Disclaimer: I only rank shows that I watch and I’m not a TV critic. Also, there are some spoilers. Read at your own risk…
Last year I watched 10 shows from 2024. This year I watched 12 shows that aired new episodes in 2025–a little increase from last year, but I did a huge push in December to finish as much as I could. Also, one of these shows is technically from 2024, but the last couple weeks of 2024, so I’m counting it on 2025.
Last year I also watched 16 seasons of TV from previous years. This year I watched 10, so there’s a drop here, but I’m not surprised because it was a challenge to watch as many new TV shows as I did.
Like last year, I did not have a show I was obsessed with, but many of the shows I watched this year were pretty great, which felt like an improvement from last year’s slate. I’m still keeping my eye out for my next obsession though. And many of these shows will be back, if not this year then in subsequent years. Only half were cancelled (assuming Poker Face doesn’t come back, but I’m rooting for it).
Here are my top 10:
1. Hacks (HBO Max)
I watched all four seasons of Hacks this year, so it really feels like my show of 2025. In some ways, I don’t think I’ve seen this kind of relationship on TV before (a close professional relationship between an older and younger woman), but on the other hand, it’s the sparring couple template that’s been remapped onto a 20-something comedy writer and an older seasoned comedian, both women. As with all my favorite sparring couples, I much prefer when they’re not at each other’s throats, so the bulk of this fourth season was a bit difficult to take–I prefer not to see people who love each other hurt each other–but they came around in a beautiful way. I also love the Kayla-Jimmy dynamic and all the supporting cast, as well as the poking fun of being a writer in LA while also treating it with reverence.
2. Andor (Disney+)
The only Star Wars thing I enjoy. I know they condensed the remaining planned 4 seasons into 1, which was probably overall a good idea, but sometimes it felt a little too rushed. Maybe 1 more season after this one would have been best, but regardless, Andor was a gripping look at how people operate under fascism. For people who don’t think there’s a fascist playbook that governments follow, just look to Andor because they were absolutely using it. I know the show is over, but it seemed like they were leaving the door open for a sequel series, which I would LOVE to see. Dedra needs a redemption arc. I don’t want to put the spotlight on fascists, but I do think we should be telling stories about how they can change… or not change. Either way, too many characters were left alive at the end to just end here.
3. Poker Face (Peacock)
For a show about murder, Poker Face brings me so much joy. The highlight of this season for me was definitely the third episode, which ended the arc of Charlie being chased by Beatrix Hasp. To see what seemed to be a sendup of the Documentary Now! episode “Original Cast Album: Co-Op,” with guests Richard Kind and John Mulaney singing Sondheim, delighted me to no end. Natasha Lyonne is so good in this, and it’s a shame she is leaving the show, causing it to either be canceled or return with a different actor in the lead. The individual episodes were great, but I didn’t love the final arc of the season, which I found a little over the top. It still kept me guessing, though, and I had to stay up late to watch the conclusion.
4. Dying for Sex (Hulu)
I love television that doesn’t feel like any television I’ve seen before, and that was Dying for Sex. I felt as though I went on such a journey with these characters, and I appreciated the focus on the female friendship, as well as centering the dying character while still giving significant weight to the caregiver. Even though it was incredibly sad, I still felt it was a comedy in its way, and the excellent performances walked this line so well. Yes, there is a lot of sex but that just became part of the dying process.
5. Long Story Short (Netflix)
I’m not usually an animated show fan, but Long Story Short, about a Jewish family at different points in their lives, intrigued me. I loved it because it was both so Jewish (shout out to the Yom Kippur episode–I love when shows do Yom Kippur episodes, especially ones that really understand the holiday) and also so Covid conscious. Many scenes involve the characters still masking long after others have stopped at a time long after any shows have referenced the pandemic in any meaningful way. And not only are the characters Jewish, but I appreciate that they got Jewish actors to voice the main family members as well. The Jewish mother is a bit too stereotypical, but they at least give her her due. I’m looking forward to more seasons.
