Something to watch over the next few days on the couch.
Yep, it’s another end of year list, but we’ll promise to keep this one as interesting, informative and sexy as possible.
Without further adieu, here are some of the TV shows that we loved from 2016.
Stranger Things
Plot: When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.
Watch it because: It’s like every film from the ’80s that you loved, all rolled into one series. We were hooked from the very first episode and the show has turned plenty of Irish people’s lives upside down.
Game of Thrones (Season 6)
Plot: Nine noble families fight for control over the mythical lands of Westeros. Meanwhile, a forgotten race, hell-bent on destruction, returns after being dormant for thousands of years.
Watch it because: Ok, there might be two people that haven’t yet seen the world’s most beloved show. For fans of the series, Season 6 delivered so much as Jon Snow finally became the leader that we all wanted him to be.
The final two episodes, Battle of the Bastards and The Winds of Winter, easily rank alongside some of the very best GOT episodes. Winter is here.
Atlanta
Plot: Two cousins, with different views on art versus commerce, on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene; “Earnest ‘Earn’ Marks,” an ambitious college drop-out and his estranged cousin, who suddenly becomes a star.
Watch it because: In the coming few years, Donald Glover will become one of the biggest stars on the planet. See why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpEdJ-mmTlY
Clip via – Consequence of Sound
The Night Of
Plot: After a night of partying with a female stranger, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.
Watch it because: Yes, the tension and drama does slow down as the trial reaches its conclusion, but Riz Ahmed’s performance is so immersive that you’re hooked from the very first frame. Excellent drama.
Planet Earth II
Plot: David Attenborough returns in this breathtaking documentary showcasing life on Planet Earth.
Watch it because: The breathtaking cinematography, riveting drama and jaw-dropping beauty of the world has never been more stunning.
Once again, David Attenborough has demonstrated that he’s one of the most gifted broadcasters alive.
22 cameramen
More than 40 production staff
117 expeditions in 40 countries
2089 shooting days filming more than 50 species#PlanetEarth2 pic.twitter.com/5wMWNMDz7S— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) December 11, 2016
The Rubberbandits Guide to Everything
Plot: In a four-part series, Blindboy and Mr Chrome take one subject (Sex, Money, the Internet and Reality) and bring us their own unique and hilarious take on it. It’s unlike anything that RTÉ has ever done.
Watch it because: No other show can explain capitalism, the Celtic Tiger and the fall of the Irish financial system while simultaneously telling the story of a cocaine addicted gorilla. Surreal, topical and very insightful. It’s the best thing that RTE have commissioned in ages.
Bring it back for another series!
Fleabag
Plot: A six-part comedy series adapted from the award-winning play about a young woman trying to cope with life in London whilst coming to terms with a recent tragedy.
Watch it because: It’s original and goofy yet somehow effortlessly manages to swicth between moments of rampant egotism and crushing bleakness.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge deserves massive credit for her show that’s being talked about as the spiritual successor to Peep Show.
Clip via – Series Trailer MP
BoJack Horseman (Season 3)
Plot: Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the ’90s – 20 years later. BoJack Horseman was the star of the hit TV show “Horsin’ Around,” but today he’s washed up, living in Hollywood, complaining about everything, and wearing colorful sweaters.
Watch it because: Fish Out of Water might just be the best episode of TV from 2016.
The Night Manager
Plot: The night manager of a Cairo hotel is recruited to infiltrate an arms dealer’s inner circle.
Watch it because: Tom Hiddleston is so good in this adaptation of John le Carré’s novel, the Bond producers might even overlook that infamous Taylor Swift t-shirt when they’re casting the replacement for Daniel Craig.
Actually, they probably won’t. He’s still great in it though.
Clip via – BBC
The Missing (Season 2)
Plot: When Tony and Emily Hughes travel to France with their 5-year-old son Oliver, their family holiday turns into a nightmare when Oliver disappears from a large celebrating crowd in Northern France.
Watch it because: It’s not always an easy watch, in fact it’s incredibly grim, but Christ is it gripping.
Black Mirror (Season Three)
Plot: A television anthology series that shows the dark side of life and technology.
Watch it because: Charlie Brooker’s feature-length finale, “Hated in the Nation” is so close to reality that it’s scary. Do we still clarify this show as a work of fiction?
Clip via – Netflix US & Canada
OJ: Made in America
Plot: It is the defining cultural tale of modern America – a saga of race, celebrity, media, violence, and the criminal justice system. And two decades after its unforgettable climax, it continues to fascinate, polarize, and develop new chapters.
Watch it because: Truth be told, this and the mini-series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, are two of the finest pieces of TV that have been made in 2016.
We prefer Ezra Edelman’s documentary approach to the subject matter, but there’s not much to choose between both shows.
Clip via – John Marcus
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