17 Top TV Moments Of 2017

By Brent Furdyk. 8 Dec 2017 3:08 PM

An Oscars screw-up for the ages. Hollywood’s best actress slams America’s worst president. A morning show firing nobody saw coming. A Handmaid’s brutal revenge. These were just a few of the 17 most memorable TV moments of 2017.

Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Will Heath/NBC

ABC/Eddy Chen

Suzanne Tenner/FX

Hulu

Colleen Hayes/NBC

CBS

AMC

HBO

Showtime

Netflix

ABC

HBO

Netflix

ABC/Randy Holmes

NBC

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Meryl's Trump Takedown
Paul Drinkwater/NBC
Accepting 2017's Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2017 Golden Globes, Meryl Streep delivered a powerful speech alluding to newly elected President Donald Trump's reputation as a bully, stating: "When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose." Trump fired back (on Twitter, of course) by calling her a "Hillary flunky" and "one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood" — pretty much cementing the point she was making in the first place.
Melissa McCarthy Gets 'Spicey'
Will Heath/NBC
In February, Melissa McCarthy made a surprise appearance during a Kristen Stewart-hosted episode of "SNL" and unveiled one of the show's most brilliant political impressions as then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer, absolutely nailing his combativeness with the press, tenuous command of the English language and ridiculous fibs. As the real Spicer's behaviour grew increasingly bizarre (say, hiding from reporters in a grove of bushes), McCarthy's "Spicey" became commensurately unhinged in further apperances on the show. Sadly, Spicer's resignation from the White House closed the door on what ranks as one of the show's funniest bits of political satire ever.
"And The Oscar Goes To... Whoops!'
ABC/Eddy Chen
Jaws dropped around the world when Best Picture presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced the year's top Oscar went to "La La Land" — and then watched the chaos unfold as everyone realized they had been given the wrong envelope by a star-struck accountant more intent on taking selfies with celebrities than doing his ONE job. "Moonlight" was eventually named, correctly, Best Picture, just before the entire Academy Awards sputtered to a shambolic end.
Joan Steals Bette's Thunder On 'Feud'
Suzanne Tenner/FX
The Hollywood feud between warring stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford was legendary, and Ryan Murphy chronicled their battles from a standpoint that seems downright prescient in the wake of the sexual harassment accusations that have dominated headlines in recent weeks. Yet the show's ultimate moment — based on absolute truth — came when Joan Crawford schemed her way into the Oscars to accept the award on behalf of the winner, while co-star Davis (who HAD actually been nominated) sat and fumed. With Oscar-winners Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange playing, respectively, Davis and Crawford, the performances are electrifying.
Ofglen's Revenge
Hulu
After being punished with excessively cruel surgery, handmaid Ofglen (Alexis Bledel) manages to enact brutal revenge of a sort when she manages to jump into a car and drive over a guard, crushing him to death before being taken away in a final act of defiance — which, fans are hoping when the show returns in season two, may not be so final.
A Great Twist For 'The Good Place'
Colleen Hayes/NBC
Shocking twists don't get more shocking (or more twisty) than what took place in the first season finale of "The Good Place" when the gang discovered they weren't in the Good Place after all, but were actually in the Bad Place, each carefully chosen for their unique ability to annoy the crap out of each other for all eternity.
Zeke Outed On 'Survivor'
CBS
A desperate Jeff Varner took a gamble during Tribal Council that backfired badly when he outed fellow castaway Zeke Smith as transgender. In a subsequent interview, Smith explained why he kept his sexual identity a secret. “I didn’t want to be the ‘first transgender 'Survivor” contestant," he told People. “I’m not ashamed of being trans, but I didn’t want that to be my story...I just wanted to be known for my game.” The incident later cost Varner his job when his employer axed him due to the negative publicity his "Survivor" behaviour had been generating.
Shiva Bites Back
AMC
On the season finale of "The Walking Dead", the battle between Negan's army and Rick's alliance of Alexandria, Hilltop and the Kingdom was fraught with shocking moments, including zombified Sasha providing the element of surprise that swung the balance. But what really sealed the victory was the surprise appearance of Ezekial's pet tiger, Shiva, who ripped into the enemy with fury and sent Negan's men scurrying like the rats they are.
'Big Little Lies' Big Reveal
HBO
"Big Little Lies" became another triumph for HBO, delivering a puzzle-like mystery and some brilliant performances, particularly from stars Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. In the finale, we finally learned the identity of who was murdered and how it happened, tying everything together while ripping the glossy veneer off the upscale California community to expose the dark underbelly hidden beneath the surface.
Meet Wally Brando
Showtime
David Lynch's revival of "Twin Peaks" was met with excitement and enthusiasm... followed by utter confusion by those trying to make sense of what was happening throughout hour after hour of surrealistic weirdness that only tenuously clung to some semblance of plot. Yet amidst all the strangeness and parade of guest stars, it's impossible to beat the brief introduction of Michael Cera as Wally Brando, son of Deputy Andy and receptionist Lucy, who has ridiculously immersed himself within Marlon Brando's 1950s biker thug character from "The Wild Ones".
Claire's Killer Moment
Netflix
The fifth season of "House of Cards" built up to what was promising to be an epic showdown between President spouses Claire and Frank Underwood (Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey, whose sex scandal has ensured he won't be back for next season, essentially handing Claire the victory in a battle that hadn't quite been fought yet). It's a shame fans will never be able to see that take place, because season five demonstrated that Claire is just as ruthless as her murderous husband when she poisons her lover Tom (immediately after having sex with him, no less) in order to ensure the Underwood secrets he holds will follow him to the grave. Talk about ice water in the veins!
Kimmel Gets Political
ABC
In May, Jimmy Kimmel shared with viewers that his newborn son Billy had been born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery shortly after his birth. In an emotional monologue, Kimmel transformed his son's situation into a call to action for universal healthcare in the U.S. "If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” Kimmel told viewers. “I think that’s something that whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right? … No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life. It just shouldn’t happen. Not here.”
Down Comes the Wall
HBO
The season finale of the penultimate season of "Game of Thrones" took a game-changing turn when one of Daenerys' dragons wound up becoming taken by the Night King, proving to be a fearsome weapon when zombie Viserion's blue flame was unleashed to destroy the massive wall that has kept Westeros safe for centuries. We'll find out what happens next when the show returns with its final season, likely sometime in 2019.
Wendy Williams Collapse

