1. Adolescence (Netflix)

It’s going to be pretty tough to find anyone that watched it who won’t agree that Adolescence was the best series on television in 2025.

Stephen Graham’s British miniseries that he wrote, directed, and starred in swept all categories it was nominated in at the September Emmys and can easily be classified as one of the best miniseries of all-time.

Draped in ominous themes of 21st century parenting and online interpersonal communication, Adolescence acts as a warning to all of us that the more we let technology dictate our lives, the less control we have over anything.

The performances of everyone involved were second-to-none, and the third episode of the (4 episodes) series is one of the best in years.

Truly shocking, and impossible to turn away from, Adolescence was, far-and-away, my favorite series of 2025.

2. Pluribus (Apple)

Vince Gilligan returning to television to drop appointment viewing episodes of weekly perfection…Shut up and take my money!

Is it a little early to call it the best new show on television? No. It is not. Do I need to watch the whole season to see Vince Gilligan stick the landing to know he’s going to stick the landing? I do not.

Rhea Seehorn is about as strong a lead actress any show has seen in a decade.

The story is original. The characters rule. Its lead is a Queen. Its showrunner is a God.

It’s my favorite new show of 2025 and I’m sure that surprises literally not one single one of you. The only thing you might be surprised by is that I didn’t rank it number one.

I’ve been clamoring for it to get here for three god damn years since Better Call Saul swan-songed into the history books. Now it’s here and I can’t get enough. Inject it directly into my damn veins.

3. The Pitt (HBO)

The 2025 Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama Series arrived in epic fashion this past February. Borrowing from great medical dramas of the past, The Pitt carved its own high-anxiety originality by being told in real-time over the course of one twelve-hour shift.

Noah Wyle tracked down his elusive Emmy, and solidified his ability to lead a series with the same charm as George Clooney in the 90’s.

I was a big fan of ER when I was a kid, and The Pitt is, by far, the best copycat version of it. I can’t wait for season two.

4. The Rehearsal (HBO)

I aggressively hated the first season of The Rehearsal and refused to watch the second season until the critical acclaim started pouring in. Fielder’s brilliant, unpredictable masterpiece will go down as one of the most impressive (non)-stunts ever pulled.

Any time a show is so successful in proving its political point that it becomes an actual news story, that’s pretty impressive.

After worshipping The Curse, I’ve come fully around on anything Nathan Fielder gets his hands on and I’m all in on whatever project he tackles next.

5. The Lowdown (FX)

Sterling Harjo’s follow-up to his masterpiece, Reservation Dogs (easily one of the my favorite series of the decade) was in a lot of ways a branching out for his seemingly endless talents.

With an Elmore Leonard vibe and an homage to classic cult classic comedies like The Big Lebowski, The Lowdown was a cool, hilarious miniseries that relied heavily upon its brilliant lead, Ethan Hawke.

The plot was the exact right amount twisty and simplistic while tapping into heart of Oklahoma where Harjo harvests his inspiration from.

6. Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO)

The show I was most shocked to find myself loving this year came in the form of a documentary about a guy I’ve spent my entire life actively trying to dislike. HBO’s 5+ hour two-part documentary was one of the most gripping and captivating things I watched all year. It was powerful, informative and deeply moving.

Ironically I came to it to sort of hate watch, and came out of it with an inherent sense of regret for never having seen Billy Joel perform live. It wasn’t only one of the best things I watched in 2025, it was one of the better docuseries I’ve ever seen.

7. Dying For Sex (Hulu)

Elizabeth Merriweather’s adaptation of the Podcast of the same name that documented the final year of Molly Kochan’s life as she abandoned the functional detainment of a terminal cancer diagnosis and instead used her time to seek basic human euphoria was ironically one of the funniest (and unsurprisingly) most moving series of the year. The heart of the show was the emotional chemistry between leads Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate.

8. Severance (Apple)

It took three long, contentious years for crew of Severance to return back from a first season that set an incredibly high bar. For the most part its second season toned the pace way down and spotlighted origin stories for the character and desperately tried to expand its universe. That proved good enough to essentially meet expectations.

The impeccable cast consistently turned in flawless performances, and they were rewarded handedly for it at Emmy time.

9. The Chair Company

If not for being released in the same calendar year as The Rehearsal, The Chair Company could easily lay claim to being the weirdest series of 2025. Tim Robinson’s signature brand of cringe-humor mixed with an amazing level of darkness and almost avant-garde oddity has a fascinating ability to be both uproariously hilarious and at the same time wickedly depressing.

As always with Robinson’s content, he tends to be a ringleader to an impressively talented supporting cast. The Chair Company is no exception. Robinson’s shtick, an acquired taste, has never been for everybody. But he’s certainly crafted his own niche style of comedy that feels like it’s becoming more mainstream friendly. The Chair Company, in some warped way, might be his most grown-up product to date.

10. The Studio (Apple)

I was pretty critical of The Studio for being what I described as self-indulgent Hollywood industry porn for critics. But the reality is that Seth Rogen’s satire of the ass-backward world of filmmaking had some of the funniest scenes on television…when it wasn’t shoehorning in massive cameos for sport.

