We’ve done music and books, but not TV. At least not that I’m aware of. Some of the shows we would choose are no doubt the same, since there are clear, obvious candidates.
The golden age of television continues and nowadays it’s mostly about streaming. The likes of Netflix and HBO rule. You can watch at your convenience and it can be hard to resist the momentum that pushes you to start the next episode, in 30 seconds, 29 seconds… People still like to watch the minute new episodes are released though. They want to join the discussion, be part of the event, the phenomenon, that is the show everyone is talking about,
Any selection should come from TV programmes first shown this year. My choices then, in no particular order:
The Handmaid’s Tale on HBO – although I think the premise is a little hard to swallow, this was nevertheless brilliantly done and the events described have clear parallels with the society we have today, where mens’ treatment of women has been revealed more clearly than ever this year.
Big Lies, Little Lies – also on HBO, this drama similarly focuses on the mistreatment of women. Here we see it in everyday life, with the main female characters coming up against unacceptable behaviour by men. There’s more to it than that of course. Great cast with Reese Weatherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern , among others.
Game of Thrones on HBO – still fantastic with great characters and exciting suspenseful episodes. Yes it’s not so unpredictable and original as before and there is a need to preserve certain characters, at times testing credibility, in order to move to a final resolution. But often stunning nevertheless.
Stranger Things 2 on Netflix – There’s been no more enjoyable series than this. Fun yet unsettling. Still really good.
The Vietnam War – fascinating, in-depth look at this period. Shown on BBC.
The Good Place – Comedy on Netflix. Hard to stomach at first – seems too wacky by half but worth sticking with. Full of playful ideas and a nice vibe. Ted Danson is great in it.
Line of Duty – some dismiss this for a preposterous plot that is not credible. A fair criticism but it kind of exists in it’s own world and if you accept that and go with it then it rewards persisting with. It’s chock full of dramatic twists and shocking events that make it highly compelling. Thandie Newton was superb in it I thought.
No doubt there’s much I missed.
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I opened a thread a while ago on how good recent UK comedy has been, and without disagreeing with any of your nominations (which I have seen) I’ll throw in The League of Gentlemen comeback, Mitchell and Webb’s Back, Motherland, The Detectorists (they better not dare ever bring it back; it ended too perfectly for that) and my favourite programme of the whole year, The End of the F***ing World.
[Respectful nod given to Blue Planet 2, though I stand by my controversial opinion that there should be a red-button option to mute the commentary. Not scrap it, just an option to mute it. I know this magnificent programme would probably not have been made without the heft of St Attenborough behind it but the script was banal enough to detract from the amazing photography.]
Agree with all that, big time.
Big Little Lies
Mindhunter
The Good Place
Bojack Horseman
Line of Duty
Detectorists
Glow
Motherland
This is Us
Catastrophe
Yet to see ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and Aziz Ansari’s ‘Master of None’ is on the list too (plus ‘Rick and Morty’) . I’ll mention ‘The Leftovers’ which I abandoned half-way through because something else bright and shiny caught my eye but I will go back to it.
Oh actually I was catching up on 6 seasons of ‘Parenthood’ which was wonderful but not from 2017.
ETA- oh do you mean the first series/episode should be from this year? If so a few of the above don’t count.
No I mean whatever is the latest season, shown in 2017. Game of Thrones season 7 OK. Season 2 not OK. š
The Handmaids Tale
This was incredible& up there with Mad Men for me! The cinematography & acting & soundtrack was all flawless.
Detectorists
I have professed my love here previously, so all I will say is that I genuinely think it is the most perfect comedy we have had for for a long long time. Maybe ever. In years it will be rightly regarded as a classic as it will age very well I think.
Ozark
A better Breaking Bad for me. Very enjoyable & Peter Mullen was excellent in it.
The A Word
Can’t explain quite why I love it so, but I really enjoyed this latest series. Hats off to Lee Ingleby & Christopher Eccleston for some top drawer acting
Catastrophe
I only discovered this on 4OD earlier this year & thought it was great. All series were enjoyable & I *think* the latest was a 2017 release?
