My Top 20 TV Shows of 2025
I watched 107 TV shows from 2025. Everything from comedy, drama, limited series, documentaries, stand-up, travel & nature, specials, reality & game shows, & more. These were my favorites.
1. HEATED RIVALRY (S1)
HBO picked this up from a Canadian production company & it has now exploded making it one of HBO’s biggest hits. Two in-the-closet hockey players fall for one another in a world that is not welcoming to who they are. The entire cast is comprised of great actors & the writing is extremely real. This is the best romantic drama I’ve seen in decades. The first time ever for me where every sexual encounter actually means something & pushes the story forward. This show will be all the rage in award season.
2. SEVERANCE (S2)
The psychological thriller by Dan Erickson captivated my mind long after the season finale aired. Just when I thought I knew what was happening or where the show was going, it took twists & turns making sure it was always ahead of me. Can they keep this up? Only time will tell. For now, the science behind the experiment that splits the minds of workers from office life & outside life is filled with secrets greater than I could’ve imagined.
3. PEE WEE AS HIMSELF (Limited)
If you don’t know who Pee Wee Herman is then you should stop what you are doing & get to know this world-beloved sensation. Paul Rubens created the character back in the 80s catapulting him to stardom. This HBO documentary about his life is the last thing he did before his death. The insight into the mind of this artist is of precious worth.
4. ALIEN EARTH (S1)
Set before the first Alien film in the franchise, this show does not miss in its precision & fine-tuned acting. The action is incredible as well. It follows the lives of a handful of children who, upon knowing they were dying of various diseases, decide to transfer their minds into the bodies of the very first synthetic beings. And when a spaceship crashes onto Earth bringing along with it alien beings, all hell breaks lose.
5. LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM (S3)
This show has the best heart on television today. It is a documentary reality series that follows people with autism on their attempt to find love. Their stories are so interesting you see yourself at every turn. The best thing about it is how they are so honest with everything they are thinking & feeling. If only everyone could be that way, life will be so much easier.
6. HACKS (S4)
Deborah & Ava are back being at each other’s throats in one moment, then being the best of friends the next. This time, they are working together on Deborah’s dream job of being the host of a late-night talk show. But life is not a bed of roses. The complications with ratings, her image, artistry, & personal life battle one another pushing her to the limits of her patience. The season finale is spectacular.
7. BRETT GOLDSTEIN: THE SECOND BEST NIGHT OF YOUR LIFE (Special)
Brett Goldstein, star of the Apple TV show Ted Lasso, showcases his comedy in a whole other level. This stand-up special highlights how crafty his comedy is & his willingness to make himself look silly. In that journey, we see the depth of his ability & how smart his comedic shops really are.
8. THE TRAITORS: UK (S3)
This reality game show series is a companion show to its U.S. version. The seasons are shot back to back & both U.S. & UK are great. But what makes the UK a standout is that the players are “real” people, unlike the celebrities used in the U.S. show. This makes for the stakes to be even higher. The show is cunning in its competitions & twists. I’m honestly obsessed with it.
9. THE STUDIO (S1)
Seth Rogen co-created & stars in this Apple TV satirical comedy. It follows a studio head’s attempt to keep the company afloat. But along the way, he messes up more than he can help. Before he can get his shit together, it hits the fan in every way possible. With a stellar cast, this show is bound to hit award season with nominations left & right.
10. PLURIBUS (S1)
Pluribus a post-apocalyptic science fiction television series created by Vince Gilligan (key writer, producer of The X-Files). When a virus escapes a lab, it rapidly circles the Earth controlling the minds of all of its inhabitants with the exception of a handful of them. It makes everyone extremely nice & helpful, but with terrible consequences. Now, it’s up to the people who are immune to find a way out of this mess.
11. GRAMMY SALUTE TO CYNDI LAUPER: LIVE FROM THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL (Special)
The music alone speaks for itself in this Grammy salute to legend singer songwriter Cyndi Lauper. Shot at the end of her farewell tour at The Hollywood Bowl in L.A., Lauper comprised a set filled with hits from decades of music. She has plenty of guest stars join her & shares lots of stories about the creation of her powerful lyrics that defined a generation.
12. THE BEAST IN ME (Limited)
Claire Danes plays an author with writer’s block living in Long Island. When a real estate mogul accused of killing his wife moves in next door, her life changes forever. The neighbor (brilliantly played by Matthew Rhys) offers to have his biography written by her, but only if he can have whatever he wants in return. Danes shines here in her portrayal of this frantic writer.
13. YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS (S1)
A crime dark comedy crime show that spirals down & down into a total nightmare. It centers around a hedge fund manager Andrew Coop (played by Jon Hamm) who finds himself robbing his wealthy neighbors after he is unfairly fired from his job. With nowhere to turn, the thieving becomes an addiction he can’t let go of.
14. NO TASTE LIKE HOME WITH ANTONI POROWSKI (S1)
This National Geographic travel show is moving & insightful. Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye fame, brings a celebrity per episode back to their homeland to explore their ancestry. In the emotional journey of finding about their past, Antoni ties in the flavors, recipes, & traditions surrounding the food that makes each place unique.
15. ADOLESCENCE (Limited)
This British limited series from Netflix is unlike any I’ve seen of this type. When a child is accused of murder, the whole family begins to fall apart. The show dives into the intricacies of what happens when a minor is brought in for a crime this big. The subtleties are super interesting & the story unfolds to places you won’t expect.
16. NOBODY WANTS THIS (S2)
Joanne Williams (played by Kristen Bell) & Noah Roklov (played by Adam Brody) are back in this romantic comedy series from Netflix. This time, Noah loses his dream job at the temple because of his relationship with Joanne. This spirals everyone in their lives putting their love for one another at a test. The comedy in this show is pure delight.
17. THE GIRLFRIEND (Limited)
This Amazon Prime limited series had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. Starring one of my favorite actresses Robin Wright who plays a wealthy gallery owner in London. When her son brings in his girlfriend (played by Olivia Cooke) home to meet the parents, a web of intrigue starts to weave itself into their lives with disastrous consequences.
18. WILD CRIME (S4)
Each season of this ABC documentary series centers around a different crime. The show focuses on the investigators & what they had to go through dealing with the case. This season is subtitled Eleven Skulls focusing on serial killer Israel Keyes, who confessed to murdering multiple people through a period of over two decades in the U.S.
19. THE PITT (S1)
Noah Wyle stars as the senior attending physician at an underfunded & overcrowded ER. This medical drama sets itself apart as each episode centers on one single hour of the doctors’ shifts. It showcases the extreme ups & downs the staff goes through on one day of work. The show has plenty of nominations, deservingly so.
20. THE BEAR (S4)
This FX series is so intense that I have to breace myself for it every time a new season begins. But I can’t stay way from it. This season, the staff had a limited amount of time to get the restaurant to make a profit or be forced to shut down. Their lives & the bond they share keeps them together & pulls me in every season.