I've been making "best of TV" lists for a few years now, and every year it becomes harder and harder to narrow my list down. Part of that is because my tastes have broadened past the "silly sitcoms only" territory that they once stuck to, but a larger part of that is that the amount of TV has absolutely exploded in the past few years. Yeah, you've heard about it, you know we're living in Peak TV, you don't need me to lecture you about it. But while Peak TV might be a nightmare for executives trying to counter-program against a mass glut of exceptionally unique television shows, it's a dream for people like me, who just love television so much and often like shows that didn't stand much of a chance in the old, mass appeal mandated system. So just know that this list leaves off plenty of shows that I really did love. I extended the list to 25 this year, and I feel these 25 shows do a fairly good job of representing both what I personally dug this year as well as the true diversity of programming available to us today. So let's go!
25. The Middle
It's not easy for a sitcom to stay fresh for so long, nevertheless a family sitcom with children who age and, as we've been taught to think, become less funny. But The Middle has become the rare show that's becoming more mature, more thoughtful and more poignant as it grows up around its characters. In 2015, we saw Sue Heck graduate high school and discover the world outside of the bubble she's been living with. We saw Mike deal with the fact that he's not going to be around forever and how to cope with that slowly growing realization. We saw Axl realize that his high school glory days are over and that he's going to have to start to forge his own path in life rather than relying on everyone else to figure it out for him. And we saw one of the most subtle yet effective coming out scenes I've ever seen on television. These are all heavy topics that would've seemed impossible when The Middle started and seemed like another run-of-the-mill family sitcom, and the fact that it's consistently knocking them out of the park while still remaining light and funny shows just how much the show has grown over the years.
Standout Episodes: "The Graduate", "Risky Business", "Halloween VI: Tick Tock Death"
24. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Another long-running sitcom that has remained fresh but for entirely different reasons, Always Sunny continues to be a deranged delight ten years into its run. Season 10 was somehow one of the show's tightest and funniest seasons, with nearly every episode clocking in as a near-classic. The show continues to subtlety experiment with its form, with a series best episode mimicking True Detective's famed one-shot sequence and another hilarious episode playing entirely as an episode of Family Feud with the Reynolds family. There's not many sitcoms that I would eagerly be awaiting an 11th season of, but Always Sunny is a proud member of that short list.
Standout Episodes: "Charlie Work", "The Gang Misses the Boat", "The Gang Goes on Family Fight"
23. Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation remained a delight through-out its entire run, but it sometimes felt as if it was struggling to find a purpose in its later seasons after it pretty much gave all of its characters an endless supply of everything they had ever wanted. That all changed in its 7th and final season, which made the bold move of jumping three years into the future and exploring how everyone had grown and changed, then showed us where they all ultimately ended up. This season almost felt removed from the rest of the series, which allowed it to function less as your typical season of the show and more as an intricate character study of each member of the ensemble. That's pretty much the best kind of victory lap any fan could ask for, and it led to Parks & Rec going out on a really lovely note.
Standout Episodes: "Leslie & Ron", "The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show", "One Last Ride"
22. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Brooklyn Nine-Nine might be the most quietly consistent show on television. It rarely makes a big splash, but week in and week out it makes me laugh more than most other shows on TV, and it has the biggest, best and most lovable sitcom ensemble this side of NBC Thursdays. The show had a particularly strong run of episodes this past fall as it experimented with its dynamics a bit, finally pushing together its two romantic leads and actually managing to pull it off. It's also the only place you can go to find truly unique characters like Captain Holt and Gina Linetti, characters that make me laugh with pretty much every word that comes out of their mouth in a way that very few characters can. Maybe it's not quite a game changer, but there are few places on television I'm more eager to return to each week than the 99.
Standout Episodes: "Captain Peralta", "Ava", "Yippie Kayak"
21. Orange is the New Black
Orange is the New Black's third season was more understated than its first two installments, trading in some of the high-stakes drama for more of a laidback, hangout vibe. There were times when the show seemed to be hugging the "comedy" side of its comedy-drama hybrid surprisingly hard, almost as if it had forgotten that it was show about, well, prison. And yet in the back half of its season, that laidback vibe came crashing down in a very classic OITNB fashion, bringing us some of the most heart-wrenching plot developments the show has ever attempted. It all led us to a finale that stands as one of the show's very best episodes, one that had the show's full armory of grounded comedy, heart-pounding drama, and bittersweet undertones proudly on display.
