The 10 Best "Designing Women" Episodes

Was there ever a great show that peaked for as short a time as Designing Women? It’s undeniably a classic — beautifully acted, frequently well-written, and unafraid not only to tackle social issues, but to get passionate about them — but the series, at its very best, had such a short lifespan. Less than a year passed between the show maturing and it showing signs of age, and although sporadic greatness would continue for a few more seasons, that peak level of sustained brilliance never returned.

But even sporadic greatness isn’t anything to sneeze at.

Doctor Who: the companions' best and worst performances (part 2)

Continuing my alphabetical look back at the actors who’ve played companions on Doctor Who. This latest set turned out to be a bit of a love-letter to writer David Whitaker; it wasn’t intentional, but it was inescapable. Anyway, to start from the first chapter of this three-part essay, click here; to take a look at the Doctors’ best and worst performances, click here. And as you scroll through, remember: although I bold the actors’ best and worst performances, for easy viewing, I vary the order in which I list them — so presume nothing. Occasionally, some of the best-loved stories contain some of my least favorite performances.

Louise Jameson (Leela): Jameson commands the screen in "Face of Evil" like no companion before or since.

Hannah, Hanna and Hampshire: The Best of 2019

My annual year in review, following overviews of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

2019 was a ridiculously good year for television. After 2018, when I had trouble finding ten shows I wanted to write about, 2019 left me struggling to trim down my “best of” list to a manageable size. There were too many shows I wanted to praise or — at the very least — acknowledge. (Not that there weren’t disappointments: several series that had topped my year-in-review lists in the past — Grantchester, Elementary, Mindhunter — are noticeably absent here.) So seeing how this entry is coming on the heels of my “10 Best Mary Tyler Moore Show Episodes,” which gave me as much pleasure as any piece I’ve written, I’m adopting a similar approach: I’m counting down my ten favorite shows of 2019, but after each, noting another (vaguely related) show I quite liked. So you're getting twenty recommendations for the length of ten.