Trump, Jenner among TV's most eye-popping
NEW YORK — It's been a year of shifting sands in late night. A year of broken trust in two vastly different TV personalities. And a year when presidential debates became must-see TV.
Here's a rundown of 10 big television happenings in 2015:
TRANSITIONING INTO NEW INSIGHT
Gender reassignment was a conspicuous theme in 2015. Amazon's award-winning scripted series “Transparent” entered its second season. In June, “Becoming Us” premiered on ABC Family as an unscripted series focusing on an Illinois teen whose father was becoming a woman.
And in July, the docuseries “I Am Cait” arrived on the E! network to chart the former Bruce Jenner's transition to Caitlyn Jenner as part of a highly orchestrated coming-out campaign.
SAY 'GOOD NIGHT'
Late-night TV's transformation began in January, when Larry Wilmore's new “Nightly Show” claimed the Comedy Central slot previously held by Stephen Colbert's “Colbert Report.”
Then in February, Jon Stewart announced he was leaving Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” and, in July, he did.
In March, James Corden took over CBS' “Late Late Show” and Trevor Noah was declared the incoming host of “The Daily Show,” debuting in September.
In May, David Letterman retired from CBS' “Late Show” and, in September, Colbert arrived as its new host.
RATINGS EMPIRE
Fox's “Empire” premiered in January and quickly became a rip-roaring success. Its audience grew every week through its May season finale, and it launched Taraji P. Henson's fearless, outrageous Cookie as the year's breakout character, complete with a real-life fashion line.
ANCHOR AWAY
Trusted NBC “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams, who reported so credibly on wars for NBC News, got caught fudging his own stories as a guest on “Late Show” and elsewhere.
His was a precipitous fall from grace as he was benched and replaced by Lester Holt.
A COKE AND A SMILEMay marked the end of “Mad Men,” a drama that made its network, AMC, golden while helping certify television as the artistic equal of film.After seven seasons it concluded in properly shrewd fashion: Don Draper (Jon Hamm), who had dropped out of the ad game in despair, was struck with his own brand of consciousness-raising while he meditated at a yoga retreat, then returned armed with a New Age epiphany for a classic Coke commercial.'19 KIDS' DOWN FOR THE COUNTTrouble hit the long-running TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting” after the oldest of the Duggar brood, 27-year-old Josh, became the subject of revelations that, as a teenager, he had fondled four of his sisters and a baby sitter.A portrait of wholesome family life, “19 Kids” had been TLC's most-watched series, averaging 3.2 million viewers, until it was pulled from the air in May, then canceled in July.HUGER THAN EVERDonald Trump has long been a familiar face on TV, especially since 2004, when he debuted as host of NBC's “The Apprentice.”That relationship abruptly ended last June, not long after Trump's incendiary remarks about Mexican immigrants made while announcing his GOP presidential candidacy.In his new role, he scored an even better TV gig. He became a sought-after guest on talk shows, newscasts and as host of “Saturday Night Live.”NO DEBATING, THEY'RE A HITPresidential debates were big draws and big business for the networks that presented them in 2015 — at least, when Donald Trump was involved.The first Republican debate was watched by 24 million viewers, the highest-rated broadcast in Fox News Channel's history, and the next three debates also set records.HORRIBLY ROUTINEFrom TV's eyes in the sky while the horror transpired to plundering the shooters' home, TV news was there in San Bernardino, Calif. It was there in Colorado Springs, Colo. And Charleston, S.C. And, of course, Paris. And so many more.The grim, graphic visuals from these repeated mass shootings began to harden into ritual for viewers and even correspondents covering them. One tragedy after another, it was raw repetition of something out of control, with no end in sight.
