17 Best TV Dramas from 2016

It may actually be possible that there are too many good dramas on TV right now.

Even once you weed out all of the excellent superhero, fantasy, and sci-fi shows (we have a whole separate list of those coming soon!) there is still a glut of amazing hour-long series on cable, streaming, and network television.

Here are some of the best TV dramas from 2016.

1. The Americans

The stakes in Season 4 of The Americans were higher than ever. The Jennings were at greater risk of being exposed and the constant threat of having to return to Russia loomed large.

But the spy show’s most engaging plotline showed daughter Paige’s slow transformation not just from all-American girl into Russian spy but from a defiant daughter into her mother.

2. Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life provided fans with one of the most satisfying revival shows in recent years. The return to Stars Hollow provided a near-perfect blend of nostalgia and character updates.

No matter what you may have thought of the final four words, they got you thinking and talking – particularly on Twitter, where #LastFourWords was trending Thanksgiving weekend.

3. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Ryan Murphy managed to make a TV show about OJ Simpson just as fascinating as the real trial that captured the attention of the country back in the ’90s.

With few exceptions (*Ahem* Travolta), just about every performance in this limited series was outstanding, netting Emmy wins for Courtney B. Vance, Sarah Paulson and Sterling K. Brown, who should expect to be getting more Emmy attention in 2017 for his amazing work on This Is Us.

4. Orange Is The New Black

Orange is The New Black tends to alternate between drama and comedy, but things were dark this year. As Caputo struggled to fill the role as Litchfield’s “Director of Human Activities,” things started to fall apart.

As the prison deteriorated, so did the guards’ relationships with the inmates, leading to a beloved character’s death.

5. Better Call Saul

Watching the McGill brothers try to outmaneuver each other is one of the highlights of Better Call Saul‘s sophomore season.  Having Rhea Seehorn’s Kim Wexler get in on the action made it even better.

And Breaking Bad fans looking for something familiar can enjoy watching the Mike Ehrmantraut they know and love go up against criminals from Walter White’s world.

6. Downton Abbey

The fifth and final season of Downton Abbey gave out happy endings like Oprah gives out favorite things. It was, perhaps, a surprising end to a show that spent much of its third season killing off fan-favorite characters but an enjoyable one.

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