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The best TV of 2015, part 2
By Erik Adams, Joshua Alston, Les Chappell, Danette Chavez, Molly Eichel, LaToya Ferguson, Zack Handlen, Gwen Ihnat, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, Alex McCown, Myles McNutt, Noel Murray, Vikram Murthi, Brandon Nowalk, Dennis Perkins, Kyle Ryan, Emily L. Stephens, and Genevieve Valentine
Dec 16, 2015 12:00 AM
20. Justified (FX)
It started out as a show about a lawman—a brusque cuss named Raylan Givens, more concerned with the broad strokes of justice than the fine print. By the end of six seasons, Justified had become an often-heartbreaking study of one hardscrabble Kentucky county, where poverty and pride mean that nearly everyone’s doing something illegal. Never an “antihero” per se, Raylan remained an unrepentant asshole from the start of the series to the end, even as he had a kid and formed semi-friendly relationships with his boss and co-workers. But he was also a Harlan boy, and after dancing around the meaning of that for five years, Justified’s final season completed the story it had been telling around the edges all along, about the angry kid who chose to insult his criminal jerk of a dad by putting on a badge, and about his two old friends—Boyd and Ava Crowder—who tried to make a stable-but-shady life for themselves in their crooked hometown, even as they were hounded by gangs and cops. As befits an Elmore Leonard adaptation, Justified ended with a few unexpected but satisfying twists; what mattered more was that showrunner Graham Yost honored what the characters had lived through, and gave his magnificent stars Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, and Joelle Carter one last chance to deliver some of the most flavorful dialogue on television. [Noel Murray]
Notable episodes: “Fate’s Right Hand,” “The Hunt,” “The Promise”
19. Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix)
Krysten Ritter is an incredibly versatile actor, compelling in her short but memorable turn on Breaking Bad and then fiercely hilarious on the short-lived Don’t Trust The B---- In Apartment 23. And with Jessica Jones, she does her best work to date as the whiskey-slinging private investigator. Jessica has moments of intense strength (literally) and moments of intense vulnerability, and Ritter nails it all. And David Tennant is equally successful as the depraved Kilgrave. Despite his superpowers, he seems so real—his actions and words mirror the way abusers treat and speak to their victims in real life. (Kilgrave isn’t just a supervillain. He’s an abusive ex.) His evil masterplan isn’t some spectacular goal like taking over the world or destroying a government. He just goes through his life taking whatever he wants and raping and manipulating young women, and as a result, Kilgrave became the most terrifying supervillain Marvel has ever tackled. Jessica Jones works brilliantly with this part of the story, and the whole season explores abuser dynamics beyond just Kilgrave, making for very dark but very smart television that digs much deeper than a “hero versus villain” tale. Mike Colter and Rachael Taylor round out the cast with compelling performances, and Taylor’s Trish Walker becomes a breakout character—more than just a mere sidekick. [Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya]
Notable episodes: “AKA The Sandwich Saved Me,” “AKA Sin Bin,” “AKA 1,000 Cuts”
18. Master Of None (Netflix)
Aziz Ansari’s playful, peculiar comic sensibility doesn’t seem to lend itself to a sitcom created in Ansari’s image, at least not as seamlessly as Louis CK’s acidic worldview ported to the show that lends Master Of None its basic template. But in expanding Ansari’s voice to sitcom-size, Master fleshes out the idea of who he is as a comedian and as a person, and he couldn’t be further from the swagger-obsessed Tom Haverford on Parks And Recreation. Ansari’s character Dev is an earnest, well-mannered actor in New York City just looking for a cool woman and the perfect plate of pasta, but Ansari elevates the low-concept log line by infusing the show with his singular perspective. “Parents,” which co-stars Ansari’s real-life mother and father as Dev’s family, flashes back to their immigration from India in one of the year’s most touching