ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY AND AWARD NEWS  JUNE 25, 2019 The Best TV of 2019, So Far We’re nearly six months through 2019, which means it’s time to stop, take stock of everything we’ve been bingeing so far—and determine which TV series we’ll be talking about through December, and beyond. Vanity Fair’s Sonia Saraiya has pulled together her list of the best TV of 2019 so far, with an assist from chief critic Richard Lawson. Theirs is an eclectic list, covering everything from a somber limited series that has turned new attention onto a historical tragedy (HBO’s Chernobyl) to an upstart comedy from a searing new voice (Hulu’s Ramy) to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s charming, uncategorizable, crazy good second season of Fleabag(which airs in the U.S. on Amazon Prime). There’s also space for a sleeper reality hit: Love Island, a captivating British import that, writes Lawson, “never gets too mean, too drunk, or too stupid to look like an American dating show. Instead, the Brits and Scots and Irishwomen of Love Island are pleasant house cats, chasing patches of Mallorca sun as they navigate contrived relationships with a disarming friendliness.” Elsewhere in HWD, Laura Bradley tries to figure out if The Bachelor and its ilk have gotten better at making lasting matches—or if the show has simply changed its standards for romance; Joanna Robinson chats with Noah Hawley about getting Legion back on track for its third and final season; Paul Chi catches up with the stars of Showtime’s The Loudest Voice, a Roger Ailes–focused limited series based on a book by V.F.’s own Gabriel Sherman; and Yohana Desta investigates whether the latest James Bond film is actually cursed. Tune In From a conflicted hitman to a sex addict in love to a groundbreaking comedy about identity (and one criminally entertaining British reality show), our critics choose their favorites from the first six months of 2019. READ MORE » Rose to the Occasion The past few years have seen more successful, lasting romantic relationships form across The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise. Where did they go right? READ MORE » The X Factor Rap battles, Charles Manson references, and a frank reckoning with sexual assault make for an impressive grand finale as Legion enters its third season. READ MORE » What Ailes You “We all should be looking to examine how someone like Roger Ailes got to this place, and to prevent this from happening again,” Oscar winner Russell Crowe said at the premiere of The Loudest Voice. READ MORE » Shaky, Not Stirred A disturbing new report is just the latest troublesome report from the beleaguered Daniel Craig film known as Bond 25. READ MORE »