Now that 2016 has
ended, it's time to keep up with another annual blog tradition: year-end lists.
Today, the focus is TV, which doesn't just mean TV anymore thanks to Netflix,
Amazon, Hulu, and even Louis CK. But, it's a two-letter short hand that I like
using.
In 2016, I did the
unthinkable. I pulled back...slightly. After my show count from '14 to '15
jumped from 47 shows to 69, in 2016, I actually watched less than the year
before. Yes, this year, I watched a measly 65 [new] shows. Given how scripted
TV is ballooning every year (over 450 scripted shows this year - a new record),
it feels like I barely watched anything at all.
It was a strong
year for TV. It's never been deeper with quality program. In my own list, I was
surprised how far down the list I went before I get to shows that I genuinely
thought were weak (somewhere in the 40s, maybe). I say it all the time, but if
you can't find good TV to watch now, that's a you problem. There is increased
variety in structure, tone, style, casting. There's talented newcomers and an
increasing amount of movie talent joining series. It's hard to find a box that
isn't checked by at least a couple shows. There's still a ways to go, but it's
never been better.
In past years, I've
broken my TV list down into several blog posts. This year, I'll try out one big
list. I'm not sure if that will make it more or less overwhelming. For me, it
still means way more hours of work than I was prepared for. Oh well, it
wouldn't be a narcissistic obsession if it was convenient and involved
teamwork.
As always, one last
clerical note before I get into the list. This is my assessment of my favorite
shows. It's a strange mix of quality, preference, and politics that I use to
rank everything I watched. In simplest terms, I ask myself "what series
would I miss the most if it didn't exist?" and rate accordingly. I rank
all the shows I watched, but the further down the list you go, the more fluid
those rankings are. I feel more strongly about how I rank my #3 and #4 shows
than my #43 and #44 shows. So, without further delay, here you go.
Top 10
I wouldn't say the
shows at the very top of the least are "weaker" than 2015, but they
are definitely transitional. Due to series endings or hiatuses only 3 of my top
10 from last year are even eligible this year. As a result, some senior shows
got big bumps and there was more room for excellent freshman series to debut
high.
1. Veep (S5) (HBO)
Last Year: #2
Favorite Episode:
"Kissing Your Sister"
It was number one
when I check in mid-year and nothing could unseat it. In season 5, Veep
did the unthinkable by replacing showrunner Armando Ianucci, the creator and
one of the most distinct TV writers around, with Seinfeld veteran David
Mandel and didn't miss a beat. In fact, this may be the strongest season yet.
Thanks to a November election full of twists and a campaign preceding it that
was full of childish behavior, I've heard many people say that Veep was
perhaps too timely this season. I'm not going to deduct points for that
though. No show made me laugh more or more consistently this year as it
followed Selina Meyer through a presidential recount and eventual defeat. Julia
Louise Dreyfus won her 5th consecutive (and deserved) Emmy as Veep
repeated as Outstanding Comedy Series. It's hard to argue with the result.
Whether it was Dreyfus' gloriously conflicted work in "Mother" as she
processed both the death of her mother and further setbacks in the recount,
Jonah Ryan's Congressional campaign, or Catherine's documentary in
"Kissing Your Sister", the laughs never stopped. No comedy has a
deeper bench. Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Gary Cole, Sufe
Bradshaw, and Kevin Dunn all understand their characters deeply. The pairing of
Timothy Simons and Sam Richardson is one of the happiest accidents on TV from
the last few years, and putting them in the middle of a congressional campaign
unlocked a whole new level of comedy. I don't know what more I can say about
this show. It's the best pure comedy on TV by a healthy margin and easily the
best thing I watched in 2016.
2. The Americans (S4) (FX)
Last Year: #6
Favorite Episode:
"The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears"
Another show that I
couldn't move from where I had it on the list mid-season. I think people are
finally catching onto this gem of a show. I mean, its ratings still suck*. But,
it's picking up Emmy nominations finally, and I don't have as many people tell
me "I've never heard of that" when I mention it. Season 4 was brutal
by nearly every measure. Poor Martha was forced to hide in Russia. Nina, once a
vital piece of the show, was executed in a harsh and abrupt fashion that has me
thinking no one is safe on this show anymore. Even poor Agent Gaad didn't make
it out alive. Elizabeth's verbal evisceration of Paige about Pastor Tim was
chilling. I'm still not sure how the show made Elizabeth's betrayal of Young
Hee feel like the worst thing she's ever done, but they did. The tension got so
high this year that even Phillip and Elizabeth needed to take a couple months
off. And, no show has more fun with an anti-climactic finale than The
Americans. Look, I'm someone who is quick to pick at what is wrong with a
show (just ask anyone who talks to me about TV) and I can't come up with
anything bad to say about Season 4 of The Americans. It's great TV.
*No worries. FX
knows what they've got and already signed on for two more seasons before it
ends.
3. Rectify (S4) (Sundance)
Last Year: #18
Favorite Episode: "All I'm Sayin'"
Ok Serial fans. Imagine Adnan Syed gets exonerated for the murder of
Hae Min Lee tomorrow due to some DNA evidence. Now, after nearly 20 years in
prison, where he assumed he'd spend the rest of his life, he is free and living
with his family, trying to adjust to a life where hope is allowed. In a
nutshell, that is Rectify, only Daniel Holden (Aden Young) was isolated
in Death Row for all that time and doesn't actually know if he's responsible
for the death of his girlfriend when he was 18. 2016 featured the closing
chapter of this wonderful, overlooked series and it ended as strong as it's
ever been.
Daniel, forced out of his hometown and the state of Georgia, moves into a
halfway house in Nashville where he's forced to bond with the other men in the
house (including John Marshall Jones, better than I've ever seen him). The rest
of the family - Amantha, Janet, Tawney, Ted, Teddy, and Jared - have to figure
out what to do without Daniel in their lives again. Meanwhile, Jon, Daniel's attorney,
working on no one's orders, works feverishly to get Daniel's plea deal
overturned. As any fan of Rectify knows, none of this happens in big
moments, and Ray McKinnon and company aren't really concerned with proving
Daniel's innocence. I love how small and understated this series is. Aden Young
does more in silence than most actors can do with several pages of dialogue.
