I bought Better Things on the strength of this review, but it was a disappointment. There were some amusing moments, for sure, and each episode’s ending was unpredictable, but the characters, especially the two older daughters, were unlikable. Somehow it has become fashionable to portray teenage girls as bratty, whiny malcontents who demand a lot but give little back. If you want a realistic and moving portrayal of the agonizing teen years, watch My So-called Life. And, of course, the men in Better Things are either clueless, impotent or callous. I guess Hollywood has a lot of making up to do. Which brings me to the main character. Aside from not knowing what motivates her—her love for her children an exception—the character isn’t sympathetic. She upbraids a boyfriend in public for being overly sensitive and self-centered after being disingenuous herself about the relationship, abandons a girlfriend without explanation after being flown to the friend’s house on a private jet and cheats on a guy she’s in love with. I tried to like her, but I couldn’t, and then I thought I don’t much like Louis C.K. either. Finally, the show’s conceit is that she has money, which is supposed to give a subtle legitimacy to all of the characters’ foibles. No matter how mean, how irresponsible or how dumb, the characters, just like in Modern Family, are protected and artificially held together by the glue of money. The final scene of the last episode says it all.
Where is Veep?
2
“Downward Dog” was a sweet insightful show that as an owner of three beloved dogs I actually looked forward to watching - something I cannot say for most of tv. It’s cancellation after only 8 episodes was just one of many deep disappointments that 2017 served up. What a miserable year.
1
There ought to be recommendations for a younger audience. Stranger things season 2 was nerve-wracking and the pigmented backdrop is realistic. If for anything it should be watched for the incredible job done by 10-14 year olds and the tasteful music direction.
1
Narco and The Crown are two excellent shows you missed.
2
I only have seen a couple of shows from your list. The synopsis of the rest don't grab my attention. You honestly think The Good Place is funny? I find it a bit stupid. I am surprised that I didn't see Broadchurch in your list of international shows. it didn't even make the ones ending and it aired it's final series this year. And you left out This Is Us. And, along with the popular vote Stranger Things 2 should have made the list.
I normally don’t enjoy British series but boy was Line of Duty good! My number one show of 2017.
Great list.
1
This list highlights the many reasons my friends and I are outliers- Mindhunter is the only show I watched - not at all in sync with critics. BBC , Acorn and PBS along with HBO are where my interests lie.
I'm glad to see "Mindhunter" on your list. I found it riveting.
I can't believe that Outlander hasn't made your list. It's a great story with incredible casting, costumes, sets, soundtrack and more.
3
Outlander on Starz. It has it all time travel, fighting, love story. Great actors pulls you into the story you can't wait for the next episode. Lots of fans, great show.
4
Outlander on Starz. The sets, the costumes, the impecable acting...It’s a feast for the senses!!
4
No mention of Outlander?
2
A must watch is Outlander on Starz. You get sucked in by the storyline and the GREAT actors. Try it and you will agree how wonderful this show is.
3
'Outlander' on STARZ is one of the best series I have ever seen. Faithful to the original source, but with enough adaptation to condense the material into a workable series.
3
Outlander on Starz is an amazing show with so many aspects to admire. The production is lush, with authentic sets and costumes. The original story by Diana Gabaldon has the elements of time travel, history, adventure, and of course the love story and passion felt when Claire meets Jamie - and this story is translated to film in glorious fashion, with amazing actors. You will find yourself swept up in the story with just one episode, then you will binge watch the first three seasons and have pangs waiting for the Droughtlander to end and season 4 to return! Definitely one of the top shows in my opinion!
4
CBCs Baroness Von Sketch Show. Deliciously subversive comedy by four shameless women. For the uninitiated start with “blanket scarf” before tackling “dry shampoo” or “bag hate”.
I will miss Orphan Black! Wondering why no mention of Outlander? Great tv series and wonderful book series.
1
Have you seen Outlander on Starz? I noticed it didn’t get mentioned in the article. It’s an amazingly well done historical drama based on a series of books.
5
Outside of the daily horror shows, honest news about a madman and his Congressional followers destroying my country, the ONLY TV I watched in 2017 was “Twin Peaks: The Return”, while I won”t be happy unless Lynch turns out a second season, at the least explaining to me why “the owls are more than they seem”, and why DB Cooper ended up back where he ended, in the room of the red curtains, after changing the single event that brought him to Twin Peaks in the first place. Lynch did a serial movie that did what no other program has ever done:
He produced TV with such rare quality that roughly an hour went by in what seemed like 15 minutes due to sensory overload and perfect timing.
