December is upon us, which means it's time to take stock of the year in TV. And what a year it was. From long-running series celebrating landmark final seasons, to new players making their mark on the prestige TV landscape, there was no shortage of shows to lose yourself in across the year.
The GR+ team came together to determine our TV Show of the year for 2025. Each member submitted a ballot of their pick of the 10 best TV Shows of the year in order. We then took those results to help form the ranked list below. The only criteria for inclusion: we must have been able to publish a written review of the season between Dec 1, 2024 and Nov 30, 2025.
With that out of the way, the GamesRadar+ team dutifully cast their votes, and the result of this process is the list you're about to read. Congratulations to every show that made the top 25, and if there are any you haven't seen – add them to your watchlist immediately, alongside all the new TV shows heading your way in 2026. Below you'll find the 25 best TV shows of 2025 in ranked order, culminating in our choice for TV Show of the Year. And when you're done reading, be sure to share your pick for TV Show of the Year in the comments below. – Jordan Farley, Managing Editor, Entertainment
TV Shows of the Year 2025
25. Daredevil: Born Again
Showrunner: Dario Scardapane
Among fans of superhero media, Netflix's Daredevil streaming series is held up as an enduring example of what's possible when a character is taken seriously. Love or hate the rest of Netflix's Marvel shows, Daredevil is rightly heralded as a classic of the genre. With that in mind, Marvel Studios had a hell of a challenge adapting the series onto Disney Plus for its revival as Daredevil: Born Again, even hitting a few speedbumps on the way.
The end result managed to brawl its way back into the hearts of fans by focusing on the core dynamic between the heroic Matt Murdock and his nemesis Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. The pair weave their way around each other in a Heat-style game of cat and mouse that brings some actual gravitas to the MCU, while also breathing life back into a meaner, leaner side of Marvel's New York City. – George Marston, Staff Writer
Read our full Daredevil: Born Again review to learn more.
24. Star Wars: Visions season 3
Executive Producer: James Waugh
This animated Star Wars anthology series proved its boundless creativity once again with Volume 3, which featured a blend of wildly different art styles and explored the reaches of the galaxy far, far away. After the more eclectic and global second season, Volume 3 returned to Japan for nine new shorts from powerhouse animation studios, including two sequels to previous installments.
Since Visions isn't beholden to the canon in the same way that other Star Wars shows are, the series can essentially do whatever it wants. This time around that translated to a psychedelic stormtrooper story set moments before the Death Star explodes, as well as a Padawan's extended vision quest on the brink of death after a battle with a Sith, to a Jedi seeking revenge against a wandering Ronin. This is Star Wars set free, and it demonstrates the saga's limitless potential. – Molly Edwards, Acting Deputy Entertainment Editor
23. Dept. Q
Showrunner: Scott Frank
Co-created by The Queen's Gambit mastermind Scott Frank, Dept. Q is the kind of show binge watches are made for. Starring Matthew Goode as Carl Morck – a classically abrasive but brilliant detective who investigates cold cases in Scotland at the behest of his politically opportunistic boss – Dept Q's first season features a compelling mystery, an easy-to-love collection of ragtag characters, and the rugged Scottish landscape as an enigmatic backdrop.
Featuring one of the year's standout supporting characters in gentle enforcer Akram (Alexej Manvelov) and striking use of a pillarboxed aspect ratio for the show's cutaways to missing person Merritt Lingard, Dept. Q has enough flourishes to make it stand out from the detective fiction crowd. But Dept. Q isn't trying to reinvent the wheel; rather, it embraces tradition to its advantage, and makes a virtue of its comfortably familiar ingredients. Season 2 can't come soon enough. – Jordan Farley, Managing Editor Entertainment
22. Yellowjackets season 3
Showrunners: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco
An explosive first season of Yellowjackets was followed up with a stop-start sophomore outing that never quite manifested any of its promises, but Yellowjackets season 3 finally brought the action back to full throttle this year. The '90s timeline, following the survivors of a high school soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, remained a highlight.
