A few days ago I published my Top 12 list of what I considered to be the best of television in 2016. It was very difficult trying to narrow down all the great TV I watched this year into a Top 12, but after a lot of thought and effort put into the list, I'm happy with the 12 I landed on. However because there was a lot of great TV that aired this year and my list wasn't ranked anyways, I decided to make a second list of the 15 shows that almost made my Best Of list only to get cut for some reason or another. "The Best Of The Rest Of TV List" as I call it. Could I have just added these 15 shows to my original list and went for a Top 27? Sure but where's the fun in that? Should I have posted this list before my actual Best Of list to avoid confusion? Maybe, but it's too late to do anything about that now. Just a reminder before we get to it that the list isn't ranked, and it is completely subjective so if my opinions don't match your own, that's totally cool. Alright without further ado, you've seen the "Best Of", now meet the "Rest Of".
American Crime (ABC): The second season of John Ridley's anthology drama American Crime (not to be confused with American Crime Story) was one of the most fascinating shows of the year, a sweeping, nuanced look at sexuality, rape, race, gender, class, school violence, and cyber-vigilantism among other things. The season told the story of two schools and a community thrown into disarray when a basketball player at an elite private school accuses a teammate of raping him at a party, an incident that turns out to be more complex than it initially seemed, Connor Jessup and Joey Pollari are terrific as the two boys at the centre of the season, and they're surrounded by an all-star group of performances from the likes of Felicity Huffman, Regina King, Lili Taylor, Timothy Sutton and more. A series of twists and turns throughout the season keep things interesting. The season also utilized several interesting and daring storytelling techniques throughout the season, including a stunning mid-season interpretive dance sequence that highlights the many themes of the story and an episode that intercuts the action with interviews of Columbine survivors, LGBT victims of bullying and the mother of a gay son who committed suicide to devastating effect. The willingness to be bold with the story it told makes the second season of American Crime a must-watch for sure.
Better Things (FX): The show that came the closest to making the "Best Of " list, Better Things was one of my favourite new comedies of the year. Co-created by Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon, Adlon stars as Sam Fox, a divorced actress balancing looking for work with raising her three daughters Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Allgood) and Duke (Olivia Edward). The show is an honest, unflinching look at the ups and downs of motherhood and being a woman through a series of Louie-esque vignettes. Max, Frankie and Duke (particularly Max, who is the oldest daughter) all cause Sam a lot of grief and anger and hurt but at the end of the day, there is a genuine believable love between them. The kids are believable and can be irritating, but in ways that feel true to life. Sam's relationship with her own mother Phyl (Celia Imrie) is also on display, adding another dimension to the show. Of course Better Things is very funny too, with all kinds of great moments and insights in every episode. The show feels like a spiritual successor to Louie, but it's also very much its own thing and I'm excited for more of it.
Black Mirror (Netflix): An episodic anthology show like Black Mirror where every episode is a new story in a new world is always going to be something of a mixed bag. That's just the nature of anthology shows. That being said, I greatly enjoyed the majority of the 3rd season (The first one produced specifically for Netflix) with only one episode that outright didn't work for me (The mind-melting VR madness of Playtest). From the "Social Media Popularity as caste system" world of Nosedive to the "Twitter abuse meets X-Files" thrills of Hated In The Nation, there was always something interesting to latch onto about the ways we use and are used by technology. Black Mirror also almost made my "Best Of" list for one episode alone, San Junipero. What starts as a simple love story between two women in the 80's turns into one of the most emotionally profound and beautiful things I've seen all year, plus it's one of the rare Black Mirror entries that offers something close to hope. It's astounding, and though the rest of the season never matches it, it's still well worth a watch.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox): It's easy to overlook Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The ensemble clicked so quickly and the show got so good, so fast that it's easy to take it's consistency for granted. Even if it's not the most daring or creative show on the block though it's still a show I look forward to spending time with every week. Sure, Andre Braugher snapping from monotone stoicism to unbridled rage/excitement isn't as rare or fresh as it use to be but it's still consistently funny every time (A 4th season moment of him yelling "BONEEE!" is one of his finest line deliveries ever). We know the characters so well at this point that we can guess how they'll react in most situations, but the show still finds moments to surprise us too. The show is also trying new things too as it gets older. It dabbled in heavy serialization in the back half of season 3/first bit of season 4 with exciting and funny results, adding some actual stakes to the show while still keeping it mostly light. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been around for a while at this point, but it's in no danger of growing stale anytime soon.
Game of Thrones (HBO): The 6th season of Game of Thrones was it's most thrilling yet for one simple reason: for the first time ever book readers and show watchers were on mostly equal footing. With the majority of material from the released books covered, season 6 began diving in earnest into uncharted territory, revealing things both expected/suspected (A couple of major twists concerning Jon Snow) and surprising (A Hodor reveal I honestly never saw coming that wrecked me). The show still had it's flaws, mainly concerning the unrelenting terribleness of Ramsay Bolton and the dullness of most Greyjoy-related material that doesn't involve Yara, but a bunch of strong moments throughout the last two incredibly great episodes in particular helped to show why Game of Thrones became so popular in the first place. Bring on season seven!
Galavant (ABC): Galavant, a medieval musical comedy created by Tangled writer Dan Fogelman with music from Alan Menkin and Glenn Slater was a weird little gem of a January burn-off show that shouldn't have got a second season but somehow pulled it off. The first season about a heroic knight Galavant (Joshua Sasse) trying to get his groove back after his love Madalena (Mallory Jansen) chooses the bumbling put powerful King Richard (Timothy Omundson) was flawed, but charming and brilliant in spots (Particularly with it's sympathetic portrayal of Richard) and the second season found the show zeroing in on what worked and hitting it's stride. Richard is betrayed by Madalena and his right-hand man Gareth (Vinnie Jones) and decides to pal up with Galavant, setting up an incredibly rewarding redemptive arc for Richard as he becomes a true hero over the course of the season. Meanwhile as Galavant tries to get back to his true love Isabella (Karen David), the show throws in a bunch of amusing and inventive obstacles that subvert and play with medieval tropes. From an evil sorcerer who's also a wedding planner to a kingdom that's found a primitive version of democracy to a bunch of giants and elves who are all the same size to a soft-shoeing personification of Death, Galavant is loaded with creativity, great jokes, and a bunch of catchy and occasionally affecting songs. The show didn't make it to a third season, but the second season tells a complete compelling story that's great enough to ease the pain of cancellation a little.
