AFT Awards: Best Comedy Series

This is the twenty-first and final category of the 9th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2014-2015 season. Finalists and semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work done on television today. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Episodes, Hello Ladies, Orange is the New Black, Parks and Recreation, Veep

Emmy nominees: Louie, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Veep

Semi-finalists: Girls, Grace and Frankie, Happyish, House of Lies, Married, Togetherness, Weird Loners, Wilfred, You're the Worst

Finalists: Transparent launched Amazon into television territory with an affecting and enjoyable dramedy with a stellar cast. Silicon Valley got more sure of itself as a show as its characters became less confident. Shameless entered season five with the same zeal as always and some great new depraved plotlines. Episodes added new characters and drama to its already brilliant and biting formula. iZombie could have been just the latest zombie show, but it ended up being one of the most entertaining and smartest comedies in the process.

The nominees:

Babylon was an enormously clever and unmissable skewering of the police force. Jane the Virgin turned an iffy concept into a superbly creative and wonderful soap. Orange is the New Black entered its second season with the same fiery energy that made everything about season one work so well. Veep infused an already successful operation with some terrific new faces and just as much sarcasm for its latest and newest chapter.

The winner:

Parks and Recreation aired its final season, a fitting sendoff for all of its characters and a wonderful way to remember TV’s best comedy of the last decade!

Next up: That’s a wrap! The Oscar race is getting started, so stick around here for pilot reviews and head over to MoviesWithAbe.com for everything on movies!