Best TV Shows Of 2016

Best TV Shows Of 2016

The year has come to a close. 2016 is over and now, 2017 has just begun. Aside from drinking myself silly and watching the fireworks go off behind the London Eye, I like to wrap the year by summarising what has been the best and worst on-screen entertainment for our viewing pleasure (sometimes debatable). Kicking off this year in review are the best television shows of 2016. Some could say, whilst movies still are a dominant force, TV had a better year. We reached milestones such as; The Simpsons's 600th episode, South Park acknowledging the travesty that was the American Presidential Election and of course, seeing Team GB do fantastically well at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. However, as much as they were pivotal moments in the year, they don't quite make this list. Here are the rules for my TV lists:
- No one-off feature length episodes
- Mostly fictional but some documentaries can be included.
- All shows must have an actual storyline running through rather than individual standalone episodes within the season e.g. The Simpsons, Family Guy. Black Mirror would be allowed but seeing as I didn't watch it, c'est la vie.
- Also, to be considered, the show must have concluded its season during 2016. If the show began in 2016 but finishes its run in 2017, it cannot be counted.

Right, with rules laid out and everything ready, we begin with...



10. Legends Of Tomorrow - Season 1 (Sky1/The CW)

If it wasn't clear already, I love all things comic book, superheroes and everything in that realm. Legends, which comes from the same collective universe as Arrow, The Flash and now, Supergirl, is the most entertaining of them all. With bigger effects, grander scales and epic fight scenes, Legends realises what it is and makes the most out of it. The dialogue is very cheesy but thankfully, I like my cheese with extra cheese. The cast all work solidly together and build a great rapport throughout the season. Vandal Savage made a decent villain but the true standouts were Brandon Routh's Ray Palmer/Atom and Firestorm. Very chilled and extravagant, this is a superhero team show that revels in the geekiness.





9. Star Wars Rebels - Season 2 (Disney XD)

This is NOT only a kids show. Yes, it may be animated and have moments that certainly cater towards a younger audience, but after going to Celebration and seeing 4000 grown adults lose their minds at a trailer for a future season, that proves my point. Like any show, some episodes were duds but more often that not, Rebels delivered some killer moments. The characters deepened and faced more dangerous and personal struggles. Ezra's inner battle with the Dark Side has always been brilliant to watch but the final episode is complete perfection and ranks highly in my favourite Star Wars moments. I am of course, not only talking about the reintroduction of Maul (now without the Darth title) but the goosebump inducing and gorgeous fight scene between Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano. For fans of The Clone Wars, this fight was heartbreaking yet to see Vader once again and a convincing lightsaber battle (even if animated) was beautiful.





8. The Night Manager (BBC One/AMC)

Perhaps the launching point for Tom Hiddleston being in contention for Bond, his appearance in the adaptation of the John Le Carre novel was incredible. To make matters even more joyous, the series turned out to be phenomenal. It was like the anti-Bond antidote. The Night Manager was clinical, precise and the right amount of class that it never came across pompous. The story was of high stakes but hardly felt generic or monotonous. Olivia Colman was truly fantastic and Hugh Laurie nailed the villainous businessman. Every week when this aired, it became an hour of television that fascinated and intrigued me.





7. The People Vs. OJ Simpson - American Crime Story (BBC Two/FX)

From the warped and slightly disturbed minds of American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy and his band of creative geniuses tried something new this year by switching to detailing a true crime event. In this instance, it was the case of OJ Simpson, his arrest for the supposed murder of his ex wife and lover, other events including the chase down the highway and his eventual trial. Cramming all of that into a short miniseries could have been terrible. Fortunately, it was anything but. The acting across the board was some of the best from this year with notable standouts being Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance. Even though we knew the outcome, this show became one of the most gripping and compelling things on television.





6. 11.22.63 (FOX/Hulu)

Based off of the hugely popular Stephen King novel, 11.22.63 was one of those shows that I hadn't heard anything about until it aired. No build up. No expectations. And it was brilliant. The use of time travel and it's implementation to the story as well as referencing the collateral damages it can create was unlike anything I've seen regarding time travel. The execution was on point leading all the way up to the assassination attempt. James Franco, who truth be told hasn't always been the greatest of actors, gives possibly one of the best performances of his career as Jake, a man tasked with travelling back in time to stopping the assassination of JFK. Conspiracies are rife and as someone watching week in and week out, I found myself debating whether or not Oswald was guilty or how it would all end. If you're a history buff or enjoy captivating television with a slight sci-fi twist, then I implore you to watch 11.22.63.





5. The Flash - Season 2 (Sky1/The CW)

After one of the best season debuts last year, The Flash came back with another dynamite run. Barry still likes to tamper with the speed force leading to problems for all of Team Flash. Zoom was as great as The Reverse Flash for the villain but that's enough for speedster antagonists now. I know Savitar seems to be the sole focus of Season 3 but I hope they switch it up slightly. Grant Gustin still proves to be one of the greatest leading men on TV and it's ridiculous as to how he hasn't landed a big movie role yet. Cisco continues to literally be me. Constantly making quips and pop culture references, if I had the ability to vibe things, I like to think I'd be Cisco. As for other great moments, Kevin Smith directs one of my favourite Flash episodes of all time, second to the season finale of season 1 and we get to travel to Earth-2 to see Team Flash's doppelgangers. On the whole, The Flash proved that it is the best superhero show on primetime television.





