Year-End Lists

The A.V. Club: 30 Best TV Shows of 2016

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
2. Atlanta
3. The Americans
4. Better Call Saul
5. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
6. Halt and Catch Fire
7. Veep
8. BoJack Horseman
9. O.J.: Made in America
10. The Good Place
11. Westworld
12. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
13. Rectify
14. Documentary Now!
15. Insecure
16. You’re the Worst
17. Game of Thrones
18. Silicon Valley
19. Lady Dynamite
20. Fleabag
21. Jane the Virgin
22. The Night Of
23. Better Things
24. Stranger Things
25. Search Party
26. Black-ish
27. Girls
28. Black Mirror
29. Horace and Pete
30. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Todd McCarthy: 19 Best Films of 2016, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
2. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
3. 13th
   Ava DuVernay
4. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
5. I Am Not Your Negro
   Raoul Peck
6. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
7. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
8. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
9. Silence
   Martin Scorsese
10. Hell or High Water
    David Mackenzie

Nine Other Worthy Films

• Moonlight
  Barry Jenkins
• Eye in the Sky
  Gavin Hood
• The Edge of Seventeen
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• I, Daniel Blake
  Ken Loach
• Life, Animated
  Roger Ross Williams
• Aquarius
  Kleber Mendonça Filho
• Southside with You
  Richard Tanne
• Certain Women
  Kelly Reichardt
• Sunset Song
  Terence Davies

Pitchfork: 50 Best Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. A Seat at the Table
   Solange
2. Blond
   Frank Ocean
3. Lemonade
   Beyoncé
4. Blackstar
   David Bowie
5. The Life of Pablo
   Kanye West
6. Coloring Book
   Chance The Rapper
7. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
8. Hopelessness
   ANOHNI
9. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
10. A Moon Shaped Pool
    Radiohead
11. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
12. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
13. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
14. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
15. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
16. Untitled Unmastered
    Kendrick Lamar
17. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
18. Puberty 2
    Mitski
19. Anti
    Rihanna
20. Sirens
    Nicolas Jaar
21. Jeffery
    Young Thug
22. Still Brazy
    YG
23. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
24. Teens of Denial
    Car Seat Headrest
25. 99.9%
    KAYTRANADA
26. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
27. Telefone
    Noname
28. Yes Lawd!
    NxWorries
29. EARS
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
30. Emily’s D+Evolution
    Esperanza Spalding
31. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
32. A Mulher do Fim do Mundo
    Elza Soares
33. blackSUMMERS’night
    Maxwell
34. Singing Saw
    Kevin Morby
35. I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
    Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
36. HEAVN
    Jamila Woods
37. We Are King
    KING
38. Blank Face LP
    Schoolboy Q
39. DJ-Kicks
    Moodymann
40. A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke
    Vijay Iyer & Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
41. For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
    Huerco S
42. Prima Donna
    Vince Staples
43. Front Row Seat to Earth
    Weyes Blood
44. Islah
    Kevin Gates
45. Modern Country
    William Tyler
46. Cardinal
    Pinegrove
47. A Good Night in the Ghetto
    Kamaiyah
48. Next Thing
    Frankie Cosmos
49. Pool
    Porches
50. Savage Mode
    21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Fact Magazine: 50 Best Albums of 2016

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Blood Bitch
   Jenny Hval
2. Bird Sound Power
   Equiknoxx
3. Atrocity Exhibition
   Danny Brown
4. Persona
   Lorenzo Senni
5. Puberty 2
   Mitski
6. A Good Night in the Ghetto
   Kamaiyah
7. Strands
   Steve Hauschildt
8. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
9. In Drum Play
   Pangaea
10. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
11. Oh No
    Jessy Lanza
12. No One Deserves Happiness
    The Body
13. Anti
    Rihanna
14. Still Brazy
    YG
15. Lemonade
    Beyoncé
16. Green Lights: Everythang Goin
    The Outfit, TX
17. Caramel
    Konx-Om-Pax
18. “Б”
    Bjarki
19. Jeffery
    Young Thug
20. Controlling Body
    Peder Mannerfelt
21. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
22. Wonderland
    Demdike Stare
23. Blackstar
    David Bowie
24. Body Work
    Negative Gemini
25. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
26. Singulacra
    Sophia Loizou
27. Notu_Uronlineu
    DVA
28. From Patterns to Details
    FIS
29. If I Can’t Handle Me at My Best, Then You Don’t Deserve You at Your Worst
    Helena Celle
30. Sport
    Powell
31. My Woman
    Angel Olsen
32. RaggaPreservationSociety
    Seekersinternational
33. Acid Park
    Ohal
34. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
35. Stranger Things OST Volumes 1 and 2
    Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein
36. Seven Psychotropic Sinewave Palindromes
    Jake Meginsky
37. Princess
    ABRA
38. Second Woman
    Second Woman
39. Hyper Light Drifter
    Disasterpeace
40. Deepak Verbera
    Botany
41. FRKWYS Vol. 13: Sunergy
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani
42. Long Trax
    Will Long
43. Mandatory Check
    Mozzy
44. The Human Pet
    Elon Katz
45. Too
    Klara Lewis
46. Monda
    Cousin Stizz
47. Airport Music For Black Folk
    Chino Amobi
48. Things Our Bodies Used to Have
    Good Willsmith
49. blisters
    serpentwithfeet
50. Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World
    Lil Uzi Vert

