20 Best TV Shows Of 2016
4. Planet Earth II
Sure, I've just went through 16 of the best shows of the year, which are scripted to provide great characters, intense drama, and wonderful humour. But you know what beat all of them this year? Real f**king life!
The series highlights the weirdest and most wonderful elements of the animal kingdom and natural world, with a number of moments better than many scripted shows could match: racer snakes chase baby iguanas across a beach; the beautifully bizarre mating parade of the flamingos; a jaguar hunting a caiman in the jungle; a pride of lions trying to take down a giraffe in the desert; an arctic wolf being outrun by a herd of caribou; a bowerbird stealing items for its nest to impress a mate, including a plastic heart, only to discover the female is actually a male.
It's ridiculous, tension-filled, at times unbelievable TV - and it's all real. Of course it has some help: it's brilliantly edited, incredibly shot using groundbreaking technology, given a soaring score by Hans Zimmer, and, best of all, soberly narrated by certified national treasure (and person whose life I'd most loved to have lived) David Attenborough, who ensures to acknowledge the importance we play in protecting and prolonging this world, and the dangers facing it.
Best Episode: Cities