No. 10: Starz' American Gods
American Gods is a visual, psychological and emotional feast from soup to nuts, and while the concept of gods among men isn’t really a new one, it has never been tackled in such a unique and ballsy way. Visually it’s dramatically cinematic, and the VFX are feature-film quality. The characters are flawed and three dimensional; each with his or her own fascinatingly detailed backstory. There aren’t really any defining lines as far as morality goes, either. Like all of us, these Earth-bound deities are motivated by their personal desires, and whether their actions make them “bad” or “good” mostly depends on the viewer’s predilections. There’s always plenty going on, yet the viewer is never bombarded with exposition. Rather, the plot is trickled out to us in doses, leaving viewers sated, but always ready for more. Everything about this series, from the intro and its ability to set the show’s bizarre tone to the all-in performances of its sublime cast, adds up to one of the dopest surprises of 2017. American Gods is intelligent, edgy, whimsical and sexy with a hint of funny, which makes it wholly worthy of a spot on this list.
No. 9: Fox’s The Mick
The Mick is a perfect example of absurdist family-style comedy. If It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and literally any family show had a baby, it would be this one. Kaitlin Olson kills as the estranged aunt turned reluctant caretaker of her sister’s three spoiled kids who live in a (now formerly fabulous) Greenwich, Conn., home and are constantly running out of money. Yes, when we met them the only people more pretentious than the local country club members and resident boat owners were those same three kids, but they changed a bit as the show went on. It had to do in large part with this show’s best trait: Mickey’s genuine heart. She legitimately gives a sh*t about these kids, and even though a lot of times the older two have the manners of feral garbage goblins, and the youngest one will probably need a ton of therapy, Mickey won’t ever abandon them. She ain’t exactly the poster child for proper parenting, but when push comes to shove -- and it usually does -- Mickey’s got their backs. Factor in the perfect combo of her two loose cannon sidekicks, housekeeper Alba and boyfriend Jimmy, and how The Mick landed on this list becomes pretty obvious.
No. 8: Fox’s The Orville
The Orville (also pictured at top) is one of my favorite shows, period. It’s Star Trek: The Next Generationmade for this generation (and made well, I might add). It’s serious when it means to be, funny when it wants to be, and has a lovable crew at the helm. It’s one of those shows that seems so well thought out that there must be an Orville“bible” somewhere on Fox’s lot that is bursting with more background details and fictional future Earth history than even a nerd like me could handle. As a fan of CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery, I find myself getting more of a classic Star Trek vibe from The Orville than from the actual Star Trek brand at times. I’m quoted as saying I originally expected The Orville to feel like “Family Guy in Space,” which would’ve been easy for series creator Seth MacFarlane to do if he were so inclined. Instead, he gave us something forward-thinking and intelligent that takes itself just serious enough that it’s fun and funny without feeling like a spoof.
No. 7: ABC’s The Goldbergs
Admittedly, I was pretty late to the Goldbergs party, but once I started watching I could not stop until I had seen every episode. What is there not to love? Everything about the Eighties is amazing in general, there’s a grandpa and grandson who are best friends, and there’s the comfortingly relatable fact that some form of these events happened in real life to the show’s creator, Adam F. Goldberg. And the blonde, smothering cherry on top? It’s Wendi McLendon-Covey. Her existence alone is proof that anyone who says women aren’t funny is -- as Murray Goldberg would put it -- a moron. I think the key here is the show’s ability to push themes everyone can relate to. We’ve all wanted something our parents wouldn’t get us, or had bad school days, or had a best friend we disappointed, or a love/hate relationship with a sibling. Regardless, The Goldbergs isn’t just a show about a family, it’s a show about families, and can’t pretty much everyone get on board with that?
No. 6: TNT’s Claws