and unexpected episodes, while “Indians On TV” is a rare dissection of race from someone outside of America’s black-and-white binary. Both episodes feature conversations you’d never hear in any other show, but even when Master takes on broader subjects like the creeping inertia of long-term monogamy, it does so with ambitious structural experiments. The show is also the most cinematic and visually appealing sitcom of 2015, which feels like another outgrowth of Ansari’s point of view. With help from veteran Parks writer Alan Yang, Ansari turned his life into a comedy that shows up fully formed in a way sitcoms never do. To watch it is to see Ansari evolve from a casual acquaintance to a friend you wish you’d gotten to know sooner. [Joshua Alston]
Notable episodes: “Parents,” “Indians On TV,” “Mornings”
17. Rectify (Sundance)
The most meditative of crime dramas, Rectify, in its remarkable third season, manages to advance its mystery plot without sacrificing the minutely observed, resolutely human story that’s made this Sundance series one of the best shows on television. “The Future,” season three’s penultimate episode, sees J.D. Evermore’s conflicted but dogged Sheriff Carl Daggett make his boldest moves yet in getting to the bottom of the crime that sent series protagonist Daniel Holden (Aden Young) to death row; meanwhile, J. Smith-Cameron’s luminously devoted mother Janet finally makes plain the depth of faith she has in her tortured son. Young’s Daniel himself faces exile from sister Amantha’s (Abigail Spencer) apartment—and his hometown—with the same inscrutably wry stillness that’s made him Rectify’s riveting, enigmatic center throughout. In the final scene, Daniel and the people who’ve stuck by him through his incarceration and tumultuous release gather around the apartment-complex pool Daniel’s scrupulously been repainting on the final night before his banishment, drinking beer and embracing a last, stolen moment of improbable serenity before the world sweeps them back up in its implacable current. Such are the moments upon which Rectify is built. The season concludes with a rapturously warm and heartbreaking road trip for Janet and Daniel, but their poolside exchange in “The Future” is just as moving in its simplicity: “I wouldn’t mind seeing the ocean again, Mother.” “Why not.” [Dennis Perkins]
Notable episodes: “Thrill Ride,” “Girl Jesus,” “The Source”
16. Jane The Virgin (The CW)
Last season, Jane The Virgin emerged as one of the best new shows of the season (it came in at No. 17 last year on our 2014 list), with a fresh voice and a cast so affable it’s hard to pick a favorite (just kidding, it’s Jaime Camil’s Rogelio). But just like the telenovelas Jane The Virgin so expertly parodies, the plot could get increasingly complicated as the show moved on from its already high concept of a goody-two-shoes virgin (the divine Gina Rodriguez, who snagged a Golden Globe award for the role) who’s artificially inseminated by her rich former crush’s lovesick sister. So there was some trepidation after the excellent first season, especially with the addition of Jane and Rafael’s (Justin Baldoni) baby Mateo. But the second season has been just as strong as the first, expertly pulling in the cast of characters that exist within Jane’s orbit. Petra’s (Yael Grobglas) pregnancy scheme, for example, could have been a ridiculous swerve if it didn’t make sure that Petra stayed in Jane’s life for a reason that benefited the plot. Tonally, Jane The Virgin’s second season is also as sweet and funny as the first, possibly more so now that the impossibly cute Mateo is a living, breathing baby, and not just a specter that haunts Jane and all of her relationships. But none of this would work without Rodriguez, who remains an endearing center to the show, but is able to take on the news layers and complexities that come along with her new role as mom. [Molly Eichel]
Notable episodes: “Chapter Twenty-Three,” “Chapter Twenty-Five,” “Chapter Twenty-Eight”
15. Rick And Morty (Adult Swim)
