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What is the TVIVer’s Poll? Essentially, it’s a super poll. Inspired by DivisionPost’s link to HitFix’s Annual TV Critics’ Poll, I decided at the spur of the moment four years ago to replicate the situation with the posters in TVIV. Anyone who posts in TVIV is free to submit a top ten list of their favorite shows in the year 2016, in reverse favorite order starting with 10 (their least favorite) and ending with 1 (their most favorite) in one post. Submissions are open right now, as you're reading this, and will remain so until the end of this month, midnight PST January 1 (aka New Year’s Day). The poll will then be closed, Rarity “and I” will total up the results, and post them a couple of days later. We will assign ten points to your submission’s favorite show-the number one slot-nine to second favorite, etc etc etc down to one point for the number ten slot. The total number of points accrued will give us an aggregate favorite shows list as chosen by TVIV in 2016.  RULES YOU MUST loving FOLLOW READ THIS READ THIS READ THIS:1) Every item on each person's top ten list must have aired in part or in full in the calendar year 2016. This should go without saying, but just to be clear: as long as your show (if it's a show; miniseries, webseries, "on-demand" series (think Netflix and Hulu series) and TV movies are also open to be picked- maybe you really loved 13TH, whatever, I don't judge. Man, I should really watch 13TH as like, a socially conscious human in this world) aired at least one episode in 2016, it's available. If you pick a show for the top ten slot which has aired two seasons in 2016, but you're only picking it for one of those seasons, clarifying which would be much appreciated, but not necessary. (I'm thinking specifically of The Walking Dead season 6 vs. the first half of season 7). Conversely, if you pick a show which has aired two seasons in 2016 and you're picking both seasons, clarifying that you're picking both would also be much appreciated, but not necessary. To be clear, this doesn't affect placement or tabulation, but I think it's interesting to know what specific seasons of television people like and dislike (Survivor seasons 32 and 33, for example). 2) This isn't PYF. Please write up something about the shows on your list- why you picked them, what you loved and hated about the season, whatever, just don't do a bare list. This isn't negotiable; simple, bare-bones lists won't be counted. (It doesn't have to be a massive screed; a sentence or two after each selection is fine. Just write something.) It's really boring anyways, and this thread is also meant to foster discussion. Obviously, discussing what you loved about a season of a show requires discussion of that season, and that means spoilers, and I don't want to wade through a CIA document so feel free to spoiler all you want. Obviously, this also means  WARNING: YOU CAN AND WILL BE SPOILED ABOUT ANY SHOW THAT'S AIRED IN 2016. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.3) Don't be an annoying shitbird about other people's lists. Obviously discussion about the qualities of specific TV seasons that have aired is accepted and, in fact, encouraged, but don't bring this thread down with an annoying bitchy flamewar about That Show You Hate. I'm speaking specifically about flaming people who list Girls (actually, Girls hatred is pretty much non-existent nowadays), Steven Universe, or Adventure Time on their lists. Actually if you're gonna argue about cartoons designed for Literal Children, take my free advice and just not post. Literally nobody cares. If it gets real bad I'll lock the thread, so don't be stupid. Obviously everyone's lists are gonna be subjective as hell so imagine a giant IN MY OPINION written in bold and underlined before everyone's lists. 4) I can’t believe I have to make this rule but here we are. You HAVE to have ten shows on your list. No more, no less. It HAS to be in order from 10 to 1. 10, in this case is your LEAST FAVORITE SHOW. Repeating again: 10 IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE SHOW, ASCENDING IN FAVORITISM TO 1 BEING YOUR FAVORITE SHOW OF 2016. It HAS to be numbered. You CANNOT list two shows within the same submission and expect your submission to be counted, even if they are complimentary shows. You MUST post your submission in comprehensible English. You MUST post your submission in one post. You cannot violate any of these rules and we will not count your submission or even link it if you don’t. NONE OF THESE RULES ARE NEGOTIABLE. The by far biggest headache for both Sophia and I three years ago when running this poll was people being unable to count to ten and/or being super special snowflakes who decided to submit all hosed up orders to their show. It got a whole lot better last year, where pretty much only the obvious joke submissions broke the rules, which you know whatever. For clarification, honorable mentions are allowed and if you really really want to do a top 25 or something ludicrous like that, you can. Only the top ten is going to be counted, though, and that top ten has to conform to the above rules. 