Ten Top-Notch TV Shows of 2017, Part 2

No 5 amp160NBCamp8217s SuperstoreSuperstore did the impossible when it premiered in 2015 amp160It used a relatable and fresh approach to breathe new life into the already stale workplace comedy genre We had been given a The Officetype show in every setting imaginable but what America hadnamp8217t yet seen was a faithful depiction of the big box stores weamp8217ve all come to know and depend on That plus the charactersamp8217 collective ridiculousness and Amy and Jonahamp8217s whole amp8220will theywonamp8217t theyamp8221 thing makes for a show that has remained surprisingly solid The key is that all of Cloud Nineamp8217s employees ie the cast play their types well which is integral when telling a story with a message amp160America Ferrera is great as downtoearth Floor Supervisor Amy a nowsingle mom constantly walking the line between strong confidence and hilariously insecure snarkyness amp160Ben Feldman is perfect as knowitall goody twoshoes Jonah and if Lauren Ash as Assistant Manager Dina was any better at being a heel sheamp8217d be a pro wrestler amp160The characters much like the random cutaways to the storeamp8217s customers are yet another tool used by Superstore to get us looking in the mirror amp160Thatamp8217s why we love it because it shows us that weamp8217re all the same amp8211 also who doesnamp8217t need to laugh at themselves sometimesNo 4 amp160AMCamp8217s PreacherTrying to explain AMCamp8217s Preacher to people unfamiliar with it is a lot like trying to explain a fever dream amp160Explaining what makes it amazing is a lot easier amp160Itamp8217s simple Preacher is badass amp160Ignore the fact that the main character Jesse Custer badass name can command anyone to do anything because he has the literal voice of God within him amp160Forget that when we first meet Cassidy another badass name heamp8217s having a midflight fight to the death that he wins on a private jet and then survives a parachuteless jump from that same jet because heamp8217s a fking vampire undead badass amp160Donamp8217t even mention how the second we meet Tulip she partakes in and wins a vicious fight with two men in a moving car then proceeds to shoot a helicopter out of the sky with a homemade rocket launcher amp160That is literally the most badass sentence Iamp8217ve ever written amp160All of this is happened last season in episode one and believe it or not through 2017 the show has only gotten better Two words Herr Starramp160 Also Jesse has accidentally sent a guy to hell Tulipamp8217s past has been revealed as well complicated and Cassidy has a 60yearold French sonamp160 And then thereamp8217s that Christianbased doomsday organization tracking down our troublesome trio in search of Jesseamp8217s power amp160Jesse the broodingly handsome Dominic Cooper Cassidy Joseph Gilgun and Tulip the beautiful Ruth Negga are still the shittalking outlaws at heart we all wish we were or at least wish we knewamp160 PreachNo 3 amp160ABCamp8217s blackishblackish is one of the most important shows on TV right now amp160Fight me amp160Seriously there arenamp8217t any other shows doing what blackish does every week Yes itamp8217s a wildly popular and hilarious sitcom featuring an educated family of color with the means to live comfortably in an upper middleclass neighborhood but more than that itamp8217s actually saying something amp160This show takes things that actually matter in real life works them into amusing plotlines and then hits us with real facts amp160That may not sound like much but in a time where the truth can be harder to find than tax records itamp8217s comforting to know that thereamp8217s a room full of writers who arenamp8217t keen on feeding us more bullshit amp160Can the lessons about American Black History aka The History of Black Oppression get a little heavy on occasion amp160Certainly but the balance between that and the showamp8217s innate lighthearted nature is something that creator Kenya Barris seems to have managed well amp160Of course blackish has been consistently funny over the years especially during this most recent season but if I can come away from a laughingsohardIamp8217mcrying kind of joke and still have learned something about my culture or anyone elseamp8217s for that matter Iamp8217m downNo 2 amp160NBCamp8217s The Good PlaceThe only surprising aspect of my choice for No 2 should be the fact that it wasnamp8217t my choice for No 1 amp160It seems The Good Place is as original and clever as comedy can get and my God did they raise that bar up high amp160I canamp8217t remember the last time a comedy surprised and intrigued me so often and so regularly before Eleanor Kristen Bell took her first steps into Michaelamp8217s Ted Danson office amp160I havenamp8217t seen a show take its own silliness this seriously since 30 Rock and Iamp8217ve got to say it is forking delightful The amalgamation of ideas and religions that is the showamp8217s afterlife is elegantly inoffensive and the visuals and music are both in perfect sync with the showamp8217s unassumingly peaceful theme amp160The cherry on top amp160Janet amp160Everyoneamp8217s got their favorites and trust me Eleanor Chidi Tahani Jason and especially Michael Ted Danson all have a special place in my heart but Iamp8217d send each and every one of them to The Bad Place for Janet no questions asked amp160Damp8217Arcy Carden pictured at top with Danson was definitely funny as the everchipper Personal Trainer Gemma in Broad City but she truly shines here as amp8220Busty Alexaamp8221 amp160TeamJanetNo 1 amp160HBOamp8217s Game of ThronesFor whatever reason I willfully avoided this show for six seasons before I started watching it Devouring it is more accurateamp160 Now that Iamp8217ve seen every episode to date I want a timeshare in Winterfell amp160Iamp8217m strange like that but Iamp8217m sure youamp8217ll agree that Game of Thronesamp160hasamp160everything zombies magic giant wolves huge battles power struggles comedy HBOamp8217s trademark nudity and of course dragons amp160Does this mean Iamp8217ll be sitting down with my nineyearold and watching the Red Wedding episode amp160No because therapy is expensive amp160I will however use it to scratch the nerdy spot on my brain that tingles for anything scifi or middle earthy amp160I will definitely revel in its ability to make me love a character I hate and hate one I loved amp160I still have so many questions amp160Is Daenerys going to die in Season 8amp160 Is Cersei really pregnant amp160Whoamp8217s going to win amp8220CleganeBowlamp8221 And what about the ice dragon the Night King made amp160Does it breathe fire amp160Ice amp160Obviously this is the kind of show that one watches watches a recap show about and then discusses with a friend while fan theory videos play on YouTube in the background amp160I would honestly take a college course on the history of Westeros if one existed amp160Game of Thrones is more than a series amp160Itamp8217s a movement Thatamp8217s why it is my No 1 topnotch show of the yearHere in no particular order are a few Honorable Mentions that are still pretty dope but just didnamp8217t make the cut amp160Fox39s Brooklyn NineNine FX39s Legion WGN39s Underground Fox39s Star Viceland39s Desus ampamp Mero Hulu39s The Handmaid39s Tale Adult Swim39s Rick and Morty Netflix39s Master of None IFC39s Baroness Von Sketch Show Hulu39s Future Man Netflix39s Dear White People HBO39s Insecure NBC39s The Carmichael Show HBO39s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Fox39s Bob39s Burgers and ABC39s The Good DoctorClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Ten Top-Notch TV Shows of 2017, Part 2

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Ainsley Andrade

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