Top 10 Shows of 2025

Awards season is heating up. The Golden Globes saw some key wins for some of my favorite shows of the past year, so in keeping with recent efforts to sort through my recent culture diary entry, I've decided to list and rank my favorite TV shows from 2025.

1. Task

Truly a marvel. Such a beautiful meditation on family and place. Courtney and I found ourselves referring to it all the time. I’d refer to creator Brad Inglesby as simply Brad, as if we knew him; I was simply blown away by the world he created. I was away by its specificity, its truly lived-in feeling, and I found it incredibly inspiring as a writer and storyteller. The performances, though, were what really pushed this over the top — not a false step made in the whole thing.

2. The Lowdown

Much like in my list of top films, Ethan Hawke did everything humanly possible to lead what would have been my favorite property had he not run into the buzz saw of something undeniable. Sterlin Harjo’s love letter to Tulsa, love letter to 70s’ noir detective romps, love letter to the concept of a good hang was fantastic. It is exactly what I want from show runners and networks/streamers; we need more of these. Full stop. Another showcase for incredible performances, from the regulars and from some incredible bit roles and guest turns. The mystery behind the whole thing was fine, but as I sit here now, I can’t really remember how it resolved. I mention that not to disparage it, but to highlight how little it mattered to what I loved about this film. I just wanted to be in this place with these people for as long as possible. And lucky for me, it was just renewed for a second season.

3. Pluribus

Oh, to feel the warm embrace of a true master of the craft. Vince Gilligan’s newest show is a departure from his Breaking Bad universe, but it retains a lot of the secret sauce that made those properties undeniable hits, namely Gilligan and his writers’ room, Rhea Seehorn as the star, and his beloved production crew in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I missed out on this as a week-to-week release, not starting it until late December when all episodes were available to stream. And I tore through them. Couldn’t get enough of it. The world-building is pitch-perfect, and the mystery underpinning the series gets answered pretty quickly. It’s much more a character study about how people deal with what’s befallen them (I’m keeping this vague in case you’re reading this without knowledge of the show; best piece of advice I can give is drop everything and start it immediately, going in as blindly as possible). The performances are outstanding, namely Seehorn, who’s tasked with carrying so much of the action on her shoulders alone. It’s going to be a while before the second season comes back, so jump in and luxuriate in some purposefully slow storytelling at the highest level.

4. Adolescence

What an achievement this show was. There is so much to praise technically, namely the innovative one-shot takes per episode. It looks and feels so alive as a result of it. But the performances are what really set this limited series in a class above — they hit you like a gut punch and will wring you out. I got to the end, just openly sobbing, and while that doesn’t sound like something I’d want to recommend, it was one of the best viewing experiences I had all year.

5. The Pitt

Criminally late to this one, and I can’t tell you why. It was a mindset thing: Something in me didn’t want to be in that world of hospital emergency departments and doctors and nurses. Not sure why, other than what I’d gleaned from the water-cooler conversations at large: This show is fast-paced, unrelenting, anxiety-producing. And some part of me just didn’t feel like signing up for that at the time. But I’ll be the first to say it: I was wrong. Wrong to wait. Wrong to shy away from those emotions it provoked. Wrong to doubt it. Once I gave myself over to it, I, like so many others, felt I would take a bullet for these characters; I was invested in them, my heart hurt for them, and I simply wanted them to catch a break. I was struck by the humanity of the show. I can’t really describe it any better than simply this: After watching it, I wanted to be a better person, and I wanted to do something that helped people.

6. Dept. Q

I will take 100 more seasons of this, please and thank you. If for no other reason than simply to hear the characters talk — I just love a Scottish accent. But the mystery driving this show was interesting enough, and the dynamics between the team members was just so darn watchable. Will take approximately 10 more seasons, please and thank you.

7. Andor, S2

I probably should be ashamed for how long it took me to watch the entirety of this season. Not to start it — I did that much. But to actually make it through all the episodes. I can’t fully explain it, but there was just something about the realness of the plots and themes that just made me feel a sense of preemptive dread and exhaustion. I just couldn’t bring myself to want to watch it for extended periods of time, despite the fact that, without fail, I’d watch an episode and say, “Damn. That was near-perfect TV.”

8. Severence, S2

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a big, twisty conspiracy show. I wanted to know what happened, and I just felt invested in a way I didn’t necessarily feel in the first season, though upon reflection, I think the first season worked much better narratively. It had sunken in with me, taken root, and I was quite simply hooked.

9. The Chair Company

Came late to this as well, mostly because I can’t decide if I actually like Tim Robinson’s comedy or if I think I’m supposed to like it. There was something so relatable to this whole thing, despite its moments of absurdity. Getting sucked into a mostly mundane rabbit hole of things not making sense, of websites that can be thrown together in no time and pass our low-bar criteria of “looks real” and “seems legit” just felt so of the moment. This will be an interesting entry in a graduate thesis one day on the conspiratorial pop culture products of 2025 along with Eddington and Bugonia.

10. The Rehearsal, S2

I definitely know this man’s comedy is generally not my thing, but a friend of mine swore by this season. Since I’d made myself watch season 1 as it happened, I thought I’d at least commit to watching the entirety of this one, too. Came to it late, but I’m glad I did. Still not my thing, but the finale was a thing of genius. So many questions arise while watching it, and finally you just have to let go and trust you’re in the midst of a brilliant magic trick.