The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2016
Below are the highest-scoring first-year TV series debuting in the United States between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016. Shows are ranked by Metascore (an average of grades from top professional critics on a 0-100 scale) prior to rounding, and any programs with fewer than 7 reviews are excluded. (Note that limited series, as well as TV movies and specials, are ranked in a separate list.)
After all but abandoning quality comedy over the past few seasons (with the possible exception of Superstore), NBC added a good one this fall from Parks and Recreation creator Mike Schur. Possibly TV's most colorful new show, The Good Place immediately kills off its lead character (Kristen Bell) and sends her to a frozen yogurt-filled, heaven-like afterlife run by an exuberant Ted Danson. Unfortunately, she's there due to a clerical mix-up, since she wasn't all that good a person while alive. The heavily serialized nature of the show (which utilizes Lost-like flashbacks in most episodes) means that a surprisingly large amount of story has been covered so far, though Schur has suggested that additional seasons would be possible. (The current season is not quite over yet: it returns after a two-month break for its final four episodes on January 5th.)
| Buy on |
|
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|