Here's January-March
1. The Americans (FX)
2. Horace and Pete (LouisCK.net)
3. Veep (HBO)
4. OJ: Made in America (ESPN)
5. Friday Night Tykes:Steel Country (Esquire)
6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
7. Silicon Valley (HBO)
8. The Girlfriend Experience (Starz)
9. Catastrophe (Amazon)
10. The People v. OJ Simpson (FX)
Halfway through 2016, typically eclectic list. The two shows from which you couldn't turn away were The Americans and Louis CK's Horace and Pete. Veep maybe...maybe gave some ground this season, too often the punchlines settled for name calling; I get it, Jonah's a shitstain or some variation thereof. The Simpson documentary didn't quite live up to expectations for those who were already familiar with the narrative. I've written about a conceptual difficulty I had with its POV. Tykes moved to Pennsylvania for its best season since its first. Schmidt, like Veep, retained its status as in the inner circle for TV comedy while being maybe a tick disappointing this season. Silicon is a steady performer - Girlfriend Experience moved to the top of the list for Starz original programming as a real triumph of mood and tone. Catastrophe's six epside second season was stronger on dialogue than storyline. The Ryan Murphy take on the Simpson Trial had good performances (if a little campy) but didn't illuminate.
Two Netflix series, Orange is the New Black and Maria Bamford's sitcom will be considered for the next quarter.
