Regular visitors here will know Rebecca from her regular Big Worlds On Small Screens column and will probably be as pleased as I am that she has popped back from her sabbatical (focusing on her studies — how does that work! 😉 ) to share her Top 5 shows of 2016.

The same as for the books, my request  was for shows viewed by Rebecca in 2016; they did not have to be released this year.

So without further ado, let’s check out Rebecca’s picks.

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Rebecca Fisher’s Top 5 Shows of 2016

Jessica Jones (2015)

Science Fiction

I’ve been feeling a little fatigued with superhero-themed shows lately, but I made an exception for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. Krysten Ritter stars as the show’s heroine, a young woman with super strength, a detective agency, and a serious case of PTSD. She’s already struggling emotionally and financially, but her life takes a turn for the even worse when she realizes that her abusive ex-boyfriend Kilgrave is still alive (after being presumed dead in a car accident) and out for revenge.

What makes Kilgrave (David Tennant) so terrifying is that he has the power of persuasion. Any verbal command he gives must be instantly obeyed by whoever hears it, and he’s been honing this talent for his entire adult life. It’s this cat-and-mouse game between the two of them that makes Jessica Jones so riveting: there’s none of the alien invasions or planetary destruction prevalent in the big-screen Marvel films – just one good woman versus one bad man.
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Black Sails (2014 – 2017)

Historical Drama

By combining the real-life figures of Charles Vane, Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny with Robert Louis Stevenson’s fictional Long John Silver, Captain Flint and Billy Bones, Black Sails becomes a unique fusion of historical pirate biopic and prequel to the novel Treasure Island. Somehow, the combination works.

I’ve been watching this show since its inception, and each season is better than the one before, becoming less about the sex and violence, and more about the intricacies of piratical society and the constant shift of power from one individual or alliance to another. With the final season due to air early next year, the various plots are drawing together and aligning themselves with the opening chapters of Treasure Island – I can’t wait!
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Into the Badlands (2015)

Dystopian Fantasy

Dystopian futures are a dime-a-dozen these days, but the strength of Into the Badlands comes from the intensity of its visual style. A mash-up of feudal Japan and the plantations of the American South is not a likely combination, but even more surprising is the vividness of colour that’s on display: fields of blazing poppies, rich green forests, bright blue kimonos – it’s a far cry from the usual drab tones of your typical dystopia.

It’s the striking look of this show that helps carry it through its slightly thin plot and characterization: a young soldier wants to escape his current life of serving a ruthless baron by leaving the Badlands with his pregnant girlfriend – and the discovery of a boy with a destructive power may provide him with the opportunity. The story has all the political intrigue, backstabbing and betrayal you could wish for, but its true strength lies in its energetic fight scenes and unique aesthetic.
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Humans (2015 – 2016)

Science Fiction

In the not-to-distant future humans live alongside “synths”, robotic A.I.s that perform all sorts of menial tasks around the home and at work. But as well as exploring some of the downsides to free labour (such as unemployment and relationship breakdowns) the show also focuses on one middle-class family that becomes increasingly suspicious their household synth is self-aware.

It’s this that makes Humans so compelling: the microcosmic perspective of a premise that grapples with worldwide issues of free will and morality. It’s not just another robot invasion story, but one that concentrates on the disrupted dynamics of a single relatable family.
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Galavant (2015 – 2016)

Fantasy

The world needs this show more than ever, not because it’s particularly clever or enlightening or innovative, but because it exists for the sole purpose of making you laugh. Set in a Generic Medieval Fantasy Land and starring a handsome knight with sparkling teeth, Galavant is on a quest to rescue his true love from a tyrannical king – only to crash the wedding and find out that she actually prefers the perks that come with marrying into royalty.

That’s just the first fairy tale subversion that Galavant delivers, though it never becomes cynical or nasty. Things like chivalry and kindness and true love aren’t ridiculed – only cast into a more realistic light. And did I mention it was a musical? Alan Menkin (you’ll know him from scoring nearly all of the Disney animated films) provides the songs, and dozens of celebrities show up for singing cameo roles. It’s been a rather grim year, but Galavant always managed to put a smile on my face.

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About Rebecca Fisher

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com and her They’re All Fictional blog. Rebecca won the 2015 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Fan Writer.

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To read the previous  instalment in this Top 5 series, click on:

Paul Weimer’s Top 5 Reads of 2016

Karen McMillan’s Top 5 Fiction Reads of 2016