Standout Episodes: "Empathy is a Boner Killer", "A Tittin' and a Hairin'", "Trust No Bitch"
20. Community
Community's sixth season shouldn't have happened. It only existed thanks to a last-minute save from Yahoo, of all places, and it did so with nearly half of its original cast having departed. And yet, the show managed to put together a sixth (and final) season that struck the right balance of humor, warmth, and experimentation that made so many of us fall in love with the show in the first place. It was a season that fully addressed the show's changed dynamic by centering itself around the idea of Jeff slowly watching his fellow study group members figure out their leaves and move past Greendale, as he's stuck repeating the same notes over and over again. In typical Community fashion, this was explored through an endless parade of winky sitcom tropes and genre parodies, albeit ones that seemed rather grounded and toned down compared to previous seasons. It all ended in a series finale that was an absolutely perfect way to send off these characters, one that makes me feel at peace that it's probably the end of the road for a show that's grown to mean a lot to me. (I still need that movie, though.)
Standout Episodes: "Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing", "Modern Espionage", "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television"
19. Inside Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer had a big year in 2015, with her new HBO special (at the Apollo!) and her massive comedy hit Trainwreck and her budding friendship with Jennifer Lawrence. But it was the third season of her weird little sketch show Inside Amy Schumer that had her best work of the year, churning out sketch after sketch of insightful, funny commentary on what it's like to be a woman in the entertainment industry and, more broadly, the world. Schumer comes from that dying '90s/00s brand of "mean is better" comedy that sometimes gets a little too cruel, but she's managed to outlast most of her other contemporaries from that time by making her comic targets big, powerful ideas in need of derision - things like sexism, patriarchy and unrealistic expectations for women in the media. As Schumer makes her way towards the A-list, here's to hoping she continues doing great, gutsy things like 12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer.
Standout Episodes: "Last Fuckable Day", "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer", "80s Ladies"
18. Transparent
Transparent didn't have the tight narrative arc of Maura's coming out to rely on this year, which made the show's focus a bit more generalized and less specific to Maura herself. That could've been a death knell for the show, but instead if allowed it to double down on the deeply flawed Pfefferman clan and constantly tested them and analyzed how exactly they came to be the way they are. Additionally, the show's widened scope allowed it to speak out on plenty of real-world issues facing the trans and LGBT community, such as the exclusion of trans rights from certain aspects of feminism, the concept of privilege, and a handful of other topics that made Transparent feel like a show very much rooted in our current real-world discourse on these issues. Oh, and also, it was pretty damn funny! The first season of the show often felt like a half-hour drama, but the show seemingly discovered its comic side this year, all while nailing some pretty heavy subjects. It's not always perfect, but Transparent is a show that I'm very glad exists.
Standout Episodes: "Kina Hora", "Mee-Maw", "Man on the Land"
17. Black-ish
Black-ish really came onto its own in 2015, combining super-smart and fast-paced writing, subtly strong character work, and a deft handle on real-world issues to become one of the sharpest network comedies in recent memory. Not only is pretty much every cast member, from toddlers to grandparents, giving it their all, and not only are the Johnsons one of the most lovable and relatable families on TV, but the show has gotten surprisingly excellent at handling seemingly taboo topics. One episodes features an in-depth analysis around the N-word debate, while another episode dealt with gun control in a surprisingly level-headed manner. It's the first show in quite a while to emulate the Norman Lear method of combining great, memorable characters with sharp takes on social issues, and it's made it a true standout in this vast television landscape.
Standout Episodes: "Elephant in the Room", "The Word", "Charlie in Charge"
16. Fargo
Fargo's first season was one of the most unexpected delights of 2014, taking what seemed like a highly questionable revival of a beloved Coen Brothers' film and turning it into one of the most thrilling new dramas of the year. The second season of Fargo took what made Season 1 so great and improved on it, creating a highly memorable cast of characters and getting them involved in a tightly-written conspiracy bigger than each and every one of them, then sat back and let all of the pieces fall. This created one of the most genuinely entertaining shows of the year, utilizing its knockout ensemble to its full potential each and every week. And whenever Fargo seems like it's about to skirt off the rocks (remember when they brought in aliens?), it manages to make a hard right turn and ground everything in genuine emotional groundwork. Fargo won't be back on our screens until 2017, but it sure made every moment it was here worth the while.
