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2016 was a year of cultural shifts, unforgettable characters, and stories that resonated deeply. From the self-aware humor of “Deadpool” to the nostalgic thrills of “Stranger Things,” these movies and shows perfectly encapsulated the mood, politics, and spirit of that moment in time. Join us as we explore the films and series that defined 2016’s unique place in pop culture history!
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00:00Boom, boom, boom!
00:04That didn't come from the chocolate lights now, that came from something else.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today, we're looking at movies and seasons of TV shows that make us say,
00:14Yep, that was 2016.
00:16Let's go. Let's go.
00:17Oh, did you want to? Sorry. I'll let you. I'll let you.
00:19Next time.
00:21Deadpool.
00:22I'm gonna do this the old-fashioned way.
00:24With two swords and maximum effort.
00:28Hear the music.
00:29By 2016, superhero movies basically printed money.
00:33Yet Deadpool completely caught the industry off-guard.
00:36Let us go talk to the professor.
00:38McAvoy or Stewart.
00:40These timelines are so confusing.
00:42Not only was it rated R, but the film also had a more satirical edge.
00:47Even taking shots at the ill-received superhero movies that came before.
00:51This included X-Men Origins' Wolverine and 2011's Green Lantern.
00:55Both starring Ryan Reynolds.
00:57This is my most prized possession.
01:00Wham.
01:02No, no, no. Wham!
01:04At a time when many felt the genre had become too dour and self-serious,
01:08audiences were hungry for a more self-aware superhero in 2016.
01:12Meme culture and viral marketing helped propel Deadpool to the top of the box office.
01:17It also signified a turning point for Reynolds, as he went from the face of several financial flops to one of the last true movie stars in Hollywood.
01:26We will make an X-Men of you yet.
01:28Wait.
01:29You know, for a second there, it felt like we were three mini lion robots coming together to form one super robot.
01:35There's a stupid.
01:36Yeah.
01:38Westworld, season one.
01:40This series would be unceremoniously cancelled after four seasons and, as of writing, isn't available to stream on HBO Max.
01:47What makes Westworld's erasure from the public consciousness so jarring is that it wasn't just an instant hit for HBO upon debuting in 2016.
01:54This is, uh, it's bigger than I thought it would be.
01:59What, this?
02:00This, this is Sweetwater.
02:02Wait till you see the rest of the park.
02:03How much bigger is it?
02:05No idea.
02:06I never reached the end.
02:08It was a cultural phenomenon, igniting numerous theories across Reddit.
02:13One of the overarching questions concerned which characters were human and which were hosts.
02:18Every choice could bring you closer to the center or send you spiraling to the edges.
02:23To madness.
02:24Do you understand now, Dolores, what the center represents?
02:33In 2016, this was considered science fiction.
02:36Ten years later, the line between AI and humanity is harder to differentiate.
02:41Westworld was ahead of its time while still being rooted in 2016.
02:45Even if you didn't always understand what was going on, Westworld was priority viewing at the height of peak TV.
02:52He begged me not to let you people in.
02:54The money men.
02:55Delos.
02:56But I told him we'd be fine, that you didn't understand what you were paying for.
03:01It's not a business venture, not a theme park, but an entire world.
03:07Saturday Night Live, seasons 41 and 42.
03:11Oh my God.
03:12I think America is racist.
03:15Oh my God.
03:20If there are two long running comedies that the masses will always look to for timely commentary, it's SNL and South Park.
03:27The latter's 20th season put its own spin on the 2016 presidential election, among other then-current events.
03:33As far as political satire goes though, SNL dominated the conversation with Kate McKinnon's dead-on impression of Hillary Clinton and Alec Baldwin taking over the role of Donald Trump in late 2016.
03:45ISIS isn't Mosul, but she created ISIS, and Iran should write us a letter of thank you, because Iran is taking Iraq, and so we're going to Mosul, and Iran's going to write us a letter of, listen, where Aleppo isn't a disaster, and Iran is Iraq, and with Mosul is ISIS.
04:02Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump, we have to move on.
04:05Oh, thank God.
04:06Parody and real-world politics were almost becoming interchangeable, and this trend wouldn't diminish in the years to come.
04:13Even so, audiences turned to SNL for insight, humor, and amid the election's surprising results, comfort as McKinnon's Clinton lamented the loss of her presidency, and possibly more, on piano.
