The 10 Best TV Shows of 2025

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As another year wraps up, it’s time to reflect on everything that happened – the good, the bad, and everything in between. We’ll be sharing our opinions in end-of-year lists, covering the best, the worst, and everything in between, with plenty of details and explanations.

Let’s talk about TV. With so little free time, nobody wants to waste it on a bad show, so we’ve put together a list of the best shows from this year that are actually worth watching. Now’s the perfect time to binge-watch them during your break before the new year starts – you’ll be glad you did!

Looking for something to watch with the family during the holidays? Or maybe you just want to see if you agree with our picks? Either way, we’ve compiled a list of the ten best TV shows of the year. We were thrilled to see some familiar favorites return, but even more excited by all the great new shows that came out over the past year. From a popular new medical drama and funny takes on conspiracy theories, to prequels of classic movies and unexpected streaming hits, television really delivered this year (though one show featured a particularly menacing sheep!). Here’s what we loved most:

The 10 Best TV Shows of 2025

1. The Pitt

A lot can happen in a hospital in just a few hours, and the new medical drama The Pitt aims to show it all. The show stars Noah Wyle, known from ER, as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, a seasoned doctor at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Each episode follows a real-time hour of his day – from the 7 AM start of the shift to the 9 PM finale – as he and his team deal with a constant stream of serious injuries and illnesses. Patients come in with everything imaginable – from severe foot injuries and nail gun wounds to more unusual cases like testicular torsion and mercury poisoning. Despite their own personal issues, Dr. Robby and his team focus on saving lives.

2. Severance Season 2

As a huge fan, let me tell you, the second season of Severance was absolutely captivating! Now that everyone seems to be watching, it’s amazing to see the show get the attention it deserves. The first season left us with so many unanswered questions, and the new season didn’t shy away from adding even more to the mix. Each answer just opened up ten new mysteries, especially surrounding Lumon and what they’re really up to. Beyond the plot, the characters really grew, and they threw in some major twists – I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say things got really complicated with Helly and Mark! The season finale was a total cliffhanger, promising even bigger surprises, and honestly, I’m already impatiently waiting for season three!

3. Common Side Effects

I was totally captivated by all the conspiracy-themed shows this year, and if you’re like me and love a bit of X-Files mystery, you absolutely have to check out the animated series Common Side Effects. It’s from one of the creators of Scavengers Reign, which is already fantastic, and this show is just as good! It follows two old high school friends who reconnect after discovering a magical blue mushroom that can heal anything. Of course, a pharmaceutical company wants to get their hands on it, so the friends end up on the run. The animation is so charming and detailed, and the characters are wonderfully unique and colorful. Honestly, I’m already hoping this show gets renewed for many, many seasons – as long as they keep finding those life-saving mushrooms!

4. Adolescence

Netflix’s acclaimed series, Adolescence, is a unique and critical look at modern teen life online. The show centers around 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is accused of murder after a classmate—someone he admits bullied him online—is found dead. Each of the three episodes unfolds in a single, unbroken shot, following Jamie’s arrest, police interviews with those at his school, and the reactions of his family. Adolescence honestly portrays the gap between generations, highlighting how parents and teachers struggle to understand the world of cyberbullying and complex social issues that today’s digitally-native teens face.

5. Andor Season 2

After a string of underwhelming Star Wars shows on Disney+, Andor, a prequel to Rogue One, felt like a breath of fresh air. The series presented a grittier, more realistic take on the universe, moving away from Jedi and fantastical aliens. By focusing on the beginnings of the Rebellion, Andor explored the true meaning of revolution – how much hardship people will endure before fighting back, and the sacrifices it demands. Its strength lay in its relative independence from the broader Star Wars saga, only loosely connected by a single film. Thankfully, the show concluded after just two seasons, providing a satisfying ending, even though many viewers would have welcomed the planned five-season arc.

