Kayla’s Top 16 Of Everything In 2016

The Duplass brothers-produced comedy came and went with very little fanfare, but if you took the time to watch Animals., you were treated to one of the most interesting and rewarding shows of 2016 television. Created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, the indie animated series featured voice acting work all over the celebrity spectrum, from Wanda Sykes and Cobie Smulders to Eric Andre and Claudia O’Doherty. But my favorite part about this odd series is the many ways you could watch it. Animals. was packed with funny storylines and amusing zoology jokes like BoJack Horseman, but you could also watch the series to identify the show’s stacked cast, the series’ innovative music, or the show’s underlying human-focused drama. No matter which way you want to watch this gem, it pays off.

Stream 'Animals.' on HBO

Disney XD’s occult children’s show ended in February, and I’m still in awe of its final moments. In its two seasons, Alex Hirsch’s weird cartoon was able to tell one of the most satisfying, epic, and innovative stories about friendship and belonging that has ever hit television. Gravity Falls didn’t just raise the bar for animation. It raised the bar for TV as a whole.

Stream ‘Gravity Falls’ on Hulu

When a comedy has been on the air for as long as It’s Always Sunny or South Park has, it’s tempting to fall into a creative rut. That’s why I’m so interested in and appreciative of long-running shows that take chances. For It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, those chances paid off big time. Season 11 was packed with innovative rehashes of classic Always Sunny episodes, from Chardee MacDennis to the re-introduction of the McPoyle’s and Ponderosa’s. This past season was a perfect blending of old and new wrapped in the intentionally overly-offense tone Always Sunny has perfected for over a decade.

Stream ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ on Netflix

Yes, Sam Esmail got a little arrogant during Mr. Robot’s second season, but that didn’t mean this season was bad. Season Two of the USA series launched some of the previously underutilized protagonists like Darlene (Carly Chaikin) and Angela (Portia Doubleday) to new highs and lows. However, the most interesting part of this second season happened away from television screens. Season Two was packed with all sorts of misleading URLs, fake phone numbers, and secret codes. If you invested in this season’s secrets, this unique show more than delivered.

Stream ‘Mr. Robot’ on USA

If it was possible for Portlandia to get weirder than it typically is, Season Six accomplished that. Much like Season Five, Season Six delighted in deep diving into Portlandia’s army of bizarre, suffocatingly hipster characters. However, few episodes were funnier than the Toni and Candace adventure “First Feminist City.” The Season Six episode works both on an insane surface level — seeing Toni and Candace attempt to accomplish anything is always a disaster — and on a higher level. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s message, that the only thing that can destroy feminism is feminism itself, was just close enough to home to make you think. Several shows and movies tried to mock political correctness this year, but Portlandia was one of the few that did it right.

Stream ‘Portlandia’ “First Feminist City” on Netflix

Everyone knew Pablo Escobar was going to die in Narcos Season Two. However, I never would have guessed how simultaneously satisfying, sad, and oddly insignificant that death would be. After an entire season spent building this historical figure up as the complicated hero of the people, Season Two dove headfirst into its lead’s manipulative and dark history. Escobar’s war against Los Pepes was bloody and difficult to watch, so when it was time for Wagner Moura to re-enact this final death, the stakes were high. Moura’s performance was equally overwhelming and small, balancing this complicated figure’s gravitas and humanity.

Stream ‘Narcos’ “Al Fin Cayo!” on Netflix

This year, Silicon Valley wasn’t just one of the funniest shows on TV. If you were paying attention, it was also one of the most dramatic. From Pied Piper’s many attempted and successful takeovers to Richard’s (Thomas Middleditch) secret hostility, Silicon Valley hid a carnival of drama beneath its many dick jokes. Season Three saw Richard slowly start to turn into the type of bottom-line-obsessed founder he was so quick to criticize in Season One. Forget Game of Thrones, The Night Of, or Westworld. The most dramatic HBO series around may actually be this tech comedy.

Stream ‘Silicon Valley’ Season Three on HBO

There were a lot of high and low points in Netflix’s continuation of Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi anthology series, but no one was prepared for the majesty of “San Junipero.” There’s just so much to love about this hour of television, from the episode’s stellar soundtrack and the stunning performances of its two leads to its gorgeous backgrounds and final shocking twist. But the craziest part of this notoriously insane series? Black Mirror finally gave us a happy conclusion.

