The sentiment that we're living in a "Golden Age" of television is now a broken record—that's been the dominant way of thinking about what's on the air for decades. But 2014 was a special year, coming on the heels of the end of one of the most acclaimed series of all time (Breaking Bad) to produce a wealth of diverse and great material. Thinking about the future felt a little dizzying. Viewers could find everything from the psychological horror of Hannibal to the deep emotional mining of Transparent and the spectacle of Game of Thrones.
This year, more changes are on deck. Netflix will make its most serious bid yet to be considered on the same tier as the major networks, Amazon should continue to succeed (see: Mozart in the Jungle), and even Yahoo! will get in the game by reviving Community. And, sadly, Mad Men, the last of the crop of shows widely considered the "best ever," will finally enter its home-stretch, signaling the beginning of a new era.
What kind of programming will that bring? We've tried our hand at highlighting the ones that just might point the way forward. Here are The 30 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2015 (listed chronologically by their premiere dates).
Eric Thurm is a contributing writer. He tweets here.