The best TV shows of 2017

As 2017 draws to close, our writers look back on some of the best TV shows to hit our screens this year. We’ve seen some fantastic programmes on the box, but what were our writers’ favourite picks?

Line of Duty – Sam Savelli

Line of Duty has consistently been exciting television from its first series through to its fourth. The mastermind behind the show, Jed Mercurio, is a writer who knows how to keep viewers engaged, with heart-racing drama and relentless twists and turns. It’s for that reason that Line of Duty is so instantly watchable and gripping, and the fourth season was true to form with its drive to uncover the ‘balaclava man’. Central villain DCI Roz Huntley (Thandie Newton) was a nasty piece of work whose lies festered as much as her wounded arm, and it was nice to see her arc properly resolved by the end of the season. I can’t wait to see Season Five when it comes (not until 2019 unfortunately), if only to revisit one of my favourite TV characters of all time, Superintendent Ted Hastings.

Lethal Weapon – Cecily Grace Morgan

Having never seen the original 1980s films, and not being a particular fan of American police shows, I never expected Lethal Weapon to feature as not only my favourite new series of 2017, but one of my favourite series ever.

The series is a reboot of the film franchise which follows two wildly different detectives who are partnered up to combat crime in Los Angeles. Clayne Crawford plays Martin Riggs, a reckless and impulsive former Navy seal who moves from Texas to Los Angeles following his wife’s death and Damon Wayans plays Roger Murtaugh, a strait-laced family man who is trying to reduce the stress of his job after suffering heart problems.

Striking the perfect balance of intricately-woven criminal plots and adrenalin-filled action, each episode provides forty minutes of fast-paced intrigue and entertainment. However, at the beating heart of the first series lies the charming friendship that develops between the two protagonists, on which all of Lethal Weapon’s action, comedy, and warmth is based.

So, whether you’re a police show fan or not, Lethal Weapon is a 2017 TV treasure that should really not be missed and the rest of the Christmas holiday provides the perfect opportunity to catch-up before the second series airs in spring.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – Josh Bullin

This endlessly underrated musical-comedy had its best year yet in 2017, as the show delved further into the psyche of Rachel Bloom’s Rebecca. As Rebecca has spiralled, the show has entered its darkest waters yet and provided one of the most moving and poignant depictions of mental health on television. It also remains deliriously funny, due in big part to the excellent musical numbers which effortlessly and hilariously pastiche all kinds of musical genres whilst giving a spotlight to the show’s brilliant characters and performers. There’s nothing as joyous or entertaining as seeing the female cast belt out the 80s pop anthem-inspired ‘Let’s Generalise About Men,’ or watching the show’s MVP Donna Lynne Champlin reminisce on ‘The First Penis I Saw,’ an ABBA inspired bop. There’s nothing like it and, in my opinion, nothing better.

Liar – Reece Goodall

Recently single teacher Laura (Joanna Froggatt) is set up on a date with widowed surgeon Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd). They have lots of chemistry and the date seems to be going well, until they wind up back at Andrew’s – Laura is convinced that she was raped, with Andrew insisting that their sex was consensual. The central question at the heart of Liar was a simple one – who is telling the truth?

This drama was a key show for two reasons. It was well-written and entertaining, with twists aplenty to keep you coming back for more (the way that it revealed the truth mid-series meant viewers were never sure what was coming next), and the two lead performances were absolutely superb. Off-screen, Liar generated a substantial dialogue with the way it treated some often under-discussed topics (the fact that few rape cases ever make it to court in the UK, for example), and this also gave it a real-world value that few shows ever have.

The show wasn’t perfect – a lot of the early dramatic tension was vanished the moment you realised that no TV company was ever going to make the woman the villain in a rape drama, and Andrew only became more of a pantomime villain as the series progressed. Even so, Liar was a fantastic piece of well-made and important television.