6. Dept. Q

When the Scottish government asked the police to focus on older, unsolved crimes to improve public trust, they assigned Detective Carl Morck, known for being a bit of an outsider, to the task. He was given a remote basement office and expected to handle the cold cases alone. However, Morck assembled an unlikely team and began investigating the disappearance of a local prosecutor, a case that quickly became far more complex than anyone imagined. This marks the beginning of Dept. Q, a gripping and instantly captivating police thriller series by Scott Frank, the acclaimed creator of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit. Featuring a fantastic cast and a compelling story, it’s a series you won’t want to stop watching, and the ending will leave you eager for more.

7. Alien: Earth

Honestly, after all the Alien prequels and sequels that had mixed results, I was pretty skeptical about a new TV series. But Noah Hawley, the guy behind Fargo, totally delivered! He and the cast of Alien: Earth created a story that genuinely surprised me. Instead of retreading familiar ground, they focused on these incredibly advanced, almost childlike androids experiencing alien life for the very first time. It’s a really bold and exciting show, and definitely doesn’t shy away from the gross-out factor – that tentacle eyeball creature, in particular, quickly became a fan favorite. It’s not what I expected, and I mean that in the best way possible.

8. The Chair Company

One of the year’s best comedic thrillers, The Chair Company, features comedian Tim Robinson as a project manager who becomes fixated on a chair manufacturer. He’s convinced the company is hiding a much larger, darker scheme behind their seemingly faulty office chairs. The show relies on the humor that makes Robinson’s comedy so funny: the ridiculousness of office life, people overreacting to small things, and awkward men struggling with their egos and social standing.

9. IT: Welcome to Derry

Beyond conspiracy theories, 2025 saw a surge in prequel series, with many popular movie franchises expanding their stories on television. A standout among these was IT: Welcome to Derry, HBO’s prequel to the IT movies. This series explores Pennywise’s earlier encounters with the people of Derry, Maine. Welcome to Derry cleverly returns the story to the 1960s, the original time period of Stephen King’s novel (the movies had shifted the setting to the 1980s for nostalgic appeal). The series is arguably even scarier than the films, delivering genuinely terrifying moments and delving into the origins of Pennywise – and how it all fits within the larger Stephen King universe.

10. Pluribus

Vince Gilligan, the creator of popular sci-fi shows, returned this year with Pluribus, a unique take on the alien invasion story. The show centers around Carol Sturka, a romance novelist who becomes one of the last people with an individual consciousness after a strange substance merges most of humanity into a single hive mind. Carol races to find a way to reverse the process and save herself, but also feels a pull towards the hive, yearning for connection despite her fear of its unknown intentions. Beneath its high-concept premise, Pluribus explores relatable themes of loneliness, depression, the search for love, and the pain of feeling isolated.

The Best Movies of 2025

20. Caught Stealing

Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing was a delightful surprise among the year’s films. Released late in August – a typical dumping ground for bad movies – it’s a really entertaining and gritty thriller with a fantastic, old-school New York City atmosphere. The story feels similar to After Hours, and it’s full of unexpected turns. What stood out most was the nostalgia – seeing Shea Stadium, the old Kim’s Video, or even just remembering a time when Hollywood made smaller, adult-focused dramas like this one.

19. Eephus

The title Eephus perfectly captures the feel of this gentle, seemingly straightforward film. Much like the slow, unexpected eephus pitch in baseball, the movie subtly draws you in and takes you in surprising directions. (In fact, other names for that pitch – like blooper ball or gravity curve – would also fit the film well.)

Eephus centers on the last game played by two small-town amateur baseball teams before their field is demolished. Over the course of nine innings, co-writer and director Carson Lund delves into the connections between teammates and opponents, using this ultimately unimportant game to examine why baseball traditions and rituals hold such significance for so many people.

18. It Was Just an Accident

Wow, after seeing this and Bugonia, I’m starting to notice a pattern – movies about really messed-up guys who kidnap someone they think deserves it for some terrible wrong, even though the person always claims they’re innocent. One more film like this and it’s officially a trend!

