Year in Review: 2025 TV Shows

With the year 2025 at a close, It is time to share my thoughts and ranking of all of the 2025 TV shows that I saw. I managed to see 24 TV shows with 2 still releasing episodes into 2026. This year had a lot of shows that I would consider good but not great where they either didn't live up to their previous seasons, had individual episodes work but not the whole season, or fell off at the very end. This year also featured a lot of bigger shows that I had catch up on so that I could watch the season releasing. I watched The Witcher, Cobra Kai, Only Murders in the Building, The White Lotus, Severance, and Stranger Things in their entirety for the first time this year in order to watch the new seasons released.

Before I get started, I wanted to share some honorable mentions of the sitcoms I watched this year because it didn't make sense to pit them against the other TV shows. All of these (with the exclusion of South Park) were shows that Sarah and I watch together. These are in no particular order.

Honorable Mentions (Sitcoms)

1. Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage Season 2

Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage is a fun run of the mill family sit com. I felt that season 2 finally found its footing and made for a much more endearing show.

2. Ghosts Season 5

Ghosts is always a fun comedy. It is to see Sam and Jay have to put of with all of these ghostly shenanigans. This season is about the same as every other season with lots of comedy and a little heart sprinkled in.

3. Abbot Elementary Season 5

Just like Ghosts, Abbot Elementary is a very consistent show that has put out another great season. It a fun premise as essentially The Office but at public school.

4. South Park Season 27/28

South Park has always been one of my favorites and this season is no exception. The episodes do a great job of keeping up on current events and show the absurdity of what has been going on. From Trump, to Labubus to 6-7, South Park covers it all.

I also wanted to share my initial thoughts on the two shows that are still going on as it doesn't make sense to compare them to the others as they are unfinished.

Honorable Mentions (Unfinished)

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 is off to a good start. I think this season is even more accurate to the book than the first season and I like how it actually allows to flesh out Clarisse’s character a bit. We also get to see a bit more of Percy’s fun personality that is in the books bu wasn’t shown in the original films.

2. Fallout Season 2

Fallout Season 2 is also off to a decent start though I am not enjoying it as much as the first season. This season brings a new dynamic between Lucy and The Ghoul which makes for some interesting and funny moments. However, the season loses a bit of the freshness and naivety that the first season has as Lucy is more accustomed to this world.

Now with all of those out of the way, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 22 new TV shows and season that I watched this year.

24. The Witcher Season 4

The Witcher Season 4 was the most disappointing show I have seen in a while. This season was the perfect embodiment of a filler season. Literally nothing of note happened in the season all of the characters are basically in the same position as when they started. The season also feels tonally off from the rest with the character of Geralt acting like a completely different person.

Score: 3/10 Grade: D

23. Ironheart

Ironheart was the lackluster Disney+ MCU show. The characters are so unlikable and Riri Williams just makes bad decision after bad decision. This show is just another example of the quantity of quality approach that the MCU has become with shows about side characters that no one asked for. There are a few interesting moments but the show mostly consists of Riri constantly making bad decisions.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

22. Gen V Season 2

Gen V season 2 was a significant drop from season 1. The beginning of season 2 completely undoes the ending of season 1 and then just ignores the beef between characters. The show even ends with the characters in the same position of where they started with no growth other than Marie having a better understanding of her powers.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

21. Eyes of Wakanda

Eyes of Wakanda has an interesting premise to it where we see Wakandan warriors on missions throughout history. I just wish there was more to it. We get three 20 minute episodes when it could have easily been built into a much longer season.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

20. Doctor Who Season 2

Doctor Who Season 2 was a step up from season 1 for me. I liked the individual episodes better and the overarching story didn't feel as forced. However, these Disney+ seasons still have this overproduced feeling to them that the older seasons of Doctor Who didn't have.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

19. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

This was a fun enough new take on the Spider-Man story. I liked how we get a street level Spider-Man story where he fights classic villains. I just wish we could have gotten the original version of this show which was an origin story to the MCU's Peter Parker instead of this alternate universe story.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

18. Creature Commandos

Creature Commandos is the first show in the new DCU and I thought it was fun. I like how we get this Suicide Squad like team of nonhuman characters. We get the James Gunn style and hard R violence. I felt that the story was a little too simplified with the entire season being taken up by backstory and a single mission being stretched out.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

17. Skeleton Crew

Skeleton Crew is essentially The Goonies in the Star Wars universe. I liked the young kid adventure dynamic as well as the hopping from various planets. However, I don't like the direction they took the Jude Law character and wish it could have taken a more traditional approach to the adult mentor character.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