As time passes and the inevitable rescue gets ever closer, the politics in the camp become more complex, and life only gets more dangerous – mostly due to Shauna, played excellently by Sophie Nélisse, who provides the perfect younger counterpart to Melanie Lynskey's older version of the character (Sophie Thatcher was also a standout as reluctant leader Nat). After some predictable story turns in season 2, season 3 left us with some serious shocks in both timelines, and I can't wait to see how everything gets tied up in next year's fourth and final installment. – Emily Garbutt, Entertainment Writer
Read our full Yellowjackets season 3 review to learn more.
21. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3
Showrunner: David Zabel
After 15 years and numerous spin-offs, it's remarkable, really, that The Walking Dead still has some tricks up its sleeve. Daryl Dixon season 3 proved it, offering up one of the strongest run of episodes the zombie horror series has put out in a long while. After the subpar second season, I was worried about the direction of the show. Thankfully, I was wrong, as it relocates to Spain, where the apocalypse-surviving besties Darly and Carol are set on their own adventures.
With less zombie action than expected, it makes time for genuinely interesting character stuff, like Carol striking up a romance with guilt-stricken, grieving local Antonio (Eduardo Noriega). The franchise is known for its memorable antagonists, and Daryl Dixon season 3 offers up a great one in Óscar Jaenada's Fede who, despite actually sporting the appropriate facial hair, is much more morally complex than your regular moustache-twirler. – Amy West, Entertainment Writer
20. Dexter: Resurrection
Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
Did Dexter Morgan really need to be resurrected? Well, he was – and we're all better for it. In what was one of the campiest displays of television drama we've seen in a while, Dexter survived a fatal gunshot wound, got in a truck, and drove all the way to New York City to find his son (Jack Alcott)… who shot him. And who else would he encounter besides a millionaire obsessed with serial killers (Peter Dinklage), and a beautiful woman (Krysten Ritter) who hunts down abusive men in order to satisfy her own Dark Passenger?
Any hardcore Dexter fan can probably agree that it felt so good to hear Michael C. Hall's dramatic inner monologue, accompanied by those creepy violins, and once again just root for our favorite vigilante who keeps a murder-to-go kit on his person at all times. And the show was self-aware enough that Dexter's ability to outthink the authorities at every turn all fed into the show's streak of pitch-black humor. Welcome back, Dex. – Lauren Milici, Senior Writer
19. The Witcher season 4
The Witcher season 4 should have been a disaster. With Henry Cavill departing the Continent and Liam Hemsworth stepping into the role as Geralt, the quality could have easily waned alongside fan interest. Yet, The Witcher takes the opportunity as a fresh start, jolting the ensemble back into life with a fresh energy and an experimental playfulness, best exemplified by Geralt's Hansa group sharing their backstories via musicals or animated vignettes.
Liam Hemsworth, too, is a more gentle, emotionally available Geralt that is just as quick with a barbed remark as he is with his sword. Elsewhere, Yennefer and Ciri's stories – mercifully given their own room to breathe – become entangled with the series' nastiest villains to date, all capped off with a brutal finale that doesn't skimp on the body count. All told, this stands out as one of The Witcher's best seasons yet and gives us renewed hope for its final salvo next year. – Bradley Russell, Senior Entertainment Writer
Read our full The Witcher season 4 review to learn more.
18. Wednesday season 2
Showrunners: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar
The return to Nevermore was never going to be easy. Wednesday's first season is, after all, one of Netflix's biggest successes. With that comes pressure – and a tendency to try and recapture lightning in a bottle. But you've got to give a Thing-style hand to Wednesday season 2. Out go the eye-rollingly bad love triangles (for the most part) and in comes a sharper wit, an extended Wednesday family tree, and a delicious murder mystery at its core.
But it's not all doom and gloom in Jericho. Enid and Wednesday's body swap episode shows Wednesday's best moments come when it embraces its impishness, while Jenna Ortega's mastery of acerbic putdowns and dagger-like stares carry the slower moments through to its gripping conclusion. Once again, it all clicks for Wednesday. – Bradley Russell, Senior Entertainment Writer
Read our full Wednesday season 2 part 2 review to learn more.
