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The best of 2015

Check out our essential guide to the best of 2015 in movies, art, theater, books, music and more

Written by
Time Out contributors
&
Joel Meares
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Every year, about this time, we here at Time Out start to get reflective. Yes, we’re excitedly looking forward to a New Year and its myriad cultural offerings (like these 25 films we can’t wait to see in 2016), but we’re also casting out mind over the year that was. A year in which Björk blew us away again. And Inside/Out reminded us that animated movies could make us bawl like a kid again. And a year in which Hamilton and other shows made the argument that this is a golden age for Broadway and American theater. Here, we present the best of 2015, from the best movies to the best songs and albums to the best TV shows and theater.

Best of 2015

The 20 best movies of 2015

The 20 best movies of 2015

From the thrilling reinvention of the action blockbuster to indie and foreign stunners, here are the best movies of 2015

The 14 best books of 2015

The 14 best books of 2015

From an episodic WWII novel to an intimate pregnancy memoir, here’s our ranking of the best books of 2015

The best songs of 2015

The best songs of 2015

We’ve narrowed down our 25 favorite songs of the year—including tunes from Joanna Newsom and Kendrick Lamar

The 17 best TV shows of 2015

The 17 best TV shows of 2015

Here’s how we ranked the best TV shows of 2015, with everything from comedies to dramas (and a whole lot of Netflix)

Preview of the best of 2016