We Got This Covered’s Top 10 TV Shows Of 2016

Each and every year, television just gets better and better. At least, that's how it seems. With the rise of subscription-based streaming services like Netflix and bigger budgets being afforded to TV shows, we're seeing some truly tremendous work being done on the small screen. It used to be that A-list stars turned their nose up at the medium, but in 2016 we've seen talent like Sir Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hardy, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and many more all grace our screens. Some may argue that what's being produced on television is better than what we're seeing in cinemas, and they'd probably be right. While Hollywood did put out a few truly excellent films in 2016, it was an overall mediocre year for the silver screen. On television, however, it was an absolute embarrassment of riches, one which saw us overwhelmed with superb shows that boasted tremendous acting, captivating plots, sharp and witty writing and characters that we just couldn't get enough of. 2016 was an incredible year for television and here, you'll find our picks for the 10 best shows that it had to offer. It wasn't easy narrowing it down to just 10, but after much debate between the We Got This Covered team, we feel as if these 10 choices represent that very best that the medium brought us over the past 12 months. 10) High Maintenance Criminally underseen but hugely appreciated by those who caught it, HBO's new series High Maintenance is as effortless as they come. Using the framing device of a single weed dealer’s brief glimpse into the strange lives of his clients, the show is both experimental in its structure and off-the-bat enthralling. It’s the ultimate fly-on-the-wall story (stories, I should say) that not only feels different and exciting for its oddities, but smartly and shockingly poignant for its end-of-the-day takeaways from a group of diverse, happy, depressed, triumphant, and lonely people who just want a little weed. Experimental, surprising, and abruptly poignant in ways you would never see coming, High Maintenance's effortless execution - one full of intensely relatable, transient New Yorkers - is the stuff that year-end lists are made of and cements its status as must-watch television. 9) The Affair Showtime’s The Affair often gets overlooked in the ever-growing landscape of quality television. It doesn’t carry the enticement of top-billed talent, nor the allure of a far-reaching, grandiose epic. What began as simply an affair within the confines of Montauk during its initial run has barely breached the borders of Long Island, even though it's now three seasons deep. But that’s not to say Noah (Dominic West) and Alison’s (Ruth Wilson) entanglement hasn’t resulted in entertaining, widespread consequences. In its previous season, The Affair’s ambitions resulted in the show suffering somewhat of a regression. Although highly addictive, the series felt like it had abandoned its emotional core. In its third season, however, The Affair has chiseled its narrative and reinvigorated its characters, returning the program to its former glory. Dominic West continues to enrapture as Noah Solloway, becoming more in touch and at peace with who his antihero really is with each passing episode. Joshua Jackson and Maura Tierney, meanwhile, are thriving in their expanded storylines and the show has greatly benefited from the additions of Brendan Fraser and Irene Jacob. If you've made the mistake of overlooking this one, as many people have, be sure to rectify that ASAP. 8) Peaky Blinders I wholeheartedly believe that Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders is the best show you’re not watching right now. Based on the real-life exploits of the Peaky Blinders gang which operated out of Birmingham, England post-WWI, this BBC crime drama has subtly gained a devout following over its first three seasons, thanks in large part to a formidable cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, Annabelle Wallis and Tom Hardy, just to name a few of the heavyweights. Delivering sex, drugs and violence in abundance, you’ll find it’s the idiosyncrasies of each character and their outlandish, headstrong, and in their own way unbreakable relationships with one another that are the most rewarding aspects of what's sure to be your new obsession. Recently renewed for a fourth and fifth season simultaneously, once you're past the show’s sluggish first couple of episodes, Peaky Blinders will have you aching for more of the Shelby clan and their tyrannical endeavors. Just make sure that wherever you choose to watch, the subtitle feature is an option. 7) Black Mirror In this age of serialized streaming surplus, it’s hardly surprising that Black Mirror has emerged as something of a dark jewel in the crown of cerebral, small-screen storytelling. Its grim, introspective approach to narrative is as indelible as it is off-putting, and the show’s anthology format has allowed it to evolve from a cynical exploration of humanity’s relationship with technology into the closest thing this generation has to The Twilight Zone. While season 3 did, admittedly, see more inconsistency than previous outings, the episodes presented were still miles ahead of almost any other TV show around, offering up some great material that rang true in many ways. And really, there were only two episodes that could be considered subpar by the show's standards. At its best (“San Junipero”) though, the third season of Black Mirror rivals its previous heights, spinning meticulously thought-out and deeply interesting dissections of human behavior and the ways in which our reliance on technology has warped both our understanding of emotion and our ability to experience it. 6) American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson In the first season of American Crime Story, FX’s true crime anthology series, creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski splendidly recreate the transfixing inner workings and notorious televised spectacle that was the O.J. Simpson murder trial. The series received a staggering twenty-two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won nine, three of which went to members of the cast (Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, and Courtney B. Vance) who, as a whole, were recognized