Best of 2017 - TV

So TV this year has been pretty good. Many of our favourites have returned to either start a new season or continue after a short break and we've also had a few newcomers as well. And despite them seemingly doing well on the big screen, we have learned that Marvel in comparison to DC are just not doing so well with their TV shows. But that doesn't mean that all their shows are bad because they are not. So this is my list of the best TV we have had this year. Again this is not a ranking list and same rules apply here like they do on the film list yesterday though this time its TV. I will be looking at shows that have been broadcast on live TV as well as streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. It will be all new and renewed shows that have made their debut everywhere this year, and whether they have finished their respective seasons or not by the end of the year, they will still be counted. So let's tune in and get right to it:

Stranger Things 2

As mentioned in my review, last year Netflix managed to make a surprise hit out of their then newest original Stranger Things. And since then, season 2 became one of the most anticipated shows to come out this year. So it largely serves as a continuation of the last season with 13 returning from the Upside Down, the world gets expanded and Will becomes emotionally unstable due to his time in the Upside Down. Plus there are loads more 80s pop culture references as well as a new father figure for Will in the form of the lovable and bubbly Bob. It does manage to go above and beyond what made the last season great and gives us more edge of your seat action as well as some comedy and serious moments when appropriate.

The Walking Dead (Season 7b and 8a)

This year on the Walking Dead, the three communities of Alexandria, Hilltop and The Kingdom joined forces to take on Negan and the Saviors which came with some quite shocking results. Eugene becomes a Savior (though unconfirmed as to where his true allegiance lies), many key and fan favourite characters (both original and from the comic book series) are killed off, King Ezekiel questions his authority as king and we even meet a new faction called the Scavengers. Its still as emotional as it ever was with some people feeling sorry for what some of the Saviors have been through as well as key characters in the heroes side. But with both sides taking heavy loses and 8a ending with the Saviors seemingly winning, everyone and I mean everyone is pumped to see how this all out war will end. Oh and the show reached its 100th episode this year which is quite the milestone I must say. Well who knows what's in store for Rick and company next year, but it looks like it will be pretty gruesome. But then again, there may be some twists and shocks coming our way too. 9/10

Arrow (Season 5b and 6a)

Now let's go to the Arrowverse. This year in Arrow, we saw Oliver taking on Prometheus as he continues to break him piece by piece which all ends in a cliffhanger in which all members of Team Arrow (old and current) and Green Arrow's still living villains, are on the island and it gets blown up. Then as season 6 kicks off, we find out who survived from the island being blown up as the remaining members of Team Arrow take on Earth-2 Black Canary who is after something that could threaten Star City. One thing I have liked about Arrow this year is that it finally brings the five years of hell flashbacks full circle and now the majority of what goes on in the show is set solely in the present. Its also interesting to see how a hero like the Green Arrow cope with being investigated by authorities that are above him and the police as well as how Oliver's duties as mayor gets affected. Its been a very good year for Arrow and let's see where we go from here. 9/10

Supergirl (Season 2b and 3a)

From masked and hooded archers to flying powerful aliens, next from the Arrowverse (though technically on a different Earth altogether), we have Supergirl. This year saw Supergirl fall in love with a fellow alien from a neighbouring planet to Krypton and we meet his family who want nothing but the prince to return home and will stop anyone from interfering with that. But then as season 3 kicks off, we see how Kara copes with not having the prince around but ultimately she comes to realise that the world needs both Kara and Supergirl and not one or the other. We also discover that her sister is a lesbian (which is good for character development) and she even goes to Earth-1 to do a duet with a certain speedster. As far as Supergirl is concerned, its been a pretty decent year for her and let's see how things go. Though I should say that the start of next year looks pretty dark for her but we shall see. 9/10

The Punisher (Season 1)

Most people know that Marvel tend to not do so well in the TV world as proven this year with Iron Fist which would've been better if the pacing picked up a bit and we don't spend what feels like an eternity on daddy issues as well as Inhumans which in a nutshell was just very weak everywhere. But not all Marvel shows are as bad as them and here's one of them now. So over the years, we've had a few Punisher films which all sucked. So when Marvel bought the rights back, it became apparent that The Punisher could work as a TV series on Netflix and so they introduced the MCU version through season 2 of Daredevil to get us hyped for him. So here is the series at last and its pretty intense. Rather than keep to what the Defenders shows are doing, The Punisher stands out on its own as being a brutal and pretty action packed show that shows that not all Marvel heroes will get an easy ride. But seriously, this is just so intense. But punishment is all around and it is by far the best adaptation of the character although it wasn't competing with anything that came before it anyway.