5) HERE IS HOW EDITING YOUR SUBMISSIONS WORKS. When y’all submit your polls, I will periodically be pulling your posts and end up hyperlinking all of them in the post right below this one. Then, Rarity and I will pull from my hyperlinked list that I’ve made to compile all of your submissions into an Excel document. YOU ARE FREE TO EDIT YOUR SUBMISSIONS AT ANY TIME. But- and this is important- before you edit your submission- CHECK THE SECOND POST TO SEE IF YOUR POST HAS BEEN HYPERLINKED. If it has, YOU MUST EDIT THE POST THAT HAS BEEN HYPERLINKED. That’s what we’re going to pull from to compile your points and it makes our jobs, again, much much easier if you do that. Then, please pm me or Rarity (we both have plat), post in the thread that you’ve edited your submission, or- best option- do both. Please make sure to do this, we will be compiling literally dozens of submissions in a week and we’re just two guys and we WILL miss your edit if you don’t tell us you’ve edited it and then we’ll both feel bad because we’ve slightly misrepresented the data. If I haven’t hyperlinked your submission- feel free to do whatever. Delete your original post, and resubmit under a new one, edit it- WHATEVER. Don’t care. The simple, concise summary to what I just wrote: If you’re editing your submission- are you hyperlinked? EDIT THAT POST. No? GO HOG WILD DUDERS. In that same vein, please please check 1-2 days after you submit to make sure that I’ve hyperlinked your post. If I haven’t, it might be that neither Rarity nor I have counted your submission and that would be a real bummer to you. I will be hyperlinking in chronological order so if I “skip” you that’s a good warning sign. Then bother me, I’ll make sure to get it fixed. If you change your username in between when you submit and when we count up the votes, please also let us know, we’d like to attribute to each poster accurately and it’s also a good check if me and Rarity are all like “who the gently caress is GOD HATES NIGGERS and why does he like Duck Dynasty so much” and suddenly you’re all like “I go by Inoffensive Username now. Got an e-wife and children I gotta settle down from my SA Anarchist days.” 6. NEW RULE: TV Show seasons are only considered once ever (unless they air episodes for the first time over multiple years, like seasons of The Walking Dead or most broadcast network TV shows) and only for their first-run airing no matter whether or not Americans can see it. This is an incredibly rare edge-case, but basically applies specifically to The Young Pope Season 1 (which has its first run airing this year in Europe and will have its first American broadcast of that same season next year). The Young Pope Season 1 will air in its entirety in 2016, then air in its entirety on HBO in 2017. The Young Pope Season 1 is only eligible to be voted on for this year, and not next year, and not both years. First-run airing is the only thing that counts, period. (If you didn't understand a word of what I just wrote then none of this applies to you and you're free to ignore it.) Winter End Television Schedule If you want to set up a schedule for television that's airing up until the end of December, I highly recommend checking out pogdesign. It allows you to make your own personalized tv schedule, and all it requires is an email address and the five minutes or so it takes to pick your favorite tv shows. Top Fifty TVIV Shows of 2015 TVIV poll 2012: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3523734 TVIV poll 2013: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3591552 TVIV poll 2014: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3686396 TVIV poll 2015: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3754622 I went to last year’s thread and pulled the top fifty shows from last year, removed the ones that didn’t air in 2016 for whatever reason, and listed them for you so you won’t forget any of the more “culty” shows that aired this year. Everyone thank Rarity because this was her idea. THANK HER. 1. Better Call Saul 2. Mr. Robot 3. Daredevil 4. Person of Interest 5. Sense8 (Christmas special to possibly air later this month) 6. Agents of Shield 7. The 100 8. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 9. Broad City 10. iZombie 11. Bojack Horseman 12. You're The Worst 13. The Americans 14. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 15. Game of Thrones 16. Brooklyn Nine-Nine 17. Last Week Tonight 18. UnREAL 19. Survivor 20. Silicon Valley 21. Z Nation 22. Veep 23. Orphan Black 24. The Flash 25. Banshee 26. Limitless 27. Steven Universe 28. Gravity Falls 29. Doctor Who (Christmas special to air later this month) 30. Vikings 31. Shameless 32. Rectify 33. Black Sails 34. Scream Queens 35. Fresh Off The Boat 36. Ash vs. Evil Dead 37. Lucha Underground 38. 12 Monkeys 39. Arrow 40. Jane the Virgin 41. The Walking Dead 42. The Grinder 43. Bob's Burgers 44. Documentary Now! 45. Wayward Pines 46. Adventure Time 47. American Horror Story 48. The Last Man on Earth 49. Another Period 50. Masterchef Australia Shows That Aired in 2016 That You Might Have Forgotten About Based off Rarity's suggestion three years ago of a list of "Good Shows that came out in 2013", I've decided to rename this list and differentiate its aims slightly- instead of a list of "good shows", it's just a list of shows that, as you're making your list, you might've forgotten about because they either aired early in the calendar year, weren't or aren't popular in TVIV while they were/are airing, or both. I can add to this list as the thread goes, so if you have any suggestions let me know. American Crime Story Horace and Pete The Crown The Good Place Better Things Easy High Maintenance Love The Get Down Angie Tribeca Baskets Lady Dynamite Queen Sugar Falling Water The Expanse The Young Pope Galavant A Note In case you couldn't tell from the numerous times I used her name previously, Sophia (who used to run the thread alongside me for the first three years) had the good sense to quit this garbage heap of degenerates masquerading as a webforum, so Rarity graciously stepped up to the plate and will be replacing her for data wrangling. As always, I'm extremely grateful for the assistance, being a professional moron and all-around stupid rear end in a top hat. Anyways, any congratulations and thanks go her way and any complaints go mine; it's pretty much always my fault.