for their efforts a total of six times in three acting categories. The People V O.J. Simpson combined strikingly authentic performances, both in caliber and appearances, and intense, harsh, impassioned writing to deliver a topical, highly watchable hour of television. The work of the program’s three Emmy winners for acting, Paulson, Brown and Vance, should unquestionably be enough to shoot The People V O.J. Simpson to the top of anyone’s must-watch list. Not to mention the fact that it's also a showcase for industry vets John Travolta and Nathan Lane. 5) Stranger Things Not only was Stranger Things one of 2016's very best television shows, but it's since become something of a pop culture phenomenon, and it's easy to see why. Perfectly suited to Netflix binge-watching, the mysteries and secrets of the Duffer brothers' show captivated audiences throughout the summer, quickly becoming many people's favorite new addiction. A loving throwback to everything 80's, Stranger Things is full of heart and adventure in equal measure, not to mention some genuine scares along the way as well. It's a wonderful blend of everything you loved as a child and acts as a fitting homage to one of cinema's best decades, presenting a compelling story well worth a binge. Trust us when we say that you won't find too many shows from 2016 that are as expertly crafted and edge-of-your-seat gripping as Stranger Things, making it one of the very best things that television had to offer this year. 4) Fleabag The ruthless, pulsating brilliance of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's impeccable Amazon/BBC 3 miniseries Fleabag didn't hit me at once. Like a rubix cube laced in alcohol and piercing red lipstick, the darkly comedic and stunningly intensive character piece may, at first, seem not unlike several other pieces cut from its same cloth. Comparisons to Amy Schumer's self-depreciating/self-destructive alcoholic sex addict in Trainwreck and Frank Underwood's fourth wall-breaking wisecracks in House of Cards were easily won, yet to reduce this smashingly witty and quickly heartbreaking series down to its contemporaries would be cutting it from the heels of its own resistance, defiance and bruising wit. Waller-Bridge gives herself an astounding calling card here and a role that will surely remain one of her all-time greats. Accomplished beyond her years, and expressive in ways few could ever dream (not since John Belushi has one used their eyebrow rises to the camera so choicely), Fleabag is a crackerjack claim-to-fame for the actress and an endlessly intuitive, completely heartfelt, entirely singing television accomplishment. Don't let first impressions fool you. 3) The Night Of Much to our eventual disappointment, HBO's The Night Of didn't end up the perfect show we hoped it would be. But we'd be damned if there was a series, dramatic or otherwise, with more high points than this one in 2016, notably in the recesses of Peak Television. From its masterful, near-perfect pilot episode, to its towering, versatile turns from Riz Ahmed, John Turturro and Bill Camp, to its impeccable cinematography and impressive attention to character and detail, The Night Of was a timely, somber, meditative crime series that had no shortage of political, social and racial commentary strapped to its impeccably stylish vest. More than that, however, it was a richly patient program, one that nearly delighted in its sluggish pacing that focused, all so wonderfully, on every little detail in the legal process that plagues our lead character, Naz Khan (Ahmed). Astute in its characterization, brutal in its authentic realism and astounding in its visual presentation, one that wasn't afraid to paint landscape shots of New York City like the prison system that ultimately eclipses our protagonist, The Night Of did have a few stumbles along the way, but at its very best, it was the most riveting, intensive, piercingly skillful television series to hit the tube in many, many years. 2) Atlanta Donald Glover was an artist waiting to find a calling card of his own, and he found that —and then some —with Atlanta, his remarkably confident, entirely impressive and richly surreal freshman FX series that's accomplished well beyond its years. Where everything from his sweetly winning supporting performance in Community, to his energetic stand-up comedy, to his pop culture-heavy lyrics as his rapper alter-ego Childish Gambino could be traced back to his influences, Atlanta is a bold, impassioned work all his own. Beautifully bizarre, culturally attuned, hilariously gutsy and stingingly pointed, it's at once Glover's greatest accomplishment and an inspired series that's destined to help define our wild generation. Aided by compelling turns from Brian Tyree Henry, Keith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz and Glover himself, it's the show that the actor's been destined to make for years now. With offers to star in future Spider-Man and Star Wars installments, it's certainly not going to be the last we hear from the immensely talented young artist. Rather, it's just the start of a wonderfully promising new direction. 1) Westworld Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s absorbingly complex re-imagining of Michael Crichton’s 1973 film excels in all facets of visual storytelling. With numerous spellbinding, interconnected storylines unfolded impeccably and rivetingly delivered by an impressive ensemble, in addition to stunning visuals and Ramin Djawadi’s crafty musical accompaniment, Westworld’s brilliance, at times, is overwhelming. The show has its head near-bursting with new angles on old sci-fi themes, honoring the source material’s creator in the process, but it’s also a crowd-pleaser in the vein of HBO’s most pristine, top-shelf geek offerings that slowly eke out an existence in the mainstream. Nolan and Joy’s tricky concepts seem initially too intricate to gain ground, but we’d be downright shocked if the masterful, lively, tremendously disturbing outcome of one simple idea – what if robots ran amok at a theme park? – didn’t come to dominate the tube for years to come. Sure, there's inherent repetition to its set-up, but once you get past that, Westworld reveals itself as an intense, intellectual, and genuinely insane work of sci-fi that cleverly reworks a few old ideas into one terrifying new ride.