Can TV be so good it hurts? 'Cause this year certainly hurt for anyone trying to keep up on it all. There were so many stellar shows, spread out across countless digital and network platforms, it was physically impossible for any one person to see it all. Well, fear not. We did it for you. E! News' TV Scoop Team treats TV viewing like a job ('cause, well, it is) and here's our take on the very best shows of 2015. See if you agree with our picks!
If Inside Amy Schumer only aired its third season premiere in 2015, it would still qualify for Best of 2015. Between the "Milk Milk Lemonade" song lampooning our obsession with butts, the epic "Last F--kable Day" sketch with Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Patricia Arquette commenting on ageism in Hollywood, the Friday Night Lights-themed "Don't Rape" speech, and the fake birth control commercial with its commentary on both reproductive rights and gun control, the episode had A LOT say while making us laugh hysterically. And then Amy followed that up with nine more perfect episodes, including an episode-long faithful recreation of 12 Angry Men, with the star-studded jurors instead debating whether Amy was hot enough to be on TV. 2015 proved this is Amy's world and we're all just living in it, thankfully.—Billy Nilles
There's always room in our TV-watching schedule for a juicy, bats*** crazy primetime soap. But when you also have radio-ready songs so catchy they've been added into rotation across the country, one-liners so fun they've usurped certain characters' actual names (hi there, Boo Boo Kitty), and a character with a wardrobe so enviable it's spawned Cookie Lyon-themed parties, you've got the makings of one of the most fun shows on network TV. In fact, it's so popular that its ratings have actually increased on a weekly basis since the premiere (unheard of!). Empire is continuously taking creative risks—who cares if it's occasionally missed in season two? At least it's taking the shot.—Jean Bentley
TV is full of superhero shows right now, and almost all of them are good. The Flash is truly great, and not just for a superhero show. Grant Gustin gives us a hero who's both strong and vulnerable, and the father/son relationships on this show might be the best on TV. Come for the entertaining (and often awesomely terrifying) villains and impressive effects, stay for the totally worthwhile emotional investment and unexpected comedy.—Lauren Piester
There's just nothing quite like it The Affair TV…and nothing that inspires quite as much debate/fury/frustration amongst viewers as the story of two imploding relationships is told from four wildly different point-of-views. And what really sets The Affair apart from other shows is that its villains aren't monsters, they're humans, with wants and desires that we all can relate to, which makes it all the more chilling. This is human nature at its ugliest—and realest.—Tierney Bricker
When a critically beloved but low-rated comedy can tackle a subject as serious as clinical depression and still be laugh-out-loud funny, then you know there's something special happening. The love story between admitted assholes Jimmy and Gretchen grew even deeper in season two, allowing us get even more obsessed with them—and their quirky BFFs Edgar and Lindsay—even more. We love you too, YTW.—Jean Bentley
Is it possible for a TV show to get better in its second season? Sure, but it doesn't happen very often and such is the case with Pete Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes' excellent How to Get Away With Murder. The season-two mystery of "Who Shot Annalise?" had us all guessing—incorrectly—and tied up perfectly in the winter finale, where everything was so shocking and yet made perfect sense! Insane and insanely smart. Oh, and did we mention the crazy hot sex scenes?—Kristin Dos Santos
FX's midwestern crime drama flew out of the gate last year with a brilliant season one, introducing the world to relative newcomer Allison Tolman. Season two somehow followed up with a slightly quieter but equally brilliant trip to the 70's, and introduced the world to a whole new—and totally actualized—side of Kirsten Dunst. Fargo may be a show filled with murder, but it's a murder show that somehow makes you feel all warm and happy inside, like a mug of hot chocolate spiked with whiskey.—Lauren Piester
No show tapped into the paranoia and technological unease of living in 2015 more than Mr. Robot. Buoyed by a breakout lead performance by the incredible Rami Malek, this show kept us on the edge of our seats all summer long and managed to do something most other show find impossible: Set our phones down and just WATCH. Creator Sam Esmail delivered a show that was so sure of itself and the world it was creating from the first frame. Malek's Elliot Alderson may be unable to trust his own unreliable mind, but in Mr. Robot we trust.—Billy Nilles
Sweeping. Stunning. Epic. Just a few words other shows like to throw around, but Starz's Outlander actually owns them. No other show made us feel more deeply in 2015, whether it be the piercing passion from the unlikely pairing of Jamie (Sam Heugan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe), the strength of a courageous femme fatale (Claire) taking on an entirely new (old) world, or the horrors of the torture Jamie suffered at the hands of Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies). (#NeverForget.) A wild and thoroughly enjoyable ride, Outlander was thrilling television at its best. —Kristin Dos Santos
As much as we love every other show on this list, Game of Thrones really was the gold standard when it came to television in 2015. As the series veered off books for the first time, it felt like a freefall from a cliff with the most incredible landing. And of course, that season finale, with the unbelievably shocking death of Jon Snow, is a TV moment we'll never forget. How can they possibly top it in 2016? And how will Kit Harrington return to the show, in what form and when and why? We've never been more intrigued.
Agree with our list? Where did we go right or wrong? Tweet your thoughts to @kristindsantos and @eonlineTV!