The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2016

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 29, 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.)

6 of 21 photo by Alex Bailey/Netflix

81 The Crown: Season 1

Possibly the most expensive show ever to air on Netflix (or perhaps anywhere), this British period drama from writer Peter Morgan (The Queen) and director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) aims to depict the entire reign of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy, for now), with this first season concentrating on her marriage just after WWII and her first years on the throne in the early 1950s. Five additional seasons will follow, each covering a different time period. Ambitious, yes, but it works, at least for now: critics are mostly enthralled and moved by the first season.

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