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Dec 2, 2016 20:13
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Everyone's Top Ten Lists:
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Dec 2, 2016 20:13
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Yes I'm back once again with the renegade master for another gratuitous display of crude behaviour as we decide on TVIV's best shows of 2016! The competition last year was tight with Fargo coming out on top and Jessica Jones just inching its way into second place (Hey, remember that Toxx? Wasn't that awesome?) But many of last year's top shows were on hiatus this year, leaving us a wide gulf at the top just waiting to be filled by a host of new pretenders. So prepare yourselves, friends. Get your remotes at the ready, pull up those viewing schedules and join us as we dive into a cornucopia of the best of the best of 2016. And also Doctor Who. We can never escape Doctor Who. Wait, it hasn't aired an episode yet this year? Toxx, we're freeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 
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Dec 2, 2016 20:15
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Jessica Jones for all ten slots
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Dec 2, 2016 20:32
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Arist posted:Jessica Jones for all ten slots I'll allow it
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Dec 2, 2016 21:13
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Arist posted:Jessica Jones for all ten slots I'd say something snarky but this just honestly confuses the gently caress out of me.
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Dec 2, 2016 21:31
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It is, a joke
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Dec 2, 2016 21:32
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Poe's law man, someone out there earnestly thinks that.
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Dec 2, 2016 21:36
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Don't get me wrong, it's still my favorite show from last year, but enough about JJ. This one's gonna be hard. I'm not totally sure I've enjoyed ten shows this year. Can I just cast votes against Stranger Things?
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Dec 2, 2016 21:40
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My shortlist had no fewer than 14 shows, it's gonna be a tough year.
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Dec 2, 2016 21:42
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Oh gently caress, just compiled my list and I'm up to 18 shows, including BrainDead (add that to the "forgot about" list), Atlanta, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Get Down, Silicon Valley, and Mr. Robot, all of which I need to finish the latest seasons of. I'm not gonna have mine done for a while.
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Dec 2, 2016 22:16
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Arist posted:Jessica Jones for all ten slots No, no, it's the best shows of the year.
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Dec 2, 2016 22:44
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Lick! The! Whisk! posted:No, no, it's the best shows of the year. Oh poo poo, sorry, I had Luke Cage on there by mistake, thanks for the save
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Dec 2, 2016 23:18
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Is it only scripted tv, or do reality shows count? Because Drag Race is always amazing.
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Dec 3, 2016 01:28
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10) Luke Cage Easily the weakest Marvel Netflix show so far, it mainly suffers from Mike Colter being extremely wooden and unable to lend any sort of gravitas to lines that are supposed to sound badass. To put it simply, he can't loving act. You saw snippets of this in Jessica Jones with THAT infamous line, but when he's put at the center it's much worse. This is made all the more apparent by the rest of the cast, which is mostly very good, particularly Rosario Dawson and Simone Missick as Misty Knight. Hell, the show should have been about her, she was by far the most interesting character. Both villains were also great, though the decision to switch halfway through the season was a bit of a baffling decision. But I have a lot of fondness for Erik LaRay Harvey from Boardwalk Empire, he is just such a fun presence every time he's on screen, I don't mind it too much. Despite the weaknesses of Mike Colter, Luke Cage still managed to tell a different kind of superhero story, one more focused on social issues. It didn't always work very well, but I respect their attempt, and there were plenty of things to like about the show in general. Great music, for one. 09) Daredevil Mainly here for Jon Bernthal as Punisher. The first three episodes of the second season compose a mostly self-contained arc that is some of the finest superhero fiction to ever be filmed, in my opinion. Sadly it does not follow through, and despite some high points in the middle, the season fizzles out in a final episode that is maybe the worst of the whole series. A shame, but it definitely left a mark. 08) Black Mirror I've not been a huge fan of the original run of Black Mirror. I absolutely appreciate what they were going for, but more often than not I find they relied too much on twists and gimmicks. Outside of the christmas special, White Christmas, I would not hail any of the episodes as being great. But I bet this is going to come up a lot: San Junipero. Just a wonderful episode that uses a sci-fi concept to tell a deeply relatable story that hits all the right notes for me, personally. The other episodes are good too, with the exception of Shut Up and Dance, which I actually kind of loving hated. But I do think, as a whole, the level of quality on display here was generally higher than the original run, with San Junipero as the standout. 07) Preacher I am not a fan of the comic Preacher is based on, in fact I borderline detest Garth Ennis and his vile, cynical storytelling. So I don't mind the deviations from the comic, and I don't mind the slow pace of the TV adaptation, since it's clearly trying to tell a very different story, which I am all for. Preacher is mostly upheld by its strong atmosphere and performances by Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga, and Jackie Earle Haley. The direction in a few select episodes was top-notch (HELL), the show was generally funny, and it was not afraid to get really absurd and out there. Definitely more of a style than substance situation, but I found it to be intriguing and captivating throughout. 06) Mr. Robot I watched both seasons of this a few months ago, and I wasn't super enamored with it. It's a show that mainly stands out in terms of direction and the performance of the main character. Honestly I find Elliott to be the only really compelling character on the whole show and whenever he's not on screen I don't find much to like. But it cannot be understated how strong the direction is and how strongly Rami Malek plays that character. Although the plot of season 2 is a bit of a jumbled mess with a twist that I don't think it earns as well as the one in the first season, one episode in particular stands out, and you can probably guess which one I'm referring to. It is one of the craziest hours I have seen on television in recent memory, and the show deserves a spot on this list for that episode alone. 05) The Americans Not much to say about this season specifically, I watched the entire run of the show over a couple of weeks, so a lot of the how and when blends together in my mind. Fantastic sense of tension and performances across the board. As I recall, this was the season where they moved past Martha and Nina, which had severe consequences for everyone. One scene does stand out in my mind, after Elizabeth is forced to kill one of her informants and the whole situation with Martha goes down, both of them just loving break down in the safe house after which Gabriel finally gives them a vacation. It's a great moment, because it shows just how far they've gone and how much of a toll it has taken on them. Show continues to be of very high quality, and I don't have much negative to say about anything here. This season was maybe not the high point of the show, but it's been consistently good. 04) Stranger Things I've seen a bit of a backlash towards this show recently, and I'm still not entirely sure why. I guess it can be viewed as pandering and simplistic, but personally I found it engaging as all hell. I don't typically binge watch shows, but I did do it with this one over the course of one night, and it was a pretty spectacular ride. Other than the obvious Stephen King and Spielberg influence, it struck me as being just a really good modern horror story in the vein of something like Silent Hill. I really love where the latter half of the season goes, and it got dark in a way I was not expecting based on the tone from the beginning. The kid actors are all great, and the soundtrack is really something special too. Absolutely loved it. 03) Steven Universe I've been on the opposite side of this show before, I've seen how obnoxious the fandom can be, and I actually gave up on it after like 5 episodes back when it originally started because I plain did not like it. But earlier in the year I decided to give it a second chance after an eye surgery and I'm extremely glad I did. I watched the whole run across two days or so and I don't think it deserves the hate it gets. It's one of the most genuine and heartfelt shows I can think of, period, and the way the characters have progressed over time and the way the backstory slowly unfolds is extremely smart and confident. After watching the then two seasons, I could not stop thinking about it for several weeks, it remained with me for way longer than I would have thought possible. Thinking back to the early episodes, not much has changed from what I initially didn't like about them, but the way the show gradually presents new contexts for what is going on and expands its characters over time is something I've never seen in a kids show before. It's actual mature storytelling that reaches way above its station. The third season, which aired over the summer, is maybe where it all peaked, showing genuinely earned character development, a ton of legitimately emotional moments, and in general being extremely positive about life without glossing over the bad parts as a lesser show would. It's definitely not a show for everyone, and there are bad episodes (loving Onion), but I think it's really something quite special. 02) The Expanse One of the best sci-fi shows of the 2000s, and a masterclass in how to do detailed and interesting world-building on television. This show has supplanted Game of Thrones for me and does a lot of the same things that made the early seasons of that show so compelling. Also based on a series of novels, The Expanse presents a political epic spanning the solar system, following a varied cast of characters that don't even necessarily interact throughout, but gradually come together in a huge conflagration at the end that dramatically changes the stakes for the next season. Every character is wonderfully acted, particularly Miller by Thomas Jane, in probably his best role. So many good moments and so many interesting concepts being explored. It's incredibly ambitious, looks gorgeous, and was just a joy to watch. On a subsequent viewing I discovered a bunch of really small and intricate details that I had missed the first time around, showing how much care they put into the world. It's really impressive just in terms of being an adaptation of a relatively dense novel. Also Shohreh Aghdashloo  01) Westworld If The Expanse is one of the best sci-fi shows of the 2000s, Westworld is one of the best sci-fi shows ever. The pilot is straight up one of the best I have ever watched, and I actually would've been fine if that had been all of it. The rest of the season meanders a bit and doesn't quite live up to the pilot, but still remains extremely captivating with an magnificent sense of style and confidence throughout. Anthony Hopkins delivers what is probably his finest performance since Silence of the Lambs, and Ed Harris, Thandie Newton, and Jeffrey Wright are also highlights. Fantastic use of music, and a constant dreadful build-up that is consistently punctuated by holy poo poo moments. As of this post the final episode has not yet aired, but I don't think it matters for me. I've adored the whole season, it's been incredible. Hakkesshu fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Dec 4, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 02:26
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Time to finish up watching The Crown I guess so I can figure out if it fits into my top ten! Looking at my list from last year, it's kinda funny seeing shows I really dug last year that I haven't watched a single episode from this year yet.
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Dec 3, 2016 03:44
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I still have one of my top shows that hasn't started yet and my number one show from last year just came back last night. So I'll probably be running close to the deadline this year.
