Are These The Best TV Shows of 2025?

Hi everyone, we are back for our last TV/Film blog of the year!

Now, maybe it’s me, but I don’t feel as though 2025 was a super strong year for shows. There’s nothing that majorly screams out to me! 2024 was much stronger, with new shows and our favourite shows dropping amazing new seasons. However, this is my personal list of some of the best shows/seasons to drop this year. If there’s any I’ve left off, I just haven’t watched them (yet), so feel free to put me on <3

Severance - Season 2 (Apple TV)

This show? Goodness me. 

Severance follows the lives of employees who work at Lumon Industries, who have made the decision to sever their work and personal memories/lives. Their ‘innie’ only exists at work, and their ‘outie’ only exists outside of work. You’d think that would be great right? Well no, it’s not. 

Season 2 picks up where we left off, and somehow is even more psychologically unsettling. We learn more about Lumon in this season; however, the show leaves the audience to come to conclusions by themselves. As an audience, we are not spoon-fed, and our hands are not held. The tension is constant, and the pacing is tight in each episode. The scenes are full of easter eggs and symbolism, which aids in understanding the world of Severance. 

The final episode of this season stressed me out so much!! You will theorise, you’ll end up in a Lumon rabbit hole trying to put 2 and 7 together. This is the definition of an unpredictable show, I'm not even exaggerating 

This is good television.

Paradise - Season 1 (Disney+)

Paradise was the show that made me believe real TV might be back. It stars Sterling K Brown and James Marsden, who deliver amazing and intense acting performances that move you and make you feel something. I was so moved by the show after 1 episode, I recorded a TikTok video telling everyone to watch it. 

It’s a political thriller with mystery components, and is written so well you don’t even realise what you’re watching at first. The writers made us believe one thing for the majority of the 1st episode, then right at the end (yes RIGHT at the end) there’s a reveal that will quite literally make you gasp out loud. Although there’s a reveal at the end of the first episode, the rest of the season remains a slow (but steady) burn. Lies are uncovered and perspectives are taken into account. While the characters learn the truth, so do we the audience - and it is very gratifying. 

If you haven’t watched this already, what are you waiting for?

The Pitt - Season 1 (HBO)

If Paradise was the show that made me think real TV was back, then The Pitt solidified it. This show doesn’t rely on flashy effects, crazy plot twists or over-the-top drama - it thrives because of it’s attention to detail. The way the characters are written, the way the atmosphere is crafted and the realism of the show. This is why The Pitt is great. 

I like to describe The Pitt as the medical version of the bear, in terms of the grittiness and the chaos. As I mentioned before, the atmosphere is crafted very well, and part of this is due to the camera and lighting being very textured. This is a stark comparison to the new season of Grey's Anatomy (if you know you know). If you like The Bear you will definitely like The Pitt. 

The Pitt is amazing because of the storytelling and its ability to truly be a medical drama, in every meaning of the label. It is very intense with serious storylines, and they are not shy about the realism. The blocking of the scenes is phenomenal as it gives the effect of one rolling camera shot - it makes the audience feel like they are also right there in the trenches of the emergency room. I have to say that episode 8 of The Pitt is one of the best pieces of television I’ve seen in a really long time. It was incredibly moving.

The entire season is 1 day and 1 shift. We do not leave the emergency room at all, meaning we never see other parts of the hospital, which reinforces the name of the show. The beginning of the season and the end of the season are mirrors of each other, which was really beautiful and intentional.

Don’t be that one person that isn’t watching, buy the dip!

Adolescence - Limited Series (Netflix)

One of the most (if not the most) important entries of this blog post.

Adolescence is a raw and necessary limited series that explores youth, incel/red pill culture, digital harm/safeguarding and identity. It was a very good medium to translate the current state of society for a vulnerable group (young people) to the wider society.  

Since its release, it has gone viral, and the show's creators were invited to Downing Street to speak to the prime minister. It has had a huge cultural impact and hopefully can be a catalyst for change in the way young people are safeguarded. Aside from its impact, the show itself is very heavy and emotional, with outstanding acting performances. Each of the four episodes were recorded in 1 continuous take, which is just insane. The aim was to put the audience in a claustrophobic, high-pressure situation, which truly made us feel as though we were in the show and that the stakes were real. I think this is important as it robs us of the ability to detach from the show, because at the end of the day, these things are happening in real life. We shouldn’t be able to detach from it. 

House of Guinness - Season 1 (Netflix)

I didn’t know I would love this show the way that I do, I’ll be honest. The only thing that drew me to it was that it looked very Peaky Blinders-esque, which makes sense as they were both created by Steven Knight. 

The writing is excellent, the scenes are well-paced, and the acting performances are great. The show balances serious topics and humour very well; there are pockets of comedy, but the show in itself is not comedic in the slightest. The story follows the children of the Guinness family, who have inherited the brewery from their brewery mogul father after his death. (Not a spoiler, that’s how the show starts, so don’t shout). The characters are all morally grey, and there isn’t any one person that you can back wholeheartedly, which is fun. We see the history of Ireland, the tensions between England and Ireland, and we also see the Irish in New York and how that came to be. 

The show is very interesting and produced beautifully. Jack Gleeson (Joffrey from Game of Thrones) is in the show, and although his character can be annoying at times, he becomes an important person in this story. It’s very nice to see him back on our screens as he is a great talent. I’d like to use this space to apologise to Louis Partridge because sir, I was truly unfamiliar with your game. His acting performance is stellar, and his non-verbal communication is top-tier. He can convey mixed emotions on his face, which is a strong skill that not many can do. He is honestly amazing. 

It’s a great show and you need to watch! Again, buy the dip!!

Massive shoutout to all of the creators and writers of the shows included in this list. Thank you for bringing real television back, and I think 2026 will be absolutely brilliant. 

So my amazing readers, let me know:

• Do you agree with this list?

• What show would you add/get rid of?

• What show are you most looking forward to next year?

Thank you for reading everyone, I hope you all have a great holiday period <3 !!

MNIA