Last year, I experimented with trying a top ten list. I was pretty unprepared for it and scrambled towards the finish line to watch a bunch of shows to properly make a good list. You'd think a year of preparation would help me avoid that fate this year? But alas I suspect that as long as there's a million TV shows out there, I'm always going to hit December with a few "must-watch" shows that need to at least be watched in order to make a competent list. While I wasn't able to watch every comedy that could make this list - sorry Bob's Burgers and Veep fans, I'm just not caught up to your show - I am happy with how many shows I was able to watch for this list.
It's important to note that my opinion is meaningless. If I don't have your favorite show on there, it's possible I didn't get to it or that human beings just have different tastes in things! Also, I'm just going to guess that the amount of people reading this who have seen every show on my top ten is... zero. Unless my blog reaches a wider audience than expected, it seems like pretty good odds. The show on Amazon Prime alone probably removes quite a bit of you guys by itself.
With this top ten, I hope to give you a framework of what to watch that you've missed. Not that it would be easy. There are shows from FX, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Fox, NBC, and Comedy Central. Most of those, at this point in the year, aren't easily accessible. But if you really want to watch a show, most of you will find a way to do that. With that said, let's begin.
#10 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 3-4; Fox)
Model Episode: "Halloween IV"
As one of the more consistent comedies that needs to air 22 episodes - probably the most consistent of that somewhat specific group - there's not a real reason for Brooklyn Nine-Nine being on the list this year and not last year. There's also not a real reason it's above the honorable mentions. Any one of them could have been in the #10 slot. But I have a stronger affection for B99 than I do the other shows and the reason is Andre Braugher. His deadpan character is always funny and a highlight of the show.
Also, this year brought Adrian Pimento, played by Jason Mantzoukas. He only appears in six episodes, but he sure fits right into this show. He doesn't really do anything different than he normally does either. He's just as crazily maniacal as he is on The League. But it works. B99 is a show that is very funny and entertaining even on its weaker episodes. Hence, it's placement on this list.
#9 Fleabag (Season 1; Amazon Prime)
Model Episode: "Episode 4"
Picking the model episode was hard, because I liked the overall arc of the series and it was very funny, but I could pick nits with each episode. This episode is very weird. I'm not sure what retreat they went to, if it exists, but I found myself questioning the point of the retreat. I ended up brushing that aside because it's really about the central relationship between sisters, uh, Fleabag and Claire. I guess I didn't notice they never gave the main character a name. Now that I look at it, there are characters named Arsehole Guy and Godmother so I guess creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge just doesn't care.
Waller-Bridge's performance makes this series worth watching. She breaks the fourth wall and she plays those instances perfectly. The series wouldn't work with a lesser actress. Not only does she break the fourth wall, but the series has more emotional depth than the first couple episodes would suggest. The series is at #9 and not higher because it's only six episodes and the finale has a "twist" I saw coming when they first foreshadowed it. Like I really hope it wasn't meant to be a twist it was so obvious.
#8 Baskets (Season 1; FX)
Model Episode: "Uncle Dad"
Like all shows on this list, there were multiple options for the model episode, but I felt I had to go with a Christine episode, because of Louie Anderson's performance. I heard a lot about his performance beforehand and when I was watching the first few episodes, I wasn't necessarily as in love with his performance as everyone else seemed. But it hit me while watching at some point that I was looking him at in the show genuinely as Christine, which is no mean feat when Louie Anderson is dressed like an old woman. This is the episode where Christine Baskets reveals how much love she has for her son by doing something that she thinks is best for him.
Baskets is a weird show, but I found myself surprised at how easily I accepted everything within the show. Here's a clown who wishes to make high art, married to a French woman who doesn't love him, living with his mother, who is Louie Anderson. Thats sounds fucking ridiculous to me on paper. I did not put Baskets higher, because I did not find it as funny as the shows above it. It doesn't seem to put laughs first and tries to get laughs organically, and while that's actually a way to get laughs that I like a lot, I would still like it to be funnier. (That said, Chip breaking a stack of champagne glasses and then falling made me laugh for a good minute.)
#7 Insecure (Season 1; HBO)
Model Episode: "Broken as Fuck"
This was the most complicated show for me to rank. It only has eight episodes and I didn't like one of them at all. That's not true of any other show on this list. Ultimately, "Broken as Fuck," the finale, managed to convince me. While this is Issa Rae's show, Yvonne Orji steals it. She is incredible in this. It's only through her performance that she isn't incredibly unlikable. She really wants to find the right one and through the season, it becomes evident that she's a big reason why she can't. Insecure makes it on this list because it focuses on the friendship between the two leads (which is the key relationship on the show, not the relationships the two have with other men). It's hilarious and is unafraid to have its characters do things that frustrate you.