The Good Place (NBC): The Good Place started out as a simple fish out of water story, albeit told on a cosmic level. Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) dies and is sent to the good place, a paradise reserved for the cream of the cream of the crop. The only problem is there was a mix-up and Eleanor isn't actually the perfect person neighborhood Architect Michael (Ted Danson) and her fellow residents think she is and doesn't belong there. So Eleanor enlists her ethics professor "soulmate" Chidi (William Jackson-Harper) to try and learn how to be a better person before she's caught and sent to the bad place. The Good Place has greater ambitions than that initial promise though and has grown into a story about unfair systems and what makes someone a "good person". There's plenty of jokes to go along with the ethics and examinations of morality though and the cast is full of stand-outs particularly Danson's Michael, who loves humanity but doesn't understand it. With four episodes left in the first (and hopefully not last) season, The Good Place is a warm, winning delight that grows better and more inventive by the week.
The Grinder (Fox): The Grinder was too good, too clever, and too creative to last, joining the ranks of many a great show cancelled only after a season. The first part of the season established the show's premise and template nicely. Dean Sanderson (Rob Lowe) starred for many years as Mitchard Grinder in the hit legal drama "The Grinder". When his show ends, a visit to his brother Stewart's (Fred Savage) family in Boise, Idaho becomes permanent when he decides to become a real lawyer and join the family law firm despite having no actual experience, much to the bemusement of Stewart and the delight of their father Dean Sr. (William Devine). These first episodes show Stewart adjusting to Dean as he gives terrible advice to Stewart's children, casually abuses his celebrity and tries to use TV logic (Like winning arguments with the phrase "But what if it wasn't?") in real world situations with amusing results. In 2016 however, the show really hit it's stride thanks to a very serialized arc about a TV-esque conspiracy hitting the firm just as Dean gives up being The Grinder which deconstructs the show's own premise in amusing ways. Meanwhile the show was chalked full of insider meta jokes about how TV and the TV business works. For all the loopiness though, the show never lost sight of the heart of the story: the relationship between Dean and Stewart. Even as ratings dropped and cancellation seemed nigh, The Grinder refused to simplify it's storytelling or dumb things down for the audience (Save for an episode where they made fun of doing something like that by indulging in a classical farce plot). It might have doomed the show, but nothing can take away from the greatness of the one season we did get. The Grinder rests.
Man Seeking Woman (FXX): Man Seeking Woman is possibly the most surreal show on television. The characters and how they react to situations are grounded in reality (With the occasional exception of Eric Andre's Mike) and the basic story (Josh Greenberg tries to find love with the help of ultra bro best friend Mike and sensible-ish sister Liz (Britt Lower) but the world and the context of the situations are anything but. In one episode Josh tries to bond with his girlfriend's friends but can't relate to their shared experience of being stalked by a slasher movie villain in a cursed cabin they insist on revisiting. In another Liz has a fling with a married man: Santa Claus. In one of my favourite episodes of 2016, Josh is rejected by a girl he's been nice to and so makes a literal law that you have to date anyone who's nice to you. The rules of the world around Josh, Mike, and Liz vary from segment to segment (For the most part, each episode is a series of loosely connected sketches) but they remain the same in any situation, which helps give you something to connect to, even when the sketches aren't landing. The result is a very funny show with a lot of fresh insight about dating and trying to define yourself in your late 20's.
The Night Of (HBO): I'll be honest. I totally forgot about The Night Of until I saw it on a different Best Of List. Which is why it didn't make my Best Of List. That's not to say it was bad or forgettable or anything. It was terrific, a tense, atmospheric crime drama that carefully followed a murder case and accused killer Nasir "Naz" Khan (Riz Ahmed) through every step of the legal system, showing how stacked it can be against someone without a lot of means to defend themselves. John Turturro was also terrific as John Stone, the ambulance chasing lawyer who stumbles into the case of a lifetime. The show stumbled a bit when it got to the ending which felt a bit too clean in a few parts, but was engaging all the way through. In the end there was just too much good TV for The Night Of to stick in my memory, but now that I've remembered it, I'm definitely planning a rewatch soon.
South Park (Comedy Central): The 20th season was certainly it's most ambitious as it went all in on serialization to tell a 10-episode story about Kyle's unassuming dad Gerald becoming a notorious internet troll, Denmark developing a tool that would make everyone's internet history public in retaliation to trolling, how we treat each other online, a brewing civil war between boys and girls, and the U.S. Presidential Election which was being manipulated by member berries, nostalgia-obsessed fruit trying to bring things back to the good old days. Unfortunately the story got thrown for a loop when Donald Trump was elected president, forcing Matt Stone and Trey Parker to retool things to a degree. As a result, the member berries disappeared from the narrative after episode 8 and the boys/girls clash got mostly downplayed leaving the trolling storyline to carry the brunt of the narrative weight. The results were a bit underwhelming and hurt the season as a whole, but there was still a lot of great moments and clever satire (Particularly with the Member Berries) to make it an overall great season for South Park.
Speechless (ABC): Speechless could have been a treacly and overly-saccharine show about an inspiring lower-class family coping with their oldest son's cerebral palsy as best as they can. Instead it's a smart, irreverent, honest and very funny show that's well on its way to becoming one of TV's best (It mainly missed the main list because of how early in it's run it is.). Micah Fowler is a revelation as J.J. who doesn't let small things like being wheel-chair bound and unable to verbally communicate keep him from being a typical girl-obsessed, popularity-chasing, snarky teenager. The rest of the DiMeo family- Minnie Driver fierce yet careless in most non-J.J. matters matriarch Maya, John Ross Bowie's laid-back, fine with being an idiot Jimmy, Mason Cook's soulful, earnest and geeky Ray and Kyla Kennedy's very intense, very competitive Dylan- are equally well-defined, as is J.J.'s full-time aide Kenneth (A delightful Cedric Yarbrough). Speechless definitely goes for heart-warming sentiment when it tries, but is also happily content to undercut the sappiness with a clever plot turn. Also the ongoing shambles of the DiMeo house is one of the best running gags of the year (A list written on the wall during the Halloween episode can still be seen there 5 episodes later).
Stranger Things (Netflix): Stranger Things took some of the best parts and themes of 80's cinema (Particularly classic Spielberg and John Carpenter) and mixed them all together to make an incredibly fun, incredibly entertaining story that payed homage to the greats, while standing on it's own quite nicely. Winona Ryder and David Harbour both gave great performances as the main adult characters in the story but the real stars were the kids at the heart of things. Talented child actors are hard to find but Stranger Things struck gold with Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb MacLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will) and especially Millie Bobbie Brown as the ET-esque Eleven, who all came across as believable and were able to step up to the plate acting-wise whenever needed. Stranger Things was the most unexpected treat of the summer and I'm definitely stoked for whatever the Duffer Brothers have in store for Stranger Things 2.
