TV Shows We Missed in 2016, part 1

We Take a Look at Some of Our Favourite Programs That, For Whatever Reason, Weren’t Around Last Year

 

Attack on Titan

Anime at it’s finest, Attack on Titan is a thrill-a-minute nightmare which, despite its consistently grim tone, is perhaps the most binge-worthy show on this list. Humankind has been driven to the brink of extinction by murderous, people-devouring titans, who grin maniacally as they rip their victims to shreds with their teeth. The plot follows Eren (Bryce Papenbrook) and his friends as they they join the rebel militia, who employ aerial manoeuvres and twin blades to take down the titan forces in a bevy of incredible action sequences. It’s the ultimate underdog story, an adrenaline-soaked mash-up of badarse wish fulfillment and unrelenting tragedy.

Latest Episode: “Wall: Assault on Stohess, Part 3 [English Dub]”, aired November 1st, 2014 (Original Japanese air date was September 29th, 2013)

Current Status: Has been on a long-arse hiatus but is slated to finally return in April of this year. However, considering how many times it’s been delayed over the past two years, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Where to Watch it: Every episode of Attack on Titan is available for purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray from Madman Entertainment.

 

Community

Undoubtedly the best sitcom of the 21st Century, Community’s existence and longevity is nothing short of a miracle. Over the course of six seasons, the show’s creator and showrunner Dan Harmon was fired and rehired, it was cancelled by NBC and, on the eve that the actor’s contracts were to expire, picked up for a final season… by Yahoo (seriously). All this behind the scenes insanity suits a show of such unbridled creativity, one week an homage to Pulp Fiction, the next a claymation musical Christmas special. Of all the weird, unpredictable laughs that filled our lives yet rang silent last year, Community’s absence was felt most profoundly.

Latest Episode: “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television”, aired June 2nd, 2015

Current Status: As per the fan rallying cry of #sixseasonsandamovie, Harmon has stated that a feature film is definitely on his to-do list. There’s also probably a couple of gallons of vodka a little higher up on that list though, so it could be a while.

Where to Watch it: Community can be watched in its entirety with a Stan subscription.

 

Fargo

Fargo jumped more than a few hurdles to become such an unexpected gem. For starters, it’s a television adaptation of a beloved feature film that doesn’t seem to have any reason to exist. Add to that the anthology approach to its two seasons – where each features a completely different story and timeline with loosely connected characters – and the chances that it doesn’t suck are fucking slim (do I have to remind you of True Detective’s second season?). Regardless, the snowy crime show meets morality tale vibe of Fargo is nothing if not fascinating, while the winning performances from the likes of Ted Danson, Allison Tolman, Bokeem Woodbine and Martin Freeman balance out the nihilistic violence that waits to strike at any moment.

Latest Episode: “Palindrome”, aired December 14th, 2015

Current Status: Though initially expected to return early this year, reports indicate that production on season 3 has only just begun. I’d give it six months, at least.

Where to Watch it: Seasons 1 and 2 of Fargo can be watched with a Stan subscription.

 

Hannibal

Another day, another film-to-television adaptation that had no chance of being any good. Except, for those familiar with Hannibal’s particular brand of visceral beauty, it is of course something quite marvellous, a show unparalleled in its portrayal of violence and attempts to reconcile bloodlust with profundity. For such a lofty and kinda silly premise (his name’s “Hannibal the Cannibal”, for fuck’s sake), Hannibal’s strength lies in its refusal to ever be ashamed of what it was: according to creator Bryan Fuller, his instruction to every new director on the show was to shoot it like “a pretentious art film from the ‘80s”. Yeah, that definitely matches up.

Latest Episode: “The Wrath of the Lamb”, aired August 29th 2015

Current Status: Officially cancelled by NBC in June, 2015, Fuller and the cast have continually spoken of finishing the show off with a miniseries adaptation of Silence of the Lambs. Due to a streaming deal with Amazon, production would most likely take place sometime after August this year. Let’s hope.

Where to Watch it: Hannibal can be watched in its entirety with a Stan subscription.