An excellent year for telly, I thought. Both American and English. My favourite was Narcos. As well as those mentioned above, I also enjoyed:
American Vandal
Doctor Foster
The State
Liar
Feud
Howards End
Decline & Fall
The Crown
Oh yes, The Crown, definitely.
I think you mean British @Gary A lot of the best UK stuff is made by BBC Wales (and Line of Duty is made by BBC Northern Ireland)
Quite right to point that out, Dai. It occured to me that might be the case after I posted.
Pretty much my only must see tv show this year has been Taskmaster. The new series of Curb… has been good but not remarkable. I don’t know about all the dramas that seem to constantly get top billing in the end of year lists because having seen a few clips and trailers, none of them appealed to me at all.
So many of the above (I like Telly, me. Not that it’s telly exactly) plus
Dark (Germans do Stranger Things, as it were)
Rick & Morty
Not, however, Rellik.
So much great TV. Most of all has already been mentioned: for me itās been about:
Stranger Things 2: didnāt understand some of the naysaying I saw. For me it was even better than 1, which is a tough mark to hit, and no, YOU cried when Nancy danced with Dustin
GoT 7: for all I wish theyād slow it down again and stretch it to 9 or 10 seasons (some of the āoh, now theyāre in Kingās Landing, didnāt that journey used to take months?ā bits were definitely too fast), itās still like nothing else. Utterly compelling, characters who just keep developing and giving you more. Tormund FTW, if heās dead, I resign.
The Crown: Iām just finishing off S2 of this. It started a lot slower, but Iām loving it. Philip in particular has become really endearing, and I find Lascelles and his replacement whose name escapes me completely hilarious.
Matt Smith is brilliant at playing Philip, and makes him a very sympathetic character (to my surprise).
I really liked how he kicked against his role in the first half of the season and has slowly matured into a very sweet, funny and supportive husband for her Maj. Foy is great at being a very buttoned-up and competent monarch, but the real charm is when she lets a little grin escape her when Philip gets his freak on or makes her laugh.
Yes I liked the way he progressively adapts to the compromises he has to make, and what that costs.
I like Foy as her Maj but find Mags deeply unpleasant whilst feeling quite sorry for her (very well acted).
Margaret is a real brat, isn’t she? I do sympathise with how trapped the minor royals are, though, while acknowledging that there are worse prisons. Nobody chooses who and what they’re born, and it’s very easy for privilege to just feel normal. I should know: I’m a middle-aged white bloke. š
It must be hard, trapped in a prison of your own privilege. Parents from high social strata, expensive education, living in a country pile. Your only escape is music, drink and your social life.
Wait, who are we talking about now? š
Hartlepool just be that way, I guess. š
Fascinating to watch Mags in The Crown, having read Craig Brown’s massively entertaining and highly recommended book Ma’am Darling. Can’t believe I just said that, but it’s true.
American Vandal – Netflix spoof true crime series which takes trivial graffiti attack at a US high school and gives it the full treatment. If you are fan of Making A Murder or The Jinx type shows you will enjoy seeing it applied in a juvenile way. Perhaps outstays its welcome and a bit purile for some but a surprise to me.
I’ve seen Stranger Things 2 and Game Of Thrones 7 both of which I’ve liked and that’s about it.
Channel 4 News is still a joy. The Christmas Doctor Who was a bit pants but the regeneration episodes always are.
I just don’t get to watch stuff anymore folks. Work, Children, Books, Music, that’s all my time gone…
Twin Peaks was excellent.
Yes! It dwarfed everything else on TV this year. Was just light years ahead.
Peaky Blinders. As with Line of Duty needs some suspension of disbelief but brilliantly done.
Completely ruined for me by Tommy’s use of a Steyr MP34 in an episode set in 1926. Doh.
I thought it was an MP18, produced from 1916, but I’m not a machine gun anorak.
Machine Gun Anorak – TMFTL
One of the more sedate recordings by The Damned.
Almost could have been a late model MP18 with the straight magazine, except the barrel end is the give-away.
MP18 on the left, MP34 (Tommy’s gun (heh)) on the right:
*puts on anorak, shuffles from room*
Discovered Line Of Duty this year – watched the latet and then went back to the previous 3 series in a binge – terrific stuff.
