TV gets better and better, but it does not necessarily do so in a straight line.
電視會越來越好，但變好的軌跡未必是直線。
The first several months of 2018, I worried I might have a hard time filling this list. The last half of the year, though, came on with a burst of creativity that kept me adding and subtracting to the last minute.
2018年頭幾個月，我曾擔心這份清單會很難做。而到了後半年，創造力迸發，讓我在最後一刻還在增減這份清單。
This is one reason I don’t rank it in order. I』d be lying if I told you I liked my No. 7 show measurably better than No. 8, and you could make a solid Top 10 out of my near-misses (「Babylon Berlin,」 「Crazy Ex-Girlfriend」 and 「Better Call Saul」 among them).
這是我不給清單排名的原因之一。如果我告訴你，我對第7名的喜愛遠勝第8名，那是在撒謊，而即便是用差了一點點沒有被我選上的劇，也可以做出一份妥妥的十佳清單（比如《巴比倫柏林》、《瘋狂前女友》和《風騷律師》）。
《美國諜夢》中的馬修·瑞斯和凱麗·拉塞爾。 PATRICK HARBRON/FX
『The Americans』 (FX)
《美國諜夢》（The Americans，FX頻道）
You had to know the ending was going to hurt. The final season of this family spy drama with a melancholy heart as big as Mother Russia brought the long con of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) to an end. The devastating, though largely bloodless, finale stayed true to the series’s theme that often the greatest sacrifices you make for a doomed cause are emotional. (Streaming on Amazon.)
你得知道結局會很傷人。這部家庭間諜劇有著《俄羅斯媽媽(Russian Mom)》一般巨大的陰鬱內核，在最後一季，伊莉莎白和菲利普·詹寧斯夫婦(凱麗·拉塞爾[Keri Russell]和馬修·瑞斯[Matthew Rhys]扮演)的長線騙局走到了終結。結局雖然悲慘，但大體上並未流血，且保持了該劇的主題，即你為一項沒落事業所做的最大的犧牲往往是令人動情的。（亞馬遜的視頻流點播）
『America to Me』 (Starz)
《美國於我》（The America to Me，Starz頻道）
I cringe when critics say, 「You have to watch this」 — there’s no better way to make TV sound like a chore. But this 10-part documentary, set at a racially integrated school in Oak Park, Ill., was not homework. The sprawling, nuance-minded story explored the difficulties of racial inequity, even in a socially conscious school. But more than that, it was an involving, big-hearted story of kids, their dreams, their challenges, their triumphs and their everyday drama. You don’t have to watch 「America to Me.」 But you』ll be glad if you do. (Streaming on Starz.)
當劇評人們說「你必須得看這個」的時候，我還挺猶豫，因為這太容易把看劇變成一種負擔了。但這部發生在伊利諾州橡樹園(Oak Park)，以多種族混合學校為背景的十集紀錄片，並不是家庭作業。故事進展緩慢、處理精妙，探索了種族不平等的困難之處，甚至是在一個有社會意識的學校。但還不止於此，它是一個代入感強，有著寬闊胸懷的故事，它是關於孩子、關於他們的夢想、他們的挑戰、他們的勝利和喜怒哀樂的。你不一定要看《美國於我》。但如果你選擇看的話我會很高興。（Starz視頻流）
『Atlanta Robbin』 Season』 (FX)
《亞特蘭大》第二季（Atlanta Robbin，FX頻道）
The second season of 「Atlanta」 had a theme: money, scams and the precarious struggle of its characters on the periphery of the hip-hop business to hang on to what they have. But this creation by Donald Glover and company also retained its ability to become anything from episode to episode: gothic horror in the episode 「Teddy Perkins,」 picaresque comedy in 「Barbershop」 and poignant coming-of-age in 「F.U.B.U.」 At a peak moment for pop-culture Afro-surrealism (「Random Acts of Flyness」 on TV, 「Sorry to Bother You」 in the theaters), 「Atlanta」 remained the kingpin. (Streaming on FX Plus.)
《亞特蘭大》第二季的主題：金錢、騙局和角色們為抓住手中所有的而在嘻哈生意邊緣的脆弱掙扎。但唐納德·格洛弗(Donald Glover)等人的這部劇仍然擁有在每集之間變化無窮的能力：「Teddy Perkins」的哥特恐怖，「Barbershop」的惡漢喜劇，以及「F.U.B.U.」中沉痛的成年故事。在非裔超現實主義流行文化（電視系列片《隨機機智行為》和電影《扮工室上位攻略》）的巔峰時刻，《亞特蘭大》仍是扛鼎之作。（FX Plus流媒體播出）
《巴裡》中的比爾·哈德爾。 HBO
『Barry』 (HBO) and 『Killing Eve』 (BBC America)
HBO出品的《巴裡》(Barry)和BBC America出品的《殺死伊芙》(Killing Eve)
I pair these shows together not to cheat an extra show into my list — well, maybe a little bit — but because they’re two sides of a bloody coin. Both are mordant stories about assassins: Barry (Bill Hader), a burned out ex-soldier who longs to become an actor, and Villanelle (Jodie Comer), a gleeful huntress playing cat-and-mouse with an intelligence-agency bureaucrat (Sandra Oh). But beyond the obvious, these two stories show how some of today’s best TV exists in a gray area between genres. 「Barry,」 a half-hour 「comedy」 from Hader and Alec Berg, developed into something closer to a melancholy short drama; the creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge infused 「Eve」 with the brio of a dark comedy, though its hour length marked it as 「crime drama.」 Label them what you like; each hit its target. (「Barry」 is streaming on HBO; 「Killing Eve」 is streaming on Hulu.)