Film Comment: 20 Best Films of 2016 (as selected by contributors)

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
4. Cemetery of Splendor
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
5. Certain Women
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
7. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
8. Aquarius
   Kleber Mendonça Filho
9. Things to Come
   Mia Hansen-Løve
10. No Home Movie
    Chantal Akerman
11. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
12. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo
13. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
14. Cameraperson
    Kirsten Johnson
15. Kaili Blues
    Bi Gan
16. The Handmaiden
    Park Chan-wook
17. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
18. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
19. Neruda
    Pablo Larraín
20. The Other Side
    Roberto Minervini

The Wire: Top 50 Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Blackstar
   David Bowie
2. Lodestar
   Shirley Collins
3. Fetish Bones
   Moor Mother
4. elseq 1-5
   Autechre
5. Skeleton Tree
   Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
6. Blood Bitch
   Jenny Hval
7. Arbina
   Noura Mint Seymali
8. Serpent Music
   Yves Tumor
9. SECURITY
   Gaika
10. Yermande
    Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force
11. Saturday Night Fever
    Gate
12. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
13. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
14. Hubris
    Oren Ambarchi
15. “BBF” Hosted By DJ Escrow
    Babyfather
16. Wood / Metal / Plastic / Pattern / Rhythm / Rock
    75 Dollar Bill
17. Varmints
    Anna Meredith
18. EARS
    Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
19. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
    A Tribe Called Quest
20. You Know What It’s Like
    Carla dal Forno
21. Entities Inertias Faint Beings
    David Toop
22. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
23. Untitled Unmastered
    Kendrick Lamar
24. We Be All Africans
    Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids
25. Simultaneous Flight Movement
    Laura Cannell
26. New Feeling Come
    Ectoplasm Girls
27. Eyes on the Lines
    Steve Gunn
28. Centres
    Ian William Craig
29. Ultimate Care II
    Matmos
30. Professional Sunflow
    Laraaji & Sun Araw
31. The Childhood of a Leader (OST)
    Scott Walker
32. Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties
    Bitchin Bajas & Bonnie “Prince” Billy
33. Elysia Crampton Presents: Demon City
    Elysia Crampton
34. Color
    Katie Gately
35. Devotional Songs
    Shackleton with Ernesto Tomasini
36. Anxiety
    Anxiety
37. Konnichiwa
    Skepta
38. The Spiral
    Puce Mary
39. Bes
    The Dwarfs of East Agouza
40. Live At Issue Project Room
    Catherine Christer Hennix
41. Interventions
    Horse Lords
42. R M H Q: Headquarters
    Roy Montgomery
43. Blond
    Frank Ocean
44. Eve
    Thalia Zedek
45. Cathédrale De Strasbourg
    Charlemagne Palestine
46. Ben Johnston: String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, & 8
    Kepler Quartet
47. Jackie Lynn
    Circuit Des Yeux
48. Ultra
    Zomby
49. Too
    Klara Lewis
50. Controlling Body
    Peder Mannerfelt

Spin: 50 Best Albums of 2016

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

1. A Seat at the Table
   Solange
2. Blond
   Frank Ocean
3. Blackstar
   David Bowie
4. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
5. I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
   The 1975
6. Lemonade
   Beyoncé
7. Coloring Book
   Chance The Rapper
8. A Moon Shaped Pool
   Radiohead
9. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
10. 22, A Million
    Bon Iver
11. Freetown Sound
    Blood Orange
12. Anti
    Rihanna
13. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
14. Puberty 2
    Mitski
15. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
16. Atrocity Exhibition
    Danny Brown
17. Jeffery
    Young Thug
18. Emily’s D+Evolution
    Esperanza Spalding
19. Hopelessness
    ANOHNI
20. Untitled Unmastered
    Kendrick Lamar
21. We Are King
    KING
22. Islah
    Kevin Gates
23. Cody
    Joyce Manor
24. Malibu
    Anderson .Paak
25. Sirens
    Nicolas Jaar
26. Blank Face LP
    Schoolboy Q
27. Skeleton Tree
    Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
28. 99.9%
    KAYTRANADA
29. Pretty Years
    Cymbals Eat Guitars
30. Blood Bitch
    Jenny Hval
31. Goodness
    The Hotelier
32. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
33. A Good Night in the Ghetto
    Kamaiyah
34. SEPT. 5TH
    dvsn
35. Teens of Denial
    Car Seat Headrest
36. Wildflower
    The Avalanches
37. Paradise
    White Lung
38. blackSUMMERS’night
    Maxwell
39. Still Brazy
    YG
40. The Weight of These Wings
    Miranda Lambert
41. Light Upon the Lake
    Whitney
42. 24K Magic
    Bruno Mars
43. Strangers
    Marissa Nadler
44. A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke
    Vijay Iyer & Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
45. Värähtelijä
    Oranssi Pazuzu
46. The Bride
    Bat for Lashes
47. Hero
    Maren Morris
48. Cardinal
    Pinegrove
49. DJ-Kicks
    Moodymann
50. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
    Sturgill Simpson

