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EW lists the Best TV Shows of 2016...so far

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K

Kaizer

Banned
Been tearing through the 1st season of The Americans on Amazon Prime - it's great! Happy to hear in this thread that the show only continues to get better.
 
M

M3z_

Member
I'm pretty befuddled about Kimmy Schimdt being #1 personally. I found the first season to be a very hit or miss show, mainly hit in early episodes and a lot of missing towards the end of S1. This season however I got 3 episodes in and not only did not like it but, found myself questioning what I ever liked about it in the first place. It was a big disappointment for me, I think Ellie Kemper is a good lead and I enjoyed 30 Rock, but man the writing just feels so bad from what I've watched in S2.
 
D

Dalek

Member
M3z_ said:
I'm pretty befuddled about Kimmy Schimdt being #1 personally. I found the first season to be a very hit or miss show, mainly hit in early episodes and a lot of missing towards the end of S1. This season however I got 3 episodes in and not only did not like it, found myself questioning what I ever liked about it in the first place. It was a big disappointment for me, I think Ellie Kemper is a good lead and I enjoyed 30 Rock, but man the writing just feels so bad from what I've watched in S2.
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It's not a ranked list. Just a collection of shows they like.
 
W

water_wendi

Water is not wet!
SpaceWolf said:
For the people insinuating Game of Thrones should be included on the list this year...

45644da3d8e94dd0cdccd4dd1ec974d7.gif


There's still a certain bafflingly written subplot that's still dragging it down.
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This was fixed in the first episode of S6.
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
TheFlow said:
Game of thrones stans out in full force here.
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I thought S4 and S5 often verged on hot garbage, but S6 turned it completely around. This isn't an effect of fanboyism you're witnessing here. The show really did tremendously up its game in S6. Not a bad episode in the bunch, and I say this as someone who was primed to hate it.
 
O

Officerrob

Banned
4 best shows on TV this year so far IMO:

Better Call Saul
OJ: Made in America
The People vs. OJ Simpson
The Americans

Mr Robot starts in about 2 weeks, hopefully that can live up to the high bar of the first season.

Thrones is good, but some of it's fans are insane
 
S

Saya

Member
Best series right now is Gomorra. But not many people are watching it.

Orange is the New Black also had a very strong season this year. Maybe one of their best ones yet. American Crime Story was fantastic as well.

I was very disappointed in S2 of Better Call Saul. It only picked up in the last few episodes. Same with GoT. Great last 2/3 episodes, but generally disappointing.
 
A

A Serious Man

Member
Happy to see Lady Dynamite mentioned, it's the closest thing we've got to a spirtual successor to Arrested Development and nobody is talking about it. It's easily the funniest thing I've seen this year, ahead of even Silicon Valley and Veep.
 
S

Saya

Member
DeSo said:
Yooo, didn't know this was back, fuck yes. First season was awesome.
Click to expand...

Second season is fantastic as well. And it has recently been confirmed for a third one season.

I can't recommend this series enough. If you crime dramas like The Wire and The Sopranos, definitely check this out.
 
B

blainethemono

Member
for comparison, Vulture published their own unordered list

The Best TV Shows of 2016 (So Far) - By Jen Chaney and Matt Zoller Seitz

Nonfiction and scripted series were both eligible, whether ongoing or self-contained. Because the focus is on this calendar year, shows that debuted in 2015 and ran into this year were ruled out if more than half of the season’s episodes debuted prior to January 1. This is a consensus list by both writers, whose individual lists at the end of this year may differ considerably.
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The Americans (FX)
American Crime (ABC)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Black-ish (ABC)
Catastrophe (Amazon)
Togetherness (HBO)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Horace and Pete (LouisCK.net)
The Girlfriend Experience (Starz)
O.J. Simpson: Made in America (ESPN)
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Roots (History)
Underground (WGN)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
Click to expand...

breakdowns of each choice at the link

i really need to watch both of the OJ shows
 
C

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
I'm sad that virtually everyone ignored Man Seeking Woman. It's up there with the best TV comedies, and on top of that, there's nothing else remotely like it out there.
 
L

Langdon Alger

Banned
M3z_ said:
I'm pretty befuddled about Kimmy Schimdt being #1 personally. I found the first season to be a very hit or miss show, mainly hit in early episodes and a lot of missing towards the end of S1. This season however I got 3 episodes in and not only did not like it but, found myself questioning what I ever liked about it in the first place. It was a big disappointment for me, I think Ellie Kemper is a good lead and I enjoyed 30 Rock, but man the writing just feels so bad from what I've watched in S2.
Click to expand...

I completely agree.
 
M

Messofanego

Banned
Saya said:
Second season is fantastic as well. And it has recently been confirmed for a third one season.

I can't recommend this series enough. If you crime dramas like The Wire and The Sopranos, definitely check this out.
Click to expand...

I loved the Gomorrah film, so I'll check out the series.
 
F

Fitts

Member
Kimmy Schmidt, Lady Dynamite, and Better Call Saul I agree with. Not including Venture Bros, Silicon Valley, and Game of Thrones is criminal, though.

Would like to watch Horace and Pete at some point.
 
P

pretty done

Member
Dennis said:
Game of Thrones is so far ahead of everything else that is on TV that I have to laugh at the naysayers.

Episode 9 and 10 of this season makes your favorite TV show looks like amateur hour.
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Pretty much.

I wish there were more shows with the same quality as GoT, I need something to watch dammit!
 
K

King Tubby

Member
Man, I like Game of Thrones but if it weren't for the massive production values this season was just alright. It still wasn't as good as the first 4 seasons, but much better than season 5. Too much inconsistency and illogic in the plot and characters for me.