Clayne Crawford is devastating at times in his transformation from villain in
season one to perhaps the most sympathetic character in the series by the end.
Abigail Spencer, Adelaide Clemens, J. Smith-Cameron. Everyone is so fantastic
in this series. Even Bruce McKinnon, as the patriarch of this fractured family
starts to let down his defenses.
So far, I've been unsuccessful at convincing anyone to watch this series,
and that's a shame. For the last four years, it has been one of the best dramas
on TV and I can't wait for people to discover this for years to come. Do
yourself a favor and watch it now (on Netflix).
4. OJ Simpson: Made in America (~) (ESPN)
Last Year: N/A
This five-part
documentary series actually gained on my list since the mid-year. That's
because it has stuck with me more than just about anything I've watched in
2016. It's an exhaustive dive into both the man and the city that made OJ
Simpson's murder trial the "Trial of the Century". This is a
marvelously structured documentary that tells a story as well as any fictional
series. It goes into greater depth than I thought I'd need, down to a Hertz
executive explaining the strategy involved in Simpson's commercial spots or the
former director breaking down one of OJ's performances. I'll have no issue if this
manages to get both an Emmy and an Oscar somehow*.
*And, thanks to
wonky rules for the Emmys and Oscars, that's very possible.
5. BoJack Horseman (S3) (Netflix)
Last Year:
Should've Watched
Favorite Episode: "Fish Out of Water"
This is at least the first show on my list that may benefit from the fact
that I caught up on all of it this year. The seasons are blurring together
some, although I'm pretty sure season 3 is deserving of fifth place in 2016 all
by itself. I was doubtful about this show. I have a bias against animated
series that I am working on. But I had no trouble opening up to BoJack
Horseman, which is the best Hollywood satire on TV and making a case for
being up there with the greats (30 Rock, The Larry Sanders Show).
Season 3 proved that success was not enough to make BoJack happy. The end of
the penultimate episode with the death of Sarah Lynn was one of the saddest TV
moments of the year. The mostly silent episode "Fish Out of Water" -
a melancholy half-hour with BoJack visiting a strange land, reminiscent to Lost
in Translation in all the right ways, that builds to a killer punchline -
is rightfully being praised as one of the best single episodes of the year on
any series. Whether you're more man than a horse or more horse than a man, this
was a great season.
6. Atlanta (S1) (FX)
Last Year: N/A
Favorite Episode: "B.A.N."
I'm on board with anything Donald Glover wants to do. I think he is one of
the most talented entertainers around (TV. Movies. Music. Anything). So, it was
no surprise that this series with Glover playing a man trying to manage his
rapper cousin* that Glover created, wrote for, starred in, and occasionally
directed immediately became priority viewing. It's an incredibly diverse show,
and I don't mean the casting (even though it is an all-black cast). One week it
could be about a celebrity basketball tournament with Just Bieber being played
by a black man. Then next it could be told entirely from the perspective of a
side character. After that, a fake talk show complete with SNL-style commercial
parodies. Follow that with an episode at a night club with a rapper who has an
invisible car. There's no way to predict what will happen next. In addition to
Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Keith Standield, and Zazie Beetz are all great and
get plenty of spotlights throughout the season. The Louie influence is
obvious, and that was also a show I also loved. I'm very excited for season 2,
whenever that happens**.
*That's a major oversimplification, but I don't have the time to otherwise
explain it.
**There's going to be a second season. Glover's a little busy playing Lando
Calrissian at the moment.
7. The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story (S1) (FX)
Last Year: N/A
Favorite Episode:
"A Jury in Jail"
Don't read too much into the drop in the rankings from mid-year. I still
think this is a gem of a series. 2016 was just a strong year, and this was on
so long ago that maybe I'm forgetting about how great it was. This was an
excellently structured 10 episodes. Each episode had a specific point of view
and told a specific story. My personal favorite was the episode focusing on the
jury and the antics of the two legal teams to get their preferred jurors. Other
highlights include "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia", which follows Marcia
Clark (Sarah Paulson) as she deals with the unfair sexism in her treatment by
the media or Johnny Cochran's (Courtney B. Vance) legal strategizing in
"The Race Card". Paulson, Vance, and Sterling K. Brown as Chris
Darden make for the best trio on any show this year. John Travolta gives a
committed performance as Robert Shapiro that I'm starting to come around on.
Even David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian went from a punchline early on
("Juice!") to going through a tragic story arc, slowly realizing that
his friend probably did commit the murders her was on trial for. This was a fun
and addictive series.
8. Brooklyn Nine Nine (S3-4) (FOX)
Last Year: #12
Favorite Episode: "9 Days"
I'm as surprised to see this here as you are. And I shouldn't be,
especially given the strength of the episodes it ended the year with. Brooklyn
Nine Nine is a victim of its light tone and consistency. When a cast gels
this well together, it's easy to take for granted. Andre Braugher is a national
treasure. Terry Crews too. And Joe Lo Truglio. Everyone, really. They continue
to handle the Jake and Amy relationship in a way that keeps them funny and
allows them to be about more than that relationship. I wasn't crazy about the
Pimento (Jason Mantzoukas) story arc, but even those episodes had some great
moments. "9 Days" featuring Holt and Peralta with the mumps is
probably the most I've laughed at any episode of a show all year. If that isn't
enough, I challenge you to find a show on the air right now that has better
cold opens than Brooklyn Nine Nine.
9. Better Call Saul (S2) (FX)
Last Year: #22
Favorite Episode:
"Inflatable"
It turns out that the easiest way to get out of Breaking Bad's
shadow is to break the prequel into two shows. One is the straightforward
prequel we all knew we wanted, following Mike Ehrmantraut as he gets deeper
into the criminal world in Albuquerque, leading ever closer to the Chicken Man
and, eventually, Heisenberg. The other is a quirky show about a lawyer trying
to go straight but continually falling back into his con-man ways. And the
latter is the more interesting of the two halves. Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk)
going up against his brother (Michael McKean) has all the intensity of the
greatest Heisenberg showdowns but with an even longer history behind them.
