The 2019-2020 Television I Didn't Watch

Below, find eight shows from the 2019-2020 television year that I regret not seeing, but ultimately don't have the time or the inclination to, with some rambling thoughts about my reasoning.

"Run" - I was looking forward to this one, a comedy/thriller about a couple who run away from their lives together. I like all the people involved, including Merrit Wever, Domnhall Gleeson, and especially Phoebe Waller Bridge. However, I held off in order to binge the whole thing at once, and it turns out that nobody came away satisfied with the show past the first few episodes. The finale actually ticked off enough people that Vulture actually took it off a mid-year "Best of" list. I guess they can't all be winners.

"Euphoria" - No matter how much critical praise they've gotten, I can't bring myself to watch any of the recent teen shows like "American Vandal," "Sex Education" and "Pen15." "Euphoria" is the latest slice of adolescent miserablism, reportedly a more responsible take on the themes explored by shows like "13 Reasons Why." I've liked Zendaya in her movies, but her involvement here does nothing to convince me that I need to see "Euphoria." I already get my fill of angsty teens from indie movies, thank you very much.

"Unbelievable" - Another critical darling, this one a true crime miniseries about a serial rapist who is allowed to run rampant for years because his first victim wasn't believed. The cast is excellent, the material is timely and powerful, and there's every indication that sensationalism was avoided. This is the show I feel the most guilty about skipping, but while I can handle a film about difficult topics, often an eight hour miniseries is too much. I've read the article series that the show was based on, and that's enough for me.

"Primal" - I will happily sing the praises of Genndy Tartakovsky, but I really don't need to see "Primal," his adult-oriented animated series about a caveman and a dinosaur who team up in the wake of tragedy. It's a dialogue free, and reportedly pretty violent story about an unlikely friendship. I may change my mind on this one eventually, but the caveman genre and I have never gotten along. However, many animation enthusiasts will be happy to see a new, rare, artistically uncompromised series from an animation great.

"The Morning Show" - I'm not subscribing to Apple TV, first of all. I'm already ping-ponging between way too many different streaming services, and there's no way I'm doing Apple TV just for one show. I hear Billy Crudup is great, and the ensemble that they put together is nuts (Mark Duplass is in this? Bel Powley is in this too?), but this show just strikes me as too much work to get into on every level. I don't want to commit to another splashy prestige project right now, especially about more terrible people being terrible to each other.

"Little Fires Everywhere" - I'm sorry Reese Witherspoon, and I'm sorry Kerry Underwood, but this just isn't a good season for downers. It's terrible timing. I gave up on "Handmaid's Tale" last season, and I'm in no hurry to replace it with more melodramatic mom angst. I feel a little bad because this is one of the last major projects from recently departed director Lynn Shelton and the reviews have been pretty solid. And this kind of female lead prestige project needs all the encouragement it can get - but I have to draw the line somewhere.

"Avenue 5" - It's a new Armando Iannucci show! With Hugh Laurie as the lead! And it's set in spaaaace! Unfortunately, I recently watched "Aniara," which more or less has the exact same plot points so far, except it's the dead serious, super-depressing, nihilistic version, and it put me into a terrible existential funk for weeks. There was no way I was going to risk another round of that. So I've been sneaking the occasional peek at airlock antics via clips and reading spoilers, but keeping my distance from the show itself.

Anything on Quibi - I have no idea what they were thinking. An entire platform designed to feature Youtube video length content? How does this make any sense, Jeffrey Katzenberg? Aside from the revival of "Reno 911" and a couple of features that I have no desire to see in ten-minute chunks, there's nothing here with much appeal anyway.
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