Legion (Season 1)

Prior to Disney's intention of buying 21st Century Fox, Fox wanted to compete with Marvel's own TV shows (which as previously mentioned have been mostly a hit or miss) by doing a set of TV shows set within the X-Men film universe. The first one is Legion which talks about this mutant son of Charles Xavier who after being committed to various psychiatric hospitals, comes to realise that there is more to him than he and others think. At the time this was broadcast on television, it became apparent that this would be a departure from the traditional superhero concepts used in films and some TV shows. This gave Fox an advantage over the competition and it worked. It is a very good show that explores the mind of people with potential mental health problems and has a well thought out cast that includes Dan Stevens, Jermaine Clement, Bill Irwin and Jean Smart among others. Its also nice that it doesn't spend too much time trying to establish itself in the X-Men film universe as well as featuring anyone from those films (though I do hear that Patrick Stewart may appear at some point) because to me that would just be bad. But anyway I like this show a lot and I look forward to season 2.

The Flash (Season 3b and 4a)

Next from the Arrowverse, we have The Flash. This year on the show, Barry Allen proposes to Iris West while desperately making changes to the future to stop a being known as Savitar from killing her (as the Flash witnesses in a time travel run to the future). Then in season 4b, a being known as The Thinker appears and tries to take down Flash any way he can. All of that plus Barry and Kara sing a duet, Nazis invade the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West which prompts all the heroes to band together to take them down and Leonard Snart returns for a brief period of time. Despite the seriousness of season 3 and parts of season 4, this year has been good for The Flash. Not only do we have a speedster that is equal to the Flash in every way, but we also get our first non-speedster villain which is a welcome change from the last few seasons having speedster villains. And it's also nice to see Catlin coming to terms with her split personality with her meta-human counterpart Killer Frost. Its still as fun and lighthearted as it ever has been and I look forward to seeing what 2018 has to offer seeing as the mid-season finale for season 4 ended on a cliff-hanger. 9/10

House of Cards (Season 5)

So despite the problems with Kevin Spacey at the moment with the future of House of Cards hanging in the balance, we have another fine season in the long running Netflix Original. The first half deals with the terrorists that came about at the end of season 4 and then for the rest of the season, its all about that election between Underwood and Conway and both sides show their strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately all ending with Claire gaining Frank's break the 4th wall ability. Under the current political climate, it really tries to be relevant to current events. Though we all know terrorists are an ongoing threat and everyone wants to be president or prime minister one day. Just the thought of that kind of power is pretty scary. But anyway its another great season in this long running Netflix original and hopefully not the last (though that can be debatable). 9/10

Better Call Saul (Season 3)

This year in Better Call Saul Gus Fring joins the fray and Jimmy continues to annoy his brother while we meet a pre-stroke Hector who is pretty fearsome I have to say. Of the seasons that we've had of this prequel to Breaking Bad, this is probably the weakest as it spends more time on the other Breaking Bad characters than Saul himself. But that's OK because it is supposed to be a prequel to Breaking Bad and there is only so much you can do with Saul that you need other characters to fill up the gaps. But despite that, it is a good season even if its less Saul and more everyone else. 8/10

Orange is the New Black (Season 5)

Last time in Orange is the New Black, a riot broke out and every guard was fearing for their lives all thanks to one guard who accidentally killed a beloved inmate during a peaceful protest. In season 5, the inmates take the guards hostage and make demands to the higher ups for various things. I'm not the sort of person that enjoys cliffhangers, especially when the season starts again the following year. But that being said, it has been a very good season that sees the prison in a whole new light and addresses the problems with riots. And yes the flashbacks are still there. But once again, the show left us on a cliffhanger that has us wonder what will happen to the inmates, especially the key characters in the very last scene. So yeah, great season and I look forward to season 6. 9/10

