The Best Television of 2015: 10 Honourable Mentions

I've counted down my favourite television shows of 2015, which you can read in full here, but thought I'd use the opportunity to mention the 10 outliers and explain the lack of UK shows.

The Best Television of 2015: No.1 - HBO's THE LEFTOVERS

Ex-cop Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), his girlfriend Nora (Carrie Coon), and daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley), move from New York to a world-famous town in Texas that didn't suffer any 'departures' during the inexplicable event four years ago, when 2% of the world's population simply vanished, only to discover the local community's not immune to the social and cultural changes this event has caused those left behind...

What made it so good? I love it when a show works out its kinks, realises its strengths, listens to constructive criticism, makes wise changes, and comes back better. Too many shows seem to die because the creators have a vision they bullheadedly refuse to change, and just lose viewers or get creatively lost. Not so, The Leftovers—which had a big change of location, moving from New York suburbia to small-town Texas, and managed the very difficult challenge of maintaining its sorrowful tone while finding ways to make it more palatable.

The Best Television of 2015: No.2 - NBC's HANNIBAL

FBI consultant Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) pursues exposed cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) across Europe, joined by outside forces with nastier intentions, before working on a case involving a man called Francis Dolarhyde who believes he's transforming into the living embodiment of a William Blake painting...

What made it so good? There's simply been nothing on television as artistically sadistic as Hannibal, and for its (sadly) final year we got two-seasons-for-the-price-of-one. First, there was the game-changing storyline where Will had to find and catch Lecter in Italy, which riffed on the novel Hannibal to fine effect—with Will digging into Lecter's family history, whilst the cannibal killer's spree continued in Europe. Then, arguably the show's raison d'être arrived in the second-half, with a surprisingly faithful retelling of Red Dragon (already filmed twice) that nevertheless didn't become a chore to sit through because of the show's twists on the material—plus a benchmark-setting performance by Richard Armitage as Francis Dolarhyde.

The Best Television of 2015: No.3 - FX's FARGO

Set around Luverne, Minnesota, Fargo, North Dakota, and Sioux Falls in 1979, season 2 followed beautician Peggy Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst) and her husband, butcher Ed (Jesse Plemons), in their attempt to cover up the hit-and-run murder of Rye Gerhardt; son of crime family matriarch Floyd Gerhardt (Jean Smart). Meanwhile, State Trooper Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) and Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) are investigating three murders committed by Rye before his death...

What made it so good? It was just a joy to watch this story unfold with a hugely talented cast involved in the telling. I loved the first season, but it was sedate compared to what happened in season 2. The ramifications of oddball Peggy hitting someone with her car, moments after he shot and killed three people in a diner, set in motion a chain of events that became both darkly comical and often quite harrowing. There wasn't a bad link in the whole ensemble, and everyone got a moment that burrowed itself into your memory, but I was particularly spellbound by Bookem Woodbine as laconic gangster Mike Milligan, and the silent charisma of Indian hitman Hanzee Dent (Zach McClarnon)—both relatively unknown faces in a starry cast.

The Best Television of 2015: No.4 - AMC's BETTER CALL SAUL

Set several years before the events of Breaking Bad, we follow the early exploits of lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) before he became 'Saul Goodman', involving his complex relationship with his mentally-unbalanced brother (Michael McKean)...

What made it so good? A clear creative direction and tone. It's hard to create good spin-off shows, because too often they're a cynical way to keep a readymade audience tuning into something subpar (remember Joey after Friends?). Breaking Bad is one of the greatest television dramas ever produced, too, so the prospects for a prequel focusing on a supporting character was dicey at best. While we loved seeing Bob Odenkirk as slimy lawyer Saul Goodman mixing it with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (mostly from the confines of his kitsch Albuquerque office), he wasn't the main attraction... he was just a welcome respite from the darkness. Could a show like Better Call Saul be anything other than pointless backstory to a third-tier character?

The Best Television of 2015: No.5 - Netflix's DAREDEVIL

Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox), a young lawyer blinded by chemicals as a boy, is secretly able to perceive the world thanks to a heightened super-sense, and operates as a vigilante to save Hell's Kitchen from a turf war being won by a burly gangster called Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio)...

What made it so good? The unexpectedness of how well accomplished the show's story and performances were, as memories of the misguided 2003 Daredevil movie refused to budge before its debut. Daredevil is quite a prominent Marvel superhero, but concerns he was being shunted to television (when he could theoretically work just as well on the big-screen, as part of The Avengers) proved unfounded. This was actually the perfect medium to tell a Daredevil story heavily inspired by the most acclaimed graphic novels, with an excellent cast serving the material extremely well. I don't think anyone expected Vincent D'Onofrio to create one of the most sympathetic-yet-horrifying villains we'd ever seen, and throughout the first season the show kept on surprising us. The fights were extraordinary cool and realistic (putting equivalent, CGI-augmented scenes in Marvel's movies to shame), and it was a joy to binge-watch this over a long weekend. Flaws? Yeah, it has some. The ending was a bit of an anticlimax, and I really dislike the Daredevil costume (which arrived with undeserved fanfare), but these were very minor issues.

