One of the joys of every new television season is watching which talented actors rise out of obscurity to become stars and force us to take notice.
The cards are usually stacked against unknown and new actors and actresses, just like the shows they're in. The industry doesn't have the patience it once did for untested programming to build an audience. And today, new faces have it even tougher as established movie stars have navigated their way to the top roles in TV, from Jennifer Lopez to Vince Vaughn.
But there's always a select number of talents who break away from the pack. We've chosen a handful of stars who have done just that. They were able to transcend the pressure like new "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah, or brought something unexpected out of a well-known role like Melissa Benoist on "Supergirl."
Here are 13 of TV's fastest-rising stars of 2015:
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Melissa Benoist, "Supergirl" (CBS)
Who knew that the girl cast as a mini-Lea Michele on "Glee" in its declining seasons would come to play the most coveted role among Hollywood's young actresses this year? Landing the role of CBS's Supergirl catapulted Melissa Benoist into instant recognition. It would mean intense scrutiny from both comic-book fans and fans of the cult 1984 movie. Despite the pressure, she has won over fans with her fresh-faced take on the hero.
Daniel Wu, "Into the Badlands" (AMC)
Daniel Wu wasn't even supposed to be the star of AMC's "Into the Badlands." He came on as an executive producer to bring martial-arts cred to the show. But after auditioning many young actors for the role, his fellow executive producers convinced him to step in. Wu, who had appeared in more than 65 films in Asia, had retired from martial-arts films six years ago after tearing his ACL and breaking an ankle. It took him about seven months to get back into shape for the role. Now it's hard to imagine anyone else as Sunny. Currently, he's the only Asian actor to lead a drama on US television. American viewers became acquainted with him in huge numbers when "Into the Badlands" kicked off with the biggest series debut of the fall season.
Amy Schumer, "Insider Amy Schumer" (Comedy Central)
This is definitely the year of Amy Schumer. Her Comedy Central series won two Emmys, including Best Variety Sketch Series. That's quite a jump for a show that was already in its third season. Schumer is being compared to Melissa McCarthy, who won an Emmy for "Mike & Molly" in 2011, the same year she broke out in the film "Bridesmaids." Schumer similarly garnered widespread attention for her movie, "Trainwreck," this year.
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