It’s that time (again) to take a look back at the year in television — from what got us psyched, to what made us lunge for the remote. Here, without further ado (and in no particular order), are our picks for the top 10 best TV shows of 2016 — and the top 5 stinkers.
BEST TELEVISION:
“Atlanta”
The latest auteur to enter the dramedy genre, Donald Glover drew on his years on the wacky NBC sitcom “Community” and as the musician Childish Gambino to create a series about two cousins trying to make a living in Atlanta’s hip-hop scene. It’s innovative, surreal (one episode reimagined Justin Bieber as an African-American) and deeply personal.
“Bull”
Michael Weatherly pulled off the unlikely feat of successfully jumping from an established series to a new show. As slick-yet-likable jury consultant Dr. Jason Bull, Weatherly made fans forget his 13 years playing flirty Tony DiNozzo on fellow CBS series “NCIS.”
“The Night Manager”
Tom Hiddleston passed his James Bond tryout with flying colors as suave spy Jonathan Pine on AMC, going up against a deliciously ruthless Hugh Laurie as the villainous Richard Roper — all in sumptuous, exotic locales. Oh, and #Hiddlesbum didn’t hurt, either.
“The Americans”
This FX series, essentially ignored by the Emmy nominators until this year, continued to shine in Season 4. The world of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys) — Reagan-era Soviet spies in suburban DC — continued to unravel as they began indoctrinating daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) into the spy business.
“The Crown”
Just when you thought you were sick of reading/watching/hearing about Britain’s royal family, along comes Claire Foy (“Wolf Hall”), sparkling as Elizabeth Windsor in this Netflix series, tracking her early life and coronation as Queen Elizabeth II. Gossip and backstabbing is on display. Matt Smith plays an increasingly disinterested Prince Philip, and John Lithgow is terrific as Winston Churchill, raging against the ravages of old age and political infighting — both in the House of Windsor and in Parliament.
“The People v. O.J. Simpson”
Masterful casting, and solid acting and writing turned this retelling of the “trial of the century” into appointment viewing and snared FX a raft of awards. Standouts: Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro and Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran.
“This Is Us”
NBC’s freshman hit mixes pathos, humor and flashbacks into a feel-good dramedy by chronicling triplets (one of whom is adopted) dealing with their 36th birthdays. A top-flight cast includes Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown.
“Stranger Things”
This Netflix series, a mashup of ’80s youth-oriented sci-fi movies (“Gremlins,” “The Goonies,” “E.T.” and more), kept us riveted thanks to a talented young cast and veteran actress Winona Ryder (inset) as a terrified mom. Plus, the special effects rocked. We can’t wait for Season 2.
“The Night Of”
The late James Gandolfini’s pet project had the essential elements of a hit: a gripping story with a touch of ambiguity, and terrific performances. John Turturro, as a rumpled, eczema-challenged lawyer (those poor feet!), and Riz Ahmed as his client, the stoic, accused murderer Naz Khan, both shone. And let’s not forget the cat.
“Game of Thrones”
HBO’s megapopular series continued its hot streak this past season. It didn’t miss a beat and dropped several bombshells (including the resurrection of Jon Snow). Nearly every episode was a talker.
WORST TELEVISION:
“Vinyl”
HBO’s biggest flop in recent memory, “Vinyl” had an astronomical $100 million budget and a stellar pedigree — Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Terence Winter — but the result was a clichéd mess more interested in the exploits of Richie Finestra’s (Bobby Cannavale) nostrils than exploring the dynamic ’70s music scene.
“Crisis in Six Scenes”
Woody Allen’s much-touted TV series debut reeked of a desperate money grab, with Amazon’s millions only buying a tired retread of the director’s film canon. You can feel Allen going through the motions, and the results are hardly funny.
“Rocky Horror Picture Show”
Laverne Cox is not Tim Curry. Period. The disappointing viewer numbers (4.95 million) for the Fox musical proved that fans did not want to do the Time Warp again.
“Feed the Beast”
The drama about two friends trying to open a restaurant in The Bronx had a stellar cast (David Schwimmer, Jim Sturgess), but everything else about the series, from the organized-crime subplot to the perpetual screw-up chef, felt stale. Check, please!
“Heartbeat”
NBC’s latest stab at the medical procedural starred Melissa George as a cardiac surgeon who’s brilliant at her job but a mess in her romantic life — because we’ve never seen that before — with hilariously contrived dialogue to boot.