Summer rewind: Best TV shows of 2017
With summer in the rearview mirror and fall coming up fast, now is the perfect time to reflect on the series that heated up the season…
With summer in the rearview mirror and fall coming up fast, now is the perfect time to reflect on the series that heated up the season. Below are my picks for the best shows I watched. Streaming is not represented mainly because what shows I did watch on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime were mainly series that came out earlier. So much TV, so little time. Gotta love Peak TV. (Yes, there was a note — or 40 — of sarcasm in there.)
12) The Sinner (USA)
Jessica Biel simmers as Cora Tannetti , who is in prison for killing a guy in broad daylight while enjoying a beach day with her family in this slow-boil mystery that follows the breadcrumbs to fill in the memory gaps Cora has about a fateful Fourth of July weekend five years ago. Christopher Abbott and Bill Pullman deliver as, respectively, Cora’s husband Mason and the detective assigned to her case, Harry Ambrose.
11) Loaded (AMC)
This very funny dramedy about four best mates (Samuel Anderson, Jim Howick, Nick Helm and Jonny Sweet) who cash in when their mobile game hits huge defied “the boys and their toys” premise with bittersweet turns from Helm and Lolly Adefope (sweet assistant Naomi) and a balls-to-the-wall, hilarious performance from Mary McCormack as their boss Casey.
10) Game of Thrones (HBO)
The penultimate season definitely wasn’t boring. Characters who never laid eyes on each other previously were running into each other right and left. Dragons were being let off their leashes. The dead were facing off against most people’s favorite not-dead-yet bastard. Not everyone made it out alive obviously: Pour one out for the Lady.
9) The Bold Type (Freeform)
Three 20-something besties working at a high-end fashion magazine set out to prove they’re gonna make it after all in this infectious drama. Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee and Meghann Fahy share an easy chemistry that has you rooting for their characters no matter what. And who wouldn’t want Melora Hardin’s Jacqueline for a boss? Can she please hire and mentor me? Pretty please?
8) Broadchurch (BBC America)
2017 has been BRUTAL when it comes to saying farewell to beloved series. Chris Chibnall’s brilliant mystery is not the exception. Correcting its course after a not-quite-disastrous, but definitely disappointing series two, the final crime involves a rape that sees the focus shift back to our dynamic duo. DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller (David Tennant and Olivia Coleman, both glorious) work the case, catch the culprit and strengthen their already impenetrable bond. My God, they will be missed.
7) I’m Sorry (TruTV)
Andrea Savage has crafted my favorite new comedy of the summer. Smart, hilarious and sexy, the show has an endearingly relatable central couple in Savage and Tom Everett Scott (#couplegoals). Not to mention a deep bench of stellar supporting actors like Kathy Baker, Martin Mull, Jason Mantzoukas, Judy Greer and Gary Anthony Williams. Track down this show and binge it now. You’re welcome.
6) Wynonna Earp (Syfy)
The Earp heir (a fantastic Melanie Scrofano) screwed her courage to the sticking place as she battled revenants and the Widows while trying to make sure her baby (!) survived the gestation period. Creator/showrunner Emily Andras delivered a rollicking second season anchored by a cast who seem even more devoted to each other onscreen. This posse is the coolest squad to hit the small screen since Buffy’s Scooby Gang.
5) The Tunnel: Sabotage (PBS)
After series one ended on such a harrowing note, detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wasserman (Clémence Poésy) were happily pulled back into each other’s orbit as another case required the British and French police forces to work together. Get your mind out of the gutter! Karl and Elise are best friends who have a brother/sister dynamic. Like the best procedurals, the dynamic investigation pulls you in, while the characters pay off your investment in dividends.
4) Younger (TV Land)
A 30-minute comedy that leaves you emotionally spent each week shouldn’t be this much fun. In its fourth season, the Sutton Foster-led series has become richer now that Kelsey (Hillary Duff) knows Liza’s (Foster) secret. It’s given Peter Hermann a deserved showcase as viewers have seen the beating, broken heart under Charles’ shining armor. With the finale upon us, I can only imagine the pool of mushy goo I’ll be once the season is over.
3) Endeavour (PBS)
This is quite possibly Britain’s best current mystery series. Shaun Evans’ titular character (a younger version of Inspector Morse) and Roger Allam’s DCI Fred Thursday return even more emotionally battered after Thursday’s daughter left Oxford at the end of series three. But murder doesn’t have a soft spot, so there are cases to be solved. How the duo will come out following the events of this year’s finale is anybody’s guess.
2) Insecure (HBO)
Issa Rae is one talented woman. She has etched (along with collaborators Prentice Penny and Melina Matsoukas) a brilliant, emotionally honest comedy that isn’t afraid to make you experience all the feels in a tight 30 minutes. Her world doesn’t come with archetypal characters. It’s filled with three-dimensional people who live, love and screw up royally. That reflection you catch as you watch is exactly why you watch.
1) Orphan Black (BBC America)
Sarah Manning. Alison Hendrix. Cosima Niehaus. Helena. Rachel Duncan. Beth Childs. Krystal Goderitch. They are all intelligent, resilient women. They all share the same face. Tatiana Maslany gave voice to many over the past five years. Showrunners John Fawcett and Graeme Manson unraveled a vast conspiracy that left pulses racing and nerves shot to hell. Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard, Kristin Bruun, Ari Millen, Josh Vokey, Skyler Wexler, Dylan Bruce and Maria Doyle Kennedy, along with Maslany and her acting double Kathryn Alexandre, gave us sanctuary in this twisted universe filled with love and solidarity. In this final season, we laughed, we cried, we cursed James Frain. But we were united more than ever before. Long live, #CloneClub!
Best of the rest
Doctor Who (BBC America), Grantchester (PBS), My Mother and Other Strangers (PBS), Remember Me (PBS), Room 104 (HBO) and Will (TNT)
Joanne Thornborough is pop culture junkie with a particular love for film, TV and the printed word. Find her at @cinelitchick on Twitter and Instagram.