A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 1)

Some people have shared their problems with the film version (largely its inaccuracy to the books and crucial parts from the books that were missing) and with the sequels going from development hell to being axed completely, Paramount teamed up with Netflix to create a Netflix Original reboot and that's what we got. With a whole new cast and the intention to serve as a more faithful adaptation to the books, A Series of Unfortunate Events is pretty good. Its more faithful to the source material in that it keeps with the book and adds events not seen in the film and allows itself for some originality too. It hasn't completely covered the entire book series yet, but it is looking to be the best adaptation we're getting. 9/10

The Defenders (Season 1)

In a similar but different style to how the first Avengers film came about, all the Netflix shows that Marvel did up to this point have been leading to The Defenders being formed. With the intention of it being nothing more than a miniseries, this show pits each of the Defenders against members of The Hand (a antagonistic group which appeared or was mentioned in the solo shows) who intend to resurrect one of Daredevil's allies who was thought to be long dead and make some pretty intense plans for New York City while dealing with the Defenders. Despite being shorter than the other Marvel shows on Netflix, seeing Sigourney Weaver as the villain (and quite a great villain at that) is simply just the icing on the cake. She is fantastic as she always has been. Of the Netflix shows so far that Marvel have done, I really enjoyed this one. Yeah it is short and may come across as being a wannabe Avengers copycat, but its nice seeing how all these characters from different walks of life can come together to do some good for the city that they each try to protect. Its fun, action packed and gives me some hope that Marvel can recover from the travesties that were Iron Fist and Inhumans. 8/10

BoJack Horseman (Season 4)

Season three kind of ended on a cliffhanger which shows all the characters having fall outs and going their separate ways. And with season 4, everyone except for BoJack himself is doing well and the majority of the show sees Bojack coming to terms with his problems and spending a good chunk of the show trying to reconcile with his friends. We also meet a new family member of the Horsemans, Mr. Peanutbutter goes the Arnie route of becoming governor for California and Todd goes on many misadventures which sees him become a fashion icon and get caught in a series of celebrity scandals. The best thing about this season is the character development. We feel like we know these characters better than ever before and let's hope things continue to get better for BoJack and company. 9/10

F is for Family (Season 2)

When I saw season one of this show, I knew right from seeing the name of it that this was going to be a very mature and adult orientated show and I was right. So season one ended with Frank losing his job. In this season he desperately tries to seek employment which leads into some problems with his old workplace. Meanwhile Sue has a go at making a innovative product in a work environment that largely consists of men who have little to no respect for women, Kevin gets into some problems with his neighbors and Bill goes about buying himself a new hockey stick while still fearing the wrath of the local bully. Who knew the 70s were so bad for a lot of people. But anyway, this is a pretty good season that gives character development for all the main characters and sees them go above and beyond how they were in season one albeit with some adult activities along the way. Plus the ending is so hilarious and so over the top that it makes me wonder what season 3 will hold for us. 9/10

Legends of Tomorrow (Season 2b and 3a)

So coming now to the last of the Arrowverse shows, let's talk about the Legends. This year, the Legends continued to battle the Legion of Doom in their desperate attempt to re-write history to get what they want as well as battling a new threat which sees an old Arrow enemy who was once dead being reborn for a new purpose that puts the timeline at risk. All that and we get to meet a young George Lucas, a young J. R. R. Tolkien and some other well known historical and still alive figures. Plus Rip Hunter returns to almost ruin both Star Wars and Indiana Jones and sort of betrays the Legends more than once and something bad happens to one of the Legends in this year's 4 part crossover too. This year has been great for the Legends as we get to see the timeline radically change, characters being developed (especially with the remaining founding members) and new characters joining the fray. Plus we also discover something we didn't even know about Rip Hunter and Gideon which is quite emotional and some other stuff too. Been a good year for them and I look forward to seeing where they go to next. 9/10

Castlevania (Season 1)

If 2016 taught us anything, its that not all adaptations of video games will do well. But this is 2017 and on Netflix, we got Castlevania. A anime styled series based on the iconic video game franchise of the same name and everyone loves it. We have the voice of Thorin Oakenshield himself Richard Armitage who voices Trevor Belmont of the Belmont clan who's family is blamed for the destruction that has been caused in the kingdom. And most of this very short first season is him redeeming the family name by defeating as many of Count Dracula's forces as he possibly can. Its a very good series that shows that when in the right hands, a adaptation on a beloved video game can be done well. Can't wait for season 2.

