I'm finally adding "Best Television" to my year-end blogs. I'll be honest; most of my media consumption is spent with television series so it makes sense. Logistically, listing out my favorite television of the year is a little more complicated than movies or music, particularly when I'm not up on every single show and will most likely catch some stellar shows in the following year. For my list, I'm including any series that premiered new episodes in 2017 and I've listed the latest season as the one making the list. I've also included a "Highly Anticipated" list for series or seasons that I'm behind on as a little bit of a catchall for potential favorites.
Overall, the year had some great shows continuing with the string of great television throughout the last couple decades. My list includes series from prestige cable stations, network, and, unsurprisingly, my top five were all produced by streaming services. That's the era we live in, no? In terms of show format, I've trended towards watching comedies that have some weight to them rather than super serious dramas or comedies that deal exclusively in joke delivery. From a genre standpoint, I'm all over the place but I think the ease of availability makes it difficult to get stuck in one genre or another. Anyhow, happy viewing!
Premise: In season 1, Dory (Alia Shawkat), learns of a college acquaintance gone missing and, along with her friends, becomes consumed in finding this person. Chaos ensues.
This show is just so weird. The characters are all unique and dysfunctional. Dory is constantly looking for purpose and meaning and only finds it in really unhealthy ways. The great lead cast of four friends showcases various involvement and commitment to the pursuit and they process some of the messed up events that follow in vastly different ways. This all sounds super serious. But it's a half hour comedy show. Can't wait to see where season 3 goes.
Premise: Jane (Gina Rodriguez) accidentally gets artificially inseminated and has a child, as a virgin. Mom and grandma are always close by. And there's usually ups and downs with her love interests.
What a charming show. It's light and funny and deals with plenty of difficult issues. It brilliantly utilizes a narrator for comedic effect. All the characters are fantastic. If effortlessly flips back and forth from English to Spanish and represents a corner of American culture (Latino Miami) that is often times overlooked. While Jane is typically moving in or out of a romantic relationship, she is not defined by these relationships. She loves her mother, grandmother, and father while often times disagreeing with them. Season 4 has kept up the high degree of heartfelt comedic excellence this show has carried on for years now.
8. Broad City (Comedy Central, season 4)
Premise: Two friends live their lives in New York City. Like Girls minus the self-inflicted melodrama.Ilana and Abbi are really funny. Especially together. The show is often times raunchy and hilarious. I'm not sure what else to say. It's clearly coming from a female perspective, something we need more of in the entertainment and comedy worlds.
Premise: Mock true-crime documentary series in the same vein as Making a Murderer or Serial. The crime is a series of penises spray-painted on cars in a high school teacher parking lot.
The premise is silly. And some of the jokes are sophomoric. And yet the show hits all the beats of the genre they're parodying. And then the characters are genuine and relatable and empathetic throughout. Going into it, you think you're going to be over it a half-episode in, but the show is made so expertly and the layers of the crime get unwrapped at just the right rhythm. I was more intrigued than Making a Murderer.
Premise: 2% of the world's population suddenly disappears. The leftovers try to make meaning of their lives.
The third and final season of the series was my favorite. It moved along quickly and strangely and kept all of the complex character development. The majority of the action moved across the world to Australia (from Texas, which was a move from New York). The move provided new plot points but not create discontinuity in the series as a whole. With so many loose ends within the series, it finished satisfactorily without feeling too tidy.
Premise: Bob and his family run their burger restaurant. They all love each other and are weird.
Yo, eight seasons. And the show is still going strong. Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, Louise, and friends. This show has developed its characters so well. They're each hilarious. And they all accept and love each other in their own weird ways. While I only started to watch the series a few years ago, I'm in for the long haul.
Premise: Dystopian future in which the majority of women go barren, men rule the world, and the handmaids bear the children. Also a bunch of caste system stuff. Eerily close to current day.
I'm going to be honest, Elizabeth Moss is a boss. Clearly so on Mad Men. But then her work on Top of the Lake and The Handmaid's Tale has been phenomenal. But this show is much more than just a one character tour de force. The whole world created by this show is just so believable and creepy and reflective of where we are at as a society. Margaret Atwood is prophetic in more ways than one and the translation to television series was thankfully done with precision. We'll see where the show runners take season two sans book as a grounding source.
Premise: Small town 1980's Indiana following kids, teens, and adults. Sci-fi and government cover-ups and superpowers and more!
I think most of us can agree that Stranger Things was the most engrossing piece of entertainment summer 2016. So I had high hopes and expectations for season two and, thankfully, was not let down. The addition of Max and her sultry/bully older brother, the fleshing out of many of the boys' families and personalities, and more time with flakey Nancy. Honestly, I just want to hang out in Hawkins, Indiana. So I was fully along for the ride this season and agree with the widespread distaste for the trip to Chicago. But, ultimately, keep the 80's small-town mysteries coming.
Premise: Aziz doing his thing in New York (and Italy). The series isn't afraid to focus on a singular topic for an episode and unpack it.
I just love the directions this show takes. I didn't get caught up into the love story that weaved through the season but that goes to show how strong the other elements of the show are. Particularly, three episodes stuck out as classics. First Date considers modern dating, New York I Love You explores and celebrates the "side-characters" oft ignored in television/movies, and Thanksgiving runs through Denise's experience growing up as a lesbian in a black family. Each a gem. Then overall, Aziz is just so loveable. He's sarcastic and sincere and doesn't have his life totally together but he's earnest and doesn't make reckless decisions. The show takes on a number of issues relevant to our world today but not at the cost of purely hitting the viewer over the head with a particular message. Aziz and friends, more please.
Premise: Rob (Rob Delaney) hooks up with Sharon (Sharon Horgan) on a business trip to London and she gets pregnant.
I'm trying to think of a good metaphor to describe my experience watching this show. The closest thing I'm coming up with is a favorite sweater that's old and worn. It's comfortable, fits well, looks good on me, and just feels good when I put it on. Most of those things apply to my viewing of Catastrophe. The sweater metaphor falls short in that the show is also really funny. Like, super funny. As in, I think the two leads, Sharon and Rob, are just funny people and the mercilessly short seasons leave me wanting to spend more time with them. Each season has smartly jumped forward in time and plot. They deal with serious adult situations in real adult ways and process them in realistic manners. If you're looking for a smart, human, funny sitcom, check out Catastrophe.
Honorable Mentions (10 more, listed alphabetically)
The Americans S5; Better Things S2; Big Little Lies S1; Bojack Horseman S4; Dear White People S1; The Good Place S2; Top of the Lake: China Girl S2; Transparent S4; Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S3; You're the Worst S4
Highly Anticipated (10 more, listed alphabetically)
Better Call Saul S3; Black Mirror S4; Fargo S3; Game of Thrones S7; Halt and Catch Fire S4; Insecure S2; Mr. Robot S3; The Walking Dead S7; Westworld S1; Veep S6
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