The Ten Best TV Shows of 2016 | TV/Streaming
In considering my ranking of 2016, I was struck by how easily I could shuffle some of the positions below, hinting again at a large number of good shows without significant stand-outs. There aren’t the established “tiers” that there used to be, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Do we want more good TV or do we miss the pioneers who took it to another level? That’s another idea I considered this year when making my list—I’ve always been drawn to what could be called auteur-driven TV, shows that feel driven by a unique creative voice. David Chase, Steven Soderbergh, Bryan Fuller, Louis CK, Vince Gilligan—you get the idea. I vastly prefer shows with a confident voice more than ones that feel made by a committee or focus group. Voices that mattered this year included Issa Rae, Donald Glover, Ray McKinnon, and, yes, Ryan Murphy, among others.
Runner-ups: “Bates Motel,” "Black Mirror," “Bob’s Burgers,” “Fleabag,” “The Goldbergs,” “The Good Place,” “The Last Man on Earth,” “Last Week Tonight,” “The Night Manager” and “Togetherness”
20. “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
19. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
18. “Bojack Horseman”
17. “Documentary Now!”
16. “Stranger Things”
15. “Billions”
14. “American Crime”
13. “You’re the Worst”
12. “Horace and Pete”
11. “Silicon Valley”
10. “Veep” (HBO)
The departure of creator Armando Iannucci could have been disastrous for HBO’s Emmy-winning comedy, and one could sense a bit of trepidation in the early episodes of its fifth season. However, that uncertainty quickly dissipated as the plotting this season became as hysterical and rewarding as any of the show’s seasons. Four words: Jonah Ryan For Congress. In an era in which we over-praise the new and ignore the old, we’ve started to take this ensemble for granted. Julia-Louis Dreyfus’ work here is some of the best in TV comedy history, but not enough praise gets thrown at one of the best overall ensembles on TV. Players within it like Anna Chlumsky and Matt Walsh seem to actually be getting funnier every year. In a political climate that now seems impossible to satirize and more vicious than this show's writers could possibly dream up, we’re gonna need Selina Meyer more than ever.
9. “Insecure” (HBO)
There are few words more terrifying than “YouTube Sensation,” and so my expectations for Issa Rae’s personality-driven comedy were relatively low, and immediately shattered. Sure, this comedy about being a young woman in ‘10s Los Angeles has echoes of “Girls” and “Sex and the City,” but Rae makes it distinctly her own. It’s not a show about overcoming flaws or insecurities—it’s about embracing them, and making them work for you. It’s right there in the title and in the way Rae doesn’t shy away from her character’s issues. She turns them into raps. It's also worth noting that this feels like the most genuine and believable show about relationships on TV right now. Finally, comedy has been a better genre than drama in recent years when it comes to diversity and examination of social issues in programs like “Master of None” and “Atlanta.” Joining in that trend, Rae’s singular voice is one we really need to listen to right now. I have a feeling it’s going to be one of the most essential over the next several years.
