And now, my top pick for the best series of the year…. (cue drum machine)
1. John from Cincinnati – David Milch’s new series for HBO was described as “surf noir“ before it premiered. I don’t know what that means, but what John turned out to be was a mind-blowing piece of surrealism with near-perfect scripting and acting. The titular John, a young man who communicates in vague prophecy and fragments of overheard speech, might be an incomplete Messiah, an alien emissary, or even a sentient radio wave. In only ten episodes, John introduced some of the most fully-realized and intriguing characters to hit TV in years. It was spellbinding and involving, and its cancellation pretty well proves that HBO has gone off the rails. While the mysteries may never be solved, the single season stands as a thoughtful piece of art. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes horrifying, but always interesting. Without clear resolution, what we have is the television equivalent of a Rorschach test. Its cancellation was frustrating and short-sighted, but we ended up with a little bit of magic.
