It's that time again, where I reveal the unhealthy amount of tv I consume over the course of a year. There were some big hits (the year of O.J.) and some definite misses (most sitcoms), but here is my summary of television in 2016:
Best show of the year: The Night Of (HBO)
Best show of the year except for the last two minutes of the season: Bloodline (Netflix)
Best characters of the year: John Stone, The NIght Of; John Rayburn, Bloodline
Best basic cable mini-series: The People vs. O.J. Simpson (FX)
Best non-fiction show of the year: 30 for 30, “O.J.: Made in America” (ESPN)
Best individual episode: “The Profit in Cuba” (CNBC)
Best non-live event sports show: A Football Life: “Jim Brown”, “Pat Tillman”
Great show whose season was WAY too short: Silicon Valley (HBO)
Show that (so far) is much better than the movie it is based on: Shooter (USA)
Creepiest show of the year: The Killing Season (A&E)
Second creepiest show of the year: Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (A&E)
Competition show in which athletes have a tremendous advantage over other contestants: Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Funny actor who needs to be rescued from a catastrophically unfunny show: Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Most unfunny show...ever: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Best interviewer whose show, unfortunately, has already been cancelled: Bill Simmons, Any Given Wednesday (HBO)
Show that could be funnier but effectively scratches my nostalgia itch: The Goldbergs (ABC)
Show whose brilliance last year has been erased by a lackluster 2016: South Park (Comedy Central)
Show that proves some people simply cannot be helped: 60 Days In (A&E)
Show that I had to give up on this year out of sheer annoyance for the endless search for Liz's real father: The Blacklist (NBC)
Show that continues to prove the idiocy of people desperate for love: Married at First Sight (A&E)
Show that could provide a great service if it wasn’t so blindly biased in its stories: VICE News (HBO)
Show that reminds us that there are terrible doctors and genius doctors: Botched (E!)
Show that gives us actual gender equity by making men and women face each other in athletic competition: American Ninja Warrior (NBC)
Show that quickly expended its one funny premise (mocking millennials): The Great Indoors (CBS)
Show that follows the trend of trying to convince us that vague “consultant” jobs are legitimate career options: Bull (CBS)
Show that has completely abandoned what used to make it funny, and now it is a blah couples sitcom: The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Show that was just too weird for me to keep watching after two episodes: Westworld (HBO)
Best show of the year: The Night Of (HBO)
Best show of the year except for the last two minutes of the season: Bloodline (Netflix)
Best characters of the year: John Stone, The NIght Of; John Rayburn, Bloodline
Best basic cable mini-series: The People vs. O.J. Simpson (FX)
Best non-fiction show of the year: 30 for 30, “O.J.: Made in America” (ESPN)
Best individual episode: “The Profit in Cuba” (CNBC)
Best non-live event sports show: A Football Life: “Jim Brown”, “Pat Tillman”
Great show whose season was WAY too short: Silicon Valley (HBO)
Show that (so far) is much better than the movie it is based on: Shooter (USA)
Creepiest show of the year: The Killing Season (A&E)
Second creepiest show of the year: Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (A&E)
Competition show in which athletes have a tremendous advantage over other contestants: Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Funny actor who needs to be rescued from a catastrophically unfunny show: Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Most unfunny show...ever: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Best interviewer whose show, unfortunately, has already been cancelled: Bill Simmons, Any Given Wednesday (HBO)
Show that could be funnier but effectively scratches my nostalgia itch: The Goldbergs (ABC)
Show whose brilliance last year has been erased by a lackluster 2016: South Park (Comedy Central)
Show that proves some people simply cannot be helped: 60 Days In (A&E)
Show that I had to give up on this year out of sheer annoyance for the endless search for Liz's real father: The Blacklist (NBC)
Show that continues to prove the idiocy of people desperate for love: Married at First Sight (A&E)
Show that could provide a great service if it wasn’t so blindly biased in its stories: VICE News (HBO)
Show that reminds us that there are terrible doctors and genius doctors: Botched (E!)
Show that gives us actual gender equity by making men and women face each other in athletic competition: American Ninja Warrior (NBC)
Show that quickly expended its one funny premise (mocking millennials): The Great Indoors (CBS)
Show that follows the trend of trying to convince us that vague “consultant” jobs are legitimate career options: Bull (CBS)
Show that has completely abandoned what used to make it funny, and now it is a blah couples sitcom: The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Show that was just too weird for me to keep watching after two episodes: Westworld (HBO)