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Dec 3, 2016 04:41
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X-O posted:I still have one of my top shows that hasn't started yet and my number one show from last year just came back last night. So I'll probably be running close to the deadline this year. Still waiting on that Doctor Who Christmas Special?
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Dec 3, 2016 04:51
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My list yo! 10 - DC's Vixen Season 2 (CW Seed) This is down in tenth place due to not quite tying in to the other shows in this years loving fantastic CW crossover event. There was a Vixen there, but not the same character, it was like her grandmother from the past, oh well whatever, this was released this year and it's on my list so gently caress you. 9 - Marvel's Agent Carter Season 2 (ABC) Haley Atwell, Enver Gjokaj and James D'Arcy make this show a joy to watch, it's a shame it's dead now as it was a perfect way to cope with the gaps in Agents of Shield. Jarvelous! 8 - DC's Flash Season 3 (The CW) If the upcoming musical crossover with supergirl had of already happened, this would have scored higher, but it's still top ten worthy, cisco aso needs to stop acting like a little bitch (which i think just happened this week) but even though it wasn't musical this years CW crossover event was loving fantastic. 7 - DC's Arrow Season 5 (The CW) To use the edited title of last seasons thread, this season is definately better than the last one. The apprentice vigilantes are pretty cool, especially the raggedy man, also this years CW crossover event was loving fantastic. 6 - Marvel's Luke Cage Season 1 (Netflix) Bulletproof black man show was brilliant, great music, one really dumb villain but the rest of this was great. 5 - Marvel's Daredevil Season 2 (Netflix) Electra was hot, but The Punisher was amazing enough for this to beat out luke cage, plus the matt and foggy and blonde lady stuff that happened too. 4 - DC's Supergirl Season 2 (The CW) I only started watching this due to last years crossover, but I'm glad I did because it is so much fun, and this years CW crossover event was loving fantastic. 3 - Marvel's Agents of Shield Season 4 (ABC) This show was already amazing, but now loving ghost rider is in it and it's just brilliant. This show will crossover with the films at some point I just know it, don't tell me it won't or I will kick you in the loving face. 2 - DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 (The CW) I was totaly going to vote for Doctor Who, either because of the upcoming Superhero themed christmas special, or for the restoration of The Power of the Daleks which screened on BBC America this year, but there were too many actual superhero shows so it got edged out, but it's here in spirit because this show is great. Plus this years CW crossover event was loving fantastic. 1 - Marvel's Powers Season 2 (Playstation Network) Anything that bring more Sharlto Copely to my screen is alright by me! BSam fucked around with this message at 08:50 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 04:51
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Waiting for a few more shows to finish/hit their mid season breaks before I write up my list but this has been a drat good TV year.
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Dec 3, 2016 05:05
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Zaggitz posted:Waiting for a few more shows to finish/hit their mid season breaks before I write up my list but this has been a drat good TV year. Yes, yes it has. On my preliminary list I'm finding it hard to order the top seven shows because any of them would have been number one in any other year.
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Dec 3, 2016 05:08
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10. The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail, Season 3 - This won't be a popular choice, since it's a stand-up comedy showcase on Comedy Central that just ended after three way-too-short seasons. I thought about choosing Daredevil or Mr. Robot, which both disappointed me with their second seasons, Limitless, which went from mediocre to great and then got canceled, or Lethal Weapon, which started with a bang and is consistently entertaining, but The Meltdown made me feel like I was at those live weekly comedy shows in the back of a Los Angeles comic book store. I saw some fantastic comedians kill, I saw a few bomb with weird, experimental material, and I saw a few people who were just terrible. But I'll miss Kumail Nanjiani and Jonah Ray's banter (Kumail is always great in everything; Jonah seems like he'd be insufferable on his own), producer Emily V. Gordon's adorableness (Kumail is a lucky guy), and the hilarious backstage bits with all the comedians hanging out and riffing off each other in the green room. 9. iZombie, Season 2 - One of my favorite shows that got overshadowed due to not returning in the fall. Probably the most lovable cast on television since Parks & Recreation ended, where every character is the best character. Plus, characters stopped lying to each other (a pitfall for the other CW comic-based shows) and shared their secrets, leading to better relationships and plot development. The season ended with a bang, significantly raising the stakes and changing the entire status quo of the show for Season 3, which can't get here soon enough. 8. Stranger Things, Season 1 - What can I say that hasn't already been said? A perfect pastiche of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg. I'm an '80s kid myself, and a comic book and action figure nerd, but I never realized I had this much fond nostalgia for the era -- never liked E.T., even as a kid, and never saw Goonies until I was in grad school. But this series hit all the right notes for me, right down to that amazing synth theme music, with the perfect '80s paperback horror novel title font. 7. Agent Carter, Season 2 - This show was too great to last. Hayley Atwell, Enver Gjokaj, and James D'Arcy were delights, the late '40s production design was glorious, and we got one of the best villains ever from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the lovely and lethal Whitney Frost, played sympathetically by Wynn Everett and based (very very loosely) on glamorous actress and genius inventor Hedy Lamarr. 