Yahooies 2016: ‘Outlander,’ ‘This Is Us,’ #Richonne Among Winners of Our 2nd Annual Reader-Voted Awards

With 50% of the vote — besting the saddest casualties of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones to date — you know this hit fans hard. Not only was the death of the Commander of the 12 Clans unexpected, it was a stupid accident — not a fitting exit for the fierce, strong, smart warrior who united all the Grounders. Even worse, Lexa died after finally consummating her relationship with Clarke, and that sparked outrage among fans who felt the death fed the "Bury Your Gays" trope (when LGBTQ characters are killed off, often right after having sex). Lexa was a fighter and a lover, and she deserved better. —Kelly Woo

2. Abraham Ford and Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead (31%)
3. Hodor, Game of Thrones (10%)
4. Poussey Washington, Orange Is the New Black (7%)
5. Nina Sergeevna Krilova, The Americans (2%)
(Photo: Diyah Pera/The CW)

Another landslide victory (63%)! Fans may not have seen "Richonne" coming, but it made so much sense once it did, as these two fierce post-apocalyptic leaders had already formed their own little family unit with teen Carl and baby Judith. Plus, from that first mack on the couch to that au naturel morning-after in Rick's bed, Richonne made one instantly sexy coupling. —Kimberly Potts

2. Randall and Beth, This Is Us (14%)
3. Jonathan and Nancy, Stranger Things (8%)
4. White Josh and Darryl, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (8%)
5. Javier and Letty, Good Behavior (4%)
6. Jimmy and Kim, Better Call Saul (3%)
(Photo: Gene Page/AMC)

There’s no question about it: It was a very good year for JDM (49%). TV fans have long known that his smirks smolder, his stubble is sexy, and his wit and sass are simultaneously alluring and aggravating. Also that he wears the hell out of a leather jacket both on air and IRL. But in 2016, he took that charm to a whole new level, using his power for both good and evil, as two wildly different characters on two totally different shows. As Jason, Alicia's new freelance investigator, he wasn't big on planning, signing things, or following the rules — he was disbarred for punching a judge — but he was flirty, loyal, made us laugh, and eventually sweet-talked his way into his employer's bed and heart.

As Negan, the bat-swinging sadistic Saviors leader, he takes innocuous things like whistling, nursery rhymes, and corny phrases like "easy peasy lemon squeezy" and supercharges them with fear, intimidation, and viciousness. He rules with an iron fist, demands discipline and devotion, and has no problem doling out twisted punishments that never end, including scarring faces forever with hot irons, taking your wife as his own, or killing someone you love while you watch (Glenn, #neverforget!). —Carrie Bell

2. Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont, Game of Thrones (19%)
3. Liza Weil as Paris Geller, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (16%)
4. Sam Richardson as Richard, Veep (8%)
5. The Cat, The Night Of (5%)
6. Brian Tyree Henry as Paper Boi, Atlanta (3%)
(Photo: Jeff Neumann/CBS/Getty Images)

The paranormal partnership that launched a thousand #Ichabbie memes ended in an unfortunate — and genuinely frustrating — death, as Abbie Mills gave her life so that Ichabod Crane might continue to fight the good fight against the demonic elements of American "twistory." But an Abbie-less series isn't what many fans signed on for back in Season 1, when the duo seemed poised to become the new Mulder and Scully. Whatever the reasons that motivated her exit, Abbie's absence makes Sleepy Hollow a less interesting place to visit — and the winner of this category (26%). —Ethan Alter

2. Rickon Doesn’t Zigzag, Game of Thrones (23%)
3. The Final Four Words, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (21%)
4. Diane Slaps Alicia, The Good Wife (13%)
5. Chandra Kisses Naz, The Night Of (9%)
6. Maddie's Emancipation, Nashville (7%)
(Photo: Tina Rowden/Fox)

The Sassenach and her great Scot never seem far from harm's way. This season alone, Claire was poisoned, jumped in an alley, shunned sexually by her husband, who was suffering from PTSD after being raped, and almost died of boredom at a series of frivolous fetes she was forced to attend with gossipy shallow Frenchwomen. Just when things seemed to be turning around, Black Jack reappeared in their lives and set in motion a series of extremely unfortunate events that a) made Jamie break his promise to not fight him and b) stressed Claire so badly that she lost the baby. Book readers knew the 411, of course, but everyone else — including 35% of voters, apparently — was likely caught off-guard given that the season opened with a pregnant Claire heading back to the future. —CB

2. Norma's Death, Bates Motel (24%)
3. Cersei's Revenge, Game of Thrones (18%)
4. Crazy Eyes Kills the Little Boy, Orange Is the New Black (14%)
5. Spector’s Attack on Gibson, The Fall (5%)
6. Elliot Gets Shot, Mr. Robot (3%)
(Photo: Starz)

What is a hilarious sketch that doubles as incisive social commentary about America's blue state/red state divide? Michael Che and Bryan Tucker wrote this Jeopardy! parody (24%), which features Tom Hanks's deft portrayal of a walking caricature of a Trump supporter who discovers he shares common ground with his fellow contestants. Besides laughter, it provides some hope that maybe we can all just get along. —EA

