Best TV Moments of 2016

2016 has been a fiercelycompetetive year in television. With newer streaming platforms competing alongside network titans, the quest for viewership is now a wild frontier. TV fans reap the benefits of boundary-pushing programming. We rounded up some of the most memorable moments from the past year in television which include decades-old family secrets, out-of-the-box ways to pass a drug test, and dolphins getting abortions.

Will’s body is a dummy
In one of the most eerie scenes on the hit Netflix show, “Stranger Things” Hopper breaks into the morgue to see if Will’s body is the real deal. Dread and anticipation mix as his pocket knife cuts open the boy’s body to reveal it is actually a dummy. Given that autopsies aren’t typically performed on television, this is as “gut-wrenching” as it gets.

“Search Party” is a surprise hit

If you love eccentric characters, New York City and mystery, the new TBS show “Search Party” is next on your binge-watch list. In it, Dory (Alia Shawkat) is on a mission to find a college aquaintance who’s gone missing, and along the way, discovers more about herself and encounters some pretty quirky characters. All of Season 1 is available for streaming and after only being released on Nov. 21, it’s already been renewed for a second season. Don’t be the last of your friends to the party — “Search Party,” that is!

Olympics: Simone Biles Floor Routine
Simone Biles dazzled the world with her iconic floor routine at the 2016 Summer Olympic games. Set to Brazilian sounds, her enthusiasm, energy and superhuman skill (did you see her double twisting double back move?) earned her four gold medals and set a new record for women’s gymnastics.

The Drug Test
In this episode of “Atlanta” — Donald Glover’s critically acclaimed FX show — Van does her best to stay on the straight and narrow, but of course, she gets high the night before her drug test at work. Running out of options, she gets her daughter’s dirty diapers and extracts the urine from them and straps the pee to her leg using an empty condom. Does her creative scheme win her this pissing contest? We won’t give away any more details here, but this episode gets even nastier.

Rebecca’s secret
Sometimes we lie to protect the ones we love, but the truth always has a way of coming to light — even after 36 years. On the hit NBC show, “This is Us,” Randall discovers his mother’s carefully guarded secret by chance, learning that she knew the identity of his biological father all along. Will he ever forgive her? Only time will tell.

SNL’s “Hillary Actually”
Watching the 2003 film “Love Actually” has become holiday tradition for many, but the “SNL” spoof on the rom-com, featuring a still hopeful Hillary attempting to sway an elector with cue cards, is simply “hilarious.” The timing couldn’t have been more perfect with the holidays (and the recent Electoral Collge vote). Trump is still president-elect, but hey, at least we have sketch comedy gems like this to get us through the next four years.

RuPaul wins an Emmy
RuPaul Charles got nominated for an Emmy for the first time in his career as host of the show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Competing alongside other hosting heavy hitters like Ryan Seacrest and Tim Gunn at the Emmy’s this year, the drag supermodel didn’t expect to win — but he did, inspiring people around the world who “dance to the beat of a different drummer.”

The Abortion Song
“BoJack Horseman” on Netflix is all about poking fun at celebrity culture and touching on sensitive issues, but the sixth episode of Season 3 goes over the top. Rapper Sextina Aquafina (who’s a talking dolphin, btw) releases a single called “Get Dat Fetus, Kill Dat Fetus,” when it’s accidentally tweeted that she is pregnant. The music video about her getting an abortion is something you need to see for yourself to believe.

Samantha Bee goes to Trumpland
We are all still recovering from the 2016 election, but late-night hosts like Samantha Bee helped us laugh along the way with her show “Full Frontal.” Her segment interviewing Trump supporters about why they support our now president-elect was informative as well as entertaining, with one interviewee calling Bee a “trickle down media whore.”

The death of Wes
“How to Get Away With Murder” fans were in for a shock when the body from the house fire turned out to be Wes Gibbins, one of the show’s main characters. Shortly after signing an immunity deal, he is involved in an explosion — but determining whether that was the cause of death remains a mystery.