rosa Diaz in season 1; the writers of almost any other sitcom would've dragged that across seasons to the point where it isn't funny anymore and just plain sad; instead Boyle gets over his crush after a while and moves on, with both the character's happiness and the humor of his momentarily desperate crush intact. The sitcom genre needs more of this kind of wholesome writing, if you ask me.

1. Community (2009-2015)

And here we are, arriving at the best of the best, the underrated gem, my favorite comedy series (possibly my favorite any kind of series) of all time. While it would take multiple paragraphs, some essays, an hour-long Ted Talk and possibly a book or two to pour out everything that I love about this series, I will limit myself with mentioning just some of its greatest aspects here. My favorite sitcoms generally fall into two different categories: the smart, ironic shows like It's Always Sunny and Seinfeld that are great for clever humor and mockery, yet not especially heartwarming, and then the feel-good shows like Friends and How I Met Your Mother that aren't as clever, but are perfect for making you smile and feel good about the world. Community manages to be a hundred per cent both of these. It's riddled with pop culture parody, multi-layered irony and meta humor that I love, but it also features a cast of likable people and is very feel-good and sweet to watch. Now that's a tough combination to nail.

The story in Community is that of ex-lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), who comes to Greendale Community College after being busted for faking his law degree. In there, he forms a fake study group for selfish purposes, yet the group accidentally sticks around. At the start of the series, he's a shallow, arrogant and thoroughly unlikable character, yet throughout the seasons a realistic redemption tale unfolds, as this group molds him into a better and better person as he learns to care about others and act unselfishly. Other than that one thing, the word "realistic" should not be used about this series under any circumstances - Community is anything but grounded in reality. The series has the most insane, bizarre concept episodes that I have ever seen, and they are always done to perfection. The first season features a paintball episode that parodies action movies, and it's directed by actual Hollywood action director Justin Lin who managed to make it thoroughly feel like a real high-budget action blockbuster. And whether it's a Dungeons & Dragons -episode that makes fun of the fantasy genre, a campus-wide pillow fight that's made to look and feel like a civil war documentary, or a Christmas episode made entirely in stop-motion animation, the concept episodes are always pure gold and they nearly always have some deeper metaphorical meaning behind them instead of just being silly adventures.

While everyone in the main cast is quite funny and (except for Chevy Chase's questionable Pierce Hawthorne) likable, the series is best embodied in the character Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. He is the source of the show's clever and hilarious meta humor, but also the beating heart of the series, as there is so much good will and hope for humanity that comes from his actions. His friendship with Troy (Donald Glover) is definitely the best "bromance" of any series (or movie) I've seen, as the two grow as people throughout their wonderful friendship while also providing endless laughs with their hijinks. Combining such themes of friendship, redemption, and, well, community, with the absolutely most hilarious humor on TV, made for a work of art that I truly recommend to everyone - now it's finally on Netflix as well! #sixseasonsandamovie



Thank you for reading! Fans of AMC's The Walking Dead should tune in next week as I rank my top 10 favorite episodes of the series, as its tenth season has come to a close (well, sort of - the originally planned finale has been delayed in production due to a virus that thankfully doesn't turn people into zombies). You can subscribe to my blog via e-mail from the box below!

Ranking All Star Trek TV Shows

*Vulcan salute*

Today I shall be ranking all eight TV shows in the Star Trek franchise! Yes, you read that correctly; there are 8 different series in the Star Trek universe. And that's a good thing, too: the Star Trek world is unmatched in how large and complex it is, and how much interesting stuff there is to explore within it. I love the franchise for its optimistic look at the future, the deep and important themes it deals with, and the revolutionary level of creativity that its writers have poured into the various television shows. Now that the first season of the newest series, Star Trek: Picard, has ended, I have included it in my ranking.

8. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1975)

I mean...it's fun. It's not top notch television for sure, but it's quite fun. The Animated Series is a straight sequel to the original series, following more of the Enterprise crew's adventures on their five-year mission. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and others reprise their roles, this time as voice actors, as the show is indeed animated, with 22-minute episodes and a more family-friendly tone. It does compare poorly to other Star Trek shows due to the restraints of being a "kids' show" and having a short runtime as well as a small budget. Still, there is a silver lining: the visual effects of the time weren't all that great, so the animated format allowed concepts that wouldn't have been possible in the original series: a gigantic clone of Spock, truly bizarre-looking planets, and aliens that actually look like aliens instead of people with makeup (no offense, The Original Series).

