9 Most Emotional TV Moments Of 2016
2016 has been a tough year. Luckily, we had TV to help... oh, nevermind.
While TV is often a method of getting away from real world struggles - never more necessary than in 2016 - great television generally cuts a bit deeper.
The best television is that which allows us to experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows, with both making a genuine impact. The most memorable moments, the ones that linger, are more often than not those that sting too.
When Buffy's mother dies, or Marshall's dad (in HIMYM). When pretty much everyone is killed at the Red Wedding, or when the Friends leave the apartment for the last time. Usually sad, or at least bittersweet; always with us.
2016 wasn't shy of these such moments. There were some truly shocking deaths, sad goodbyes, characters we care about suffering emotional turmoil, and even one surprisingly happy ending. (Warning: contains spoilers.)
9. Marcia's Breakdown - The People V O.J. Simpson
The People V O.J. Simpson was many things: a detailed, dramatised retelling of one of the biggest stories of the 1990s; a meticulously plotted courtroom drama; a scathing comment on celebrity culture; an examination of institutionalised racism within America. It was also a character study, or more character rebuilding, of Marcia Clark.
Brilliantly played by Sarah Paulson, the series humanises Clark, a person who was turned into a caricature by the media at the time.
After some negative press, Clark decided to get a new haircut, and is genuinely impressed with the results. She strides into the courtroom with newfound confidence, only to find all eyes gawking and mouths sniggering.
She tries to maintain composure, but gradually crumples, with Paulson showing us every bit of pain and stress she's going through - which is only exemplified when we soon learn of the toil the trial is taking on her ability to look after her children.