Another complicated thing that made me question whether it belonged in this list is the music. You'll read reviews that say it's a positive and maybe even the best thing about the show. I don't think it's a negative. That's the best I got. It works well enough in the episodes and it features a ton of female rappers in its soundtrack, so I can't really complain too much, but whenever I went to Spotify to listen to more, I didn't think the majority of songs were good. Then there's Issa Rae rapping and I honestly can't tell if the show thinks she's good, but she's not. Her lyrics aren't the problem, though I don't think they are near as good as we're supposed to think they are. It's her flow and cadence (I do honestly think she's aware of this at least) It doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the show while watching an episode because it fits in with the tone - but I was just surprised at my difference of opinion with reviewers considering rap is my favorite genre of music. (They sure nailed the monotone rapper in the scene with her in the studio though, an unquestionable criticism of modern rap)
#6 The Good Place (Season 1; NBC)
Model Episode: "The Eternal Shriek"
At this particular stage in my life, The Good Place is ideally suited for my tastes. Not to get too personal, but just about every day of my life for the past few months, I ponder the possibility that there is no afterlife. So a show that brings about those questions - even if the answer is different - fits my current mindset. I don't think this is a show that is particular to my current mindset though. I think I'll be thinking about these things for the rest of my life.
It probably doesn't take much to sell you on this show. Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. That's all it takes for me. I assume everyone is the same as me on this? There's also the perfectly cast William Jackson Harper as Eleanor's supposed soulmate and D'Arcy Carden as the helpful computer Janet. I'm curious where The Good Place goes from its midseason finale because they keep pushing its premise to the edge, but apparently Michael Schur has a plan in mind and I trust the creator of B99 and Parks and Rec.
#5 Bojack Horseman (Season 3; Netflix)
Model Episode: "Best Thing That Ever Happened"
WOW! Here's a show where my model episode was exceptionally tough. I decided to go with a character-based episode with a knockout ending. I loved "Fish out of Water," but it was somewhat of a gimmick and I loved "Brapp Brapp Pew Pew," but that mostly gets points for making an intelligent episode about abortion. "Best Thing That Never Happened" is an episode that isolates two of its characters and forces them to address their problems. The gold standard of this is "The Suitcase," one of the best Mad Men episodes ever. So that's ultimately why I went with that one.
Bojack Horseman is the first show to place on both the 2015 and 2016 list. It placed #9 last year. If you're wondering for the jump, it's not because of a jump in quality, but because my #1, #3, #4, #5, and #8 shows all disappeared in 2016. Seriously. The crazy part is that only one of those shows officially ended. That's television in 2016, folks. Anyway, if there's a problem I have with this show is it seems to dead set on misery for the sake of misery. It feels less like a logical place the character would go and more a dedication to putting Bojack Horseman through the ringer. Angela Bassett was a great addition to this season.
#4 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 11; FXX)
Model Episode: "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun"
At this point, it's pointless to explain my opinion on this show. I'd venture a guess that the people who still watch this show are fine with this pick and those who don't are looking at the 11th season and looking at #4 and then getting trapped in a constant loop. Don't let the 11th season part fool you. I don't think the 11th season is the best It's Always Sunny season, but it's probably your typical It's Always Sunny season. Now the people questioning this ranking are wondering how the fuck the typical season ranks this high and how I consider that many seasons to be of this quality (because clearly you've either watched it and don't get it or don't watch it because you are highly skeptical of that one friend who loves that show and keeps trying to get you to watch it)
It's Always Sunny is a show so entrenched in callbacks that the 11th season ranking is purely specific to people who've watched the show for 10 seasons. So I understand why I haven't seen it in any rankings of the top shows of 2016. But this is my personal rankings so I don't care. "The Gang Hits the Slopes" is THE perfect sendup of 80s sports movies, "Being Frank" is one of those inventive episodes that they do every year, and "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun" is as hilarious as its title. (Or maybe its just hilarious because in the episode, Charlie really thinks he caught a leprechaun because he thinks they are real)
#3 Broad City (Season 3; Comedy Central)
Model Episode: "Burning Bridges"
Broad City's third season is this high because it actually at one point threatened the very fabric of the show, the relationship between Abbi and Ilana. Broad City had what it hadn't had before and that is a serialized plot. That's not an obligation for a comedy, but it certainly makes the stakes higher. Abbi gets into a relationship with someone and lies to Ilana about it because she is ashamed of him. Meanwhile, llana breaks up with a longtime cast member of the show, Hannibal. His presence will be sorely missed, but that's a problem for the fourth season since I think he had roughly the same amount of screen time this season as the rest.
