The Best TV Shows on Right Now

Losing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert has left a large hole in the world of political satire/commentary. I like Larry Wilmore and Trevor Noah, but they don't have the same spark that Stewart or Colbert had...and then John Oliver came.

There are so many reasons why Last Week Tonight is my favorite show on right now, but if I had to find the #1 reason, it's that it only expands on The Daily Show's formula...but IMPROVES on it. Thanks to HBO having no commercials, Oliver and co. are able to go further into topics that The Daily Show or Colbert Report weren't able to cover, and not only that, but it does a better job reporting news then the ACTUAL NEWS! Tell me, would you expect MSNBC or "shudders" Fox News to ACTUALLY interview Edward Snowden in person?



Of course not.



Thankfully, LTW has been noticed by so many people...from the IRS to members of FIFA to even A SUPREME COURT MEMBER!

If you haven't watched this now, you are missing out, and even if you don't get HBO, the show has it's own Youtube page with all the main segments of the show uploaded, and while it's a fantastic way to catch someone up on episodes they missed, it's watching the full episodes of the show that make it worthwhile.

Favorite Episode So Far: Tobacco/Phillips Morris International

Louie defies the very definition of a TV comedy. It has no laugh track, lots of uncomfortable moments that we don't know whether to laugh at it or not, and is centered around a comedian who never gets what he wants while trying to find happiness in New York...which is the reason why I love this show so much. We know that nothing will work out for Louie in the end. Even if he has two daughter he loves (Maybe), has a job where he can make people laugh, he still is going to break-up with whatever girlfriend he has now, he's still going to put through hell in the most nonchalant way possible, and he's most likely going to live that way for the rest of his life.




While many of the things that happen Louie seem farfetched, it also is grounded in a reality where we can actually see it happening to someone in the real world. Throughout the struggles he faces, whether minor or major, we can understand what he's going through, but at the same time, also laugh at it.

Doug Walker, creator of the Nostalgia Critic (A show I would love to include if it aired on TV) frequently says that comedy is based on misery, and Louie is the textbook example of this. We are feeding off of Louie's misery when it's played out to be funny, but in the end, it's a shit life, one that acknowledges how far off the deep end can someone go in this world.



Favorite Episode: Come On, God

Easily the best animated show on right now, full stop. Rick and Morty is an absolute gem of adult animation where most of it today relies on shock and dark humor, two types of humor I love...if done correctly. Rick and Morty fucking succeeds in this. The premise of an alchaolic grandfather taking his grandson across a messed universe allows for SO many possibilities including, but not limited to: buying sex robots in a pawn shop and becoming a father because, be invaded by aliens that could infiltrate your life as a loved one, or have an entire alternate dimension where there are thousands of versions of your smart grandfather becoming a government:



But when it's not making me laugh hard, it can also be pretty damn heavy at times if you look at the big picture. Just watch episodes like Rixty Minutes, Rick Potion No. 9, or Auto Erotic Assimilation. I thought I would never cry at a complete arrogant and selfish asshole trying to kill himself, but it found a way. Rick and Morty however knows how to balance out it's heavy subject with some hilarious stuff. I thought for sure the cancellation/deterioration of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and decline in quality of Robot Chicken would make Adult Swim even worse, but this show gives me hope.



Favorite Episode: Tie between Auto Erotic Assimilation and Rixty Minutes

How good does one's performance have to be to elevate a TV show? Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood shows that you can take it to the max. I'd argue that his performance is the best on television at the moment, but why am I wasting time describing it to you when there's so much OTHER good stuff in this show?



If I had to point out what makes the rest of show so damn good, it's the writing. It's not too complicated for ordinary viewers to get confused by, but it's also not easy enough for people who know politics to call the 'Bullshit' card on it. It's a really smart show, to say the least and to watch Underwood battle his way to the top is impressive to watch.

And while everyone in the cast does an amazing job, in the end, it's Spacey who steals the show. At random points in episodes, he'll stop to talk to the audience as if we're his friends. It only makes more comfortable, yet uncomfortable at the same time...just like the politics the show deals with.



Favorite Episode: Chapter 7

It goes past Amy Schumer being my celebrity crush at the moment and more of the amount of effort put into this one show. I mean, in addition to the sketches, you have also have the stand up and interviewing random people on the street..and in the end, it comes together SO well




I have nothing against female comedians, but many times the jokes are about their sex life and self-deprecating themselves for it. Now, I LOVE self-deprecating humor, but you have to have wit to use it. Insider Amy Schumer not only has the wit, it has the charisma. It's a fantastic take on women in the modern world while also satirizing them.

Mr. Robot comes very close to being the things I can't stand in movies/tv show: pretentious concept, a big ongoing storyline with an message that drops like an anvil, and scenes that don't make sense (At first), but in the end, Mr. Robot is a great show.



So what makes Mr. Robot stand out from other pretentious shit: I don't know fully, but part of the reason is that, like Louie, it's grounded in a world where we can see this happening. When Elliot talks to the little voice in his head (In this case: the viewer), we see through his eyes as he keeps getting wrapped up in trouble. Likewise, Rami Malek is perfect for Elliot, as he just melts into the character, and the same goes for the rest of the cast and to top it off, it's all riveting and rarely did it lose my attention, and that's coming from someone who can't into 1-hour-long dramas.



If there was any indication on what influenced this, I would point to David Fincher, and coming from someone whose among my favorite directors, it pulls off the style well. My only real issue with this show is while it keeps me guessing what's going to happen, I was pretty certain that there was going to be a twist where Mr. Robot is revealed to be Elliot's father (Though I didn't see Darlene being related to him coming). Other then that, it's a great show that has a lot going for it and I can't wait to see how it plays out.



Favorite Episode: eps1.6_v1ew-s0urce.flv