'I watch TV for a living. These are the 13 best shows of 2025.'

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No, seriously, my job is to binge-watch, and this year, our group chats were absolutely bubbling over with must-see TV. 

In 2025, if you weren't frantically sending all-caps texts about that plot twist on Severance or debating #TeamConrad on a dedicated thread, you were seriously falling behind.

Watch: The White Lotus Season 3 Official Teaser Trailer. Article continues below.

From mind-bending sci-fi to juicy rom-coms and dark dramas, these shows gave us everything: the emotional catharsis, the technical brilliance and the mystery to keep us completely obsessed. 

Here are the series that defined the conversation in 2025.

Adolescence.

Image: Netflix.

This Netflix limited series is a tense, four-part psychological drama that will absolutely gut you — and it's a terrifying, all-too-real look at modern parenting. 

It follows a family whose 13-year-old son is accused of murdering a classmate. It's co-created by Jack Thorne and the brilliant Stephen Graham (who also stars), and here's the kicker: each episode is filmed in an anxiety-inducing, continuous single-take format, plunging you straight into the devastating aftermath. 

You won't be able to look away.

The Pitt.

Image: HBO Max.

If you're sick of medical shows that feel like a daytime soap, this is the one for you. The Pitt is a grittily realistic medical procedural focusing on the exhausted, underfunded staff of the emergency department — or "The Pitt" — at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre. 

The series follows a single, gruelling 15-hour shift, sweating through the ethical and psychological toll of healthcare in a post-pandemic world. Finally, a medical drama that feels authentic, not glossy. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3.

Image: Prime Video.

Hands up if you were team #Bonrad this year. Good, because that's the only correct answer to that question. The third and final season of the wildly popular YA romance saw Belly (Lola Tung) finally make her choice in the ongoing love triangle between the swoon-worthy Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. 

#TeamConrad versus #TeamJeremiah became a cultural phenomenon, dominating every corner of the internet.

It was pure, beautiful, escapist summer nostalgia — the kind of show that fuels viral memes, intense fan loyalty, and all those group chat debates.

The White Lotus season 3.

Image: HBO Max.

Mike White's satirical anthology moved to a swanky wellness resort in Thailand, unleashing a new round of chaos and dark humour among the obscenely wealthy guests and the hotel staff. 

The enticing cast included a returning Natasha Rothwell, along with Aimee Lou Wood, Jason Isaacs, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger. 

Let's be real, it's The White Lotus — the series is now a guaranteed talking point and it never fails to deliver the perfect mix of glamour and utter disaster. So it's no surprise that it was one of the biggest shows of the year. 

Nobody Wants This season 2. 

Image: Netflix.

The romantic comedy's second season follows agnostic, Instagram-savvy sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and soulful rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) as they navigate the deepening challenges of their impossible relationship. 

The biggest question? Whether Joanne can contemplate a conversion to Judaism to appease Noah's career goals and family. 

Once again, the Bell/Brody chemistry was unmatched — they are just electric together. And the show's sharp, witty commentary on influencer culture, modern relationships, and the challenges of intercultural relationships made it the complex, feel-good rom-com we all needed. 

The Studio.

Image: Apple TV+.

This satirical cringe-comedy from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is the ultimate Hollywood takedown. It stars Rogen as a new, self-described cinephile head of a floundering studio who is forced to choose between his passion for quality films and corporate demands.

It was a savage Hollywood satire that hit uncomfortably close to home. 

It also swept the major comedy categories at the Emmys — 13 wins to be exact — making it the most-winning first season comedy in Emmy history.

Severance season 2.

Image: Apple TV+.

After a nail-biting, three-year hiatus, the sci-fi drama returned to Lumon Industries, where the "innies" (work-selves) and "outies" (personal-selves) of the severed employees are now fully aware of their dual existences and the terrifying ethics of the experiment. 

The show also became Apple TV+'s most-watched series ever, surpassing Ted Lasso. It's provocative, impeccably directed and fuelled endless fan theories that kept the internet busy this year. 

What can I say? Ben Stiller has done it again. 

Squid Game season 3.

Image: Netflix.

The third season wrapped up the original South Korean survival drama. Hundreds of cash-strapped players compete in deadly children's games for a huge cash prize, with this season focusing on the continuing saga of Gi-hun's fight against the organisation running the games.

It's a certified global hit, and we all know why. Despite mixed critical reception for the third outing, the show's dark social commentary on capitalism and class inequality continued to draw massive viewership, setting new streaming records and cementing its place as one of Netflix's most-watched series.

You simply had to watch it to be part of the global conversation.

The Hunting Wives.

Image: Stan

This erotic thriller follows wife and mother Sophie as she moves to East Texas, where she's quickly drawn into a circle of wealthy, seemingly perfect women. 

Sophie's mysterious, tragic past (a secret drunk driving fatality) begins to haunt her as the series delves into the dark secrets and dramatic lives of the local elite. 

It was the perfect, guilty-pleasure blend of a crime drama and The Real Housewives — a juicy, compelling watch that tapped into our collective obsession with rich women doing bad things. 

Wayward.

Image: Netflix.

A Canadian mystery thriller miniseries set in the fictional town of Tall Pines, Vermont. It follows two teenagers who escape an academy for troubled youth, teaming up with a newly arrived local police officer to uncover the town's deeply rooted, dark secrets. 

This series was a slow-burn mystery with a chilling, unsettling atmosphere that creeped us all out.

But beyond the compelling thriller elements, it offered really fascinating commentary on how trauma cycles through generations, who is responsible for fixing it and using what means. 

The Four Seasons.

Image: Netflix.

Tina Fey's witty midlife comedy follows a year in the life of three well-off, long-time college couples in their 50s as they go on quarterly mini-breaks. The comfortable dynamic is shattered when one of the husbands (Steve Carell) plans to leave his wife for a much younger woman. 

And I can confirm, the show was properly funny and heartbreaking, rooted in the relatable, warm, and weary affection of enduring friendships and middle-aged life. 

Not to mention, the stellar ensemble cast — I mean, hello, Colman Domingo — was a massive draw. It's the perfect show to watch with your oldest friends.

Untamed.

Image: Netflix.

We seem to love Eric Bana in the wilderness because Untamed throws him right back into it, both literally and emotionally.

Bana plays federal agent Kyle Turner who's sent to investigate a woman's death in the stunning but unforgiving landscape of Yosemite National Park. 

What starts as a straightforward case quickly spirals into something far more sinister and unexplainable, with Bana delivering a powerfully understated performance as a man trying to solve crimes while wrestling with his own devastating loss.

The Girlfriend.

Image: Prime Video.

This was the ultimate mother-in-law nightmare drama. And I loved every second of it. 

The Girlfriend is a dark, psychological thriller that centres on an intense tug-of-war between a fiercely controlling mother, Laura (Robin Wright), and her son Daniel's captivating new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke). 

The series masterfully blurs the lines between love, paranoia, and manipulation, forcing the audience to constantly question who the real villain is. Trust me, you'll be obsessed.

Feature Image: HBO Max.