Anyway, that's my reasoning for why it is #3 this year, which is quite a jump from last year's #7 ranking. Again, part of it is that my entire top five basically disappeared on me and part of it is what I consider an improved season. Ilana also loses her job in this season so basically I'm pretty excited for what they have in store for season 4 since they are willing to tread new ground. Also, get ready for a whole bunch of famous guest stars in this season, most of them working really well.
#2 You're the Worst (Season 3; FX)
Model Episode: "Twenty-Two"
I was not planning on You're the Worst repeating its #2 placement. The second season was a slight decline from its second. "Twenty-Two" was possibly the best episode of television all year. Both of those things can be true. After a lot of hinting, the show finally gives Edgar his own spotlight episode where his PSTD is shown from his point of view and it's quite frightening. This season also gives a better look into Jimmy than the second season did with his dad dying. His dad basically is his entire inspiration for writing - to prove him wrong - so it sends him into a tailspin.
Gretchen gets into therapy eventually in this season, with the therapist being played by Orange is the New Black's Samara Wiley. She doesn't get a whole lot to do in this season, but she's good in the season. It really speaks to how good I at least consider You're the Worst that I definitely don't think it's as good as season two and yet here it is on this list. When push comes to shove, I tend to look at individual episodes and how many great ones each TV show has, and You're the Worst just has more than most of these shows. (It might even have more than the #1 show, but the #1 show is consistently better)
#1 Atlanta
Model Episode "Streets on Lock"
With the model episode, I aim for two things: to get a representative of the show and to get the best the show has. I went for "Streets on Lock" over "Value" because the latter was not exactly representative of the show. Granted, Atlanta is what you call an experimental comedy so a focus on a specific character isn't exactly outside the bounds of what Atlanta will do. But "Streets on Lock" - only its second episode - just seems like more of a representative of the appeal of Atlanta than the other. (There's also "B.A.N." but that's way different than the rest of these episodes to the point where I never considered it)
I wrote my review of Atlanta just two weeks ago so I don't have much to say about Atlanta that I didn't say there. It's kind of strange because I gave the season an A- and I don't disagree with that grade so I wonder if this was a weak year for flawless comedies. I had so much trouble with my top five. This was obviously a strong year for comedies as my honorable mentions feature at least three shows I desperately wanted on this list, but it does not seem like many shows quite venture into that top tier range. That A range. There's a ton of A- shows. The distinction isn't important, it just seemed like it made my job more difficult. (It's also possible last year was ridiculously stacked when I would have given a straight A to Review, You're the Worst, Nathan for You, and probably Rick & Morty.)
Honorable Mentions
The Last Man on Earth - Last year, The Last Man on Earth improved a significant amount. The problem was that its first season was still technically 2015 so there was no shot of it making this list. This year, it continued its success from last year. It did not make the cut because the heartfelt and tragic episodes tended to come once every three episodes or so. The other episodes were funny, but inconsequential. It was a tough cut for me.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Here's another show I wanted on this list pretty badly. I can't really say why it isn't on this list. I wasn't a huge fan of this show last year and this season made me into a fan. I couldn't pull the trigger on cutting any of the ones that made this list so unfortunately it didn't make.
Better Things - I liked Better Things and I liked the idea of it being on my list, but this is another show that just wasn't as funny as I would have liked. I do like that comedies don't feel the need to be funny all the time and would rather be real, and Better Things is that. But a lot of shows have figured out a way to do both at once.
Silicon Valley - I think this show suffers mightily from when it airs. I just can't remember it as well as the shows I just watched and it usually airs its last episode of the season way back in April. That said, I tried to access my feelings from when I watched it and I've just never truly loved this show. With the competition it's up against, I don't feel exceptionally guilty about this being off my list.
Blackish - Here's another show like Last Man on Earth. When it has amazing episodes, it's one of the best half hours on television. It just doesn't happen frequently enough! Too many episodes are forgettable. They also had an unforgivable Disney promo as their first episode of season three. I realize that was network mandated, but man it really puts a strain on a show.
I will be posting my top ten dramas, either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how my schedule works out. I may or may not be watching a show that will end up on that list right now and need to finish it before finishing my post. Hope you guys aren't too mad at this list.
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