Alrighty, finally, here’s the next batch of shows. Maybe not quite the “cream” of the crop, but maybe more like the… almond milk? I’ll leave it to the philosophers.

40  Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 3  80.5

39  Lady Dynamite  80.7

Another show I appreciated more than I enjoyed. I thought the pilot was delightfully strange and meta, taking cues from surrealist shows like Childrens Hospital, while also having a frank conversation about serious issues like mental illness. Unfortunately, I felt like the formula got stale pretty quickly, and the jokes weren’t breaking out of an already set pattern. It felt like one strong flash of inspiration dragged out over 12 episodes. That said, I did appreciate how the finale tied up a lot of the plot and thematic threads she had established, and made it feel like a whole piece. It was just too long.

38  You, Me and the Apocalypse  80.9

What an unusual fusion of Britain and America. Not only in the cast, but in the distinct styles that seemed to work together in weird and outrageous ways. It also combined wacky, off-the-wall comedy with very dark comedy with really moving dramatic beats as well. Occasionally the pacing felt a bit off, or rushed, like with the quick flash forwards that began each episode, but I can honestly say I’ve not seen anything like it. I also give it strong points for a really satisfying finale that brought together all the disparate threads that spanned the globe and seemed at first to have no connection, and finishing it with an episode with tension, and action, and heartbreak, and a ginormous cliff-hanger. I hope they eventually make a second season? Eh, even if they don’t, it was a fun ride.

37  The Hunt  81.0

If you loved Planet Earth, you’ll like The Hunt. There aren’t as many holy shit moments, but they’re there. Some of the bits felt like cutting room retrieval, but still interesting enough. Though definitely watch it on streaming or Bluray or something less compressed than my Comcast recordings. Thousands of birds look a little too boxey at that bitrate.

36  Atlanta  81.1

I really liked the style and unique voice that Donald Glover presented in Atlanta. He gives us a fleshed out and sympathetic glimpse of the people and struggles of a community, injected with his own brand of great comedy. Like Louie did for years, Donald also plays with the style and structure of his story, giving us an episode entirely focused on Vanessa, the mother of their child, or an episode that played like a talk show on a BET parody network. And while I really loved the experimentation, it was really that latter episode that soured my excitement for this show. After establishing a grounded, nuanced world that was sympathetic even to the weirdos, that episode felt shallow and mean-spirited. While the fake commercials were cute, the episode was basically a tirade against the PC police. One second they are presenting a caricaturized overly-sensitive feminazi, spouting hot words like microaggressions with little context, then coming around to the idea that it’s kind of okay to belittle a group if you don’t understand them. The worst was a straw man piece pointing out how ridiculous it would be if a black person “identified” as being white. The whole episode just felt completely tone-deaf and out of place inside this otherwise thoughtful show.

35  iZombie 2  81.3

Strong back half to the second season. Unfortunately no Season 3 this year. While they made things overly complicated with all sorts of zombie-to-human transitioning, they really ramped up the story arc in fun and exciting ways. The morality on this show is sometimes confusing/troubling. Sometimes it seems okay to kill/abduct/do whatever to nameless zombies when it’s convenient for the plot, but we are also supposed to see our main character as a full-fledged human. You gotta pick a lane, guys. If Liv’s human, you’re murdering people.

In conclusion: Ken Marino.

34  The Grinder  81.5

Sadly that was it. Only one season. The back half wasn’t quite as consistently funny as last year’s, but it still had plenty of brilliant moments. They wisely chose to play around a bit with the formula established in the pilot. Rob Lowe’s character doesn’t stay delusional about his skills as a lawyer, but finds other things to be delusional about instead. Sometimes that worked smoothly, other times not as much. The extended amount of screen time for rival Timothy Olyphant (Justified) playing a wacky version of himself was delightful, and almost made the lack of Justified more bearable.

33  Girls 5  81.7

Girls on the comeback! Now with less infuriating self-delusion! Seriously though, one of the best seasons yet, with some long-awaited character growth. Shoshannah in Japan was also a highlight.

32  Pitch  81.8

Alright, so I don’t know if I would QUITE categorize this show as a “guilty pleasure,” but for sure I wouldn’t get half the fun out of it as I do if I were not such a big baseball fan. The show is full of shout-outs and baseball fan service, and it’s cool to see a fictionalized world behind the scenes in the baseball universe. It’s also a strange mashup of real and fake universe. Some real baseball players exist on their real teams, and many others don’t. You get to see Salvador Perez launch a homer off of our main character’s slider, but all the Los Angeles Dodgers are fictional people.

Into the actual meat, though: This show can be real, emotional, heart-breaking, but also boring and infuriating. I was of course instantly intrigued just by the premise: a female pitcher works her way into the male-dominated Major Leagues, and has to deal with breaking into in the boys club. And the pilot did a very quick but enjoyable surface-level exploration of that, giving our main characters some basic arcs to resolve. But it got into much more interesting and unpredictable territory as the show went on, as the scenario plays out with all the potential ramifications of such a world-bending event taking place. On top of the really strong “what if” game they play, Ginny Baker is a great character played by an impressive breakout actress (Kylie Bunbury), and adds a lot of investment into what she’s going through.

