HBO MaxThe Paper joins our list of the best TV shows of 2025 so far, which includes Invincible, Severance, The Last of Us, Adolescence, Squid Game, and Alien: Earth.
2024 was a strong year for TV, with Shogun wowing audiences, the return of True Detective generating mystery, Season 3 of The Bear making us laugh through tears, and Squid Game providing both shocks and thrills.
2025 could be even stronger, with The Last of Us and Andor wowing audiences, Squid Game concluding in style, and Stranger Things drawing to a close at the end of the year.
Below you’ll find our TV picks – in alphabetical order – of the best of 2025 so far, meaning we’ll be adding to this article throughout the year, so keep checking back for more recommendations.
Adolescence
NetflixWhat it’s about: Adolescence starts with a 13-year-old boy being arrested on suspicion of a classmate’s murder, and follows his journey, as well as the stories of detectives investigating the crime, a child psychologist assigned to the case, and the effect the tragedy has on his family.
Why we like it: Adolescence is an incredible piece of television. Largely because it’s shot in four single continuous takes that play out over four hours, making the show a jaw-dropping technical feat. But also because it’s anchored by career-best performances from the likes of Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, and Erin Doherty, as well as remarkable newcomer Owen Cooper. The result is tough to watch, but also one of the best TV shows of the year.
Alien: Earth
Hulu/DisneyWhat it’s about: Set two years before the events of the 1979 movie, Alien: Earth sees a spacecraft called the USCSS Maginot crash-landing on our planet carrying a xenemorph, as well as several new and equally terrifying extraterrestrial species.
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Alien Earth review: “The best the franchise has been since Isolation; scary, thought-provoking, and thoroughly distinct. For a lifetime fan, this is what dreams (and nightmares) are made of.”
Andor
Disney/LucasfilmWhat it’s about: Andor is the second and final season of the Rogue One prequel series that charts the title character’s journey from thief and smuggler to rebel and brave freedom-fighter.
Why we like it: Andor is Star Wars, but barely resembles what’s comes before, with showrunner Tony Gilroy telling a story lacking in space battles and lightsabres, and instead focussing on a disparate group of characters falling under authoritarian rule, and finding the strength to fight back. It’s also the best bit of Star Was since the first two movies.
Cobra Kai
NetflixWhat it’s about: This belated serialised sequel to 1980s classic The Karate Kid finds Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence continuing their rivalry in the present-day, via their respective dojos Miyagi-Do, and the titular Cobra Kai.
Cobra Kai Season 6 recap: Cobra Kai is an inspired idea, taking what worked from the original Karate Kid movies, and poking fun at what didn’t. But what really makes the show work is William Zabka, who is superb as the older, sadder Johnny Lawrence; a man that’s stuck in the past, but over the course of six seasons, finds a place for himself in the present.
Daredevil: Born Again
NetflixWhat it’s about: Matt Murdock is back, and this time he’s going up against a Kingpin who has gone legit, with Wilson Fisk now running for New York Mayor, and claiming he wants to clean up the city.
Daredevil Born Again review: “Daredevil: Born Again feels like a rebirth for the MCU. It’s bold, grown-up, and as teeth-clinchingly ferocious as you could ever hope. The Man Without Fear is back, and he could be the franchise’s savior.”
Invincible
Prime VideoWhat it’s about: Mark Grayson’s dad is the most powerful superhero on the planet, but as he develops his own powers, Mark finds out his father might not be the hero that he thought.
Invincible Season 3 review: “Robert Kirkman promised that every episode in Season 3 would feel like a finale – and he delivered (mostly). From the first episode, its pace is breathless while retaining the weight of each plot thread, juggling everything in Mark’s life, the squabbling among the Guardians, and Allen and Nolan’s guilt-ridden space bickering. By the end of every episode (which all have post-credits scenes, by the way), you’ll be fighting the urge to read ahead in the comics.”
The Last of Us
HBOWhat it’s about: Season 2 of The Last of Us is an adaptation of Naughty Dog’s acclaimed video game sequel The Last of Us Part 2. The new series picks up five years after the events of Season 1, and continues to follow Joel and Ellie’s efforts to survive after a global pandemic has destroyed much of civilization.
The Last of Us review: “Season 2 is a phenomenal, punishing adaptation of one of gaming’s greatest and most challenging stories. This is edge-of-your-seat television that calls for compassion… and patience.”
The Paper
PeacockWhat it’s about: In this mockumentary-style spinoff from The Office, new editor Ned Sampson tries to turn round the fortunes of struggling Midwestern newspaper the Toledo Truth-Teller.
The Paper review: “This is a sitcom that’s not only worthy of its beloved predecessor, but it has the potential to become a cozy, long-running favorite; Dundie-worthy, even.”
