As The Walking Dead just continues to improve with every passing year, it came as no great surprise that its spin-off turned out to be one of the best new things on TV in 2015, since it had such strong ground to lift off from. Contrary to just about everything to do with zombies, FTWD starts off just before the zombie apocalypse hits, in sunny SoCal, and follows three families and their survival together. We're all by now pretty familiar with the zombie apocalypse seen from the other side, when humanity and civilization is but a distant memory, but the novel perspective here, along with the tense and cleverly paced way the season builds up to the actual outbreak, is what qualifies it at the top of this list. Also, having the foremost protagonist, Nick, be a drug addict, a young man already outside of normal society and quite zombie-like himself in some ways, is a stroke of genius. Which should come as no surprise, since the show is co-created by the man behind the original comic book The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman, and I've always thought that creating a successful comic book requires more creativity and talent than creating a successful film or TV show, because the format is so demanding.
Sense8
That the Wachowskis made a show for Netflix was all I needed to know. I loved it even before I watched it, and happily it was even better than I expected. This sci-fi drama about eight completely different people in eight different parts of the world, who have never met and suddenly develop a telepathic connection to each other, has that which is so important to good science fiction, and that is good characters. Without characters that you want to get to know and spend time with, sci-fi doesn't work, its often far-fetched concepts tend to become ludicrous if it isn't rooted in good characters. In Sense8, the characters are so sweet and compelling that it's almost impossible not to fall in love with every single one of them. The characters are key to this story, because it's about how they discover each other and take part in each other's lives, helping each other out in their everyday lives while some secret evil organization is out to catch them in order to exploit their gifts. When it's done well, sci-fi really works better as TV series than as self-contained movies, because sometimes more time is needed to explore something to its fullest. And even though by now we've had twelve long episodes so very rich on story, in the end it feels like the Wachowskis have just scratched the surface, and we've only reached the end of the beginning. Sense8 has everything, interesting and likeable characters, great action scenes, it's also funny, sad, lovely and often had me smiling till my face hurt and brought tears to my eyes. Most impressive is the clever way the creators of the show have interwoven the eight characters' separate stories into a single plot, that is best viewed in its entirety.
Daredevil
After the despicable movie adaptation of the superhero comic Daredevil starring Ben Affleck, I was never expecting to become excited by the prospect of seeing the blind vigilante on screen again. Until Netflix's promising version came along and blew me away. In Drew Goddard's hands, the Marvel character was finally realized with the quality it deserves. The show works primarily because of three things: First, a good cast, always important in all aspects of storytelling (topped by imo one of the most underrated acting greats of all time, Vincent D'Onofrio, who adds weight and depth to Daredevil's adversary, Kingpin). Secondly, the writing, which nails it, bringing the superhero down to earth and rooting the action, which is measured out in perfect doses, in good, solid drama (which is so engaging and mature that you sometimes forget you're watching a superhero show and not a well-made court room/crime drama). Lastly, placing the show in film noir territory is a stroke of genius and just what a dark story about a NYC-based crime fighter like DD needed. The excellent fight choreography and stunt work is an added bonus, and at some point in the show I realized I wasn't missing the big budget CGI action extravaganza of the Marvel feature films at all.
Jessica Jones
Like the above, Jessica Jones is a Marvel show that relies more on story, realism and character than the movies tend to do. And fortunately, it retains the film noir style of its brother show. As a superhero unto herself, Jessica Jones is not that remarkable. So it's a good thing the show's about her trying not to be a superhero, instead just trying to get by under the radar as a private detective. Then the last man she ever wanted to meet again comes back from the past to make her life a living nightmare again. All superhero movies or shows are only as good as its supervillains, and Jessica Jones has one of the most fascinating villains of all. In Kilgrave, who can control people with just the sound of his voice, you have an incredibly dangerous villain, who wields a sophisticated and unstoppable power, yet acts and thinks like a spoilt and impetuous little boy. David Tennant in the part is spot on perfect, and the chemistry between him as Kilgrave and Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones is insane, they match each other perfectly in every way. 2015 was the year Netflix overtook HBO in terms of quality productions, and shows like Jessica Jones and the others on this list settled that point for me.
Fargo
So the reason perpetually wonderful shows like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Hell on Wheels, American Horror Story and Orphan Black are not on this list, despite the fact that they had some of their best seasons ever in 2015, is because this list is devoted to new series. Having said that, I know this is technically speaking the second season of Fargo, but it is after all an anthology series which (unlike, say, AHS) is so totally different from its first season to be almost an entirely original series. Taking place thirty-something years before the first season, Fargo's second season tells the story of Lou Solverson (father of Molly Solverson from season one) and his involvement in a gang war between the local Gerhardt family and the Kansas City crime family. The black comedy is toned down compared to the first season, and the crime drama is more prominent, which suits the time (1979) and the place better. Apart from its wonderful writing and unforgettable characterization, Fargo's crowning excellence lies in the original and unusual casting. All of the actors are excellent and always enjoyable to watch in their own right; Patrick Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman and Ted Danson. But all of them together, with Bokeem Woodbine and Bruce Campbell (as Ronald Reagan, one of the oddest and most entertaining casting choices of the show) added to the mix, makes it one of the most unforgettable TV series casts ever.