At its best, science fiction uses the unlimited power of imagination to explore humanity’s strengths and weaknesses, constructing drama from the gap between who we are and who we can be. But the acerbic, hilarious Rick And Morty uses high-concept sci-fi rigmarole to explore the inherent chaos of humanity, and how trying to construct order within it is a fool’s errand. This season, creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon took the misadventures of our favorite alcoholic scientist and his nebbishy grandson (both played by Roiland) to new heights—the literal fracturing of time, battles with memory-manipulating parasites, exploits in universes within car batteries—but what remains constant is how traditional, Earth-bound ethics have no place in the infinite universe. While Rick operates on the assumption that the absurdity of the universe demands a callous, hedonistic approach to everything, Morty tries desperately to do “the right thing,” but the casual horrors of life with his grandfather force him to question everything he holds dear. This extends to Morty’s family too, as Beth (Sarah Chalke), Jerry (Chris Parnell), and Summer (Spencer Grammer) are compelled to examine their own fleeting existences by proxy. But as much as Rick And Morty illustrates the myriad conflicts that render life such a confounding mess, it also demonstrates how sacrifices small and large (okay, mostly large) can engender good will among those closest to you. Maybe it’s the most unlikely bonds that can transcend the disorder of modern life. [Vikram Murthi]
Notable episodes: “Total Rickall,” “The Ricks Must Be Crazy,” “The Wedding Squanchers”
14. BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
BoJack Horseman came out of nowhere in 2014, and knowing what to expect didn’t make its second season any less terrific. Its incisive Hollywoo(d) satire cut even deeper as it tackled institutional sexism, the ethics of eating meat, and the static nature of broadcast television. The absurdity ramped up gloriously with such highlights as a vision quest into a Thomas Kinkade painting, improv comedy as a stand-in for Scientology, and a J.D. Salinger-helmed game show called “Hollywoo Stars And Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let’s Find Out!” And it delved even further into the fears and regrets of its characters, as former sitcom star BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) found starring in his dream movie didn’t fix anything that was wrong with him, and Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) and Diane (Alison Brie) grappled with professional and relationship crises. The entire cast—Arnett, Sedaris, Brie, Aaron Paul, Paul F. Tompkins—are doing some of the best work of their careers as they give these seemingly broad characters nuance, and season two had a terrifically eclectic guest star list with such highlights as Lisa Kudrow, Maria Bamford, Alan Arkin, Garry Marshall, and Liev Schreiber. BoJack was simultaneously 2015’s easiest and hardest character to root for as he took one step back for every two steps forward, and it’s a testament to BoJack Horseman that it balanced both sides of that tension as easily it balances the fact that BoJack is both man and horse. [Les Chappell]
Notable episodes: “Hank After Dark,” “Let’s Find Out,” “Escape From L.A.”
13. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Following up 30 Rock was undoubtedly an intimidating challenge, but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt showed what Tina Fey and her creative partner Robert Carlock could accomplish unconstrained by network TV. (Though Kimmy’s first 13 episodes were produced for NBC, before Netflix swooped in and rescued the show from the underground bunker of the Peacock’s midseason schedule.) The story of this unbreakable heroine after her escape from a doomsday cult benefited from Fey’s razor-sharp dialogue and constant stream of bizarre non sequiturs, with the co-creator pulling double duty as one half of a notoriously ineffectual prosecution team. She also wisely drafted 30 Rock vets Jane Krakowski (as Kimmy’s vain employer) and Tituss Burgess (as Kimmy’s theatrically minded roommate), but it’s Ellie Kemper as the title character who anchors the show, with her unflagging and hypnotic mix of courage and optimism after a potentially life-ruining event. It’s impossible not to root for Kimmy Schmidt and her 15-years-too-late pop-culture references. Xan says what? Burn. [Gwen Ihnat]
Notable episodes: “Kimmy Goes Outside!,” “Kimmy Rides A Bike!,” “Kimmy Makes Waffles!”
