Best Moments on TV of 2015... So Far

Taraji P. Henson (left) and Terrence Howard in 'Empire'

So far, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are two of the top TV shows in terms of viewership and critical reaction. Both those shows just aired their fifth seasons, but, turning to new programs to hit television, no conversation can be had without first mentioning FOX's Empire. It premiered on January 7 to over 13 million viewers. It instantly become FOX's highest-rated debut in three years, since FOX's Touch in 2012. The viewership continued to grow week-to-week for 12 weeks straight, which no broadcast show has done in more than 20 years. The finale soared over 23 million, which surpasses the previous finale ratings from a decade ago. It also jumped ahead of The Big Bang Theory as the most watched program of the year.

That show had a lot of epic fights, but the fight that perhaps should have been really epic is the one between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd. Unfortunately, the boxing match was far from epic. Many commentators were disappointed. Mayweather's win was disappointing for various sociopolitical reasons as well. The fight did generate millions and millions, but some speculated that it cut into the revenue of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which opened that same weekend.

Meanwhile, Netflix unleashed an onslaught of programming this year. The DVD-in-the-mail and online, video-streaming service is now a full-fledged television network capable of competing with the major five networks. Netflix managed to release a new TV program every month starting in January with season 2 of The Fall. The company probably got the most traffic or online buzz thanks to the success of its series Daredevil, the dark and gritty, Marvel Comics adaptation. Most of its programs had the entire season, typically 13 episodes, all released on the same day. The one exception was the sci-fi, post-apocalyptic series Between.

The Internet search-engine and web portal Yahoo! also got into the TV programming game with its Yahoo! Screen network, which also started pumping out original content, multiple series starting with its pickup of the cancelled NBC show Community. The Internet is becoming jam-packed with all kinds of shows and new content. As such, HBO finally launched its HBO Now service, which allows people to have access to all of HBO's programming online without having to be a subscriber to its cable network.

Here is my list of my favorite shows, what I feel are the best of 2015 for the time being. However, I start with isolating individual moments that I thought were monumental or highly memorable within the huge continuum that is television. Enjoy:

Best Moments on TV... So Far

10. Bruce Jenner is interviewed for 20/20 special with Diane Sawyer (April 24)
9. Joseph Kahn releases Power / Rangers to the Internet (Feb. 24)
8. Saturday Night Live celebrates its 40th anniversary (Feb. 15)
7. Kristin Wiig performs "Chandelier" at the 57th Grammys (Feb. 8)
6. David Letterman airs his final episode as host of The Late Show on CBS (May 20)
5. Common and John Legend perform "Glory" and win at the 87th Oscars (Feb. 22)
4. Maya says she's transgendered on The Bold and the Beautiful (May 18)
3. The Fosters on ABC Family has youngest same-sex kiss for Jude & Connor (March 2)
2. Undateable on NBC goes live for second season, episode 7 (May 5)
1. The Jinx on HBO has shocking finale (March 15)

Best Reality / Variety

Jon Stewart turns over 'The Daily Show' to Trevor Noah

1. Inside Amy Schumer: Season 3 (COM)
2. AfterBuzz TV: Scandal Season 4 - (YouTube)
3. Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
4. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (COM)
5. Watch What Happens: Live (Bravo)
6. Troy - Street Magic: Season 2 (Syfy)
7. The Talk (CBS)

Best TV Movie / Special

1. Nightingale (HBO)
2. Going Clear (HBO)
3. Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber (COM)
4. Jeff Ross Roasts Criminals: Live at Brazos County Jail (COM)
5. Aziz Ansari Live At Madison Square Garden (Netflix)

Best Comedy

1. Looking: Season 2 (HBO)
2. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
3. Orange is the New Black: Season 3 (Netflix)
4. Silicon Valley: Season 2 (HBO)
5. Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
6. Community: Season 6 (Yahoo!)
7. Glee: Season 6 (FOX)

Scene from 'Sense8', original series by the Wachowskis

Best Drama

1. Bloodline (Netflix)
2. American Crime (ABC)
3. The Slap (2011) (Hulu)
4. Bates Motel: Season 3 (A&E)
5. Sense8 (Netflix)
6. The Good Wife: Season 6 (CBS)
7. House of Cards: Season 3 (Netflix)
8. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2 (ABC)

Best Individual Performance from Non-Listed Series

1. Viola Davis - How To Get Away With Murder
2. Taraji P. Henson - Empire
3. Chris Messina - The Mindy Project: Season 3
4. Tony Hale - Veep: Season 4
5. Kristen Schaal - The Last Man on Earth
6. Christopher Sean - Days of Our Lives / Hawaii Five-0

Best Individual Episode from Non-Listed Series

1. "Cop Story" - Louie: Season 5
2. "Just Drive the Truck" - Chicago Fire: Season 3
3. "Blake Shelton" - Saturday Night Live: Season 40
4. "Chris Hemsworth/Zac Brown Band" - Saturday Night Live: Season 40
5. "Dwayne Johnson/George Ezra" - Saturday Night Live: Season 40