There are over 400 TV series available on TV today but while there are plenty of choices, only a few series stand out and are worthy of your entertainment time. In this article, we are going to look at the must watch TV series for 2017.
To make our list, we considered the following variables:
- Popularity of the shows
- Themes/story line
- Viewer ratings
- Social media buzz
The Good Place (NBC)
The Good Place follows Eleanor Shell Strop who went to heaven after her death. The show is thrilling and offers important messages for viewers. Most of the humor on The Good Place is satirical in nature. The Good Place also stars Ted Danson who helps with improving the star power of the show. It is no wonder that Season one of the series has attracted over 5 million viewers. This is comparable to ABC’s Black-ish which averaged the same number of viewers.
Westworld (HBO)
This is a futuristic mystery series where rich “guests” have their way with realistic looking robot “hosts” in a western-themed amusement park. The guests indulge themselves with fantasies of sex, abuse, and violence with zero consequences since their victims are robots who are programmed not to harm humans. The central mystery of the first season involves finding a secret part of the theme park called The Maze and how some robots are starting to become self-aware. Westworld is one HBO’s most successful shows and averages about 12 million viewers per week.
This Is Us (NBC)
NBC’s second show to make it on the list is the family drama series “This Is Us”. This show scores a lot of points for its emotional, tear-jerking story lines involving three siblings and their families. “This is Us” follows Kate and Kevin who are fraternal twins, their black adopted brother, Randall and their parents, Jack and Rebecca. The show tells the story of this family through flashbacks, telling the characters’ stories from the past and present. “This is Us” was nominated for three Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actress (Mandy Moore/Chrissy Metz) and Best TV Drama.
The Night Of (HBO)
“The Night Of” is a crime drama that explores the circumstances surrounding a New York City murder case with Naz, a Pakistani-American college student accused of murdering Andrea, a young woman he picked up on a way to a party after a night of sex and drugs. It looks at the racial, cultural, and political forces that weighed heavily on the case and if Naz really did kill Andrea.
The eight-episode mini-series features Riz Ahmed as Naz, John Turturro as Naz’s lawyer, and Michael K. Williams (of The Wire fame) as a fellow inmate. The Night Of was nominated for 3 Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Miniseries (Riz Ahmed/John Turturro) and Best Miniseries.
Stranger Things (Netflix)
“Stranger Things” may not have high viewership as some of the other series we have in this list but it’s one of the best reviewed series on TV with a 95% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Set in the 1980’s the premise of the show involves the mysterious disappearance of 12-year-old Will Byers and the subsequent search and investigation by Will’s mother, Joyce, his older brother Jonathan, Jim Hopper, the town’s police chief, Will’s three friends, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas, and Eleven, a young girl with psychokinetic powers.
“Stranger Things” is inspired by and pays homage to 80’s pop culture and movies from directors such as Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George Lucas. The series features sci-fi as well as horror elements that are prominent in the works of these directors.
Atlanta (FX)
FX has proven that it is ready to take on non-traditional projects such as “Atlanta”. The show was created by Donald Glover and focuses on issues of race and gender in a hilarious way and shows off Glover’s unique brand of humor. “Atlanta” is about two cousins, Earn (Donald Glover), who dropped out of Princeton and returns to Atlanta and tries to reconnect with his cousing, Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) who is on the cusp of becoming a rap star.
“Atlanta” was not only nominated but won 2 Golden Globe Awards for Best TV Comedy and Best Actor in a TV Comedy (Donald Glover).
