Past countdowns: 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011
In an episode that was a funny take on the "Tiger Mom" stereotype, Jessica learns that Tiger Woods is half Asian and decides to start pushing her kids even more. She runs into resistance from Louis so they use two of their children to test their different parenting styles while teaching golf. The contrast between Louis' fun loving approach and Jessica's intensity led to a funny plot throughout the episode. As with all the best Fresh Off the Boat episodes, it was another great showcase for Constance Wu, easily the best part of the show.
I am not a fan of The Big Bang Theory, but I am very much enjoying Young Sheldon because it seems like it belongs more with the ABC family sitcoms instead of a Big Bang-like show. My favorite episode so far in its short run involved Sheldon challenging a NASA engineer and then becoming so stressed with trying to become a theoretical physicist that he gives himself an ulcer. In this episode (and all of them so far), young Iain Armitage has done a fantastic job of being endearing without being annoying despite the character. It's enjoyable to see this precocious child show up the big boys of NASA.
If you're a regular watcher of American Housewife, it probably doesn't surprise you that Katy Mixon's Katie doesn't enjoy Valentine's Day. But the Valentine's Day episode was the best of the year of this underrated sitcom. From the frantic attempts by Greg to not do the big romantic gesture he planned for Katie to a very sweet storyline between siblings Oliver and Anna-Kat, I think this show is ABC's true successor to The Middle. It seamlessly blends a cynical and sweet feel in each episode.
Despite being set in a police precinct, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has rarely delved into serious social issues but it did by addressing police profiling with "Moo Moo." Because Nine-Nine is not a message-based show, it made it refreshing. It also handled the topic in a very funny way that didn't take itself too seriously. Terry is stopped by police in his own neighborhood, which leads to some questions about police and race. It also allowed the show to subtly highlight the fact that it has a gay and black captain leading the precinct and that's not something we've seen on TV. A very funny babysitting subplot involving Jake and Amy makes this an all around great episode.
The final season of The Middle has been enjoyable and sad at the same time. Enjoyable because the show is still at the top of its game and sad because everything we see this season is a last. And for a show that always did holiday episodes well, the last Thanksgiving episode was indeed a sentimental one. The Hecks get involved in a traffic jam on their way to Aunt Janet's for Thanksgiving and what initially is one disaster after another turns into making the best of the situation, which The Middle so often does.
One of the funniest episodes of the season belonged to Mom and a great guest turn by Bradley Whitford and Nicole Sullivan as Adam's best friends who also turn out to be raging alcoholics and partiers. Mom can sometimes be an issues show but this episode was just hilarious with Whitford easily the standout in an arrogant and outrageous role. It was also funny to see former alcoholics Bonnie and Christy on the exasperated sober side trying to deal with the drunks, especially when they had to go through a drive-through.
My favorite new drama of the year is The Good Doctor, which is a medical drama with something more to it thanks to Freddie Highmore and his dynamic performance as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a doctor with autism. Highmore elevates this show from being an average medical drama to something much more and that was on display in the most recent episode to air. After an episode of growing tensions over Shaun refusing to see a therapist, he has a major meltdown in the hospital lobby. As someone who has worked with children with autism, it all felt very real and that's a credit to the writers and particularly to Highmore.
One of the most interesting shows I watched this year was Feud. I'm still not even sure what I think about it as a whole because I felt like it never quite got where it should have, yet I was weirdly fascinated by it. Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon were captivating in their roles as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis and the finale, with a very apt title, was a wistful look at what could have been with those two actresses even as Joan Crawford faded into dementia. The chilling hallucination scene in Joan's apartment was interesting and sad and a lesson for those who let their egos get the best of them.
I have only just started the second season of Master of None and this is the only episode I've watched so there may be better ones to come, but I wanted to give some representation to one of the most interesting shows airing right now. Every time I watch an episode of Master of None, I feel a little unsure of my opinion except to know I enjoyed it and I like that with some shows. The second season premiere, an ode to Italian cinema but with contemporary touches, was another fascinating episode to watch. Filmed entirely in black and white, it seamlessly blended an old fashioned Italian feel with the story of a stolen cell phone. I can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store.
Some of the best episodes of The Middle throughout its run have involved the entire family in the same place for the duration of the episode. And what better place to keep the family in one place than an escape room? It was part of a small little boom of episodes involving escape rooms on TV but it was the best one with the trademarked Heck bickering as they frantically tried to beat the record set by the perfect Donahues. There were some great family moments including Sue revealing she always cheated at family games and Brick convinced that the random man in the room with them is actually a famous author.
If you've read my blog before, you know that I'm mixed at best about the Nick-Jess relationship on New Girl and I definitely like it better when they are apart. This episode is great because it deals with the Nick-Jess dynamics but in a different way. Despite the fact that Nick is dating Reagan, Jess realizes that she's doing a lot of "girlfriend things" and tries to navigate that, which ultimately leads to a drunken trip by Nick and Jess to Schmidt and Cece's new house and it's many, many points of entry. It's a very funny episode that advances the Nick-Jess storyline in a positive way.
After a tornado ripped apart the Cloud Nine Superstore at the end of season two, Superstore's stellar third season started with a hilarious episode about the rush to get the store ready for a reopening happening sooner than they were planning for. There were so many funny things in this episode including quick cuts to show a staff furiously trying to get a store ready to Glenn's realization that he has a strange sounding voice. I think Superstore has been the most consistently strong show this season, comedy or drama, and it was apparent from the season premiere.