2. "Haunted Elevator (ft. David S. Pumpkins)" (22%)
3. "Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base" (19%)
4. "Election Night" (13%)
5. “Bern Your Enthusiasm” (11%)
6. “Farewell, Mr. Bunting” (8%)
7. “Crucible Cast Party” (3%)
(Photo: Will Heath/NBC)

With 42% of the vote, it’s confirmed: Every week, the Pearsons make us all laugh, and cry, and remember that one time at the public pool or that night spent in the hospital or that really terrible Thanksgiving that ultimately became one of your most treasured memories. Thanks to the deft handling of extremely well-written dialogue and complicated, constantly evolving (and therefore realistic) family dynamics, this superior group of actors makes you realize you're not alone in this mess called life. Whether you relate most to the parents in over their heads but trying their damnedest, the self-worth issues that can be caused by being overweight, the competition between brothers, the stranglehold of addiction, the need to know who you are and where you come from, the thrill of new love or the comfort of an old one, or the never-ending gut punch of losing someone important, these actors make you realize just how inclusive the "us' of the title really is. —CB

2. Stranger Things (29%)
3. Westworld (14%)
4. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (8%)
5. The Crown (7%)
(Photo: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)

With This Is Us's Dan Fogelman as a co-creator, this show deserved more viewers in its first season. (You can binge the 10 episodes over the holidays!) But anyone who did tune in — and got hooked on the story of MLB's first female player — knows that Bunbury (41%) will be fine even if Fox decides not to renew the drama. As pitcher Ginny Baker, she's proved she can be No. 1 on the call sheet, handle the demands of a physical role, and perform the drama (and comedy) of gender politics, dysfunctional family and friends, and forbidden romance. —Mandi Bierly

2. Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and This Is Us (29%)
3. Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things (21%)
4. Samantha Bee, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee (5%)
5. Riz Ahmed, The Night Of (4%)
(Photo: Ray Mickshaw/Fox)

It was this year’s second closest race, with just 16 votes separating Chad (39%) from second-place Negan. The reality show villain has become a television trope, but Chad turned up the villainy dial to 11. He was absolutely the most talked-about contestant of the season, and often it seemed like he was the star of the show instead of JoJo Fletcher. Whether he was chomping on deli meat or lugging around protein powder or staring down the other men, Chad was entertaining. For us, that made him there for the right reasons. —KW

2. Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), The Walking Dead (38%)
3. The Man in Black (Ed Harris), Westworld (11%)
4. Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), Stranger Things (7%)
5. Kimble Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen), Designated Survivor (4%)
(Photo: Rick Rowell/ABC)

For the second year in a row, this couple takes the crown — this time with an impressive 77% of the vote. Season 1 was full of bodice-ripping, bare butts, and baby-making, but things had been pretty darned quiet on the bedroom front in Season 2, thanks to Jamie's being rendered impotent after being raped, tortured, and mentally broken by Black Jack. Things finally came to a head when Jamie came home from the brothel with teeth marks on his thigh, and an epic row ensued. Jamie finally opened up about not feeling like a man and went to sleep it off on the couch. As makeup sex is the best sex, Claire later appeared in the doorway wearing only a robe and bathed in beautiful blue light, climbed atop her soulmate, and challenged him. "Come find me, Jamie. Find us," she purred, and, bam, Clamie was back in business. —CB

2. Luke and Misty, Luke Cage (6%)
3. Rebecca and Greg, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (5%)
4. Javier and Letty, Good Behavior (4%)
5. Alicia and Jason, The Good Wife (4%)
6. Jane and Michael, Jane the Virgin (3%)
(Photo: Starz)

As we wrote in our list of 2016’s 30 Best TV Moments, even after 13 seasons, fans weren't ready to see Michael Weatherly's Tony leave NCIS, but producers made the exit as bearable as possible: He learned Ziva had left behind a daughter — his daughter. His priority was no longer being a "very special agent"; it was being everything to little Tali, because that's what she'd lost. Turns out, for 41% of voters, seeing Tony finally grow up is as satisfying as watching Gibbs slap him on the back of the head. —MB

2. Jack's Dead and Rebecca's Remarried, This Is Us (25%)
3. Bernard Is a Host, Westworld (17%)
4. Cottonmouth Dies, Luke Cage (7%)
5. Mulder And Scully Discover a Were-Human, The X-Files (6%)
6. San Junipero Is Heaven, Black Mirror (4%)
(Photo: CBS)

In our closest race, just seven votes separated The Grinder (31%) from fellow fan favorite Agent Carter. Rob Lowe's starring stint as actor-turned-wannabe lawyer Dean Sanderson seemed like the television role he had been waiting for. Ditto for fellow '80s star Fred Savage, who played his brotherly other half in this clever comedy that riffed on melodramatic procedurals and sibling rivalry. We had high hopes for a long run, with its smart writing, familiar cast, and hilarious premise, but Fox threw the gavel down after 22 episodes. —Victoria Leigh Miller

2. Agent Carter (30%)
3. Tyrant (14%)
4. The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore (13%)
5. BrainDead (10%)
6. Togetherness (3%)
(Photo: Fox/Getty Images)