12. Mr. Robot (USA)
At first it looks like Mr. Robot will be another USA procedural, darker but no less poppy than the channel’s relaxing hits. Every week Rami Malek’s skinny, bug-eyed hacker Elliot will right another wrong and learn another lesson in collateral damage or something. But soon enough it’s clear there are no stand-alones on Mr. Robot. There’s no compartmentalization. Everything comes back to you eventually. That guiding principle is what leads Elliot to not just one hacker team, led by Christian Slater’s title character, but an international anarchist alliance, and it’s what yields the season’s most powerful moments, among them a wallop that hurts more than it shocks because of the show’s unique formal approach. Direct address, handheld breaks, and decadent negative space sell Elliot’s paranoid fantasy the way fluidity of time and space sells Will Graham’s delusion on Hannibal. Mr. Robot has its psycho moments—how better for its disaffected youths (among them Suburgatory’s master of deadpan, Carly Chaikin) to picture late capitalism?—but the physical violence doesn’t hit nearly as hard as the psychological damage. Creator Sam Esmail originally conceived of the season as the first act of a feature, which intriguingly makes the overall picture sound more like Cosmopolis than Fight Club. As it stands, Mr. Robot has a hell of a climax to be just beginning. [Brandon Nowalk]
Notable episodes: “eps1.0_hellofriend.mov,” “eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v,” “eps1.8_m1rr0r1ng.qt”
11. Show Me A Hero (HBO)
David Simon’s Show Me A Hero opens with a civil rights victory that, although far from decisive, is significant nonetheless: A protracted legal battle culminating in an order for public housing, theoretically putting an end to segregation in ’80s Yonkers. But this perfectly reasonable, humane request is being made of a city that, despite being north of the Mason-Dixon line, is still deeply entrenched in racism—it’s just of the values-peddling, redlining variety. What follows is years of political chicanery (condensed into six hours) that thwart construction and end the careers of at least two Yonkers mayors. Although Simon’s miniseries certainly enlivens the tedium of city council proceedings and seemingly endless court appeals, it does so without sacrificing the nuances of the conflict. Director Paul Haggis alternates between illustrating the (willful) ignorance of the middle-class whites and the reluctant optimism of the disadvantaged minorities, and both sides get an ambassador. Although the loudest shots are fired within the city council’s chambers, Show Me A Hero features plenty of quiet moments that remind us what’s really at the center of this struggle: Everyone just wants a home, notes Oscar Isaac’s Nick Wasicsko, who inherits the imbroglio when he becomes the youngest mayor in the city’s history. As the interim champion of the people, Isaac plays Wasicsko with a mixture of boyish integrity and ambition, even as he’s trying to worm his way out of the agreement. Although history sidelined Wasicsko, its Isaac’s performance that grounds all the political posturing and civilian turmoil. [Danette Chavez]
Notable episodes: Hours two, three, and six
10. Review (Comedy Central)
Hollywood didn’t know how to harness Andy Daly’s formidable comedic talent until Review debuted in the spring of 2014, and the show’s two seasons have provided a brilliant showcase for it. No other show on Comedy Central—or TV, really—so perfectly threads the needle of bleak hilarity, as Daly’s “life reviewer” Forrest MacNeil destroys his life (and the lives of others) with his inexplicable devotion to his job. Season one set an impressive standard of insanity that season two gleefully topped, making MacNeil a cult leader, live life as a little person, try a glory hole, murder someone, be buried alive, and much more. It’s the kind of show that sneaks TV’s darkest throwaway joke into its opening credits, as a clip from MacNeil reviewing babysitting shows him walking through a field with police officers looking for a body. Review has so aggressively pursued outrageous experiences for MacNeil that it’s easy to wonder how a third season—which Comedy Central has, frustratingly, not yet announced—could match it. But the second season of Review proved that Daly and the show’s excellent writing staff are up to the challenge. What could they do with the confidence of a third season? [Kyle Ryan]