The Crown – as debated above, this is a revelatory series which sends me scurrying off to the history books. Blimey, I lived through most of this – who knew?! Supremely acted and visually stunning – how the hell do they recreate some of those scenes? I really liked the nailing of Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson as Nazi scum, and I never knew Armstrong-Jones was such a sex machine…before, during, and after Margaret by all accounts.
The A Word – funny, touching and brilliantly acted, especially by Christopher Ecclestone, but also by the little lad who plays Joe. A third series please!
The new series of the Grand Tour seems much better than the first, thank goodness. Middle aged men in cars and taking the piss out of each other and none of the other flim-flam of S1.
Star Trek: Discovery – worth sticking with. Very different to other Trek seri s and great production values.
Game Of Thrones – still unmissable despite the sudden acceleration to the finishing line making believability a bit of a stretch….can’t believe I wrote that about a fantasy series with dragons, but hey ho…
This Country on BBC3 … one of the funniest new comedies about, so well written and acted. Perfect if you grew up in the Cotswolds
Thanks for the heads up. Grabbing this series from iPlayer as I write – look forward to seeing this, as a Cotswold village resident for the last 26 years.
in that case the Scarecrow Festival in episode 1 will be painfully familiar … Daisy and Charlie who wrote and acted in it still live in the area … a second series is coming in the New Year
Oh that was painful to watch. In a good way. The perfect comedy. A new series on the way as well!
Trying to be less addicted to the Box, but …
Line of Duty (watched all series)
Better Call Saul
Stranger Things 2
The Crown
Black Mirror *
* haven’t watched new series yet, but it’s return is a highlight.
Lowlights
Gave up on Corrie after more than 30 years (off and on), as it descended into sub Eastenders violence and ridiculousness.
BBC:
Taboo
Witnesses
Line of Duty
Netflix:/Amazon
Travelers (sci-fi timey wimey thing)
Better Call Saul
Designated Survivor
Ozark
Stranger Things
Mindhunter
I was tempted to say broadcast tv is struggling but it still puts out the occasional gem, although mainly on BBC for me.
Plus Narcos and Life in Pieces.
Not seen much, and most of itās been mentioned already (Handmaidās Tale, Back, GOT and Line of Duty.) Iād add Gameface, Roisin Conatyās ace sitcom, and Legion, based on a Marvel character but more interesting than the Netflix/Daredevil/Iron Fist stuff.
I don’t watch much TV, so for something to be so long anticipated that I gave up a lifetime aversion to putting money in Rupert Murdoch’s pocket by subscribing to Sky Atlantic, and getting up at 2.00 a.m. to watch the first episode, it had to be something as special as Twin Peaks. And very special it was, despite the naysayers expecting a carbon copy of the 90s TV phenomenon. Bizarre, contrarian, terrifying, violent, hilarious, a fantastic feat of the imagination – Twin Peaks: The Return was all that and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G-x_jfddis
I seem to have watched quite a bit of telly this year. Highlights include:
The Detectorists
Doctor Foster
Top of the Lake
Line of Duty
Taboo
Apple Tree Yard
Broadchurch
Rellik
Plus plenty of Scandi/Euro stuff on BBC4 and More 4.
I noticed the other day that all series of Peaky Blinders are on the iPlayer and four episodes of the first series later, I have to say Iām quite impressed. The binge shall continue.
Many of those already mentioned (especially The Detectorists). I would add The Patriot which is on Amazon Prime. Odd, funny and engrossing.
I go along with much already mentioned, but I have to add Greg Davies’s pant-wettingly funny sitcom Man Down. It also does have Mrs McCluskey from Grange Hill playing his mother.
Mrs McCluskey… there was an early “weird crush”…one of many.
I think I mentioned this on the comedy thread a few weeks ago, but ‘Life In Pieces’ on Amazon Video. The shenanigans of an American extended family. Can be downright silly but the zingers in the dialogue that are shared out evenly make up for it.
‘Stranger Things 2’, naturally.
That’s all I can think of. I’ve been sidetracked over the past few days by finding all the 3 seasons of ‘Inside No.9’ on the Iplayer. it seems the entire Season 2 passed me by. How? So, I’ve been watching all of those.
I agree with many of the above, especially (deep breath) The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, Line Of Duty, Peaky Blinders, Detectorists, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Catastrophe.