The Gifted (Season 1a)

Along with Legion, Fox created another TV show set in the X-Men film universe called The Gifted. Set in an alternate reality where the X-Men are mostly wiped out, mutants are working underground to fight against the law and protecting themselves from any harm coming to them. The main focus however is this family where the son and daughter are both mutants and a police force called The Sentinel Service comes after them following an incident at their school which causes them to reveal themselves as mutants. Its a very interesting series that brings politics into the mix in such a way that you just feel really bad for the mutants and just want them to be part of the Equal Rights act. But anyway, its a great series that like with Legion shows that Fox can be like Marvel and actually make good films and good TV at the same time. Looking forward to where this goes next, but when the Disney deal is finalised, who knows what will happen. 9/10

Designated Survivor (Season 2a)

House of Cards may be the political drama that is the highest watched show on Netflix. But Designated Survivor may give it a run for its money given that Netflix has the broadcasting rights for UK viewers. I'd say its more action packed and actually manages to keep with the current political climate while allowing itself to do its own thing. So you have 24's Kiefer Sutherland in the role of the Designated Survivor Tom Kirkman and most of season one is spent with him cleaning up the corrupted government his passing predecessor left for him and figuring out who was responsible for the Washington bombing at the beginning of the series. In the first half of season two, the identity of the terrorist is discovered and the CIA are hot on his tail. Meanwhile Tom himself has some other pressing matters such as some legal action that involves his mother in law and some of his own staff (though all are separate cases). The series so far has been pretty great and I look forward to the rest of it. 9/10

Doctor Who (Series 10)

Having had a break from the small screen, Peter Capaldi is back for one last series of Doctor Who where he recruits university student/kitchen worker Bill Potts (a girl who is sexually attracted to women) as his companion alongside Nardole who was previously his companion in the 2015 and 2016 Christmas Specials. In the series, they deal with emoji robots, a group known as the Monks, 1814 London where the Thames is frozen as well as an ordeal with the Cybermen that gives them an origin story as well as the first ever multi Master adventure. All ending with the Doctor encountering his first incarnation after their respective ordeals with the Cybermen and having a short but sweet adventure with him. Even though Capaldi's era hasn't been entirely great, this is a good ending to his era. I just wish it was better but oh well.

The Crown (Season 2)

So I'm a fan of the Royal Family and I have nothing but respect for them. So last year, Netflix created a drama called The Crown which focuses on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II during her early years. In season two, Liz and Philip's marriage is in turmoil with divorce being out of the question. We also get to see the Suez Crisis covered as well as the birth of Prince Edward among other Royal Family matters that occured between 1956 and 1964. Like the season before it, it is a very good series where everyone plays their parts really well and in some way, it can be seen as mostly accurate to how it actually happened. And with it slowly becoming the next most watched Netflix show (alongside Stranger Things) we'll definitely be seeing more of her in the future. 9/10

South Park (Season 21)

Last but not least, we return to the quiet mountain town in its 21st season. In recent years, South Park has been lacking in that the creators attempted to have an ongoing story be told across the entire season. Well for season 21, Parker and Stone went back to basics and had the show go back to having episodes with their own self-contained stories, but allowing for story arcs to be told across the series such as Heidi becoming the female version of Eric Cartman and Garrison continuing his presidency with some questionable acts being done. What's great about this season is that it doesn't have a huge focus on continuity and does allow for current events to be talked about (such as Donald Trump's tweets) but not quite on the scale of the last couple of seasons. And for what its worth, it does make it better than those seasons, but still lacking the spark that past seasons had. But still, its as funny as ever and should we get more of it, I hope the future can be bright for the show considering that it's made its mark in the video game market with The Fractured But Whole. 8/10

Now as for the video game one, that will either be up tomorrow or Saturday depending on when I get it done. Not planning to do a geek box item one this year as I feel that all the items I've received have been great.