Standout Episodes: "The Myth of Sisyphus", "Rhinoceros", "Loplop"
15. Veep
One of the most consistently hilarious comedies on television continued to swing big in 2015, as Selena Meyer unprecedentedly rose to the position of president. Luckily for us, Selena is just as incompetent of a president as she was a veep, and her disastrous reign led to an unraveling of her entire staff that somehow ended up in all of them having to testify before Congress in a series-best, form-breaking episode that doubled as CSPAN congressional hearing. Veep ended in a cliffhanger this season as Selena remains unsure of whether she's been re-elected to the presidency, and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for her and her increasingly ridiculous political career.
Standout Episodes: "East Wing", "Convention", "Testimony"
14. Fresh Off the Boat
Fresh Off the Boat was one of my favorite new shows of the year and the funniest new network comedy by a comfortable landslide. The show manages to combine the sweetness of a family sitcom with gutsy plotlines dealing with racial stereotypes and prejudices, all while tossing in some of the most jokes-per-minute since 30 Rock. Both Fresh and its ABC counterpart Black-ish feel a bit like a "next generation" of family comedies, allowing voices to be expressed that previously were being ignored on network television, all while having the lightning speed, live action cartoon tendencies of shows like Community and Happy Endings. It's been a while since a network comedy was on as much of a hot streak as this show is right now, thanks both to its extremely strong writing and top-notch performances from its dynamic leads, Constance Wu and Randall Park.
Standout Episodes: "Fajita Man", "Boy II Man", "The Real Santa"
13. Master of None
It's easy to compare Master of None to Louie - both shows take high-profile comedians into a short-story format and let them ruminate on particular topics that pique their interest. But by the end of its excellent first season, Master of None felt like something wholly unique - a show that was sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often beautiful and always offering a fresh perspective on topics that aren't always front and center on television. Whether it was the meaning of family, the struggle of immigrants, the hardships of getting old or the idea of what it means to live a "normal" life, Aziz and his writers were constantly exploring questions that they didn't quite have the answer to but were always pushing towards some kind of understanding of. Topped off with a surprise breakout performance from Noel Wells as Aziz's love interest, Master of None was one of the most fully formed and genuinely enjoyable shows of the year.
Standout Episodes: "Parents", "Indians on TV", "Mornings"
12. The Americans
The Americans continues to get more gripping every season, with the show's third season being its darkest and best season yet. This was a season that dealt with Paige's gradual realization that her entire life is a lie, leading into one of the tensest and most explosive scenes of television this year. It was also a season that found Phillip and Elizabeth being forced to go into darker and darker places, as the show continued to make its protagonists question themselves and the integrity of what they do. As always, I'm incredibly excited to see how this show manages to answer the various questions it continues to pose for itself, and I have total confidence that it's going to do so in a satisfying way while keeping me at the edge of my seat the entire time.
Standout Episodes: "Dimebag", "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sleep?", "Stingers"
11. Bob's Burgers
After so many years of being the warmest, funniest show on TV, you would figure that Bob's Burgers has to decline in quality at some point, right? Nope. Bob's Burgers continues to be one of my absolute favorite ways to spend a half-hour, and there's few things that brighten up my day more than a Netflix marathon with the Belchers. In terms of the show's 2015 output, it continued to be just as strong and funny as ever, continuing to explore the sweet, off-the-wall dynamics of our beloved Belcher clan while continuing to explore the show's ever-expanding universe of well-rounded and off-beat characters. Bob's Burgers has been renewed for several more seasons already, so here's to spending a whole bunch more time with the best family on TV.
