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.)

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81 Search Party (2016): Season 1

This somewhat under-the-radar gem—part of a resurgent TBS's strong 2016 lineup—emerged during Thanksgiving week, when it aired in its entirety across multiple nights. A serialized, darkly comedic mystery series, Search Party finds a group of self-absorbed 20-somethings (led by Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat) uniting to investigate—some more wholeheartedly than others—the disappearance of one of their college classmates. You won't necessarily like many of these characters, but you're not supposed to. Critics found the result engaging and smart, and TBS has renewed the series for another season (despite the fact that season one comes to a resolution of its main storyline).

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