Notable episodes: “Murder, Magic 8 Ball, Procrastination,” “Cult, Perfect Body,” “Falsely Accused, Sleep With Your Teacher, Little Person”
By Erik Adams, Joshua Alston, Les Chappell, Danette Chavez, Molly Eichel, LaToya Ferguson, Zack Handlen, Gwen Ihnat, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, Alex McCown, Myles McNutt, Noel Murray, Vikram Murthi, Brandon Nowalk, Dennis Perkins, Kyle Ryan, Emily L. Stephens, and Genevieve Valentine
Dec 16, 2015 12:00 AM
20. Justified (FX)
It started out as a show about a lawman—a brusque cuss named Raylan Givens, more concerned with the broad strokes of justice than the fine print. By the end of six seasons, Justified had become an often-heartbreaking study of one hardscrabble Kentucky county, where poverty and pride mean that nearly everyone’s doing something illegal. Never an “antihero” per se, Raylan remained an unrepentant asshole from the start of the series to the end, even as he had a kid and formed semi-friendly relationships with his boss and co-workers. But he was also a Harlan boy, and after dancing around the meaning of that for five years, Justified’s final season completed the story it had been telling around the edges all along, about the angry kid who chose to insult his criminal jerk of a dad by putting on a badge, and about his two old friends—Boyd and Ava Crowder—who tried to make a stable-but-shady life for themselves in their crooked hometown, even as they were hounded by gangs and cops. As befits an Elmore Leonard adaptation, Justified ended with a few unexpected but satisfying twists; what mattered more was that showrunner Graham Yost honored what the characters had lived through, and gave his magnificent stars Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, and Joelle Carter one last chance to deliver some of the most flavorful dialogue on television. [Noel Murray]
Notable episodes: “Fate’s Right Hand,” “The Hunt,” “The Promise”
19. Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix)
Krysten Ritter is an incredibly versatile actor, compelling in her short but memorable turn on Breaking Bad and then fiercely hilarious on the short-lived Don’t Trust The B---- In Apartment 23. And with Jessica Jones, she does her best work to date as the whiskey-slinging private investigator. Jessica has moments of intense strength (literally) and moments of intense vulnerability, and Ritter nails it all. And David Tennant is equally successful as the depraved Kilgrave. Despite his superpowers, he seems so real—his actions and words mirror the way abusers treat and speak to their victims in real life. (Kilgrave isn’t just a supervillain. He’s an abusive ex.) His evil masterplan isn’t some spectacular goal like taking over the world or destroying a government. He just goes through his life taking whatever he wants and raping and manipulating young women, and as a result, Kilgrave became the most terrifying supervillain Marvel has ever tackled. Jessica Jones works brilliantly with this part of the story, and the whole season explores abuser dynamics beyond just Kilgrave, making for very dark but very smart television that digs much deeper than a “hero versus villain” tale. Mike Colter and Rachael Taylor round out the cast with compelling performances, and Taylor’s Trish Walker becomes a breakout character—more than just a mere sidekick. [Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya]
Notable episodes: “AKA The Sandwich Saved Me,” “AKA Sin Bin,” “AKA 1,000 Cuts”
18. Master Of None (Netflix)
Aziz Ansari’s playful, peculiar comic sensibility doesn’t seem to lend itself to a sitcom created in Ansari’s image, at least not as seamlessly as Louis CK’s acidic worldview ported to the show that lends Master Of None its basic template. But in expanding Ansari’s voice to sitcom-size, Master fleshes out the idea of who he is as a comedian and as a person, and he couldn’t be further from the swagger-obsessed Tom Haverford on Parks And Recreation. Ansari’s character Dev is an earnest, well-mannered actor in New York City just looking for a cool woman and the perfect plate of pasta, but Ansari elevates the low-concept log line by infusing the show with his singular perspective. “Parents,” which co-stars Ansari’s real-life mother and