The 30 Best TV Shows Of 2016

25. “Horace And Pete” 
In our continued era of Peak Television, it’s become increasingly common to see series that not only push the barriers of genre, but also the way it’s formatted. A darkly theatrical riff on “Cheers” was certainly not what viewers would’ve expected from Louis C.K., but the series nonetheless managed to stun those who managed to watch it. Every episode showcased the self-sustaining ecosystem of the titular bar, contained to typically one location as characters verbally sparred with one another as ugly truths were revealed. C.K. and Steve Buscemi arguable do some career best work, while Alan Alda reminds the audience why he’s someone so highly regarded. —Ally Johnson

24. “Black Mirror”
Humanity is doomed — we know this. But few reflect the consequences of this doomsday better than Charlie Brooker. The 2011 British show that moved to Netflix this year continues in the same vein: “Black Mirror” is anthological in nature with every stand-alone episode playing out like a short movie, dealing with a not-too-distant future where technology is advanced enough to be a violent threat to our way of life. “Shut Up & Dance” and “Playtest“ crush souls in the most visceral of ways, while the Bryce Dallas Howard-starrer “Nosedive” and “Hated In The Nation” with Kelly Macdonald implode from the inside-out with revelatory messages and grand ideas. It’s a head-scratcher, it’s a rollercoaster ride down a pessimistic rabbit hole (that is bumpy at times with weaker offerings in “San Junipero” and “Men Against Fire“), but it reaches heights of the darkest sublime with sheer storytelling bravura and ballsy punches to the gut. Coming back next year with Jodie Foster directing an episode, “Black Mirror” is that super-addictive show you’d have to think twice about recommending to people with high blood-pressure but with all the appeal of a glistening black diamond. Its omens feel even more frightfully prescient and important coming out in 2016, a year full of terrible real-life twists. —Nikola Grozdanovic

23. “Halt & Catch Fire”
When it began three years ago, “Halt & Catch Fire” seemed to exemplify the worst of the Difficult Men era of prestige TV. A fairly transparent attempt for AMC to fill the gap that would soon be left by “Mad Men,” it seemed dispiritingly beholden to other white-male-antihero dramas, and didn’t appear to make the best use of its excellent cast. But in a lesson that you shouldn’t dismiss a show at first, it improved a lot over its first season. Then it improved far more when it reinvented itself in the second season, shifting focus from Lee Pace’s maverick genius to Kerry Bishé and Mackenzie Davis as the real brains of the operation. And now, in its third season, it’s cemented itself as one of the very best dramas on television right now. Now moved to California, with Bishé’s Donna and Davis’s Cameron still at the center, but with Pace, Scoot McNairy and Toby Huss finding new depths to their roles in support, it messed with the status quo more than ever — a time jump, a shocking death — but never feels plotted for melodrama, with some of the sharpest writing and directing around (Karyn Kusama and Kimberly Peirce among those involved this time). Next year’s fourth season will be the last, but you’ve got plenty of time to catch up before then. —Oliver Lyttelton

22. “Baskets” 
“Baskets,” the sad-French-rodeo-clown-in-Bakersfield dramedy starring Zach Galifianakis, seems like a nigh-impossible show to even make it on the air and garner accolades from the mainstream establishment. But thanks to the visionaries at FX, who let the creators do their own thing, and some very openminded Emmy voters, “Baskets” managed to become a cult hit, and Louie Anderson won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his poignant, hilarious portrayal of Christine Baskets, whom he modeled on his own mother. Anderson is so good in the role that he completely disappears, and Christine Baskets is one of the more memorable, funny, and heartbreaking characters on TV this year. The series is spearheaded by the unique sensibilities of co-creators Anderson, director Jonathan Krisel — who takes the usually wordy world of comedy and makes it visual — and Galifianakis, who plays both melancholy, pretentious rodeo clown Chip Baskets, and his evil twin brother Dale. They’ve rounded out the cast with performers like stand-up Martha Kelly, who plays Chip’s long-suffering pal Martha, and the amazing Sabina Sciubba of the band Brazilian Girls, who is pitch-perfect as Chip’s bored French wife. The tone is a unique mix of slapstick, pathos, and family epic, and somehow this combination just works. The success of “Baskets” feels like a miracle, and we’re along for this ride as long as it goes. —Katie Walsh

21. “Broad City” 
While it’s certainly grown in popularity, Comedy Central’s Broad City still remains a sort of well-kept secret, and its third season is only a greater argument of why everyone should be tuning in. Stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are back as the title characters who, while not fully grown up, are starting to take steps in getting there. Abbi is pursuing a relationship that lasts longer than a one-night stand, while Ilana is realizing that she can’t keep friendships going after break-ups ensue. Their friendship is on full display from season three’s opening montage of the two in the separate bathrooms and the synchronicity of their lives, to Abbi dropping everything in order to console Ilana after said break-up, to their shared flight home in the finale. It’s that friendship, beyond the frank humor and wacky hijinks, that makes Broad City such an addictive watch. —Ally Johnson