An avalanche of new content stormed our television screens in 2016. But some shows stood taller than the rest.
Here are the 10 best shows of 2016, in no particular order.
The Crown : The Crown traces the life of a young Queen Elizabeth II, as she struggles to balance the monumental responsibility that has been thrust on her, with her once ‘regular’ life. Claire Foy is stunning as a young woman with an immense burden on her shoulders. The show is visually arresting, tightly-scripted and is proof that story-telling is, and always will be, superior to big-budget special effects. (Netflix)
Westworld : What happens when robots created for human pleasure discover consciousness? Worse, what happens when they realise the magnitude of the abuse they’ve been put through? A mind-bending storyline with equally confounding twists and a cast that reads like an honour roll, no show this year is capable of making you stay up at night the way Westworld does. (Hotstar, Star World Premiere HD)
Stranger Things : The Eighties are back with this eerie sci-fi mystery that plays like a Stephen King novel. Stranger Things boasts of not only Winona Ryder (who is flawless as a distraught mother trying to make sense of aliens in her backyard), but also the most lovable 10-year-olds in recent television history. (Netflix)
The Night Of: Dark and gripping, The Night Of is, to borrow from the show, a subtle beast. Naz Khan finds himself accused of a gory murder, and it doesn’t help that he has no recollection of events. Riz Ahmed, John Turturro and Bill Camp are fantastic in this courtroom drama that makes no mince of discussing racial prejudice and Islamophobia in the backdrop of the American justice system. (Hotstar, Star World Premiere HD)
The Night Manager : John le Carre’s riveting espionage novel is brought to life by this lavish BBC production, which has some sublime acting performances. Hugh Laurie transforms into Richard ‘The Worst Man In The World’ Roper, a billionaire weapons dealer, and Olivia Colman is brilliant as Angela Burr, the determined British enforcement agent who’s out to catch him. As for Tom Hiddleston, the show may as well be one which cements his place as the next James Bond.
Game of Thrones (Season 6) : The sixth season of Game of Thrones premièred this year, with each episode having a bigger revelation than the next. With resurrections, family reunions and sweet revenge, the season was probably the fastest moving in terms of storyline after the first, and the final episodeswere masterpieces. (Hotstar, Star World Premiere HD)
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story : This miniseries that swept the Emmys this year resurrects the real courtroom drama of the infamous murder trial that shook 90s America. The screenplay will have you on the edge of your seat. (Hotstar, Star World Premiere HD)
Black Mirror : The show is a compilation of six episodes, each narrating a different (horror) story detailing our relationships, and growing reliance on technology. Whether it’s the story of killer robotic bees or a future where your worth is measured in ‘likes’, Black Mirror will have you looking at your phones very differently. (Netflix)
Better Call Saul (Season 2) : The show might be only two seasons old, but the spin-off has already outdone its much-celebrated original, Breaking Bad . The series about a small-time lawyer’s path to becoming an ace con-man has excellent story-telling, sharp dialogue, terrific acting, and is one of the best shows on TV right now. (Colors Infinity)
The Americans (Season 4) : The thriller series about two Russian spies living average American lives during the peak of the Cold War only got better this year. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys give extraordinary performances, yet again, as the show dives deeper into the complex themes of identity, patriotism and family, with a few wigs thrown in. (Hotstar, Star World Premiere HD)
