Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

Kristi Turnquist The Oregonian | OregonLive

Before we get swept up in the premieres and returning series of Summer TV, let’s take a moment to recognize some of the standout moments and series from the Spring 2017 TV season.

Among the parade of new and returning shows in Spring 2017 were newcomers that scored successes, and performances that broke our hearts (as with Laura Dern in "Twin Peaks: The Return," pictured.)

And then there were the disappointments, shows that lost a step, or failed to get off the ground.

Here’s a look back at some of the delights and duds of Spring TV 2017.

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Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

WINNER: Michael McKean in Better Call Saul

"Better Call Saul" had an up-and-down Season 3, but also included one of the very best episodes of the year so far, with one of the most powerful performances. Chuck McGill (Michael McKean), the older and more successful lawyer brother of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), is trying to get Jimmy disbarred.

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Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Jimmy, meanwhile, is doing whatever it takes to keep his law license. The showdown between the brothers happens during Chuck’s testimony in Jimmy’s disciplinary hearing. Chuck, takes the stand confident that he’ll easily persuade everyone to see things his way – i.e., that Jimmy should be disbarred.

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Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

But the longer he talks, the more Chuck’s façade cracks, revealing his own resentments toward his brother. When he’s forced to confront the evidence that his supposed acute electromagnetic sensitivity isn’t physical, but a psychological disorder, Chuck appears to be a broken man. McKean’s portrayal makes Chuck’s humiliation tragic, and deeply moving. Emmy nominations are often silly, but if anyone deserves one, it’s McKean.

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Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

WINNER: Laura Dern in Twin Peaks

The “Twin Peaks” revival is continuing into summer, but Laura Dern’s exceptional episode first aired just under the wire before the official start of summer, so I’m happily including her in this list.

Before “Twin Peaks: The Return” began on Showtime, the project was cloaked in mystery. About all we knew was that creators David Lynch and Mark Frost were back, writing all 18 episodes, with Lynch directing.

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Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

Then the “Twin Peaks” revival began, on May 21, and it was instantly apparent that Showtime boss David Nevins wasn’t kidding when he told reporters that the new episodes would be "pure heroin David Lynch."

Viewers have been kept waiting for FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) to return to the small Washington town of Twin Peaks. Instead, we’ve seen the demonic doppelganger Cooper (MacLachlan in full-on evil, long-haired mode.)

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Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

But amid Lynch’s experimental excursions – including a sequence of prolonged sweeping at the road house -- one scene has been especially resonant. Laura Dern appeared as Diane, who was never seen in the original “Twin Peaks,” but was the loyal FBI staffer to whom Cooper directed his recorded observations and investigation into the murder of Laura Palmer

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Patrick Wymore/SHOWTIME

There was clearly a bond between Cooper -- as he was back in the original -- and Diane. In the revival, Diane is obviously damaged from something that happened after the events of the original “Twin Peaks,” though we don’t know what that damage was.

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Patrick Wymore/SHOWTIME

Diane is bitter and angry at the thought of meeting with the man being held in custody, who’s supposedly the missing Cooper. But she reluctantly agrees. And in their confrontation, Dern is hypnotic, suggesting not only that Diane realizes this isn’t the man she thought she knew, but that the evil Cooper may have hurt her years ago, triggering her self-destructive decline.

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Patrick Wymore/Showtime

We may not see Diane again in “Twin Peaks: The Return” – we don’t know what we’ll see – but Dern has already made an impact, cutting through the surreal mysticism with raw, immediate emotion

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LOSER: Silicon Valley

In previous years, “Silicon Valley” has been one of the best comedies in TV. The HBO series has deftly satirized the start-up world, tech breakthroughs-turned-disasters and the ups and downs of would-be disrupter Richard (Thomas Middleditch) and his friends.

But while Season 4 had good moments, and again highlighted the fine ensemble work of Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani and Martin Starr, the tone grew uncomfortably dark. Richard improbably transformed from good-hearted geek to grasping, willing to ditch ethics for his ambitions.

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Judging from interviews with T.J. Miller, who played the self-aggrandizing Erlich Bachman, it sounds like things on the set weren’t totally harmonious. Miller won’t be back for Season 5. Maybe whatever was going on behind the scenes affected the show, but here’s hoping Season 5 is a return to form.

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WINNER: Carrie Coon

Whether playing Minnesota law enforcement officer Gloria Burgle in FX’s “Fargo,” or Nora Durst, dealing with the loss of her family and the fragmenting of her relationships in “The Leftovers,” Carrie Coon was Spring TV’s most impressive player.

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Coon brought out Burgle’s decency and dry humor without falling into “Minnesota nice” stereotypes. And she made Nora’s conflicting emotions – hope, disappointment, fear, compassion – the strongest element in the final season of HBO’s “The Leftovers.” Whatever she does next, we’re on board.

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Karen Ballard/Netflix

LOSER: Netflix

The streaming giant has never been more busy, premiering new series what seems like every week. Though we don’t know viewership figures, Netflix executives must not have been happy with what they saw regarding “The Get Down,” which returned for the second half of its first season; “Sense8,” the globe-spanning sci-fi series about strangers who become linked; or “Girlboss" (pictured), the 13-episode comedy inspired by Sophia Amoruso’s book about founding her fashion company.

All three series have been canceled (though Netflix may slightly appease unhappy “Sense8” fans with a two-hour wrap-up special for the series, scheduled for 2018.)

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Patrick Wymore/Netflix

WINNER: Netflix

With so much programming, it’s not surprising that while Netflix stumbled with “The Get Down” and “Girlboss,” it found success with other first-season series that made their debuts in the 2017 spring season. “13 Reasons Why” stirred controversy with its portrayal of teenage suicide. But even with objections from parents and teachers, “13 Reasons Why” was a hit, and will return for a second season.

Another freshman offering, “Dear White People" (pictured), drew positive reviews for its smart, sharp satirical take on life on an Ivy League college campus, told through the prism of African American students’ experience. It also will be back for a second season.

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Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME

WINNER: Asia Kate Dillon

“Billions” Season 2 premiered during the winter 2017 TV season, but since it ended in May, we’re including Asia Kate Dillon here, because Dillon was simply too striking to leave off this list

Dillon stood out from the moment we met the character of Taylor in Showtime’s “Billions”:

“Hello sir, my name is Taylor. My pronouns are ‘they, theirs, and them.’”

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Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME

As Taylor Mason, a financial analyst at Bobby Axelrod’s (Damian Lewis) hedge fund firm, Dillon made history as TV’s first gender-non-binary character. Dillon, who identifies as non-binary offscreen as well, wasn’t just breaking new ground. Dillon’s performance was bracingly fresh, and Taylor’s interior journey dramatized how tempting it can be to abandon principles when wealth and opportunity are dazzlingly close.

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AMC

Spring TV: Did Fargo, Better Call Saul, The Americans and The Leftovers soar or stumble?

Some of the most ambitious dramas on TV aired new seasons during the Spring 2017 season. Here are my thoughts about "Fargo" Season 3, "Better Call Saul" Season 3, "The Americans" Season 5 and "The Leftovers" third and final season.

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Is there too much TV?

Experts predict viewers will have been fed a total of 500 scripted shows by the end of 2017. Why so many shows? And are there too many?

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