I posted one of these in 2015 and 2014 and while I did actually write something up for 2016 I never got around to posting it. 2016 was a really really strong year for TV shows. As someone who loves monster, demon, and horror themed stuff 2016 had plenty of that to offer. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but maybe I pick shitty pictures so I decided to add a YouTube link to a trailer for each of these shows at the end of my ramblings.

10) Crazyhead

This show is a comedy version Outcast (you'll see my thoughts on that show further up this list). It is a goofy lighthearted comedy about two demon hunting ladies. I really don't know what else to say about it. It is really brief at only six episodes so there isn't really any reason for those of you with a Netflix account not to at least check it out. Trailer link.

9) Daredevil

Season 2 really did feel like two separate and distinct shows. This isn't a bad thing in and of itself but the difference in quality between the Punisher and Elektra plots is just so big it really makes the show feel incredibly uneven. The Daredevil/Punisher stuff was top tier TV, while the Elektra/ninja stuff was just incredibly poorly explained. The scenes between Bernthal and D'Onofrio really highlight how those two are just in a completely different league from the rest of the actors on the show. Anyway, the Punisher stuff is great enough to put it on this list, but ninja bullshit holds it down at the number nine spot. Trailer link.

8) The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead has had its ups and downs for a while now but this stretch of episodes since the crew got to Alexandria has just been nonstop fantastic. This year's batch of episodes has been no different. Outside of a very very very bullshit cliffhanger the show has consistently delivered fantastic episodes this year. It was great seeing Rick's group be the king shits for a while but putting them back in the underdog position with Negan's introduction has breathed some new life into the show. Trailer link.

7) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This show has gone from side dish to the main course. Agents of SHIELD is currently the best thing coming out of the MCU. I care more about what happens to Fitz or Daisy than I do about Captain America and his terrorist friends. This show never drags its feet and quickly moves through story lines that other shows would stretch to an entire season. The addition of Robbie Reyes (Ghost Rider) to this season has been fantastic and he surprisingly fit right in with the rest of the cast. Would it be too much to ask for six seasons and a movie? Trailer link.

6) American Horror Story: Roanoke

American Horror Story had a really good first season and an absolutely incredible second season, and then the show sort of stumbled and hasn't really found its footing until now. This finally feels like the successor to seasons 1 and 2. The show has so many twists and turns that it is impossible to go into any details without spoiling it but sufficient to say that it goes some pretty interesting places. Shoutout to Cuba Gooding Jr., he was a fantastic addition to the cast this year and I hope he comes back for future seasons. I strongly encourage anyone who was turned off from the show after Freakshow or Coven to give this season a shot. They throw so much shit at the wall and surprisingly, all of it really felt like it stuck (except for the hillbilly plot, that shit was a drag). Trailer link.

5) Outcast

A lot of people have gone sour on The Walking Dead but I still love it. When I heard that another Kirkman property was getting a show I knew I had to check it out. Instead of post-apocalypse zombies here we have demons and exorcisms. The pilot is hands down the greatest single episode of television I saw this year. A perfectly paced self contained episode that immediately sells you on the concept of the show. The season never again matches the highs of that first episode but it is still really damn good. It is like a more serious version of Crazyhead. Trailer link.

4) Haters Back Off!

"Comedies" about shitty people being miserable have always been hard for me to get into. It is the reason stuff like Louie and Bojack Horseman never really clicked with me. Haters does a good job of being a comedy first and foremost, with the main character being completely oblivious to how shitty she is. The best comparison I can come up with is Napoleon Dynamite without any of the awkwardness. The show goes for comedy 95% of the time so that when it turns serious it really has an impact and hits you in the feels, making you reflect on the season as a whole. Trailer link.

3) Stranger Things

It is like an amalgamation of Twin Peaks, Silent Hill, and the Goonies. A show in which pretty much every scene is drawing inspiration from something else but it is all executed so perfectly that I can't complain. Whether you understand the references or not is irrelevant to the actual enjoyment of the story which unfolds at a nice pace with its tight 8 episodes. A great professor of mine once said "if you were really smart you would figure out how to say what you want to with smaller words that anyone can understand." This show feels like the embodiment of that. It is an appropriate for all ages horror mystery thriller that doesn't feel dumbed down for kids or like it is filled with dialogue and themes that are only there to be understood by adults. I have seen some complaints about the high school stuff but I loved all that too. Then again, I am also the person that enjoyed all the high school drama in Twin Peaks too, so your enjoyment may vary. Trailer link.

2) Freakish

The best way I can think to describe this show is Dawn of the Dead meets Degrassi. It is a high school drama with zombies, with a group of kids being stuck in a school after a chemical plant explosion creates zombies. What really made the show entertaining for me was the acting. It is a cheesy goofy plot played earnestly by everyone with the exception of Chad Coleman who plays the lone adult. Coleman clearly realizes it is schlock and hams it up but everyone else plays things pretty straight which makes it much more entertaining. It is a stupid plot with characters that make stupid decisions and the show is filled with more than a few plot holes but the characters all being dumb high school kids really allows that stuff to slide more than it does with any other show. The brief 20-something minute run time of each episode combined with the 10 episode overall season make the show come and go before it outstays its welcome and left me eagerly wanting another season. Trailer link.

1) 11.22.63

This show gets a spot on my list if for nothing else then because it actually finishes the story it sets out to tell. They very easily could have made this show multiple seasons long if they wanted to but instead they decide to tell their story, conclude it, and put a nice bow on it. That is pretty damn great, especially when the source material is so open to the possibility of stretching itself out indefinitely. Time travel alternate history stuff is always interesting, and the set designs and actors are all top notch. With the recent election the thought of alternate histories and what ifs is as interesting as ever. That said, while 11.22.63 starts off with the premise of trying to stop the assassination of JFK, it quickly transforms into a love story which could have easily ruined the show but Sarah Gadon is so damn charming as Sadie that it is impossible to get mad. The limited series format is really kind to Stephen King's material and I hope we get to see more adaptations from showrunner Bridget Carpenter. Trailer link.