The best episode of the second season of This is Us to date is one that took us to a new era for the Big Three: ten years ago when they were in the 20s. We got to meet Randall, Kate, and Kevin in an era of their life we hadn't seen yet (and got a glimpse into how Rebecca and Miguel got together). But the best part of this episode took place in their childhood and a Halloween that wasn't for young Randall. Dressed as Michael Jackson and trying to stick to a schedule, Randall learns about the baby he replaced in the Pearson household in a very touching scene with Mandy Moore's Rebecca. Speaking of Moore, she definitely needs an Emmy nomination this year after her snub last season for her beautiful monologue in the hospital to Randall's baby girl during the glimpse into the 20s.
The reason this episode is ranked here is on the merits of the individual episode. I felt as though Chicago Fire cheated a bit when it came back for the next season and revealed that nobody had died in the terrible warehouse fire depicted in this episode. While I never really believed that Casey would die despite his emotional goodbye to Gabby, I did believe that Mouch was in grave danger as he suffered a heart attack while in the warehouse. This kind of show should always be about life and death and these firefighters are in a position where they could lose their lives on any given call. It seemed like Fire was ready to address it head on in this heart pounding episode. I guess you could argue they still addressed that even without losing any cast members.
Blue Bloods kicked off its eighth season with a very surprising revelation: that Danny's wife Linda had died. Not only was this a great episode and performance by Donnie Wahlberg, but it was very clever how the episode revealed Linda's death. At first, it seemed as though there may have been a divorce or separation. Then it was slowly obvious that Linda had died. Then it was revealed that she died in a tragic rescue helicopter crash. Although Linda was a supporting character, her loss still was felt by longtime fans and with it being a quiet Friday night show, it was able to keep that revelation a secret until the episode aired.
The funniest episode of the year belonged to The Mick and a madcap premise that involved Mickey and Chip having to race against the clock to help someone Chip met at school but who's actually just using his house as a place to be with his girlfriend. I love episodes where characters have to sneak around in a frantic way, those have been funny since the I Love Lucy days, and this was another entry in a long list. But what I really enjoy about The Mick is it doesn't care one bit about being sweet or sentimental. I love my ABC comedies but The Mick is basically an anti-ABC comedy. All the snark and cynicism with absolutely no trace of the sweetness and heart.
Black-ish loves to tackle hot button issues. Sometimes it can be done very well. Other times, it feels very forced and heavy handed. "Lemons" was an example of it being done very effectively. The episode was written in direct response to the election of Donald Trump as President and it so accurately captured discussion and debate going on all around the country following the divisive 2016 election. While chances are that most Black-ish viewers were agreeing with the Johnsons' view of Trump, it was still a fair episode that was more about having a dialogue and coming together than it was about taking a side. It was expertly crafted and very timely. Maybe it won't hold up in the long run but it was a very appropriate episode for 2017.
3. Scandal #109 "Day 101" (ABC/October 19)
Scandal spent the first two episodes of its final season focusing on the beginning of the Mellie Grant administration. But the best episode of an uneven final season was one that focused on the Grant who used to occupy the White House. The episode started with a fascinating look into Fitz's lonely life in Vermont and came to a head in a wild argument between Fitz and Marcus. Despite a short visit from Rowan that threatened to spoil the episode, it ended on a very powerful moment with Fitz taking a stand in a local Vermont news story. I've always been fascinated by the post-presidency life and this was a great episode about that very topic. I'll get more into Scandal when its final episode airs but as I said last year with a high charting episode, it's still capable of creating great episodes and moments. It's just a shame that they are much more rare these days.
Already having a fantastic season, Superstore gave us an instantly classic Christmas episode this year. I'm a big sucker for Christmas episodes which is why one usually appears somewhere on this countdown. This one had all the elements of a great Christmas episode including someone being Scroogey about something (Mateo in this case) and a family (a work family here) being together for the holiday. It also was the episode with the best sight gag of the entire year: Amy, Dina, and Cheyenne riding Cloud 9 carts over to Amy's estranged husband and his new girlfriend. "Christmas Eve" at Superstore provided some laugh out loud and very sweet moments.
The competition for #1 wasn't even close this year. As soon as I watched "Memphis" back in February, I was pretty sure that the most heart wrenching episode of This is Us would be #1 on this countdown and nothing in the 10 months that followed could come close. I'm not one to cry during TV shows but "Memphis," which centered on the life and death of William had me a teary mess. The episode featured standout performances by Ron Cephas Jones as William, Sterling K. Brown as Randall, and Jermel Nakia as a young William. It was brilliant the way the show managed to show a man's entire life in one episode (including before he was even born), punctuating it with the beautiful song "We Can Always Come Back to This." William didn't have an easy life, it could be argued that his life was one of missed opportunities and questionable decisions but have you ever rooted for a character more? I have saved that episode on my DVR since it first aired but haven't been able to bring myself to watch it again. Honestly, it's making me emotional just thinking back to it as I write this. This is Us will probably run for several more years and have many more great moments. But it's hard for me to imagine it ever reaching the emotional height of "Memphis" again (yes, that includes when they finally get around to Jack's death). I consider "Memphis" to be one of TV's greatest episodes ever, not just in 2017.
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