Of course, it worked ONLY under conditions he claimed necessary, a big clear screen and a high-end sound system, speakers able to reproduce a sound track as much a work of art as the image, able to reproduce everything from the quietest mood-intensifying hints of something not of our world to the roar of Trent Rezner” guitar.
None of those popular MTV smash cuts, just constant slow movement, little waste beyond a gratuitous slap at English singer Linda Thompson.
She was abandoned by her husband Richard. He left her for another, and in a state of psychiatric ruin; in The Return, one ‘Linds Thompson’ abandons ‘Richard Thompson” in a motel room.
1
So sad when ABC cancelled Downward Dog. That show was special. And of course, I have a dog.
3
The Vietnam ten-part series was masterful—poignant, poetic and instructive for today’s arm-chair warriors who treat war like it’s a video game. If you don’t think you have the patience, watch the final episode, Weight of Memory. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick are national treasures.
6
Way too much to watch, haven't seen most of this...but it's really too bad that Underground can't be saved.
1
As soon as the trickle down occurs to everyone these shows will all be popular and watched more often. All it takes is money to get them. Everybody has tons! Shows on "free" television can't be any good, can they? For that matter just old "entertainment" shows- you know the ones that are popular - they probably aren't any good either because they just give people what they want not what they should want apparently.
2
One word: Ozark.
Also, watching Michael McKean in Better Call Saul was better than half the jetsam you’d mentioned.
5
Bank of America’s co-sponsorship of the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary taints the project. Isn’t this somewhat like Porsche doing a production on the Holocaust?
2
The Koch bros were significant supporters too.
1
the best show i saw in 2017 was Taboo. hands down. tom hardy was masterful and i anxiously await season 2.
2
Gosh, I haven't seen ANY of the Best American shows! The internationals, yes.
I absolutely loved Strangers on Netflix. It has got me hooked on Korean thrillers. Now totally riveted by Gab Don't.
2
Thank you for recognizing Downward Dog. It was a delightfully different show, a breath of fresh air away from cops, spies, politics, corruption and groping. Just a sweet show about a very smart dog and his owner(s). So sorry that it was not appreciated nor renewed--maybe a network that can handle the unusual should pick it up.
5
"This is Us" Is as smart, poignant and compelling as any show I've ever seen Complex, loveable characters and genius direction.
5
check out Nicole H's list below if you want something other than comedies.
How could you forget Archer. I know that a lot of people are going to be complaining here about the omission of their favorite TV show, but, how could you forget Archer! Holy !%$&# Snacks!
No Bojack Horseman or Rick & Morty either.
"Underground" and the unmentioned "The Get Down" were really great shows. I knew "Underground" was going to get cancelled after the "Minty"-"Harriet Tubman" episode. Slavery in America is something many Americans wants people to "get-over" because .... (insert any excuse) The show was spot on acknowledging the insidious evil that made America Great.
2
If Underground were on Netflix or Amazon, it would survive. It's a niche show, ok. So is a lot of the stuff on streaming.
1
American Crime definitely. Regina King is a treasure.
The Good Place sounds interesting. Ted Danson is a known quantity. I'd better hurry and watch it before he is accused of something and hounded off the air.
4
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”? Seriously? It’s such a self-indulgent bore!
3
It would be nice if you came up with separate lists for dramas and comedies. You clearly enjoy a good comedy above all else.
3
yeah the list is a bit lopsided
I love you for loving The Good Place.
3
Tracy Ullman Show on HBO is fantastic and I highly recommend Schitt's Creek Season 1- 3 on Netflix, it is deeply funny, sassy and a great 20 min escape for the dumpster fire we are in politically. The brilliant Eugene Levy, and Cathleen O'Hara together again with a great cast including Eugen's son Dan who is remarkably talented as well and writes many of the episodes. Toast of London is also fabumundo. Matty Berry is one of a kind. Haven't seen him since IT Crowd. The Punisher was a bloody revenge filled journey surprisingly well worth taking.
6
Yes yes yes yes! Schitt's Creek is a brilliant show and consistently laugh-out-loud. Ditto for Tracy Ullman.
4
Another GIANT thumb's up for Schitt's Creek. So, so funny and remarkably sweet too.
3
Yes! I love Tracy Ullman’s show - although it is definitely a Brit show, without knowing the UK well it probably feels like too many inside jokes for a colonial. My favourite character, without question, is Camilla. Her constant use of equestrian lexicon for everything is (to a fellow equestrian) hilarious. I still laugh on multiple viewings.
