It felt like America could not go one week in 2016 without either a national tragedy or national embarrassment. Division and conflict were rampant in society, but whether viewers wanted to face the nation’s challenges outright or escape into the digital world through their laptops and televisions, 2016 brought a wide variety of phenomenal programs to choose.
“Stranger Things”
Netflix Originals struck gold again with this bizarre, nostalgia-fueled science fiction series, which has garnered a slew of accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. “Stranger Things” owes the majority of its immense success to the expert direction of the Duffer brothers, who were able to capture all the innocence and excitement of youth in the ’80s in nearly every scene. Other key factors included unexpectedly impressive performances from Winona Ryder and the show’s charismatic child stars, who managed to carry scenes that occasionally felt bogged down by the writers’ excessive homages to ’80s culture.
Rating: 6/10
Highlight: “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” Chapter One
“Westworld”
When “Game of Thrones” ends, there will be a big-budget, sci-fi-and-fantasy-sized hole in HBO’s programming lineup. “Westworld” seems to be an early attempt to fill that hole. Created by Jonathan Nolan, one-half of the mind-bending Nolan brothers duo, and his wife, Lisa Joy, “Westworld” is a twisted adaptation of the 1973 action movie of the same name.
In a theme park where the attractions are almost indistinguishable from humans and the guests are monsters, questions of consciousness and morality inevitably arise. Nolan and Joy frame these questions within a flexible narrative with characters who are never what they appear to be, and it is obviously difficult for the writers to keep so many plates spinning at once. The actors and cinematographers, for their part, masterfully guide viewers through the spectacular and terrible world, but the story ultimately falls short of providing a promised deeper meaning. The season, like the park itself, appears remarkably self-contained, and it is hard to imagine a compelling future for the series.
Rating: 7/10
Highlight: Episode 10: “The Bicameral Mind”
“Atlanta”
“Atlanta” was, hands down, the most groundbreaking new show to premiere in 2016, even when compared to the cowboy-android rebellion of “Westworld” or the person-eating monster of “Stranger Things.” The show, written and directed by industry newcomers, follows the trials of Donald Glover’s gloomy Earnest “Earn” Marks as he attempts to manage his cousin’s burgeoning hip-hop career.
“Atlanta” does not follow any preconceived notions of what a television series needs to be. Episodes vary drastically in structure, from traditional narrative to sketch show, and focus, from the club scene to the black female experience. But the ambience of the city is tangible and ever-present. With a cast strictly composed of African-American actors and actresses, “Atlanta” treats racism and sexism as institutional and inherent in daily life, a powerful statement in today’s media environment. Above all, “Atlanta” is special in its ability to normalize a culture that may seem foreign to a majority of viewers while identifying it as uniquely American.
Rating: 10/10
Highlights: Episode 7: “B.A.N.” and Episode 9: “Juneteenth”
“The Crown”
With its posh, English actors, breathtaking sets and scenery, and the dramatic, low-stakes world of British high society, this is the show to replace “Downton Abbey.”
“The Crown,” a biographical drama, relies heavily upon the strong performances by Claire Foy as the young, inexperienced Queen Elizabeth II, Jared Harris as the proud, dying King George VI and John Lithgow as the aged, weakening Winston Churchill. Personally, if I hear that a company spent $100 million on a 10-episode season, I expect to be wowed at some point with visual effects and extravagant battles on par with “Game of Thrones.” However, the creators of “The Crown” chose instead to spend the money on meticulously designed costumes, interior decorations and hundreds of extras which, while understandable, may leave the viewer feeling aggressively underwhelmed.
Rating: 7/10
Highlight: Episode 9: “Assassins”
“High Maintenance”
Based on the 2012 web miniseries of the same name, “High Maintenance,” husband and wife Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfield’s anthology series about a friendly Brooklyn weed dealer made the leap from six seasons of online episodes to a six-episode season in 2016. Ben Sinclair plays shabby, bearded “The Guy,” who finds himself walking into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary New Yorkers. Although the buyers’ appearances last only a few minutes on screen, talented actors and expertly cut montages paint vivid pictures of their passions, aspirations and desires. Ranging from comedies and tragedies to weird existential experiences, each episode gives the viewer a unique glimpse into some odd aspect of humanity.
Rating: 9/10
Highlight: Episode 4: “Tick”
“BoJack Horseman”
Appearances are deceiving in today’s television environment. Who would have thought that a colorfully animated show about a former network television actor in a world of humanoid animals would turn out to be one of the smartest, most depressing shows of the era? The all-star cast of “BoJack Horseman” includes Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Aaron Paul, Allison Brie and a number of celebrity guests and voice actors, such as J.K. Simmons and Angela Bassett. Season three finds its title character struggling with the consequences of his successful return to film and his subsequent realization that it has not brought him happiness or made him into a good person. He tries in vain to interact with the other characters to balance the pressures of his career while contemplating the inescapable nature of mortality. These are complex, human dilemmas that the Netflix Original series consistently addresses with poise, grace and humor, even if it never offers complete solutions or happy endings. Then again, great pieces of art rarely do.
Rating: 9/10
Highlights: Episode 4: “Fish Out of Water” and Episode 11: “That’s Too Much, Man!”
“Veep”
In its fifth season, Armando Iannucci’s “Veep” somehow managed to create a fictional American political landscape with a level of lunacy that is outdone only by the real-life American political landscape. Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes another tour de force performance as the vice-president-turned-president Selina Meyer, and she is joined by a cast of similarly foul-mouthed, ridiculous Washington staffers who manage to make viewers forget about the country’s divisive election. With spot-on satire and hilarious guest actors, “Veep” proves that a series can remain strong well into five seasons if writers are willing to be flexible and take big chances.
Rating: 7/10
Highlight: Episode 6: “Kissing Your Sister”