04:25I'm not giving up, and neither should you. And live from New York, it's Saturday night.
04:31A decade later, we still haven't made first contact, yet Denis Villeneuve's arrival feels more urgent than ever.
04:39Despite being science fiction, the film approaches its subject matter in a way that comes off as grounded.
04:44Just replace extraterrestrials with immigrants, and you'll begin to see the real-world parallels.
04:49In a statement, General Shang said, China no longer trusts the aliens who want to divide us. Humanity must be protected.
04:57Instead of trying to communicate with the unknown, many would rather respond with force.
05:02Amy Adams' Louise is the only one who can break through this wall, establishing a bridge between worlds.
05:08I think those are their names. They have names.
05:15In ways even the filmmakers likely didn't anticipate, Arrival mirrored a time when people were becoming increasingly disconnected due to fear and uncertainty.
05:24If somebody can listen though, hope and empathy may persevere, even if what looms on the horizon won't be without heartache.
05:31Despite knowing the journey, and where it leads, I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it.
05:46The People vs. O.J. Simpson American Crime Story
05:49The Bronco's gone.
05:54Yeah, I got it.
05:57Oh my god. We're going to look like morons.
06:01Almost two decades after the O.J. Simpson murder case captivated a nation, audiences relived the trial of the century in this star-studded miniseries.
06:10Debuting as the true crime genre reached another level of popularity, The People vs. O.J. Simpson arguably remains the gold standard in terms of writing, performances, and relevance.
06:21Look what the culture is becoming. The media, people, they want narrative too, but they want it to be entertainment.
06:28And what's out in the world, Osmosi's back into that courtroom, sequester be damned.
06:34If there's going to be a media circus, you better well be the ringmaster.
06:38Although at Chronicles, events that occurred between 1994 and 1995, the show reflected 2016's widening political and cultural divide.
06:47So many people were convinced that Simpson was guilty, and that the jury would share that verdict.
06:52When they didn't, half of the public rejoiced, while the other felt like they were living in a parallel universe.
06:58If that sentiment doesn't sum up 2016, we don't know what will.
07:01So what do you want to do now?
07:04Is it too early for a drink?
07:08Captain America Civil War
07:102016 gave us two superhero crossovers that culminated in a fight where a crucial detail about a character's mother is revealed.
07:17Find him! Save Martha!
07:26While both generated enormous hype, Captain America Civil War was undoubtedly better than Batman V Superman.
07:32Although 2016 wasn't the best time to be a DC fan, Marvel just kept gaining momentum.
07:39Civil War not only marked the debut of Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther, but also brought Tom Holland's Spider-Man into the MCU.
07:46Nice job, kid!
07:47Thanks!
07:48Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just a new suit.
07:50Wait, it's nothing. Mr. Stark, it's perfect. Thank you.
07:53Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation.
07:55Okay. Captain? Big fan of Spider-Man?
07:59Yeah, we'll talk about it later. Just...
08:01Hey, everyone.
08:02Good job.
08:03Beyond fan service, the film told a relevant story about two groups with differing views, neither of which is necessarily wrong.
08:09It's not good versus evil, but sides are inevitably taken with friends becoming enemies.
08:14One wins the physical fight, the other wins the political battle, yet loss looms over both.
08:20This isn't gonna change what happened. I don't care. He killed my mom.
08:26Moonlight and La La Land.
08:28What do we do?
08:30I don't think we can do anything.
08:33Cause when you get this...
08:35If I get this...
08:36As awards season revved up in 2016, a rivalry between La La Land and Moonlight brewed.
08:41At least among cinema goers, the filmmakers themselves were quite courteous to one another.
08:47As exemplified by the following year's Envelope Gate.
08:50On state and off.
08:52They were very nice.
08:54They had it turning off. They handled it well.
08:56It was a very amicable custody arrangement.
08:58They didn't ask for visitation or anything, but...
09:01The two frontrunners couldn't have been more different.
09:04La La Land tapped into Hollywood's golden era with whimsy and escapism.
09:08Moonlight, meanwhile, was championed as the movie of the moment.
09:11Reflecting a changing cinematic landscape that wasn't afraid to tell bleaker, more personal stories.
09:17Never really did anything I actually wanted to do.
