Entertainment
From “Andor” to “Adolescence,” these are the best TV shows of 2025.
When taking stock of the past year of television, it’s useful to take a step back and consider how this era of TV – and by extension, the best TV shows of 2025 — fits in the bigger picture of recent television history.
In my year-end list in 2022, I declared “peak TV” to be over, and the numbers backed that up. In 2025, the great shrinking continued, both in the number of original scripted shows being greenlit and the creative liberties afforded to showrunners for the projects that did get produced.
Streaming companies that were previously protective of their precious IP made deals left and right in order to make a profit. Warner Bros., in particular, was eager to share its toys, licensing some of its older HBO shows to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and bundling itself with Disney and Hulu. We also saw Sony, one of the few studios that lacks a dedicated streaming service, licensing “Jeopardy!” to Hulu and Peacock, and flipping the phenomenally successful film “KPop Demon Hunters” to Netflix.
In my estimation, all of this cost-cutting and consolidation means there were fewer TV shows in 2025 that will still be talked about decades later, a la “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad.” But that doesn’t mean 2025 was a total wash. Instead, I’d classify this year’s best as good but not great – or if you’d prefer, great but not legendary.
Here are my picks for the 10 best TV shows of 2025, plus ten honorable mentions at the bottom.
Best TV shows of 2025
10. “The Righteous Gemstones”
Danny McBride pulled out all the stops in this swan song for his family of brash evangelical preachers, kicking off the season with a centuries-old origin story starring Bradley Cooper and ending the series with a bloody reckoning that was shocking in its primacy. It was the moments in between, however, that will live on, whether it was Calvin Gemstone (Adam Devine) vying for Top Christ Following Man of the Year or Uncle Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) starring in the doomed production of Teen Jesus (“Teenjus”).
How to watch: “The Righteous Gemstones” is streaming on HBO Max.
9. “Taskmaster”
In the 5+ years since we were forced indoors by the pandemic, there’s no show I’ve spent more time with than “Taskmaster,” the British panel show available for free on YouTube. An elegant blend of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” a late-night talk show, and an escape room, the show forces five comedians to complete a series of absurd, often frustrating tasks devised by the show’s creator and co-host, Alex Horne. Season 19 was one of the show’s best, thanks largely to Nahant native Jason Mantzoukas, who brought a brash, unpredictable American energy to the very English series.
How to watch: “Taskmaster” Season 19 is streaming on YouTube.
8. “Dying for Sex”
When Molly (Michelle Williams) is told she has Stage 4 cancer, she takes the news as an opportunity to break free from her controlling husband (Jay Duplass), move in with her best friend (Milton native Jenny Slate) and figure out what she really wants in life. Mostly, she wants to have a lot of sex. An authentic exploration of grief’s many forms, “Dying for Sex” also offers wish fulfillment for anyone who has ever wondered what a sub-dom relationship with Marblehead native Rob Delaney (“Catastrophe”) would look like.
How to watch: “Dying for Sex” is streaming on Hulu.
7. “The Rehearsal”
Nathan Fielder remained one of the strangest, most original comic minds in the second season of his HBO show, this time using his “rehearsal as a means of preparation” approach to focus on a single, very timely, issue: Airline safety. Watching Fielder, dressed as heroic pilot Captain “Sully” Sullenberger while pumping himself up to Evanescence, is one of the most indelible moments of TV of this year – or any year.
How to watch: “The Rehearsal” is streaming on HBO Max.
6. “Pluribus”
After the success of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” showrunner Vince Gilligan could make whatever passion project he wanted. This freedom brought him back to his “X-Files” roots with the high-concept story of Carol (Rhea Seehorn), one of 13 people in the world who has not been infected by an alien virus that turns humanity into a surprisingly benevolent hivemind. The core conceit of “Pluribus,” and the mysteries yet to be fully revealed, are reason enough to tune in. But the headier themes that Gilligan explores – especially at a time when tech titans are attempting to synthesize centuries of human thought to create an AI singularity – are what could make “Pluribus” an all-timer by the time it’s over.
How to watch: “Pluribus” is streaming on Apple TV.
5. “The Lowdown”
Ethan Hawke, who stars in one of the best movies of 2025 as well, is a joy to watch as Lee Raybon, a crusty used bookstore owner in Tulsa who moonlights as an independent reporter (or “truthstorian”) and finds himself tied up in a grisly mystery that spans centuries. Showrunner Sterlin Harjo (“Reservation Dogs”) creates a darkly comic tapestry with echoes of FX’s “Fargo,” filled with memorable supporting turns from the likes of Tim Blake Nelson, Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David, and Peter Dinklage. But the show is anchored by Hawke, who vacillates between Philip Marlowe and Jeffrey Lebowski in the lead role.
How to watch: “The Lowdown” is streaming on Hulu.
4. “The Pitt”
If the future of streaming in the era of studio consolidation means more down-the-middle dramas with broad appeal, then “The Pitt” is the platonic ideal. A grittier medical drama from the showrunner (John Wells), producer (R. Scott Gemmill), and star (Noah Wyle) of “ER,” “The Pitt” takes place during a single 15-hour ER shift, following Dr. Robby (Wyle) as he navigates an underfunded, fundamentally broken healthcare system. Despite the very modern problems faced by the staff of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center — from overdoses to mass shootings — the show is a throwback to a bygone era of television.
How to watch: “The Pitt” is streaming on HBO Max.
3. “Severance”
Season 2 of this dystopian drama delved deeper into the mysterious history and machinations of megacorporation Lumon, whose experiments on its “severed” workers continued to delight and perplex. But “Severance” also made sure to foreground its central, universal premise: Work sucks. While the staff are given hollow apologies and new “perks” straight out of an HR director’s playbook for their prior treatment, harried middle manager Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) is urged by Lumon overlords to push his staff harder than ever. That’s capitalism, folks!
How to watch: “Severance” is streaming on Apple TV.
2. “Adolescence”
No series stuck in my brain more persistently (and at times, unpleasantly) than “Adolescence,” a four-part limited series imported from the U.K. about a 13-year-old (Owen Cooper) accused of murder. Each episode’s immersive, no-cuts filmmaking style makes it impossible to look away, as audiences are given a crash course in cyberbullying and the mind-altering power of the manosphere. In a world where online radicalization has made previously unimaginable tragedies into weekly occurrences, “Adolescence” forces us to confront reality, unpleasant as it may be.
How to watch: “Adolescence” is streaming on Netflix.
1. “Andor”
Tony Gilroy’s “Andor” is nothing short of a miracle: A streaming-exclusive show that is a prequel to a prequel to a decades-old trilogy that is also essential viewing. It’s also the first Lucasfilm project that is squarely aimed at adults, a taut political thriller anchored by mercenary Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) that examines all stages and perspectives of a revolution. The series is neither rushed nor indulgent, and when the plot takes slight detours — a flashback here, a royal wedding there — they are thematically significant. When all is said and done, “Andor” is the best piece of “Star Wars” entertainment since “The Empire Strikes Back.”
How to watch: “Andor” is streaming on Disney+.
Honorable mentions: “Alien: Earth,” “A Man on the Inside,” “The Chair Company,” “Death By Lightning,” “The Gilded Age,” “Hacks,” “Long Story Short,” “Paradise,” “The Studio,” “Task”
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