6. The White Lotus (HBO Max)
The second season is still my favorite, but I enjoyed this third season. The reason I didn’t like the first season of this show was that it just seemed to be about class, which is boring to me. I always think the exploration of class has to be intersected with something else. The second season was the intersection of class and sex, and this season was class and religion/faith. It was also interesting to see character types that repeat in each season, like there is often a character who you think is going to escape their circumstances, but they don’t end up leaving. In this season that was Piper. It was also good to see some characters return (Belinda), though not so good to see others (Greg). I’m glad the third season didn’t slide backwards into first season territory, and I’m looking forward to the fourth season.
7. Too Much (Netflix)
Too Much had a slow start for me, but then I got into it mid-way through. I really enjoyed the flashback episode in which we saw what happened with Zev, and everything flowed well from there. It was nice to be back in a Lena Dunham show. I love how she writes relationships, especially the men, and there are always these amazing little scenes and sequences. Plus, I enjoy her sense of humor. And at first I just wanted to see Megan Stalter be Kayla from Hacks in this, but then I found myself really loving her as Jessica. There won’t be a second season, so this is a nice little one-season series about how to move on from relationship and family trauma and maybe eventually have a healthy relationship. What’s nice is that the show ends on a hopeful, “it’s possible.”
8. The Paper (Peacock)
This is such a cute spin-off of The Office! They really do the spin-off thing well by showing how the documentary crew got from PA to this Ohio small-town paper. I love that Oscar is the one character still here. It’s a similar setup to The Office with some key differences, such as the Jim character, or the likeable love interest, being in a position of power and having a passion for what he’s doing. And there are now two crazy bosses, a man and woman. Not all the jokes land, and some characters are a little too ridiculous much of the time, but there’s a sweetness and it’s nice to watch people feel as if they’re doing something worthwhile, which was never really the case in The Office.
9. Abbott Elementary (Hulu/ABC)
Abbott Elementary had a solid end of season 4 and beginning of season 5, with Ava getting a big arc last season. It’s nice to see her keep her ridiculous personality but also actually be good at the job and care. It looks like a big change is coming next year, which was set up at the end of the latest episode. I still enjoy these characters 5 years in. This show doesn’t need big story arcs, just good stories to tell about the teachers and students.
10. Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
I appreciated the changes they made this season to focus more on the Jewish women, and I like Esther, but I wish the show didn’t paint the friendship between Morgan and Sasha as this big problem. It’s so obviously a friendship that’s needed for both of them, and Esther’s jealousy, while a symptom of being unhappy in her marriage in general, was unwarranted and annoyed me. Also annoying to me were the conversion conversations and that those conversations turned Noah into kind of a jerk by the end of the season–I wasn’t really rooting for them anymore. I continue to love Morgan, especially Morgan and Joanne together. They’re a good sisters pair.
Runners Up:
11. Laid (Peacock)
Okay, Laid was technically 2024, but I’m including it in this list because it came out at the very end of December 2024. I was lukewarm on this show for much of the season. I found Ruby tiresome and a bit ridiculous, but the end of season, and sadly, the end of the series cliffhanger was so good. It makes me sad we won’t get to see that storyline play out. I really wish we could have gotten to that point sooner in this season so we could have seen it. Oh well, that’s television.
12. And Just Like That (HBO Max)
I will forever hate Aidan, and it took forever for him to leave. I didn’t hate this season as much as others did, but it wasn’t great. Still, it’s one of the few series I actually enjoyed watching, a good comfort show, and I’ll miss it now that it’s gone. I really hope they are able to give the series a better ending in some way.
Compare to Last Year’s Rankings
Older Shows/Seasons I finished watching this year:
Ted Lasso Season 1
Hacks Season 1, 2, and 3
The Sex Lives of College Girls season 1
New Girl season 7
Superstore Season 2
The Americans seasons 4, 5, and 6 (rewatch)
Pilots:
Killing Eve Pilot
Stranger Things Pilot
Cheers Pilot
Many episodes of shows on Dropout and random episodes of Who’s the Boss. And on Pi Day we watched the 14th episode of the 3rd season of Kate and Allie and Highlander. And of course, various Moonlighting episodes aside from the ones I watched in my official season 4 rewatch (still in the middle of).
Hacks is so good!! Ok I need to watch some of these!