I wouldn’t argue that this year has been stronger than others for television, but it’s certainly offered up a large variety of interesting characters and shows. Performances were strong in both the likely and unlikely places and the fact that shows such as Modern Family are going to continue to dominate the nominations isn’t just annoying because it’s a sub-par show at the point, but because there is such a larger pool of talent to pull from.

If I could I would include a much longer list. I could talk about how Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams are turning into two of the strongest actors on Game of Thrones despite their young age. I could talk about how Lamorne Morris was often the saving grace of season three of New Girl as Winston. I could argue about how Eva Green is able to liven up even the most absurd show premise in Penny Dreadful or how Emily Bett Rickards charges the heart in the CW show Arrow as Felicity, easily the best actor on the show. Dylan O’Brien had a fantastic year as Stiles on MTV’s Teen Wolf but due to the nature of the show and channel it’s on would never even be considered (despite shows like Glee dominating the acting categories in its early years). And then there are people like Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in Key and Peele , Nick Offerman in Parks and Rec and Kaitlin Olsen in It’s Always Sunny…, who are consistently funny but will never see awards notice.

That long of a list would be obnoxious though; so click through the slideshow to see some of my favorites.

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