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.)
While it has taken some time for new host Trevor Noah to settle into the Daily Show host's chair, several of Jon Stewart's former writer/correspondents have become instant successes launching their own shows on other networks. John Oliver's Last Week Tonight continues to impress critics on HBO with its deep dives into overlooked topics. But no current events-oriented late night show got more buzz this year than Sam Bee's newcomer Full Frontal. Unabashedly liberal but willing, like many Stewart disciples, to attack bullshit on all sides, Bee uses her forum as late night's only female host (aside from Chelsea's Chelsea Handler, though her Netflix show gets about as much press as an Evan McMullin rally) to present issues and perspectives often ignored by similar programs. Her anger and scathing humor can also bring catharsis to viewers during troubling times.
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