A handful of clever entertainers made 2015 all their own on TV — with performances and programs that either pushed the medium into new territory or revived familiar formats with energy and verve.
We salute them while throwing some shade on those who just plain lost their mojo along the way.
THE WINNERS
Bear Grylls
Wilderness maven Grylls (NBC’s “Running Wild”) delivered a tasty lineup of game-for-anything celebs who pushed themselves way out of their publicist-controlled comfort zones and into hardships in various extreme climates. Kate Hudson, Channing Tatum, Kate Winslet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson were among the intrepid souls who made for lively viewing during the dog days of summer. Then, to top himself, Grylls enlisted the company of President Barack Obama in exploring the glaciers of Alaska in an episode that airs Dec. 17. Who knew mountains and valleys and the dry subject of climate change could be so entertaining?
Jeffrey Tambor
Amy Schumer
Schumer was struck by lightning this year. Every time she opened her mouth, she won an award or was nominated for one. Her show, “Inside Amy Schumer,” won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series for Comedy Central. Then she was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best actress in a comedy or musical for her role in the film “Trainwreck.” Seldom do the planets align as perfectly as they have for the witty, smart Schumer — whose endearing personality contrasts with her subversive message.
“Empire”
Fox’s glitzy soap about a hip-hop recording mogul and his tempestuous family felt like it was shot out of a cannon when it premiered in January. It was so crazy, alive, daring and funny that viewers were quickly quoting the best lines and tweeting about the most outlandish scenes. The show made network TV exciting in a way it hadn’t been in years, quickly climbing the Nielsens to close out its first season with nearly 17 million viewers. In the rush to exploit the show’s popularity, Fox asked for a second season right away. It was too much, too soon: The numbers are down, the plots are repetitive, and easily flattered creator Lee Daniels allowed for too much stunt casting. “Empire” can still hang onto its strong showing in the demographic if it gets back on track when it returns March 30.
“Mr. Robot”
Now that the “Mad Men” era is over, people are looking for the next cool show. “Mr. Robot,” which premiered this summer on the USA network, may be it. It’s the story of a computer hacker (Rami Malek, “The Pacific”) living on the fringes of New York City who is recruited by a mysterious anarchist (Christian Slater) intent on exposing corporate malfeasance. The show quickly won a niche following, but is catching on with an influential audience as well — last week “Mr. Robot” picked up three Golden Globe nominations (including one for Malek). Time will tell if the staid fellows at the TV academy find it in their hearts to remember it come the Emmys next year.
THE LOSERS
“American Horror Story: Hotel”
Even the most stalwart fans of the Ryan Murphy anthology series have had enough. The “American Horror Story” franchise has won many awards, but has had trouble sustaining interest after the first couple of episodes each new season because the plotting is too over-the-top. Replacing Jessica Lange with Lady Gaga as the star of the series is also a nonstarter. Lange joined the show with an Oscar-winning film career behind her; Gaga joined with a career in music videos behind her. And it shows. The best thing you can say about “AHS” is that it has great sets. Just hit the mute button.
Halle Berry
The announcement of Halle Berry’s participation in a CBS series was a big get. Who wouldn’t want to see the glamorous, Oscar-winning actress in anything, let alone a kinda creepy sci-fi summer series about an astronaut who wonders how she became pregnant during a 13-month solo space mission? As it turned out, not that many people wanted to see “Extant.” It underwent some revisions for its second season, including casting hunky Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a potential love interest, but the sparks were never there for the show and it was quietly canceled. Can Berry play one of Cookie’s cousins on “Empire”?
Don Johnson
ABC has had trouble launching new dramas on Sunday nights. The network’s luck seemed to change with “Quantico,” a Shonda Rhimes-type soap partly inspired by “Homeland.” But the Don Johnson drama “Blood & Oil,” intended as a comeback for the likable “Miami Vice” and “Nash Bridges” star, never got off the ground, and its death is not far away. Conceived as a “Dallas”-style family drama centered on an oil boom in the Dakotas, “Blood & Oil” had a telegenic cast, including “Gossip Girl” alumnus Chace Crawford, but viewers never got hooked.
Josh Duggar
What’s that old saying about people in glass houses? Josh Duggar, the married father of four who starred on the reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” loved to flap his mouth about his Christian values — until sexual-abuse allegations came to light and he was also exposed as one of the subscribers on Ashley Madison, the website for married cheaters. Good riddance, creep.
Tyra Banks
Former supermodel Tyra Banks brought the curtain down on “America’s Next Top Model” after a very long run. Banks was overshadowed by more interactive fashion fare like “Project Runway” and the sheer glitz of event television such as the “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.” She has already tried a talk show, “FABLife” — it tanked — so we’re thinking about how, other than a catfight between her and Naomi Campbell on “Empire,” she might find another way into the TV business.