Superstore (NBC): I had no expectations for Superstore when it debuted. Comedy had been mostly flailing at NBC for a few years now and even the alright stuff wasn't lasting long. But I checked out the first couple episodes and found myself quickly won over by it's interesting characters, compelling setting and funny stories. The show grew better and more confident by the episode and the second season has been a real treat so far. I finally started to feel like I had found a worthy successor to The Office, one of my favourite shows of all time (Though we still got a ways to go before Superstore gets to that level). If the rest of season 2 (and hopefully season 3) is as strong as it's been so far, Superstore is a shoe-in for a spot on next year's best of list.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix): Another show that came incredibly close to making the "Best Of List", the second season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (And the first one actually written and produced for Netflix) was deeper, weirder, and even more joke-packed than the first. If the first season was about Kimmy learning to confront and move beyond her bunker experience, the second is about her learning to deal with the deeper traumas and resentments that are keeping her from truly moving on. Meanwhile Titus finds himself in a committed relationship, Jacqueline tries to reintegrate herself into rich life to help her family and Lillian fights gentrification. Their stories all weave together and take unexpected turns throughout the season leading to an emotionally cathartic conclusion that sets the stage for season 3 nicely, while still feeling satisfying on it's own. Guest Stars like Fred Armisen, Anna Camp, and Tina Fey all fit into the world perfectly and enrich the story. There's also such a wealth of great jokes, quips, songs, visuals and background gags that each episode demands to be watched at least five times to catch them all.
And with that, Kenny Sage Talks TV, Yo! is officially done with list-making for 2016. Thank God.
Showing posts with label Best Of List. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Of List. Show all posts
Friday, 16 December 2016
Sunday, 11 December 2016
Kenny Sage's Official Best TV of 2016 List, Yo!
It's that time of year where all the respected television critics and other assorted randos put together their lists celebrating the best TV of the year, and for the first time ever, I'm joining those randos. That's right, I'm jumping into the "Best Of List" game with my own list on what I believe to be the best TV of 2016. So a couple things to note before we jump in:
-This list is not ranked because I feel rankings are irrelevant and distract from the purpose of a "Best Of" list. Also it was hard enough narrowing my list down. I didn't want to add to that by ranking what I did have. All shows are listed alphabetically. For what it's worth, if it was a ranked list, The Americans would be at the top (The fact that the alphabetical format puts it at the top anyhow is a happy coincidence).
-This list is Top 12 instead of 10 because I've always found 10 to be an arbitrary number for ranking things. Plus once I settled on the Top 12 I couldn't bring myself to cut anything else and it's not a ranked list anyways so I figured why not 12?
-This list, like every "Best Of" list ever is entirely subjective, informed by my opinions and what I watched. I watched a lot of television this year but I didn't come close to watching everything out there. If I had gotten around to watching stuff like say Halt and Catch Fire, Queen of Sugar or Horace and Pete (The top three things I wish I had gotten around to watching this year), there's a strong chance this list would be different. So if you don't agree with my list, then that's cool. I'm just a guy with a blog. My word is hardly the final one. Feel free to make your own list.
-There were a lot of shows I wanted to put on the final list that didn't make a cut. Those shows will be featured on a "Best Of The Rest Of" list that will be published a few days from now (fingers crossed). So look forward to that.
-Anyways, enough pre-amble. Let's get to the list already!
The Americans (FX): The Americans is both the best show on television barely anyone watches and the best show on television period. A stunner of a period drama about two deep cover Soviet agents (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell doing some of the best work of their careers) in 80's Washington who find the marriage and family they made as part of the cover has become very real, the 4th season (Of what was announced this year to be a six season run) may have been the best yet. As the weight and human cost of the work they do begins to seriously take it's toll on both Philip (Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Russell), the first half of the season builds an increasing amount of dread both from the threat of their secrets being revealed and the deadly biological weapons they're tasked with obtaining before a second half that brings down the threat of exposure without losing the sense that the end is approaching. A number of long-simmering storylines come to inevitable yet still devastating conclusions and multiple long-time regulars die or leave but none of it feels like shock value. Beyond the greatness of Rhys and Russell, there is also constantly great work from the likes of Noah Emmerich (As Stan, the Jennings FBI Agent neighbor), Allison Wright (As Martha, The FBI secretary Philip married as part of an assignment), Costa Ronin (As Oleg, a KGB embassy officer who is starting to waver in his belief to the cause) and many more. As Paige, the teenage daughter who's struggling to come to terms with the truth about her family she learned last year and trying to manage the fallout of an impulsive decision she made to tell her pastor, Holly Taylor is giving one of the best Prestige Show Teenager performances on TV. Dylan Baker is also present this season to bring some welcome levity as William, another Soviet agent who resents how much he's sacrificed for the cause and his presence adds a lot to the story. Ultimately it seems like The Americans is destined to be one of those shows whose greatness isn't truly appreciated until years from now when it's long over, but it's not too late to start watching now and let the methodical dread-filled thrill ride overtake you.
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX): I'll be honest. When it was announced that the first season of American Crime Story would be tackling O.J. I thought the whole thing would be a glorious disaster. Ryan Murphy (creator of such often self-indulgent messes as Glee and American Horror Story) tackling O.J.? Even with Murphy and frequent collaborator Brad Falchuck taking a backseat to show developers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszweski, my expectations were low (Although I was still going to watch it). So I was stunned by how good the series wound up being. Using Jeffrey Toobin's The Run Of His Life as a jumping-off point, Alexander and Karaszweski wove a complex tale about race, class, gender, celebrity, and the rise of the 24-hour news cycle among other things. Each episode is anchored around a key moment from the case like the Bronco chase or Marcia Clark's perm or the Mark Fuhrman Tapes, providing a clear focus for all the ideas on display to swirl around. The series is full of strong performances (with the exception of whatever John Travolta was trying to do with Robert Shapiro), with Sara Paulson, Sterling K. Brown and Courtney B. Vance in particular standing out as Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden, and Johnnie Cochran, bringing much needed humanity and insight to figures that have become fairly caricatured over the years. Even the odd tangents like the scenes of the young Kardashian sisters getting their first taste of fame work in the context of the greater story going on. Ultimately American Crime Story brought new life to a story that seemed like there was nothing left to tell (It wasn't even the only great TV project about O.J. released this year!) and that's truly remarkable.
