With 2016 just around the corner, it’s time to remember what shows helped us to get through the last year. Which family had the most music-related dramas? Who survived the apocalypse and got all the beer to himself? And who has found out that life in New York is crazier than living in a bunker? Here’s our list of the 8 best new TV series of 2015. And considering half of them were premiered on-demand, it really makes you think that the ultimate Christmas present is a Netflix subscription.

Empire

While a lot of the serialized dramas take many episodes (or even years) before finding their groove, the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong-created hip hop hit knew exactly what it wanted to be from day one. And what it wanted to be was a crazy beyond belief and painfully addictive guilty pleasure that got us hooked with ridiculous storylines and tough-as-nails characters. In just one year and over the course of 22 episodes, the show had more action than Dynasty had over all of its seasons: murder, backstabbing, seduction, arrests, kidnapping, lots of sex and catchy tunes (nice to see Timbaland back in the game). And don’t even get us started on all the guest stars – from Naomi Campell to purple-haired Alicia Keys – Empire had more cameos than Cookie’s one-liners and bold fashion choices.

Ash VS Evil Dead

The patience of Evil Dead’s fans is beyond respectful: They had to wait a whole 23 years to see their beloved chainsaw-wielding jokes-cracking hero Ash slashing the nasty creatures once again. And they finally got what they’ve been begging for—and then some—in the form of a TV series produced by the one and only Sam Raimi. Considering the original Evil Dead team all returned, the bloody good times were pretty much a given and the show didn’t disappoint. On the contrary, it proved that the ‘80s camp can survive on the modern TV. Even if it means a lot of the show’s characters won’t.

Jessica Jones

Sorry, Supergirl, but you’re hardly our favorite superhero female role model anymore. Could you ever imagine that Krysten Ritter, known mostly for her comedic roles, would become the ultimate badass hero of the year? The show not only redefined what a superhero series should look like in 2015 (“gritty” is the word), but it also stayed as far from the superhero clichés as possible. Yes, there are some obligatory The Avengers references and enough fight sequences, but Jessica Jones is much more invested in building a believable narration while exploring Jessica’s PTSD caused by the killer relationships she had with the series’ charismatic antagonist Kilgrave. But what we loved the most about the show is that among all of that bleakness there was still time for witty remarks, the best one being Jessica’s “Had Murdercorpse already been taken?” about Kilgrave’s villain name.

Mr. Robot

Much like Jessica Jones, Mr.Robot’s protagonist—a gifted security engineer Elliot Alderson—has a hard time connecting with the world (at least emotionally, as when it comes to any digital connection, he’s a genius in disguise). Naturally Elliot’s computer skills bring him all kinds of trouble, especially when he teams up with a mysterious company called Mr. Robot to take down the largest and meanest corporation in the world. Rami Malek is truly remarkable as the depressed yet inventive keyboard warrior and the cinematography is glorious. Who would’ve thought all these codes and wires could look so sleek?

Narcos

We hate to be so literal here, but this show about the drug trafficking turned out to be extremely addictive. Based on true events, the series serves as a sumptuous and bloody history lesson. While everyone in the cast get their moment of glory, it’s Wagner Moura’s electric portrayal of Pablo Escabar that turned the show into such an event. His take on the infamous Colombian drug lord is nuanced, complex and multicolored: just like the show in general. As proven by Narcos, when it comes to war, there are no good and bad guys—instead there are the smart ones and the dead ones.

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp

Netflix is known for making our wildest dreams come true as proven by the surprise extra season of Arrested Development. So when the bosses of the on-demand company announced their plan to shoot a prequel-series to a cult 2001 comedy, we were rightfully excited. A lot has changed over these 14 years and at least half of the original cast became superstars. So to see them reprising their uber-hilarious roles and head back to Camp Firewood was truly remarkable.

Last Man On Earth

Sure, Will Smith made a lot of sense as the lone survivor of a deadly virus in I Am Legend, but let’s be real: Will Forte is a way funnier option. Watching his character Phil trying to make a living in a dead world is anything but boring: Wouldn’t you want to have your own Margarita pool?! And like any great post-apocalyptic tale, Last Man On Earth raises a lot of ethical questions: Do you still need to park properly if no one’s watching? Can you use a pool as a toilet? How do you break-up with a mannequin you’ve been seeing over the last year? We wouldn’t mind becoming the last people on Earth if it meant we could binge-watch this riot of a series!

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Just like Last Man On Earth’s Phil, Kimmy Schmidt was convinced the world had ended and spent 15 years of her life in a bunker. But after being rescued and dropped off in New York, she has to figure out, well, everything. This Tina Fey-created series bares all of the Fey’s trademarks: from bright colors to drop-dead funny situations and amusingly disturbing characters. Can we just thank her for coming up with this delightful gem by saying ‘Beyoncé!’—like Kimmy did when she tried to pass as a foreigner.