From artistic and powerful storytelling to inspiring characters, fictious and real, television pretty much covered it all this year. As 2015 comes to a close, we’d like to look back at some of the news and entertainment moments that grabbed our attention. Here are a few of our favorites:
THE WALKING DEAD SEASON FIVE FINALE
Last Spring, the season final of The Walking Dead drew 15.8 million viewers. with all 16 episodes of the season ranking in the top 50 telecasts across all of television in a beloved and hard-to-attract demographic, adults in the 18-49 age range. TV by the Numbers cited this achievement as a first in all of pay-TV history.
MAD MEN SERIES FINALE
We said goodbye to Don Draper this year. Mad Men left a mark in entertainment history, winning an Emmy for Outstanding Drama series for all of its first four seasons. In total, the show received 16 Emmys and four Golden Globes throughout its run.
2015 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
The 52 games played at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada averaged 1,824,000 million viewers between Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 together with Fox. And, an average of 232,000 unique streamers watched the final match between the U.S.A and Japan on Fox Sports Go, a record for the app. The U.S.A team walked away with a victory in the finale for both the country and for the sport of soccer, as overall viewership for the tournament exceeded that of the 2011 tournament.
JON STEWART RETIRES
Jon Stewart officially signed off as host of The Daily Show on August 6 this past summer, ending a 16-year run with the satirical news program on Comedy Central. Fans said farewell to the comedian, whose work won 22 Primetime Emmy Awards and who ignited interest in pundit news and entertainment among audiences everywhere.
CABLE DOMINATED AT EMMYS
Cable came away with 59 percent of the Creative Arts Emmys Awards presented by the Television Academy in September, confirming what many of us already knew–that some of the greatest television is happening on cable. At the Primetime Emmy Awards, cable took 24 wins, making it the mast awarded platform for television.
REPUBLICAN PRIME-TIME DEBATE ON FOX
When the Republican presidential candidates for 2016 took the stage in August, the event became the most-watched nonsports event in cable-television history. According to Nielsen, 24 million viewers watched the debate. Compare that to the 2012 presidential election night coverage on Fox, which attracted a lesser amount of 11.8 million viewers.