09:22It was all I could do to do what folks thought I should be doing.
09:26I wasn't ever really myself.
09:32And now?
09:33Ironically, Moonlight ends on an optimistic reunion, while La La Land leaves us on a bittersweet goodbye as reality sinks in.
09:40In that sense, the two made for a compelling double feature that together encapsulated the end of one era and the beginning of another.
09:47Is that right there?
09:51You're in the middle of the world.
09:58I love you.
10:05Veep, Season 5.
10:07Veep and House of Cards were among the buzziest shows of the 2010s.
10:11Both were naturally talking points in 2016, being an election year.
10:14Looking back, Season 5 of Veep perhaps best encompassed the year and what was to come.
10:19This thing on the side of my face feels like a dog nipple.
10:22It's hardly noticeable, ma'am, like our Hispanic voter turnout.
10:26As the season opens, Selina Meyer has already achieved one term as president.
10:30That might not have been how things panned out for Hillary Clinton.
10:33Yet the season ends with Selina losing her presidency, which now feels like an omen.
10:38Now you know what it feels like.
10:39I've got a source, apparently Doyle masterminded the whole thing, rumor has it he's getting Secretary of State.
10:48Secretary of State.
10:50I hate this country.
10:52I know.
10:53While you can connect the dots to Clinton, Selina also has a fair deal in common with Trump.
11:00Both lost re-elections, but came back years later for a second term.
11:04Politics haven't been the same since 2016, and Veep captured how satire was becoming reality.
11:09What we have to do is we have to make Tibet happen.
11:13That's what's going to be my legacy.
11:15Selina Meyer, the woman who freed Tibet.
11:17Ma'am, we've been in radio silence with the Chinese for the last two weeks.
11:20Well then, why don't we send warships out into the South China Sea?
11:25Sea.
11:26I want my Nobel Peace Prize.
11:28Zootopia.
11:29We enter 2016 feeling like Judy Hopps when she first arrived in Zootopia, naively optimistic that the hard times were in the past.
11:37We left 2016 seeing things from Nick Wilde's perspective, recognizing that while the world may seem more inclusive than it was years ago, prejudice hasn't gone anywhere.
11:47Naive little hick with good grades and big ideas decides, hey, look at me, I'm gonna move to Zootopia, where predators and prey live in harmony and sing kumbaya, only to find, whoopsie, we don't all get along.
12:00Judy confronts this truth by the end, realizing that even she isn't as forward-thinking as she thought.
12:05At the same time, this only encourages Judy to keep trying to make a difference.
12:09With all due respect, sir, a good cop is supposed to serve and protect, help the city, not tear it apart.
12:22The world may never be perfect, nor will the people or animals who inhabit it.
12:27That doesn't mean we should stop striving toward a world that's more accepting and understanding.
12:32It was a message we needed in 2016, and still need now.
12:36We all have limitations. We all make mistakes.
12:40Which means, hey, glass half full, we all have a lot in common.
12:44And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be.
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13:06Stranger Things Season 1
13:08Something is coming. Something hungry for blood.
13:13A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness. It is almost here.
13:19What is it?
13:20It sounds strange saying that a show set in the 1980s defined 2016.
13:25Then again, this was the era of nostalgia.
13:27No show spoke to our inner 80s kid more than Stranger Things.
13:31You guys hear that?
13:33No.
13:43While in the spirit of Goonies, Stand By Me, and other classics from that decade, Stranger Things created its own mythology while launching several careers that are still flourishing a decade later.
13:53Rewatching Season 1, we're taken back to a time when a then-unknown Millie Bobby Brown gave Eggos the ultimate endorsement, and hashtag JusticeForBarb made the rounds on Twitter.
14:03Yes, Twitter.
14:04We suppose things have come full circle, as we've grown nostalgic for Stranger Things, which immediately captured the zeitgeist and didn't let go.
14:12It was a generation-defining show, and it all started here.
14:16Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's not it, is it?
14:20No, there's a medal ceremony.
14:21Oh, a medal ceremony?
14:22What are you talking about?
14:23Yeah, man, the campaign was way too short.
14:25Yeah.
14:26It was 10 hours.
14:27But it doesn't make any sense.
14:28Which movies and shows take you back to 2016?
14:31Let us know in the comments.
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