There has certainly been a dilution in the quality of television in the year thus far. Perhaps the push from services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu have spooked network executives? Maybe the golden era of television was due to end at some point? The reason may be beyond our comprehension, but what we can focus on are the new shows at hand.
The following list highlights the five best new shows released in 2017 (according to me and in no particular order), and if you are a fan of quality television, these certainly need to be added to your must-watch list.
I would also like to mention that "13 Reasons Why" and "Brockmire" did not make the list despite being quality shows. If you run out of things to watch, you can always catch these two new shows as well. Now on to the very best!
'Santa Clarita Diet'
The zombie genre was beginning to feel a lot like the titular zombie characters – undead and unoriginal, and it certainly needed some new ideas to breathe some life into it (some pun intended). Netflix’s "Santa Clarita Diet" is certainly a new direction in this regard, using the horror-comedy genre to tell an unconventional tale about a couple dealing with unexpected marital issues of the living-dead variety.
'Legion'
Marvel has been dominating the television sphere since it first started creating a dark and realistic world in Netflix using "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," and "Luke Cage." The franchise decided to explore a completely alternative route while making "Legion" on FX, a show about one of the most powerful mutants in the universe.
The kicker in the premise is that the mutant in question – David Haller, is being convinced that he is actually mentally unwell. In reality, he is actually a powerful telepath with unexplored powers and nearly everyone else seems to know that except for him. His journey from Haller to Legion is fascinating and is filled with interesting visuals and offbeat storylines.
"Legion" is certainly a new direction for the superhero genre to take on-screen, and it feels much needed at this point as well.
'Feud'
“Feud” is fairly straight-up in its approach, storyline, and narrative, but despite being extremely conventional, it delivers on a superb season mostly because of the rich history it draws from and some brilliant performances.
The show portrays the famous rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, portrayed incredibly well by two of the best actresses of our time – Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. The idea of watching these two heavyweights on screen is tantalizing on its own. Add to that a scintillating historical story line and some slick cinematography, and we have ourselves a truly captivating show.
'The Handmaid’s Tale'
Hulu throws its hat into the ring this year with a stirring adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The story is set in an alternate reality where women are horrifyingly subjugated by social, political and religious forces that have realigned themselves in a highly malignant manner.
The timing of the show couldn’t be any more perfect (in the darkest sense) considering the recently concluded elections and the denial of yet another female candidate to the highest position of power in the world. The themes from “The Handmaid’s Tale” will ring true in our world, despite being set in an alternate reality.
'American Gods'
There is no better time to be a fan of Neil Gaiman than the present. The gothic genius recently signed off on a huge contract that allows him to bring numerous original works to film and television. The first of the lot is Starz’ “American Gods”.
The premise of the series is as original as you would expect something from Neil Gaiman to be. The old gods and the new gods are at war with one another, and they have only one major tool at their disposal to settle this war – human beings.
Shadow Moon is a former convict who has gotten entangled in this powerful battle, and his only way out seems to involve battling through the gods themselves. Extremely well written, superbly directed and aided by a capable cast, “American Gods” is certainly a modern classic in the making.
