Best of 2016: Television

Making this list was kind of difficult this year because with several of my favorite shows leaving the air for good (Hannibal, Parks and Recreation, Justified, and The Knick) as well as some other shows not airing any new episodes this year (Fargo, Nathan For You and Review) it cut down my list of old standbys considerably. That being said, there were some returning favorites as well as a few great new shows.


10) Brooklyn Nine-Nine

After working as a producer and writer on The Office, Michael Schur went on to co-create Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and most recently The Good Place. There's a common thread in all of these shows which is that the characters are allowed to do silly and preposterous things as long as they are within the boundaries of their character. Following in the footsteps of his previous shows, Schur and co-creator Dan Goor always make sure that on top of being funny the audience ends up caring about the characters used to populate the world.

9) The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

I seemed to have more problems with this anthology series than most viewers and critics but that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. There were winks at the camera with references to the Kardashian family and some subpar performances. However, stellar performances from Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran and Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden helped to elevate the source material and make a story we all know the ending to infinitely watchable.

8) Game of Thrones

I can't really describe why but despite the insane cult following, many awards and and generally universal critical acclaim, Game of Thrones has always been a show I enjoyed but felt it more as a guilty pleasure than the standard bearer for great television. However, in the sixth season, I believe they put forward their best work to date. Several episodes in the season were as good as anything on television.

7) Man Seeking Woman

If there's a more surreal or absurd scripted sitcom on television then I'm not aware of it. Man Seeking Woman followed up a very strong first season with another hilarious 10 episodes. Creator Simon Rich and his writing staff take some big swings and they aren't always home runs but it consistently makes me laugh which is why it made my top ten shows for a second year in a row.


6) Better Call Saul

In a way, I feel bad for the creative team behind Better Call Saul. Even though they've put out two very good seasons of television with some great moments, they'll never be judged on their own because of the show's connection to Breaking Bad. That being said, I've enjoyed the show a great deal and tried to judge it on its own merits even with the numerous winks and nods to the show's predecessor.

5) The Night Of

Another terrific outing from HBO who enlisted talented writers Richard Price and Steve Zaillian to adapt the British series Criminal Justice into the miniseries The Night Of. The writing is excellent in giving the audience just enough rope to speculate as to the outcome of the murder in question. A cast including John Turturro, Riz Ahmed and Bill Camp do tremendous work as the attorney, the suspect and the detective respectively. 

4) Atlanta

I didn't get around to watching Atlanta when it was airing but I caught up later and loved it. It's a show that has moments that feel incredibly real that are juxtaposed with some absurdist satire. Creator and star Donald Glover is great as the down on his luck producer but his co-stars Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and especially Keith Stanfield are all perfectly cast. Slowly but surely FX has built a roster of TV shows to rival or exceed just about any network.

3) Mr. Robot

Following up an excellent first season of a creative new show is very difficult but that didn't slow down Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. It was not a perfect season but it had contained several of my very favorite and ambitious scenes of anything that I saw this year including the insane opening sequence during the season's sixth episode.

2) Stranger Things

No show seemed to have exploded this year quite like Stranger Things. After being rejected by several cable networks, creators Matt and Ross Duffer found a home at Netflix for the series set in 1983 that plays like Stephen King's greatest hits. Despite having some very familiar elements Stranger Things manages to succeed on its own without feeling derivative. The score and cinematography push it to another level.


1) The Americans

Despite being among the very best shows on television for four years in a row, The Americans has yet to find a wide audience. Thankfully the President of FX John Landgraf seems to be less concerned with ratings than making a quality product as the network has renewed the show for a final two seasons despite declining ratings. Everything from the writing to the acting to the set design is nearly perfect in every episode. As the show continues further and further you become more invested in the characters. Given the recent developments politically between the United States and Russia the content of the show is as timely as ever.

Honorable mention:

Animal Kingdom
Comedy Bang Bang
Halt and Catch Fire
Search Party
Silicon Valley
Westworld