When the world around you is in complete shambles, you can always count on television. Especially now more than ever. With Netflix, Hulu and even — shocker — network TV, great television is always readily available. Especially in 2017.
In a time where the news in continuously flooded with bad, we could always turn on the best TV shows of 2017 to find some sort of escape. From the return of Stranger Things to the end of some of our absolute favorites like New Girl, these are the best TV shows that got us through the year.
17. Stranger Things
A lot of things were wrong about 2017, but the return of Stranger Things was not one of them. We finally got to see where the heck Eleven had been this whole time and surprisingly fell in love with Steve as he transformed from a douche into the best mom in the world. We also realized that Hopper is totally #daddy. Sorry. Oh Stranger Things, we love you.
16. New Girl
Speaking of ending, 2017 was almost the last season of New Girl as well. Thankfully we’ll get one more season in 2018, but if 2017’s was to be their last – it would’ve been alright because it was really an A+ season. Engagements, baby announcements, and Nick and Jess FINALLY realizing they needed to be together, what more could you ask for from this Fox comedy show?
15. The Last Man On Earth
While The Walking Dead and its buddy Fear the Walking Dead tell a gruesome tale of the apocalypse, The Last Man On Earth has been bringing light and comedy to the end of the world for four seasons. Will Forte and Kristen Schaal continued to be the dynamic duo leading the pack, but we did get to see an addition of Saturday Night Live‘sKristen Wiig for a hot minute, and a couple of new kids on the block, which just made the show even better.
14. Future Man
Hulu is stepping up their game and if you’re into sci-fi, penis jokes and the ’80s, Future Man will be your new fave. The Hunger Games‘s Josh Hutcherson is hilarious and heartfelt as the lead character as he proves to be the key to saving mankind. This show is a wild ride, but it’s just so very good.
13. Game of Thrones
How could we talk about things that were great in 2017 without talking about Game of Thrones?! I mean, come on. The penultimate season of this HBO hit gave fans everything they’d been waiting for and more. They certainly didn’t skimp with the theatrics during season seven and basically set up everything so that sh*t could completely hit the fan during season eight. Like, MY GOD.
12. This Is Us
Wait, did we just mention tears? With that, we have to talk about NBC’s hit show, This Is Us. Ever since it debuted in 2016, it’s been revered by just about every person who’s watched it. You cry, you laugh, then you cry again because you’re laughing so hard. It’s a vicious cycle and 2017 was no different. The ensemble cast brought the show to greatness, but we’ve got to give a special shoutout for Sterling K. Brown, who stole our hearts (and won an Emmy while doing it) as Randall Pearson. We were glued to the screens each and every week.
11. Superstore
Let’s lighten the mood. TV shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation left a big hole in our hearts when they both went off air. Could any other show get quirky comedy like those two did?
Superstore fit the bill, though. Another workplace comedy from NBC, every season is funnier than the previous. If you have yet to watch, please see their Halloween episode from this year. It’s pure gold.
10. The Goldbergs
Doing a comedy based in another era is always a bit of a risk. Especially when it’s a comedy — the “way too cheesy” line is way too easy to cross. The Goldbergs have thankfully perfectly depicted life in the ’80s. One of the best shows to ever pay homage to this decade, The Goldbergs continue to strive for greatness as they give us both nostalgic feels and a lot of heart.
9. Broad City
YAS, kweens! Comedy Central deserves a lot of praise for taking Broad City from cyberspace and bringing it to our TV screens. Last year we saw the show end on a heartbreaking note, but come 2017, they lightened it up and served up a lot of girl power storylines. Which, of course, we are all about.
8. Insecure
Issa Rae is another hilarious person who went from YouTube to having her own series. Insecure is one of the realest looks at life, love, and the struggle out there. Fans could not wait for the second season this summer, and man was it worth it! Filled with just as many ups and downs as the first… Insecure gave us more anxiety than we ever could have expected.
7. Baby Daddy
Let me grab a tissue real quick. Baby Daddy said farewell this year after six seasons on Freeform. It was part heartbreaking and part infuriating to hear that Baby Daddy had been ousted in favor of Young & Hungry. In the end, though, it was bittersweet to see the gang welcome a new baby into the picture, while the OG baby daddy finally found “the one.”
6. Young Sheldon
You know what? We didn’t expect to like Young Sheldon. So different than The Big Bang Theory, it was almost too weird to care about. We soon learned not to judge a book by it’s cover because it far exceeded our expectations. The prequel is actually one of the best shows CBS has had in a very long time. Period.
5. The Bold Type
Have you ever noticed that 99% of women in rom-coms work at a magazine? And 100% of the time it’s like, they have no idea what’s going on or how to put together a complete sentence? Well, The Bold Type spills the real tea about working for a magazine — it was actually inspired by the life of a former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief. A show that’s praised for it’s diversity, humor and accurate (ish) representation of life as a millennial, The Bold Type is the show we’re obsessed with that no one saw coming.
4. Degrassi: Next Class
If you work at Netflix and happen to be reading this, please note that ten episodes is just not enough when it comes to Degrassi. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s celebrate what we did get this year from what feels like the 185th season. They tackled terrorism, had a Craig Manning cameo and a graduation that had us saying goodbye to some key players at the Canadian high school. Degrassi has always been good at presenting real teen issues in an unapologetic light and we just can’t stop praising it.
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
When actors leave Saturday Night Live, it can be a gamble. Sure, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jimmy Fallon have all risen to peak levels of fame — but many other SNL stars have basically fallen off the face of the planet. Andy Samberg struck gold with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Every season is better than the last and this season solidified the show as one of the best of the year. Andy and the likes of Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Andre Braugher and more just get better with each passing year.
2. The Handmaid’s Tale
You can’t really argue that a show is amazing when it slays and wins almost every awards it’s nominated for. Set in a world where the government takes quite the turn towards basically enslaving women and turning them into baby-making machines, The Handmaid’s Tale had everyone hooked. We only had one problem with it this year: there needed to be MORE.
1. Riverdale
Who knew that a bright set of comic book characters could be transformed into the most angsty high school show ever? Nobody saw it coming, but we’re glad Riverdale exists. Addicting is the best way we can describe this CW show that stars Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart and KJ Apa. From Cheryl Blossom being the absolute HBIC to Jughead’s emo-ridden soul and OTT quotes, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend out Wednesday nights than with Riverdale.