Netflix
Okay, this might seem like a cheat, but all these shows represent the artist-first, experimental mentality that made it so that Netflix had a better year than any other network – better than FX or AMC, better even than HBO. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt dealt with trauma in an unexpectedly hilarious, eminently quotable fashion, and had the best theme song of any show all year (to say nothing of the masterpiece that is “Pinot Noir”). Master of None deftly explored race, heritage, and dating in the twenty-first century, and felt like a natural extension of Aziz Ansari’s wonderful book Modern Romance (Ansari’s maturation as a comic has been one of the most compelling and believable transformations of the last few years). BoJack Horseman is the funniest show ever created about clinical depression, and its perfect second season mined that material with heartbreaking results. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp was an almost flawlessly executed exercise in absurdity. Marvel’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones proved to be necessary, even superior, extensions of the Marvel universe, and provided disturbing, enthralling portraits of guilt, rage, and survival. Bloodline, while occasionally sluggish, perfected the Damages formula, and Ben Mendelsohn gave one of the best performances on any show of the year. No other network showed the same respect to artistry, and it made for consistently compelling television.
Best episodes (in the order listed): “Kimmy Goes to School!”; “Parents”; “Escape from L.A.”; “Auditions”; “Cut Man”; “AKA Sin Bin”; “Chapter 11”