Atlanta (FX): Is there anything Donald Glover can't do? He's funny, he can act, he can write, he can definitely rap, and he can create and star in a pretty damn good television series too. Atlanta is unlike any TV show in recent memory. The show has no set structure or template and doesn't follow any typical TV comedy rhythms (If it follows any rhythms at all). Donald Glover stars as Earn, a basically homeless Princeton dropout trying to make money and provide for his ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Zazie Beetz) and their infant daughter, while managing his cousin Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles, a local rapper trying to make a name for himself. This basic premise is used to support what's essentially a series of fascinating, unpredictable and often hilarious (though the show feels no need to constantly be spouting jokes) short stories about being black, poverty, the Hip-hop world, and life in Atlanta. Fire up an episode of Atlanta and there's no telling what you might find within. You might see Paper Boi facing off with a very black Justin Bieber or Earn trying to take Van for a nice dinner with no money or Paper Boi's right-hand man Darius (Keith Stanfield) getting in trouble for bringing a dog-shaped target to a shooting range or a whole episode of a fake talk show on a fake BET-network. Through it all, the well-defined characters keep the whole thing grounded and believable, even with ridiculous gags like an invisible car or a punk kid in whiteface popping up when you least expect them. The result is a viewing experience that sticks with you long after the season has ended. TV could use more shows like Atlanta.
Better Call Saul (AMC): Breaking Bad, one of the best TV dramas of all time was in many ways a horror story. An ordinary man turns out to be a monster but doesn't realize what a monster he is until he's ruined the lives of everyone around him. Better Call Saul, a spin-off/prequel focused on the early days of amoral attorney Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and seasoned enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) is more of a tragedy and that tragedy helps set itself apart from it's predecessor for a show that's really come into it's own this year. Jimmy McGill is a lawyer whose efforts to be a good person and do the right thing are blocked at every turn by forces ranging from Jimmy's brother Chuck (Michael McKean), an accomplished lawyer who suffers from a psychosomatic sensitivity to electromagnetism and a deep-seated resentment of Jimmy to Jimmy's own instincts to take ethical shortcuts and play fast and loose with the truth. We know eventually he'll become the sleazy Saul Goodman and wind up in exile to Omaha following the events of Breaking Bad, but Jimmy doesn't and the knowledge of the destination makes the journey that more heartbreaking. Odenkirk brings depth and dimension to Jimmy that Breaking Bad only ever hinted at and Rhea Seehorn stands out as Kim Wexler, Jimmy's friend and love interest who finds her professional life tied to Jimmy's for better and for worse. For people who loved Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul gives plenty of focus to Mike too as he finds himself drawn into the orbit of the Salamenca's and on a road that will lead to a certain chicken man. Jimmy's stuff is just as compelling though and Better Call Saul excels at making potentially boring sequences like Jimmy acting out at work, or spending hours at a copy shop for a scheme into brilliant setpieces. The show has also maintained Breaking Bad's sense of humour, which it uses for great effect. The second season builds to a climax similar to the second season of Breaking Bad, but with a much different conclusion that highlights the difference between Jimmy McGill and Walter White. Better Call Saul may never reach the heights of Breaking Bad, but it's a must-watch experience all the same.
Bojack Horseman (Netflix): One of the most emotionally rich, surprisingly dark and existential shows on TV is also an uproarious satirical animated comedy about a washed-up 90's sitcom actor who is also a horse (Well horse/human hybrid but same diff.). If you've never seen Bojack Horseman or stopped watching during the rockier early episodes before it coalesced into something special, the above sentence probably sounds absurd, but it's absolutely true and the third season proved to be the darkest and funniest season yet. If the second season of Bojack made it seem like he had finally hit rock bottom, Season 3 proved there was a lot more bottom to go as Bojack's quest for an Oscar nomination/happiness led to him finally alienating the people closest to him. This season contained maybe the best episode of television this year in Fish Out Of Water, an almost completely silent episode that sent Bojack to an under the sea film festival best described as "Lost In Translation Meets Looney Tunes" in the best way possible. Other highlights included a period piece set in the good ol' days of 2007, a nuanced and sensitive take on abortion issues, an episode-long phone conversation with guest star Candice Bergen trying to talk Bojack out of canceling his newspaper subscription, Todd starting an Uber-esque service targeted at women that quickly goes awry, the return of Character Actress and Fugitive Margo Martindale and a season-long joke about Mr. Peanutbutter buying hundreds of spaghetti strainers and waiting for them to pay off that has the best pay-off imaginable. Through it all, Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris, Allison Brie, and Paul F. Tompkins bring their characters to life with expert precision and the beautiful animation ensures that every scene is crammed with more jokes than you'll ever manage to find. Bojack Horseman can seem offputting at first glance, but under the surface is a treasure trove of narrative and comedic riches just waiting to be discovered.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW): When it debuted last fall, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (One of the two shows on the list I constantly talk about on this blog) was pleasant and charming, but didn't seem that essential or sustainable. A quirky musical comedy about a successful lawyer who drops everything to move from New York City to West Covina, California after a chance encounter with her ex-boyfriend from camp 10 years ago who's moving back there? OK sure. I enjoyed it but figured it would run out of steam fairly fast. In 2016 though, Creators Rachel Bloom (Who also stars) and Aline Brosh McKenna began to dig deep into ideas of addiction, depression, mental health, feminism, self-worth, personal happiness, creating narrative and the complete fabrication of Rom-Coms and showed just how deep and rewarding the show could be. Rebecca Bunch (Bloom) is a self-obsessed anti-hero but we root for her anyways because we understand where she's coming from. She's surrounded by people who are equally easy to root for, even when they're being despicable. The show can veer from comedy to tragedy back to comedy in an instant without skipping a beat. It's lovingly crafted and the world is built out in such a way that even the smallest character like the local bar owner or the grocery store checkout clerk feels like a unique individual. The songs are also brilliant and dabble in every genre and style of music imaginable from Broadway to Country to Beyonce to Spice Girls to 80's Power Ballads to 90's Pop Punk and everything in between. With ratings consistently low and the premise as ridiculous as it is, it seems unlikely that the show will last past season 2, but no matter how long it's run Bloom and McKenna have truly created something special and 2016 was when it got to fully show off how special it was.
Jane The Virgin (CW): The other show I constantly talk about on this blog, Jane The Virgin might be the most consistently great network show on television, which is remarkable considering how small a target it has to hit every week. A comical family show that's a spoof of the telenovella formula, but also an actual telenovella with tons of crazy plot twists including criminal family members, secret twins, stolen identities, and egregious product placement? It's a hard needle to thread but somehow "Jane" pulls it off week in and week out. As Jane (Gina Rodriguez) navigates her way through motherhood, co-parenting, grad school, criminal masterminds, famous fathers, marriage, brushes with tragedy, family secrets, and the lost of her virginity, the show always keeps the focus on the characters, which manages to anchor the show in reality, even if that reality is heightened. Three seasons in and the show still has plenty of narrative tricks up it's sleeve. They don't always work (Last season featured a multi-episode plot where Jane's father was kidnapped by a stalker that was a little too ridiculous) but the show hits way more than it misses, which is impressive this deep into it's run. It's also a very optimistic and joyful show, which is something you don't see enough of on TV these days. There's always a chance that eventually this show will go totally off the rails, but I have a feeling that as long as it runs, "Jane" will continue to be a fixture on my "Best Of" list.
