2016 AV Club Communists Year-End Lists

WOOOOOOOO we're doing this again!

Most of you probably know the rules by now, but for the newcomers and lurkers who I would like to also see participate, here is how this will work:

You can send a 2016 best-of lists for the following pop culture categories:
-Albums
-Singles
-TV Shows/Miniseries
-TV Episodes
-Films

Each of these categories should be a separate list. So, don't worry about creating lists comparing albums to movies, or whatever other combination you can think of.

Everyone is allowed to create a list. When you complete your lists, please e-mail them to me. My e-mail address in mj1599@aol.com. You may also list them here in the comments. The deadline for submitting your lists is FEBRUARY 15, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

The maximum number of items you can rank for each list is 20. The minimum you need to send in a list is 5.

You have 15 points to distribute for each show/episode/album/comic/song/film you rank. So if you rank 10 shows, you have 150 points. Or if you have 15 shows, you have 225 points. You can distribute them however you please. However, the maximum number of points you can give to any one item is 30. The minimum is, of course, 1 (please do whole numbers; no half points).

Please do not distribute points strategically. For instance, let's say you're confident ATLANTA is going to be near the top of the list and you're concerned JANE THE VIRGIN isn't going to make the cut. You like ATLANTA more and you would rank it higher but you give JANE THE VIRGIN more points because you want it to make the cut. Again, please don't do that. Distribute your points purely on how much you like something.

Also, make sure they are ranked. And make sure that as you go down your list, each subsequent show (or episode or whatever) has less points (or it can have the same - just make sure they don't have more) than the one above it.

Within each category, the following criteria should be met:

-TV Shows/Miniseries: A show must have either released at least 7 episodes in North America during the 2016 calendar year, or released at least 50% of its season in 2016. So a series like THE AFFAIR is allowed to be on the list despite having only aired five out of its ten episodes this past year.
(Note: The poll conducted last week voted overwhelmingly in O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA being a TV show, so that's the category where you can include it)

-TV Episodes: Must have premiered anywhere in North America between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2016. One-off specials (like an hour of stand-up comedy) are also eligible for this category.

-Albums: Must have been released between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2016. This includes Run the Jewels' "RTJ3."

-Singles: Preferably, I would like for you to only add songs that were released on or after January 1, 2016. However, I will be flexible in this category by saying that you could add a 2015 song on your list as well, if that song was more well-known and prominent in the zeitgeist during 2016 than in 2015. For example: Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk [ft. Bruno Mars]" was allowed for 2015 lists because, even though it was released in November 2014, 2015 was the year it really broke out (receiving a 14 week stint at the top of the Billboard charts, among other accomplishments).

-Films: Must have premiered for commercial release in North America during the 2016 calendar year. So, if you watched a film through either the festival circuit or a private screening and that film will not be commercially released in North America until 2017 (like Olivier Assayas PERSONAL SHOOPER, then that film cannot be included. Short films, made-for-TV movies and films that premiered for North American audiences online (like Ava DuVernay's 13TH) are also allowed in this category. This list can also include the visual album for Beyonce's LEMONADE.
(For a decent guide as to which films are eligible, here is a list of all 2016 commercial releases in New York City by Mike D'Angelo:
www.panix.com/~dangelo/... )

-Due to low participation in the last few years, the comic books and video games polls will not be taken this year. My apologies to bongoes, pulp and anyone else who participated in this category.

I will post reminders about this year-end poll periodically over the coming weeks. Until then, have fun catching-up, and don't try to procrastinate on making the lists until right as it is due!