The 20 Best Television Series of 2025
2025 was another great year for television. We’ve had a ton of new series and returning favorites over the last twelve months, including a masterpiece from Stephen Graham, the sensational conclusion to a Star Wars series, and follow-up seasons to perennially great shows. We could barely keep up with everything, from event series to revivals, comedies, dramas, and genre offerings. With hundreds of shows to choose from and thousands of hours of programming, here is our list of the best television series of 2025.
Honorable Mentions
MobLand, Black Rabbit, Landman, Murderbot, Chad Powers, The Beast in Me, Poker Face, The Righteous Gemstones, Stick, Bad Thoughts, The Bear, Hal & Harper, Death by Lightning
There have been many good shows this year, but not enough to make it into our top twenty. Of all the shows reviewed in 2025, the above series is worth checking out if you have already plowed through the top series listed below. From returning series to limited-run events and unique genre offerings, there are many quality shows that we just couldn’t fit into our top list. Check out reviews for each series by clicking the title above.
20. Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
Based on a true story, this limited series follows Michelle Williams as Molly Kochan who learns she is dying with mere months to live. Molly leaves her husband and embarks on exploring her sexuality while she still can. A hilarious look at mortality and sexual identity, this series is also about the close friendship between Molly and her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate), on whose podcast this series is based. A beautiful series with amazing performances from Williams and Slate as well as supporting players Rob Delaney, Jay Duplass, and Sissy Spacek amongst others. Definitely an emotional ride but one full of hope and humor.
Read our review here.
19. American Primeval (Netflix)
From creator Mark L. Smith (Untamed, Twisters) and director Peter Berg, this western started 2025 with a bang. Chronicling the clash between the Mormons settling Utah in 1857 with the indigineous people living there, this is a brutal and powerful series about a forgotten chapter of American history. Led by Taylor Kitsch, Dane DeHaan, and Betty Gilpin, this is a stunning western unlike any others on the small screen and the perfect streaming binge for those who love their history with a heaping dose of violence and drama.
Read our review here.
18. The Studio (AppleTV)
A hilariously cringy comedy about the inner workings of a Hollywood movie studio, this series from creators Seth Rogeen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez is a hilarious satire in the same vein as This is the End blended with The Player. Full of celebrity cameos and brilliant writing, the cast is top notch including great performances ffrom Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, and Bryan Cranston. I laughed hard through the entire first season and cannot figure out how Rogen manages to be great in this and his other AppleTV series, Platonic, but he proves once again to be one of the hardest working people in Hollywood.
Read our review here.
17. The White Lotus (HBO)
Mike White somehow keeps improving on his original concept that was designed as a limited series. Shifting to Thailand, the third season connects to the first two entries in interesting ways while creating fascinating parallel storylines for the ensemble cast. With fantastic performances from Jason Isaacs, Carrie Coon, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, this series is showcase for the always fantastic Walton Goggins while featuring Sam Rockwell delivering one of the greatest monologues in recent memory. Bring on the fourth season so we can see if there is any way it can improve on this great third run.
Read our review here.
16. Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)
After seven years, the end of Netflix’s street level heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe join the main timeline with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprising their fan favorite roles in a partial reboot/continuation of the Daredevil storyline. Setting up a showdown in the second season, the first season combined references to other elements of the MCU while keeping the focus on the Man Without Fear and his nemesis who is now Mayor of New York City. A perfectly timed entry for our politically contentious times, this is a brilliant and brutal evolution for Marvel Studios that made fans very happy.
Read our review here.
15. Paradise (Hulu)
If you passed judgment on the new series from Dan Fogelman, the creator of This Is Us, and the star of that series, Sterling K. Brown, you missed out on one of the biggest plot twists of all time. What starts as a political thriller turns into a dystopian drama about survival. Taking the form of a murder mystery, Brown and co-stars Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden delivered one of the biggest surprises of the year and one of the most intriguing new series in a long time. With season two already set to premiere in a few months, catch up on this one if you haven’t seen it already.
Read our review here.
