The year has come to an end, and it's time to see what shows stood out as The Best Shows of 2016. We have awarded one show "Fox Radio Network's Best Show of 2016," as well as listed some of the best shows that TV (or web) had to offer!
Best Show of 2016: STRANGER THINGS
There wasn’t another show this year that “forced” me to binge watch the entire season in one day. Stranger Things offers the perfect blend of laughs, scares, wonder, nostalgia, and freshness. While we have seen films, music, and television, exploit our love for everything 80’s, Stranger Things might as well have been a show made in the 80’s and for the 80’s. The music, the fashion, and the tropes all fit. What makes the show exceptional, though, are the best child actors we have seen in a long time. These kids have a shot at being on our big and small screens for quite some time. Don’t be surprised if Millie Bobby Brown becomes the biggest name in Hollywood at some point in her life.
THE BEST SHOWS OF 2016
Game of Thrones
The 6th season of GoT gave us something that it and another popular drama, The Walking Dead, have failed to give us up to this point: an end in sight. “If it’s good, why would you want it to end?” Good question! Stories have always been designed to have a beginning, middle, and end. When you don’t have a goal or cut-off, you can perpetually feel like you are stuck in the middle. It’s hard to tell what is important when you’re in that limbo. Now that we are working our way to the end of GoT, every second feels important, and if it doesn’t, it’s wasted time. GoT has set the bar for television during its 6 seasons, but now, it has set the bar for itself, in its best season so far.
Westworld
Westworld satisfies and satiates the craving for those “what just happened” moments, but struggles in its sterility at times. You’ll want to care about the cast of characters, but unfortunately it takes nearly the entire season to pull that off. There are great moments throughout the series, even with a bit of a slow start. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and intrigue you enough to watch the next episode. The final two episodes and the major twists and revelations that completely change the way you view the series are worth the price of admission .
The Night Of
This limited series from HBO could be the best procedural on television since The Wire. Instead of focusing on the details and intricacies of police work, The Night Of is an interesting look at incarceration and due process. The Night Of blends elements of The Wire, Oz, and American Crime Story. In a weird way, it’s also much like watching The Office or The League. The situations surrounding our protagonist, Nasir Khan, are the ultimate illustrations for Murphy’s Law ( whatever can go wrong, will go wrong). It’s a beautiful train wreck, that also manages to let viewers in on a world that audiences rarely get to see: people of Middle Eastern descent living in a post-September 11 world.
It's also worth mentioning the year that Riz Ahmed is having. He's the breakout star from this series, as well as one of the stars of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The Grand Tour
“The boys are back, and they’re looking for trouble!” It’s strange that The Dropckick Murphy’s anthemic rally isn’t featured in this series. Following some very public drama with the BBC, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, are back behind the wheel for a new Amazon original series, The Grand Tour. You wouldn’t be wrong for mistaking The Grand Tour for an old episode of Top Gear. It is unabashedly the “same” show, and that’s completely fine. The chemistry and dry wit between the hosts is what made the original Top Gear so enjoyable. Oh, and there are cars. Lots of cars. It’s safe to say that Amazon has managed to capture that magic, and could have its first true must-watch original series.
Atlanta
Donald Glover, Childish Gambino, or whatever you want to call him, is having one of the best years we have ever seen an entertainer have. He has a song and television show both featured in our “Best of 2016” wrap-up. Though they are in two different mediums, his song and show have a lot in common. They’re fun, entertaining, cool, and artistic. That isn’t something you often say about comedy television, but Glover has accomplished something very special with Atlanta. It’s funny, experimental, but also an honest depiction of those trying to climb their way up in the Atlanta hip-hop scene. Glover was also casted as a young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo film. Glover is a star, no question about it, but we have to wonder if it is even possible for him to shine even brighter. We wouldn’t bet against it.