The last twelve months has witnessed the birth and death of some of the most outstanding series on Television and even on streaming apps like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and HBO Max. The ghost of arguably one of the greatest and most successful series, Game of Thrones was finally laid to rest in May 2019. New shows like Succession and Watchmen also threw their hat into the ring in the year under review. Others like Money heist cemented their place in the history books. Some limited and Miniseries also came into the game and shook things up a bit.
As the awards season begins to unload on us gradually, here is a look at some of the shows on television that are garnering all the accolades and also bringing in huge revenues for their various show runners.
The shows Include;
- SUCCESSION
Succession is all about the fictional Roy Family which sees a father and his children locked in a game of wits over who gets to control the family’s vast media empire.
When HBO rested Game of Thrones in 2019, many doubted the ability of the network to offer something as enticing as the Westeros centered series which was widely acclaimed. Succession may not be as huge as Game of Thrones but it sure has HBO smiling to the bank. It has also picked up some of the most prestigious awards for television this award season. It won the BAFTA award for Best International Programmer and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television series Drama. Lead actor, Brian Cox also won the Golden Globe awards for Best Actor in a TV series. It also won for Best Drama and Best actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
- WHEN THEY SEE US
The trial and eventual exoneration of five teenage boys accused of a rape in Central Park New York in 1989 sparked outrage at the time.
When They See Us, created and directed by Ava Duvernay on that same event also generated a lot buzz and wide reception. This show has no doubt raised racial and other discussions portrayed in the television series for the past twelve for months. As for awards, it should have bagged many but was snubbed by the Golden Globe Awards.
Snubs aside, When They See Us was one of the top shows on Netflix with over 23 million views. It won best limited series and Jharrel Jerome won Best actor in a limited series at the Critics’ Choice Awards..
- GAME OF THRONES
After eight seasons and 73 episodes, the world bade farewell to one of the great television series of all time in May 2019. The show which had a huge international following attracted record breaking viewership on HBO. It won 58 Prime time Emmy Awards.
Although its last season was met with a not too favorable review from both fans and critics, Game of Thrones still was the most talked about show in the world. At its peak (season 7), each episode was seen by 32.8 million people every week.
- CHERNOBYL
Chernobyl, a miniseries that revolves around the nuclear disaster of 1986, is one of the most critically acclaimed series of the past twelve months. The five part series stars Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson.
It received nineteen nominations at the Emmy awards and won for outstanding limited series, Outstanding Directing and Outstanding writing. At the Golden Globe Awards, Skarsgard won for Best Supporting Performance and the series won for Best Miniseries. It is also the fifth-highest rated series with an average score of 9.5/10.
- WATCHMEN
Regina King’s performance in the Watchmen has earned her rave reviews. The Show in itself is a superhero comic that has earned HBO a lot of accolades for its production and acting. Other members of cast include Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andrew Howard, Jacob Ming-Trent, Tom Mison, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, and Hong Chau
The series focuses on events surrounding racist violence in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2019. The series premiered on October 20, 2019, with the first season consisting of nine episodes, which concluded on December 15. It won Best Actress in a Drama Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics’ Choice Awards. As of episode 6, HBO reported 7 million viewers to date, making it HBO’s most viewed new series since Big Little Lie.
- MONEY HEIST
To tell you how popular money heist is, Netflix already had plans for a fourth season before the third season was released.
Such is the huge follower-ship that this Spanish heist TV show has garnered. The series follows a band of rogues and robbers led by the indomitable professor as they prepared for an executed a multi-day assault on the Royal Mint of Spain. Money Heist is the most watched non-English drama and one of the most watched series on Netflix. It has won at the International Emmy Awards for Best Drama series.
- FLEABAG
Phoebe Waller-Bridge created, directed and starred in this British comedy drama. And she indeed put out a top performance which has seen her cart home most of the awards this season. It won six awards at the Primetime Emmy Awards and also won Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical and Best Actress for a Television Series Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes.
- BIG LITTLE LIES
Big Little Lies was originally billed as a limited series but it had favorable ratings and became an overnight success that HBO was forced to order a second and third season.
It stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz, and tells the story of five women in Monterey, California who witnessed a murder and her now persons of interest in the investigation. Its first season received 16 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won eight, including Outstanding Limited Series. Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern also won Emmy Awards and won Golden Globe Awards for their acting. Big Little Lies also won Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film win for the series.
- THE MORNING SHOW
It’s not every day you get to see Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston on the same TV show.
The show which was inspired by Brian Stelter’s book; Top of the Morning premiered on Apple TV in November 2019. It centers on the love-hate relationship between two female TV anchors Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon). It has been critically acclaimed in Hollywood and generally has favorable reviews.
Though it was the toast of award organizers, it didn’t win any award. But that does not in any way negate how wonderfully exciting of a show it is. At the Critics’ Choice Awards held over the weekend, Billy Culdrup won the award for Best Supporting Actor
- YOU
This show centers on Joe Goldberg, played by Gossip girl star, Penn Badgley. He was a bookshop clerk whose love for one of his customers, Guinevere Beck ( Elizabeth Lail) turns him into a serial killer. If you’re looking for a show that depicts toxicity, delusion and violence, then this series is your best bet.
It was originally on the Lifetime network, but it was snapped by Netflix which bankrolled the second season. The first season of YOU, has been viewed over 43 million times according to data released by Netflix and has already been renewed for a third season.
Tell us what you think about these shows in the comment below!