Peacemaker
HBO MaxWhat it’s about: The second season of Peacemaker is largely concerned with getting the band back together, but the show kicks into high gear when Chris Smith finds a portal to another dimension where he’s popular and his dad is still alive.
Peacemaker Season 2 review: “Lacks the potentially world-ending stakes of its predecessor, but makes up for that with an emotionally charged tale that acts as the DCU’s answer to Sliding Doors.”
The Pitt
MaxWhat it’s about: Over the course of one 15-hour shift at a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room, a team of burned-out medics must overcome personal and professional issues on the clock – including a mass shooting at a local music festival.
Why we like it: While the lawsuit would have you say otherwise, The Pitt is absolutely nothing like ER. The unique hour-by-hour format isn’t the only thing that makes the new TV stand out, though. Think killer performances (sometimes literally), intense relationships, and complicated dynamics. Your heart will stop in Episode 12, when the casualties from Pittfest begin pouring in. Honestly? You won’t be able to breathe again until the show is over.
Reacher
Prime VideoWhat it’s about: Trouble finds former soldier Jack Reacher yet again in Season 3 of the Amazon series, via an attempted kidnapping, an undercover mission, and a dangerous enemy from his past.
Why we like it: Adapted from the Lee Child novel ‘Persuader,’ Season 3 of Reacher does something a little different with the show’s formula in Episode 1, which sets the series up in scintillating fashion. What follows is the best outing yet, thanks to a genuinely terrifying villain, and a giant bodyguard called Paulie, who dwarfs Jack, making their big showdown a fight for the ages.
The Rehearsal
HBOWhat it’s about: Realising that planes are crashing because first officers are too intimidated to challenge their captains, Season 2 of The Rehearsal features complicated role-plays that aim to change what happens in the cockpit.
Why we like it: Nathan Fielder is a mad genius who takes cringe comedy to the next level. But the ground-breaking brilliance of The Rehearsal is that behind the insanity there’s a serious message, and if Season 2 has the desired effect, lives will actually be saved.
Severance
Apple TV+What it’s about: Severance revolves around a group of office workers who undergo a surgical procedure to divide their brain between office hours and home time.
Severance Season 2 review: “Severance Season 2 is an astounding achievement; a flawless showcase of craft, performance, and taut, compulsive storytelling. If it sticks the landing, it belongs in the highest echelon of television – and we should feel jubilant at its ascendance.”
Squid Game
NetflixWhat it’s about: South Korea’s poor are given the opportunity to win money by playing a series of children’s games, little realising that death awaits those who fail.
Squid Game review: “After Season 3, it’s clear that Squid Game is the best TV show Netflix has ever produced: a barrier-breaking feat of universal, ruthless storytelling that may never be matched. The games may be over, but its legacy will (hopefully) live on.”
A Thousand Blows
Disney+What it’s about: Set in the criminal underworld of 1880s London, A Thousand Blows charts what happens when a pair of friends newly arrived from Jamaica become involved with notorious bare-knuckle boxer Sugar Goodson, and an all-female gang of thieves called the Forty Elephants.
Why we like it: Back when the first two episodes screened at the London Film Festival, we came up with 5 reasons to be excited about A Thousand Blows, which include the amazing true story, an extraordinary cast led by Stephen Graham, and the fact that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is overseeing proceedings, which means quality is pretty much guaranteed.
The White Lotus
HBOWhat it’s about: You know the drill – a bunch of rich, privileged holiday-makers descend on a luxury hotel in a beautiful destination, where something very bad goes down. This time the location is Thailand, and the bad thing a body floating in the pool.
Why we like it: You can read our recaps of Episode 1 and Episode 2, while in a piece about the theme tune, we wrote that: “the show is brilliant (one of the best TV shows ever) and even though Season 3’s just begun, it’s already shaping up to be every bit as absorbing as the first two seasons.”
Yellowjackets
ShowtimeWhat it’s about: A high school girls’ soccer team survives a plane crash in the wilderness, but their descent into savagery haunts them decades later. Think Lord of the Flies but with girls, angst, and ‘90s nostalgia.
Why we like it: Cannibalism. Trauma. ‘90s needle drops. What more could you ask for? Yellowjackets isn’t just a survival thriller, it’s a full-blown psychological spiral that somehow makes teen girl feral cults feel disturbingly relatable. Things might look rosy now summer’s arrived in Season 3, but don’t be fooled – tension is bubbling away beneath the surface, and it’s only a matter of time before carnage ensues. For more on what happens, check out our Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 1 recap.
Those are our TV picks, but you can also check out Dexerto’s best movies of the year so far, or our list of 2025’s best games.