Meanwhile, Rhea Seahorn has managed to make doing mundane lawyer work one of
the most engaging parts of the show every week. If they can keep this going at
this level, they can take as long as they want to get to The Man Who Knocks.
10. Game of Thrones (S6) (HBO)
Last Year: #11
Favorite Episode:
"The Winds of Winter"
It's become cool to
shit on the reigning Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama series. That's how it is
with any popular series. And, I won't suggest that GoT is a perfect
series. It's always had its problems. Its sexual politics are deplorable and it
still relishes in sadism a little too much. Trying to balance all the stories
inevitably leads to some weak stretches. But, when it's working, few shows are
better. I'm continually impressed by the production of it all. To make ten
episodes a year with that many actors and locations to juggle, it's nothing
short of a miracle that any episode works at all. Episodes like "The
Door" and "The Winds of Winter" are some of the best the show
has even done. With the end in sight, the stories are finally contracting. That
means more main characters are interacting with one another and the
eventfulness from episode to episode has risen tremendously. While this isn't
the best show on TV, it may be the most impressive.
Next 10
11. Halt and Catch Fire (S3) (AMC)
Last Year: #25
Favorite Episode: "The Threshold"
I don't know how this show is still alive, but I'm glad it is. Almost no
one watched Season 3, but the few of us who did were treated with the payoff of
three seasons of character and foundation building as several conflicts of art
vs. business hit their break-point. Nothing I saw this year was as tense as the
IPO vote in "The Threshold". An IPO vote! I'm yawning just saying
that, but Halt had me on the edge of my seat when it happened. And some
argue that that isn't even the high point of the season. The show was sold on
Lee Pace's anti-hero Joe MacMillan, but by the third season, it's the
discovered pairing of Kerry Bishe and Mackenzie Davis that's the life blood of
the show. At the beginning of season one, who would've guessed that Toby Huss's
Bos would be the soul of the show? It's lovely to see a show rewarding the
patience of its audience so much for waiting as it figured itself out.
12. The Middle (S7-8) (ABC)
Last Year: #13
Favorite Episode "Floating 50"
I stand by everything I said about this show mid-year and in mybreakdown of it earlier in the year. This is my ultimate "comfort
food" show. It's not flashy. There's no upping of the stakes. It's a
simple family comedy with a complete understanding of its characters. Few shows
have ever handled the aging of the children better. It hasn't been the
"Patricia Heaton Show" for several years and that's to its benefit.
Eight seasons in, I know I'm not convincing anyone to give it a chance who
hasn't already. All I can say is that this is one of the best family comedies
of the 2000 (outpacing Modern Family for several seasons now) and it's a
shame that it doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
13. Blackish (S2-3) (ABC)
Last Year: #34
Favorite Episode: "Hope"
There's a very simple reason why I watch so many of these ABC family
comedies: they are really good. There's nothing on the surface about Blackish
that is all that special*. What makes it special is how they approach topics
from a different perspective than I normally see in primetime. Just look at
this string of episodes this fall - "God", "40 Acres and a
Vote", and "Who's Afraid of the Big Black Man?" - which all have
very familiar sitcom plots but manage to say things that I've certainly never
heard on primetime network TV. Oh yeah, and it's hilarious. Anthony Anderson,
Tracee Ellis Ross, and the rest of the adult cast are experts at moving between
serious and cartoonish behavior at a moment's notice, and the kids (especially
Marsai Martin) know how to land a punchline. Virtually any conversation between
Dre and his coworkers is guaranteed to make me pause the DVR to catch up from
laughing. I feel bad not fitting this any higher on my list.
*We are past the point where the Johnsons being a black family is notable
in and of itself, although it is nice to see.
14. Silicon Valley (S3) (HBO)
Last Year: #5
Favorite Episode:
"The Uptick"
You just keep doing what you're doing, Silicon Valley. Sometimes the
formula for a successful show is as simple as creating good characters then
putting an obstacle in their way to see how they respond. Mike Judge and Alec
Berg add another layer to it by continually finding unexpected punchlines, like
in "To Build a Better Beta", which has the Pied Piper crews's
masterplan fall apart thanks to a poorly placed cable and a little clumsiness.
Unlike when I talked about it in the mid-year, I can no longer call Thomas
Middleditch the most-underrecognized lead performance of my top shows. He's
been nominated by the Emmys now. He's surrounded by an equally strong
supporting cast who would each be the "secret weapon" on any other
show. I think I do need to give up hope that they will ever figure out what to
do with Amanda Crew.
15. Girls (S5) (HBO)
Last Year: #19
Favorite Episode: "The Panic in Central Park"
Girls is past its prime. However, that
doesn't mean it doesn't have stories left to tell as its lead characters try to
grow up. The highlights of season five were a pair of single-character focus
episodes - one with Shoshanna in Japan, the other following Marnie around for a
night in NYC. All of the main cast looks like they are ready to move onto
something new and Lena Dunham manages to use that in the penultimate-season for
many character arcs. I feel much more confident about how it's all going to end
next year than I did after season 4.
16. Last Week Tonight (S3) (HBO)
Last Year: #14
Favorite Episode:
"Police Accountability" (but really, take your pick)
I've been hearing a
lot of talk about Full Frontal vs. Last Week Tonight, especially
since the election. That's just stupid because 1) they can and should co-exist
and 2) they aren't fulfilling the same purpose. Full Frontal is where
you go if you want someone to really go after Donald Trump. Last Week
Tonight resisted that. Oliver still went after Trump plenty, but he also
devoted the episode before the election to pyramid schemes multi-level
marketing companies. I found his desire to cover a variety of topics
refreshing, and the jokes and research were just as sharp as ever. The show is
often compared to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but The Colbert
Report may be the better comparison given the way Oliver orchestrates every
episode and his love of pulling off a good stunt.
17. Stranger Things (S1) (Netflix)
Last Year: N/A
Favorite Episode: "Holly, Jolly"
I didn't expect Stranger Things to land so highly on my list (that's
what makes my semi-blind match-ups ranking system so much fun - for me). Simply
put, I didn't go as crazy about the show as the rest of the world. It happens
to me with a lot of Netflix shows. My response to Orange is the New Black
and Making a Murderer were comparatively subdued as well. I'm not sure
why. Normally, I have no problem jumping on a bandwagon.