HONORABLE MENTION

Long Story Short (Netflix)

Raphael Matthew Bob-Waksberg’s first post BoJack Horseman project was a ten episode animated series about the Schwoopers; a Jewish family with Paul Reiner as the voice of the patriarch and Lisa Edelstein as the matriarch.

Told non-linearly, the episodes jump all over the place and all around the spectrum of time; mainly focusing on the Schwooper kids.

Growing up in the same era as a Jewish kid in the suburbs, I very much related to the quirkiness of it…some of it hit a little too close to home, if we’re being entirely honest.

Andor (Disney +)

Andor remained Disney’s best product since taking over the Star Wars universe.

Dark, subtle and stingingly relevant, it was the perfect series to mimic the world’s volatile political climate. It used its two short seasons to get in, make its mark and get out; all while establishing it as the bar-setting standard in future Star Wars projects.

Murderbot (Apple)

Alexander Skarsgard’s futuristic sci-fi comedy about a broken down private security robot tasked with protecting a noble team of humans relied heavily on his sarcastic inner monologue to deliver both the plot and a lot of the show’s punchlines. But it was the insane visual effects and the wacky story that made its subtle charm grow on you over time

Task (HBO)

Brad Inglesby’s strong follow-up to 2021’s critically acclaimed miniseries Mare of Easttown brought viewers back to rural blue collar Pennsylvania for more action packed crime drama sprinkled with just the right amount of procedural police mystery.

While I don’t think Task will ever have the lasting nor staying effect of Mare of Easttown, and it certainly didn’t have the strength of its predecessor’s writing, it still shined brightly on its own with top notch performances of its two leads.

HBO recently announced that it has been reviewed for a second season. It’s too early to tell if it will be a continuation of its (slightly messy and way less slightly implausible) story or if it will be an entirely new case for Mark Ruffalo’s FBI task force to take on.

Regardless of the plot holes you could drive the Eagles’ team bus through, lt was probably the best popcorn chomping binger of the year.

Stick (Apple)

Ted Lasso but with golf came in the form of Jason Keller’s formulaic sports dramedy about an out of luck washed up golfer who looks for redemption in coaching a golf phenom. Owen Wilson has always been a tough pill for me to swallow, and this series wasn’t any different, but I am a massive fan of Marc Maron.

The supporting cast of young talent including Peter Dager as the gifted golfer and Lilli Kay as his girlfriend really rose above whatever it is that I find off putting about Wilson.

If you’re a fan of these types of sports stories you shouldn’t skip this one. It’s….better than par! (Sorry)

Peacemaker (HBO)

If not for its long, ridiculous, mostly terrible season finale that missed the landing in epic fashion, Peacemaker would probably be higher on my list. The series continues to be a shining example of how James Gunn’s dedication to scaling back comic book series to focus on quality rather than quantity (see for example what the Marvel folks are doing) is obviously the right way to do it.

The strength of John Cena’s acting chops never cease to amaze me. His range expands with every role he takes.

The Bear (Hulu)

The fourth season of one of Hulu’s most critically acclaimed series remained one of my favorite on television despite seeming to fall out of favor with more viewers every time it’s released.

Jeremey Allen White and Ayo Edebiri turn in their usual top notch performances and although it feels like it needs a push to a finish line, it still has some of the strongest written dialogue of any series on TV.

North of North (Netflix)

Anna Lambe, coming off a tremendous turn on True Detective: North Country stars as an Artctic woman set out to reimagine her life in a small town that showcases community and compassion in a place that looks and feels foreign. Lambe is clearly a star in the making.

Death By Lightning (Netflix)

Netflix’s adaptation of a book about the unlikely rise to the presidency of James Garfield and his unfortunate demise at the hands of a deranged Charles Guiteau had some of the best performances of the year. Matthew Macfayden is quickly rising into legend territory as he flexes his incredible versatility. Michael Shannon’s portrayal of President Garfield is equally as amazing as are top notch performances by the an all-star cast of Nick Offerman, Shea Whigham, Betty Gilles and Bradley Whitford.

It was an incredibly daring debut project for showrunner Mike Makowsky given the meticulate attention to details of the costumes, set designs and cinematography.

It’s a short and fast binge that was insanely entertaining.

Paradise (Hulu)

Without spoiling the plot of Paradise (which takes a massive twist you won’t see coming at the end of the first episode), Dan Fogelman’s strong action-drama about a Secret Service Agent (Brown) charged with discovering who planned an attack on the President (Marsden) is heavy on the cheese, but a fun binge nonetheless.

Highlighted by excellent performances from SK Brown and James Marsden, despite being really hokey it’s got a gripping plot that keeps you guessing until the very end.

English Teacher (FX)

The second and ultimately final season of FX’s English Teacher came in and went out like a lamb with barely any buzz nor viewers. Behind the scenes allegations of its creator’s hostile work environment certainly didn’t help.

Regardless, even in its brief time on television it was (along with ABC’s brilliant Abbott Elementary) one of the funniest and best depictions of public school in America.