Trying to capture the quality of an entire year of television is a fool’s errand, but we love the challenge. Was 2025 a good year for TV? Undoubtedly. A historic one? The top of this list makes a compelling case, featuring programs that will be debated as era-defining classics for years to come. While the sheer volume of “good” often overshadowed the “great,” that’s hardly a complaint. The real story is that every major platform delivered must-see content, from Netflix and HBO Max to Apple TV+ and Hulu. As the streaming landscape grows more fragmented, finding the gems gets tougher. We’re here to help. These are our picks for the 25 best shows of 2025, and exactly where you can watch them.
25. “Clean Slate” (Prime Video)
The final series from the late Norman Lear is a progressive, feel-good family sitcom with real heart. Laverne Cox stars as Desiree, who returns to her Alabama hometown and must reconnect with her old-school father (George Wallace) after her transition. Grounded in sharp yet loving social commentary on Southern Black culture, the show’s magic lies in the familial chemistry between Cox and Wallace, creating comedy that’s both sweet-natured and meaningful.
24. “Running Point“ (Netflix)
Think Ted Lasso meets Succession on a basketball court. Kate Hudson shines as the Jeannie Buss-inspired president of a fictional NBA franchise in this breezy, hilarious workplace comedy. With a stellar supporting cast (Brenda Song is a standout) and just enough drama to ground its antics, Running Point scored a promising rookie season.
23. “The Righteous Gemstones“ (HBO Max)
Danny McBride’s foul-mouthed saga of a dysfunctional evangelical family came to a gloriously unhinged conclusion. For four seasons, it delivered belly laughs and shocking musical numbers while revealing the profound damage beneath its characters’ grotesque exteriors. A kind, cynical, and unforgettable send-off.
22. “I Love L.A.“ (HBO Max)
Entourage for the Girls generation, this satire of Gen-Z influencer culture in Los Angeles is hilariously biting. Rachel Sennott and Odessa A’zion lead a cast of purposefully intolerable yet weirdly charming characters navigating codependent friendships and the absurd hustle of digital fame. Cringe-comedy at its best.
21. “The Beast in Me“ (Netflix)
A pulpy, elite-folk murder mystery with a dream millennial cast. Claire Danes is a grieving writer obsessed with her mysterious, potentially murderous new neighbor (Matthew Rhys). It’s a tense, stylish thriller that masterfully explores the dark side of human nature and sticks a flawless landing.
20. “Deli Boys” (Hulu)
The year’s most underrated comedy. Two pampered Pakistani-American brothers inherit their father’s deli—and his secret drug empire. Creator Abdullah Saeed expertly balances absurdist dark humor with gory action, anchored by Poorna Jagannathan’s show-stopping performance as their formidable auntie.
19. “Long Story Short“ (Netflix)
From BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, this animated gem uses short vignettes to trace the lives of a Jewish family across decades. It’s profoundly funny and deeply moving, exploring faith, identity, and the messy bonds of family with more heart and insight than most live-action dramas.
18. “Dexter: Resurrection“ (Paramount+)
A triumphant return to form. Relocating to NYC, this season forces Dexter (Michael C. Hall) to confront his legacy and the horrifying transformation of his son, Harrison. Cinematic, grim, and featuring killer guest stars (Uma Thurman, Peter Dinklage), it’s a bloody good reckoning.
17. “Death by Lightning“ (Netflix)
A brisk, brilliantly cynical historical satire about the assassination of President James Garfield. Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen are phenomenal as the principled leader and his narcissistic killer, surrounded by a vipers’ nest of political opportunists. It’s Veep in the Gilded Age, with a terrifyingly modern feel.
16. “Paradise“ (Hulu)
Dan Fogelman’s apocalyptic mystery is less about who killed the president and more about how society crumbles under pressure. Set in a last-chance city, it’s a gripping fusion of political thriller, family drama, and sci-fi survival story, led by a superb Sterling K. Brown.
15. “The Bear“ (FX on Hulu)
Yes, everyone is in it. Yes, it might make you cry. The fourth season of the hit culinary dramedy leans fully into its feel-good, found-family catharsis. While occasionally straining under its own prestige, its open-hearted commitment and stellar ensemble make it incredible, comforting television.