14. Fallout (Prime Video)
The first season of Fallout debuted and put it in the running as one of the best video game adaptations of all time. Continuing the story of Vault dweller Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), Brotherhood of Steel knight Maximus (Aaron Moten), and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), the second season adds even more settings and characters from the video game franchise while expanding this entirely original foray into the world of a post-nuclear world. With new cast member Justin Theroux joining as Robert House, the new season is every bit worth the wait and a great way to end this solid year of small-screen goodness.
Read our season two review here.
13. Chief of War (AppleTV)
Jason Momoa’s passion project, which explores the unification of the Hawaiian islands into a single kingdom, is a massive achievement. Co-created by Momoa with Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, the actor stars, produces, and co-wrote each episode, as well as helms the epic finale. With a solid ensemble that performs the series entirely in the nearly extinct Hawaiian language, this series is action-packed and emotionally resonant, providing insight into a history that many of us have never learned about. The first season in an ongoing series, this is a story that could not have been done as a feature film and works thanks to the long format of the small screen and the deep pockets of Apple Studios.
Read our review here.
12. Alien: Earth (FX on Hulu)
After the box office success of Alien: Romulus, Fargo creator Noah Hawley has taken the iconic xenomorph franchise into a new direction by bringing the deadly aliens to Earth. Led by Sydney Chandler, a human/android hybrid who leads a Peter Pan-inspired team, Hawley’s series combines canon from the film series and brings it into a new setting that expands the types of creatures Weyland-Yutani has pursued, while also providing character-based drama that has worked well in the showrunner’s acclaimed projects. This series has been divisive for fans of the movies, but those who appreciate great storytelling have found a lot to dig into in this series.
Read our review here.
11. Dope Thief (AppleTV)
Peter Craig’s adaptation of the novel of the same name, Dope Thief, rests on the sensational performances from Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura as childhood best friends who pose as DEA agents to rob drug houses. When they cross the wrong gang, the pair becomes the target of criminals, as well as the veteran agent (Marin Ireland) caught in the crossfire. Nesta Cooper and Kate Mulgrew are excellent in supporting roles, but this is another showcase for Henry and Moura who have proven time and again to be two of the best actors working today.
Read our review here.
10. It: Welcome To Derry (HBO)
Jason Fuchs teamed with Andy and Barbara Muschietti to expand the backstory of Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgaard) hinted at in Stephen King’s original novel. Taking the story back twenty-seven years before the events of the feature films, this series forges connections to King’s multiverse, including The Dark Tower and The Shining, while carefully building more about the origin of Pennywise. With King’s seal of approval, this series may be the single best expansion of the horror author’s works, earning a spot alongside Muschietti’s movies. With the season finale hinting at more chapters to come, this could be the start of the scariest television series ever.
Read our review here.
9. The Chair Company (HBO)
Tim Robinson’s unique brand of comedy has already resulted in one of the best movies of the year (Friendship). This series, which has already been greenlit for a second season, expands on similar themes to Robinson and co-creator Zach Kanin’s film work by blending cringe humor with a surreal mystery. This is an incredibly engaging story that should have been too stupid to become an HBO project. Thankfully, HBO has taken a chance and allowed the world to experience Tim Robinson at his weirdest. Now, we need to determine the extent of the conspiracy behind how Robinson consistently attracts so much talent to appear in his projects.
Read our review here.
8. The Last of Us (HBO)
The first season of the video game adaptation was heralded as one of the best adaptations of all time. The second season continues that hype by taking on the first half of the sequel to the titular game. Once again, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are perfectly cast as Joel and Ellie. Joel’s fate caught those not familiar with the game off guard, but it still managed to capture the raw emotion of the scene and set up the eventual clash between Ellie and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) that will happen in the third season. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann remain faithful to the games while still expanding elements of the story to keep the series fresh, making this one of the best sophomore seasons ever.
Read our season two review here.