4. Westworld - Season 1 (Sky Atlantic/HBO)

Never has there been as strong an opening season as Westworld. I still contend that Breaking Bad is my favourite show of all time, but even that had a wobbly first season. Westworld blew my mind. Complex and cerebral, this isn't a show that you can casually watch. It demands your undivided attention throughout and as long as you stay focused, you will be rewarded. The acting is easily some of the strongest on show this year and expect Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton to win Emmy's and Golden Globes. It has created instantly lovable characters and fresh and original storylines that never ceased to shock or surprise. Every single episode had me engaged and constantly thinking as to whether I would visit Westworld if given the opportunity. The answer? Probably not.
Check out my review of Westworld - Season 1 here.





3. Stranger Things - Season 1 (Netflix)

Spielberg would be proud. A show that no one even expected at the beginning of the year but since its release, has defined a whole new era of television. Stranger Things was a show that I honestly debated if it was worth watching when it came out. Nothing seemingly made me gravitate towards it but I went with the high praise it was getting and began the eight episode binge fest. Thank God I watched it. Being a true throwback to the 80's adventures like The Goonies and E.T., this show was the coolest of the year. Eleven has now transcended the term of fan favourite character and Millie Bobby Brown is a star because of it. It felt a perfect length, never dragged and The Duffer Brothers made a love letter to the family films of old with a modern twist that aficionados of film and television will not just appreciate, but fall in love with. Everyone now knows exactly what I mean when I say The Upside-Down or The Demogorgon. They don't even have to be in context but someone will immediately understand my lingo.
Check out my review of Stranger Things - Season 1 here.





2. Daredevil - Season 2 (Netflix)

Netflix and Marvel are like mashed potato and baked beans. So freaking good!!!! Daredevil, which stunned me in its first season, had a lot to live up to for its second. Matt, Karen and Foggy are still barely able to hold their law firm together whereas Matt encounters his lost love, Elektra. Then, to top it all off, Jon Bernthal arrives as Frank Castle, otherwise known as The Punisher. If you thought the first season of Daredevil was dark and gritty, that's nothing compared to what the showrunners put on show here. They unleashed The Punisher leading to the most intense, violent and all around awesome action scenes ever put to TV. Daredevil battling The Hand was great and as the season concluded, it definitely ended in an epic way. However, The Punisher arc and every moment he featured in was simply perfect. He's had two pretty mediocre movies so to see this character given the opportunity he deserves and be as brutal and unforgiving as the comics show him, was so satisfying. This may have been titled Daredevil and whilst I sped through these thirteen episodes at a rate of knots, it got me excited to see a standalone Punisher series.





And here we are...
My number one television show of 2016 is...




1. Game Of Thrones - Season 6 (Sky Atlantic/HBO)

Despite being the first season to surpass the material provided by the books, the sixth season of Game Of Thrones wound up being its best. This, to me, felt like a ten hour epic movie. If I had the opportunity to, I would have synced this up to a cinema screen and watched every single episode. Whereas other shows this year shaped and altered what we perceive to be television, Game Of Thrones basically dropped the mic by showing everyone how it's done. The characters all had important and grand storylines to tell and everyone has major moments of development. Daenerys still has her dragons, and by teaming up with Tyrion, shows everyone that she's still a force to be reckoned with. The moment her dragons light up the opposing naval fleet, I could have sworn this was a film. Arya and Sansa still prove themselves to be wholly captivating with Arya continually becoming more of a badass every single episode. After episode eight, I was confident in saying that season six of Game Of Thrones was definitely one of its strongest. Then the last two episodes aired. My jaw dropped. My mind exploded. My eyes watered with happiness as I bared witness to some, if not THE, most glorious episodes of television of all time. The Battle Of The Bastards was epic in every way imaginable. Jon swiped a guy off a horse. HOW IS THAT NOT EPIC?? Then, the season finale stole every emotion from me. I was heartbroken watching Margery die. I was aghast to see Jon and Daenerys's relation and excited to see the tease of the ultimate battle that will hopefully lead to season 7. Breaking Bad still is my favourite show ever made, but of the series's that are still showing, this solidified Game Of Thrones at the top spot.




So there we are. My top 10 TV shows of the year. 2017 should be interesting too. Of course, there are a boat load of superhero shows including The Defenders. Sherlock returns as does Game Of Thrones. And best of all, there's a needless reboot of Taken. I'm kidding of course. If those sequels taught us anything, it's that one was enough.

What do you think of my list? Any shows missing? What was your favourite show of 2016? Post your answers below.

If you like what you've seen here don't forget to share this post, comment below and check out my other reviews. Thanks for reading!