Regardless, this is a wonderful series. It's proof that nostalgia-driven
series don't have to be bad. Sincerity is one of the hardest things to fake and
Stranger Things shines as a result. The Duffer Brother have a clear love
of movies and books that inspired the series that is palpable as you watch. Add
in a talent cast of young actors and it's no wonder it became such a sleeper
hit. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: if you have good
characters, it doesn't matter how crazy the plot is. Stranger Things
also gets bonus points for Netflix not forcing the Duffers to make 13 episodes,
which tends to kill the momentum of their other series. 8 was enough.
18. Fresh Off the Boat (S2-3) (ABC)
Last Year: #16
Favorite Episode: "Hi, My Name Is..."
Another ABC family comedy with a simple formula (Taiwanese-American Family
+ 1990's) and lets them play. This year could go silly ("Jessica's
Place", which plays like an episode of Jessica's favorite show: Melrose
Place) or somewhat more serious ("Hi, My Name Is...", in which
Evan tries to determine if he should put his American or Taiwanese name on a
legal document) without missing a beat. Constance Wu continues to give an
inspired performance as the boss of the Huang family, and the show keeps
getting surprising mileage from the side characters like Eddie's friends or
Honey and Marvin.
19. The Good Place (S1) (NBC)
Last Year: N/A
Favorite Episode: "Most Improved Player"
My highest rated incomplete new series. What's not to like? Kristen Bell as
the lead. TV legend Ted Danson having a good time in a supporting role. Michael
Schur (Parks & Rec, Brooklyn Nine Nine) as the showrunner.
Only 9 episodes in, it's hard to fully rate the series, but I liked where it
was going before it went on hiatus. This is a super high-concept show which
continues to worry me. The best sitcoms eventually become more about the
characters than the story, and there's signs that that's beginning to happen.
It's been fun seeing how the ensemble is figuring each other out. The show is
still more clever than funny, but it's not far off. Mostly though, Bell,
Danson, and Schur is enough to ease any of my future concerns.
20. Shameless* (S6) (SHO)
Last Year:
Should've watched
Favorite Episode: "NSFW"
Technically, Shameless had two seasons in 2016. I only saw the
Winter season, not the one this Fall. I'm still going to include it though,
because this is my blog and I make the rules. Shameless has aged and it
can get a little exhausting seeing it try to one-up itself all the time. How
much worse can Frank get, really? Emmy Rossum is still so good, as are Jeremy
Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, and Emma Kinney, that the rest doesn't matter.
Everything Else
21. The Jim Gaffigan Show (S2) (TVLand)
The Jim Gaffigan Show is the experimental family sitcom.
The show often jokes about being compared to Louie as a joke. But it's a
fair comparison, especially in a second season that got more daring. There's
the three-episode arc about Jim trying to get a TV show. In one episode, he's
being put on trial for an inappropriate tweet he sent out. In another, he goes
into the depths of the alt-comedy world to try to get taken more seriously as a
New York comedian. The season ends with a flashback episode to Jim as a kid.
Nothing this show does is ever as dangerous as, say, Atlanta, but it's a
far more interesting show than I'd expect from TV Land.
22. The Last Man on Earth (S2-3) (FOX)
It's hard to say how much of this top 30 ranking has to do with how much
they used "Falling Slowly" in season 2. That could've pushed it into
the top 20 in a weaker year (I love that song). The Last Man on Earth
has found a clever balance between comedy of discomfort and some fairly devastating
emotional moments. No show on TV is doing anything quite like this. The first
season and a half really bothered me with how dedicated it was to making
23. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (Netflix)
I already did a thorough examination on this. If we are just going
by content, A Year in the Life is a lower tier show. It was so nice to
visit Stars Hollow again, to catch up with Emily, Paris, and Lorelei, and find
out what those famous last words were that I had to move it up the list.
And, I want to go on record again as saying that I'm hoping this is the
end. I don't need any more (even though I'll watch it if that make it).
24. American Crime (S2) (ABC)
I heard really great things about this season after hearing really mediocre
things about season one, so I took advantage of the anthology setup and watched
the new season only. I appreciated the series more than I enjoyed it. The
performances are top notch, from the veterans I expected it from (Regina King, Felicity
Huffman, Lili Taylor, Timothy Hutton) to the young actors who surprised me
(Connor Jessup, Joey Pollari). I admire the clinical precision of many parts
and certain touches like never showing the faces of different authority figures.
Something never sat well with me about the interviews about school violence
used in one of the episodes though, and the hacktivist blogger was a walking
plot device. The way it all ended was very appropriate.
25. Westworld (S1) (HBO)
Westworld was a divisive series in its first
season. I certainly wasn't a fan of its mystery-box storytelling or the
nihilistic view of human nature. The nature of the robot hosts and the time
hopping made it difficult to connect with just about any character. I'm not a
fan of shows explaining everything by saying the whole season was part of a
masterplan (because it's no fun to watch characters go up against a god). And,
similar to Jurassic World, I have some major questions about the
operations of the park that ever allowed it to get this big.
That said, I still ate it up every week. The production is second to none.
Few shows look as pretty or expensive. The cast is impressive. Evan Rachel Wood
and Thandie Newton stand out. Jeffrey Wright too. Even if Anthony Hopkins only
showed up to deliver exposition (aka "Ford-splaining" things, as I've
heard it called), he was engaging to watch as he did it. The whole show felt
like someone who just bought an expensive sports car and was trying to figure
out how to use it. All the pieces are there to be great, and until that
happens, it's incredibly watchable. Since it turns out that the first season
was more of a prologue than a chapter one, I'm very excited to see the story
actually begin now. It's a series bristling with potential.
26. Orange is the New Black (S4) (Netflix)
Orange continues to have one of the best
casts on TV. The ensemble is deep and talented, so anyone can be given a
spotlight episode and the producers can be confident that she/he will pull it
off. Few moments this year were bigger gut punches than Healy or Suzanne's
flashbacks or Poussey's death. The only thing keeping it out of my top 20 is
that the guards became so cartoonishly evil this year that it was hard to buy
the more human responses by the prisoners.
