We here on the E! News TV team have been so good this year.
We ate our vegetables, we brushed our teeth, and we didn't start this article off with yet another joke about dumpster fires and 2016. If you ask us, we totally deserve to get everything we want for TV Christmas, and more!
So, just in case you just happen to be one of the powers that be in the TV world, we've compiled a list of all the things we'd like to have for 2017. It's nothing crazy—just a few minor requests and a stern warning or two.
Come on, 2017! Don't let us down!
Tierney Bricker
For Riverdale to Be a Hit: After Frequency and No Tomorrow both failed to attract audiences and The Vampire Diaries coming to an end, the CW needs a new hit series now more than ever. Enter: Riverdale, Greg Berlanti's live-action take on the Archie comics that is seriously stylish and snarky. I have high hopes for the drama, which feels like early Gossip Girl, and I am betting the CW does, too.
For Nick Viall to Find Love on The Bachelor: While cynical when it comes to reality TV relationships, I am also a hopeless romantic at heart and I can admit I ultimately end up getting caught up by the end of each season. And I have my fingers (and toes) crossed for Nick Viall to find the one in his fourth outing in the franchise, if only so other men have a chance in Bachelor Nation.
For This Is Us to stay good: The only thing I fear more than learning how Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) passed and watching the Big Three deal with the devastating loss is for the NBC hit to suffer the fate of so many breakout hits before it and quickly lose steam. However, I trust that the show has a plan and each episode is part of a quilt that makes up the history of the Pearson family. (But still: I've been hurt before and I'm fragile! Cough—Empire—Cough.)
Chris Harnick
For The Good Fight to, well, be good: I am the first to admit that when I heard The Good Wife was spinning off Diana Lockhart and Lucca Quinn I wasn't entirely sold. The last few seasons of The Good Wife were not great. Then the Kings got back involved and the cast took shape and my fears were eased. And then that trailer came out and here we are, counting down the days until The Good Fight premieres. The Good Wife left big shoes to fill, but Christine Baranski is more than capable of stepping into them and handling it with grace. With no broadcast restrictions, The Good Fight will be able to do as the new tagline says: Get nasty.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend continues to let its freak flag fly for however long it wants: Rachel Bloom has been open about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's ratings woes, but with the critical acclaim and awards love, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will likely return for a third season. Give it a fourth for Bloom's full story to be told. TV has never seen anything like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and it won't for a long time afterward. We've got a The Comeback situation on our hands, here people!
For reboots & revivals to follow Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life's lead: Netflix's revival of Gilmore Girls was delightful. There was a specific story, a journey if you will, that creator Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted to tell. And she told it! Revivals should have a story to tell and not just return to make more money. Same thing for reboots. Is there an interesting new twist on the story? No? OK, then don't do it. How about some new ideas?
Billy Nilles
For Samantha Bee to remain as gloriously furious as ever: 2016 has been a real humdinger of a year and one of the only things that has helped me maintain what little sanity I have left has been Full Frontal and righteous indignation Sam Bee delivers on a weekly basis, lambasting the lunacy that surrounds us with a cathartic fury. With 2017 not poised to be any better, we'll need her more than ever.
For Twin Peaks to not collapse under the weight of expectations: There are only two ways Showtime's upcoming Twin Peaks revival can go. It'll either be spectacular sensation or an unholy mess. I'm hoping for the former, but with that unruly cast list and the unpredictable David Lynch at the helm, this one could go either way.
For The Real O'Neals to not get canceled: Since its premiere in March, this delightful little family comedy centered on 16-year-old Kenny (played to perfection by Noah Galvin) as he navigates his new life as an openly gay man has managed to find the humor in the coming out experience, rather than the usual tragedy. Kids across the country need this show (and I do, too), so here's hoping ABC recognizes what a good thing it has and gives it another season.
Lauren Piester
For Teen Wolf and Pretty Little Liars to end well: Two high concept and often mocked teen shows are about to say goodbye, and all I want is for them to end as well as they possibly can. They've each gone in strange directions over the past couple of seasons, but there's a chance for them to go out in a way that reminds us how truly fantastic (if a little ridiculous) they can be and have often been. One of these shows is more likely to leave us satisfied than the other, but I'm rooting for both (and for Riverdale to bring me all the new teen drama I could ever need).
For SNL to keep up the winning streak: Election years are almost always home runs for SNL, and this one has been a particularly good season so far. I need the show to keep being good and as biting as it can possibly be, and to keep trying new things, because it's definitely working. I'd also really appreciate some new kinds of hosts…like say, perhaps, a few TV stars for once? Stars like Casey Affleck are a waste when we could be getting any one of these people: Viola Davis, Rami Malek, Riz Ahmed, Lauren Graham, Donald Glover, Kristen Bell, Issa Rae, or the entire cast of This Is Us. Even one (or all) of the Pretty Little Liars could probably do a pretty solid job.
For this surreal reality to have a positive impact on TV in 2017: While a lot of things may seem terrible right now, there's already a lot of incredible TV that reflects the good in the world. We need those shows more than ever, now. We need humanity and understanding over shocking deaths and twists (despite me asking for the opposite last year), and hopefully 2017 can deliver.