Standout Episodes: "Housetrap", "The Oeder Games", "The Nice-capades"
10. Review
Review's first season was already one of the best dark comedies I've ever seen, but the second season took things to new, glorious heights. With his life already completely destroyed, Forrest returned to the show that stole his entire world from him with a sort of cautious optimism that was completely destroyed time and time again. From blackmail to violent cults to assault to flat-out murder, there was nothing too far for Review Season 2, and the show once again drove its deranged lead character completely insane by the end of the year. I've seen some call Review the Breaking Bad of comedy, and after finding myself just as nervous to get through an episode as I was with that show, I'm inclined to agree.
Standout Episodes: "Brawl; Blackmail; Glory Hole", "William Tell; Grant a Wish; Rowboat", "Murder; Magic 8 Ball; Procrastination"
9. Doctor Who
Peter Capaldi has been nothing short of a force as The Doctor. He's possibly the best actor to ever land the role, and he's been doing a banner job of bringing all of the warmth, terror, anger, and power required of it. Capaldi's Doctor wears his frustration and his pain on his sleeve. So when the show itself is as good as it was this year - the best season since Matt Smith's debut season five years ago - it all adds up to Doctor Who operating at the very top of its game, and when it's capable of doing that, there's not much like it on TV. This year, the show experimented with longer stories, with most episodes spawning two episodes instead of wrapping up in a neat 44 minutes. That gave the show time to breathe and fully develop each of its ideas, whether it be a Zygon invasion that stands in for current world issues, or a woman who the Doctor accidentally makes immortal, or a brutal companion death that the Doctor does everything in his power to try to reverse. Doctor Who will always be one of my favorite shows on TV, but that doesn't mean it's always one of the best shows on TV, so when it actually does earn that distinction, it makes it all the better.
Standout Episodes: "The Girl Who Died", "The Zygon Invasion", "Heaven Sent"
8. Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones felt like a new kind of superhero show. There was no spandex, no flawless, powerful heroes representing what we all aspire to be, no deus ex machinas swooping in at the last minute to help the good guys win. Instead, Jessica Jones was a dark, grounded superhero drama set in something vaguely resembling our reality, where everyone's a little complex, even the heroes make some questionable decisions, and the issues the characters face mirror issues in our own lives - misogyny, sexism, PTSD. Combine all of that with some total dynamite performances (Krysten Ritter is a force as the titular Jessica Jones, but David Tennant's performance made Kilgrave one of the best, most chilling villains of all-time) and a slick film noir aesthetic, and you have one of the most unique, interesting and exciting shows of 2015.
Standout Episodes: "AKA Ladies Night", "AKA WWJD?", "AKA Smile"
7. Mr. Robot
Mr. Robot was one of the strangest, most interesting, and overall best viewing experiences I had in 2015. Held together by its main character, the highly unreliable, drug addicted, mentally ill narrator Eliott, the show constantly brought you to a place where you thought you knew what was going on, until completely shattering all of your expectations at the last moment. In addition to a poignant narrative that gets a lot right about the highly digital world we live in, Mr. Robot's core strengths lie in both its complex plotting and unique cast of characters, all of which added up to make this paranoid tech drama one of the biggest surprises and one of the most exciting new shows of the year.
Standout Episodes: "ps1.3_da3m0ns.mp4", "eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v", "eps1.8_m1rr0r1ng.qt"
6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
From 30 Rock co-creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Kimmy Schmidt borrows a lot of its comic sensibility from its esteemed and beloved predecessor, with a wonderfully loopy cartoon universe and some of the most finely crafted gags you'll ever see in your entire life. But while 30 Rock was a sardonic satire of the entertainment industry, Kimmy Schmidt is a darkly funny and oddly uplifting tale of human survival and connection, one that never forgets the dark roots of its premise (a woman trapped in an underground cult is finally released and gets to explore the 'real world') but also continues to push her forward into her sunnier future. Ellie Kemper was a revelation as the hopelessly optimistic Kimmy Schmidt, constantly putting on a happy face even as the world was telling her not to, but the rest of the cast was also up to task, from breakout star Tituss Burgess to Fey/Carlock staple Jane Krakowski. There are few shows I'm looking forward to more in 2016, as Kimmy Schmidt (which was originally produced for NBC but was thankfully swapped to Netflix) can finally loosen its reigns and operate within the freedom of Netflix.
Standout Episodes: "Kimmy Goes to a Party!", "Kimmy's in a Love Triangle!", "Kimmy Rides a Bike!"
