My favorite (non-movie) pop culture of 2016!

9.) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Upon hearing its description, I quickly declared that the CW’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” was not for me. A musical about a quirky New York girl stalking her old flame to his California town? Yeah, I don’t think I’m the target demo.

But, as Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) lets us know in the first season’s catchy theme song, it’s a lot more nuanced than that.

Bloom’s show is inventive and very funny. The actress is one of television’s most instantly likable, taking a character who could have been annoying and grating in the wrong hands and making her adorable and intelligent. Bloom gained fame through her YouTube music videos, and every episode has one or two songs that are reliably hilarious and catchy. The supporting cast is incredible, with every a deep bench of well-drawn characters. And while the show is funny and energetic, it’s also a refreshing course correction to romantic comedies and one of the most insightful and effective takes on mental illness I’ve seen. My wife and I are only nearing the end of the first season, but I’ve heard great things about the second so far.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” first season is streaming on Netflix. Season Two airs Friday nights on the CW.