17. You season 5
Showrunners: Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo
Serial stalker and murderer Joe Goldberg's reign of terror came to an end in You season 5. Thanks to the power and influence of his new wife Kate, Joe is able to live as himself again for the first time since season 1. But his new marital bliss in New York City isn't all it's cracked up to be, and his eye soon starts to stray – and the target of his possessive affection this time around is Bronte, played cleverly by Madeline Brewer.
What starts out, admittedly, as a bit of a slog was punctuated with a bonkers mid-season twist, which provided a fitting end to the ever tongue-in-cheek show. The script often slipped into eye-rollingly soapy territory, even in its smarter moments, but the second half of the season was still one of the most entertaining shows I watched this year – in spite of, and sometimes because of, that. – Emily Garbutt, Entertainment Writer
16. Adolescence
Created by: Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham
Just like Baby Reindeer in 2024, another hard-hitting British drama took over Netflix with little to no warning this year, becoming one of the platform's most-watched series ever. Following a family whose world is turned upside down when their 13-year-old son is arrested for murdering a girl in his class, Adolescence brought to light issues such as misogyny and the dangers of social media, holding up a mirror to our own flawed society.
The show boasts incredible performances from Stephen Graham as the typical Northern English father who fears his own toxic masculinity may have led to this horrific event, and a terrific breakout from Owen Cooper, who plays the son whose addiction to red pill content online skews his moral compass. Adolescence made a mark on 2025 in more ways than just pulling in views; it made its audience look inwards, and perhaps changed how we consume media. – Megan Garside, Editorial Executive
15. King of the Hill season 14
Showrunners: Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Saladin K. Patterson
No one is more skeptical than I am about reviving long-dead TV shows or movie series, especially when it comes to something I love as much as King of the Hill. But Hulu's revival of the beloved late '90s/early '00s animated sitcom pulls off the miracle of not just honoring the original series, but enhancing it with a worthy follow-up.
What makes the revival so great is the way it evolves and escalates the relationships of the show's core trio of Hank, Peggy, and Bobby Hill, as they navigate the foibles of their eccentric neighbors and their mundanely comedic hometown of Arlen, TX, paying special care to keep the well-established personalities of the cast in mind. This allows King of the Hill season 14 to rise to the occasion of credibly commenting on our social reality without compromising the heart of the series. – George Marston, Staff Writer
Read our full King of the Hill season 14 review to learn more.
14. Hacks season 4
Showrunners: Showrunners: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky
There isn't one bad episode across Hacks' entire four-year run, so it's not surprising that its latest chapter finds itself on our list of 2025's best TV shows. With Ava (Hannah Einbinder, incredible) having blackmailed Deborah (Jean Smart, somehow even better) into giving her the head writer gig at the latter's late-night talk show, tensions between the co-dependent frenemies are at an all-time high. The young comedian sets out to prove she's worthy of the job by writing better jokes than ever, while the showbiz veteran fights dirty.
When they're not trying to ruin one another, they're desperately trying to ensure the show is a hit, given the years it's taken Deborah to snag such a job. A task easier said than done, it turns out, when you're juggling the likes of chaotic talent agent Kayla (Megan Statler) and Julianne Nicholson's wild weekly guest 'Dance Mom'. It's raw, funnier than ever, and a welcome peek behind the curtain of network television. – Amy West, Entertainment Writer
13. Gen V season 2
Showrunner: Michele Fazekas
Although we have to wait a few more months before The Boys' fifth and final season hits Prime Video, Gen V sufficiently quenched our thirst for Supe action this year with its way darker and gorier second season. Following on from the events of The Boys season 4, Gen V season 2 sees our favorite band of college-age heroes get to grips with living in a nation under Homelander's tyrannical thumb, with new enemies hiding in every corner.