我將這兩部劇放在一起，不是為了耍賴多塞一個劇進榜單——當然了，可能有那麼點兒——而是因為它們是一枚血腥硬幣的兩面。兩部都是關於刺客的尖酸故事：巴裡（比爾·哈德爾[Bill Hader]飾）是個心灰意懶的退伍軍人，渴望去當演員，Villanelle（朱迪·科默[Jodie Comer]飾）是一個歡快的女獵手，和情報局官僚（吳珊卓[Sandra Oh]飾）玩起了貓捉老鼠的遊戲。但在表面之下，這兩則故事顯示出當今最佳的一些劇集如何存在於不同題材之間的灰色地帶。《巴裡》是哈德爾和亞力克·博格(Alec Berg)的半小時「喜劇」，漸漸轉向了陰鬱的短劇；在《殺死伊芙》裡，編劇菲比·沃勒-布裡奇(Phoebe Waller-Bridge)給「伊芙」注入了黑色喜劇色彩，雖然一小時的長度讓它被打上了「犯罪正劇」的標籤。但是不管你管它們叫什麼，它們都達到了各自的目的。（《巴裡》在HBO上流媒體播出；《殺死伊芙》在Hulu上流媒體播出。）
『BoJack Horseman』 (Netflix)
《馬男波傑克》(BoJack Horseman，Netflix)
All things being equal, I prefer not to list the same show two years in a row. (This was the tiebreaker that barely eliminated 「The Good Place.」) 「BoJack」 is a pristine example; after five seasons, it is so perceptive, moving and hilarious that it is easy to imagine it cemented on this list permanently. Threading a nuanced arc about the #MeToo movement with a running joke about a robot built out of household appliances and sex toys, the season solidified this cartoon’s case as the best series ever made for streaming. (Streaming on Netflix.)
在所有條件相同的情況下，我不想連續兩年列出同一部劇。（這是《善地》[The Good Place]最終未能入選的決定因素。）《馬男波傑克》是第一次破例；經歷了五季，它還是那樣敏銳、動人和歡快，不難想像它永遠留在這個名單上。這一季通過一個用家用電器和性玩具製造的機器人作為老梗，串起了關於「#我也是」（#MeToo）運動的微妙敘事弧，鞏固了這部卡通片身為流媒體製作的最佳劇集地位。（通過Netflix流媒體觀看。）
『The Good Fight』 (CBS All Access)
《傲骨之戰》(The Good Fight，CBS All Access)
The second season of 「The Good Fight」 was the first great TV response to the election of Donald Trump, which has been marked mostly by a glut of late-night comedy and nostalgia revivals. As the firm of Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) dove into the politics and conflicts of the Trump era — immigration, judicial appointments, #MeToo and a certain rumored Russian-hotel tape — what had been a perfectly decent sequel to 「The Good Wife」 returned invigorated, absurdist and energized for battle. (Streaming on CBS All Access.)
《傲骨之戰》的第二季屬於電視界對唐納·川普當選的早期精彩回應，其主要標誌是大量深夜喜劇和懷舊復興。隨著黛安·洛克哈特（克裡斯汀·芭倫斯基[Christine Baranski]飾）的事務所深入了解川普時代的政治和衝突——移民，司法任命，「#我也是」運動和一些傳聞中的俄羅斯酒店錄音帶——這部《傲骨賢妻》(The Good Wife)的絕妙續集恢復了活力和荒誕感，再度充滿了戰鬥活力。（通過CBS All Access流媒體觀看。）
朱莉婭·羅伯茨（左）和茜茜·斯彭塞克在《歸鄉》中。 HILARY B GAYLE/AMAZON
『Homecoming』 (Amazon)
《歸鄉》（Homecoming, 亞馬遜）
This defense-industry conspiracy thriller moved with military efficiency and artistic stealth. Julia Roberts’s first starring role for TV was her best in years, and she turned in an astonishing, finely calibrated performance. Adapting the series from a podcast drama, the director Sam Esmail applied the cinephilic wizardry he honed on 「Mr. Robot」 to a take on the paranoid thrillers of the 』70s. Best of all, the whole season took a mere 10 half-hour episodes, which flew by but possessed the screen as if they had all the time in the world. (Streaming on Amazon.)