7. Star Trek: Picard (2020-Present)

The first season of the newest Star Trek series just ended last week, leaving me and many other viewers with mixed feelings. Picard's first season wasn't nearly as good as I expected it to be, as it has many flaws that the next seasons could hopefully try to improve upon. That being said, the series also gets many things right, being quite amazing at its best moments. It is very worth watching for a Star Trek fan, but as I mentioned, there are issues: chiefly among them is the show's brand of darkness. I don't mind television shows being dark, but I see this particular one as being dark in the wrong way for a series in the Trek franchise. While other Star Trek shows have been very dark at times, it has always been to the backdrop of the bright utopian future that Gene Roddenberry created in the 60's. Picard often seems borderline dystopian in its use of violence and deception surrounding pretty much every character, and thus doesn't feel all that much like the Star Trek  world.

Darkness aside, other parts of the debut season were most enjoyable. Sir Patrick Stewart's role as Jean-Luc Picard in The Next Generation is probably my favorite TV acting performance of all time, so seeing him in the same role again is wonderful. While the supporting cast is also very talented and entertaining, it's Stewart who makes every episode worth watching with his dramatic gravitas and astonishing acting skills. The series also features some very cool sci-fi ideas, intriguing storylines, and heartwarming callbacks to The Next Generation; the definitive highlight of this first season for me was the episode Nepenthe, where the dark undertones of the series are forgotten and Picard spends time on a beautiful planet with some old friends.

6. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

Star Trek is always at its best when it feels timeless and universal, and isn't strong when it feels like a product of its time (thankfully, this happens quite rarely). This is a problem with Enterprise, however: it often feels more like a generic sci-fi show of the early 2000's than it does like Star Trek. Another problem is with the main cast; while not exactly bad, the main crew isn't nearly as interesting as the main crews from other Star Trek shows in my opinion. Scott Bakula does a fine job as Captain Jonathan Archer but his character isn't written very well when compared to other Star Trek captains, and many of the other crewmembers are quite one-dimensional and uninteresting.

Other than those faults, however, there's a lot to like in Enterprise as well! My favorite thing about the series is its prequel format. It takes place 100 years before the original series, and it's fascinating to see the early days of Starfleet, the formation of the Federation, and first contacts with many of the planets and alien cultures that are familiar from the other Trek shows. There are also many awesome individual episodes and decent longer storylines, and these things make Enterprise worth watching to a fan of the franchise even if it doesn't reach the level of the other live action shows.

5. Star Trek: Discovery (2017-Present)

Discovery has only aired its two first seasons as I write this, and based on them it's an excellent (if not perfect) addition to the Trek universe. It feels very different from all other Star Trek shows on multiple fronts: it focuses heavily on a fleshed-out protagonist instead of a crew of main characters, it's more focused on longer story archs than individual episodes, and the visual effects of the 2010's make for an outstanding outlook compared to the shows that came before it. While there are flaws that later seasons will hopefully improve on, a majority of Discovery has been very enjoyable to me. The characters are likable, the science fiction is creative, and the story takes very interesting risks and directions (I especially enjoyed the 6-episode arch in the middle of the first season that is spent trapped in an alternate universe).

Some fans of the franchise have criticized Discovery for being too dark, but I see it as being dark in the right way for this franchise. Quite similarly to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (more on that series later), the story often gets darker than in older Trek shows, but the ideals and optimism of the franchise are always in the background. As opposed to the problems I had with Star Trek: Picard, I think Discovery never loses its sights of being part of Star Trek's bright look on the future; it just has higher stakes in the challenges that the franchise's utopic future faces, always making clear the values that the main characters are fighting for.

4. Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Voyager is generally quite opinion-splitting among Star Trek fans, and I'm definitely on the pro-Voyager side. The series isn't perfect: every season has some very weak episodes and the consistency of the writing isn't on the same level as some of the other Trek shows. But there are three elements that make me absolutely love this show. First, the premise: the series follows the USS Voyager which is, in the pilot episode, sucked through a wormhole to the far side of the universe, and begins its way home. The whole series is about the ship's way back home, as it takes many years even at maximum warp. This allows the series to explore a whole new side of the Star Trek galaxy, truly going where no one has gone before with the creative planets and species that the Voyager crew encounters.

Second, the cast: the main crew of Voyager is lovable and amazing. Kate Mulgrew is awesome as Star Trek's first major female captain Kathryn Janeway, and characters such as the sentient hologram Doctor (Robert Picardo) as well as the former Borg drone Seven-Of-Nine (Jeri Ryan) are fun and likable while also making for some incredible philosophy in their quest to find their humanity. And third: at its best, Voyager is absolutely perfect. While there are weak episodes and story arch, there are also mind-blowingly amazing ones. Episodes like Timeless and Blink Of An Eye are arguably even more adventurous, philosophical and creative than the likes of the original series, and thus very appropriate for the Star Trek franchise.