Once again, showrunner Eric Kripke did not hold back on the social commentary, with season 2 giving us some unforgettable moments such as Emma's advanced Advanced Influencer Fluency class, and Sam's frat house partaking in the most disgusting hazing rituals. The spin-off show faced many bumps in the road as it made its way to streaming. However, the sophomore season succeeded in further integrating with the main show, whilst honouring the late Chance Perdomo with the most touching tributes. – Megan Garside, Editorial Executive
Read our full Gen V season 2 review to learn more.
12. Reacher season 3
Showrunner: Nick Santora
This year, we saw Alan Ritchson return as the silent but strong hero in what may be the best season yet of Prime Video's Reacher. Based on one of Lee Child's most popular Reacher stories, the third season took audiences to Maine, New England, where Jack Reacher finally meets his match, all 7 feet 2 inches of him, providing some of the funniest and most action-packed scenes in the series so far.
The Amazon streamer has hit the nail on the head with this one, finding the perfect balance between action, humour, and emotion. One minute you will be belly laughing at Reacher's sly remarks to his new beefed-up nemesis, and the next you will be sobbing at the tragic flashback to Reacher's mentee's horrific demise. As the series progresses, it further does Childs' works justice. We couldn't imagine anyone embodying Reacher better than Ritchson. – Megan Garside, Editorial Executive
Read our full Reacher season 3 review to learn more.
11. The Last of Us season 2
Showrunners: Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann
The show that proved video game adaptations could play in the prestige TV big leagues had a hefty challenge in tackling The Last of Us Part 2. Unlike the first game – a more streamlined experience tailor-made for adapting as a single season of TV – Part 2 is a more challenging and significantly more sprawling work. Not everything in this The Last of Us season 2 could be considered a success, but there was still much to admire.
Not least of which: the staggering battle of Jackson – a new addition for the show that added Thrones-level scale to TLOU's arsenal – and the deftly executed murder of Pedro Pascal's Joel at the hands of new addition Abby. While Ellie's characterisation irked fans, star Bella Ramsey rose to the occasion as number one on the call sheet, bolstered by standout newcomers like Isabela Merced's Dina and Young Mazino's Jesse. It never quite reached the heights of season 1, but The Last of Us is still the video game adaptation to beat. – Jordan Farley, Managing Editor, Entertainment
Read our full The Last of Us season 2 review to learn more.
TV Shows of the Year 2025: The Top 10
10. The White Lotus season 3
Showrunner: Mike White
Our third stay at the White Lotus resort took us to the island of Ko Samui, making Thailand the scene of this season's crime. Season 1's spa manager Belinda was this installment's familiar face, along with Tanya's no-good husband Greg, but otherwise we had an entirely new batch of guests to contend with – including three long-time best friends who didn't seem to like each other very much, a wealthy family unaware they were on the brink of bankruptcy, and a dysfunctional couple whose age gap wasn't their biggest problem.
Patrick Schwarzenegger's obnoxious finance bro Saxon, Aimee Lou Wood's free-spirited Chelsea, and Carrie Coon's stressed-out lawyer Laurie were standouts in a predictably strong ensemble cast, delivering subtly devastating performances amidst dark comedy, murder, and often quite bizarre sex scenes. Mike White's characters are never who they first seem to be – and not just because one of them turns out to be a murderer. – Emily Garbutt, Entertainment Writer
9. Alien: Earth
Showrunner: Noah Hawley
An Alien TV show has been mooted for so long that the existence of this Earth-bound prequel to the Xenomorph franchise still feels slightly remarkable. Sydney Chandler is terrific as Wendy, the leader of a group of hybrid synthetics – a group of terminally ill children who have their personalities transferred into android bodies. They're the playthings of the Prodigy Corporation, whose leader, Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), quickly loses interest in them when he steals some alien samples from rival company Weyland-Yutani.
Although linked to the first two movies in the franchise, Alien: Earth also feels indebted to Blade Runner. It's a moody, philosophical show that takes its time between the scares. That, and some occasionally shonky effects work with the Xenomorph has vexed some fans. Still, it's a fascinating, hugely atmospheric and ambitious show that expands the horizons of the Alien universe, while also introducing a killer new monster in the Eye Midge. The now-confirmed second season has a lot of potential. – Will Salmon, Streaming Editor
Read our full Alien: Earth review to learn more.
