5. “The Americans”
Has there ever been a better marriage of story and character than in Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields’ relationship-driven FX drama? “The Americans” is intricately plotted on the episode, season and series levels, but it’s never solely about driving the show forward. Instead, each mission, mark and machination by Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) serve the larger purpose of defining who they are as Russians, Americans and as a married couple. With the Cold War as its backdrop, the show explores the tensions between identities and people, alternating between serious family discussions over the dinner table and heart-pounding chase scenes through the streets of DC. Feelings of isolation have never been so strong for Philip and Elizabeth as they were in season four: His fraught relationship with Martha (an excellent Alison Wright) somehow finds additional layers of complexity, while Elizabeth faces impossible choices in a new friendship with Young Hee (Ruthie Ann Miles). The show was renewed this year for its final two seasons, and while we can’t imagine a world without the Jennings, we’re looking forward to seeing how Weisberg and Fields bring their story to a close. —Kimber Myers
4. “Transparent”
After taking the number one slot the last two years, “Transparent” drops down a few slots this time out. But that’s not to say that it slipped in quality — while it might not have felt as focused as the highs of season two in some respects, it remains an astonishing piece of work. The Pfeffermans remain, as ever, in turmoil: Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) making the decision to physically transition only to find that her health may not be up to withstanding the operation, Shelly (Judith Light) belittled and condescended to by the rest, Ali (Gaby Hoffman) in a relationship that seems increasingly toxic, Josh (Jay Duplass) sent into crisis after a tragic death, and Sarah (Amy Landecker) still searching for something to define her, or something to believe in. And yeah, without the Berlin thread of the last season, it feels a little more unruly (it’s perhaps no coincidence that the season’s high point is the flashback episode, directed gorgeously by Andrea Arnold). But the acting is so exquisite (with Kathryn Hahn as Raquel in particular getting her best material to date, and Light surely locking up an Emmy for next year with the finale), the writing so unsparing and compassionate, the filmmaking so beautiful, that it’s still something to treasure utterly. —Oliver Lyttelton
3. “Rectify”
The closest thing to poetry on television, SundanceTV’s Southern-set drama is a wonder to watch. At press time, “Rectify” has just two episodes left to tell its tale of Daniel Holden (Aden Young) and his freedom from prison after 19 years on Death Row, but this is a show for which we’ll choose to celebrate its existence rather than mourn its demise. Four seasons in, it’s still surprising that a show this quiet and contemplative has made it so far in a landscape of zombie hordes, sentient robots and big personalities, but it’s not just its uniqueness that sets it apart. It’s the amount of care invested by showrunner Ray McKinnon and his talented stable of largely unknown actors who demonstrate the power of subtlety. But for all of that delicacy, it’s never overly precious. Instead, it feels entirely grounded in real life, bringing beauty and sadness to moments both mundane and profound. Even just hearing the strings of its gorgeous theme song – “Bowsprit” by Balmorhea – causes the Pavlovian response of my eyes welling up with tears, but the genius of “Rectify” is that it produces almost as much laughter as tears. It may have been largely overlooked by audiences in its broadcast run, but this is a show that we’ll be talking about for years to come as something truly special. —Kimber Myers
2. “The Girlfriend Experience”
It could have been a disaster, a navel-gazing, obscure, tiresome, slightly skeezy thing. An adaptation of one of Steven Soderbergh’s more minor experiments, with Soderbergh himself producing and filmmakers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz teaming up to direct and showrun, it instead proved to be a work of near-genius, melding the prestige cable antihero drama — but instead of a middle-aged character actor, put in the inscrutable, faintly terrifying persona of Riley Keough’s Christine — with a sort of ’70s arthouse drama reminiscent of something like Bertolucci or even Buñuel in places. Its visions, sounds and rhythms make it quite unlike any other TV series, but it’s not quite like any movie either, Kerrigan and Seimetz really taking advantage of the opportunity to experiment, and creating something utterly indelible — troubling, unnerving, tense, bleak, oddly moving at times, even. And in Keough, who was also superb in “American Honey” this year, a true star was born. Season two will pick up with new characters and setting, and we’re totally intrigued to see how it turns out. —Oliver Lyttelton
1. “Atlanta”
It’s not merely that FX’s exceptional “Atlanta” is the most audacious, confident, visually striking and instantly quotable show of the past year. It’s not just that it’s among the most preemptively established freshman series to hit television ever, not merely in 2016. No, what truly makes Donald Glover’s stand-out series so extraordinary is that it’s among the very few shows that only continues to get more bold, more outspoken, more poised and more vigorous in its pursuits with each passing episode, let alone with future seasons. The program to beat from the get-go, the “Community” star, former Derrick Comedy highlight and the man behind the rapper alter-ego Childish Gambino knew exactly what TV program he envisioned for himself, presenting a newly minted platform that wouldn’t just exercise his uniquely individual voice, but expand upon it, question it and build upon it in only ways Glover could’ve accomplished himself. “Atlanta” is not merely an accomplishment in style, tone, atmosphere and mood — borrowing elements from everything from “Louie” to “Twin Peaks,” but never straying away from its own distinct sense of self — but also in cinematic versatility and cultural awareness. It’s at once the most singular and the most universal new show on television, finding new and exciting ways to break down doors and barriers, while also never feeling anything less than true — both to its own surreal reality or our own surreal reality — along the way. 2016 was another great year for television, but there’s a strong possibility “Atlanta” will be the one that’s remembered the most and the fondest. Even with hot new gigs in new “Spider-Man” movies or as young Lando Calrissian in future “Star Wars” films lined up, Glover has cemented himself with an outlet that will only continue to define him for generations, while also providing one of our own generation’s brightest spots in pop culture and new-age entertainment. —Will Ashton
We could fill up our entire TV diet just with shows from FX Networks, but Pamela Adlon’s “Better Things” and “You’re The Worst” deserve special mention in addition to the list above. Similarly, beyond the HBO shows we mentioned and the always-strong “Veep,” the premium network introduced three new series we’re already hooked on: “Vice Principals,” “High Maintenance” and especially Issa Rae’s “Insecure.” “Billions” makes us glad we keep our Showtime subscription, and “Ash Vs. Evil Dead” does the same for Starz.
“The Good Place” wasn’t the only broadcast network comedy we considered. “Black-ish,” “Speechless,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and “The Carmichael Show” are raising the bar, while drama-length “Braindead” on CBS is also delightfully bonkers.
While fledgling comedy service SeeSo brought “Flowers” to U.S. audiences, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are no longer considered the upstarts, and we binged “The Last Panthers,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Peaky Blinders,” “Casual,” “Lovesick,” “Red Oaks, “Easy,” and “Good Girls Revolt.” Smaller cable networks are making people hunt for their channel number (or their app). We’re fans of OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show” and “Brett Gelman’s Dinner In America,” IFC’s “Documentary Now!,” truTV’s “Jon Glaser Loves Gear” and WGN’s “Underground.”
Though they don’t fit with these traditional scripted series, “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” deserve a special shoutout for doing great journalistic work, keeping us informed, sane and laughing in this rough year.
Though they haven’t landed stateside officially, we’ve already seen and loved series like “Planet Earth II” and “The Young Pope.” We’ve also got our eyes open for 30 upcoming shows in 2017 that will be sure to dominate the conversation next year.
For more discussion of what we love on television, check out our podcast Bingeworthy. Did we leave off your favorite show? We know you’ll tell us in the comments below.
