We're kicking off our Best of 2015 coverage by running down our 10 favorite network shows of the year. Why this way? Well, because cable kicked a lot of butt in 2015, and before lists are dominated by shows high on the dial, we thought we'd give the networks a time to shine. And really, network and cable television are two different beasts due to wildly varying business models and FCC restrictions, so let's appreciate the best of both worlds.



Here are our favorite network TV series of 2015, in no particular order.





Jane the Virgin





No show made us happier than the CW's Jane the Virgin did in 2015. When a series experiences the level of success that Jane reached in its first season, the pressure to continue operating at that standard can become overwhelming, but the show's second season has been equally strong across the board. By focusing on the three Villanueva women at its center and very real, very familiar issues facing new mothers, the comedy series has remained emotionally grounded while still embracing its telenovela roots and the result feels like a weekly heartwarming hug from your insane, but well-meaning best friend.





iZombie





Rob Thomas's series about a zombie who uses the visions she receives from the brains she eats to solve murder cases premiered on the CW early in 2015, and based on its first season alone would have earned a place on this list. The series put a spin on the zombie genre by focusing on the living rather than the undead, it zigged when we thought it would zag, it turned its handsome love interest into a zombie killing badass, and it gave us yet another reason to love David Anders. But the show's second season is somehow even stronger than the first, from the continued development of its characters and the show's sense of humor, to the mysteries Liv solves and its ability to weave interlocking stories together with ease. iZombie is the best of both worlds, perfectly blending procedural elements with an addictive and serialized story to create a series that's at the top of our must-see list every week. But then again, we'd expect nothing less from the man who also brought us Veronica Mars.





Person of Interest





People are starting to pick up on how relevant CBS's Person of Interest has become because history is actually catching up to this prescient techno-drama. Though we've only had half a season of the show in 2015 (damn you, CBS!), the back half of Season 4 poked our brains with thoughts of national security and personal privacy, the limits of human interference in an increasingly technological world, and the philosophy of different A.I.s. battling it out to death. Plus, "If-Then Else"? Remember that episode? Hoo boy!





Wolf Hall

It's good to be the king. You make decisions then everyone else makes it happen, no matter how difficult implementing those decisions actually is. And it's as true today as it was during Henry VIII's reign. Whether it's presidents or CEOs, there's always someone whose job it is navigate the factions of power and intrigue to achieve the leader's goal. PBS's Wolf Hall turned the story of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power and influence in Henry's court into a riveting period drama and a timeless historical allegory for power players. Also, man, those costumes.





Black-ish

Second seasons can tell a lot about a comedy: did it use up its premise in the first season or was it just getting started? ABC's Black-ish joined the network's Wednesday night family comedy block as the "diverse" one that touched on race, but in its second season it looked at societal issues such as religion, gun control, and language on a human level while also never losing sight of its strong racially charged center. The result was a comedy for our complicated times for everyone to watch, and a damn funny one to boot. Smart, observant, and touching, Black-ish has become one of the best network comedies on television.





Scandal

ABC's Scandal spent the first half of 2015 still clawing its way out of the deep hole it fell into during 2013-2014's poor third season, and while yet another Rowan vs. Everybody storyline offered its fair share of convoluted carnage, the back half of Season 4 did give us one of the show's most exceptional episodes in "Run." Better still, this fall's fifth season has seen Scandal finally realize its destiny as a showcase for tremendous performers to try to top each other in extended, wordy, and thrilling dialogues that tredge through all the sludge of the show's murky history. Bonus points to the show for simultaneously embracing Olivia and Fitz as a legitimate romantic pairing and acknowledging how toxic and dysfunctional a legitimate pairing actually is in practice. Scandal might not quite be as buzz-generating as it was just a few years ago, but it's at a creative peak few shows on all of TV can match.







The Grinder

The 2015 fall season has been lacking, but The Grinder has renewed our faith in the eccentric network comedy. Rob Lowe is fantastic as a TV lawyer who gives the profession a shot in real life, and The Grinder has become a great TV fan's inside joke on the industry and ridiculousness of the business. But it's the way Lowe and the show embrace the silliness of the premise and TV itself that makes it really work. Let's hope Fox doesn't really notice the ratings and let this go the way of several other underappreciated and gone-too-soon cult comedies.





Parks and Recreation





Parks and Recreation's victory lap was the culmination of seven seasons of hard work and dedication, something Leslie Knope knows quite a bit about. A critical darling for NBC but never a ratings smash, the series' struggles were what allowed it to excel creatively. Between "Ron and Leslie" and the one-hour time-jumping finale, the good, kind folks of Pawnee secured a perfect ending and preserved the show's legacy as one of the funniest, most heartwarming comedies in history. Few shows go out at the top of their game, but Parks and Recreation's masterful final season allowed it to do just that.







The 100





Your eyes do not deceive you, this is the third show that airs on The CW to make this list. The network is coming off its best year ever, and the success of The 100, a post-apocalyptic series that never pulls its punches, is one of the reasons folks are finally taking the network seriously. The show reached new heights in 2015 by drawing on historical influences and discussing the ethics of war and the consequences from it. It developed morally complex villains and equally complex heroes, it expanded its universe in new and imaginative ways, and it did it all in a way that looked remarkably effortless. If the show has one problem, it's deciding which powerful female character should lead and succeed. And call us crazy, but that's a damn good problem to have.





American Crime

John Ridley's examination of race, sex, and class didn't necessarily set the world on fire ratings-wise for ABC this spring, but that's on us as viewers. Although American Crime's intense, emotionally-charged portrayal of sensitive issues not typically addressed in detail on broadcast TV was never easy to watch, it was absolutely worth watching. Ridley's sharp writing provided the platform for countless actors to really dig into abnormal characters, resulting in fantastic performances from Felicity Huffman, Regina King, Richard Cabral, Elvis Nolasco, and a half-dozen others. Meanwhile, Ridley's work behind the camera produced a dirtier but not exploitive vision for Modesto, California. By pushing the boundaries of what can be done on broadcast television, American Crime deserved better from us in 2015—don't let that happen again with its surprising second season.



What were your favorite network TV series of 2015?





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