 

Key & Peele

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s sketch comedy show Key & Peele is the most consistent program of its ilk because it combines and extends on the strengths of its competition. It has the topicality of Saturday Night Live without the diminishing returns and corniness, the absurdity of Kroll Show while remaining accessible and wields an even more potent outsider bite than that of Inside Amy Schumer. While always remaining a joyous and unapologetically black show, K&P skewers everything from Obama’s mild temperament to overzealous substitute teachers and the batshit names given to pro athletes, always retaining its sense of fun no matter how hard it leans in.

Latest Episode: “The End”, aired September 9th, 2015

Current Status: The show ended on its creators terms, as Key and Peele sought to work on other separate projects. However, their collaboration on the movie Keanu last year and the obvious chemistry they share suggests that the door could always be open for more sketches in the future.

Where to Watch it: Key & Peele can be watched in its entirety on the Comedy Channel on Foxtel.

 

The Knick

Steven Soderbergh – the director of sex, lies & videotape and Ocean’s Eleven who “retired” not too long ago – has found his true calling in television. A man of limitless technical wizardry when it comes to how things are shot and edited, Soderbergh gets to indulge every whim he has on The Knick which, appropriately enough, follows physicians making crucial breakthroughs in surgical procedures at the dawn of the 19th Century. As director of every episode, Soderbergh will sometimes use virtuosic longshots to emphasise his characters’ determination; at other times, an editing job that feels like it was performed by a six-year-old with a hatchet puts us in the mindframe of a cocaine-fuelled frenzy. Regardless of the specifics, it’s always executed with a magnetic, devilish passion and complete disregard for whether we’re equipped to handle it or not.

Latest Episode: “This Is All We Are”, aired December 18th, 2015

Current Status: That’s a good fucking question. Soderbergh maintains that it was always intended for the show to run for six years, with a different director taking the reigns for seasons 3 and 4, and then again for 5 and 6. Now it seems Soderbergh wants to stick with the show, but completely switch up the storyline and characters, which makes sense when considering the brutal happenings of season 2’s finale. So, honestly, who knows?

Where to Watch it: Seasons 1 and 2 of The Knick can be watched on Showcase on Foxtel.

 

The Leftovers

Easily the most conceptual show on this list (and perhaps on television in general), The Leftovers takes place in our own world with one major alteration: on October 14th, 2011, there was a global cataclysmic event known as the “Sudden Departure”, where 140 million people – or 2% of the world’s population – simply disappeared. As implied by the title, the show focuses on those who remain and the day-to-day anguish they are subjected to in the face of such a pointless, inexplicable happenstance. It might sound heavy-handed or overwrought, but it winds up being a poignant meditation on loss, grief, faith and the way we establish purpose in our lives even in the most hopeless of times. This is definitely something we could have used last year.

Latest Episode: “I Live Here Now”, aired December 6th, 2015

Current Status: After two often excruciating seasons, the third and final instalment is set to return in April. We’ll need all of that time to prepare, trust me.

Where to Watch it: Seasons 1 and 2 of The Leftovers can be watched on Showcase on Foxtel.

 

Louie

The best example of auteur television in recent memory, Louie is entirely Louis C.K.’s project. Sure, there’s some occasional input from associates like Pamela Adlon, Robert Smigel and Steven Wright, but for the most part it functions as an outlet for every weird, sad and hilarious thought C.K. has at any given moment. As creator, writer, director and star, the show can’t escape the comedian’s perspective, whether it’s in the form of night terrors or unrealistic career aspirations. Likewise, it adopts his skewed, slightly surreal version of New York: the obnoxious garbage men in the morning don’t just wake you up, they break in and pelt you with refuse; homeless men will pissbolt at you in the street and decapitate themselves falling under a truck; old women stop to help when you hurt your back. It all melds to epitomise C.K.’s signature style, falling somewhere between pessimistic and heartwarming.

Latest Episode: “The Road Part 2”, aired May 28th, 2015

Current Status: While C.K. was busy last year producing Baskets and Better Things, as well as his own wonderful pet project Horace and Pete, Louie was placed on an ill-defined hiatus by its network, FX. C.K. himself has stated that he doesn’t know if he “has stories” for Louie anymore, but the option for it to return is still very much on the table.

Where to Watch it: All five seasons of Louie can be watched with a Presto subscription.