14. “Hacks“ (HBO Max)
As it heads into its final season, the Emmy juggernaut hasn’t lost a step. The fourth season pitted Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) in a war of egos, evolving into a masterful story about frenemies who need each other to make history. Consistently brilliant.
13. “Forever“ (Netflix)
Mara Brock Akil’s lush adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel is a triumph. Centering Black teenage love and family in 2018 Los Angeles, it’s authentic, funny, and deeply felt. A coming-of-age story that understands love—romantic and familial—as the complicated fuel of our lives.
12. “North of North“ (Netflix)
A stunning blend of Reservation Dogs and Parks and Recreation set in Nunavut. This sitcom is laugh-out-loud funny (a walrus baseball game, for starters) while unflinchingly tackling generational trauma and colonialism. It’s a joyous, vital portrait of an Indigenous community fighting for a brighter future.
11. “Pee-wee as Himself“ (HBO Max)
Not a tabloid tell-all, but a poignant, complex portrait of the artist. This docuseries, filmed with Paul Reubens before his death, explores his genius, his private life, and the homophobic society that tore him down. A heartbreaking and essential reclamation of a legacy.
10. “Alien: Earth“ (FX on Hulu)
Noah Hawley’s stunning series adaptation is a philosophical punk-rock nightmare. Weaving two seemingly disconnected stories—one about children in adult bodies, the other about a crashed Xenomorph—it becomes a terrifying exploration of free will and humanity. It re-energizes the franchise for television.
9. “Task“ (HBO Max)
A visceral, gut-punch crime procedural from the world of Mare of Easttown. Mark Ruffalo gives a career-best performance as a broken FBI task force leader, but it’s Tom Pelphrey, in a performance of searing, Brando-esque intensity, who truly shatters you. Unforgettable television.
8. “Stranger Things“ (Netflix)
The epic final chapter of Netflix’s flagship series. Watching these kids—now young adults—face their ultimate battle in Hawkins was a cultural event packed with heartbreak, horror, and flawless 80s nostalgia. A grand, satisfying conclusion to a defining era of TV.
7. “The Lowdown“ (FX on Hulu)
A writer’s detective show in the best way. Ethan Hawke stars as a “truthstorian” in a grimy, multiracial Oklahoma, unraveling a corrupt elite. Sterlin Harjo’s series is packed with lyrical dialogue, a keen sense of place, and a profound meditation on racial injustice and flawed heroism.
6. “Adolescence“ (Netflix)
The year’s most devastating and conversation-dominating miniseries. A raw, real-time examination of a teen (a phenomenal Owen Cooper) accused of murder, it’s a brutal indictment of online toxic masculinity and lost youth. Its innovative one-shot episodes force you to be a witness, not just a viewer.
5. “The Studio“ (Apple TV)
The ultimate ulcer-free, insider Hollywood satire. Seth Rogen leads a chaotic, lovable group of studio execs navigating absurd deals and egos. It’s packed with meta cameos and genuine laughs, offering a brilliantly self-aware escape from more strenuous prestige TV.
4. “The Pitt“ (HBO Max)
A brutal, groundbreaking medical drama told in real-time over one grueling 15-hour ER shift. Noah Wyle leads a stunning ensemble in a show that strips away all glamour to expose the shattered, post-pandemic U.S. healthcare system. It’s a defining, relentlessly intense throwback to TV’s procedural power.
3. “Pluribus“ (Apple TV)
Vince Gilligan’s patient, brilliant sci-fi mind-bender. Rhea Seehorn is the last “sane” woman on Earth after an alien hive mind assimilates humanity. A haunting, slow-burn allegory for societal division and the loneliness of individualism, standing in defiant opposition to dumbed-down streaming trends.
2. “Andor“ (Disney+)
Not just the best Star Wars since the originals, but one of the best television dramas of the century. The final season masterfully escalates the rebellion’s birth, weaving profound political intrigue with heartbreaking personal stakes. Sophisticated, urgent, and flawlessly crafted television.
1. “Severance“ (Apple TV)
Our choice for the best show of 2025. Season two transcended its already-high praise, deepening its haunting exploration of work, identity, and trauma. With unparalleled production design, a visionary score, and performances (from Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, and especially Trammell Tillman) that pierced the soul, it’s philosophically rich and visually arresting. A masterpiece about the cost of partitioning our selves, and the revolutionary act of becoming whole.