這部國防業陰謀驚悚劇中的軍事效率和藝術性的偽裝打動人心。朱莉婭·羅伯茨(Julia Roberts)第一次出演電視劇，這也是她多年來的最佳角色，她帶來了令人驚訝、極為精準的表演。該劇由播客廣播劇改編而來，導演山姆·艾斯梅爾(Sam Esmail)運用了他在《黑客軍團》(Mr. Robot)中爐火純青的電影手法，呈現出1970年代妄想狂驚悚片的效果。最精彩的是，這部全季10個半小時的劇中，情節飛馳而過，但又不慌不忙，好像有的是時間。（通過亞馬遜流媒體觀看。）
『Lodge 49』 (AMC)
《49號旅社》(Lodge 49，AMC)
Every year there’s a show or two for which my honest review is: 「I can’t describe this. Just watch it.」 「Lodge 49」 gets to its story eventually, enfolding real estate, surfing and the arcane secrets of alchemy. But this comic-melancholy hangout is most worth watching for its generous portraits of the strivers and losers at and around a fraternal lodge in down-and-out Southern California. Oddball and amiable, 「Lodge 49」 looked for meaning in sports-bar restaurants and closing aerospace factories, and it found a peculiar magic. (Streaming on AMC.)
每年總會有一兩部劇，真讓我評論的話，我只能說：「我無法形容。只能自己看。」《49號旅社》最終講完了它的故事，其中包括房地產、衝浪，以及鍊金術的神奇秘密。但這個漫畫般的憂鬱聚會場所最值得一看的，是它為破敗南加州這個兄弟會之內及周邊那些努力者和失敗者描繪的大量肖像。古怪而又可親，《49號旅社》在體育酒吧餐廳和關閉的航空工廠當中尋找意義，它發現了一種奇特的魔力。 （通過AMC流媒體觀看。）
『Pose』 (FX)
《姿態》(Pose，FX)
On the demanding floor of New York’s 1980s ballroom competitions, the judging standard was flawlessness. But to me, moments of transcendence matter more than lack of faults. And in those moments, Ryan Murphy’s resplendent series soared like a plumed miracle. 「Pose」 had clumsy and oversentimental aspects. But it also had an immediate verve, cut-to-the-bone performances and heart to spare. I』ll probably think of 「Pose」 more than anything else when I think of 2018 TV, and if that’s not the definition of 「best,」 then it’s something better. (Streaming on FX Plus.)
在紐約1980年代舞廳競賽的那些苛刻的舞池裡，評判的標準就是完美無缺。但對我來說，超驗的瞬間比不出錯更重要。瑞安·墨菲(Ryan Murphy)這部精彩的劇集，就是在這種瞬間裡恣意飛揚。《姿態》有笨拙和過分傷感的方面。但它也有一種直接的韻味，切入內心的表演和充沛的感情。提到2018年的電視劇時，我可能最多還是會想到《姿態》，如果這不意味著它是年度「最佳」，那麼可能比「最佳」還要好。（通過FX Plus流媒體觀看。）
『Sharp Objects』 (HBO)
《利器》(Sharp Objects，HBO)
I teetered between this limited series and the excellent 「My Brilliant Friend」 for what you might call the HBO literary-adaptation slot. 「Sharp Objects,」 adapted by Marti Noxon from the novel by Gillian Flynn, was the more inventive reimagining for the screen, and thus better TV as TV. Noxon captured the open-wound psyche of Camille Preaker (a wholly committed Amy Adams). The director, Jean-Marc Vallée, created a soundscape and aesthetic that was almost tactile: You could feel the humidity, hear the lazy insects. Few series have done so well at putting you in a protagonist’s mind and in her world. (Streaming on HBO.)
我在這部有局限的劇和優秀的《我的天才女友》之間猶豫，不知哪部才是HBO的最佳文學改編。由馬蒂·諾克森(Marti Noxon)改編自吉莉安·弗林(Gillian Flynn)小說的《利器》，為電視屏幕進行了更具創造性的重構，因此作為電視劇來說更勝一籌。諾克森捕捉了卡米爾·普裡克（由全心投入的艾米·亞當斯[Amy Adams]飾演）深受創傷的心理。導演讓-馬克·瓦雷(Jean-MarcVallée)創造了幾乎觸手可及的音景與美學：你可以感受到空氣的溼度，聽到昆蟲懶散的聲音。很少有哪些劇集能夠如此精美，讓你能夠走進主角的內心和她的世界。（通過HBO流媒體觀看。）
James Poniewozik是時報首席電視評論家。 他主要撰寫電視評論和文章，反映不斷變化的文化和政治。 他曾在《時代》雜誌擔任專欄作家和評論家長達16年。@poniewozik
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