Lady Dynamite (Netflix): Lady Dynamite is the kind of show where it's hard to explain the appeal in mere words but I'll give it my best shot. Created by Mitch Hurwitz and Pam Brady, Lady Dynamite is a loosely-autobiographical comedy about Maria Bamford (Who stars as herself) trying to get her life and career back on track following six months being treated for bipolar disorder. The show jumps between the present, the past as we see the events that led to a major breakdown and an inbetween period as we see her living with her parents while attending recovery in Duluth. It's a hilarious, surrealist romp with no 4th wall, the kind of show where Patton Oswalt will keep breaking character to advise Maria against using stand-up as a storytelling device, John Ridley and the Lucas Brothers will debate if the episode about race actually made any compelling points and the theme song is an out-of-nowhere spoof of Blaxploitation films. It's the kind of show where Maria's pug Bert might casually talk to her and give advice, her well-meaning but completely ineffectual manager Bruce (A brilliant Fred Malamed) might write a song about a Seamen-loving shark or accidentally ship a ton of T-Shirts with her face to child soldiers in Sudan and every predatory force in Maria's life past and present happens to be named Karen Grisham. Through it all Bamford guides us with a manic smile, and though the show threatens to come apart at the seams sometimes it always manages to stay on track right to it's powerful conclusion. The result is a bold show that manages to stand out among the many great Netflix comedies.
Orange Is The New Black (Netflix): The 3rd season of OITNB was lighter and less-focused than the first two but ended on a foreboding note that led to it's best season yet as things got dark for the ladies of Litchfield. As the privatization of the prison led to both an influx of new inmates and a host of new, more brutal and malicious guards, the show continued to make excellent use of it's large ensemble to tell moving stories about trying to maintain your humanity in a system that constantly denies it. One-time lead Piper (Taylor Schilling) became as unlikeable as she's ever been as her attempts to maintain control of her "Prison Panty" empire led to serious consequences and the accidental creation of a white supremacist gang, but as always the best moments of the season belonged to the women around Piper. From Taystee becoming Caputo's assistant to Pennsatucky trying to deal with being around the guard who raped her last season to Maria and Blanca making a play for power to Yoga Jones falling under the sway of celebrity inmate Judy King and the privilege that comes with her to Poussey and Soso's adorable romance to Alex and Red trying to keep schizophrenic inmate Lolly in line after a traumatic event, there was plenty to latch onto this season. The show also continued it's attempt to create empathy for almost every character (Save for captain of the guard Piscatella and a couple of his more sadistic guards), which adds many layers to the building conflict. The season builds to a tragedy that's horrible on every level but feels like it was sadly inevitable and the season ends on a powerful note that will leave you begging for season 5.
Rectify (Sundance): As of this writing, there is still one episode of Rectify left to air and there's a chance the episode will be totally underwhelming and end the series on a bum note, but it's an incredibly small chance. Even if the finale winds up being a disappointment (And again, I doubt it), it would not be enough to knock Rectify's beautiful final season off my list. The last season of Rectify finds former death row resident Daniel Holden (Aden Young giving one of the best performances on TV) living in Nashville in a program designed to help former convicts reintegrate into the world. The trauma of all he's been through is still with him though and season 4 confronts the idea of he'll ever be able to move past this trauma head on. Meanwhile back in Paulie, as the truth of what really happened on the night Hannah Dean (the girl he was convicted of raping and murdering) died comes ever closer to finally being unraveled, Daniel's family find themselves confronting the idea of moving on and finding their own freedom. The show is methodically paced as ever, which allows you to really be drawn into the world of Paulie and find the beauty in the smallest moments. The cast includes such standouts as J. Smith-Cameron, Abigail Spencer, and Clayne Crawford, and really enough can't be said about Young's performance as Daniel (A sequence in the penultimate episode where he listens to a tape of himself describing being sexually assaulted in prison might be one of the best things to air on TV this year). No matter how Rectify wraps up, I'm definitely going to miss it.
Westworld (HBO): OK, if The Americans were at the top of a ranked version of this list, Westworld would be at the bottom. I've moved it on and off the list more times than I could count before ultimately deciding to put it on. Chances are I'll keep moving it on and off the list even after it gets published. Of all the shows on here, Westworld is certainly the most flawed. The first season introduced a complex, fascinating world and conceit (An amusement park populated by robot hosts who slowly become aware) but then seemed content to tease out endless mysteries and twists instead of fulling embracing it's premise, consistently keeping the audience at a distance and making it hard to figure out what exactly the show was trying to say until the very end. Many of the twists were also easily guessable, which made it kind of frustrating when they kept putting off the reveals It's a show that can't be really appreciated on more than a basic level until it's watched twice, which isn't ideal for any show. Despite that though, as I sat to watch the finale, I realized that I had become incredibly invested in what was going on. The show was messy and somewhat impenetrable but also ambitious and beautiful and daring in a way I could appreciate and even if the journey was occasionally tedious, the conclusion came together stunningly, setting the stage for what could be a brilliant season 2 as long as creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy stop playing games. As the park's oldest host, Delores, Evan Rachel Wood gave an incredibly complex and involved performance (The kind that will look even better on rewatch). Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright gave equally stunning performances as Westworld madam Maeve and head programmer Bernard, respectively. Again, Westworld wasn't perfect (The show somehow wasted Anthony Hopkins, despite giving him plenty of screentime), but it was fascinating and compelling in ways that are going to stick with me for a long time and that's why it ultimately made my "Best Of" list.
You're The Worst (FXX): The third season of You're The Worst had a tough act to follow to say the least. After a brilliant second season that provided an honest, stunning look at grappling with depression, season 3 with a broader, looser, shaggier story about family and looking for meaning and happiness in life couldn't help but suffer a bit in comparison. But even if it didn't frequently hit the heights of the second season (Though multiple episodes including one totally focused on Edgar and his struggles with quitting his PTSD meds cold turkey), the third season was still excellent, telling a darkly funny, frequently melancholic story with plenty of interesting twists and turns along the way. Even if the awful behavior of Jimmy (Chris Geere), Gretchen (Aya Cash), and Lindsay (Kether Donohue) plus the significantly less awful behavior of Edgar (Desmin Borges) isn't quite as fresh as it once was, the characters still manage to surprise us as Gretchen goes through therapy for her depression, Jimmy has an unconventional grieving process following the sudden death of his father, Lindsay struggles with a pregnancy and a husband she's starting to realize she might not want and Edgar goes off his meds and starts finding new ways to cope with PTSD. The show continues to be daring too with it's structure. Beyond the Edgar-focused one mentioned above, one episode focuses completely on side characters Paul and Vernon, while another utilizes a series of long single-takes and another completely focuses on three arguments between the three main couples. The show continues to be hilarious too from an out-of-nowhere Mad Men homage to Lindsay demonstrating her unique brand of mindfulness to Vernon's continued desire to be heckled. The ending of season 3 also ties the season together beautifully, ending on a devastating note that promises lots of possibilities for season 4. Wherever the show goes, I will be awaiting it eagerly because You're The Worst is simply the best.
