American Film Institute Names Top 10 Films And TV Shows Of 2017

By Jacob Elyachar

The American Film Institute has released their Top 10 list that honor the best in both movies and television in 2017.

Wonder Woman Rule Film

The American Film Institute's Top 10 picks may or may not be indicators of what films will join the 2018 Best Picture Oscar race. Wonder Woman had the honor of being the only superhero film to be selected by the respected film institution. This is Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins's second honor of the week, as she was recently named one of Time Magazine's runner-ups for Person of the Year. Greta Gerwig's directorial debut, Lady Bird, also received high praise.

Other Notable Honorees In Film

Critics Choice Award darling The Shape of Water also received an invitation to join this list, as well as the Los Angeles Films Critics Association's favorite, Call Me By Your Name, grabbed a spot. Jordan Peele's thriller, Get Out, continued to be recognized for pushing the boundaries, as well as The Florida Project. Historical films such as Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and the Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep journalism movie The Post were included in the selection. Rounding out the selections were The Big Sick and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Period Dramas Take Center Stage

Two dramas that captured the imaginations of viewers around the country were The Crown and Feud: Bette and Joan. The Crown stars Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, as she struggles to rule the United Kingdom while dealing with her crises. Meanwhile, two powerful Hollywood actresses Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon brought silver screen icons Joan Crawford and Bette Davis to life in the six-time nominated Critic Choice Awards drama Feud: Bette and Joan.

Happy Returning Honorees And Newcomers

Several television programs returned to the 2017 American Film Institute's Top 10 TV Shows list. Aziz Ansari's web comedy-drama (dramedy), Master of None, found itself back on the AFI's Top 10 TV Shows list after a two-year hiatus. Both Netflix's Stranger Things and NBC's favorite tearjerker This is Us made the list for the second year in a row. HBO's Game of Thrones was recognized as one of the best television shows of the year for the sixth year in a row. There are also several new shows that made it to the list. Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore's comedy-drama Insecure, David E. Kelley's adaption of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, and the Kristen Bell-Ted Danson supernatural NBC comedy The Good Place rounded out this elite line-up.