This thread reminding me I need to catch up on Veep and start watching The Americans.
 
T

TripOpt55

Member
I'm glad to see American Crime (the ABC one) make the list and the one blaine posted. It isn't my favorite show of the year so far, but it did impress/surprise me the most. The first season was rather middling overall and this was a huge improvement. Tackled some really interesting and difficult subject matter in a well-done manner. It was tough to watch at times, but really good. Great acting too (that was true of the first season as well even if it was much weaker). It definitely seems to be more under the radar too. These lists are probably most useful in shining light on some lesser known shows like that, so it is good to see it pop up.
 
K

Karu

Member
The Leftovers, Better Call Saul, Love, Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones, Veep

...for me probably so far. Forgetting something, as always.

Edit: Horace & Pete, holy fuck. Deserves All the awards. ALL OF THEM!
 
G

Goldenroad

Member
Horace and Pete is probably my favorite, but it takes such an emotional toll on me that I've still not watched past episode 4. The episode with Laurie Metcalf made me cry multiple times. Louis is my favorite writer of the last decade.
 
B

blainethemono

Member
stfuppercut said:
Pretty much.

I wish there were more shows with the same quality as GoT, I need something to watch dammit!
Click to expand...

How to Avoid 'Game of Thrones' Withdrawal - via Inverse

Game of Thrones is officially over, and it will be an entire year before you can dive into new episodes and find out what the newly crowned Queen Cersei might get up to. But if you’re worried that everything else you watch until then is a pale imitation, don’t despair. There are plenty of shows that will quench your thirst for epic battles, high quality production, snarky dialogue, and surprising plot turns. Just maybe not dragons. Here are some shows you can dive into in the next few months.
Click to expand...

Black Sails

Black Sails has the richest characterization on TV — not just for a political action adventure show but for any show. That alone would be enough to make it worthwhile, but it also expertly marries character work with action sequences that are up to par with Game of Thrones setpieces like “Blackwater” and “The Battle of The Bastards.” Season 3 included a single-shot wild west style horse chase, ship battles, shark wrestling, forest battles, duels — and through it all, the writers never lose sight of the gloriously complex characters. Were you annoyed when Game of Thrones dropped the ball on Arya’s character this season, making her act nonsensically for the sake of the plot? That never happens on Black Sails.

Everyone is fully developed and Machiavellian; when you think something isn’t adding up, unpredictable motives are revealed later, the lead (Toby Stephens as Captain Flint) is the same level as Lena Heady’s Cersei, one character (Jack Rackham) gives Tyrion a run for his money in quips and snark, two others speed past early Jaime Lannister in “Wow, you’re not who I first thought you were” evolutions (Silver and Vane) and the show features thoughtful depictions of non-stereotypical queer and polyamorous relationships to boot. Season 1 is a bit slow but it’s only eight episodes, and Seasons 2 and 3 are two of the most well-crafted television seasons out there, barring none — even Game of Thrones.

Time investment: Season 1 is eight episodes, the subsequent two seasons are both 10 episodes, and a fourth season will be out around January.
Click to expand...

Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful is a strange, over-the-top, gloriously gothic show. If you’ve got an affinity for gothic literature, poetic dialogue, old-school Universal monsters like the Wolfman, pulpy scenes like characters dancing in blood, or you just love seeing sets filled with old-timey laboratories, seedy gentlemen’s clubs, Victorian era orgies, and seances, this is the show for you.

Plot is not always its strong point, but with bizarre and imaginative setpieces, fresh spins on characters like Victor Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and Dracula — not to mention a cast that includes Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, and Timothy Dalton — this is a show where it’s okay that plot is secondary to character and atmosphere. It also approaches feminism in an interesting and ballsy way — and it might be the only show that adapts multiple books at once. Its opening credits perfectly encapsulate its spirit and mood.
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also: Vikings, Outlander, The Leftovers, Misfits


Goldenroad said:
Horace and Pete is probably my favorite, but it takes such an emotional toll on me that I've still not watched past episode 4. The episode with Laurie Metcalf made me cry multiple times. Louis is my favorite writer of the last decade.
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yeah, that was probably the most devastating thing i've seen on TV in years. was blown away by that solid ~10 minute long shot of Laurie Metcalf delivering a monologue. easily my #1 so far this year as well
 
S

Saya

Member
Messofanego said:
I loved the Gomorrah film, so I'll check out the series.
Click to expand...

The series is made by the same guys that did the film, except the story and characters are different. Definitely check it out. It is so good. If it was available on Netflix or HBO I think Gomorrah would be a huge success.
 
R

realwords

Member
umop_3pisdn said:
Yes. The characters are good and everything that happens is essentially believable. A lot of lesser shows will make characters act temporarily stupid to contrive some thing happening in the plot, but the characters in the Americans all have a consistent core or personality that makes sense individually and in the context of the story. It actually comes across as really grounded and believable considering that the premise of 'spies' could easily go the other way. It seems like there could be a lot of ways that it could go off the rails, shows with suspense often seem prone to that, but the Americans never does.

Rectify is the best show on TV right now though, but the Americans is at least in the top five.
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Thanks for your input -- been binging on the show all day and I'm loving it now. It's really well paced.
 
E

EmpressInYellow

Banned
I'm just thrilled any time I see The Americans get acknowledged, since it's pretty much ignored by the various awards shows.

That's actually why I'm pretty much okay with GoT being excluded - it's solid, but there's no way it deserves the number of nominations it gets when a number of other incredibly deserving shows go utterly unrecognized.
 
J

jdstorm

Banned
For me Vultures list is better then EWs but in general this year has been pretty underwhelming. I think the shows I've enjoyed the most in the last 12 months are Killjoys and limitless.
 
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