8. Peacemaker season 2
Showrunner: James Gunn
Peacemaker's season 2 may have lacked the urgency of the DC anti-hero show's peerless first year, but it delved deeper into the characters. John Cena's tortured Chris Smith/Peacemaker tried to bury his pain by flitting back and forth between the core DCU and a seemingly Utopian parallel world where his father and brother were still alive. Of course, things weren't quite that simple, and while many spotted the big twist coming, it was still a satisfying and provocative reveal.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Holland's Harcourt hit rock bottom, and everyone from Adebayo to Vigilante suffered personal crises of one sort or another. It all added up to a season that let us really feel what these characters were going through, while also nudging a few vital pieces into place for the future of the nascent DCU. – Will Salmon, Streaming Editor
Read our full Peacemaker season 2 review to learn more.
7. It: Welcome to Derry
Showrunners: Jacob Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane
It: Welcome to Derry is a masterclass on adapting existing material. Using the interludes from Stephen King's original novel to springboard into a new, original narrative, the spin-off nails the balance of appealing to diehard fans with nerdy Easter eggs and long-awaited realizations and expanding the world in a way that's completely accessible for franchise fledglings. A prequel to Andy Muschietti's movies, it's set in 1962, when the father of Losers' Club member Mike, Will Hanlon, faced off against the titular evil.
There's more at play than that, though; the US military is trying to weaponize It, and The Shining's Dick Hallorann is learning the full extent of his psychic powers. Its weekly format allows it to embrace the book's sprawling approach to story, which may bug those in it for scares alone. But if you've been itching for something that truly captures both the zany, hair-raising horror and heart-bursting, coming-of-age sweetness of King's most famous works, this one's for you. – Amy West, Entertainment Writer
Read our full It: Welcome to Derry review to learn more.
6. The Studio
Showrunners: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
There is a double-edged sword to filmmaking, which lives and dies not just by the artistic vision and technical prowess of creators, but the studio politics required to actually release a movie, good or bad. To wit, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's breakout Apple TV streaming series The Studio serves not just as an absolutely soul-puckering cringefest comedy, but as a nonstop love-letter to the magic of moviemaking itself.
Rogen stars as Matt Remick, a well-meaning but hapless movie exec who is promoted to the head of the studio. However, Remick's ambitious, artistic vision for his leadership is quickly crushed by the commercial demands of his position and the compromises (and mistakes) he makes as a result. Fans of comedy and film alike will find much to love both in Remick's desperate bid to just make a damn good movie and in The Studio's own use of advanced film techniques. – George Marston, Staff Writer
5. Squid Game season 3
Showrunner: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Darker, sadder, and more intense than the preceding seasons, Squid Game season 3 took us back to the Korean games one last time for the finale of Seong Gi-hun's quest to destroy the sadistic tournament. In season 3, the games are pulse-pounding – Hide and Seek is a series highlight, while the final game is unbearably tense – and the drama is ratcheted up to the max when an actual newborn infant is forced into the games after the death of her mother, pushing the show into its most nightmarishly dystopian mode yet.
Through it all, the horror and violence is anchored by an intensely expressive and compassionate performance from Lee Jung-jae. Ultimately, this season tackled Squid Game's central questions about the nature of humanity far more directly than ever before, building to a deeply emotional finale that might have been divisive, but beautifully expressed Squid Game's ultimately hopeful parting message. – Molly Edwards, Acting Deputy Entertainment Editor
Read our full Squid Game season 3 review to learn more.
4. The Chair Company
Showrunners: Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin
I Think You Should Leave creators Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin reunited for this astonishing, uncategorisable comedy. Nominally an office-based sitcom starring Robinson as perma-stressed middle manager Ron Trosper, The Chair Company quickly revealed itself to be a conspiracy thriller in the vein of The Parallax View. As Ron becomes obsessed with uncovering the company that manufactured his faulty chair, he tumbles down a rabbit hole of shell companies, sinister phone calls, and shadowy operatives.