6. Luke Cage, Season 1 - The final villain was corny as hell, but Mike Colter was awesome in his return as Luke Cage, Harlem's bulletproof black hero in a hoodie, and the rest of the cast was great, too. Loved Misty Knight, loved the triumphant return of Claire Temple, and thought Cottonmouth and Shades were terrific bad guys. The soundtrack was my favorite of the year, and I loved what an unwavering, stand-up guy Luke was, and how he inspired everyone around him to do better, and to be better -- kind of like what Captain America and Superman do. When Luke joins up with Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Iron Fist to form the Defenders, he's definitely going to be the heart of the team. 5. Game of Thrones, Season 6 - I was pretty sick of this show as Seasons 4 and 5 devolved into "misery porn," but this season brought me back into the fold, giving our good guys some much-needed, long-overdue victories. I'm in it for the long haul now, for sure. 4. Atlanta, Season 1 - Maybe the most interesting new show of the year. Brilliant showrunner/star Donald Glover compared it to Twin Peaks, but I have to compare it to Louie -- one man's singular, iconoclastic vision. It's not a sitcom, but some parts are uproariously funny. It's not a straight drama, but some parts are serious as a heart attack. And it's certainly not a thriller, but there's a sense of doom and dread permeating everything, which is such a way of life for our young, black protagonists that they barely even notice it. It's weird and artistic and boundary-pushing, and I'm so impressed that it exists, and it's as good as it is. But I've been a fan of Glover for years -- not just Community (which I think was just okay), but his stand-up career (saw him live in 2012) and his music career as Childish Gambino. He can truly do it all. 3. Person of Interest, Season 5 - I came to love this show while binge-watching the first four seasons last year, and I'm so glad we got a short season to see our friends Finch, Reese, Root, Shaw, Fusco, and Bear off. The stakes could not have been higher, and our heroes never stopped fighting, never surrendered. Some survived, some didn't. And the world they saved will never know everything they did, everything they gave. 2. Better Call Saul, Season 2 - The Greek tragedy / supervillain origin story continues, making us empathize that much more with Jimmy/Saul/Gene, while also pitying him and screaming at him in frustration and anguish. And yet, Jimmy's brother Chuck, the antagonist of the series for sure, brings out the same emotions in us. This show is slower and more contemplative than Breaking Bad, but in some ways, it's superior. 1. Westworld, Season 1 - Simply one of the best shows I've ever seen. An introspective sci-fi mindfuck about free will, memory, consciousness, and what makes us human, for better or for worse. Brilliant writing, acting, production design, and everything. We haven't seen the finale yet, but I have no doubt it will be satisfying, even if it leaves us with more questions than answers. Big Bad Voodoo Lou fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Dec 3, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 07:16
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How do you put a list of 50 good shows that were on this year and leave out OITNB?
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Dec 3, 2016 08:58
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It was no 2015 (RIP The Knick and Manhattan, come back soon Fargo, Master of None and Rick and Morty!), but there was still a hell of a lot of good tv, well-balanced across all categories. Oops, used to be #10 until I watched the last three episodes of Westworld: Fleabag - Unique British dark comedy about a terrible woman doing terrible things to her friends, family, boyfriends.. basically to everyone but the guinea pig her best friend and business partner left her when she committed suicide. Breaks the fourth wall like Frank Underwood but somehow it works perfectly, because the things she's doing are more deliciously immediate, awful, and often sexual. The wider backstory slowly comes into focus over the course of the six episode season, til we get the gut punch of realization in the finale. Definitely worth a watch. 10. American Crime Story - Made me feel more emotion, and in different directions, than I was expecting from "The OJ Story". Marcia Clark and Chris Darden are played to perfection by Sarah Paulson and Sterling K Brown.. this is their show, not OJ's. 9. Better Call Saul - The quiet war between Jimmy and Chuck escalates, while Mike takes on the Salamancas. Background on Jimmy and his rube dad. Jimmy's failed try at HHM. Good cliffhanger, great season. 8. Black Mirror - Twilight Zone for the technology age. Worth rating this high because it's daring and often, if not always, succeeds. Sometimes 40 minutes is a tad too long for these episodes, but sometimes, like in San Junipero, it's just right. Yeah, you'll probably cry once or twice. 7. The Young Pope - An important story that reminds us how goddamned weird religion is, yet still life and death to so many damned people. Jude Law kills it as a spiritually adrift pope. Co-starring a bunch of cardinals from around the world, Diane Keaton, and a kangaroo. 6. Planet Earth II - Nature, filmed more beautifully than ever before. Your jaw will be on the floor half the time, and you'll probably cry a few times. The snakes. The penguins. The albatrosses. Christ. They managed to top the original Planet Earth. 5. Broad City - Abbi and Trey, Ilana and Blake Griffin. Violence at the Soulstice Games. Cheating at the Co-op. Solid season, lotsa laughs. 