So, It Was Just an Accident is director Jafar Panahi’s take on this, and it’s intense. It follows a former Iranian prisoner, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who runs into a man he believes tortured him while he was unjustly imprisoned. He never actually saw his torturer, but he’s convinced it’s him based on his voice and the sound of his prosthetic leg. He then gets other victims of torture to help him confirm his suspicions and figure out what to do with the guy. It’s a really sad, but surprisingly funny film, and it hits extra hard knowing Panahi himself has been imprisoned multiple times. In fact, he recently got another one-year sentence for making this very movie! It’s pretty powerful stuff.

17. Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his darkly funny and unsettling films, and his latest, Bugonia, continues that tradition. It’s a twisted update of a 2003 South Korean movie, reflecting our current obsession with conspiracy theories. Jesse Plemons plays a reclusive, paranoid man who kidnaps Emma Stone, a powerful pharmaceutical CEO, demanding she admit to a plot to destroy the world. Stone is understandably bewildered and angry. The situation is both hilarious and genuinely frightening, perfectly capturing the anxious feeling of life today. This is their fourth collaboration, and Stone delivers another fearless performance.

16. The Perfect Neighbor

This shocking Netflix documentary uses police bodycam footage to detail the events leading up to and following a terrible act of violence. It follows the escalating conflict between a Florida woman and her neighbors, which ultimately resulted in a death. The Perfect Neighbor not only shows the heartbreaking events as they unfolded, but also raises questions about whether the legal system sometimes protects those who are guilty instead of the victims. Though it’s a true crime documentary, it’s as terrifying as any horror movie released this year.

15. Reflection in a Dead Diamond

As a huge fan of classic spy and Italian giallo films, I was completely blown away by this movie! Seriously, it’s a visual feast – every shot is packed with movement, color, and a wonderfully over-the-top retro style. Directors Forzani and Cattet have crammed enough striking imagery into this one film to fill twenty! It follows an aging secret agent, played by Fabio Testi, as he starts to lose his grip on reality. And get this – one of his enemies can hypnotize people into thinking they’re inside a movie! But honestly, the film itself is so lovingly made and drenched in passion for those old exploitation flicks, it puts you under a spell. I didn’t want it to end – it’s a truly immersive and captivating experience.

14. Mickey 17

Bong Joon-ho loves to subvert expectations, especially when it comes to popular actors known for heroic roles. After portraying Captain America in a shocking way, he’s now turned to Robert Pattinson, best known as Batman, in his new film, Mickey 17.

The film centers around Mickey, a character with multiple versions of himself. He works as a disposable operative, taking on dangerous missions vital for space colonization. Whenever Mickey dies, a new body is created, and he’s essentially ‘reprinted.’ By the time the story begins, he’s on his 17th iteration, but a mishap leads to an 18th version existing simultaneously.

While Mickey 17 might not be as consistently strong as Bong’s acclaimed Parasite, that inconsistency could be intentional. A movie featuring 18 almost identical characters, each with slight personality differences, might naturally have a shifting mood and tone.

13. Friendship

The play Friendship was a remarkably engaging theatrical experience in 2025, eliciting audible reactions – sighs, gasps, and even exclamations of disbelief – from the audience throughout the comedy. These reactions were earned, as the story centers on Tim Robinson’s increasingly awkward and humiliating experience after a new friendship with a charismatic neighbor (Paul Rudd) falls apart during a disastrous get-together. Robinson perfectly portrays cluelessness, while Rudd is even funnier as the effortlessly cool friend. Written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, the play cleverly and relentlessly explores male insecurities, potentially causing some viewers to physically cringe with discomfort.

