Best of 2015 — TV Episodes, Performances

Today I continue my countdown of the best media of 2015 with my favorite TV episodes and performances of 2015.

Best Episodes:
No. 10 — "My Name is Oliver Queen," Arrow
About: This was the concluding episode of the third season. It was, once again, an epic showdown for Oliver Queen and his team. But what I liked about this episode was the fact that it finally gave Oliver a happy ending. Seeing him ride off into the sunset with Felicity was a great way to end the season.

No. 9 — "Mother's Mercy," Game of Thrones
About: Season five was perhaps the best season for the show. It was full of monumental episodes and moments. An under rated one was "Mother's Mercy," which sets in motion events for season six and featured an incredible sequence and performance from Lena Headey.

No. 8 — "Government Surveillance," Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
About: In some ways it's hard to pick what episode of "Last Week Tonight" was the best, but I chose this one. Oliver applied his signature wit to an important story and had a great interview with Edward Snowden. This was his most ambitious, and best, episode of the season.

No. 7 — "The Promise," Justified
About: Finales are incredibly tricky, especially series finales. There's more misses than hits. But this was the perfect way to end for "Justified."

No. 6 — "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep," The Americans
About: It was a fantastic season for "The Americans," and this episode was the high water mark for me. It was a bit of a bottle episode, and it offered great work from Keri Russell and guest star Lois Smith.

No. 5 — "Finale," Broadchurch
About: Hard to top the first season finale of "Broadchurch." This episode didn't reach those devastating heights, but it tied a lot of things up and gave stars David Tennant and Olivia Coleman a chance to shine.

No. 4 — "The New World," The Man in the High Castle
About: This new show featured an incredible premise — what would the U.S. look like if Germany and Japan won World War II. From the imagination of Phillip K. Dick, the pilot for the series offered striking and chilling visuals you won't soon forget.

No. 3 — "The Dance of Dragons," Game of Thrones
About: It was an incredible season for "Game of Thrones." This penultimate episode featured one of the most brutal sequences in the show's history, but all that was erased in the last act as the dark forces descended on the Mother of Dragons and her baby came to the rescue. It was one of the most emotional and triumphant sequences in the show's history.

No. 2 — "The Castle," Fargo
About: All we knew about this second season was there was a Sioux Falls Massacre. This penultimate episode of the season delivered on the massacre, and it managed to live up to the hype. As a bonus, Martin Freeman returned to narrate the whole thing.

No. 1 — "Hardhome," Game of Thrones
About: In a masterful season of "Game of Thrones," this was the high point. Jon Snow and those North of the Wall finally had an epic battle with the White Walkers and it was all anyone could have hoped for or expected. It was perhaps the most ambitious episode in the show's history, and one of its best.

Best Performances:
Best Actor:
* Matthew Rhys, "The Americans" — Rhys does a great job as Phillip Jennings, and he had a great season.
* Patrick Wilson, "Fargo" — As Lou Solverson, Wilson was the focal point for the season and a great leading man.
* Jussie Smollett, "Empire" — Jamal is a powerful character, and Smollett is the reason why.
* Justin Theroux, "The Leftovers" — No one had a stranger character arc this season that Theroux, and he handled it beautifully.
* Timothy Olyphant, "Justified" — For six years Raylan Givens was the heart and soul of "Justified," and that didn't change in the final season. That's a credit to Olyphant.

Best Actress:
* Keri Russell, "The Americans" — It was a great season of "The Americans," and the stand out work of Russell was a big part of that.
* Krysten Ritter, "Jessica Jones" — Jessica Jones was the female hero we've been waiting for, which is a credit to Ritter.
* Ellie Kemper, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" — "Kimmy Schmidt" was the best comedy on TV, and that was a credit to the great work of Kemper.
* Taraji P. Henson, "Empire" — Henson is the most powerhouse performer on TV's craziest show.
* Tatiana Maslany, "Orphan Black" — Maslany has the toughest job on TV, playing a myriad of characters. She makes the show.

Best Supporting Actor:
* David Tennant, "Jessica Jones" — Comic book shows and movies rely on having a strong villain who is a great foil to our here. "Jessica Jones" had that in Killgrave, thanks to Tennant.
* Ben Mendelsohn, "Bloodline" — This show had a high profile cast, but it was Mendelsohn who was the driving engine.
* Bokeem Woodbine, "Fargo" — Woodbine's Mike Milligan had the best lines in the second season He was a big part of the reason the season was great.
* Ted Danson, "Fargo" — Danson has been so great for so long in a number of roles, no one should be surprised he was great in this role.
* Kit Harrington, "Game of Thrones" — It was a big season for Jon Snow, and Harrington was equal to the task.

Best Supporting Actress:
* Emily Bett Rickards, "Arrow" — Rickards adds the levity and hear on "Arrow."
* Lena Headey, "Game of Thrones" — It was a big season for Headey, particularly in the season's final episode
* Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones" — Clarke is great as the Mother of Dragons, and she had a great arc in season five.
* Kirsten Dunst, "Fargo" — As the hair dresser in way over her head, Dunst did a great job in this season of "Fargo."
* Rachael Taylor, "Jessica Jones" — Taylor was strong as the best friend and confidant of our hero in the first season of "Jessica Jones."