Stream ‘Black Mirror’ “San Junipero” on Netflix

I’m so incredibly happy I took a chance on this bizarre BBC America series. This fast-paced sci-fi series quickly became a 10-episode replacement for a variety of things I was missing in 2016 television — Rick and Morty’s hilarious hyper-violence, the 10th Doctor’s constant barrage of excitement, and the manically depressive hole Wilfred left in my heart. So what’s this Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood-led series about? Basically, there are a group of people in the world who can solve crimes by listening to the universe. There’s time travel, body switching, maniacs, gunfire, kittens, and so many Corgis. Though none of these ingredients seem to add up together, the whole thing makes for a delightful adventure.

Where to stream ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’

Seeso has brought me so much unbridled joy this year (as well as so many questioning looks from coworkers as I laugh maniacally at my screen). From the middle finger to startup culture that is Thingstarter and Debate Wars‘ aggressive stupidity to the pointedly nerdy Harmonquest and the sweetly sad Flowers, NBC’s comedy service has quickly transformed into a streaming force to be reckoned with. However, there is one Seeso Original that stands above the rest — Take My Wife.

Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher’s show about two married women trying to make it in the comedy scene is refreshingly sincere. As you laugh at Cameron and Rhea’s antics, it’s incredibly clear that the central relationship holding the series together really is built on love and respect, both in the show’s fictional universe and in real life. It’s rare to see that degree of vulnerability, and I can’t wait to see more from this talented couple.

Stream ‘Take My Wife’ on Seeso

We always secretly knew Beyoncé was our queen, but in 2016, she made. It. Known. Lemonade just works — as a visual masterpiece, a piece of art, an album, a personal story, and as a work of social commentary. I could go on and on about why Lemonade is an undeniably important work of art for American culture, but I’ll let other writers and critics do that job for me.

Stream ‘Lemonade’ on Tidal

Perhaps more than anyone else, 2016 was the year of Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I for one GREATLY enjoyed it. Maybe it’s Miranda’s infectious excitement over history or maybe it’s the writer and performer’s intense earnestness, but Miranda could do no wrong in my book. From the release of the addicting Hamilton Mixtape and Miranda’s aggressively nerdy PBS documentary to the creator’s hilarious Drunk History appearance and sharp SNL episode, Miranda brought me so very much unbridled joy this year. Thank you, Lin. You made this dark year so much brighter by just being you.

Stream ‘Hamilton’s America’ on PBS

Stream ‘Drunk History’ “Hamilton” on Hulu

Stream Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Saturday Night Live” episode on Hulu

All Last Week Tonight rants are good, but not all Oliver rants are created equal. From making it rain raisins to buying and forgiving $15 million in medical debt, John Oliver has had an eventful year. Even then, Oliver’s deep dive into the importance of print journalism and this struggling industry rose above the rest of HBO’s segments. 2016 was an interesting and often dark time for journalism-ism, and Last Week Tonight did a spectacular job of shedding light onto the modern trials of the free press.

Stream ‘Last Week Tonight’ on HBO

There’s a moment in Lady Dynamite where Maria Bamford’s brightly lit show becomes something so much more than just another quirky comedy. For 10 episodes, the oddly charming Netflix Original strung us along, guiding us through a fictionalized Bamford’s emotional highs and lows. However, “Mein Ramp” was the real killer. Bamford’s forced ultimatum of choosing either her medication and mental well being or her career was painful to watch, largely because, god, Maria tried so very hard for so very long. I may have started Lady Dynamite laughing, but I ended it crying.

http://decider.com/show/lady-dynamite

I was tempted to put “Everything Donald Glover” as one of my favorite things of the year. Between Childish Gambino’s stellar new album Awaken, My Love!, the existence of Atlanta, and that time Glover rapped with Reggie Watts, the rapper, writer, and performer has made this year in pop culture truly remarkable. However, there’s something extra special about “B.A.N.”, the episode that follows Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) going onto a fictional talk show. It’s just so … odd. Half Charlie Rose, half Adult Swim sketch, “B.A.N.” tackled race, transphobia, and homophobia in its own weird way, straddling the line between insightful and offensive. For me, this one episode encompasses the weird and confusing greatness that is Donald Glover’s art.

Stream ‘Atlanta’ “B.A.N” on FX

My love for BoJack runs deep, so deep that I thought there was no possible way Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Lisa Hanawalt could top Season Two’s brilliance. I was so very wrong. BoJack’s third season stretched this beautiful show to new extremes, dwelling longer in the depressive ruts the show has perfected before sharply pulling up into laugh-out-loud comedy. And yet through the show’s quick tone, BoJack was able to intelligently and hilariously talk about abortion, introduce one of television’s first leading asexual characters, and dwell on a genuinely painful character death. BoJack’s third season wasn’t an emotional rollercoaster; it was emotional whiplash.

Stream ‘BoJack Horseman’ Season Three on Netflix