Top 10 TV Shows of 2016 By IMDB
10. "Daredevil" (Netflix)
Netflix's streaming title about a blind, crime-fighting lawyer (Charlie Cox) was the first of a series of Marvel Television shows launched on Netflix and remains the franchise's most popular on IMDb. Season 2 introduced two new characters, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) and Elektra Natchios (Elodie Young) while also welcoming back some beloved characters. Throughout, viewers enjoyed agile plotlines that addressed issues of personal justice and also action sequences worthy of the big screen: In one particularly memorable scene, Daredevil takes down gang members as he descends a staircase, in one heart-pounding single take on camera.
9. "Vikings" (History)
History's first foray into the world of scripted television continues to be a hit with critics and viewers: The show was renewed for a massive 20-episode Season 5, to air sometime in 2017, and the series is currently on the back half of a 20-episode Season 4. It's easy to see the appeal of this genre drama, created by Michael Hirst and starring IMDb fan favorites Travis Fimmel as Ragnar and Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha: In the fictionalized historical drama, viewers are treated to iconic characters and epic storylines about generational conflict, personal ambition, and, of course, pillaging and plundering -- all of which seem timeless to contemporary audiences (even if the show is set around 800).
8. "Orange Is the New Black" (Netflix)
Netflix's popular, groundbreaking series that helped to reshape attitudes about prison life, injustice, identity, and relationships enjoyed another critically acclaimed fourth season. The dramedy explored the Black Lives Matter movement that took an emotional toll on viewers by season's end. It also provided a memorable cliffhanger that will keep fans guessing until the start of Season 5. Don't worry: There's plenty of roller coaster to come ... for a couple of years. Netflix has renewed the show through a seventh season.
7. "Mr. Robot" (USA)
While 2016 saw the debut of a second season, it also marked a year full of awards recognition for the USA series' well-received maiden season, which introduced primetime viewers to Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cyber vigilante/hero for the millennial set. It's a performance that ultimately earned him a win as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards. In January, the show earned two major Golden Globe Awards: Best Television Series -- Drama and a Best Supporting Actor Nod for Christian Slater.
6. "The Flash" (The CW)
The CW series starring Grant Gustin as super speedy Barry Allen seemed to hit its creative stride in 2016, which marked the end of Season 2 and the launch of Season 3. While the second season focused on Barry's ongoing conflict with Multiverse antagonist Zoom (Teddy Sears), Season 3 debuted the much anticipated "Flashpoint" storyline, which follows the Flash's travails in an altered timeline. Also in Season 3: The Flash welcoming Supergirl, Arrow, and the Legends in a massive CW-style mega-crossover.
5. "American Horror Story" (FX)
Ryan Murphy's anthology juggernaut keeps rolling along for FX viewers and IMDb fans. "AHS" diehards began the year by bidding farewell to a Gaga-tinged "Hotel" Season 5 and spent much of the offseason trying to ascertain the theme of the upcoming sixth season. The show's marketing plan kept everyone in the dark and headed in other directions. In fact, Season 6's theme wasn't revealed until the actual airing of the first episode. In this latest iteration of "AHS," Murphy and his loyal band of accomplished actors head to North Carolina to relate a set of strange circumstances surrounding a married couple from Los Angeles who settle into a mysterious house.
4. "Westworld" (HBO)
In this sci-fi western thriller, based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name, HBO found a certifiable hit. The show, which focuses on a cutting-edge amusement park teeming with android "hosts" debuted to record-setting numbers -- it was the the network's most notable premiere since "True Detective" -- and continued to build momentum with critics, viewers, and commentators as the season rolled on. In fact, it's one of only two first-year shows on our list this year. The series also served up a slew of familiar faces in new and surprising roles: Luke Hemsworth, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, Ed Harris, and Anthony Hopkins, to name a few.
3. "The Walking Dead" (AMC)
There were very few characters who dominated online discussions this year than Negan, who made his much talked-about debut at the end of Season 6 in April. In a role that helped veteran TV viewers rediscover his versatile acting ability, Jeffery Dean Morgan launched months of incessant speculation about who he bludgeoned with his baseball bat Lucille in the season finale. By the time the show returned for a seventh season in October, fans were ready to discover Negan's victim, but what they saw -- and how the action played out -- sparked an outpouring of outrage and online discussion of their own. The Season 7 premiere stands as one of the most controversial episodes of the year.
2. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)
Rich with cinematic references to the 1980s, Netflix's "Stranger Things" served up a heap of nolstagia-tinged suspense and mystery to multiple generations as well as helping to propel the careers of a handful of fresh-faced youngsters. Debuting this past summer, the series hit an immediate nerve, becoming the third most-watched season of original content for Netflix, and it drove audiences to IMDb to find answers to the question: "Who's that?!" In fact, both Millie Bobby Brown and Natalia Dyer charted on our Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2016 list. New stars weren't the only consequence of the show's success: Winona Ryder, as devoted and sometimes crazed mother Joyce Byers, enjoyed a career revival.
1. "Game of Thrones" (HBO)
For the fifth consecutive year, HBO's powerhouse series ruled supreme with IMDb users. Season 6 did not disappoint when it came to memorable on-screen moments. It began the season by finally addressing Jon Snow's (Kit Harrington) fate, and through the course of 10 episodes viewers learned a little more about Melisandre (Carice van Houten), saw Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) stand down the Dothraki and finally set sail for Westeros, and, oh, pondered a bit about the word "door." "Game of Thrones" was a hit with awards voters as well in 2016. At the Primetime Emmy Awards, it won its second consecutive award for Outstanding Drama Series.