7. The Lowdown (FX)
It is rare for an actor to deliver one of the best performances of the year on television and the big screen, but Ethan Hawke has done it this year. Created by Reservation Dogs’ Sterlin Harjo, Hawke leads the series as Lee Raybon, a writer and journalist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who gets embroiled in a murder conspiracy involving local criminals, white supremacists, and politicians that could make his career. Well, that is if he survives. With Kyle MacLachlan, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jeanne Tripplehorn in the cast, Hawke gets to emulate The Big Lebowski but with his own signature style. This is a fun series that is one of the most entertaining performances that the actor has put on screen, and paired with his Blue Moon performance, shows that he is still one of the singular acting talents of our time.
Read our review here.
6. Task (HBO)
Brad Ingelsby ranked on this list back in 2021 with Mare of Easttown. The showrunner and writer returns to the unique outskirts of Philadelphia with this crime saga following Catholic priest turned FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) and his titular task force as they investigate a string of robberies led by Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) that ignites a war with a crime ring in their town. There are echoes of Michael Mann’s Heat combined with the small-town charm of Inglesby’s previous HBO series that result in stellar performances from Ruffalo and Pelphrey, as well as supporting turns from Emilia Jones and Martha Plimpton. Presented as a limited series, Task has been renewed for a second season that will surely make its way onto this list again next year.
Read our review here.
5. The Pitt (HBO Max)
Despite legal proceedings from the estate of Michael Crichton citing similarities between this show and the long-running NBC medical drama ER, The Pitt is already returning in just a few weeks for its sophomore season. Set in real-time with each episode chronicling an hour in a shift at a Pittsburgh emergency room, the series stars Noah Wyle playing a doctor suffering from PTSD due to the COVID-10 pandemic. ER defined the medical drama and The Pitt plays in that same sandbox, but without any of the network limits that prevent some of the intense visuals seen in this series. A great binge watch with great acting and propulsive momentum that does not let up for the entire season.
Read our review here.
4. Pluribus (AppleTV)
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has reunited with his Better Call Saul star, Rhea Seehorn, for this wholly original take on the end of the world. Seehorn plays romance novelist Carol Sturka, who is one of only a handful of people left after an alien pathogen turns the world into a collective consciousness. Full of pitch black comedy, prescient social insight, and another awards-worthy performance from Seehorn, Pluribus is the most original new series to debut this year and will hopefully keep airing for several seasons to come.
Read our review here.
3. Andor (Disney+)
The first season of Andor was unlike any Star Wars project, as it chronicled the Empire and Rebellion in their infancy, with the ground-level denizens of the galaxy far, far away vying for control and freedom. Diego Luna reprised his role as Cassian Andor in these four mini-movies. Each set of three episodes follows a consecutive year leading up to the events of Rogue One, as Cassian becomes increasingly vital to the Rebellion. Boasting no Jedi or Sith but keeping Mon Mothma and other season one characters in the mix, this series not only eclipses the quality of the first season but may be the best Star Wars entry since George Lucas’ original movies.
Read our review here.
2. Severance (AppleTV)
There was almost a three-year gap between seasons of this series. Still, it was worth the wait. Ben Stiller returned to direct, with showrunner Dan Erickson deepening the story of the Innies working at Lumon and trying to uncover the mysteries of the Eagan family and their intentions. John Turturro, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, and Adam Scott return as our favorite Innies, along with Trammel Tillman, Patricia Arquette, and Christopher Walken, along with several new additions. The cliffhanger ending had us all with our jaws dropped as we hope the third season won’t require years to return to the airwaves.
Read our review here.
1. Adolescence (Netflix)
There is nothing on television or the big screen that can compare with the artistry, acting, and writing of Adolescence. Created by star Stephen Graham along with writer Jack Thorne, this four-episode series is presented as slices in the investigation involving a teenage boy and a brutal murder influenced by the toxic online world of the manosphere. Showing the chaos in the lives of the perpetrator, the victim, the famiilies, and those involved in the investigation, each chapter is presented as an uninterupted long take that builds the tension and anxiety of every traumatic part of this, sadly, realistic take on what happens in the real world far too often. You will not walk away from this series without being deeply affected. An absolute masterpiece.
Read our review here.
What were your favorite shows of 2025? Let us know your ranking in the comments below.
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