Then there’s Zack Morris– er, sorry, Mike Lawson, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar. As much as I’ve really hoped for his adulthood to mature him into a strong actor, he just doesn’t have much in the way of range. Instead of his child-like adorable arrogance in his early years, he spends his time sinking into his inability to emote with a gruff, bearded, mumbling acting style. Which works for much of the series, as it fits with the character’s tough exterior, but sometimes he needs to be sad, or inspirational, and then the whole illusion falls apart.

Okay, enough on his acting. He’s actually kind of a cool character. He’s a catcher in his waning days. He’s got ailing knees, as happens to many catchers in their later years. But he’s a strong leadership presence who still has a pretty live bat, so he’s valued, but lives in constant fear of that career-ending injury. And at first, he’s skeptical of this cocky girl who thinks she can make it against Major League hitters, but surprise surprise, he comes around and becomes a friend and mentor. It was a great partnership with a lot of sweet moments. No way this network show would bastardize that relationship and turn it into a will-they-won’t-they shitshow, right?

*watches winter finale*

Fuck you, Fox.

31  UnREAL 2  81.8

Oof. I’m sad I didn’t watch the first season last year so it could get a nice high ranking while it deserved it. Season 1 was a perfect mix of dark comedy and character study. Season 2 decided to tackle race in a naive and heavy-handed way, insulted the intelligence of our main character by having her become romantically involved with a weasely co-worker again, and threw in a hastily executed double-homicide as well. I rarely use the term “jump the shark”, but this certainly went in that direction pretty quickly. That said, there were actually a few standout episodes where they focused on Rachel’s issues quite intelligently and effectively, and that kept it out of the basement for me. But I hope they can even it out better next season, even without co-creator Marti Noxon (Buffy, Angel), who may have been the glue holding this thing together.

30  The OA  81.9

I don’t think I can really get into my thoughts on this show in a useful way without talking about the ending, or specific plot points. I’ll just say it is understandably controversial, and not easily digested. It may require a re-watch to really get my thoughts on it in order. But it had many touching moments, was very moving and spiritual and thought-provoking. You may hate it or maybe you’ll love it. Not sure.

29  The Last Man on Earth 2/3  81.9

As it did last year, The Last Man on Earth continues to re-invent itself over and over again. Still one of the weirdest shows on TV (probably the weirdest one on network TV). The Season 3 premiere had one of the most brilliant cameos in TV history. I almost coughed up a lung. The show definitely has that “auteur” feel, as some episodes are great, and other miss the mark. But it has a singular voice, and I appreciate the unique vision for yet another year.

28  Veep 5  82.2

The character of Richard was a revelation. Adds a brand new element to the chemical formula of the show and makes it twice as… potent? Insert better chemistry analogy here. Solidly funny season, with the highlight being the dark episode “Mother” where Selina has to deal with the politics of a dying mother. Just fantastic.

27  The Good Place  82.8

The one question I had after a really solid and charming pilot was: “How is this going to sustain itself as a show?” Well, don’t worry– unlike your typical network comedy, they were not concerned with keeping the status quo and giving the undiscerning viewer the exact same experience every week. The characters and situations evolve in interesting and often hilarious ways. Kristen Bell is a great choice as adorably wicked, but trying to reform, Eleanor. Hearing her fake-swear (you can’t actually swear in heaven, a handy device for a network show) with her unique attitude brings continuous gigglies. The supporting cast is strong as well: Chidi (William Jackson Harper) as a former ethics professor who has to lie to protect his not-really-soulmate has a delightful and tortured earnestness. And Janet is an anthropomorphized Siri who cheerily responds to any question, even if the answer is awful. She also goes through some shit. The final arc of the first half blows everything up and gives us a fantastically cast guest arc from Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation).

26  Orphan Black 4  82.8

I’m glad next season will be its last… I think the stories have reached their natural shelf life. I was glad of fewer “bake-off” type suburban storylines this season, but the show still kinda drowns in too many players with not enough clarity in motivation. That said, the season ended with a more straight-forward antagonist, with at least some stated principle for their actions, so maybe there will be a more consistent vision down the stretch. This season was also hurt by reduced Helena screen time, who is probably at least half of what I enjoy about the show. She did eventually re-enter with a vengeance, so it wasn’t all bad.

25  The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story  82.9

As someone who was old enough to absorb the OJ events on a very surface level, but too young to really get it, this was a particularly fascinating look at the trial, and all the players involved. I thought they did a particularly good job of framing the whole ordeal against the context of the growing racial unrest, the media’s lust for sensational, juicy headlines, and the public scrutiny the prosecution was getting that they just weren’t prepared for. I thought Sarah Paulson’s sympathetic portrayal of then-despised Marcia Clark was very strong and moving. The show was best when it gave us the human perspective, and slightly less so when it focused on the machinations of the justice system.