5. Mad Men
Mad Men finally came to a close in 2015, and what a close it was. The final seven episodes reminded us of everything we loved about the show as it tore down the foundation as we knew it, folding the beloved Sterling Cooper & Partners and sending its workers off on their own journeys, whether that was an upward track at McCann (for Peggy), their own independent company (Joan), or happily married with children (Pete). The show's finale, in particular, was a revelation, giving us yet another question we can all chew on for years (did Don write that Coke commercial?) while offering perfect closure for every single character we've grown to live. (Also, Don totally wrote the Coke commercial, c'mon guys.)
Standout Episodes: "Time & Life", "Lost Horizon", "Person to Person"
4. Rick & Morty
Rick and Morty's second season doubled down on the extreme creativity demonstrated by its transcendent debut year, topping itself with endless creative concepts and even more cutting emotional depth. The show succeeded by bringing the entire family in on the action, as Summer became a regular traveler on Rick & Morty's trips through time and space, and the show tied the sometimes rote Beth & Jerry "marriage in crisis" plots into the bigger sci-fi concepts, with great results. Rick & Morty ended this year with an extreme emotional wallup and a giant cliffhanger that puts the entire fabric of the show into question, and I am already clawing for more episodes ASAP to see where the show goes from here.
Standout Episodes: "Total Rickall", "The Ricks Must Be Crazy", "The Wedding Squanchers"
3. Bojack Horseman
Bojack Horseman was one of the year's best slow burns in its first season, going from a funny but (seemingly) not particularly deep showbiz satire to one of TV's greatest ruminations on depression, self-improvement and what it means to be a good person over the course of just 12 episodes. The second season took this to an entirely new level, giving Bojack everything he could ever want - his dream job, a great girlfriend, some upward trajectory in his life - and watching him slowly destroy all of it, even as hard as he tried not to. There were few shows that gutted me this year as much as this one did, and it managed to do so while remaining a hysterical cartoon about a Hollywoo
Standout Episodes: "Hank After Dark", "Let's Find Out", "Escape from L.A."
2. Broad City
2014's biggest breakout comedy somehow got even better in 2015, taking Abbi and Ilana's ridiculous antics to even greater heights while exploring their unique dynamic in even more interesting and in-depth ways. Broad City remains one of the most positive, life-affirming shows on television - it casually drops references to its characters taking anti-depressants, does a plotline about pegging like it's hardly a big deal, and has its characters trip out in Whole Foods on weed and Vicodin with zero judgement. With endless acceptance combined with a well-drawn haunted house-esque comic universe where you never know what the girls are going to encounter next, Broad City continues to be the show that puts me in the best mood after watching an episode (or five).
Standout Episodes: "Wisdom Teeth", "Knockoffs", "Coat Check"
1. You're the Worst
You're the Worst's dark, realistic and surprisingly sweet take on romantic comedy made it an immediate standout in Season 1. In Season 2, the show built on the goodwill it had slowly accumulated over its first season by dealing with an altered dynamic (Jimmy and Gretchen are now living together) with aplomb, using its central couple's resistance against settling down as a way to more closely analyze their own faults and insecurities. That led to the show's slow and perfect reveal that Gretchen suffers from clinical depression, and the show's handling of the topic was perhaps the most honest and upfront portrayal of mental illness I've ever seen on television. It perfectly understood the issue from all sides - we sympathized with Gretchen while rooting for Jimmy to do the right thing, even though we weren't even sure what the right thing was ourselves. It was complex, heavy stuff, but it never felt overbearing as the show remained funnier than ever, honing and strengthening its sense of humor while continuing to expand its comic universe. It all ended in a genuinely heartwarming finale that left the characters exactly where you'd want them to be, leaving me incredibly eager to see what the show has in store for the future. There was nothing quite like You're the Worst this year, and I have total faith that it's going to continue being one of the best, funniest and most interesting shows on TV.
Standout Episodes: "There is Not Currently a Problem", "LCD Soundsystem", "Other Things You Could Be Doing"
There you have it, guys. 2015 was a seriously great year for TV, and I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for us. Hopefully whatever it is, I'll be writing about it it right here on this very blog! PEACE OUT.
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