And boom, that's my "Best Of List" for 2016. Thanks for reading it. It was hard to put together (There's just too much great television) but I'm glad I did it. It was a strong year for TV (As we'll see when my list of the shows that almost made this list comes out) and I have hopes that next year will be equally strong. Anyways I hope that this list might inspire you to check out some of the shows you might have missed this year. I know I'll be doing that. Anyways until my next post (whenever that is), keep watching TV and talking TV.
-This list is not ranked because I feel rankings are irrelevant and distract from the purpose of a "Best Of" list. Also it was hard enough narrowing my list down. I didn't want to add to that by ranking what I did have. All shows are listed alphabetically. For what it's worth, if it was a ranked list, The Americans would be at the top (The fact that the alphabetical format puts it at the top anyhow is a happy coincidence).
-This list is Top 12 instead of 10 because I've always found 10 to be an arbitrary number for ranking things. Plus once I settled on the Top 12 I couldn't bring myself to cut anything else and it's not a ranked list anyways so I figured why not 12?
-This list, like every "Best Of" list ever is entirely subjective, informed by my opinions and what I watched. I watched a lot of television this year but I didn't come close to watching everything out there. If I had gotten around to watching stuff like say Halt and Catch Fire, Queen of Sugar or Horace and Pete (The top three things I wish I had gotten around to watching this year), there's a strong chance this list would be different. So if you don't agree with my list, then that's cool. I'm just a guy with a blog. My word is hardly the final one. Feel free to make your own list.
-There were a lot of shows I wanted to put on the final list that didn't make a cut. Those shows will be featured on a "Best Of The Rest Of" list that will be published a few days from now (fingers crossed). So look forward to that.
-Anyways, enough pre-amble. Let's get to the list already!
The Americans (FX): The Americans is both the best show on television barely anyone watches and the best show on television period. A stunner of a period drama about two deep cover Soviet agents (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell doing some of the best work of their careers) in 80's Washington who find the marriage and family they made as part of the cover has become very real, the 4th season (Of what was announced this year to be a six season run) may have been the best yet. As the weight and human cost of the work they do begins to seriously take it's toll on both Philip (Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Russell), the first half of the season builds an increasing amount of dread both from the threat of their secrets being revealed and the deadly biological weapons they're tasked with obtaining before a second half that brings down the threat of exposure without losing the sense that the end is approaching. A number of long-simmering storylines come to inevitable yet still devastating conclusions and multiple long-time regulars die or leave but none of it feels like shock value. Beyond the greatness of Rhys and Russell, there is also constantly great work from the likes of Noah Emmerich (As Stan, the Jennings FBI Agent neighbor), Allison Wright (As Martha, The FBI secretary Philip married as part of an assignment), Costa Ronin (As Oleg, a KGB embassy officer who is starting to waver in his belief to the cause) and many more. As Paige, the teenage daughter who's struggling to come to terms with the truth about her family she learned last year and trying to manage the fallout of an impulsive decision she made to tell her pastor, Holly Taylor is giving one of the best Prestige Show Teenager performances on TV. Dylan Baker is also present this season to bring some welcome levity as William, another Soviet agent who resents how much he's sacrificed for the cause and his presence adds a lot to the story. Ultimately it seems like The Americans is destined to be one of those shows whose greatness isn't truly appreciated until years from now when it's long over, but it's not too late to start watching now and let the methodical dread-filled thrill ride overtake you.
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX): I'll be honest. When it was announced that the first season of American Crime Story would be tackling O.J. I thought the whole thing would be a glorious disaster. Ryan Murphy (creator of such often self-indulgent messes as Glee and American Horror Story) tackling O.J.? Even with Murphy and frequent collaborator Brad Falchuck taking a backseat to show developers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszweski, my expectations were low (Although I was still going to watch it). So I was stunned by how good the series wound up being. Using Jeffrey Toobin's The Run Of His Life as a jumping-off point, Alexander and Karaszweski wove a complex tale about race, class, gender, celebrity, and the rise of the 24-hour news cycle among other things. Each episode is anchored around a key moment from the case like the Bronco chase or Marcia Clark's perm or the Mark Fuhrman Tapes, providing a clear focus for all the ideas on display to swirl around. The series is full of strong performances (with the exception of whatever John Travolta was trying to do with Robert Shapiro), with Sara Paulson, Sterling K. Brown and Courtney B. Vance in particular standing out as Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden, and Johnnie Cochran, bringing much needed humanity and insight to figures that have become fairly caricatured over the years. Even the odd tangents like the scenes of the young Kardashian sisters getting their first taste of fame work in the context of the greater story going on. Ultimately American Crime Story brought new life to a story that seemed like there was nothing left to tell (It wasn't even the only great TV project about O.J. released this year!) and that's truly remarkable.
Atlanta (FX): Is there anything Donald Glover can't do? He's funny, he can act, he can write, he can definitely rap, and he can create and star in a pretty damn good television series too. Atlanta is unlike any TV show in recent memory. The show has no set structure or template and doesn't follow any typical TV comedy rhythms (If it follows any rhythms at all). Donald Glover stars as Earn, a basically homeless Princeton dropout trying to make money and provide for his ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Zazie Beetz) and their infant daughter, while managing his cousin Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles, a local rapper trying to make a name for himself. This basic premise is used to support what's essentially a series of fascinating, unpredictable and often hilarious (though the show feels no need to constantly be spouting jokes) short stories about being black, poverty, the Hip-hop world, and life in Atlanta. Fire up an episode of Atlanta and there's no telling what you might find within. You might see Paper Boi facing off with a very black Justin Bieber or Earn trying to take Van for a nice dinner with no money or Paper Boi's right-hand man Darius (Keith Stanfield) getting in trouble for bringing a dog-shaped target to a shooting range or a whole episode of a fake talk show on a fake BET-network. Through it all, the well-defined characters keep the whole thing grounded and believable, even with ridiculous gags like an invisible car or a punk kid in whiteface popping up when you least expect them. The result is a viewing experience that sticks with you long after the season has ended. TV could use more shows like Atlanta.