12. Black Bag

Okay, so I just finished watching Black Bag, and wow, it really took me by surprise. It’s basically a super steamy, twisty spy thriller in the vein of Agatha Christie, and honestly, I was here for it. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett play a married couple who happen to be spies, but their perfect life gets turned upside down when Fassbender is asked to investigate his own wife, suspecting she might be a double agent. The cast is incredible – you’ve got Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, and even Pierce Brosnan popping up! But what really grabbed me was how unpredictable it was. Seriously, every scene felt like anything could happen, and that’s something you don’t see often – it made for a really fun watch.

11. Superman

Many serious comic book fans would never compare a DC movie to Richard Donner’s Superman. However, James Gunn’s Superman boasts a superior Lex Luthor – brilliantly played by Nicholas Hoult as someone incredibly self-centered and easily offended – and a fantastic supporting cast. Standouts include Edi Gathegi as the aptly named Mr. Terrific and Krypto, Superman’s mischievous and scene-stealing super-dog.

This new film also features a wonderfully relatable and charming Superman, portrayed by David Corenswet, making him easy to root for. It’s an enjoyable, thrilling, and romantic movie that even manages to include some thoughtful social commentary. Importantly, it raises the bar for future DC films, which is exciting as it’s intended to be the first in a series of new superhero movies.

10. Train Dreams

Each year, there should be an award for the best Netflix film that truly deserves to be seen outside of Netflix – something too special for quick, casual viewing. The first winner is Train Dreams. (Yes, I watched it on Netflix!)

This is a patient, beautiful, and deeply sad film. It follows Robert Grainier (played with quiet power by Joel Edgerton), a solitary logger, over several decades. Director Clint Bentley uses Grainier’s life to show how the Pacific Northwest changed over time, as he travels, works, meets people, and starts a family with a woman named Gladys (Felicity Jones). Train Dreams isn’t a movie to casually watch while distracted. You need to dim the lights, put your phone away, and truly immerse yourself in another era.

9. Predator: Badlands

The latest Predator film feels like a spiritual successor to Terminator 2 – though perhaps not quite as grand in scale. This time, instead of a terrifying, relentless hunter, the Predator is presented as a surprisingly relatable character. A young, outcast Predator is banished to a dangerous planet and forced to prove himself by defeating an incredibly powerful creature – one that shares some similarities with the T-1000 from Terminator 2.

Along the way, he teams up with several amusing companions, including Elle Fanning as an optimistic android. Despite these lighter moments, the film still delivers the intense action and thrills fans expect from a Predator movie. This is director Dan Trachtenberg’s strongest Predator film yet, boasting impressive visuals, exciting action sequences, cool gadgets, and a thoughtful story about family and honor.

8. Weapons

If Zach Cregger asks you to come down to his basement, seriously, just leave! He clearly loves creating unsettling, dungeon-like environments, and his new movie, Weapons, is no exception. Beneath the quiet surface of a Pennsylvania town lies a truly creepy space, and that’s where the story begins. Seventeen children vanish from one school class, kicking off a complex mystery involving the teacher (Julia Garner), a father of one of the missing kids (Josh Brolin), a troubled police officer (Alden Ehrenreich), and others. Weapons jumps between different characters’ perspectives, creating a tone that’s both deeply disturbing and surprisingly funny – like a darkly comedic Pulp Fiction you didn’t know you were waiting for.

7. Avatar: Fire and Ash

I think Avatar: Fire and Ash is the best of the three Avatar movies so far. The visuals continue to get better with each film, and after over 15 years, the technology really shines. But beyond that, Fire and Ash finally delivers on storylines that have been building for almost two decades, and the characters’ experiences feel genuinely weighty. Honestly, though, as a dad, I’m probably just extra sensitive to any movie about fathers trying to protect their kids in a difficult world. Either way, I’m excited for Avatar 4 and can’t wait to see what happens next.