A few that I loved that aren’t mentioned above: BROKEN on the Beeb. Rare to see a priest portrayed as a decent human being in TV dramas these days, and I have never seen Sean Bean in anything before to the best of my knowledge, but this was wonderful. GODLESS on Netflix – the so-called ‘feminist western’. What this means is that it had some decent female roles as well as some decent male ones. Very good. Haven’t watched it all yet, but THE DEUCE is threatening to be a keeper. Wasn’t the Ewan McGregor FARGO this year? I really liked it but everyone seems to have forgotten about it already. For laughs, SILICON VALLEY and VEEP are reliably excellent.
I really enjoyed Fargo this year.
Poorest of the 3 seasons for me, but I felt it improved as it went on. For me MacGregor was the weak link.
Red Dwarf returned for it’s best series (I think) since it’s re-birth on Dave.
Some of the storylines revisited past references, giving a feeling like this might be the last outing.
Dave Gorman’s Modern Life Is Goodish is always a treat de-bunking and poking accepted wisdom.
This series was however the last – Dave’s going back to touring next year, and wants to do more live stuff – hence Good(ish) has come to an end.
No more Found Poems
Not strictly “TV”, but documentary on the telly.
SkyArts has done some good stuff this year, and the XTC doc (This Is Pop) is well worth a look
I love Modern Life is Goodish; itās a shame that itās stopping. Itās far better than much of BBC 2ās output, so Iām not sure why it failed to get a terrestrial tv outing.
It may sound slightly pedantic but Dave has been a terrestrial channel for years now.
Does Stranger Things II get better, then? I’m four eps in and disappointed to the point of maybe bailing. All the characters seem to have forgotten what happened last series, Dustin has implausibly fallen in love with a revolting slug creature and Eleven has spent four episodes sitting at a table.
Hm, the answer is a big yes. The second half of the series is better.
But… if you don’t like it so far I’m not sure the last four episodes will be enough to convince you.
It definitely picks up pace. And El gets a LOT more to do.
šš» What Joshua said.
Lots of the above, but the best thing Iāve watched all year is one Iāve just discovered although it first aired in March. āThe Marvelous Mrs Maiselā on Amazon. An all round belter of a series. First rate cast, fantastic writing, beautiful sets and funny as fuck, 9/10 on IMDB, 4.5/5 on a amazon and 95% on Rotten tomatoes. Theyāre not wrong.
Aha! Another fan. The Mrs and I greatly enjoyed Mrs Maisel and hope second series is on the way.
Other stand outs of the year for us were Handmaid’s Tale and Detectorists.
Also, I seem to be the only person alive who enjoyed season 2 of āFlakedā on Netflix. Will Arnett leads a great cast. It should have resonated with a particular age group more than it seemed to. Ah well
Forgot about Flaked. Liked it very much. Arnett, whether in Arrested Development, voicing Bojack or faking Flakey here, is always spot on.
Add W1A to my earlier list. As funny as the Detectorists for me, albeit in a completely different way.
Yes, no, bollocks, crap.
Cool.
Yes exactly
I enjoyed the last (presumably) series of Homeland – bang on the money of the changing political landscape in the States.
My other personal highlight was the comeback of Samurai Jack. A masterpiece of storytelling with absolutely wonderfully inventive and stunning cinematography – animation would not be an adequate description.
Nope – Homeland back in Feb
Stranger Things 2, The Punisher, Ozark, and best of all..Santa Clarita Diet
This just in…….
The Feud, last 2 episodes tonight or all of it on i-player, the story of the spat between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. stemming from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane during the making of the film. Susan Sarandon as Davis and Jessica Lange as Crawford play age appropriate eye candy for the AW demographic. As @jackthebiscuit always says…..
Cormoran Strike was rather good too.
Given the many thumbs aloft for Stranger Things 2, I’m mildly puzzled that Dark hasn’t received any mentions bar mine. It’s the first German Netflix production, and so far (I’m up to episode 6) it’s marvellous, Stranger Things goes arthouse, Stand By Me meets Nietzche.
And I nearly forgot Apple Tree Yard, Unforgotten, and, League Of Gentlemen.
I watch a ton of telly, me.
