My Year in Television (2025)

Welcome to my eleventh annual television shows of the year list! I didn't get to watch as many series this year in part because I spent time catching up on shows (The White Lotus, Castlevania, Andor). Fortunately I still managed to watch a decent amount of exciting new series and I continued to watch some of my ongoing favorites. Below you will find my top 20 seasons of TV that I watched that came out in 2025, along with honorable mentions and my watch-list of series I have yet to see but that have me most assuredly intrigued.

20) You Season 5 (Neflix) - Newcomer to the cast Madeline Brewer (Handmaid's Tale) adds a spark of excitement to the final season. Her characters' outsider status provides a necessary perspective shift. Lead character Joe Goldberg has evaded retribution despite numerous heinous crimes. Will Joe escape culpability again, or will he finally face justice?

19) Cobra Kai Season 6 (Netflix) - Despite the formula becoming predictable and a bit stale, it's still fun to see the conclusion to the karate madness. The writers try to wrap up every single character arc, with intermittent success.

18) Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 (Netflix) - I caught up on all six season of this anime vampire series this year, with Nocturne season 2 being the sixth installment. While Nocturne doesn't reach the heights of the first few seasons of the show, it still manages to look gorgeous, provide moments of magic, and lure you into the world building and atmosphere.

17) Only Murders in the Building Season 5 (HULU) - It's impressive that it wasn't until this season that I felt the show struggling to keep the gimmick going. There's only so many murder mysteries that you can concoct that occur in the same building and are investigated by the same characters. Don't get me wrong, the show is still funny and charming, but new guest stars can only do so much for a plot that at this point, has two hands tied behind its back.

16) Black Mirror Season 7 (Netflix) - Like most recent seasons of Black Mirror, there are some episodes that flounder and others that flourish. Episode 5, titled Eulogy, starring Paul Giamatti, is arguably the best hour of television in the entire series. The long awaited sequel to episode 1 of season 4, USS Callister, is also well worth a watch.

15) Welcome to Wrexham Season 4 (FX/HULU) - Given the show is immaculately produced and how much it emphasizes the humanism of the Wrexham community, you don't need the events on the field to be dramatic for the program to be engaging. But fortunately, the real world futbol drama in the newest season is riveting.

14) Smiling Friends Season 3 (Adult Swim) - This eleven minute, adult animation is one of the most unique shows on television. With its lugubrious humor and multi-faceted visual style, each episodes' dream-like quality lures you in and before you know it, you're basking in its absurd hijinks.

13) The Studio (Apple TV) - Seth Rogen stars in this cringe-comedy as a movie executive that ruins everything he touches. He lets his ego get in the way, and his underlings flood his imagination with everything that might go wrong. Much like another Rogen project "This is the End," this series gets a lot of comedic mileage out of performers acting as their real life selves.

12) I Love LA (HBO MAX) - This young adult series, created by and starring Rachel Sennott, is an examination on living in a big city, modern relationships, and influencer lifestyles. The characters are mostly reprehensible, which supplies a lot of the laughs, but they're also immensely human and relatable.

11) Invincible Season 3 (Amazon Prime) - The third season of this superhero animated series is the best one yet. The writing focuses in on young love, sacrifices for the greater good, and how young adults try to avoid the same pitfalls of their parents.

10) The Residence (Netflix) - A fun whoddunit elevated by a wonderful performance from Uzo Aduba. The script takes advantage of the grand setting of the White-House and foreshadows all of its potential secrets. Abuda's characters' knowledge of birds plays a vital role in uncovering the motives of the various suspects.

9) The White Lotus Season 3 (HBO MAX) - The newest season of this dread inducing drama takes place in Thailand. Jason Isaacs, Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, and Carrie Coon stand out amongst an impressive crop of actors. The cinematography and acting are impeccable, just as they were in the previous two seasons.

8) The Lowdown Season 1 (FX/HULU) - The narrative takes a little while to get going, but the character writing and thematic storytelling help pique interest. The cast, led by Ethan Hawk and Kyle MacLachlan, is terrific. Tulsa, Oklahoma acts as a great setting for current racial tensions as well as examining past historical events.