father as Dev’s family, flashes back to their immigration from India in one of the year’s most touching and unexpected episodes, while “Indians On TV” is a rare dissection of race from someone outside of America’s black-and-white binary. Both episodes feature conversations you’d never hear in any other show, but even when Master takes on broader subjects like the creeping inertia of long-term monogamy, it does so with ambitious structural experiments. The show is also the most cinematic and visually appealing sitcom of 2015, which feels like another outgrowth of Ansari’s point of view. With help from veteran Parks writer Alan Yang, Ansari turned his life into a comedy that shows up fully formed in a way sitcoms never do. To watch it is to see Ansari evolve from a casual acquaintance to a friend you wish you’d gotten to know sooner. [Joshua Alston]
Notable episodes: “Parents,” “Indians On TV,” “Mornings”
17. Rectify (Sundance)
The most meditative of crime dramas, Rectify, in its remarkable third season, manages to advance its mystery plot without sacrificing the minutely observed, resolutely human story that’s made this Sundance series one of the best shows on television. “The Future,” season three’s penultimate episode, sees J.D. Evermore’s conflicted but dogged Sheriff Carl Daggett make his boldest moves yet in getting to the bottom of the crime that sent series protagonist Daniel Holden (Aden Young) to death row; meanwhile, J. Smith-Cameron’s luminously devoted mother Janet finally makes plain the depth of faith she has in her tortured son. Young’s Daniel himself faces exile from sister Amantha’s (Abigail Spencer) apartment—and his hometown—with the same inscrutably wry stillness that’s made him Rectify’s riveting, enigmatic center throughout. In the final scene, Daniel and the people who’ve stuck by him through his incarceration and tumultuous release gather around the apartment-complex pool Daniel’s scrupulously been repainting on the final night before his banishment, drinking beer and embracing a last, stolen moment of improbable serenity before the world sweeps them back up in its implacable current. Such are the moments upon which Rectify is built. The season concludes with a rapturously warm and heartbreaking road trip for Janet and Daniel, but their poolside exchange in “The Future” is just as moving in its simplicity: “I wouldn’t mind seeing the ocean again, Mother.” “Why not.” [Dennis Perkins]
Notable episodes: “Thrill Ride,” “Girl Jesus,” “The Source”
16. Jane The Virgin (The CW)
Last season, Jane The Virgin emerged as one of the best new shows of the season (it came in at No. 17 last year on our 2014 list), with a fresh voice and a cast so affable it’s hard to pick a favorite (just kidding, it’s Jaime Camil’s Rogelio). But just like the telenovelas Jane The Virgin so expertly parodies, the plot could get increasingly complicated as the show moved on from its already high concept of a goody-two-shoes virgin (the divine Gina Rodriguez, who snagged a Golden Globe award for the role) who’s artificially inseminated by her rich former crush’s lovesick sister. So there was some trepidation after the excellent first season, especially with the addition of Jane and Rafael’s (Justin Baldoni) baby Mateo. But the second season has been just as strong as the first, expertly pulling in the cast of characters that exist within Jane’s orbit. Petra’s (Yael Grobglas) pregnancy scheme, for example, could have been a ridiculous swerve if it didn’t make sure that Petra stayed in Jane’s life for a reason that benefited the plot. Tonally, Jane The Virgin’s second season is also as sweet and funny as the first, possibly more so now that the impossibly cute Mateo is a living, breathing baby, and not just a specter that haunts Jane and all of her relationships. But none of this would work without Rodriguez, who remains an endearing center to the show, but is able to take on the news layers and complexities that come along with her new role as mom. [Molly Eichel]
Notable episodes: “Chapter Twenty-Three,” “Chapter Twenty-Five,” “Chapter Twenty-Eight”
15. Rick And Morty (Adult Swim)