4. The Americans - The season of Paige--the first season of any show ever that placed significant focus on the stars' children and didn't suck. So much character growth and so many emotional moments. Phillip at the EST meeting. William pondering the implications of his espionage. Elizabeth betraying her friend. Nina. Gaad. Arkady. Oleg. Pastor Tim. Lots of great moments, and we're left with: "like them…couple of kids…American dream. You’d never suspect them. She’s pretty. He’s lucky." Here's hoping that this upcoming season is the season of Stan, because he's lined up for an amazing final arc. 3. Westworld - Robots in an amusement park for humans--can they achieve consciousness? This show was Honorable Mention material after six episodes. Episodes 2-5 are somewhat muddled and lacking direction, and I think there could have been ways to write them more interestingly, but they accomplished their goal of setting the table. After watching all ten episodes, including barnburner eps 9 and 10, this show bumped up to #3 for the year. Great slow burn, almost too slow, but set up lots of threads that paid off in the end. Best line? "Oh Felix, you really do make a terrible human being." Artistry. 2. Atlanta - Outrageously funny, occasionally heartwarming, never predictable, massively quotable. I'm not black but I get the feeling this show spits truth about African Americans' perspectives like no other. How would America view Justin Bieber if he did all his stupid poo poo as a black kid? How annoying are rich white guys who appropriate black culture, and are they worse than their bougie black wives? How many different ways can the media stereotype one black man? How does black society treat a non-arrogant educated black man? How lovely does Paperboi have to be to make it in the rap industry? Montague. Darius. Invisible car. "Wait, why do you have your sister's panties?" 1. Rectify - Like Atlanta, this show can take scenes about meaningless poo poo and infuse them with heart so you care more about the characters. And then there are the scenes about the important poo poo. Generally knocked out of the park. This final season's plotlines surround ex-death row convict Daniel as he struggles to flourish on his own after being banished from his home state. His friends in the halfway house are incredible and so believable. His family tries to regain their own lives after living for Daniel these past twenty years. And his brother-in-law Teddy lives the struggle of being a middle class white man filled with rage because the world doesn't show him the respect he's felt entitled to, and he's slowly realizing it's his own fault. All wrapped around a slow burn murder mystery. Praying that it can survive the loss of Greg, the heart of the show, and come out on top, because the Drinking Song and Tap That rear end deserve Tony Awards: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Honorable Mentions: High Maintenance, Galavant, Bloodline, Lethal Weapon, Full Frontal w/ Sam Bee, Person of Interest, Survivor, Veep, The Good Place, You're The Worst, Game of Thrones, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Ash vs. Evil Dead, Silicon Valley, Casual, The Good Place, Stranger Things edit: Watch Black Market with Michael K. Williams. Omar from the Wire takes you around the world as he learns why crime pays, and in some cases is ethical and necessary. also: Watch The Detectorists if you want something short and sweet and British and well done. MrBuddyLee fucked around with this message at 08:21 on Dec 6, 2016 |
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Dec 3, 2016 14:05
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There's a whole month left to turn these in so I hope people will take the time to also push for lesser known shows they think people should watch for the sake of their lists. I'll have a for your consideration post up in a few days about one particular show I imagine next to no one in TVIV has watched, but definitely should.(It's not PoI lets not run the meme into the ground.)
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Dec 3, 2016 16:09
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Waiting until more stuff has finished airing too. Especially Westworld and CXG. Digging these lists so far, though.
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Dec 3, 2016 16:39
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I don't think Netflix feature films are TV movies and should be included. They're certainly Oscars eligible, and I was going to include them on my movies list. Also OJ Made in America is a weird exception- it is Oscars eligible and screened at film festivals. But it aired in its entirety more than once on ABC/ESPN, and through their streaming services. So I think it's TV.
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Dec 7, 2016 14:26
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try the new taco place posted:I don't think Netflix feature films are TV movies and should be included. They're certainly Oscars eligible, and I was going to include them on my movies list. Isn't that literally only because Netflix does limited release public screenings alongside the films to technically get in to Oscars eligibility? From what I understand that is exactly what they did with Beasts of No Nation.
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Dec 7, 2016 15:25
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A lot of them these days are ones that screened at festivals and then Netflix picked them up, like Fundamentals of Caring.
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Dec 7, 2016 15:56
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Lick! The! Whisk! posted:Isn't that literally only because Netflix does limited release public screenings alongside the films to technically get in to Oscars eligibility? From what I understand that is exactly what they did with Beasts of No Nation. Yeah, but if you include those, then shouldn't you include any movie released on VOD? Like, Black Mirror is a TV show, collection of short films. But ARQ or XOXO or the Adam Sandler things are feature, stand-alone films that just happen to come through Netflix.