24  Baskets  83.2

Certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but I found Zach Galifianakis’s oddball dramedy mesmerizing and unexpectedly touching. The characters are certainly very tough to latch onto. Zach’s Chip Baskets is mean and off-putting, and self-delusional to a point that would make Rebecca Bunch envious. But over the course of the season he gains a bit of sympathy as he deals with even-worse twin brother Dale, or overly zealous mother, played with full sincerity by a quite excellent Louie Anderson. I found my viewing experience of this very similar to that of the first season of The Leftovers: Like that show, Episode 9 serves as a flashback episode that puts the character and situations from the previous episodes into a much clearer context. For Baskets, it was an extremely moving and heartfelt episode that was one of the best half-hours on TV this year.

23  Mr. Robot 2  83.3

As one who was somewhat skeptical and disillusioned by Season 1’s smoke and mirrors, I’m a little surprised by the outrage over this season’s continued smoke and mirrors. Yet another “super-clever” twist we didn’t see coming, but did it really add anything? The finale was a bit of a letdown, I suppose, but I had very little in the way of expectations, since conventional story-telling was not the name of the game this season, to understate. So while a consistent story thread was lacking, what we did get were a bunch of tiny stories, with varied levels of success. What the hell even happened with Angela this season? Based on her confused expression in 80% of her scenes, maybe she doesn’t even know? I mean seriously, I’m pretty confident the ratio of her time on screen with a doe-eyed stare (and no one else talking) to her time with lines was at least 5:1. I don’t know if this was a direction thing, or an acting thing, but I was getting no subtext from the staring. It was just staring. And it was a lot of wasted time. Two bright spots this season: Leon, Elliot’s sometimes lunch buddy, who has many thoughts on the themes of Seinfeld, and is happy to do all the talking while Elliot looks on confused. And FBI Agent Dom, the latest in a growing trend of characters that give a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of anxiety and depression (See: You’re the Worst, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). I really liked how strong and unflappable she was at her job, but just had a lot of trouble keeping it together when she went home. Her conversation with her Echo was one of my favorite scenes on TV this year. So, this season was highly uneven, brilliant at times, really frustrating at others. At times it felt like a bunch of different shows all jammed together in some soup that wasn’t stirred at all. So I have to give it a ranking that splits the difference.

22  Better Things  83.3

A very charming, funny, and real show about being a single mom, in a similar style and feel to the better seasons of Louie. This is no coincidence, of course, as Pamela Adlon (the show’s main character) and Louie CK are head writers on both shows. If I had to nail down the characteristics that set this show apart, it would probably be that it has a more grounded and adult feel. Louie has a bit of a tendency to wax poetic about being a ridiculous man-child, or dream-like sequences where he fantasizes about leaving everything and running away. Pamela focuses more directly and consistently about how ridiculously difficult and punishing being a parent can be. It will sit in that a lot of the time, then bask in the little moments where everything somehow goes right, or somehow she is able to connect with her teenage daughter in a way she hadn’t before. It’s these moments… that are the better things. (Nailed it.)

21  Better Call Saul 2  83.4

Better Call Saul is unconventional in many ways. In different ways than its predecessor, but not necessarily worse. Most obvious is the quite lower level of tension and stakes in the drama presented. Yes, at some point Jimmy becomes Saul and becomes a criminal lawyer. But the path there is fairly subtle and indirect. What about Jimmy resists doing things by the book? Why does his brother resent him so much, and is it that resentment that drives him to rebel? This relationship is really at the core of the show, and it is not afraid to take its time (a lot of time in some cases) playing out those scenes. But what sometimes makes the show feel a bit disjointed is that the Mike stories (and to a lesser extent the Kim stories) rarely connect with the other threads, and it’s like we’re watching two different shows. There are thematic ties, sure, but they aren’t clear enough to me to make the show feel like a whole. That said, I thought Kim really shone when we were given more time with her, and the end of the season arc with Jimmy and Charlie was gripping and extremely well played and directed. A lot of the rest of it was appreciated more than enjoyed.

Other Stuff

(In parentheses: 2015 Ranking)

Continuing series that were on my 2015 list that didn’t air any episodes this year

• The Leftovers (1)
• Jessica Jones (3)
• Rick and Morty (6)
• Fargo (8)
• Homeland (24)
• Louie (32)
• Master of None (38)
• Episodes (61)

Continuing series that were on my 2015 list but aired no season finales this year

• The Affair (19)

Continuing series that aired only a winter special this year

• Doctor Who (49)
• Sherlock
• Sense8 (56)

Continuing series that were on my 2015 list that I didn’t finish this year

• Bob’s Burgers (46)
• Agents of SHIELD (52)
• The Mindy Project (55)
• Another Period (60)