6. The Naked Gun

Okay, seriously, I needed this movie! The new Naked Gun from 2025 is just 85 minutes of pure, non-stop laughter. It’s got everything – crazy visual gags, silly puns, the kind of ridiculous humor you love, and even some clever pop-culture jokes. Honestly, it’s one of the best updates to an old franchise I’ve seen in years. Liam Neeson steps into the shoes of Frank Drebin Jr., Leslie Nielsen’s son, and he’s just as hilariously clumsy! He plays a tough detective trying to crack a case involving a really over-the-top villain (Danny Huston is fantastic). And the internal monologue? Forget about it – constantly cracking jokes, especially about his love interest, Pamela Anderson. He even quips about her having a figure that would make a toilet jealous! It’s so good to see that spoof comedies – and comedies you actually see in theaters – still have a place in the world. This movie totally delivered!

5. Predators

I’ve noticed a trend lately – so many documentaries popping up that dissect popular culture from the last few decades. They take something everyone remembers, try to figure out why it was popular, and what it meant for us at the time. Just recently, I’ve seen docs about Pee-wee Herman, Jerry Springer, even MoviePass! They’re usually pretty good, but this new one, Predators, really stands out.

What makes it different isn’t just the subject matter, but how director David Osit approaches it. He has a personal connection to Dateline NBC‘s ‘To Catch a Predator,’ and he doesn’t just look at the show as a cultural phenomenon, but a really complicated one. It felt like it was doing good, protecting kids, but turning that into entertainment… well, Osit explores how that changed things for everyone involved.

Instead of a broad overview, he focuses on the details – the people who were decoys, experts who studied the show, even those who are recreating it online today. You mostly hear his voice asking questions, and it’s so different from Chris Hansen’s style. Hansen was confrontational, but Osit is quiet, thoughtful, and genuinely seems burdened by the weight of the subject. You can hear the empathy in his voice, and he admits he watched the show himself when it first aired. It made me think of Roger Ebert’s quote about movies building empathy – and honestly, we could really use more of that right now, which is why I think Predators is so important.

4. Marty Supreme

If you found the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems a bit relaxed, Marty Supreme is the movie for you. This film tells the story of Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a talented but reckless table tennis player and hustler who believes he’s destined for greatness. Unfortunately, his arrogance constantly lands him in trouble, creating a relentlessly fast-paced story where he’s always trying to escape the consequences of his actions. It’s a darkly funny and incredibly tense film, featuring a fantastic cast including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank). Marty Supreme is so captivating and well-made that you’ll find yourself hoping it becomes a huge box office hit.

3. No Other Choice

Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice is immediately enjoyable – it’s both hilarious and gripping. It feels like a film Alfred Hitchcock would have loved, perhaps even more than Star Trek: Section 31. But the movie offers much more than just surface-level entertainment. It’s filled with clever visual jokes and repeating themes, particularly images of plants and trees, which all tie back to the story of a dedicated paper mill worker (played intensely by Lee Byung-hun) who loses his job and struggles to find new work. While the story is based on a Donald Westlake novel, the choice of the paper industry feels especially relevant today. In an era where technology threatens so many jobs, a paper mill worker perfectly embodies the struggle to survive as older ways of life disappear.

2. Sinners

Wow, I think Sinners is absolutely the best vampire movie of 2025, but it’s so much more than that! It really made me think about America, music, and how we often borrow from other cultures – and the stories we create around artists and where their inspiration comes from. Honestly, it’s a thrilling, sensual, and surprisingly funny film. It’s a really ambitious movie, and I think Ryan Coogler has knocked it out of the park!

1. One Battle After Another

With its hefty $150 million budget, One Battle After Another stands out in today’s Hollywood, where films are often based on existing properties. Director Paul Thomas Anderson has created a visually striking and politically charged epic that defies easy categorization. It’s a unique blend of thriller, comedy, and social commentary, all woven into a deeply emotional story about a father trying to shield his daughter from his own history and a chaotic world. The result is a funny, gorgeous, unsettling, and thrilling film – a true PTA masterpiece.

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2025-12-29 18:03