Halfway through 2025, the year is already chock-full of incredible television. The best TV shows of 2025 (so far) can be found on streaming, premium cable, and even (even!) public television. They’re funny; they’re dramatic; they’re both at the same time. They’re animated, in both the figurative sense and, in one case, the literal sense. Some reunite us with beloved familiar faces; some introduce us to compelling new performers. All are well worth your time, particularly as Emmy season heats up, with performers and series from this very list likely to be singled out. (And mark your calendars: nominations will be announced July 15.)
Read on to see our picks for the 16 best TV shows 2025 has to offer—so far, anyway.
Adolescence
Network: NetflixNotable cast members: Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters, Erin DohertySynopsis: A 13-year-old boy is accused of murdering his female classmate.
All too often, “oners”—camera shots that go on for a long time—are the province of the most annoying film fanatic you know. Imagine my surprise when this four-part drama used unbroken, episode-long shots not for maddening reasons, but to bring us inside the psychological subtleties of an intense, complicated Netflix drama with no easy answers. The camera weaves around a police station, a school, a counseling session, and an unassuming home, all in service of illuminating the mundane, heartbreaking, and wrenching things that happen after a teen boy named Jamie is accused of murdering a female classmate. I have one quibble: I want an Adolescence episode focused on Jade (Fatima Bojang), the best friend of the murdered Katie (neither of them gets nearly enough attention). Still, this is a gripping experiment that by and large works exceptionally well. I will be thinking about the third episode—a stunning two-hander featuring Erin Doherty as a psychologist and newcomer Owen Cooper as Jamie—for a very long time, and about the fact that this drama only begins the process of asking what we do about a society in which boys are still taught—especially online—that “the very notion of masculinity is still built on access, on the idea that men are owed something from women.” —Mo Ryan
Andor
Network: Disney+Notable cast members: Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan SkarsgårdSynopsis: The Rebel Alliance plots the overthrow of the evil Galactic Empire—all leading up to the events of Star Wars: Rogue One.
Remember when the first season of The Handmaid’s Tale hit a decade ago, and a lot of us thought no show could have ever been more timely? Well, the second season of Andor completed its run not long before the military began an occupation of an American city that did not want those soldiers there. Let’s just say the echoes on multiple fronts to Andor’s tremendous Ghorman arc were distinctly eerie. All in all, 2025 has been awash in parallels to Andor, which depicted the rise of a dictatorial state and the risks that all sorts of people take to either ensure its plan stays on track, or is stopped at any cost. Andor’s second season, like its first, has a few wobbles and unprofitable digressions, but in the main, it is to be commended for asking hard questions about the many kinds of sacrifice a rebellion requires — even one that’s absolutely necessary. Throughout, it features sensational work from not just known quantities like Diego Luna, Anton Lesser, Ben Mendelsohn and Stellan Skarsgård, but also from Lucasfilm newcomers Denise Gough, Elizabeth Dulau, and Kyle Soller. —M.R.
Common Side Effects
Network: Adult SwimNotable cast members: Dave King, Emily PendergastSynopsis: A genius discovers a mushroom that can cure any illness.
What you don’t expect from Warner Bros. Discovery, just weeks into the year 2025, is a thriller about a miraculous natural cure for all diseases and injuries that sparks a conspiracy among the FBI and Big Pharma, which are already secret partners controlled by a shadowy puppet master. But here we are! Cocreated by Joseph Bennett (Scavengers Reign) and Steve Hely (30 Rock), Common Side Effects follows Marshall (voiced by Dave King), whose discovery of the legendary Blue Angel mushroom puts him in the deep state’s crosshairs, and his old high school lab partner, Frances (voiced by Emily Pendergast), now an executive assistant at a pharmaceutical company—though she keeps that part secret from Marshall as she encourages him to pursue his research. While most medical series portray patients getting endless tests with no mention of how they’re going to pay for any of them, Common Side Effects actually acknowledges the fact that some American residents don’t have health insurance—and dramatizes how a universal cure-all would risk destabilizing all the systems that trap us. Those aspects alone make it this year’s most radical TV show. —Tara Ariano
Dark Winds
Network: AMC+Notable cast members: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna AllisonSynopsis: Three Navajo police officers investigate crimes at the southern border.
