We’ve had a hard time narrowing down our favorite new television shows of 2016. Some of the shows that we have loved for years seemed to have gone down hill, but we’re so glad that we have been able to find new shows that have made our hearts pound, our palms sweat, and the ships find us.
Here are our top 10 new shows of 2016.
Timeless
We’ve not been shy over our love for Timeless. We can’t wait for Monday night every week as we sit on the edge of our seats waiting to see what time period that Wyatt, Lucy, and Rufus take us back to.
We live by the motto – “You don’t choose the ship, the ship chooses you.” Well, the Lyatt ship bit us way back at San Diego Comic Con and we were hooked. Matt Lanter and Abigail Spencer set the screen on fire. The two were meant to star together. Malcolm Barrett steals the screen everytime that he enters a scene. Timeless is just that… timeless.
Pitch
There isn’t a show that we have come out swinging more for than Pitch. That’s because this show is absolute perfection.
Kylie Bunbury is everything. The actress stars as Ginny Baker, the first female to make it to the major leagues.
Her character isn’t just about female empowerment and this isn’t just a show about baseball. The show is about achieving dreams, making your way in the world, and never giving up.
There are too many great actors in this show, but the Ginny Baker and Mike Lawson heat up the screen. Sure, you are rooting for them, but the ship comes second. Baseball comes first.
The show has us tuning in every week. We don’t wait for the DVR – we actively plan around it.
It’s just that good.
Sweet Vicious
We have to admit – until we saw the pilot at San Diego Comic Con – we were scared of the idea. A show about sexual assault? It’s a hot button for me – a survivor of sexual assault.
It took me over 5 hours to watch the pilot – out of fear. But what I have found is that Sweet Vicious is a testament to strength. It makes me feel less alone, that there are other people out there who understand what I have been through.
Yes, for me Sweet Vicious is personal. But if we take that out of the equation – it’s still a fantastic television show. We know that you may think – it’s on MTV and there fore it’s not as great as we say. But I tell you, you should be saying. “Thank God this is on MTV, they will push the envelope.”
We also love that the show works with RAINN.org. We’re glad that they know that the messaging is important.
So we commend the show and hey, what is better than a show that will help people along the way. We find that is amazing.
The Crown
We can’t even put into words just how much we love this show.
We know that it is one of the most expensive shows ever – but we tell you, it was worth it. We live in a time that all we see is the Queen of England with a somber look and we forget that she is first and foremost a woman.
A woman who wasn’t supposed to be Queen, but ascended to the throne in the most unlikey of circumstances.
The Crown is beautiful from beginning to end. We can’t get enough of it. Claire Foy and Matt Smith are pure magic.
Designated Survivor
We admit – we started watching this show because of Italia Ricci. We loved her in Chasing Life and would watch anything that she is in.
But we stuck around, because we are intrigued. Political shows are interesting and maybe that is because the current state of political affairs. But we like Keifer Sutherland as the President and the whole mystery that is unraveling.
This Is Us
I can’t even think about this show without tears rising in my eyes. It’s just hands down – absolutely fucking phenominal.
What is magical about this show is that we get to see lives come together in the present and in the past. There is not a moment where this show doesn’t feel real, as if it’s reaching into your heart and soul – teaching you to be a better person.
This show isn’t a bunch of perfect people. It’s a bunch of imperfect people, living the best way that they can, and that in itself is as close to perfection as you can get.
Frequency
Again, not a show that we hold back on. We love it.
Now, some of us were fans of the movie, but we don’t even take that into account when watching the show. We take into account the storylines (still have no clue who is the Nightengale), the actors, and the fact that this show doesn’t fail to entertain us.
It doesn’t fail to keep us coming back every week. It doesn’t hurt that Peyton List and Riley Smith are fantastic in the show and make us believe that Frequency can really happen.
Stranger Things
There is nothing better than a good Netflix Original Series. From House of Cards to Black Mirror, Netflix can always be relied on for a solid lineup of entertaining, thought-provoking content that takes over the pop culture landscape. It happened again this summer with Stranger Things – the creepy, quirky, and now iconic 80s homage created by the Duffer Brothers that became the ultimate binge-watch. From the synth score to the combination of menacing monsters and childlike wonder, Stranger Things felt both nostalgic and fresh – and we, like the rest of the world, were totally obsessed. Stranger Things has it all: a terrifying monster, a fascinating mystery, a fantastic cast (including our new hero, Eleven a.k.a. Millie Bobby Brown), and the perfect line for when you don’t want to talk to your coworkers before noon – “Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.” Get with the program, Flo.
Wynonna Earp
Syfy might not seem like your first stop when looking for quality television but that’s what Wynonna Earp is. This scifi western is chock full of amazing and talented women kicking ass and taking names. Even better, the men don’t play their sidekicks or vice versa. They’re partners out to save their small town and stop the supernatural forces out to destroy it. And despite it’s distinct Jessica Jones vibe, damaged and wise cracking brunette who likes drinking, Wynonna is different. She’s funny, kind, determined, angry, lost, and loves her family. The icing on the cake is the LGBT representation in the form of Wayhaught. There are no cliches or tropes here. It’s just two loving people getting to know each other and falling in love in the middle of supernatural disaster. Who wouldn’t be on board with all of that?
Luke Cage
Marvel’s Luke Cage: Following in the footsteps of its’ predecessors Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Luke Cage is both similar and completely different to what came before. It tells the story of a man with unbreakable skin in the streets of Harlem who is forced out of the shadows to battle for his neighborhood. With a cast that includes Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali and Rosario Dawson, the 13 episodes tell an important story about being a superhero and being black in a world that is kind to neither. The soundtrack is excellent and the entire story transports you to a gritty world that feels almost real (especially for a superhero story).
What are your favorite new shows of 2016?