The Best Television of 2015: No.6 - HBO's GAME OF THRONES

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) deals with a revolt in the liberated city of Meereen, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) flees King's Landing to try and win the approval of the Khaleesi, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) plots to overthrow the Bolton's on his way down south to seize the Iron Throne, Jaime Lannister travels to Dorne to rescue his niece, Arya (Maisie Williams) is trained by the 'Faceless Men' to become an assassin, and Cersei (Lena Headey) makes a tactical error by empowering a devout religious man nicknamed 'The High Sparrow'...

What made it so good? Well, look: this was actually a relatively poor season of Game of Thrones compared to season 3 and 4, in particular. It took ages to get going, Jaime's side quest to Dorne where we met the 'Sand Snakes' was an unmitigated disaster, and I was roundly bored by Arya's (Maisie Williams) training to become an assassin. But, despite all those negatives, Game of Thrones continues to be the benchmark for fantasy filmmaking on television, and we have enough goodwill and interest in these characters and the ongoing story to pull us through its weak spots. You could tell they were adapting one of George R.R Martin's poorer novels, it's true, but that didn't stop season 5 from delivering several of the best moments this show has done. Speaking of which...

The Best Television of 2015: No.7 - Starz's OUTLANDER

A post-WWII nurse called Claire (Caitriona Balfe) travels back in time to 17th-century Scotland while holidaying in the Highlands with her husband, where she meets a dashing young highlander called Jamie (Scott Heughan) and her spouse's sadistic Red Coat ancestor Captain 'Black Jack' Randall (Tobias Menzies)...

What made it so good? While it uses sci-fi to set the story up, Outlander is largely a romantic action-adventure with added kilts. I instantly enjoyed this show, but it definitely could have veered into limp 'picture postcard' Highland fluff, so what kept me going were the glimpses of something darker underneath. Indeed, by the time the second half of the season was underway, and certainly by the final batch of episodes, Outlander had revealed a grittier and nastier side to its nature. Game of Thrones may be most people's go-to drama when asked to choose a memorably harrowing or shocking scene, but Outander's scenes of sadism and rape eclipse everything I've seen on that HBO series. Outlander wasn't showing violence for an easy thrill, either, it was an unavoidable part of the story, and everything worked because we'd spent so long getting to know and care about Claire and Jamie as a couple. Bonus point for easily the best sex scene (erotic, romantic, realistic) on television in years, too.

The Best Television of 2015: No.8 - Showtime's PENNY DREADFUL

A coven of witches set their sights on Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) and psychic Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), bringing great danger to the members of their occult clique. Meanwhile, Dr Frankenstein's sorrowful creation (Rory Kinnear) demands a mate, and American werewolf Ethan Chandler (Josh Harnett) arouses the suspicion of a Scotland Yard detective...

What made it so good? The first season was good fun, but more on a conceptual level. It was also inconsistent and petered out towards the end. This second run was much better on practically every level, although the story could still be tightened and there are a few characters who haven't developed as much as I'd like (Frankenstein's Monster, Dorian Grey). But I can forgive Penny Dreadful a lot, because it has a beautiful Gothic tone and can be very tense and thrilling when it wants to be. Plus, there's the delicious Eva Green doing astonishing (now Golden Globe-nominated) work as a tortured psychic, whose soul is the must-have thing for dark forces everywhere. It's fair to say Penny Dreadful focuses a little too much on her fascinating character, to the detriment of others like Sir Malcolm, but also easy to see why creator John Logan views Green as a muse.

The Best Television of 2015: No.9 - The CW's THE FLASH

A young forensic analyst called Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) becomes 'the fastest man alive' after a laboratory explosion endows him with super-powers, prompting him to fight crime and keep his city safe from other 'meta-humans' with more sinister agendas.

What made it so good? It helped that The Flash is a top-tier DC Comics character, sure, and it's made by the same folk behind The CW's excellent Arrow, but I still didn't expect The Flash to become this enjoyable so quickly. I think the main reason for its success is down to the casting: Gustin's the kind of handsome hero you can identify with as 'a normal guy in extraordinary situations', Jesse L. Martin as Barry's stepfather Joe is an undervalued joy, Carlos Valdes took one of those 'geek comic relief' roles and made you not want to chew your hand off in embarrassment, and Tom Cavanagh aced a tricky dual role as Barry's trusted mentor/secret arch-nemesis.

The Best Television of 2015: No.10 - Netflix's JESSICA JONES

Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) is a superhero-turned-private-investigator, blessed with incredible strength, who must use her powers and detective skills to catch the shadowy Kilgrave (David Tennant); a supervillain from her tragic past with the frightening ability to control people's minds.

What made it so good? Continuing the trend started with Netflix's other Marvel TV series, Daredevil, this comic-book drama exists in a world more identifiably ours. It seems counterintuitive to create a show like this, that exists in the same universe as The Avengers, because Jessica Jones' tone and approach is so different, but somehow it worked.