3. Star Trek (The Original Series) (1966-1969)

In the 1960's, Gene Roddenberry had a vision that many deemed controversial and ridiculous: a future where humanity has overcome its need for war, violence, greed and racism, and different people just get along - and this would be followed in a TV series about a starship crew that includes an alien, an African-American woman as lieutenant, a Russian who gets along fine with his American colleagues (remember, this was pitched during the height of the cold war), and so on. The studio wanted to change the cast to a group of white men due to the norms of the era. Roddenberry wouldn't have any of that, insisting that this series needs to show that things can change for the better in the future. That right there is the essence of Star Trek, and so Gene Roddenberry changed the world for the better.

Sure, the original series can often be so campy that it can't be taken entirely seriously, but so what? It's a classic that saw way ahead of its time with its larger ideas and themes, if not with its visual effects. Every episode has some deeper meaning behind it, whether it's an allegory for the Vietnam war, a criticism of xenophobia or a harrowing look at obsession. In addition, the series completely revolutionized the science fiction genre with its stories of time travel, alternate universes and artificial intelligence in many forms, while introducing some of the genre's most iconic staples such as the Klingon, Vulcan and Romulan species. The character Spock (Leonard Nimoy) acts as a philosophical look on humanity by showing what humans would be like if they favored logic over emotion, and his interactions with the crew are as thought-provoking as they are entertaining. The original series is quite simply a masterpiece.

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

I don't know how the writers of The Next Generation were able to take everything great about the original series and make all of those elements even a tad better, but somehow they pulled it off. The series is very similar to the original in its premise: 50 years later, a new version of the USS Enterprise sets out with a new crew to do the same thing: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before (they changed the "no man" of the opening monologue to the gender-neutral "no one", proving that they were even more ahead of their time than the original series). And, like I said, everything about this sequel series was even a bit better than its impressive predecessor!

As much as I love the crew of the original series, the Next Generation crew does one-up them with the combination of Patrick Stewart's Shakespearean acting as Captain Picard, the thought-provoking android character Data (Brent Spiner) and the one-man culture clash Worf (Michael Dorn) who is the first Klingon to become a Starfleet officer, just to name a few. The themes are even deeper here with episodes like The Measure Of A Man and Tapestry being worthy of being shown as examples of ethical dilemmas in a philosophy class, yet the uplifting utopia of the Trek world is very present even with all the philosophical problems. The sci-fi is even more creative and genius, with the addition of story elements such as the Borg collective and self-repeating time loops among other into the Star Trek world. While the series has many superlatives to its name, there is one especially that deserves mentioning: the third season ends with The Best Of Both Worlds: Part 1, which features without a doubt the single best cliffhanger of TV history (possibly of any work of fiction).

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

I criticized Star Trek: Picard for being too dark, yet my favorite Trek series of them all is the famously darker-than-its-predecessors one. That's because of a major difference between the two shows: Picard is dark in a way that changes the entire Star Trek world as the same core values aren't cared for and people just do bad things all the time; Deep Space Nine is one hundred per cent Star Trek in its world, but the characters simply face big challenges with high stakes. The utopian future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned is very much present but simply at risk, and the main characters must fight and occasionally bend moral rules in order to defend it. This makes for some breathtaking moral dilemmas, dealt with through philosophical debates that have always been a part of Star Trek.

But here's the real magic: while Deep Space Nine may be the darkest Trek, it manages to simultaneously be the coziest. As draining as the series can be, the vibrant space station setting is one of the most home-like TV settings I have ever seen. A combination of set design, soundtrack and just the most lovable characters one can imagine makes for a series that's always fun and endearing to watch, despite the show's gripping nature. There are episodes that deal with the psychological ramifications of war, decisions that can cause multiple casualties and religious extremism among other themes, but these episodes also feature heartwarming moments of friendship, fun subplots about holodeck adventures and pub games, and humane humor done in good taste. Watching an episode of Deep Space Nine is often like watching The Shawshank Redemption: you'll be forced to think about some harsh realities, but when all is said and done, you'll ultimately feel a bit better about yourself, the world you live in, and the future. And that right there is what Star Trek is about.


Thank you for reading! Next week I'll be celebrating the airing of Modern Family's series finale by sharing my list of the top 10 TV sitcoms of all time. Feel free to subscribe via the box below if it please you. Live long and prosper!