27. This is Us (S1) (NBC)
This one has been all over the place as I assembled my big list. It's the
network show I was looking forward to the most this fall. I've been waiting
years for Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia to show up on series worth watching.
Sterling K. Brown wowed me in The People vs. OJ Simpson. Creator Dan
Fogelman is responsible for Crazy, Stupid Love: a movie that compares
favorably to any RomCom from the last two decades. The show is definitely still
figuring itself out. They keep searching for someone to pair Kevin (Justin
Hartley) with who doesn't make him look like an ass. Kate (Chrissy Metz) is
slowly becoming about more than her weight. Meanwhile, they keep finding ways
to pull at my heartstrings. I'm worried by how much they've relied on twists so
far. That's not sustainable, or at least it's a dangerous tight-rope to walk.
Hopefully they can keep it going.
28. Catastrophe (S2) (Amazon)
This is another series I caught up on all at once, so the two seasons kind
of bleed together in my mind. It's a short series, following the British model
of never overstaying its welcome, with only six episodes in a season. This
Sharon Horgan/Rob Delaney series about an accidental couple becoming accidental
parents surprised many by jumping ahead a couple years from where season one
left off. They are one of the most real couples on TV. They talk like real
people, not ones reading from a script. And if all that isn't enough,
occasionally, Carrie Fisher (RIP) stops by in all her glory as Delaney's mother
who speaks without a filter.
29. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (S2) (Netflix)
At the end of the day, I just like Tina Fey and Robert Carlock's comedy
style. Ellie Kemper is perfectly cast as Kimmy and it's a joy to watch what she
does. Like 30 Rock, the show is so dense with jokes that if one misses,
another one follows soon after. I personally find Titus Andromedon better in
small does, so he wore on me as the season progressed. Tina Fey's extended
guest role as Kimmy's alcoholic therapist was fantastic as was the perfect
casting of Lisa Kudrow as Kimmy's mom.
30. Better Things (S1) (FX)
Another spiritual successor to Louie. In fact, it's Louie with without the
surreal aspects. Pamela Adlon is wonderful and natural throughout the ten
episodes. The series has a messy view of motherhood that never rings false.
Some days are victories. Many are not. The focus in each episode is scattered,
like in real life. Her family (daughters and mother) tended to annoy me, which
I know is the point somewhat but nonetheless turned me off a little. Still, few
shows ever have something as emotionally complex as the ending to "Woman
is the Something of the Something", in which the payoff to Sam being kept
in the dark about almost landing a dream job is her celebrating not getting
cast in the pilot because it means she can spend more time with her daughter.
31. Mr. Robot (S2) (USA)
Few shows took more and bigger chances than Mr. Robot. Those chances
include an extended multi-camera sitcom dream sequence featuring TV's Alf and
even removing Elliot for an entire episode (which would've been unthinkable in
season 1). Supporting cast members like Carly Chaikin, Portia Doubleday, the terrifying
Stephanie Corneliussenm, and - new to this season - Grace Gummer are quickly
catching up to Rami Malek's superior performance. Creator Sam Esmail has
admitted that he's more interested in the direction in the episodes than the
writing, which shows. The series always looks impressive, but the writing
settles for psych-outs and games a little too often.
32. SNL (S41-42) (NBC)
Like Super Bowl commercials, I question how accurate people are in their
assessment of SNL these days. Is it really so bad now, or have you just
idealized the years when you watched as a teenager? Personally, I think the
cast, especially the females, is quite strong right now. Emmy winner Kate
McKinnon has a deep roster of recurring character from Hillary Clinton to the
woman who keep getting the bad end of every paranormal experience. Leslie Jones
is channeling her energy into something great. Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, and
Vanessa Bayer are doing solid work too. Personally, I like the Colin
Jost/Michael Che Weekend Update and how often they are playing to each
other rather than the audience. This fall has had a string of strong episodes
including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dave Chappelle, and a terrific 9th (I think)
hosting-job by Tom Hanks (David S. Pumpkins!). People need to accept
that while SNL will never be a top 10 show again, it's still pretty
good.
33. The Night Of (S1) (HBO)
No show in 2016 started stronger (compared to the rest of its season) than The
Night Of. The first episode is a master class in building tension. It
follows Naz (Riz Ahmed) through every poor decision and near miss as he is
arrested for a murder that he doesn't know if he committed. The other seven
episodes were more uneven, with good performances from the likes of John
Turturro, Bill Camp, Peyman Moaadi, and Michael Kenneth Williams mixed with
some bafflingly misguided plot decisions, like Naz and his attorney’s make-out
session. That first episode though is worth watching even if you don't continue
after that.
34. Roots (~) (History/A&E)
This remake had a lot to live up to. After all, the original Roots
is the biggest mini-series in TV-history: a cultural event series that broke
ratings records that still stand. Several networks teamed up to produce this
and the result was better than I expected. This version focused more on the
slaves than the white-slave owners. It stuck close to the plot of the original.
All and all, I came away from it pleased, not blown-away.
35. Transparent (S1) (Amazon)
God bless Jill Soloway and her desire to never make things boring. Whether
it's Josh and Shea's road trip, a flashback episode of Maura as a child, or the
gloriousness of Shelly singing Alanis Morrisette on the cruise ship, you never
know quite what to expect. Jeffrey Tambor continues to do career-best work.
Guest stars like Anjelica Huston and Cherry Jones weren't wasted. Season 3
lacked a uniting element like season 2 had, which was missed. I appreciate that
Jill Soloway wants to show that these people aren't perfect, but this season
pushed a little too hard [for me] to show how unlikable they can be.
36. The Simpsons (S27-28) (FOX)
The Simpsons hit 600 episodes this season. That is insane. We all need to
stop and appreciate that for a few minutes. I'll wait while you do that.
...
...
Ok. After 28 years, it's great to know that they can still churn out solid
episodes like "The Town" or "Fland Canyon". After this
long, they aren't here to surprise anyone. That creative team knows what they
do well and bring 20-something episodes of it every year.