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Dec 7, 2016 18:39
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So 2016 has been kind of an amazing year for TV, this goes for basically every subsection of it, be it cartoons, live action, prestige, network and probably most shockingly of all, TV's ugly redheaded stepchild, Anime. There's been overwhelming amount of extremely quality shows out of Japan this year spanning the range from extremely thoughtful shows about LGBT sexual awakening, ambitious historical dramas, clever spins on your typical action/superhero shows, there's something quality out there for pretty much everyone. At the risk of becoming Senerio, though, I'm only putting one obscure Japanese thing on my list this year, and it's something I think more people should watch. It's only 12 20 minute episodes long and it's easily view-able for free on CrunchyRoll so there's plenty of time to binge it before the deadline. It's also, in my opinion, perfectly suited to the type of people who turn their nose at anime and call it the worst thing ever. Without further ado, let's talk about the comedy-action masterpiece, Mob Psycho 100  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vnTP41LchI MP100 is the brainchild of ONE, creator of One Punch Man, which is another series I know a lot of anime haters love. OPM is very good and you should watch it if you haven't, but it's comedy style is different enough from Mob that I won't directly compare the two, I'm just stating this fact so people who liked OPM's ears will perk up. The series is about a con artist named Reigen claiming to be the world's greatest psychic who, through his claims, becomes the mentor and friend of the world's actual greatest psychic, a middle schooler named Mob. Mob is essentially the most powerful being in the world, but would rather improve literally any other facet of himself than his powers because he's a boring anemic kid who nobody likes and has no luck with girls. The series is an amazing deconstruction of tropes, the idea of power fantasies, super villains, and a lot of things that have been frankly suffocating both eastern and western media the past few years. While it stands as a response to most big anime tropes people hate, it also feels like a response to the overwhelming abundance of super hero media in general.  It's also extremely funny, it constantly surprises you and always zigs when you think it's about to zag. The characters are well written, relate-able and hilarious. Any kind of "typical highschool/college/adult angst" the show tries to throw at you is immediately undercut and made funnier by the fact that the vast majority of the cast is in middle school. All of this is topped off by the fact that this is probably the best animated show I've seen in years, it's quite frankly breathtaking during it's action scenes. So that was a bit of a ramble, but I really hope it at least made some of you wanna give the show a try, it's super good, and I think a lot of you would enjoy it if you gave it a shot. 
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Dec 8, 2016 21:38
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Zaggitz posted:I think a lot of you would enjoy it if you gave it a shot. As you say, I am indifferent to most anime but really dug One Punch Man's wonderful comedy, so if it is by the same guy I'll definitely check it out.
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Dec 8, 2016 22:31
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Jerusalem posted:As you say, I am indifferent to most anime but really dug One Punch Man's wonderful comedy, so if it is by the same guy I'll definitely check it out. You're in for a treat. Reigen is easily the best character that author has written.
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Dec 9, 2016 00:51
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My first list has 60 different 2016 shows. I might start a couple more before January #peaktv
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Dec 10, 2016 16:40
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I'll probably hold off for bit but I wanted to say that I've really enjoyed and appreciated these threads. If not for this thread I may never have experienced the incredible show that is Review. I look forward to finding more gems this year!
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Dec 10, 2016 18:46
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As Mozart in the Jungle season 2 premiered after the due date last year, on Dec 30th, but season 3 premiered two days ago, can both be counted as part of a placement?
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Dec 11, 2016 12:53
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I've watched so much TV this year I couldn't possibly choose, it's been a long year.
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Dec 11, 2016 12:57
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Zaggitz posted:You're in for a treat. Reigen is easily the best character that author has written. Hey thanks again for this recommendation, I really didn't like the direction the show seemed to be taking around midway through the season but the final couple of episodes completely redeemed it and took things back in the direction I had been hoping for - Mob's "explosion" gaining a positive outlet instead of a negative one, allowing Reigen to talk to the other Espers as an adult and hammer home just how pathetic and petty they and their vision of world conquest was. Like you say Reigen is an exceptionally great character. More on-topic, I think I've roughly got my list sorted but I wanted to check out Black Mirror before writing anything final down, as I've heard such great things about it but never actually settled down to watch it. Given the large amount of really good TV I watched this year, I've found it surprisingly difficult to come up with a Top 10 that I think actually warrants being called the "best" of 2016. There was a lot of very good television this year but even the very best shows this year don't really stand up to my top two from last year (Jessica Jones and Fargo) and I think I've been unfairly judging them by that standard. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 11:45 on Dec 14, 2016 |
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Dec 14, 2016 11:40
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Jerusalem posted:Hey thanks again for this recommendation, I really didn't like the direction the show seemed to be taking around midway through the season but the final couple of episodes completely redeemed it and took things back in the direction I had been hoping for - Mob's "explosion" gaining a positive outlet instead of a negative one, allowing Reigen to talk to the other Espers as an adult and hammer home just how pathetic and petty they and their vision of world conquest was. Like you say Reigen is an exceptionally great character. JJ and Fargo, and Luke Cage all deserve top 10 lists. Those and Orange is the new Black, and Crazy Ex Girlfriend, which I haven't seen mentioned here. And The Get Down.
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Dec 14, 2016 15:29
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Fargo is not in contention for the Best of 2016. Because it came out in 2015.
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Dec 14, 2016 17:13
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