The Best TV of 2017 (So Far)

We’re headed into a long weekend and reaching the halfway point for 2017. It already seems like it’s been a really long year and we’re looking forward to binging on some series over the long weekend. It’s been an interesting year for TV. We’ve seen some of the best TV shows ever and some of our favorite shows had their worst seasons ever. If you’re looking for something to watch, here’s our list of shows to watch (and avoid) in 2017.

The Bad

This was the season to hate The Walking Dead. The misery of the first half of the season continued into the second half, with the upcoming battle between hapless Sheriff Rick and omnipotent, unflappable Negan postponed until next season. If you wanted to see your favorite characters used an abused for a full season, this was the season for you. Fargo has a similar structure with its unstoppable villain and hapless heroes which gave us Fargo’s least fun season to date. Unfocused and ultimately repetitive, Fargo had the added crime of utterly wasting the excellent Ewan McGregor. Meanwhile over on Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus seem to become the unstoppable villain to limited comedic effect. She smashed through her relationships without ever appearing human for a full season while her staff’s incompetence seemed even more exaggerated. Selina out of office was a fun potential premise, but getting meaner and bleaker didn’t make this show any funnier (though Jonah’s ascension was a lot of fun to watch). But, hey, at least something actually happened on Better Call Saul as Saul finally went to war with his self-righteous brother. As a yard stick, Walter White was shooting people in the head and Jesse was killing Gale at this point in their tenure. But remember, it’s not the same show. It’s just the same characters in the same location at roughly the same time.

I think you’re who Donald Trump thinks he is: powerful and charismatic and dangerous. Meanwhile I’m who Donald Trump actually is: uninformed and ineffectual and unhappy.

The Good But Weird

We’ve seen some new shows that we liked but can’t wholeheartedly endorse just yet. American Gods is a fun show about a fallen god and his right hand man touring the country trying to bring back the good old days. The show has some terrific guest performances and is anchored by the always awesome Ian McShane. but takes a bit of patience. Likewise, Legion leisurely explored the intersection of mental health and mutant abilities through the eyes of Charles Xavier’s troubled but powerful son. That show had some amazing visuals and stellar performances as well (go Dan Stevens!) but was a bit of a drag. The Leftovers had a strong finale as it wrapped up a bit of its mysteries in a strong season (not as good as two but MUCH BETTER than one) with some great performances. The King of Weird must be the new season of Twin Peaks which is frustrating and captivating. Kyle MacLachlan is doing amazing work as both the good and evil versions of Agent Cooper, and the eighth episode may be the most interest episode of television of 2017. We have no idea what’s going on with this series but the results so far have been a lot more interesting and less gratifying than we expected.

Kyle MacLachlan is apparently trying to become the male version of Tatiana Maslany, and if so we’re looking forward to seeing his version of Helena.

Shows That Are Off to a Great Start

Taboo had a strong first season; it’s almost the mirror image of Legion in how it’s immediately gratifying but somewhat simple. Tom Hardy’s brutish but ambitious thug beats down both common brutes and aristocratic gentry as he cuts his way through 19th century England. The Santa Clarita Diet also had a fun first season telling the story of Drew Barrymore’s zombification in southern California. Probably our favorite part of that show was learning that Timothy Olyphant can also do comedy. Also on Netflix, we also enjoyed Allison Brie’s and Marc Maron’s new show G.L.O.W. about women’s wrestling in the 1980’s. It’s like Orange Is The New Black in that the cast is mostly women but it’s lightheartedness makes OITNB look closer to HBO’s Oz. Maron and Brie have a confident chemistry that makes their scenes especially fun.

Does Tom Hardy punch out this horse? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Good Repeat Performers

Likewise, some of our favorite shows like Outcast and The Path had strong seasons that build on their strengths. Outcast finally let some of its supporting characters in on the series’ premise (i.e., that possessed people are everywhere and plotting something) and Brent Spiner continues to be one of our favorite bad guys. The Path got a little more ambitious in its story telling and continues to be anchored by three of the best performances on TV (go Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan and Hugh Dancy, though you’ve all admittedly done better work elsewhere!). Orange Is The New Black also got creative this season by focusing on a week-long prison riot (rather than a weeks-long season). Shortening the season’s time frame allowed the writers to really delve into the characters in a new and creative way. Finally, Silicon Valley and Kimmy Schmidt continue to be good, innocuous fun.

You just know Picard wanted to do this to Data every week on Next Generation.

The Best of the Best

There are two shows we recommend without any reservation. The first is The Handmaid’s Tale, a show that depicts a near future in which fertility rates have mysterious dropped and Christian fundamentalists have established a strict religious totalitarianism in the United States. Loaded with great performers doing amazing work and a story that is both crushing and uplifting, the series is the most interesting and important series of 2017. The other show we’ve loved every moment of is the new season of Mystery Science Theater. We were concerned about such a beloved series returning to TV but the combination of old pros and new energy works terrifically. The show captures the energy of the original series and introduces new elements that re-energize the whole formula. The new season of MST3K is easily the funniest series of 2017.