37. House of Cards (S4) (Netflix)
I've accepted what House of Cards is. Season 4 was a big improvement
over the listless third season. Giving Francis and Claire an election to win
focused the storytelling. The show is better the more that the Underwoods are
true co-leads and working together. Ellen Burstyn brought in a little extra as
Claire's mother, and Joel Kinnaman is the closest thing that Frank has found to
a worthy nemesis. Too many episodes and side-characters I don't care about are
the only thing dragging it down.
38. Speechless (S1) (ABC)
I'm not sure how I'm this far down on the list and still finding shows that
I really enjoy watching. Speechless is another show from ABC's family
comedy factory. It's the most ready-made show this fall on the major networks.
It has a full understanding of all the characters and what makes them funny.
Minnie Driver is having a blast playing the alpha-mom. Through ten episodes
they've nimbly handled addressing JJ's cerebral palsy without exploiting it.
With a full season of episodes, it's easy to see this jumping up my rankings
next year.
39. Casual (S2) (Hulu)
There's a lot of half hours out there about listless white Los Angelinos. Love,
Togetherness, Flaked, and Transparent too. It's hard for
any of them to stand out. Casual is probably chief among them with that
problem. The core of Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey, and Tara Lynne Barr are fun
together. Season two had some good guest stars like Katie Aselton, Britt
Robertson, Vincent Kartheiser, and Dylan Gelula. Valeria and Alex's father's
assisted suicide was a dark but strong way to end the season. And let's not
forget the Chili’s conversation.
40. New Girl (S5-6) (FOX )
This feels low, because I consistently enjoyed New Girl in 2016. I
was surprised by how well the show handled the mini-arc with Megan Fox filling
in for Zooey Deschanel. High points like the two sides of Schmidt and Cece's
respective bachelor and bachelorette parties were enough to make up to the
points when the show sagged, like the episodes leading up to Jess getting jury
duty. They've given into being a joke machine in the Happy Endings vein
almost entirely now and it works for them.
Do you love Jos Swanberg mumblecore movies (Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas)
but hate having to dedicate over an hour to get a single story? If the answer
is "yes" then you must've enjoyed Easy. His eight-episode
anthology series distilled his brand of storytelling into a shorter form with
an impressive cast in every episode. The rotating cast meant there could be
wild variance from episode to episode. While episodes like
"Controlada", "Utopia", and "Chemistry Road" were
pretty great, others like "Brewery Brother" or "Hop Dreams"
were forgettable. Then there's "Vegan Cinderalla", in which Kiersey
Clemons plays an annoying millennial for 30 minutes that felt like an hour.
42. @ Midnight* (~) (Comedy Central)
I didn't watch all the episodes or anything close to it. It's nice to know
that there's always a few saved on my DVR to delightfully pass some time with.
43. The Crown (S1) (Netflix)
It's a pretty show almost tailor-made to pull in the Downton Abbey
audience. I like that the money is all on the screen for this. It looks as
opulent as it's supposed to. Claire Foy does some great restrained work in the
lead role. It's an internalized performance that is more engaging than it
should be. John Lithgow doesn't seem like good casting to play Winston
Churchill at first (too talk and American) but he's so committed to the role
that it's hard to care. The measured pace of the series wore on me by the end.
The fact that the series is based on well-documented, fairly current events
strangles the momentum pretty often too. But, anything that can make a stand-out
hour out of Winston Churchill getting a portrait painted deserves some measure
of praise.
44. Bob's Burgers (S7-8) (FOX)
This is one of those where there's no a lot to say. It's a consistent show.
I'm likely to get a belly laugh in every episode. It's not perfectly calibrated
to my sense of humor, but it's never a drag.
45. UnREAL (S2) (Lifetime)
Part of the reason it is even this high is because I also binged Season 1
in 2016 and loved it. Season 2 coasted on overflow love of the first season for
quite a while. Constance Zimmer is a freakin' delight. While the dramatic end
of things was a complete mess this season, the funnier parts were just as good
as before. But really, the dramatic stuff was a mess. Too much plot and much of
it poorly handled. How do you have a black man [completely innocent, by the
way] being shot by a cop on a TV show in 2016 and not even return to that
character later in the episode?
It's actually a common occurrence. Surprise first seasons often are
followed by a second season that tries to do too much. Just look at True
Detective or [I'd argue] Mr. Robot. Go back a little further and
there's FNL's second season. It's not impossible for UnREAL to
recalibrate in season 3 and be really good again. After this year, though, I
have my doubts.
46. Modern Family (S7-8) (ABC)
Modern Family is what it is. With the kids
getting even older, it's harder to balance everyone's screen time. They can
still have the occasion inspired episode like "The Party" back in the
Spring. But, most weeks it's the standard "Come up with a punchline, then
reverse-engineer the episode to get there". If the cast wasn't full of
talented comedic actors, I'd be much more tired of it than I am.
47. The Big Bang Theory (S9-10) (CBS)
Is it just me, or does it seem like the writers’ room is divided? Sometimes
the show is interested in pushing characters forward - moving Sheldon and Amy
in together, Bernadette and Howard having a baby. Other times they just want to
suspend the characters where they are forever - i.e. the Raj problem. They
addressed some of this going into the Christmas break, but this definitely
feels like a show with no end game or defined direction. I've always been harsh
on this show. That's a response to never understanding its high ratings, not
because I dislike it. I look at it more like empty calories.
48. American Ninja Warrior (S8) (NBC)
I love watching people who are in very good shape do things that I could
never dream of. No one won this year because they upped the difficulty even
more. It's a simple formula to enjoy, and apparently, I'm not alone, since it
actually managed an Emmy nomination this year for Reality Competition.
49. Battlebots (S2) (ABC)
Remote controlled robots beating the shit out of each other. I can happily
watch that weekly for a couple months during the summer. All hail Tombstone!
50. Meltdown* (S3) (Comedy Central)
If you can't tell by now, this is the point in my list where I move from
shows the I genuinely liked to ones that I watched but had a lot of issues
with. I like Meltdown, in the same way I do Battlebots, Ninja
Warrior, or @ Midnight. Since they aren't scripted, I have a hard
time comparing them with the other shows. That's how they end up in the
qualatative middle of my list. You could argue that I shouldn't even bother
including them here. The way I look at it though is if I watched and I'm
already making the list 60 shows long, why not make it 65?
