Photo: SundanceTV/Rectify
2. Rectify
Rectify just aired its series finale, and I’ve been screaming into the television void for four seasons trying to get folks to watch it. Because it is the absolute most beautiful show ever, I’ve been writing about it every week since that first season. It’s been on my “best of TV” list since then, and in fact, it’s on almost every single critic’s list this year as well. I really can’t oversell this show. It’s just plain magnificent.
Rectify is the story of Daniel Holden, who was convicted of the rape and murder of his high school girlfriend. He spent 19 years in solitary confinement on death row, and then was released when his conviction was overturned with DNA evidence. It’s not really a crime-whodunit, but more like a free verse poem about the meditations of being human. Set in the small, southern town of Paulie, Georgia and written and directed by Georgia native Ray McKinnon, it is one of the most genuine explorations of our shared identities.
Related Story: 5 Things You Need To Know About ‘Rectify’
Rectify has a methodical and deliberate pace that bucks contemporary television norms, and that is part of what is so remarkable about it. There aren’t a lot of explosions, sex scenes, or insane plot twists. It’s just about a family trying to figure out how to exist in the world.