Dark has only been out a couple of weeks – Iāve watched 3 or 4 so far – plus I think people may be put off by thinking it is in German, but as you know it is very well dubbed. It does have rather too many parallels to Stranger Things donāt you think?
Change the language to german and watch with subbies (which is easy enough to do on netflix, even if you have to repeat the process every episode) and it is better still.
I’ve just watched ep 8, and I must say that from around ep 6 onwards, it’s exceeded Stranger Things for me. Best time travel drama since that one from 2052.
Glad to see Designated Survivor putting in an appearance. It’s ridiculous, of course, with its pompous West Wing music and its sentimentality and a POTUS who is so far from Donald Trump that he’d be completely unelectable if it wasn’t for the fact that the entire government apart from him was assassinated…I’m a bit hooked.
However…it’s been one episode a week (or occasionally fortnight). The last episode before Christmas ended on an absolutely monster cliffhanger, so I was looking forward to the next one about now. It turns out that the next episode isn’t being shown until March! What? WHAT? How can they do this? Disappoint.
Has nobody mentioned Bosch on Amazon Prime? Superb realisation of the Michael Connelly books. My favourite of 2017 along with Handmaids Tale.
Another vote for Jimmy McGovern’s Broken which was magnificent – superb writing, glorious art direction and filming – it made the impoverished backstreets of Liverpool look beautiful – and a magnificent performance from Sean Bean. I’ve rarely seen a more moving and more pertinent TV drama – it was as timely and powerful and evoked that same sense of close-to-the-edge desperation as Boys From the Blackstuff did back in the 80s.
I haven’t watched much TV in serial form in 2017, when I do try I usually get bored around episode four or five. But if the rest of the episodes are just half as good as the first of the new (final) series of Bron/The Bridge that I watched yesterday, I predict that it will be my number one choice for 2018… I had high hopes, but Wow! Very promising first impression. š
Bron avsnitt 1 certainly had a forceful impact. Strong stuff!
No spoilers please but is Martin (Kim Bodnia) back in it? I liked the new bloke, but still…
Not in first episode.
Sneaking in under the Christmas Radar was Rhys Thomas (Brian Pern, Down The Line, Queen docs) spoof review of the year ~ A Year In the Life Of A Year.
The Martin Jarvis Jackanory section is worth watching on its own
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09l1cgd
This has been on for the last couple of years (I think?) and often been good viewing.
Hopefully the BBC don’t try and make it a regular series like they did with Charlie Brookers Screenwipe and effectively kill it
Yes I similarly missed last years. Much better than most entertainment on Beeb over Christmas but not promoted in any way
Similarly the Private Eye Review of The Year with Ravens, Sessions, Enfield, Brown & Macleod is on their site and worth your time
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/eyeplayer/play-340
Caught up with A Year In the Life Of A Year yesterday and loved it – some very clever editing going on there. The alcoholic Question Time was another highlight.
Some of the usual subjects (GoT, ST2) I finally watched Line of Duty which has just about a clean sweep of my favourite female actresses…. and is otherwise really good (if a bit implausible in the finales).
I seem to be the last person standing liking Dr. Who (Capaldi is terrific, and so was Bill).
Can we have love for Brooklyn 99 which is apparently threatened with cancellation?
I mostly want something to relax with and take my mind off these times so only watched one episode of Handmaid’s tale – I’ll see the rest on the news. (it was good though).
Nuttiest programme was Dirk Gently on Netflix. Totally hatstand, and not a lot to do with Douglas Adams that I can tell. But it hit the spot. Or a spot. As does Lucifer which is light, funny and charming.
The League of Gentlemen was amazing – just as good as the original. Funny and disturbing at the same time.
Favourite by a country mile though is The Good Place. Laugh out loud, human and intellectual. What more do you want?
Another vote ere for The Good Place. Maybe the best thing Ted Danson has done?
Also liked Ozark, Mindhunter and also Manhunt: The Unabomber.
I’m sure there has been some good British TV but those ones really stood out for me
Not sure whether it first aired in 2017 or 2018, but the Miriam Margoyles visits the USA documentary on the Beeb is both utterly fantastic and exactly as good as it promises to be. Canāt recommend enough, sheās wonderful.