Another year over, a new one about to begin...
What better way to say goodbye to 2016 than by looking back on all of the gifts the small screen gave us? From Game of Thrones' most epic season yet to Gilmore Girls' long-awaited (and worthy) return, as well as This Is Us' cry-inducing debut, viewers were spoiled with some wonderfully Stranger Things (see what we did there) when it came to TV this year.
In no particular order, here are E! News' picks for the 10 best TV shows of year. Plus, we included five honorable mentions worthy of some praise, too!
What didn't This Is Us give us this year? We got comebacks for Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore. We got great mustaches. We got Sterling K. Brown, killing it yet again. We also got to cry a whole lot as we welcomed a new extended and extra complicated family into our lives. We keep calling it the new Parenthood, but all future comfy family shows will be called the new This Is Us.
Where Netflix led, we followed...and we're so glad we did because it led us back to Stars Hollow, reuniting us with our beloved characters. The highly anticipated revival, which picked up almost 10 years after the series finale, felt organic, necessary and earned, with standout performances by Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop. Sure, there were some rocky moments (That musical montage went on a bit too long and the Paul bit got old real fast), but overall, the revival felt like finding an old favorite sweater and being delighted that it still fit and was just as comfy as you remember.
We know nothing...expect that season after season, the HBO hit manages to leave us breathless and captivated with its epic storytelling, especially in season six, which finally set the stage for the final battle (and two seasons). With some of its boldest moves yet and showstopping episodes ("The Battle of the Bastards" was a visual feast and arguably TV's best outing of the year), GoT deservedly won the Emmy for Best Drama...and a spot on our list (which is just as important, right?!).
Netflix's breakout hit of the summer did the (almost) impossible: made adults care about a show about kids. With homages to classic '80s movies, sci-fi fun, a so-cute-you-want-to-pinch-their-cheeks young cast, Winona Ryder's comeback and Internet memes all over place (Barb! Eggos! The Christmas lights!), Stranger Things became one of 2016's favorite things.
The CW's musical dramedy wasted no time turning things on its head in the best way possible. Character beats and developments that made total sense coupled with expertly done musical numbers kept Crazy Ex leagues above the 53,352 other TV shows out there. Rachel Bloom is here to stay.
We didn't know we needed a dramatized version of the O.J. Simpson trial, but now we're better off for having been given one. The performances were some of the best in any medium this year thanks to Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, and Courtney B. Vance, and at the very least, we got justice for the real Marcia Clark…even if it did come with David Schwimmer saying "juice!" a lot.
In a year that has made us feel like yelling almost every day, it's been a blessing to have Samantha Bee do it for us, only in a much more hilarious and much more coherent way than we ever could. Once a week is not nearly enough of this incredibly intelligent and cathartic show, but the (mostly) weekly half hours we do get have been very nearly perfect.
Billed as a comedy, Donald Glover's FX series proved in its first season to be so much more than that. With a remarkable specificity of vision, this meditation on what it is to be African-American in Atlanta was as willing to be as bizarre and esoteric as it was funny. Unclassifiable as it may be, Atlanta is must-see TV.
In its penultimate season, Lena Dunham's HBO series took some big swings—following Shoshanna to Japan, dedicating an entire episode to Marnie—that paid off huge. Shosh's time in Tokyo was a sumptuous feast for the eyes and Allison Williams turned in career-best work during "The Panic in Central Park." On top of that, the show was funnier than it had been in years.
Netflix's wacky world from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock remained just that in season two while delving into some serious character development for all players involved, handled expertly by Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess. And who can forget Lisa Kudrow's turn as Kimmy's mom and Amy Sedaris as Mimi Kanasis? Nobody.
A late entry in the race for 2016's best TV, Search Party appeared almost out of nowhere during Thanksgiving week to give everyone a run for their money. Between the spot-on and instantly crystallized representation of navel-gazing Millennials, the propulsive mystery at the center of the series, and the masterful performances from Alia Shawkat and the supporting cast, the TBS comedy proved to be one of the most binge-worthy shows of 2016.
Issa Rae's TV debut is one to be heralded. The HBO comedy is as fresh as they come, giving a perspective unlike any viewers have seen on TV in a long time. Realistic, smart and funny as hell, there's nothing insecure about Insecure.
All hail Samira Wiley, Danielle Brooks and Uzo Aduba's performances in season four of the Netflix dramedy. The three of them are reason alone to watch the very topical outing. BRB, need tissues just thinking about it.
Bravo's Big Apple Housewives put the rest of the franchise to shame by being so insanely entertaining. There was a heaping helping of drama—Luann de Lesseps texting her fiancee with Siri after she found out he kissed another woman: "How could you do this to me. Question mark."—comedy—both intentional and unintentional, like the time stamped Berkshires blowout—and plot twists galore. It was Housewives AND reality television at its finest, thanks in large part to MVP Bethenny Frankel.
Mike Schur's newest comedy wins the prize for most inventive comedy of the year with this delightful exploration of the afterlife, complete with frozen yogurt everywhere you turn. (Because who doesn't love frozen yogurt?) It elevates to one of the best comedies of the year, period, thanks to Kristen Bell's nimble work as the flawed Eleanor Shellstrop, Ted Danson's career-best work as Michael, the befuddled creator of Eleanor's neighborhood in the Good Place, and deft plotting that left us desperate for the next episode every week.
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