7) The Chair Company (HBO MAX) - Tim Robinson incorporates his sketch comedy background into this 30 minute drama series. Robinson plays Bill, an office worker who has an embarassing moment at a work event where he goes to sit in a chair and it breaks. This leads him down a rabbit hole that has him questioning everything about the company that made the chair. The mystery is genuinely intriguing, and the random moments of hilarity give the show a tone that is all its own.

6) The Bear Season 4 (FX/HULU) - A common sentiment online seems to be complaints regarding the last two seasons of the Bear and how it doesn't meet the high standards of the first two. While I agree with that sentiment, having a product that is simply "really good" is still a worthwhile endeavor. The show going from an A level to a B+ level isn't grounds to stop watching. Episode 7, titled Bears, continues the shows long tradition of excellent ensemble drama.

5) Pluribus Season 1 (Apple TV) - Vince Gilligan (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad) created this new sci-fi drama that stars Rhea Seahorn. Gilligan is a master of visual storytelling. With his newest show, he creates a unique scenario that tests everything about the human spirit and our individuality.

4) Severance Season 2 (Apple TV) - While the pacing of the newest season is a bit all over the place, each individual episode still felt like event television. The attention to detail is remarkable, from the color scheme, to the music, to the subtle change in performances from the cast depending on which version of the character we are seeing in any given moment.

3) The Rehearsal Season 2 (HBO MAX) - Nathan Fielder continues to make television that astonishes. No one could have possibly guessed that he would become obsessed with Aviation. Yet he made a season about it that both fit within the overall context of the show and also continued to be funny and profound.

2) Adolescence (Netflix) - A four episode limited series that goes through the entire process of youth detainment and incarceration. The show executes a one-take formula that keeps the visuals lively. The performances from Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham are exceptional.

1) Andor Season 2 (Disney+) - Far and away the best thing I saw all year and a must watch installment in the Star Wars universe. The themes, which are incredibly relevant in modern times, focus on authoritarianism, facism, oppression, and resistance.

Honorable Mentions:

The Last of Us Season 2 (HBO MAX) - I was not a fan of the story in the second game, and was therefore concerned that the show would largely stick to the source material. My concerns were founded, as the pacing and theme were kept largely intact. There are still some strong moments, especially episode 6.

Nobody Wants This Season 2 (Netflix) - The plot largely covers the same tracks as the superior first season. The will-they, won't-they romantic tension doesn't hold the same appeal when the obstacles to the relationship remain exactly the same. Timothy Simons (Veep) is the one saving grace of the new batch of episodes.

Squid Games Season 3 (Netflix) - The events of the end of season 2 left the writers very little to work with entering the final season. While the show has always been dark and not afraid to illustrate the chasm between the haves and have-nots, the first two seasons at least offered a glimmer of hope and redemption. This mostly just felt like defeatist fare.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 12 (HBO MAX) - Another illuminating season in which John talked about felony murder, the Israel-Palestine conflict, gang databases, artificial intelligence, sports gambling, and much more.

Great British Bake-off Series 16 (BBC/Netflix) - As long as they keep putting this show out, I will keep watching. We need feel-good shows more than ever and this series is all about friendly competition and camaraderie.

Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix) - The finale did a reasonably good job of landing the plane, but the season as a whole felt uninspired. The writers didn't seem to have a good plan for the large ensemble cast, and most of the storylines were forgettable. The visuals, despite the insane budget, looked cheap and dull. Dustin and Steve's relationship and their personal struggles was easily the most engaging element, but it made up only a fraction of the runtime.

Watchlist:

Common Side Effects (Adult Swim)

Mo Season 2 (Netflix)

Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)

Dope Thief (Apple TV)

Sirens (Netflix)

Adults (FX)

Alien: Earth (FX/HULU)

Task (HBO MAX)

Black Rabbit (Netflix)

Death by Lightning (Netflix)

The Beast in Me (Netflix)