Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #1

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#1: You, Me, Her

It was a wonderful surprise to find the most endearing new show on DirecTV’s Audience Network, a fabulously sweet and funny exploration of one couple’s attempt to spice up their marriage with a very vulnerable third party. All three performers are great, and this show is a real delight to watch. Audience Network agreed, picking it up for two more seasons that I sure hope will air soon.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #2

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#2: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

I’m a sucker for time travel, and this truly odd original from BBC America presents a much more liberal view of the subject than I’m used to. But it’s done to such tremendous effect thanks to its amazing characters – like its holistic detective and complementary holistic assassin – and the way it plays out with its music, tics, and fantastic dialogue. Eight episodes wasn’t nearly enough, and I cannot wait for season two.

Best Episode: “Fix Everything”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #3

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#3: Westworld

This is the show that’s likely number one on most people’s lists, and make no mistake about it – it’s really good. Like most HBO epic dramas, it started out with a dense but mesmerizing pilot and got much, much better from there. Its concept is magnificent and its execution exceptional, and it’s such a layered labyrinth and puzzle that it seems almost impossible to figure out, something that bombshell revelations only further compound.

Best Episode: The Bicameral Mind
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #4

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#4: Goliath

Netflix gets all the credit for top-notch original programming, but this Amazon offering, which earned a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination for star Billy Bob Thornton, is the best new streaming show this year. Every member of the huge ensemble came through in one of the more engaging and involving legal dramas in recent years with some real characters at its center. Eight episodes wasn’t a lot, and there’s still no word on season two, which is a shame

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #5

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#5: Billions

I remember first hearing about this show and not understanding what its premise was exactly, and that seems so strange now that this show has established itself as a lover of scenery-chewing and a producer of emphatic and powerful character interactions. Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti are both equarly superb, and the rest of the ensemble responds commendably to their example. I’m eager for season two in early 2017.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #6

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#6: Vice Principals

Whoever came up with the idea of pairing Danny McBride from “Eastbound and Down with Walton Goggins from “Justified” and “The Shield” deserves a big prize. Their comedic force is nothing short of incredible, and this show was so much more sophisticated and excellent than it should have been as a result. The only shame is that it’s only supposed to run two seasons.

Best Episode: “The Foundation of Learning”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #7

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#7: Fleabag

It’s a wonder to so immediately recognize talent as displayed by the lead performer on a show within minutes during its series premiere. Phoebe-Waller Bridge is phenomenal as a self-absorbed woman paralyzed by the devastation of loss, and this very British comedy has a serious dramatic backbone that can really sting. I so hope that this won’t be all we’ll see of this fantastic show.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #8

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#8: People of Earth

TBS is killing it this year with three new comedies that are all totally different from each other. This one is my favorite, and I never expected that a show about a support group for alien abductees (they prefer the term “experiencers”) would be one of the shows I most looked forward to watching each week. A great cast and a wonderful sweetness to balance its clever if not always mature humor makes this show an all-around winner.

Best Episode: “Last Day on Earth”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #9

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#9: The Good Place

Michael Schur, the creative mind behind “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” came up with something that didn’t seem like it would work as well for his latest idea. Fortunately, it surpassed expectations, and both Kristen Bell and Ted Danson are superb choices for their roles, supported by a fabulous cast in a really fun and enjoyable show.

Best Episode: “Jason Mendoza”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #10

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#10: The Detour

I could start by saying that I’m overjoyed that Natalie Zea, who I’ve felt for a long time is one of the best actresses working in television, has finally found a regular role worthy of her talents. Her onscreen children, however, are just as great, and this theoretically throwaway TBS comedy managed to go way beyond its premise and become very watchable and funny.

Best Episode: Pilots
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #11

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#11: Insecure

HBO has ventured into new territory with its comedies recently, and this fun, fresh show is one of its finest experiments. Issa Rae is a fantastic delight, full of nervous energy and an occasional tendency to say the wrong thing. It’s not just Issa’s story, and that’s what makes this show so worth watching, with humor and unexpected drama melded together to make an extremely well-rounded breakout hit.

Best Episode: “Racist as F**k”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #12

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#12: Good Behavior

Michelle Dockery spent what felt like decades in period garb and a posh English accent on “Downton Abbey,” and it’s hard to believe that she would be able to top that. Yet less than a year later, she’s already in a completely different, mesmerizing role in an unbelievably plot-driven show that’s gripping and extremely intriguing.

Best Episode: “Pilot Review”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #13

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#13: Underground

I don’t watch many shows on WGN, but this slavery-centered series made it onto my radar and stuck. It’s not the kind of subject commonly covered on television, and it’s refreshing to see an involving and compelling story presented that’s full of both drama and intrigue. I’ll be especially interested to see what happens with season two after a transformative season finale.

Best Episode: “The Lord’s Day”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #14

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#14: The Catch

I would never have thought to cast Mireille Enos in this seductive, comic role after her dark, miserable turn on “The Killing,” but she was great on this surprisingly entertaining and enthralling caper opposite another actor playing against type, Peter Krause. This show is fun and involving, and I’m eager to find out when season two will air.

Best Episode: “The Laragan Gambit”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #15

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#15: Legends of Tomorrow

I’ve been a big flash of “The Flash” since it started, and spinning off a few recurring players and adding a few introduced on sister show “Arrow” turned out to be a tremendously entertaining success, sending its characters through time on fun adventures. A directional shift at the start of season two was welcome, and the show continues to be dependably enjoyable.

Best Episode: “Marooned”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 16 New Shows of 2016: #16

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to reflect midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2016 closes out and 2017 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#16: Better Things

Pamela Adlon, who was probably the best part of “Californication,” found a perfect opportunity to follow up on an Emmy-nominated recurring role on “Louie” and find her own showcase. There was something that felt very real and genuine about FX’s frank, honest show which had some very solid moments in its first season.

Best Episode: “Future Fever”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews