Editor's note:Warning: While we've done our best not to spoil anything important, please note that this list contains a few specific references to several of the shows mentioned that some may consider spoiler-y.
This was a pretty good year for television, with established favorites sharing space on our list with some intriguing new shows. Streaming platforms led the way, with Netflix and Apple TV dominating our list with seven and five selections each. In terms of genres, we have a little bit of everything: period dramas (The Gilded Age, Excessive), superheroes (Daredevil: Born Again), mysteries (Louis, Poker face, Department Q), political thrillers (The Diplomats, Slow horses), science fiction (Andor, Disconnection, Alien: Earth), broody fantasy (The Sandman), and even an unconventional nature documentary (Underdogs).
As always, we're opting for an unranked list, with the exception of our “best of the year” selection at the very end, so you can check out the variety of genres and options and possibly add surprises to your final watchlist. We invite you to head to the comments and add your own favorite TV shows released in 2025.
Underdogs (National Geographic/Disney+)
Credit: National Geographic/Doug Parker
Most of us have seen one or two (or three) nature documentaries at some point in our lives, so it's a familiar format: sweeping, majestic images of impressively regal animals, accompanied by reverently high-pitched narration (preferably with a heavy British accent). Underdogs takes a decidedly different approach. The five-part series, narrated with hilarious irreverence by Ryan Reynolds, spotlights nature's less cool and majestic creatures – the outcasts and benchwarmers who are more notable for their “unconventional hygiene choices” and “unsavory courtship rituals.” (It's rated PG-13 for the odd bit of scatalogical humor and shots of Nature Sexy Time.)
Each of the five episodes is built around a specific genre. “Superheroes” highlights, among other things, the surprising superpowers of the honey badger, pistol shrimp and the invisible glass frog, supplemented with comic book images; “Sexy Beasts” focuses on bizarre mating habits and follows the format of a romantic advice column; “Terrible Parents” highlights nature's worst practices, following the outline of a parenting guide; “Total Grossout” is exactly what it sounds like; and “The Unusual Suspects” is a heist story documenting a macaque's alleged attempts to assemble the ultimate team of masters of deception and disguise (an inside man, a decoy, a cheat, etc.). Green Day even wrote and recorded a special theme song for the end credits.