Better Call Saul (AMC): Breaking Bad, one of the best TV dramas of all time was in many ways a horror story. An ordinary man turns out to be a monster but doesn't realize what a monster he is until he's ruined the lives of everyone around him. Better Call Saul, a spin-off/prequel focused on the early days of amoral attorney Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and seasoned enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) is more of a tragedy and that tragedy helps set itself apart from it's predecessor for a show that's really come into it's own this year. Jimmy McGill is a lawyer whose efforts to be a good person and do the right thing are blocked at every turn by forces ranging from Jimmy's brother Chuck (Michael McKean), an accomplished lawyer who suffers from a psychosomatic sensitivity to electromagnetism and a deep-seated resentment of Jimmy to Jimmy's own instincts to take ethical shortcuts and play fast and loose with the truth. We know eventually he'll become the sleazy Saul Goodman and wind up in exile to Omaha following the events of Breaking Bad, but Jimmy doesn't and the knowledge of the destination makes the journey that more heartbreaking. Odenkirk brings depth and dimension to Jimmy that Breaking Bad only ever hinted at and Rhea Seehorn stands out as Kim Wexler, Jimmy's friend and love interest who finds her professional life tied to Jimmy's for better and for worse. For people who loved Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul gives plenty of focus to Mike too as he finds himself drawn into the orbit of the Salamenca's and on a road that will lead to a certain chicken man. Jimmy's stuff is just as compelling though and Better Call Saul excels at making potentially boring sequences like Jimmy acting out at work, or spending hours at a copy shop for a scheme into brilliant setpieces. The show has also maintained Breaking Bad's sense of humour, which it uses for great effect. The second season builds to a climax similar to the second season of Breaking Bad, but with a much different conclusion that highlights the difference between Jimmy McGill and Walter White. Better Call Saul may never reach the heights of Breaking Bad, but it's a must-watch experience all the same.
Bojack Horseman (Netflix): One of the most emotionally rich, surprisingly dark and existential shows on TV is also an uproarious satirical animated comedy about a washed-up 90's sitcom actor who is also a horse (Well horse/human hybrid but same diff.). If you've never seen Bojack Horseman or stopped watching during the rockier early episodes before it coalesced into something special, the above sentence probably sounds absurd, but it's absolutely true and the third season proved to be the darkest and funniest season yet. If the second season of Bojack made it seem like he had finally hit rock bottom, Season 3 proved there was a lot more bottom to go as Bojack's quest for an Oscar nomination/happiness led to him finally alienating the people closest to him. This season contained maybe the best episode of television this year in Fish Out Of Water, an almost completely silent episode that sent Bojack to an under the sea film festival best described as "Lost In Translation Meets Looney Tunes" in the best way possible. Other highlights included a period piece set in the good ol' days of 2007, a nuanced and sensitive take on abortion issues, an episode-long phone conversation with guest star Candice Bergen trying to talk Bojack out of canceling his newspaper subscription, Todd starting an Uber-esque service targeted at women that quickly goes awry, the return of Character Actress and Fugitive Margo Martindale and a season-long joke about Mr. Peanutbutter buying hundreds of spaghetti strainers and waiting for them to pay off that has the best pay-off imaginable. Through it all, Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris, Allison Brie, and Paul F. Tompkins bring their characters to life with expert precision and the beautiful animation ensures that every scene is crammed with more jokes than you'll ever manage to find. Bojack Horseman can seem offputting at first glance, but under the surface is a treasure trove of narrative and comedic riches just waiting to be discovered.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW): When it debuted last fall, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (One of the two shows on the list I constantly talk about on this blog) was pleasant and charming, but didn't seem that essential or sustainable. A quirky musical comedy about a successful lawyer who drops everything to move from New York City to West Covina, California after a chance encounter with her ex-boyfriend from camp 10 years ago who's moving back there? OK sure. I enjoyed it but figured it would run out of steam fairly fast. In 2016 though, Creators Rachel Bloom (Who also stars) and Aline Brosh McKenna began to dig deep into ideas of addiction, depression, mental health, feminism, self-worth, personal happiness, creating narrative and the complete fabrication of Rom-Coms and showed just how deep and rewarding the show could be. Rebecca Bunch (Bloom) is a self-obsessed anti-hero but we root for her anyways because we understand where she's coming from. She's surrounded by people who are equally easy to root for, even when they're being despicable. The show can veer from comedy to tragedy back to comedy in an instant without skipping a beat. It's lovingly crafted and the world is built out in such a way that even the smallest character like the local bar owner or the grocery store checkout clerk feels like a unique individual. The songs are also brilliant and dabble in every genre and style of music imaginable from Broadway to Country to Beyonce to Spice Girls to 80's Power Ballads to 90's Pop Punk and everything in between. With ratings consistently low and the premise as ridiculous as it is, it seems unlikely that the show will last past season 2, but no matter how long it's run Bloom and McKenna have truly created something special and 2016 was when it got to fully show off how special it was.
Jane The Virgin (CW): The other show I constantly talk about on this blog, Jane The Virgin might be the most consistently great network show on television, which is remarkable considering how small a target it has to hit every week. A comical family show that's a spoof of the telenovella formula, but also an actual telenovella with tons of crazy plot twists including criminal family members, secret twins, stolen identities, and egregious product placement? It's a hard needle to thread but somehow "Jane" pulls it off week in and week out. As Jane (Gina Rodriguez) navigates her way through motherhood, co-parenting, grad school, criminal masterminds, famous fathers, marriage, brushes with tragedy, family secrets, and the lost of her virginity, the show always keeps the focus on the characters, which manages to anchor the show in reality, even if that reality is heightened. Three seasons in and the show still has plenty of narrative tricks up it's sleeve. They don't always work (Last season featured a multi-episode plot where Jane's father was kidnapped by a stalker that was a little too ridiculous) but the show hits way more than it misses, which is impressive this deep into it's run. It's also a very optimistic and joyful show, which is something you don't see enough of on TV these days. There's always a chance that eventually this show will go totally off the rails, but I have a feeling that as long as it runs, "Jane" will continue to be a fixture on my "Best Of" list.
Lady Dynamite (Netflix): Lady Dynamite is the kind of show where it's hard to explain the appeal in mere words but I'll give it my best shot. Created by Mitch Hurwitz and Pam Brady, Lady Dynamite is a loosely-autobiographical comedy about Maria Bamford (Who stars as herself) trying to get her life and career back on track following six months being treated for bipolar disorder. The show jumps between the present, the past as we see the events that led to a major breakdown and an inbetween period as we see her living with her parents while attending recovery in Duluth. It's a hilarious, surrealist romp with no 4th wall, the kind of show where Patton Oswalt will keep breaking character to advise Maria against using stand-up as a storytelling device, John Ridley and the Lucas Brothers will debate if the episode about race actually made any compelling points and the theme song is an out-of-nowhere spoof of Blaxploitation films. It's the kind of show where Maria's pug Bert might casually talk to her and give advice, her well-meaning but completely ineffectual manager Bruce (A brilliant Fred Malamed) might write a song about a Seamen-loving shark or accidentally ship a ton of T-Shirts with her face to child soldiers in Sudan and every predatory force in Maria's life past and present happens to be named Karen Grisham. Through it all Bamford guides us with a manic smile, and though the show threatens to come apart at the seams sometimes it always manages to stay on track right to it's powerful conclusion. The result is a bold show that manages to stand out among the many great Netflix comedies.
