We're kicking off our Best of 2015 coverage by running down our 10 favorite network shows of the year. Why this way? Well, because cable kicked a lot of butt in 2015, and before lists are dominated by shows high on the dial, we thought we'd give the networks a time to shine. And really, network and cable television are two different beasts due to wildly varying business models and FCC restrictions, so let's appreciate the best of both worlds.


Here are our favorite network TV series of 2015, in no particular order.


Jane the Virgin


No show made us happier than the CW's Jane the Virgin did in 2015. When a series experiences the level of success that Jane reached in its first season, the pressure to continue operating at that standard can become overwhelming, but the show's second season has been equally strong across the board. By focusing on the three Villanueva women at its center and very real, very familiar issues facing new mothers, the comedy series has remained emotionally grounded while still embracing its telenovela roots and the result feels like a weekly heartwarming hug from your insane, but well-meaning best friend.


iZombie


Rob Thomas's series about a zombie who uses the visions she receives from the brains she eats to solve murder cases premiered on the CW early in 2015, and based on its first season alone would have earned a place on this list. The series put a spin on the zombie genre by focusing on the living rather than the undead, it zigged when we thought it would zag, it turned its handsome love interest into a zombie killing badass, and it gave us yet another reason to love David Anders. But the show's second season is somehow even stronger than the first, from the continued development of its characters and the show's sense of humor, to the mysteries Liv solves and its ability to weave interlocking stories together with ease. iZombie is the best of both worlds, perfectly blending procedural elements with an addictive and serialized story to create a series that's at the top of our must-see list every week. But then again, we'd expect nothing less from the man who also brought us Veronica Mars.


Person of Interest


People are starting to pick up on how relevant CBS's Person of Interest has become because history is actually catching up to this prescient techno-drama. Though we've only had half a season of the show in 2015 (damn you, CBS!), the back half of Season 4 poked our brains with thoughts of national security and personal privacy, the limits of human interference in an increasingly technological world, and the philosophy of different A.I.s. battling it out to death. Plus, "If-Then Else"? Remember that episode? Hoo boy!


Wolf Hall

It's good to be the king. You make decisions then everyone else makes it happen, no matter how difficult implementing those decisions actually is. And it's as true today as it was during Henry VIII's reign. Whether it's presidents or CEOs, there's always someone whose job it is navigate the factions of power and intrigue to achieve the leader's goal. PBS's Wolf Hall turned the story of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power and influence in Henry's court into a riveting period drama and a timeless historical allegory for power players. Also, man, those costumes.


Black-ish

Second seasons can tell a lot about a comedy: did it use up its premise in the first season or was it just getting started? ABC's Black-ish joined the network's Wednesday night family comedy block as the "diverse" one that touched on race, but in its second season it looked at societal issues such as religion, gun control, and language on a human level while also never losing sight of its strong racially charged center. The result was a comedy for our complicated times for everyone to watch, and a damn funny one to boot. Smart, observant, and touching, Black-ish has become one of the best network comedies on television.


Scandal

ABC's Scandal spent the first half of 2015 still clawing its way out of the deep hole it fell into during 2013-2014's poor third season, and while yet another Rowan vs. Everybody storyline offered its fair share of convoluted carnage, the back half of Season 4 did give us one of the show's most exceptional episodes in "Run." Better still, this fall's fifth season has seen Scandal finally realize its destiny as a showcase for tremendous performers to try to top each other in extended, wordy, and thrilling dialogues that tredge through all the sludge of the show's murky history. Bonus points to the show for simultaneously embracing Olivia and Fitz as a legitimate romantic pairing and acknowledging how toxic and dysfunctional a legitimate pairing actually is in practice. Scandal might not quite be as buzz-generating as it was just a few years ago, but it's at a creative peak few shows on all of TV can match