51. Vinyl (S1) (HBO)
An historic flop for HBO. They laid down a massive amount of money on this
Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, and Terrence Winter project about the 1970s music
industry and no one showed up to watch it. From the pilot, it never worked how
it should. Bobby Cannavale's Richie Finnestra was never as dynamic as he was
unlikable. Olivia Wilde was wasted with a nagging wife role for much of the
season. Juno Temple, Ato Essandoh, and James Jagger had some fun on the punk
band side of things. The show just never equaled the sum of its parts and,
worst of all, had very little luck capturing the spirit of rock and roll that
the series was chasing.
52. Good Girls Revolt (S1) (Amazon)
It looks like this series is dead at this point. That's not a surprise. The
show isn't serious enough to be "prestige" TV or light enough to be
"fun". Genevieve Angelson, Erin Darke, and Anna Camp gave
good-not-great performances. They were characters I liked following around. I
just never knew what I was watching for.
53. Girl Meets World (S2-3) (Disney)
Way too much unearned sentimentality and love triangle shenanigans this
season. Some early episodes like "Girl Meets STEM" and "Girl
Meets Commonism" had me excited for 2016. Then "Girls Meets the Bay
Window" and "Girl Meets Ski Lodge" happened. Here's a good rule
of thumb: If the episode features the little girl Riley and Maya, it's not
going to go well.
54. Archer (S7) (FX)
I just wasn't digging the Figgis Agency. Animated series aren't known for
having trouble aging, but I think the desire to keep with serialized
story-telling has caused Archer to feel old.
55. The Get Down (S1) (Netflix)
When this Baz Luhrmann series got going, it was pretty impressive. Moments
like the rap battle in the finale or Mylene performing her song in the church
were pretty thrilling and I could understand the appeal then. The rest of the
time was a lot of wheel-spinning. How many times in just six episodes did
Ezekiel have to choose between Mylene and Shaolin Fantastic for something? I've always thought Baz Luhrmann is more
style than substance and this is not a case where the style is so good that I
don't care about the other shortcomings.
56. The Flash* (S2) (CW)
Ok, I can't fully blame the low ranking on the series. I only say the
latter half of season 2 in 2016, which didn't have a lot of the episodes I
liked. Mostly, I didn't care about Zoom or Earth 2.
57. Love (S1) (Netflix)
Elements of this I really liked. Gillian Jacobs is great. Claudia O'Doherty
is a delight. I appreciate how committed the show is to sitting with the
uncomfortable moments, but it goes a little too far. I'm still cringing at the
thought of Gus in the writers’ room for Witchata.
58. Luke Cage (S1) (Netflix)
I'm officially exhausted by the Marvel Netflix series. They all go on too
long. No one of them has had 13 episodes of story. Mike Coulter is great as
Luke Cage. Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali, and Rosario Dawson all have some
great moments. I just completely checked out by the mid-season mark and it
never pulled me back in.
59. Tosh.0* (~) (Comedy Central)
I keep falling further and further behind on the show in my DVR as it's
relied increasingly on gross out videos.
60. Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS)
Simply put, it was just not a strong episode of Sherlock and there
were no additional episodes to balance it out.
62. Daredevil (S2) (Netflix)
As I said, I've grown tired of the Netflix Marvel shows. Both the Punisher
and Wilson Fisk were far more interesting than the main cast in the second
season. I didn't really care for Elektra. Matt and Foggy's problems got nearly
as exhausting as keeping Karen in the dark got. And, even still, I didn't
regret watching the show. Remember, the shows on this list on all ones I chose
to watch, and I don't hate-watch.
63. The Walking Dead* (S6-7) (AMC)
It's the year I finally stopped watching The Walking Dead. I've
always liked the show just enough to continue (and to stay relevant in the pop
culture conversation). The Walking Dead has always been good at putting
together a string of strong episodes right as I'm reconsidering why I watch it.
The episodes from season 6 were pretty lousy, basically an 8-episode tease to
introduce Negan. In the meantime, they undid years of great character
development for Carol in particular. Season 6 ended with "Last Day on
Earth" - an awful hour of TV that consisted of our heroes running into
repeated dead ends to kill time (not at all a meta-commentary about how the
show is written) in order to leave the audience on a cliffhanger with Negan.
After that episode, I was effectively done with the show. I don't feel like the
show respects its audience any longer (if it ever did). But, since they've
convinced me before, I decided to check back in for the season 7 premiere to
see if they could pull me back in. Then I got an hour of Negan monologuing,
torture-porn, and characters weeping uncontrollably. Nothing about that
interested me on a story or character level. That episode was more of a
confirmation than a final straw. I'm done with the show on a weekly basis. I've
put in enough time already that I'll probably go back and binge it in the
background for completism, but I'm in no hurry.
64. Fear the Walking Dead* (S2) (AMC)
The Walking Dead annoyed me. Fear the Walking
Dead bored me. That’s worse. After about half a season in 2016, I realized
I just didn't care about any of the characters. Combine that with a reliance on
the same narrative style that bothers me in the mothership show and I decided
to drop it.
65. American Horror Story: Hotel (S6) (FX)
This really isn't fair. A whopping two episodes aired in 2016. That was
enough. I was not the audience for this series. I wanted to be. Lady Gaga
joining the cast had me genuinely excited. Then, I didn't connect with most of
the characters at all or the style. "Battle Royale" was supposed to
be the climactic chapter in the story and I was having trouble even paying
attention to it. Then, the finale sat in my DVR for six months like a threat.
As the bottom show on my list, I do want to make it clear again that these
are personal ratings. I'm not pretending that they are wholly qualitative.
There's reasons to like all these shows. Legitimate reasons. We all have our
own tastes. I have lazy things that suck me into a series just like everyone
else. There's also things I find repellent that others don't. AHS: Hotel
chaffed against me in nearly every way. Still, I can see the appeal. The truly
god-awful TV from 2016 I didn't even bother watching.
-----
There's a few other shows that I began but didn't continue with. Not yet,
at least. I didn't see enough of these shows that I felt I could include them
in the overall list. But again, I'm all about making an exhaustive list, so I
have a couple things to say about them and maybe why I didn't continue.