Orange Is The New Black (Netflix): The 3rd season of OITNB was lighter and less-focused than the first two but ended on a foreboding note that led to it's best season yet as things got dark for the ladies of Litchfield. As the privatization of the prison led to both an influx of new inmates and a host of new, more brutal and malicious guards, the show continued to make excellent use of it's large ensemble to tell moving stories about trying to maintain your humanity in a system that constantly denies it. One-time lead Piper (Taylor Schilling) became as unlikeable as she's ever been as her attempts to maintain control of her "Prison Panty" empire led to serious consequences and the accidental creation of a white supremacist gang, but as always the best moments of the season belonged to the women around Piper. From Taystee becoming Caputo's assistant to Pennsatucky trying to deal with being around the guard who raped her last season to Maria and Blanca making a play for power to Yoga Jones falling under the sway of celebrity inmate Judy King and the privilege that comes with her to Poussey and Soso's adorable romance to Alex and Red trying to keep schizophrenic inmate Lolly in line after a traumatic event, there was plenty to latch onto this season. The show also continued it's attempt to create empathy for almost every character (Save for captain of the guard Piscatella and a couple of his more sadistic guards), which adds many layers to the building conflict. The season builds to a tragedy that's horrible on every level but feels like it was sadly inevitable and the season ends on a powerful note that will leave you begging for season 5.
Rectify (Sundance): As of this writing, there is still one episode of Rectify left to air and there's a chance the episode will be totally underwhelming and end the series on a bum note, but it's an incredibly small chance. Even if the finale winds up being a disappointment (And again, I doubt it), it would not be enough to knock Rectify's beautiful final season off my list. The last season of Rectify finds former death row resident Daniel Holden (Aden Young giving one of the best performances on TV) living in Nashville in a program designed to help former convicts reintegrate into the world. The trauma of all he's been through is still with him though and season 4 confronts the idea of he'll ever be able to move past this trauma head on. Meanwhile back in Paulie, as the truth of what really happened on the night Hannah Dean (the girl he was convicted of raping and murdering) died comes ever closer to finally being unraveled, Daniel's family find themselves confronting the idea of moving on and finding their own freedom. The show is methodically paced as ever, which allows you to really be drawn into the world of Paulie and find the beauty in the smallest moments. The cast includes such standouts as J. Smith-Cameron, Abigail Spencer, and Clayne Crawford, and really enough can't be said about Young's performance as Daniel (A sequence in the penultimate episode where he listens to a tape of himself describing being sexually assaulted in prison might be one of the best things to air on TV this year). No matter how Rectify wraps up, I'm definitely going to miss it.
Westworld (HBO): OK, if The Americans were at the top of a ranked version of this list, Westworld would be at the bottom. I've moved it on and off the list more times than I could count before ultimately deciding to put it on. Chances are I'll keep moving it on and off the list even after it gets published. Of all the shows on here, Westworld is certainly the most flawed. The first season introduced a complex, fascinating world and conceit (An amusement park populated by robot hosts who slowly become aware) but then seemed content to tease out endless mysteries and twists instead of fulling embracing it's premise, consistently keeping the audience at a distance and making it hard to figure out what exactly the show was trying to say until the very end. Many of the twists were also easily guessable, which made it kind of frustrating when they kept putting off the reveals It's a show that can't be really appreciated on more than a basic level until it's watched twice, which isn't ideal for any show. Despite that though, as I sat to watch the finale, I realized that I had become incredibly invested in what was going on. The show was messy and somewhat impenetrable but also ambitious and beautiful and daring in a way I could appreciate and even if the journey was occasionally tedious, the conclusion came together stunningly, setting the stage for what could be a brilliant season 2 as long as creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy stop playing games. As the park's oldest host, Delores, Evan Rachel Wood gave an incredibly complex and involved performance (The kind that will look even better on rewatch). Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright gave equally stunning performances as Westworld madam Maeve and head programmer Bernard, respectively. Again, Westworld wasn't perfect (The show somehow wasted Anthony Hopkins, despite giving him plenty of screentime), but it was fascinating and compelling in ways that are going to stick with me for a long time and that's why it ultimately made my "Best Of" list.
You're The Worst (FXX): The third season of You're The Worst had a tough act to follow to say the least. After a brilliant second season that provided an honest, stunning look at grappling with depression, season 3 with a broader, looser, shaggier story about family and looking for meaning and happiness in life couldn't help but suffer a bit in comparison. But even if it didn't frequently hit the heights of the second season (Though multiple episodes including one totally focused on Edgar and his struggles with quitting his PTSD meds cold turkey), the third season was still excellent, telling a darkly funny, frequently melancholic story with plenty of interesting twists and turns along the way. Even if the awful behavior of Jimmy (Chris Geere), Gretchen (Aya Cash), and Lindsay (Kether Donohue) plus the significantly less awful behavior of Edgar (Desmin Borges) isn't quite as fresh as it once was, the characters still manage to surprise us as Gretchen goes through therapy for her depression, Jimmy has an unconventional grieving process following the sudden death of his father, Lindsay struggles with a pregnancy and a husband she's starting to realize she might not want and Edgar goes off his meds and starts finding new ways to cope with PTSD. The show continues to be daring too with it's structure. Beyond the Edgar-focused one mentioned above, one episode focuses completely on side characters Paul and Vernon, while another utilizes a series of long single-takes and another completely focuses on three arguments between the three main couples. The show continues to be hilarious too from an out-of-nowhere Mad Men homage to Lindsay demonstrating her unique brand of mindfulness to Vernon's continued desire to be heckled. The ending of season 3 also ties the season together beautifully, ending on a devastating note that promises lots of possibilities for season 4. Wherever the show goes, I will be awaiting it eagerly because You're The Worst is simply the best.
And boom, that's my "Best Of List" for 2016. Thanks for reading it. It was hard to put together (There's just too much great television) but I'm glad I did it. It was a strong year for TV (As we'll see when my list of the shows that almost made this list comes out) and I have hopes that next year will be equally strong. Anyways I hope that this list might inspire you to check out some of the shows you might have missed this year. I know I'll be doing that. Anyways until my next post (whenever that is), keep watching TV and talking TV.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)