The 20 Best TV Shows
Still to Come in 2017

You’re Not Ready for All of the Good Television Premiering over the Next Two Months

Once again, we’re closing in on the end of another year that’s already seen its fair share of good to great television. Game of Thrones just finished which, for a lot of people, means there’s very little worth truly looking forward to until 2019. Meanwhile, we’re already halfway through Season 3 of Rick and Morty and Fargo, Review, The Leftovers and Legion are well in the rearview mirror.

But lest we forget, peak TV continues to be a thing. Sure, there’s a lot of talk within the industry that the swelling bubble that is television is fast approaching an inevitable bursting point. But until that day comes, be sure to reap the rewards of having such an abundance of content while you still can, starting with these nineteen shows returning (and one premiering) over the next two months.

Please note that all premiere dates are applicable to Australian timezone; for Americans, it’s one day earlier, but then we don’t have to live with Trump, soooo…

 

You’re the Worst, Season 4 – September 7th on FXX

Making an original sitcom in the 2010s is an uphill battle, one that You’re the Worst tackles by leaning into its characters’ misery and worst tendencies. While dissecting bipolar disorder, PTSD and the challenges of commitment, it still manages to be incisively funny and avoid sinking into the bitterness that defines the people at its centre. Whether it’s Jimmy’s snarkiness or Gretchen’s total lack of responsibility, never has a better show been made about a worse group of human beings, and never will you care so much for people you can’t stand.

 

BoJack Horseman, Season 4 – September 9th on Netflix

BoJack Horseman is about an anthropomorphic horse who self-medicates with alcohol and every other drug imaginable to treat his depression. Compounded with its incredibly dense humour that often relies on callbacks (à la Archer and Arrested Development), it can seem a little inaccessible to newcomers. But the show’s chief virtue comes from its sympathy for all it’s messed-up characters, balanced with a staunch refusal to let them off the hook for their worst actions and a limitless supply of witty banter. [Insert joke about why you shouldn’t say neigh to this show].

 

The Deuce, Season 1 – September 11th on HBO

The only new series you’ll find on this list, The Deuce has too many people of raw talent involved – both behind and in front of the camera – for it to be anything less than an interesting mess. James Franco stars as twin brothers who pioneer the porn business in 1970s New York, joined by Maggie Gyllenhaal as a world weary hooker and an all-round superb supporting cast. On writing duties, we have creator of The Wire David Simon and directing every episode is Michelle MacLaren (Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Westworld). Honestly, need I say more?

 

Broad City, Season 4 – September 14th on Comedy Central

Whether it’s co-opting “YAS KWEEN” or spawning a million Bingo Bronson fetishes, Broad City‘s pop cultural influence over the last few years has been undeniable. But beyond all of the easy catchphrases and woke signifiers, the show has always been driven by its skewed New York sensibility, surrealist sense of humour and the unparalleled friendship at its core. Abbi and Ilana may be your stoner spirit animals, but they’re too busy being each other’s everything to really care about all that. Long be their reign.

 

South Park, Season 21 – September 14th on Comedy Central

One of the longest-running scripted TV shows of all time, South Park‘s seams were beginning to show a few years back. But in 2015, it seemed to reinvigorate itself by adopting serialised storytelling and taking PC culture to task. However, after an unexpected Trump victory last year that derailed the 20th season, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have decided to leave off politics and serialisation in favour of their glory day style of gross-out humour and standalone episodes. You ‘member? I ‘member… Let’s all proceed with caution on this one.

 

Better Things, Season 2 – September 15th on FX

One of our favourite new shows of last year, Better Things tells a surprisingly unique story even in an age where mass representation in television is at a new high. Sam Fox (creator and star Pamela Adlon) is a single parent and career woman, juggling her commitment to raising three (very realistically) difficult daughters while working in show business. As you might expect it isn’t always easy, but no matter how frustrated she gets, it’s clear how rewarding Sam finds both her domestic and work life, managing to excavate joy from the struggle at every turn.

 

HarmonQuest, Season 2 – September 16th on VRV Select

When it was announced that the SeeSo network would be folding earlier this year, the fate of the Dungeons & Dragons-spoofing HarmonQuest seemed uncertain. Luckily, the show found a new home on VRV Select, so it won’t be long before we’re treated to more of Dan Harmon and his co-horts traipsing through a fantasy RPG for our amusement. And while that’s a concept that might seem better suited to a podcast than television, the work of the animation team that creates the adventure pairs so well with the group dynamic that it’s hard to imagine it any other way.

 

Transparent, Season 4 – September 23rd on Amazon Video

Transgender rights are still (shockingly) under fire all over the world, especially recently in the U.S. This makes a show like Transparent – that looks at the process of transitioning at an advanced age – as important and brave as it is rewarding. And when I say it’s a brave show, that’s not just due to its subject matter, but because it has characters that are more than one-note, virtuous representations. The Pfefferman family (including trans protagonist Moira) all kinda suck, but in a nuanced way that allows their issues to inform rather than define them, painting a scathing but necessary portrait of a troubled family in all manner of flux.

 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 5 – September 28th on Fox

Funnier and more original shows abound, but I’d bet that few things on television provide as much comfort to most people as spending time with the misfits of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Even if this wasn’t basically the strongest ensemble sitcom cast on the air (which, short of Veep, it is), the police precinct twist provides enough originality and fresh material to prevent stagnation from setting in. No doubt, now that it’s headed into its fifth season, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is closer to its end than its beginning, but I can only imagine how splendid the final few years will be.