24 by way of The West Wing. As far as high
concepts go, this is probably the best of the fall. I'm intrigued by the
question of how the world would actually respond in the Designated Survivor
scenario. Simply put, I didn't buy the response that the series proposed. The
world moved from "Oh my god, all these prominent people died and our
nation is under attack" to "let's criticize this new president's
speech like it's a normal Wednesday" way too quickly. The series wanted to
be about an accidental president, not a world under attack.
Insecure* (S1) (HBO)
I'm not sure why I didn't
continue with this Issa Rae half hour past the pilot. I enjoyed the episode and
had every intention of continuing. While it is nice to see a show with an
female African-American lead and I like the idea of supporting that, it's
really about Issa Rae as an individual that I responded to so favorably. I hope
to catch up on it soon.
Scream Queens* (S2) (FOX)
I watched a couple episodes of the new season before stopping. I like the
humor of the show a lot of the time. The Chanels are fun, as is Jamie Lee
Curtis. In theory, I'm fine with moving Zayday into the lead/POV role in place
of Grace. It's just that in the process, Chanel Oberlin Urkel-ed the series and
that's too much Chanel.
Vice Principals* (S1) (HBO)
I respect what Jody Hill and Danny McBride do. Eastbound & Down
has been on my to-do list for years. I'm not a fan of their preferred brand of
humor though. It's far too much about discomfort for my taste. I want to
increase my tolerance. I'm just not there yet. The pilot episode of Vice
Principals was enough to prove that I'm not ready.
-----
Finally, the speculative portion of the list. Every year, there's dozens of
shows that I don't watch and wish I had. There's so many that I briefly thought
about picking one show from every network producing scripted content in 2016.
That's crazy even by my out-of-whack standards. Instead, like most years, I've
settled on 10 shows that I wish I'd found a way to keep up with.
Before I do that, I'd like to apologize to Superstore, The Night Manager,
Sweet/Vicious, The Girlfriend Experience, Jane the Virgin, Happy Valley,
Survivor's Remorse, Black Mirror, Search Party, Broad City, and many others for
not finding room for you.
This is the show most likely to be in my top 10 for 2016 had I watched it.
I'm a huge Louis CK fan and this series is a unicorn. It's entirely
self-produced and distributed (until Hulu picked it up recently). He paid for
it out of his own pocket, assembled an impressive cast (Steve Buscemi, Edie
Falco, Alan Alda, Jessica Lange), and made and released episodes within a week
or so. I can't think of any show produced at that level in that way. The
content of it (Two brothers who own an Irish bar and talk about life and
current events) almost doesn't matter. I keep hearing about a spectacular
performance by Laurie Metcalfe in one episode as well. I was too cheap to buy
the episodes at the time, then it got lost in the shuffle.
Fleabag (S1) (Amazon)
A British import on Amazon Prime from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also stars
in it. It's a mix of shock/gross-out humor and darker, dramatic beats. In a
crowded Fall, it was quietly released and ended up getting a lot of critical
buzz. At only 6 episodes long, I really have no excuse for not finding the
time.
One Mississippi (S1) (Amazon)
I think this was released the same week as Fleabag on Amazon
(because they like to keep people guessing with their release strategy). It's
also six-episodes which I should've been able to find the time for. It's a
series from Tig Notaro about the well-documented period in her life when her
mother dies, right after Tig suffers one life-threatening illness and before
she suffers another one. While Tig is the star, the talk I heard was about
supporting performances from the likes of Noah Harpster and especially John
Rothman.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (S1-2) (The CW)
At least I have the excuse of starting the year behind with this one. The
CW has been killing it for a couple years now with great programming like iZombie,
Jane the Virgin, and this series from Rachel Bloom. I am a fan of Rachel
Bloom and the music I've heard from the show is great. The reviews have
continued to be strong. At this point, I'm just getting scared away by the
episode length (it's easier to catch up on half-hours) and count (18 on the CW
vs. 10 on cable).
Full-Frontal with Samantha Bee (~) (TBS)
I like Samantha Bee and the clips I see are very funny. She's run with the
righteous anger angle for the 2016 election and people really responded to it.
I'm not really a politics junkie, so after Last Week Tonight, I don't
have a voracious appetite for much more. That's why I'm also not keeping up
with Seth Meyers (who I keep hearing did some great stuff about the election)
or Trevor Noah (who is settling into The Daily Show well by all
accounts) either.
Lady Dynamite (S1) (Netflix)
This is basically Maria Bamford's One Mississippi (or maybe the
other way around, given the premiere dates). It's time-hopping and often
surreal. She addresses her history with being bipolar (I think. Again, I
haven't watched it) head-on. Personally, I blame Netflix for releasing too many
shows for this getting buried in my queue.
Shameless (S7) (Showtime)
Thanks to the quick turn-around time for the seasons, I actually got to see
a season (6) from the same year it was released. That meant that the season
this Fall (7) I fell behind on. Look. I love the show. Not seeing it
week-to-week was my biggest regret about dropping my Showtime subscription. The
show is feeling its age but it can still milk plenty of good performances out
of Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, Emma Kenney, and company while being very
funny. I'm certain to catch up on it. I'm fine waiting on Netflix for now.
You're the Worst (S3) (FXX)
I really enjoyed season 1 on FX in 2014. I meant to eventually get to the
second season on Hulu, but I'm lazy and Hulu isn't as convenient for me. Now
I'm two seasons behind and that feels wrong. I want to see what Gretchen,
Jimmy, Lindsay, and Edgar are up to.
The Carmichael Show (S2) (NBC)
It's a traditional multi-cam sitcom about a family discussing issues, much
like a Norman Lear show back in the '70s. It has sitcom veterans like Loretta
Devine and Davis Alan Grier. There's Amber Stevens West from GREEK who,
I'll be honest, I just like to look at. The variety of topics discussed in
season 2 include Bill Cosby, Muslims, Trump, and social media. It's sounds
great.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (S11) (FXX)
It's Always Sunny is probably a top 10 (maybe 20)
all-time series for me. They are about to premiere their 12th season this
Winter, which is insane. I end up getting the DVDs for the seasons eventually,
so I've learned to be patient about getting to the episodes.
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