We warned you it would happen. Now it’s here.
There was 455 original scripted shows on television (that includes “broadcast, cable, and streaming sources,” according to FX’s figures) in 2016, and 2017 is on pace for even more. That’s a lot of TV to keep up with. You might even say… too much TV. But like everything in life, you take the good (Mom and Zoo) with the bad (everything else on CBS), and this week, the good heavily outweighs the bad. In fact, this is the best seven-day stretch of TV all year.
Take a look at this lineup of, objectively speaking, good shows.
Monday
American Dad, TBS
Bates Motel, A&E
Better Call Saul, AMC
Tuesday
The Americans, FX
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fox
Fresh Off the Boat, ABC
iZombie, the CW
The Middle, ABC
Wednesday
Archer, FXX
Brockmire, IFC
Empire, Fox
Fargo, FX
The Expanse, Syfy
Thursday
Scandal, ABC
Friday
Bosch, Amazon
Saturday
Doctor Who, BBC America
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, HBO
Sunday
American Crime, ABC
Billions, Showtime
Bob’s Burgers, Fox
Feud, FX
Girls, HBO
The Last Man on Earth, Fox
The Leftovers, HBO
Silicon Valley, HBO
Veep, HBO
To recap: that’s arguably the four best dramas on TV (The Americans, Better Call Saul, Fargo, and The Leftovers); two returning HBO comedy titans (Silicon Valley and Veep); the series finale of an HBO mainstay (Girls); the best animated show on network TV (Bob’s Burgers); and a smattering of quality programming (everything else). Plus, there are the streaming shows that either just returned (Mystery Science Theater 3000), just ended (The Good Fight), or premiere this week (Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World and GirlBoss).
The only other week that stands a chance against this one comes later this month, when Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale debuts, but otherwise: Game of Thrones and Orange Is the New Black return in the summer, when the Big Four slow down. Master of None and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are back in mid-May, but Bob’s Burgers and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will be gone and MST3K will have lost its new car smell. American Crime Story, Westworld, and Atlanta premiere won’t premiere until 2018. And BoJack Horseman and Halt and Catch Fire‘s fourth seasons are still TBA. That’s most of the best shows on TV, although, again, few can compete with the quartet of The Americans, Better Call Saul, Fargo, and The Leftovers. That’s “NBC in the early 2010s, when Community, 30 Rock, The Office, and Parks and Rec were on the same night”-level quality.
There might be too much TV, but at least it’s good.