 

The Good Place, Season 2 – September 29th on NBC

Last year, The Good Place established itself as a superb high-concept sitcom before nailing the landing with it’s two-parter finale back in January. Coming into its second season, it’s now poised to claim top billing as the best new sitcom since Community. That’s basically the highest praise I can give it, but rest assured this show – which is set in a suspiciously flawed version of heaven – earns that distinction. From it’s amazing, largely unknown cast to its whip-smart writing, The Good Place has every chance of becoming the greatest and most unique sitcom of its era.

 

Nathan For You, Season 4 – September 29th on

Comedy Central

There will be a lot of hyperbole floating around these parts about “The Funniest Show on Television”. Let’s put all that to bed: Nathan For You is the funniest fucking show on television. As Nathan Fielder travels across America espousing shitty advice to real-life small business owners, it’s hard to choose what’s more gut-shreddingly hilarious: watching people squirm as they politely accept his ideas or the sad-sack, desperate persona he embodies to perfection in situations that would make anyone else break immediately. Either way, this show is dangerously funny.

 

Superstore, Season 3 – September 29th on NBC

Workplace sitcoms have been played out for a while now, so finding a unique twist on the genre is essential. Brooklyn Nine-Nine takes a light-hearted approach to law and order, while Superstore mines the solidarity that develops from working a shitty department store job. It’s so endearing watching the oddball employees at Cloud 9 bond over living cheque to cheque that it almost makes you remember your own shitty job with fond memories. Almost.

 

Bob’s Burgers, Season 8 – October 2nd on Fox

Easily the most consistent show on TV of its age, the return of Bob’s Burgers is always a reason to celebrate. Even seven seasons deep, the effortless eccentricity of the Belcher family – the greatest underdogs currently on air – always feels vital and lived in. From Bob’s weary resignation, Linda’s cackling mania, Tina’s low key swagger, Gene’s irrepressible enthusiasm and Louise’s slowly ebbing homicidal tendencies, no family on TV is so over-the-top and yet achingly relatable. It’s the only show on this list I’d gladly watch another seven seasons of.

 

Black-ish, Season 4 – October 4th on ABC

Though there have been a few potholes along the way (which will happen when you make stupid decisions like casting Chris Brown as a guest star), Black-ish has been the most rewarding family sitcom to come along in quite a while. The shit-talking but ultimately loving dynamic between the Johnson family is always reliable to produce a few laughs. And while it does tend to fall back on the “Everyone Learns a Basic-Arse Lesson” trope a little too often, its best episodes (like “Hope” and “Lemonade”) are able to tackle race relations and still make us grin with masterful aplomb.

 

Mr. Robot, Season 3 – October 12th on USA Network

Let’s cut the shit: Mr. Robot is an incredibly frustrating show. This Fight Club-lite approach to anarchy, social outcasts and computer fuckery is so mired in being edgy and shocking that it can’t help but come across like the thesis statement of a first year philosophy student who masturbates to his own non-conformity. That said, Mr. Robot‘s Kubrickian visual style is always a treat and Rami Malek’s performance as Elliot is so compelling that he almost makes his many “Rage Against” monologues sound profound. It’s never gonna be a great show, but it’s rarely boring and, even at it’s worst, always fun to talk about.

 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 3 – October 14th on The CW

There’s nothing on television right now like the musical sitcom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Literally, no other show has the creative audacity to produce two to three original songs every episode while also dealing with the repressed mental health issues of its chipper lead character, Rebecca Bunch (co-creator and star Rachel Bloom). Couple that with a stellar supporting cast of well-known stage actors, a sharp sense of humour and the most captivating TV monster since Walter White and it becomes even more clear: there is nothing else on TV like this show.

 

The Walking Dead, Season 8 – October 23rd on AMC

Reporting on the return of one of television’s worst shows is not something I do for fun. But because it’s still so popular, it would be a disservice not to continue covering it (which doesn’t mean I’m about to start watching NCIS). Anyway, The Walking Dead is gonna be back soon. Much like its titular zombies, the show itself has become a shambling corpse, muttering incoherently and forging ever onwards with no greater purpose beyond consuming our brains. There will be weekly reviews; they will be merciless. And remember: if you get the chance, aim for the head.

 

Stranger Things, Season 2 – October 28th on Netflix

Though the overwhelming praise it received last year might have been a little hyperbolic, it’s hard to deny the appeal of Stranger Things. Yeah, the ’80s nostalgia factor is a strong element of the show, but the foundation it’s built on is as simple as they come: a coming of age story about a group of kids who have to outsmart the evil adults (and also an actual monster). You can spend all day analysing the kids’ journey as a metaphor for learning to accept how scary being a grown-up is, but even setting all that aside it’s a thrill to watch them in action. Let’s hope for more of the same in Season 2.

 

Black Mirror, Season 4 – October (Maybe) on Netflix

Black Mirror is all the proof you need that an anthology series akin to The Twilight Zone can still have a place on TV in 2017. Every episode features a different scenario and new cast of characters, taking a (mostly) dark and dystopian look at the role technology plays in our lives. And while there’s no doubt that the show has a pessimistic outlook on our relationship with innovation, there’s so much crackling energy behind each installment to prevent things from slipping into misery porn. Plus, there’s even the occasional uplifting ending (courtesy of “San Junipero“) to help maintain the equilibrium.

 

Documentary Now!, Season 3 – Sometime Soon on IFC

Few shows are as hard to sell people on as Documentary Now! For two years now, it’s gotten by on spoofing mostly vintage documentaries (think Grey Gardens and The Thin Blue Line) and relying on an audience familiar enough with them to get the very specific humour at play. But it doesn’t hurt that each episode features Bill Hader and Fred Armisen – two of the most versatile comedic actors alive – in a variety of roles, always trying to outdo one another for our enjoyment. Though no official release date has been set, we might be lucky enough to see a third season before November.