1
Wow. There's so much in this list I haven't seen or heard much about. Thank you! "The Leftovers" was a three-season stunner, start to finish. I went from, "This is interesting", to just marveling at the work of everyone involved in the series.
And pardon my hardly-qualified-to-be-a-critic, but nevertheless enthusiastic shout-out for two series that didn't make this list: "Black Mirror" and "The Expanse".
Television is in its Diamond Age now.
5
The Weissensee Saga
Deutschland 83
The Same Sky
Legends
Luther
Nobel
No Second Chance
The Missing
Trapped
Generation War
The Heavy Water War
Goliath
Tokyo Trial
Paranoid
Unabomber.
Broadchurch
Mind hunter.
Marseilles.
So many more excellent international series...Ok, I snuck in a few more non-foreign series that were excellent.
11
First 2 seasons of Broadchurch were the best.
2
The best show we've seen on Netflix this year was the addictive Turkish police show "Behzat C . 3 seasons blended into 96 episodes with compelling storylines and insights into this culture, both politically and socially. It is also filled with memorable characters you feel sad to leave when the series concludes.
3
Only a couple of things on this list are better than The Americans even in its least sparkly, most nuanced season. You're incredibly dismissive of the best drama on TV.
8
THE AMERICANS is the best television show I've ever seen in my life, even besting "The Sopranos". I've watched each season FOUR times, and about to start on a fifth round! I've rarely watched anything more than twice. I dream of Martha getting her own show. SAVE MARTHA!! LOL
3
Look at the Russian Cop show "Method" on Netflix. As gritty in its way as "Fauda"
1
Mr. Robot S3? Dark? Stranger Things 2?
3
It was nice that "To Walk Invisible" cast people who mostly resembled the Brontes, but I am still puzzled by why they spoke with Yorkshire accents when Mrs. Gaskell and others who knew them emphasized that Rev. Bronte and his children had recognizably Irish accents.
It seems only one show on these many lists is on braodcast TV. So, unless you can afford a panoply of paid-for good TV, you're stuck with a lot of drivel. For example, throughout this fall every major network channel had football on night after night and public TV had mostly reruns. Has broadcast TV taken on the the hopefully losing task of winning back interest in football viewers and stadium attendance? Maybe some smart communications group will figure out how to rerun winners on lists like this in a more consumer friendly way for movie and TV buffs who don't want to increase their cable bills.
5
Just alternate one month at a time between Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Go, etc. OR, what I do, is sign into other people's accounts......I use my dad's DirecTV online (which also gives access to STARZ, FX, etc. at their websites), and my sister's Netflix and Hulu. I have Amazon Prime, myself.
Start with THE AMERICANS on Amazon Prime....free for 30 day trial.
THE AMERICANS is the best television show I've ever seen in my life, even besting "The Sopranos".
2
Berlin Station (EPIX), Fauda, Mindhunter and Good Behavior. Longmire for shows that came to an end. Our family misses Marvin from Downward Dog.
I don't know if anyone else suffers from this but, I'll stumble on a show or series on Netflix, et al, and later find out its been around or awhile. But, it's new to me. In that category I would put Travelers (Netflix), a Canadian show that puts a neat twist on time travel; Salamander, a Flemish crime show and the first season of Wanted (Netflix).
3
Good Behavior is just fantastic!
THE AMERICANS is the best television show I've ever seen in my life, even besting "The Sopranos".
1
Top of my list? A wood burning stove.
5
No THISIS US, the best show on television? And you call yourself a critic? My dog has better taste.
9
I agree...."This is Us" is sappy, cliche'd, and the forced poignancy is sophomoric. "Parenthood" was downright outstanding, and did not get the accolades or viewership it deserved.
1
I have said and will continue to say that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is one of the best comedies on television. It gets virtually no attention and no awards recognition, yet rises to the occasion week after week with some of the best writing and acting around.
7
The Bureau on SundanceTV.
1
Vice Principals was the funniest, most profound, tv show of 2017.
If you're a fan of Stranger Things, you're going to love german Dark (2017). It's much more tense and dark. This one definitely not for kids. You can find it on Netflix as well.
8
Just started watching "Dark".
No Baroness Von Sketch, the Canadian sketch comedy show? Very funny and intelligent dry humor of the comedy of social mores.
Downward Dog was great! A quirky, fun, feel good show. Why on earth did they cancel it? I also really enjoyed The Crown and Outlander.
7
American Vandal was lots of fun but far from perfect. To chose that over Master of None means I cannot take this list seriously.
2
When we were renovating our home in 2006, the satellite dish was taken down.
We never replaced it.
Reading the “best of” list makes us happy we never did.
(Of course, we’ll look at Twin Peaks when it comes out on DVD - we’re not that crazy
)
3
The Good Place? Seriously? I had to bail on this list when I saw that. The two and a half episodes I watched, on the "stellar recommendations" I'd seen, were vapid to the point of embarrassment. Maybe something remarkable happens later that salvages this junior high faire?
5
Too true!
"Maybe something remarkable happens later"
Yes, it did. The season finale with one of the most clever cliffhanger/twists in television.
6
Yes. It does.
Patriot, anyone? It's brilliant!
1
Pleased to see American Vandal get a nod. For a parody I was surprised how affecting it was and how well-judged the performances were. Humans also entranced me much more than Westworld, which I gave up on halfway through. It became a punishment. Elsewhere, as I contemplate this list, I just grapple with the knowledge that I will never be able to watch more than a handful of these shows. I need to find a way to deal with that.
Fargo could have made the list of best shows that ended in 2017, but I guess we won’t know for sure until it’s too late.
Very happy with the recommendation of Humans. Would have liked to see mention of Mr. Robot, which is having a very good season.
3
Great list made mediocre by leaving off Better Call Saul.
Creative beyond belief; outstanding premise, quirky without trying, best ensemble acting around, stellar writing, and quadruple threat Bob Odenkirk (producer) Bob Odenkirk (writer) Bob Odenkirk (creator) Bob Odenkirk (actor).
21
Bob Odenkirk neither created nor wrote any episodes of BCS.
"Full disclosure: this is an affirmative-action slot, recognizing the ubiquity and popularity of South Korean dramas." Well, that's needlessly insulting and dismissive. K-drama is allowed to be not your cup of tea, you could state your distaste without implying that they are fundamentally undeserving. While simultaneously implying affirmative-action is for those fundamentally undeserving (as opposed to systematically disadvantaged). Quite the two-fer!
Oh, wait, you weren't done: "has less of the usual awkwardness and obviousness (yes, I know, cultural differences)...". Lovely. Sigh.
35
Could not agree more. International shows can be a window in a new world Americans can explore.
3
I agree about The Good Place and would highly recommend. Thanks to Tom and Lorenzo’s blog and podcast for initially bringing it to my attention. What a gem!! Not normally a fan of most sitcoms, I really liked this one.
3
There are so many great shows on TV with streaming. I’d suggest you add another category, “best binge watching series’
It’s hard to take any rankings seriously that don’t have The American’s in the top 5
3
How is Rick and Morty not on this list?
I can't be the only one here offended by the tidbit about Stranger, right? Not only was it seemingly racist, the information was not even accurate. Stranger isn't 8 episodes. It's 16. What are you even talking about!?
11
The write-up for the South Korean drama Stranger is extremely insulting, belittling, and factually incorrect. It's bad enough for the writers to imply the show is somehow better than other K-dramas because there's less of it, but they didn't even bother to check the number of episodes (there's sixteen, not eight). And there's not a single sentence to say what the show is actually about, unlike the other entries on this list. This write-up is both hostile and dismissive at the same time and does a great disservice to this show in particular and K-dramas in general.
22
TOAST OF LONDON. Brillaint.
3
We LOVE this show!
So disappointed to read that Downward Dog won't be back. I loved that show!
3
Godless (Netflix), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), The Bureau (SundanceNow), The Americans (FX), The A Word (Sundance), Line of Duty (Hulu), Ray Donovan (Showtime), Fearless (Amazon), Peaky Blinders (Netflix, season 4, late December), The Durrels in Corfu (PBS), Star Trek Discovery (CBS All Access), Madame Secretary (CBS), Game of Thrones (HBO), Billions (HBO), Fargo (FX), The Leftovers (HBO), American Gods (HBO), This is Us (NBC), Animal Kingdom (TNT), A French Village (MHZ Choice), and Underground (WGN, r.i.p.)
n.b. HBO Europe is now streaming on HBO Go six award-winning programs there, one of which, Wasteland, from the Czech Republic, also aired on HBO Signature this Sunday in full. You can't really judge till you've seen those too.
5
Would that Downward Dog would be resurrected. Surely there's a home somewhere in the vast expanse to TV-Land for Martin and his human sidekicks.
5
Westworld had meta-narratives that make Humans look like a bad adaptation of a stupid graphic novel.
1
If you watch enough TV to have a Top 10, you’re not qualified to judge.
2
Power (starz)
3
Where is USA's Mr. Robot?
5
The Deuce gets my vote for one of the worst. Few interesting characters other than a few prostitutes, but with no story development around them.
A silly Hollywood style plot where James Franco's character dates the over the top wealthy woman, who is sticking it to her parents with a "real" man. And of course she has a heart of gold.
We are given only superficial context into Gillenhal's life and her choices, but we do see her greatly improve her wardrobe to become avant-garde appearing. as she learns to make movies.
And Franco's acting is so over the top as the "bad"" twin, as if he's so enamored of his acting ability to chew gum while wise cracking, non stop.
Full of the typical Hollywood cliches.
6
I gotta agree. I stopped watching for awhile because I couldn't stand watching James Franco. Both those characters are awful, and that one-actor-playing-twins schtick doesn't do it for me. (Orphan Black is a different kettle of fish.) Even Maggie G. is sort of over the top, but I am enjoying the path her character is now following. I also think this show is a little too blasé about the exploitation of women. (E.g. the 'let's put on a show" feel about the setting up of the whorehouse irked me.)
2
Um... Stranger Things 2??? This omission is so glaring I had to put shades on to type this comment.
9
For best international television series, I’d suggest the marvelous medieval Turkish soap opera, Resurrection: Ertugrul. Sadly, only the first two seasons of it are available on Netflix. The third can be had, with English subtitles, through “other” means, and its fourth season is being broadcast now in Turkey.
It’s the story of Ertugrul Bey, a Turkic tribal chief who’s the father of Osman, founder of the Ottoman Empire. These must be the hardest working people in show business, as each season is over 70 episodes long.
The Times did report on this series but only in the context of current Turkish politics. And it got it wrong, in my view, as the series began long before the supposed coup in Turkey.
https://nyti.ms/2rg89Cw
What I find fascinating is the remarkable attention to detail paid to the everyday life of 13th Century nomadic Turkic tribes and a world view very different from any we normally receive in the West.
It’s not just Christians who are the enemy here. The Mongols were the antagonists in season two. The chief antagonist is a deeply divided Muslim culture – a point the series hero, Ertugrul, makes very clear. Plus, it’s not so much anti-Christian as it is anti-Roman Catholic church. Orthodox Christians are regarded quite differently.
Our deep bias against the Ottomans is just that, along with atrocities committed at the empire’s end in the early 20th Century which today’s Turkey still refuses to acknowledge.
4
Thanks for all the great titles that , in a year of membership, i've never found on Netflix (!) The search begins today.
And speaking of searches, how did you omit "Search Party"??? I'll admit I stumbled onto it myself on TBS, but like finding a bottle of opioids in granny's medicine chest, i just couldn't leave it alone. Bright, surprising, deeply funny and serious, this should be on everyone's top ten list.
3
American Vandals have the chronic issue of many of this remarkable period of ideas and creative output like no other.
The writers seem to excell at the first 35% of the series where their originality and attractiveness shines through , then a middle 40% of decent TV only to not have figured out how to end the stories in any kind of satisfaction.
So much of what we do in this Century weakens toward the end. Not just TV, books and movies, but even food fashion and our damn songs don’t even know how to end.
1
This has so far been a pitiful TV season with hardly any good shows unless a person is 14 years old, uneducated, and easily amused. Also, the only one I really wanted to see is Handmaids but cannot get it through the streaming I have. Bah humbug!!!!!
You are obviously not paying attention.
4
um hello Stranger Things!!! this writer must be sad that there were no jocks in Hawkins
2
The Young Pope? Cinematographically rich and gorgeous...the tones and colors and music.
But I haven’t seen the latest Ted Danson sitcom, and will withhold judgment.
4
As with our electoral choices, the lowest common denominator.
4
Best single episode of TV this year: "The Americans": "Dyatkovo," in which the KGB sends Philip and Elizabeth to investigate an elderly woman suspected of collaborating in a Nazi atrocity in Russia during WWII. Did 16 year old Anna participate in a massacre of Russian troops in the Russian town of Dyatkovo? The scene where the terrified Anna confesses to Philip and Elizabeth that she helped murder Russian soldiers after the Nazis murdered her parents in front of her ("I had to dig their graves with my bare hands") was the most chilling episode of "The Americans" so far. Is a person defined by the worst thing they've ever done- or by how they lived the majority of their lives? Watching Philip and Elizabeth execute this 'traitor' as they yet again escape self-awareness was the highlight of the finest long-running drama on American television.
7
Did anyone catch LIAR on the Sundance Channel? Terrifying and brilliant. Joanne Froggat (from Downton Abbey) stars as a young woman who goes out on an innocuous date that turns into a nightmare. Or doesn't. depending on whether or not she's making it up. Chilling.
3
That is not a list I would have made. Now the shows that you cut should have been the ones on your list. Master of None and Catastrophe are very underrated.
1
Deuce.
Really?
Porno light posing as art. Banal, stupefying, boring and who cares about smarmy Times Square in the 70s.
The Durrell’s of Corfu best of 2017.
6
Respectfully, disagree. One of the strongest new shows of the year.
3
3 hr nightly lineup of Rachel Maddow/Lawrence McDonnell/Brian Williams to keep up with the dismantling of our democracy and the destruction of the United States of America.
42
I’ll take Chris Hayes over Brian Williams for my 3 hr stretch. That is for the days when I’m not imposing a mental health news break on myself.
4
" I Love Lucy".
2017??
Yes, now too.
New? Always.
2
Skip 'em all - and read a book.
7
I'm guessing "This is Us" and "Fargo" were 11 and 12.
4
The lost of international shows is on the mark; the domestic version seems more about the writer's feeling of intellectual superiority than the quality of the shows.
It is also unfortunate that the domestic writer is so focused on shows which require subscriptions--the Times decries income inequality, yet this writer seems to have a patronizing attitude towards free tv.
1
You forgot Mr. Robot...which is very unfortunate.
2
'Fauda' knocked it out of the park, hands down. More, please.
3
Britain's Broadchurch, Starz Outlander.
7
Sometimes the shows are available via DVD from the public library. I have watched House of Cards and Damages that way. SUPPORT THE NY PUBLIC LIBRARY!
11
The Leftovers had complex and inventive yet highly entertaining writing, was phenomenally directed and had the best cast ever assembled for a drama. No wonder it's off the air.
8
I'm very disappointed that "Downward Dog" won't be back. It was a great and charming escape in a time when we need one.
9
“Estoy Vivo” from Spain is an utterly fantastic show. A bit of supernatural, a dose of police procedural, family and romantic drama, some comedy—this is a show that could have turned out to be a train wreck but works due to the strength of good writing and its uniformly incredible cast, most of whom came from theater.
2
Insecure is brilliant. The best of 2017. Should have topped the list.
16
Another vote for Schitt’s Creek. Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara are together again and are making a great show!
Another gem is Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. Only 10 episodes on Netflix, each taking pllace ina Tokyo ramen shop that is only open minight to 7am. 10 separate stories, each compelling on their own.
6
Thanks for the recommendation of Call My Agent! I just watched the first episode and it was funny and French.
2
You've got to check out Toast of London, on Netlix.
1
I LOVE this show! So glad we got a second season. Hope there’s more to come.
I can't remember the last sitcom I watched before this year, but oh my lord I love The Good Place. Also tickled pink to see under-hyped Norsemen get some love.
5
You forgot to include the nightly Trump soap opera airing on CNN and MSNBC (the FOX News adaptation of the series has been rendered incoherent due to its heavy editing). But the first season of the complete Director’s Cut was a jaw-dropping saga. You just couldn’t look away from the TV screen as the series chronicled an insane and unlikely Presidential campaign. And after it opened its horrifying and thrilling second season with a tragic-comic inauguration, the series gained suspenseful steam with the ongoing plot about the Mueller investigation. More drama, more comedy, more plot twists, more wacky characters, and more cliffhangers than any other show on television.
77
No heroes.
5
Yes, the Trump series is the first in television history where all the major characters are anti-heroes.
2
Granted the season isn't over yet but no love for Mr. Robot?? Season three is arguably one of the best seasons of tv I've ever seen.
6
Thanks for recognizing Downward Dog. It was a great show, and Martin was a very good dog. Would love to see more DD.
5
"Star Trek Discovery" should have gotten at least an honourable mention. It is one of the new must see TV series this season. I know that the "Star Trek" franchise doesn't have the pull and relevance it once had, which is actually sad, but "Discovery" is a good show, with a solid cast and pretty darn good production values.
2
It might have more pull and relevance if Discovery’s availability wasn’t limited to CBS’s paid streaming platform.
7
Well that may be true for the US. But outside of the United States "Star Trek Discovery" is being broadcast on regular cable TV in several countries...I am not really affected by CBS or its paid streaming service...
As I said before, a solid show. "Star Trek Discovery" needs at least an honourable mention on the article.
3
The glaring and obvious omission of shows like "Mindhunter", " The Punisher" and "Legion" notwithstanding, another glaring miss is the unexpectedly relevant and poignant "The Gifted" .
While this was initially presented as somekind of tweener, mutants-in-high-school tupe of a show (for that look no further than the Hulu-Marvel collaboration "Runaways" ), it turned to be anything but that.
Behind the mutant, superpower, special effects facade, is a show that rings true of the times we live in, with a nerve wrecking urgency at that. A show with a properly diverse cast, not one meant to hit some artificial multicultural quota, but because the characters and actors actually belong there, in the way they inhabit their characters as well as part of the story and on the screen, in a natural way which makes sense within the overall telling of the series.
A series about intolerance, bigotry, persecution and discrimination. But also one about resistance, bravery, unity and the power and resolve to fight back against injustice and tyranny, not only when it is easy and convenient, but when it is costly, dangerous and difficult.
This show was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. I am looking forward to seeing more of it.
1
(Someone clearly overvalues Superhero stories.)
2
Without a doubt, the most important overlooked show on tv is The Americans, which is riveting and so well-acted despite a season that's slower and thought-provoking about what it means to be a spies with children growing up.
I can't believe Better Call Saul wasn't in the Top 10...it's truly awesome and original and completely different than Breaking Bad.
I think Schitt's Creek is hilarious and funnier than anything else around, so it should definitely be included in the international Top 10. Check out this show! After the first episode that sets the story in motion, it gets roaringly great!
27
Reread the opening paragraph.
2
Where is the French series, Le Bureau des Légendes?? I believe it is known as The Bureau in the US. It is brilliant, and I am addicted to it.
5
How could you not include, "Billions" on your list? I think it is the best written show on TV. Period. And, let's not forget the stellar acting.
14
Thanks for the reminder of all the reasons I decided to use the TV only for videos and the BBC. What a load of insufferable ego heavy crap!
20
Where's HBO's "Silicon Valley"?
25
Silicon Valley is my must-watch, can’t wait-a-minute-longer series. The writing sparkles and the actors are tremendous. It’s the reason I have HBO.
1
HOW MUCH did Showtime and / or David Lynch pay you to include Twin Peaks The Return on this list? That's EIGHTEEN hours of my life gone forever!
As far as I am concerned, Coop is still stuck in the Red Room, and Bob still inhabits Coop's body staring into a bathroom mirror saying "Where's Annie?!?"
For a TV series about a town in the northwest, it spent no time there, and Kyle MacLachlan did a bad impersonation of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man.
4
What is this streaming snobbery? Maybe the writers don't own a real television
10
ABSOLUTELY AGREE. Thank you Eileen, for capturing my thoughts. I don't pay for every little other auxiliary service on TV -- so expect that there should have been at least 50% of "real" tv shows listed.
Thanks again for that.
9
Oh please. They included the two best shows on Broadcast Television, what more do you want?
Many people cut the cable and only have streaming services now. Netflix is more real TV than the garbage on CBS. Plus there's plenty from AMC, Showtime, HBO, even a bit from ABC...that's "real TV" no? At least its cable...
3
Leaving out west world and better call Saul. Wha? For halt and catch fire? Wack! What grade are you in? Clearly not out of high school. Those shows you picked were mere parodies of entertainment. Formulaic and dull.
16
“Manhattan “ was an amazing series; the best storyline, actors, and actresses.
Of course it got the ax. The young audiences these days know squat about history. And, if I want some laughs, I can’t get them on commercial TV.
If that horrible “The Son” gets renewed I’ll have a stroke. Worst program ever, ever produced. For shame.
1
"Better Things" is the most original program in years. The writing is impeccable, and if Louis C.K. can be given credit for much of the dialogue, it would indicate an understanding of women that he blithely ignores in his personal affairs. Adlon is a gem, and all the other actresses are fabulous as well.
"The Deuce" started slowly, but picked up a full head of steam as the season neared its conclusion. The acting is top-notch, particularly the interplay among the pimps. The set design and art direction are spot-on. Anyone who spent any time in NYC in the late 70's will recognize the dumpster fire the city had become.
"Better Call Saul" would have made my list, as would "Ray Donovan."
One other nit to pick comes with the exclusion of "Fargo." Ewan McGregor delivers a tour-de-force performance, with Carrie Coons and David Thewlis creating unforgettable characters. To my way of thinking, you can't beat those Coen brothers when it comes to dark comedy.
19
Thumbs up for Leftovers, Humans, Mindhunters, Alias Grace, Vietnam War. Thumbs down for The Good Place.
