20 Best TV Shows Of 2016 

7. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Best TV Shows 2016
Netflix

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was my favourite new TV show - and favourite sitcom period - of 2015. Brightly coloured, super weird, and a ridiculous amount of fun, it was impossible not to join in with lead Ellie Kemper's megawatt smile.

With Season 2, they not only repeated the trick, but made it even better. The story continued Kimmy's transition into normal life after her time in the bunker, and continued to use her fish-out-of-water nature for comedy.

It wasn't just played for laughs though, as the show gave an affecting analysis of the PTSD she was suffering from, perfectly marrying the serious with the silly. It made for a poignant throughline, building towards a hugely emotional climax.

And, along the way, there so many jokes: visual gags, jokes that advance the narrative, others that pause the show, ones that payoff previous episodes of this year, and last, ones that payoff in the future, some that are just delightfully random, and a few brilliant moments of meta-humour. Its joke rate was astounding, and it's amazing it found room for anything deeper, let alone made it as important as the comedy.

Best Episode: Kimmy Meets A Drunk Lady

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.