Bloodline
Another Netflix masterpiece was Bloodline. A show that harkens back to soap operas of yore, in that it's about a dysfunctional dynasty whose family members all have secrets and intrigues between themselves, but done with stratospherically superior skill. The Rayburn family's success it built on lies and one day the prodigal son, Danny, returns to make them confront it. He is the classic black sheep of the family, and, with cheeky smiles and biting passive-aggressiveness, he manages to drag the whole clan down to his calamitous level. Bloodline has everything you could desire in a good drama, terrific acting (particularly from Ben Mendelsohn as Danny), superb writing and stunning cinematography. When you just want a mature, psychological show with believable characters that you care about, take a trip to the Florida Keys, check in at the Rayburns' paradaisical beach-side hotel, and uncover the complex danger and darkness under the gorgeous sunlit, palm-strewn surface. Made for binge-watching, it tells its story in chapters like a novel rather than television episodes, or a thirteen-hour movie seen as a whole, which it should be.
Ash vs Evil Dead
Fede Alvarez's 2013 remake of The Evil Dead made me so pleased and satisfied vis-a-vis Sam Raimi's legendary horror films that when I heard about Starz's show Ash vs Evil Dead, I felt like Christmas had come early. The series picks up after Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, with Ash himself, Bruce Campbell, back for more. And since Sam Raimi developed the show, it retains all the qualities that we loved about the movies. It's just as gory and creepy and funny as it ever was, yet somehow still manages to feel quite fresh, which may have something to do with the fact that Ash now has two new, young sidekicks on his mission to rid the world of demons. Like the films, the TV series works largely thanks to Bruce Campbell's excellent comic timing, which is now used to its fullest, because it's really a horror-themed comedy. If you want lessons in how to make something that works in both of those genres, take a look at this (and the old films). That is something which few manage to pull off, almost none in fact. But enough palaver. There is really only one thing to say about it. 'Groovy!'
Better Call Saul
The first big hit of the television year 2015 was this Breaking Bad spin-off. My expectations were virtually non-existent because Saul Goodman didn't really stand out in the original series as a character that had any potential in him for a show of his own. But somewhat surprisingly, Better Call Saul delivered a funny, interesting prequel, at times even moving, that put the character and Breaking Bad in a whole new light. It is similar in style, the same twisted humour, the same look and feel, and the same pathos. But Better Call Saul simultaneously made me realize that there was a lot in Breaking Bad that I could do without. The at times hugely annoying sidekick, the always annoying family and domestic situation, the constant macho posturing. Take away all that, and you've actually got a great piece of fiction, like this, one of the best new series on TV. That's what all spin-offs should do ideally.
River
There have been a lot of awfully vapid British cop shows over the years, but once in a while one comes along that is just fantastic. River is just that, a masterpiece of writing and acting. It's apparent that Abi Morgan wrote the part of John River for Stellan Skarsgård in particular, because it's simply impossible to imagine the show without him. He heads an overall marvellous cast as the DI who hears voices and sees dead people, most of all his former crime solving partner, whose death he obsesses over and cannot stop investigating. Yes, it is a good detective story, with all the twists and turns you'd expect, but it works on a whole other level as well. It's comparison to Nordic noir has been noted several times, and it does fall into that category, but there is an element of fantasy to it that Nordic noir usually lacks. And I don't mean the genre of fantasy, but a psychological, dream-like aspect to it, which makes it stand out from the average cop shows that tend to all be more or less exactly the same.
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
(WARNING: contains spoilers!)
I am not a fan of "true crime" in general, or documentaries for that matter, but The Jinx is an extraordinary show - which is why I include it here even though it's not really a series, more of an event. In six riveting episodes, we follow the story of eccentric millionaire Robert Durst, from one bizarre murder that unravels a whole history of craziness. When you watch The Jinx, you really get the feeling that you're watching something unique, something of a phenomenon. It's made by Andrew Jarecki, who had previously made the film All Good Things in 2010, based on a Durst biography. That Durst himself got in contact with the director with the offer to create this documentary in an attempt to tell his side of things, when it in fact led to Durst's arrest, is almost too weird to be true. The man in question is of course very creepy, not just because he's a murderer who's gotten away with it for so long, but also because he's quite inscrutable. One of the chilliest moments is when, towards the end, he realizes he's been found out and coolly admits it to himself, thinking he's alone in the room. The microphone on his person catches him as he pretty much admits to it all, but seemingly without a single note of concern in his voice. It's a moment that makes you wonder if he's totally devoid of emotion, even fear of being sent to prison? Or is he so removed from reality that he's unaware of the seriousness of his situation? Or is he just confident that he'll be able to buy or work his way out of the situation? Or is he in some way glad to finally let the truth come out and take the punishment?
