2016 Year-End TV Lists

Because lists are fun.

BEST TV SHOWS OF 2016

1. O.J.: Made In America - A fascinating look at the crafting of celebrity at the intersection of race and class. Masterful five-part documentary.
2. Rectify - Will be a classic one day. Does more with one conversation than other shows do in their entire runs.
3. Horace and Pete - Best thing Louis CK has made.
4. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story - What a ridiculous trial. This show understands that.
5. Person of Interest - Science fiction/AI storytelling at its finest, and a lovable Machine Team.
6. Bojack Horseman - Perfect blend of comedy, melancholy, and creativity.
7. The Americans - Every season is better than the last.
8. The Girlfriend Experience
9. American Crime
10. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
11. Bloodline - Most underrated Netflix series.
12. Black Mirror - Weaker than earlier seasons, but still great.
13. Veep
14. The Good Place
15. Fleabag

Honorable Mentions: Search Party, Westworld, Atlanta, You're the Worst, The Night Of, Narcos, Game of Thrones, Mr. Robot, Stranger Things, Better Call Saul

Others considered: Shameless, The Crown, New Girl, Masters of Sex, Transparent, UnREAL, Angie Tribeca, Silicon Valley, Penny Dreadful, OITNB, Orphan Black, Archer, Lady Dynamite, Banshee, The Night Manager, Girls, Childrens Hospital, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Togetherness, iZombie, Billions, Hap and Leonard, 11.22.63, Daredevil, IASIP, Love, The X-Files, The Affair, The Path, The Last Man on Earth

Not considered: The Walking Dead

BEST TV EPISODES OF 2016 (one ep per show rule)

1. Veep, "Mother" - The comedy masterpiece of the year. (shoutout to "Kissing Your Sister")
2. O.J.: Made In America, "Part Two" - The other parts are fascinating, but the first two are the most important to the thesis of the series.
3. Person of Interest, "The Day the World Went Away" - Fun, thrilling, devastating. Everything this show was. (shoutouts to "6,741" and "Return 0")
4. Rectify, "All I'm Sayin'" (shoutouts to "Pineapples in Paris" and "A House Divided")
5. The Girlfriend Experience, "Blindsided"
6. Bojack Horseman, "Fish Out of Water" (shoutouts to "Brapp Brapp Pew Pew", "It's You", and "That's Too Much, Man!")
7. Horace and Pete, "Episode 9" (shoutouts to 3, 6, and 10)
8. The People v. OJ, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" - Sarah Paulson, you are amazing. (shoutouts to "Manna From Heaven" and "The Race Card")
9. Game of Thrones, "The Winds of Winter" - Ramin Djawadi. A finale that actually feels like a finale. Also one of the best episodes of the series. (Shoutout to "Battle of the Bastards")
10. The Americans, "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears" (shoutouts to “The Rat”, “Travel Agents”, “Dinner for Seven”, “Chloramphenicol”)
11. You're the Worst, "Twenty Two" - We need more portrayals of mental illness like this.
12. Girls, "The Panic in Central Park" - A Marnie-centric episode is this good? Love it. 

Honorable Mentions: “B.A.N.”/”The Club” (Atlanta), “Season Two Episode Seven” (American Crime), “Shut Up and Dance”/”San Junipero” (Black Mirror), “Part 20” (Bloodline), “That Text Was Not Meant For Josh!” (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), “The Beach” (The Night Of)

Others Considered: “One Long Day” (Love), “New York’s Finest” (Daredevil), “Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo” (IASIP), “People Persons” (OITNB), “A Blade of Grass” (Penny Dreadful), “Al Fin Cayo” (Narcos), “eps2.8_h1dden-pr0cess.axx” (Mr. Robot), “Coats or Keys” (Masters of Sex), “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (Westworld), “The House of Uncanny Truths” (Search Party), “If I Were a Bell” (Transparent), “…Someone Like Me as a Member” (The Good Place), “Requiem” (Banshee), “Hope” (black-ish)

BEST TV PERFORMANCES OF 2016 (no rankings here)

Best Ensembles

-Rectify
-The Americans
-The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
-Horace and Pete
-Person of Interest

Great Pairings

-Riz Ahmed and John Turturro, "The Night Of
-Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis, "Black Mirror"

Individual Performances (again, one per show)

-Riley Keough, "The Girlfriend Experience"
-Rachel Bloom, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"
-Thandie Newton, "Westworld"
-Desmin Borges, "You're the Worst"
-Phoebe Waller-Bridge, "Fleabag"
-Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep" (deserves to be on here every year)
-Tatiana Maslany, "Orphan Black" (same)
-Kyle Chandler, "Bloodline"
-Rhea Seehorn, "Better Call Saul"

Honorable Mentions: John Lithgow/Claire Foy from “The Crown”, Kristen Bell and Ted Danson from “The Good Place”, Rami Malek from “Mr. Robot”, Wagner Moura from “Narcos”, Will Arnett from “Bojack Horseman”, Eva Green from “Penny Dreadful”, the ensemble of American Crime, Millie Brown from “Stranger Things”, Gillian Jacobs from “Love”, Hugh Laurie from “The Night Manager”, Hugh Dancy and Aaron Paul from “The Path”, Brian Tyree Henry from “Atlanta”, Lena Headey from “Game of Thrones”, Maria Bamford from “Lady Dynamite”, Ellie Kemper and Tituss Burgess from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, Alia Shawkat from “Search Party”, Rashida Jones from “Angie Tribeca”, Kathryn Hahn from "Transparent"

Shows I wish I had time for because Walton Goggins and Melissa Benoist are great: "Vice Principals" and "Supergirl"

Haven’t Seen/Haven’t Seen Enough Of: Baskets, The Get Down, This Is Us, Insecure, Quarry, Better Things, Luke Cage, Jane the Virgin, Catastrophe, Casual, Speechless, Halt and Catch Fire, High Maintenance, Broad City, Peaky Blinders, One Mississippi, black-ish, Preacher, Gomorrah, People Of Earth, Happy Valley, The A Word, Queen Sugar, Easy, Documentary Now!, Steven Universe, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Supergirl, The Flash, Outlander, RuPaul, Agent Carter, Superstore, Arrow (did not watch this season), Vikings, Vice Principals, Roots, Underground, Bates Motel, The Carmichael Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine