2016 has been a hell of a year for television. The Primetime Emmy nominations earlier this year were packed with a mass of incredible TV shows both brand new and ongoing, and it’s not stopped there either. Whether it’s a limited series of a long-running franchise, television has never been more loved.
Here are our favourite TV shows of the year:
Fleabag is written by and stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Fleabag: A BBC and Amazon partnership, ‘Fleabag’ is a British comedy set in London, written and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge who is probably best known for ‘Broadchurch’. It’s inspired by Waller-Bridge’s Fringe First Award-winning play of the same name and explores one woman trying to hold her life together despite a recent personal tragedy.
Emilia Clarke in Game Of Thrones
Game Of Thrones: As usual, this Primetime Emmy-winning fantasy HBO series was a hit this year with season 6. The George R. R. Martin adaptation has kept us in front of the small screen for the past five years, but things built to a head with the resurrection of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), the capture and subsequent return of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and the massacre at King’s Landing. We can only imagine what creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have in store for 2017’s penultimate series.
Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. in The People V. O.J. Simpson
The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story: It’s often the true stories that really captivate an audience, and this show proves it being one of the top TV show debuts of the year. It’s based on Jeffrey Toobin’s 1997 book ‘The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson’ and follows the complex trial of O. J. Simpson who was accused of two counts of murder in the first degree in 1994. Starring Sarah Paulson, John Travolta and Cuba Gooding Jr., the show has already scooped around 29 awards.
Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie in The Night Manager
The Night Manager: Only Tom Hiddleston’s second major venture into television since he made his Marvel debut in ‘Thor’, this was a one-off mini-series based on the John le Carré novel. It follows a former soldier turned hotel night manager who is recruited to infiltrate corrupt intelligence circles and uncover the truth behind an illicit arms trade. The series is up for four Golden Globes and co-stars Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman.
John Turturro proves why he’s one of the best actors working at the moment in The Night Of
The Night Of: HBO’s answer to the BBC’s ‘Criminal Justice’, Richard Price and Steven Zaillian’s crime drama ‘The Night Of’ is a critically acclaimed story about a man accused of a brutal murder after waking up with a dead woman following a wild party. Even he’s not sure of whether or not he’s innocent, which only adds to the grit and tension of this heart-stoppingly thrilling series.
James Marsden in Westworld
Westworld: Based on the 1973 film of the same name and executively produced by J. J. Abrams, this series combines sci-fi and western in a popular tale about an android-hosted amusement park. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton and James Marsden, it’s up for Best Television Drama at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards. Already the show has been renewed for a 10-episode second season which is expected to arrive in 2018.
Stranger Things Poster
Stranger Things: One of Netflix’s best original series of all time let alone of 2016, this is an 80s based supernatural horror from Matt and Ross Duffer who drew nostalgic influences from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. Winona Ryder was the big name of the show, but it was the young newcomers – Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin etc. – that really stole the hearts of viewers. The hugely anticipated season 2 is set to air in 2017.
