best of 2015 | AVthatsme

These are not rankings of the BEST (quality-wise) shows on TV nor strictly my favorites, but rather a mixture of the two, very unscientifically, weighing the two criteria 50/50 in my mind. Some shows I like more than they’re good, and some shows are quite good but I didn’t really like as much as the critics.

Initial List (June)
Post-Summer List (September)
Last Update List (October)

Comedy………………………………………………………………………………………….Drama
1. Parks & Recreation (NBC)…………………………….1. And Then There were None (BBC)
2. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)…………………2. Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix)
3. Silicon Valley (HBO)…………………………………………………………….2. Mr. Robot (USA)
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)……………………………………………..2. London Spy (BBC Two)
5. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX)…………………………………….2. Broadchurch (ITV)
6. Broad City (Comedy Central)………………………………………….6. Game of Thrones (HBO)
7. Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz)………………………………………………….6. The Good Wife (CBS)
8. Master of None (Netflix)……………………………………………………….8. Bates Motel (A&E)
9. Shameless (Showtime)………………………………………………9. Halt and Catch Fire (AMC)
10. BoJack Horseman (Netflix)………………………………………………9. The Affair (Showtime)
11. Moone Boy (Sky 1)……………………………………..11. Deutschland ’83 (RTL/SundanceTV)
12. Archer (FX)…………………………………………………………….11. House of Cards (Netflix)
12. Veep (HBO)………………………………………………………………………13. Hannibal (NBC)
14. Episodes (Showtime)……………………………………………………….14. Agent Carter (ABC)
15. Black-ish (ABC)……………………………………………………………………15. iZombie (CW)

Excluded Shows due to my not watching them: Mad Men, Rectify, Banshee, Narcos, Mozart in the Jungle, Les Revenants

Honorable Mention (Drama): Daredevil (Netflix), Fargo (FX)
Honorable Mention (Comedy): Man Seeking Woman (FXX), Billy & Billie (Audience Network/DirecTV), Survivor’s Remorse (Starz), Please Like Me (Pivot/Australian ABC), Catastrophe (Channel 4), The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (Australian ABC)

Comedy
1. Parks & Recreation (NBC) (—)
I can’t remember enjoying, relishing, any comedy in the past 10 years (or more) as much as I have Parks & Recreation. Simply delightful, hilarious, smart, and on occasion, touching. What a way to go out.
Favorite flash-forward joke: “Everybody in Chicago is so chill” “Yeah, everybody’s been so nice since the Cubs won the World Series”
2. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (↑1 position from last year)
3. Silicon Valley (HBO) (↑4)
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX) (↑2)
5. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX)
Charlie Work. Dear God, what an episode.
6. Broad City (Comedy Central)
7. Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz)
Balancing horror and comedy is a tricky act that few movies/shows ever manage balance (take note, Scream Queens, though there were far more problems there than just balancing its tone). From the get-go AvED struck that tone almost perfectly, being absolutely frightening one scene then being laugh-out-loud gross-out hilarious the next, and sometimes mixing the two (Quentin Tarantino would be proud of how over-the-top the blood is). Though it loses a bit of its mojo towards the end (it was strong contender for #2 or #3 up until its last couple of episodes), it remained a show I anticipated every Saturday, and I eagerly look forward to its second season.
8. Master of None (Netflix)
9. Shameless (Showtime) (↓7)
10. BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
11. Moone Boy (Sky 1)
This show just might be the most lovable of this list.
12. Archer (FX) (↓4)
12. Veep (HBO) (↓7)
14. Episodes (Showtime) (—)
15. Black-ish (ABC)
It got off to an unsteady start, found its footing in the second half of its first season, and never looked back.