Talk show host Wendy Williams was costumed as the Statue of Liberty for her Halloween episode when, mid-sentence, she became incoherent as her eyes widened, she started to wobble and then crumbled to the ground, While viewers were horrified, Williams was apparently fine, blaming the heavy costume for making her faint.
Eleven Saves The Day
Netflix
There was no end to the memorable moments in the season two of "Stranger Things" — who could have predicted Steve would become a hero? — but for sheer drama it's top to beat the moment when a punk rock Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) faces off against... well, whatever it is that possessed Will and is growing like mold in the tunnels beneath Hawkins. Her nose-bleeding display of power provided the perfect finale for a rip-roaring second season season.
JLaw Interviews Kim K.
ABC/Randy Holmes
While Kimmel took a week off in October for son Billy's surgery (which had to be postponed when everyone in the family caught colds), celebrity pals filled in for him. While there were many memorable moments, none were more surreal than watching Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence interviewing Kim Kardashian, in which JLaw dropped all manner of crazy bombshells, from revealing she got naked in Kris Jenner's closet after chugging five martinis and got styled by Kanye West. For sheer nuttiness, however, it's impossible to top Lawrence asking Kardashian about her flatulence, resulting in the classic quote, "I don't fart."
Matt Lauer Fired
NBC
"Today" viewers who tuned in on Wednesday, Nov. 27 may have wondered why Matt Lauer wasn't on the set that morning, but they quickly found out as a visibly shaken Savannah Guthrie informed that Lauer's 21-year run had ended with his firing after an accusation of sexual harassment. When more info began leaking out about sex toys and the door-locking button under his desk, everyone forgot all about Charlie Rose getting fired for similar behaviour a week earlier.

17 Top TV Moments Of 2017

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