At long last, X-Ray Spex returns, just in time for that most cliche of posts, the year-end recap. First up, my favorite shows of the past year. Two things: Once,  I'm not using the word for a very specific reason: Some of the shows I watched most avidly this year weren't made for TV or even watched on my TV. In other words, in this, it's 15th year (!) X-Ray Spex has finally acknowledged the Internet. And two, I should note that I haven't watched a lot of the most acclaimed shows of the year, which is why they're not on this list. Sorry "Fleabag," "The Good Place," "The Mandalorian" and a lot of other programs I've heard raves about. Maybe next year.

So, without additional further ado, in no particular order....


Mindhunter (Netflix): I loved the first season, but this one was arguably both even better and even more risky. By focusing on the search for the Atlanta Child Murders, the show devoted much of its running time to frustration and failure, which can be deadly boring in the wrong hands. Thankfully, David Fincher and crew are most definitely the right hands (as Fincher proved with the fascinatingly frustrating "Zodiac"), and this season was nothing less than mesmerizing. Can't wait for the third.


VCR Party Live (You Tube): At this point, while we're waiting for the glorious return of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," there's really only one show our family watches ever single week, and this is it: A refreshingly low-budget, low-key, high-laugh-quotient look at the absurdities of home video. Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher have been showcasing their VHS oddities for 15 years (hey, they started the same time as this blog!) in live performances and DVD collections, and more than a year ago, they started showing selections on this weekly show that "airs" Tuesdays on You Tube. There are lots of guys making fun of lots of old videos, but Nick and Joe are genuinely funny, which makes "VCR Party" worth a look. With the addition of musician/fellow funny guy George Pasles, the show hit a new level of humorous obsession, as George put his internet detective skills tracking down such folks as, say, the lead actress in a '80s Wendy's training video. Watch it here.


Veep (HBO): With all the pissing and moaning about how "Game of Thrones" ended on a disappointing note, this pitch black HBO political comedy wrapped things up perfectly -- and managed to be even darker and more brutal than "Game of Thrones" as a bonus. Julia Louis Dreyfuss proves cements her rep as one of the all-time greatest comic actresses, and the supporting cast was one of the best ever assembled. "Veep" is a show that will definitely be worth a rewatch -- and I'm talking about the entire series.


Barry (HBO): While I'm sad to see longtime HBO favorites like "Veep" and "Silicon Valley" end, it's great knowing shows like "Barry" are (hopefully) just getting started. The second season was even better than the (excellent) first, and the action-packed "ronny/lily" episode is like anything I've ever seen on TV -- and trust me, I've seen a lot of TV. Can't wait until Season 3 arrives sometime this year.


Cartoonist Kayfabe (You Tube): I was never a fan of Wizard Magazine, but I am a huge fan of this You Tube show, wherein cartoonists Jim Rugg and Ed Piskor dissect each issue in hilarious detail, creating what turns out to be an alternate history of the modern comics era. They've since grown to include reviews of legendary comics (Return of the Dark Knight, Miracleman), classic cartoonists (Dan Clowes, Los Bros Hernandez) and tours of collections and comic book stores. The fact that Ed and Jim are both top-notch cartoonists adds a revealing level to their videos. If you're into comic books -- any sort of comic books -- I guarantee that something they've covered will be up your alley. Watch it here.


Reruns of 'Police Story' (COZI TV): After gleefully watching the entire run of "Kojak" a few years back, I've since discovered another '70s cop show worth seeking out. This anthology series based on the work of Joseph Wambaugh airs on one of the many boomer-targeted old TV repositories lurking on my cable system, but it's still thrilling and surprising almost 50 years after first airing. With no (or at least very few) continuing characters or settings (except for beaten-down Los Angeles), "Police Story" features dozens of well-known actors (including Gabe Kaplan!) in suspenseful stories where you don't know how things will turn out. I have yet to see a bad episode, and I've seen several genuinely great ones.


Watchmen (HBO): As someone who read "Watchmen" issue-by-issue when it first hit the stands and has re-read it dozens of times since, I was more than a little skeptical of this series, which is set in the year 2019 but in the world where the event of the comic book series occurred. (It completely ignores the movie). And, now that its first (and possibly only?) season has ended, I sit astonished at how well it worked. Extrapolating from the ideas of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, it depicts a fully lived-in world that's just a few crucial steps sideways from our own. What's more, by focusing on Sister Night (Regina King, amazing) and the echoes of a real-life massacre of black citizens in 1921 Tulsa, it takes a long, hard look at race, which is one of the (few) concepts not explored in detail in the original comic. Great cast, great look and at least two of the episodes -- Hooded Justice's origin and the courtship of Sister Night and another character -- were some of the best TV I've seen in a long time.



What We Do in the Shadows (FXX): The 2014 movie is one of my favorites of the entire decade (you heard me), and this spin-off TV show, which features new vampires and relocates them to Staten Island, is a fitting sort-of sequel. Brutally funny (and, at times, just plain brutal), it manages to wring  hilarious twists from its vampire reality show premise, and I can never quite guess where it's going to go next. The episode where our heroes were brought before the Vampire Council featured some of the most surprising -- and well-considered -- cameos I've ever seen. I wouldn't think of spoiling them here -- just watch. Trust me.

Runners up: Silicon Valley, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Documentary Now!, Black Mirror, Brooklyn 99, Stranger Things, the Eddie Murphy episode of "Saturday Night Live," CBS Sunday Morning, Game of Thrones (it was fine), etc.