The Chair Company is outrageously funny, and every bit as quotable as I Think You Should Leave, but it's also genuinely unnerving, with more than a few scenes that David Lynch would have been proud of. A staggeringly NSFW moment in episode 5 left some wondering how HBO got away with broadcasting it in the first place, while its cast of bizarre supporting characters somehow left Robinson – once more deploying every twitch and tick in his arsenal – looking like the straight man. – Will Salmon, Streaming Editor
3. Severance season 2
Showrunner: Dan Erickson
Severance hit Apple TV in 2022, solidifying itself as one of the best new shows of the last decade, and then disappeared for a while. Though we might've forgotten what happened by the time Severance season 2 rolled around, it was more than worth the wait – and gave us a finale that rivals season 1's top-notch closer. The standout is really and truly Britt Lower, whose double performance as Helly R. and Helena is as bright as it is chilling – though I might be the only person on planet earth who didn't see that near-mid-season twist coming.
The only issue with the complexity and sheer brilliance of Severance season 2 is… what are they going to do now? Where can they go from here, and how do they pick back up after that finale? We'll just have to put our trust and faith in Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller, who seem to know what they're doing. – Lauren Milici, Senior Writer
Read our full Severance season 2 review to learn more.
2. Pluribus
Showrunner: Vince Gilligan
Pluribus is about the few, not the many. In this case, the centre of Vince Gilligan's brilliantly warped sci-fi series is irascible romance author Carol Sturka (the always exceptional Rhea Seehorn), who must suddenly navigate a world forever changed by 'The Joining'. The event turns all but a dozen of Earth's population into a hivemind hellbent on politely insisting Carol accompanies them in blissful union.
Pluribus' appeal, though, lies not in its otherworldly mystery but in Carol's absurd reactions to the world around her. With the 'why?' sidelined for the 'what's next?', Gilligan revels in expertly moving away from the long shadows of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul in favor of a lavishly constructed scenario that apes the best parts of The Twilight Zone and The Andromeda Strain, but extends beyond that with whip-smart comic writing and an anchoring Rhea Seehorn performance that should see her finally get the Emmy recognition she was so cruelly robbed of as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul. – Bradley Russell, Senior Entertainment Writer
Read our full Pluribus review to learn more.
TV Show of the Year 2025
1. Andor season 2
Showrunner: Tony Gilroy
Andor has long been a Star Wars highlight, and season 2 is some of the best drama the galaxy far, far away has ever offered. The season picks up with Cassian years after Andor season 1, with each block of three episodes covering another year, leading all the way up to Rogue One.
While the first season was excellent, Andor season 2 takes the show to even greater heights. An intense political thriller with nail-biting espionage, guerrilla resistance efforts, and even some good old-fashioned Star Wars mysticism, season 2 is fearless, exhilarating, exquisitely written television. The standout is the Ghorman Massacre arc of episodes: chills-inducing, horrifying storytelling that culminates in Genevieve O'Reilly's Mon Mothma delivering a rousing, daring speech to the Imperial-controlled Senate about the importance of truth – yes, this season is incredibly timely, too.
Season 2 also gives more prominence to Elizabeth Dula's Kleya, who emerges as a highlight of the whole series: her flashback-heavy storyline involving her complicated bond with Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael is seriously emotional, and it gives even more depth to two of the show's most complex and enigmatic characters.
But, of course, it's all anchored by Diego Luna, who has turned his character from intriguing rebel to bona fide Star Wars icon. That's also down to creator Tony Gilroy, too, who has spun an urgent, political tale that fits seamlessly into the broader canon and feels utterly essential to what George Lucas built, which is quite the achievement considering the Star Wars galaxy is already such a rich tapestry. It's really no surprise Andor season 2 is at the top of our list. – Molly Edwards, Acting Deputy Entertainment Editor
Read our full Andor season 2 review to learn more.
Dive deeper into why Andor season 2 is our TV Show of the Year for 2025 with our showrunner Tony Gilroy interview.
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