Ann Hornaday: 26 Best Movies of 2016, as published by The Washington Post

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
4. The Confirmation
   Bob Nelson
5. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
6. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
7. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
8. Lemonade
   Beyoncé Knowles Carter and Kahlil Joseph with Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso
9. 13th
   Ava DuVernay
10. Southside with You
    Richard Tanne

“…had I not been constrained by numerical obstinacy”

• Loving
  Jeff Nichols
• Arrival
  Denis Villeneuve
• The Fits
  Anna Rose Holmer
• A Bigger Splash
  Luca Guadagnino
• Love & Friendship
  Whit Stillman
• Sully
  Clint Eastwood
• Captain Fantastic
  Matt Ross
• Paterson
  Jim Jarmusch
• Eye in the Sky
  Gavin Hood
• Hail, Caesar!
  Joel & Ethan Coen
• Last Days in the Desert
  Rodrigo García
• I Am Not Your Negro
  Raoul Peck
• Tower
  Keith Maitland
• Weiner
  Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
• The Eagle Huntress
  Otto Bell
• Jackie
  Pablo Larraín

The A.V. Club: 21 Best Albums of 2016

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Blackstar
   David Bowie
2. A Moon Shaped Pool
   Radiohead
3. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
4. Cardinal
   Pinegrove
5. Goodness
   The Hotelier
6. Paradise
   White Lung
7. Coloring Book
   Chance The Rapper
8. Puberty 2
   Mitski
9. Blond
   Frank Ocean
10. Cody
    Joyce Manor
11. You Want It Darker
    Leonard Cohen
12. Eric Bachmann
    Eric Bachmann
13. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
14. Holy Ghost
    Modern Baseball
15. Real
    Lydia Loveless
16. You Will Never Be One of Us
    Nails
17. Stage Four
    Touché Amoré
18. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
19. Teens of Denial
    Car Seat Headrest
20. I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
    Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
20. Blisters In the Pit of My Heart
    Martha

Slant Magazine: 50 Best Films of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
3. Happy Hour
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
4. Cemetery of Splendor
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
5. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
6. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
7. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
8. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
9. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
10. The Treasure
    Corneliu Porumboiu
11. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo
12. No Home Movie
    Chantal Akerman
13. Knight of Cups
    Terrence Malick
14. Sunset Song
    Terence Davies
15. The Love Witch
    Anna Biller
16. Certain Women
    Kelly Reichardt
17. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
18. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
19. The Illinois Parables
    Deborah Stratman
20. Homo sapiens
    Nikolaus Geyrhalter
21. Kate Plays Christine
    Robert Greene
22. The Academy of Muses
    José Luis Guerín
23. Fire at Sea
    Gianfranco Rosi
24. Homeland (Iraq Year Zero)
    Abbas Fahdel
25. The Neon Demon
    Nicolas Winding Refn
26. Kaili Blues
    Bi Gan
27. In the Shadow of Women
    Philippe Garrel
28. Aquarius
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
29. Neon Bull
    Gabriel Mascaro
30. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen
31. The Other Side
    Roberto Minervini
32. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
33. Wiener-Dog
    Todd Solondz
34. 20th Century Women
    Mike Mills
35. Mia Madre
    Nanni Moretti
36. Aferim!
    Radu Jude
37. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
38. Midnight Special
    Jeff Nichols
39. Little Men
    Ira Sachs
40. Cosmos
    Andrzej Zulawski
41. Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party
    Stephen Cone
42. Do Not Resist
    Craig Atkinson
43. The Handmaiden
    Park Chan-wook
44. Mountains May Depart
    Jia Zhang-ke
45. Demon
    Marcin Wrona
46. Creepy
    Kiyoshi Kurosawa
47. Things to Come
    Mia Hansen-Løve
48. I Am Not Madame Bovary
    Feng Xiaogang
49. 13th
    Ava DuVernay
50. Fort Buchanan
    Benjamin Crotty