At its best, science fiction uses the unlimited power of imagination to explore humanity’s strengths and weaknesses, constructing drama from the gap between who we are and who we can be. But the acerbic, hilarious Rick And Morty uses high-concept sci-fi rigmarole to explore the inherent chaos of humanity, and how trying to construct order within it is a fool’s errand. This season, creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon took the misadventures of our favorite alcoholic scientist and his nebbishy grandson (both played by Roiland) to new heights—the literal fracturing of time, battles with memory-manipulating parasites, exploits in universes within car batteries—but what remains constant is how traditional, Earth-bound ethics have no place in the infinite universe. While Rick operates on the assumption that the absurdity of the universe demands a callous, hedonistic approach to everything, Morty tries desperately to do “the right thing,” but the casual horrors of life with his grandfather force him to question everything he holds dear. This extends to Morty’s family too, as Beth (Sarah Chalke), Jerry (Chris Parnell), and Summer (Spencer Grammer) are compelled to examine their own fleeting existences by proxy. But as much as Rick And Morty illustrates the myriad conflicts that render life such a confounding mess, it also demonstrates how sacrifices small and large (okay, mostly large) can engender good will among those closest to you. Maybe it’s the most unlikely bonds that can transcend the disorder of modern life. [Vikram Murthi]
Notable episodes: “Total Rickall,” “The Ricks Must Be Crazy,” “The Wedding Squanchers”
14. BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
BoJack Horseman came out of nowhere in 2014, and knowing what to expect didn’t make its second season any less terrific. Its incisive Hollywoo(d) satire cut even deeper as it tackled institutional sexism, the ethics of eating meat, and the static nature of broadcast television. The absurdity ramped up gloriously with such highlights as a vision quest into a Thomas Kinkade painting, improv comedy as a stand-in for Scientology, and a J.D. Salinger-helmed game show called “Hollywoo Stars And Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let’s Find Out!” And it delved even further into the fears and regrets of its characters, as former sitcom star BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) found starring in his dream movie didn’t fix anything that was wrong with him, and Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) and Diane (Alison Brie) grappled with professional and relationship crises. The entire cast—Arnett, Sedaris, Brie, Aaron Paul, Paul F. Tompkins—are doing some of the best work of their careers as they give these seemingly broad characters nuance, and season two had a terrifically eclectic guest star list with such highlights as Lisa Kudrow, Maria Bamford, Alan Arkin, Garry Marshall, and Liev Schreiber. BoJack was simultaneously 2015’s easiest and hardest character to root for as he took one step back for every two steps forward, and it’s a testament to BoJack Horseman that it balanced both sides of that tension as easily it balances the fact that BoJack is both man and horse. [Les Chappell]
Notable episodes: “Hank After Dark,” “Let’s Find Out,” “Escape From L.A.”
13. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Following up 30 Rock was undoubtedly an intimidating challenge, but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt showed what Tina Fey and her creative partner Robert Carlock could accomplish unconstrained by network TV. (Though Kimmy’s first 13 episodes were produced for NBC, before Netflix swooped in and rescued the show from the underground bunker of the Peacock’s midseason schedule.) The story of this unbreakable heroine after her escape from a doomsday cult benefited from Fey’s razor-sharp dialogue and constant stream of bizarre non sequiturs, with the co-creator pulling double duty as one half of a notoriously ineffectual prosecution team. She also wisely drafted 30 Rock vets Jane Krakowski (as Kimmy’s vain employer) and Tituss Burgess (as Kimmy’s theatrically minded roommate), but it’s Ellie Kemper as the title character who anchors the show, with her unflagging and hypnotic mix of courage and optimism after a potentially life-ruining event. It’s impossible not to root for Kimmy Schmidt and her 15-years-too-late pop-culture references. Xan says what? Burn. [Gwen Ihnat]
Notable episodes: “Kimmy Goes Outside!,” “Kimmy Rides A Bike!,” “Kimmy Makes Waffles!”
