Next Week: A Full On Embrace of Television
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
The first Monday of the month is in a few days, and that means it’s the revelation of yet another one of my lists! This time, I’ll be dropping my list of the 100 Best Narrative Television Shows of all time! What will this entail? Dramas, sitcoms, and all long forms of television that tell a story, are fiction (or reenactments of real events, basically not documentary or non-fiction), and aren’t limited series (early cancellations, or long single seasons aren’t considered limited series by me). There will be one hundred entries listed from lowest to highest. This has been worked on for a year and a half by me. I can’t wait to be finished and finally share this with everyone.
Initially, I was going to include miniseries in this list, but I learned during my research that they really are their own version of television storytelling (besides, I was separating news, sports, cooking, game, and talk shows — amongst others — into an independent list already). Therefore my last list of this nature until 2029 (when I drop my selection of the one hundred best films of the 2020’s, but let’s get there first) will contain the fifty miniseries I want to highlight as the best. I won’t lie: this list will probably change even in a year’s time. As I will mention in said list, we are in the best years of the miniseries. I feel like fifty is a great starting point, and I can always update and add to this list to extend it. Either way, this will be the last list.
The Academy Awards are done, so my Perfect Reception series will return next week Friday. In this series, I spotlight one classic television series and will focus on how they came to be, their relevance and legacy, and other noteworthy elements. Considering that the newest edition will drop days after I unveil my list of the greatest shows of all time, it only makes sense that I will base it on one series I’ve had many requests for but have held out on. That’s because I knew this day would come. The top series on my list will be the show covered this upcoming Friday, so look forward to it (you may even be able to discern what it is, now, if you’re one of the many that have asked for this show to be covered).
If Monday and Friday are covered, we may as well make it a week, huh? Coincidentally, two notable series (Attack on Titan and Peaky Blinders) are finishing this Sunday, so they will be reviewed in my Binge, Fringe, or Singe? series that wraps up seasons or series by letting you know if the latest outputs were worth watching. Considering that I’ve done all of this work to make Films Fatale a television resource hotspot as well, this section needs to get up and running again (particularly to keep up with all of the series that are happening this year, so you don’t want to miss this coverage). That leaves one day left. What could it be? Well, a new series that you will have to wait and see. Allow me to keep one surprise for you all.
And that about does it. Two more television based lists left. I’ve got one more project (this time it’ll be film based) under wraps, but I’ll let that also be a secret until it drops in the near future (I will tell you this: it will supply you two or three months of content, depending on if I want to release some of these posts on weekends. Wish me luck). Then all that will be left (even during all of this) will be coverage of contemporary films and shows, alongside whatever lists, retrospective articles and reviews, masterclass lessons, and other pieces of content I and the rest of the Films Fatale team wish to post. As for the massive undertakings? Those will be done. I can’t wait to be a regularly functioning human again that isn’t cramming hours and hours of research into each day.
Thank you to all of you that have been loyal readers this whole time. You make all of this feel worth it.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from X University (formerly known as Ryerson), as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.