You won’t find a TV show with a more dramatic setting. This AMC+ series, based on an array of Tony Hillerman mystery novels, is filmed on stunning Diné (Navajo) lands in the Southwest. Dark Winds is not one of the flashier crime shows out there, but that’s no dig: It’s a rewarding, slow-burning serial that inhabits its settings and its characters’ lives with quiet confidence. And as its excellent cast has gelled, it has become ever more psychologically compelling. Zahn McClarnon’s quietly electric performance as reservation cop Joe Leaphorn remains tremendously impressive. Every bit of his virtuosity is called upon in the show’s third season. Leaphorn’s past choices come to a head in its transfixing sixth episode, which airs later this month and is unquestionably one of the best TV installments of 2025. —M.R.
Dept. Q
Network: NetflixNotable cast members: Matthew Goode, Kelly Macdonald, Chloe Pirrie, Alexej ManvelovSynopsis: A misanthropic detective builds a team of misfits dedicated to solving apparently unsolvable cold cases.
I recently described this series to a friend as “Slow Horses without the farting”—which I consider high praise. Both shows revolve around a cantankerous boss and his ragtag crew of crimesolvers. In the case of Dept. Q, it’s Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a brilliant but broken man who is recovering from a traumatic gunshot injury. Relegated to creating a cold-case division in the basement of his Edinburgh police station, Morck assembles a team that includes Akram (Alexej Manvelov), a Syrian immigrant with a mysterious past, and Rose (Leah Byrne), an underappreciated constable with PTSD. Their first case: the disappearance of Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), an abrasive local prosecutor who has left behind a long list of potential enemies, not to mention some creepy secrets of her own. Adapted by Scott Frank from a book by Danish novelist Jussi Adler-Olsen, Dept. Q bides its time, ultimately weaving its chilling twists and excellent performances into an enjoyably gothic procedural. —J.P.
Dying for Sex
Network: FXNotable cast members: Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Rob Delaney, Esco JouléySynopsis: After learning she has terminal cancer, sexually repressed Molly goes on a journey of self-discovery.
Sex and death: They’re such old pals, the French even use “petite mort” (“little death”) as a euphemism for orgasm. FX’s Dying for Sex pushes that connection into some stunning, unexpected places. Based on the podcast of the same name, the limited series by New Girl’s Liz Meriwether and Kim Rosentock stars Michelle Williams as Molly, a sexually repressed woman who discovers that she’s terminally ill. She quickly makes several major life (death?) decisions: She leaves her moribund marriage, decides to spend her remaining time with her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate), and sets off in pursuit of sexual satisfaction. More specifically, the big O. It takes several episodes for this black comedy to take flight, but when it does, Dying for Sex hits places other shows haven’t dared to reach. Williams is great as always, but Slate is a genuine revelation as a chaotic, struggling actor who drops everything to join her friend on a final adventure. —Joy Press
Mo
Network: NetflixNotable cast members: Mo Amer, Teresa Ruiz, Omar Elba, Farah BsiesoSynopsis: A loosely autobiographical comedy about a Palestinian American seeking citizenship.
In its exceptional second (and sadly final) season, Mo navigates the shifts from bittersweet pathos to madcap comedy to heartbreak (political and romantic) with impressive assurance, wrapping up with one of the most exceptional series finales in recent memory. This half-hour Netflix dramedy follows a Palestinian man who, along with the rest of his Houston-based family, has been waiting to have his asylum application approved after more than 20 years in the immigration system. Mo breaks down that bureaucratic nightmare with moments that are both deft and razor-sharp, and also builds entertaining and moving moments around the business setbacks and romantic roadblocks that Mohammed “Mo” Najjar (cocreator Mo Amer) can never seem to shake. Mo compassionately and wisely explores how difficult it is to build a stable life as a “stateless person,” even one who is, in fact, anything but unconnected: Mo is deeply and movingly grounded by his bonds with his family, his friends, his city, and his culture. A gem. —M.R.
Outrageous
Network: BritboxNotable cast members: Bessie Carter, Isobel Jesper Jones, James PurefoySynopsis: The six captivating Mitford sisters navigate society and scandal in 1930s Britain.
For a while in the ’30s and ’40s, you could hardly open a newspaper without seeing a story about a member of the Mitford family. As the creative team notes in VF‘s first look at this series, most of the six aristocratic sisters had a knack for doing things that shocked not just their relations but the whole country. Unity was a notable Hitler devotee; Diana divorced a rich man to marry England’s leading Fascist; and Jessica ran off to the Spanish Civil War. For well-bred young ladies of the pre-war era, these things were simply not done. The tart, well-acted six-episode Outrageous briskly covers most of the Mitford basics. It paints a picture of their times and examines the development of the sheltered sisters’ ideological splits, while also taking note of the toll these young women’s choices took on their bewildered, traditional parents (played by the great Anna Chancellor and James Purefoy). As novelist Nancy Mitford, the eldest, who’s going through difficulties of her own, Bessie Carter strikes just the right notes of get-on-with-it resilience mixed with growing horror and undeniable heartbreak, as not just the world but her entire family undergoes a series of radical ruptures. —M.R.
The Pitt
Network: MaxNotable cast members: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, Tracy Ifeachor, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Fiona Dourif, Gerran Howell, Shabana AzeezSynopsis: The dedicated doctors of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital work their way through an extraordinarily eventful 15-hour shift.
Don’t call it a comeback: Legally speaking, this is definitely not ER 2.0 (at least as far as Warner Bros.’ lawyers are concerned). That said, The Pitt pays homage to the creative touchstones of the recent past while avoiding the kinds of manipulation and cheap sentimentality that afflict many medical shows. You could say The Pitt put in a central line and revived the patient that is the American one-hour drama. But in praising TV’s best new show, which just happens to stream on Max, let’s not make this an intravenous-bag-half-full situation. Let us just be glad that it is structured intelligently and doesn’t end after eight episodes, giving us a full meal of 15 well-paced, genuinely character-driven installments instead. Let us give thanks for an ensemble cast whose members play off one another beautifully, and for the way The Pitt’s writers, directors, cast, and crew masterfully orchestrate every complex element of this emotionally engaging medical saga—and then take everything up several notches with the gripping episodes revolving around a mass shooting. Long may we all be Pitt-pilled. —M.R.
The Rehearsal
Network: HBONotable cast members: Nathan FielderSynopsis: Fielder’s uncategorizable comedy (it is a comedy, right?) returns for a second season focused on plane crashes.
“If you plan for every variable, a happy outcome doesn’t have to be left to chance,” Nathan Fielder insisted in the first season of The Rehearsal, a monument to interpersonal control freakishness. The second season of this mocku-series raises the stakes considerably by taking on the entire aviation industry. Fielder’s premise is that many plane crashes happen because co-pilots don’t feel comfortable pointing out pilot errors. Hoping to fix this problem, he uses his sizable HBO budget to launch an array of experiments. He hires hundreds of extras, builds a replica airport terminal, learns to fly a plane, and even creates a reenactment of hero pilot Sully Sullenberger’s life, from infancy on. Watching Baby Sully, played by Fielder, breastfeeding from a giant Mother Sullenberger puppet may be one of the most bizarre TV moments of 2025. And like so much of this show, it mixes cringe-inducing comedy, pathos and puzzlement over how to be a person in the world. —J.P.
The Righteous Gemstones
Network: HBONotable cast members: John Goodman, Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine, Cassidy FreemanSynopsis: Succession, but make it a comedy about a megachurch dynasty.
The heirs to the Gemstone Ministries fortune—pompous Jesse (Danny McBride, also the show’s creator); snotty Kelvin (Adam DeVine); and furious Judy (Edi Patterson)—have always, and quite obviously, represented a major devolution from their father, Eli (John Goodman), who’s been actively grieving the loss of his wife, Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), since we met him in the series premiere. The HBO comedy’s fourth and final season offers Eli a chance to love again with Lori (Megan Mullally), Aimee-Leigh’s “ride or die.” The caution with which these two characters approach each other is drawn with so much care that you can’t believe their tender love scenes share screen time with one of Jesse’s sons farting on his lap in a “Prayer Pod” that will later be returned to the church after being used for semi-private masturbation. Though I’m as heartbroken as anyone to have to say goodbye to a creation as singular as Uncle Baby Billy (Walton Goggins, also lighting up this season of The White Lotus), The Righteous Gemstones ends its profane and sacred run perfectly. —T.A.
Running Point
Network: NetflixNotable cast members: Kate Hudson, Brenda Song, Drew Tarver, Chet HanksSynopsis: A reformed party girl finds herself unexpectedly in charge of the family business, a basketball team much like the LA Lakers.
A cheery, silly, often clever Netflix workplace sitcom—about a bumbling family running a major basketball team—is given a shot of extra life by star Kate Hudson, taking her first lead role in years to play a former party girl trying to find a place in her dynasty’s legacy. Bright and fast, Running Point seems mostly aimed at having a good time, something at which Hudson is naturally adept. She’s right at home in all the luxe trappings of the series, gliding through with effervescence while doing some fun, less-than-glamorous physical comedy. And she’s not alone in making Running Point work: Drew Tarver, late of The Other Two, and Scott MacArthur are also hoots as varyingly bumbling brothers trying to get their own piece of the pie. It all makes for an agreeably low-stakes delight. —Richard Lawson
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
Network: Paramout+Notable cast members: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross MatthewsSynopsis: The search for the next drag superstar once again invites standout former contestants to return for another shot at glory.
For the tenth season of the Paramount+ series—which was previously a VH1 series, and before that a Logo series—the producers decided to shake things up. Rather than assembling all the returning queens into one main competition, they divided the girls into three brackets of six contestants each. The three winners of those smaller heats will then feed into semifinal and final rounds. On paper, the premise sounds a bit strained, a desperate gimmick to revive a tired format. In practice, though, it’s proven fresh and exciting, largely owed to both shrewd overall casting and clever groupings of queens. A nice-enough assemblage of girls in the first three episodes gave way to a bevy of meanies in the next block. Surprising frontrunners have emerged, some stunning looks have graced the runway, and one cast member has solidified their status as one of the most nefarious Drag Race villains of all time. What fun! —R.L.
Severance
Network: Apple TV+Notable cast members: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, Gwendoline ChristieSynopsis: Office drones at mysterious Lumon Industries choose to “sever” their work selves from their home selves.
After a nearly three-year hiatus, Severance returned for its second season on Apple TV+ with all of its strangeness and pathos intact. Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his fellow workers on Lumon’s severed floor didn’t experience that long time gap, of course; they only awakened when the elevator doors opened at their workplace. But Mark’s desire to reintegrate the two halves of his consciousness and rescue his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), propels much of the season, providing a spine from which all of the other mysteries radiate. The deeper the show probes its characters’ humanity, the harder it becomes to know whom to root for—especially since one of the standouts this season is Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick, the middle manager who effectively serves as the workers’ prison guard. An existential thriller, corporate satire, and visual poem rolled into one, Severance gets the highest possible marks on its 2025 workplace performance review. —J.P.
The White Lotus
Network: HBONotable cast members: Natasha Rothwell, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jason Isaacs, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam NivolaSynopsis: Rich people endure existential crises in paradise—again!
Yes, the latest season starts a little slow. And sure, Jennifer Coolidge’s decaying heiress, Tanya, is sorely missed. But as the third season of Mike White’s elegant, soul-sick anthology series unfolds, the old, devious magic gradually returns. Killer performances from Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, and others help liven up what White has deliberately constructed as a darker, more contemplative season. Never has one of the White Lotus resorts looked as ominous and doom-stalked as this lovely Thailand location, a perfect setting for characters tending to their spiritual malaise in the most witless and, increasingly, dangerous of ways. The murmur of doom running underneath the season feels entirely apt for our times, even if it’s mostly the non-rich who are feeling the burn out here in the real world. —R.L.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
Network: PBSNotable cast members: Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Jonathan Pryce, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Harriet Walter, Timothy SpallSynopsis: Thomas Cromwell navigates the court of Henry VIII after the execution of Anne Boleyn—and tries not to lose his own head.
UK dramas that feature intrigue among power players, gorgeous costumes, lavish settings, and terrific actors are not that rare. Yet the follow-up to 2015’s Wolf Hall, airing stateside on PBS, is (like its predecessor) next-level when it comes to all of those elements. The decade or so between the first season and The Mirror and the Light—which continues the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed novels—works in the new episodes’ favor, as service to the entitled, complicated Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) has visibly aged savvy courtier Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance). Cromwell is aware that being good at his job—maybe too good—is nearly as dangerous as the petulant king deciding to blame his growing problems on his adviser’s (nonexistent) incompetence. In a cast full of standouts, Rylance does work that remains awe-inspiring: He captures every nuance of Cromwell’s ambition, intelligence, regret, and grief, often without saying a word. —M.R.
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