12. Mr. Robot (USA)
At first it looks like Mr. Robot will be another USA procedural, darker but no less poppy than the channel’s relaxing hits. Every week Rami Malek’s skinny, bug-eyed hacker Elliot will right another wrong and learn another lesson in collateral damage or something. But soon enough it’s clear there are no stand-alones on Mr. Robot. There’s no compartmentalization. Everything comes back to you eventually. That guiding principle is what leads Elliot to not just one hacker team, led by Christian Slater’s title character, but an international anarchist alliance, and it’s what yields the season’s most powerful moments, among them a wallop that hurts more than it shocks because of the show’s unique formal approach. Direct address, handheld breaks, and decadent negative space sell Elliot’s paranoid fantasy the way fluidity of time and space sells Will Graham’s delusion on Hannibal. Mr. Robot has its psycho moments—how better for its disaffected youths (among them Suburgatory’s master of deadpan, Carly Chaikin) to picture late capitalism?—but the physical violence doesn’t hit nearly as hard as the psychological damage. Creator Sam Esmail originally conceived of the season as the first act of a feature, which intriguingly makes the overall picture sound more like Cosmopolis than Fight Club. As it stands, Mr. Robot has a hell of a climax to be just beginning. [Brandon Nowalk]
Notable episodes: “eps1.0_hellofriend.mov,” “eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v,” “eps1.8_m1rr0r1ng.qt”
11. Show Me A Hero (HBO)
David Simon’s Show Me A Hero opens with a civil rights victory that, although far from decisive, is significant nonetheless: A protracted legal battle culminating in an order for public housing, theoretically putting an end to segregation in ’80s Yonkers. But this perfectly reasonable, humane request is being made of a city that, despite being north of the Mason-Dixon line, is still deeply entrenched in racism—it’s just of the values-peddling, redlining variety. What follows is years of political chicanery (condensed into six hours) that thwart construction and end the careers of at least two Yonkers mayors. Although Simon’s miniseries certainly enlivens the tedium of city council proceedings and seemingly endless court appeals, it does so without sacrificing the nuances of the conflict. Director Paul Haggis alternates between illustrating the (willful) ignorance of the middle-class whites and the reluctant optimism of the disadvantaged minorities, and both sides get an ambassador. Although the loudest shots are fired within the city council’s chambers, Show Me A Hero features plenty of quiet moments that remind us what’s really at the center of this struggle: Everyone just wants a home, notes Oscar Isaac’s Nick Wasicsko, who inherits the imbroglio when he becomes the youngest mayor in the city’s history. As the interim champion of the people, Isaac plays Wasicsko with a mixture of boyish integrity and ambition, even as he’s trying to worm his way out of the agreement. Although history sidelined Wasicsko, its Isaac’s performance that grounds all the political posturing and civilian turmoil. [Danette Chavez]
Notable episodes: Hours two, three, and six
10. Review (Comedy Central)
Hollywood didn’t know how to harness Andy Daly’s formidable comedic talent until Review debuted in the spring of 2014, and the show’s two seasons have provided a brilliant showcase for it. No other show on Comedy Central—or TV, really—so perfectly threads the needle of bleak hilarity, as Daly’s “life reviewer” Forrest MacNeil destroys his life (and the lives of others) with his inexplicable devotion to his job. Season one set an impressive standard of insanity that season two gleefully topped, making MacNeil a cult leader, live life as a little person, try a glory hole, murder someone, be buried alive, and much more. It’s the kind of show that sneaks TV’s darkest throwaway joke into its opening credits, as a clip from MacNeil reviewing babysitting shows him walking through a field with police officers looking for a body. Review has so aggressively pursued outrageous experiences for MacNeil that it’s easy to wonder how a third season—which Comedy Central has, frustratingly, not yet announced—could match it. But the second season of Review proved that Daly and the show’s excellent writing staff are up to the challenge. What could they do with the confidence of a third season? [Kyle Ryan]
Notable episodes: “Murder, Magic 8 Ball, Procrastination,” “Cult, Perfect Body,” “Falsely Accused, Sleep With Your Teacher, Little Person”