Drama
Yes. It’s a 4-way tie for #1. Bullshit, I know. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out a way to rectify this absurdity (perhaps breaking the drama list into an upper- middle- and lesser-tier of shows?) but ultimately I’m sticking to a 4-way tie. See, none of these shows really stands head-and-tail above the rest, they all have flaws and issues, they all feel like the #2/#3 drama of the year, but by virtue of then having no #1 it necessitates that they each be crowned #1. So sue me.
I am retroactively putting in BBC’s “And Then There were None” as the top drama of 2015. Only managed to watch it in spring 2016 but it premiered in the UK in late-2015 (Boxing Day) so it is technically eligible, even if I’m adding it in after the fact.
1. And Then There was None (BBC)
2. Mr. Robot (USA)
You can see how this show has climbed through my various best-of lists throughout 2015: from #8 to #6. I didn’t realize what I was witnessing when I first was watching it. From initial skepticism upon hearing of USA Network’s pivot to darker, more serialized dramas to intrigue upon watching its early-release pilot to a quick addiction as it continued to replicate its high level of quality episode after episode. In hindsight, I appreciate this show more and more. Was it the best of 2015? Arguable. But did it have the most gumption in what it wanted to do on the small screen? Did it do something with storytelling on episodic television that could almost certainly NOT have been done with nearly the same level of success in a movie? Yes. Did it consistently elevate the visual storytelling of television? Yes, yes, a million times yes. Did it make Christian Slater tolerable? Yes (and for that alone it should win all the awards). Finally, did it find a breakout star in Rami Malek who gave the best damn performance by an actor on television last year period full stop? Yes.
2. Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix)
I recognized Jessica Jone’s leading lady Krysten Ritter from her previous work on ABC’s “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23,” an underwhelming series that didn’t deliver on the strong-ish reviews it received. So I was apathetic. After finishing JJ I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the titular character. Ritter simply inhabits the role; she is strong with glimpses of a nuanced vulnerability, she easily pulls off the bitter apathetic sarcasm, she is a victim while simultaneously refusing to play the victim, she is superhuman at the same time she is very human. Jessica Jones is a deeply complicated character that required a high level of ability to keep all the plates spinning simultaneously, and Ritter pulls it off with aplomb. This show in particular hits a streak of maximum bingeability towards the end of its first season with cliffhangers galore. Mention must also be given to the great writing, David Tennant (perhaps his third iconic role following The Doctor and Alec Hardy), Rachael Taylor (who also manages the deft balance in playing someone who has been victimized but refuses to be a victim), and ably telling an adult love story (or lack thereof). The acrimonious break-up of the well-written and well-acted Jeri Hogarth didn’t feel like an afterthought nor was it overshadowed by the main plots, a considerable achievement given that the show is about a character that can punch through concrete fending off a mind-controlling villain. It was a fully-fleshed out adult romantic drama, the fact that it was between lesbians was completely incidental. It never plumbed the LGBT aspect because that was not the point. It was the story of breaking up with someone you’d invested decades of your life with, how one partner was ready to move on when the other still wanted to fight to make it work and the relateability of that story.
2. London Spy (BBC Two)
The only thing I knew about this show going in was that it starred Ben Whishaw (Q in Skyfall/Spectre) and the name of the show, that’s all it really took for me to give it a try.
After finishing the series I was surprised to read that the show/mini was divisive among critics in London. Although I suppose if you went into the first episode expecting a high-octane espionage drama you’d be pretty underwhelmed, but that’s among the strengths of the show: that it is a chameleon in terms of its genre. Its first episode played more like a gay romantic drama; its second a murder mystery; its third a psychological drama; its fourth an espionage drama; and finally, its finale a family drama.
While richly supported by Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, and Edward Holcroft (doing as much as he can in a stoic role) the show largely serves as a showcase for Ben Whishaw (in particular, episode 3).
Sure, there’s something to quibble about if you’re so inclined (including the WTF-ness of the big reveal), and I’m usually one to poke holes in the illogical and nonsensical, but I had already strapped myself in for the ride and was willing to suspend disbelief wherever this show took me, and that’s saying something.
2. Broadchurch (ITV)
Olivia Colman, simply sensational. Broadchurch made the tricky transition from a crime drama/murder mystery to a courtroom drama and pulled it off without being much less riveting in its second season.
6. Game of Thrones (HBO) (↓5)
It was a growing pains season, as GoT creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss straddle the in-between area of having to adapt from George R.R. Martin’s books and being able to create their own Westeros. There was a lot of like, but it lagged in bits, especially juxtaposed with the breathlessly-paced season 4. Still, it’s fucking Game of Thrones, and they’ve more than earned their goodwill and there’s little reason to be skeptical that they’ll right the ship come season 6.
6. The Good Wife (CBS) (↓5)
There’s no consensus among TGW fans on when the dropoff in quality happened following the sensational fifth season. My two pennies is that the quality remained largely in tact throughout the sixth season. Season seven is just, different, not innately worse or inferior, but it’s taking a lot of getting used to. Also the absence of some characters are deeply felt along with some puzzling character pairings (Eli and Courtney).
Something that could improve the seventh season is something I rarely (if ever) want: make the episodes longer. There are three lines of plot competing for a hacf 45-minute runtime: Peter’s presidential run, Alicia striking out on her own, and the goings on at Lockhart-Agos (in addition to other characters that don’t fall neatly into any of the plots). None of these properly have the room to breath and develop in the space of a standard broadcast drama. A premium-cable-sized 60 minutes would be more able to service the disparate storylines.
8. Bates Motel (A&E) (↓5)
Sputtered a bit at times in its third season, but Freddie Highmore’s Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga’s Norma Bates are still in peak form, especially as we get ever closer to Norman’s Psycho breaking point.
9. Halt & Catch Fire (AMC) (↑3)
Started iffily, ended strongly. Big kudos to AMC for renewing this low-rated gem for a third season.
9. The Affair (Showtime) (↑5)
Pushing the perspectives from the central two characters to four and willing to break with the show’s conventions maintained the quality of the initial season, if perhaps making it more watchable in the second season.
11. Deutschland ’83 (RTL/SundanceTV)
11. House of Cards (Netflix) (↓6)
13. Hannibal (NBC) (↓9)
14. Agent Carter (ABC)
I hadn’t watched the Captain America movies when I watched this show. And yet, by the end of its first episode I immediately understood why Agent Peggy Carter warranted her own spin-off. Between this and Jessica Jones, female superheroes are holding their own in the male-dominated comic book shows (despite Supergirl…see below).
15. iZombie (CW)
Witty, sprightly writing combined with a wonderfully-game cast make for a winning combination. The spiritual heir to Veronica Mars. While there’s been a lot of buzz on Tatiana Maslany for playing multiple clones on Orphan Black, Rose McIver pulls off a similar challenge on a week-to-week basis playing a zombie coroner who inhabits the personality of the brains she eats, playing a cranky old man one week to an ultra-competitive day trader with a gambling problem the next.