4
YOU MISSED clear #1: Madam Secretary.
8
You Are Wanted (Germany) and Schitt's Creek (Canada) are two more great international shows this year. You Are Wanted is a new and provocative tech crime thriller. Schitt's Creek, seasons in, is truly maintaining its momentum of being a brilliant comedy-drama, somewhat satirizing greedy and materialistic lifestyles.
4
There is only one TV show that consistently tells the truth about America in the 21st century--THE MIDDLE.
9
I watch The Good Place and watched Downward Dog. Both are or were excellent. The rest of the shows I never heard of. If only a handful of people watch a show how do you know if it's good? I have found that most obscure shows are not very good at all. By the way how could you forget Good Behavior on TNT. Oh right, since it's on cable you don't count it. I forget. I like Supernatural and The Orville (Which you people have a deep hatred for).
14
Wasn't the excellent and one-of-a-kind Downward Dog supposed to find another home? We were promised.
9
Major Crimes on TNT is a terrific show, too bad they cancelled it.
7
Love, love, love Chewing Gum. Have been evangelizing for it ever since Season 1. I predict lots of good stuff for Micaela Coel as her career progresses.
5
Thanks for including Downward Dog, though when I would mention it to friends, I couldn't quite describe what I liked about it, you did.
7
Not sure why or even how "The Good Place" was considered above "Better Call Saul". The cast, the writing, the MUSIC of "Better Call Saul" was beyond outstanding. Actually, except for 3 or 4 TV shows listed, I never heard of 95% of them. All that tells me is that I must be getting old or lack the curiosity of why these other shows were picked or have such a strong following. And that's on me. I thought Twin Peaks was weird yet entertaining when it first appeared. But it became too weird and too "out there" for my taste. But I've been wrong in the past. Sounds like some interesting viewing over the holidays in the Keller home. Thanks for the suggestions.
11
Not having heard of them until now, you are lucky! Now you can explore.
I was surprised at how much I like The Good Place. I didn't know I still had it in me to like something so earnest and corny. It's a great show!
15
"Twin Peaks-The Return" is not just a TV series and not just an 18-part film, it is also World Art of the highest caliber.
7
What? Where’s ‘The Crown’? Easily one for the best shows of 2017! Enthralling performances and a feast for the eyes.
56
But a soap with no real stakes for Liz.
But beautiful...
For years about half of the tv my household watches comes from non-US sources (mostly UK, Canada, and Korea, but with many other countries mixed in). International tv has provided the kind of racial, ethnic, gender, cultural and body size diversity that American tv often lacks—in both characters and storylines.
So I’m having trouble trusting the opinions of Mike Hale since he a) doesn’t seem to realize that the tv trade imbalance shifted over a decade ago (witness PBS’s reliance of British tv) and b) he seems to hate k-dramas to the point of seeing fewer episodes as a positive. Maybe we need a dedicated international tv reviewer, or at least someone who watches international tv more regularly.
48
Amen. How many white european centered shows do we need?
3
Agreed. Some Korean and Chinese shows are outstanding. Forest of Secrets is one of them.
2
I couldn't help but notice how many of these shows require having access to a subscription service (Netflix), premium cable (HBO), or cable (AMC).
39
Yes, which means a large percentage of us have never seen any of these shows.
17
'Outlander' gets my vote.. Beautiful production values, top-rate acting/casting, and a passionate, rabidly loyal, ever-growing fanbase.
23
I am an Outlander fan, but will stop watching if next season is as cartoonish and disjointed as this one. All of the really good plots and interesting conundrums seemed beyond this production team's ability to grasp, develop or execute. Let's cease Jamie's role as an appendage of Claire. I feel like I'm watching a reverse of what men do to us. Also, accept the grace and luck of Gary Young! He steals every scene he is in and right now would be a better match for Claire than Jamie. The slave thing and the true meaning of bakra were mishandled. Let's see what the last episode offers.
4
But....no where near as good as the books, imho
2
interesting how shows like Manhattan and the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, highly recommended by this publication, aren't on the list, even the "cuts"
3
Maisel would get my vote, but maybe full season came too late for consideration.
4
I agree with you about Manhattan. I thought it was a brilliant series, and ended way too soon.
2
American vandal is simply too good. It was a pleasure to watch.
7
"Insecure" was easily the best show of the year.
28
I'm disappointed to read that "American Crime" just aired the last season. I think it was the best series on network tv. We need more shows like this...not more insipid "reality shows." I wish networks like HBO or FX would consider picking up this series.
16
I agree! The third season broke my heart.
2