16. Marvel Zombies

Marvel Zombies was another fun alternate reality marvel show. We get to see MCU heroes fight Marvel characters that are zombies and get the R rated violence you need from a zombie show. I wish we could have gotten stronger characters to center the show around as a lot of the characters were more B-C level characters.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

15. The Last of Us Season 2

The Last of Us Season 2 is another season that is quite a step down from season 1. The character work in this season is still very good. It is very easy to get invested in both Joel and Ellie and the other characters. What makes this season go down is that it doesn't have as much of the dynamic between Joel and Ellie as they are separated for most of the season. But given what the show had to work with, it was pretty good.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

14. Wednesday Season 2

Wednesday Season 2 was a show where the individual episodes were better than the whole season. I thought the story for each episode was good and I really like the large scale school set and dark aesthetic. However, the season as a whole just didn't quite fit together. Story lines that were established early were resolved half way through with B-plots taking over as the main plot at the end. It was a very odd choice.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

13. Poker Face Season 2

Poker Face really found its groove in the second season. I liked the format where Charlie is settled in NYC and solves a mystery of the week. The first few episodes got a little bogged down with Charlie being on the run from the mop but after that, I really enjoyed the season.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

12. Squid Game Season 3

Squid Game Season 3 is a show I enjoyed until the very end. I like the various games that they play and the emotional stakes and payoff that happen with them. I just don't think the ending worked at all. How the ending played out made it feel like the 2nd and 3rd seasons weren't worth at all. This season is the equivalent of a gymnast doing a super advanced routine but then falling on their face at the landing.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

11. Cobra Kai Season 6

In contrast to Squid Game, Cobra Kai absolutely stuck the landing in season 6 but took a roundabout way to get there. I liked the direction that all the characters go towards the end and felt that the end delivered on a final showdown that the show was building towards. The 6th season just took a while to get there, creating conflict that just fluffed up the runtime. But the end is definitely worth the work to get there.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

10. Alien: Earth

Alien: Earth was a refreshing change of pace to the Alien franchise. We actually get to see the Aliens on Earth and get to see perspectives from the robot characters. It feels a bit like a coming of age story for these synthetic characters. What keeps this down is that the middle few episodes felt like all filler instead of furthering the story.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

9. The White Lotus Season 3

The White Lotus Season 3 is the weakest of the seasons but still one of the best shows of this year. I like how each family staying at the resort has their own separate story going with tension and relationship intrigue building until the end of the show. I didn't care for the characters as much as in other seasons but this is still a top tier show.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

8. Andor Season 2

Andor Season 2 is the best of the Star Wars shows from this year and some of the best Star Wars content in general. I like how the season had little 3 episode arcs each focusing on a different mission. I also like how the show presents the more grounded side of Star Wars with spies and political intrigue. The main hang up I have is that I wish it would have spent less time on the other characters and more time on Andor.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

7. Daredevil: Born Again

Daredevil: Born Again is the best of MCU Disney+ shows from this year. This is a great follow up to the original Daredevil TV series where both Daredevil and Kingpin have to find their place in the world. There is some great action in it and it perfectly matches the tone of the original show. I did feel the show going through some course correction at the beginning as they ditched the show runners have way through but as the season goes on it gets better.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

6. Only Murders in the Building Season 5

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 was another fun season of the mystery show. I like how this season brought in themes of the mob and casinos and had real stakes such as the building getting sold. As always the chemistry between Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin are great and the show does a great job of keeping you guessing until the end.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

5. Stranger Things Season 5

Stranger Things Season 5 was the biggest show that came out this year. I thought that this season did a great job of closing out the show and ending everyone's story in a satisfying way. The middle 3 episodes were a little weak but by the end, I didn't matter. This show proved that you don't need a ton of deaths in your finale to make it an emotional ending.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

4. Severance Season 2

Severance Season 2 was a great continuation of the show. It builds more on the mystery of this company and why Mark is so important. I like how even though the show does reveal things, it still keeps other information a mystery keeping the audience invested in these characters. The season also does a great job of making it so its central gimmick is still interesting.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

3. It: Welcome to Derry

It: Welcome to Derry was a great horror show and prequel. It brings a lot of horror elements, delivers on Pennywise action and has a surprising amount of heart to it. The show is also great at subverting expectations especially in the early episodes.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

2. Peacemaker Season 2

Peacemaker Season 2 is the best of the DC shows that I saw. This season does a great job of bringing in the multiverse as a plot device with Chris using it to find a place where he feels he can be good and fit in. I found this season to be just as funny if not funnier than the first season and it a surprising amount of heart.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A

1. The Bear Season 4

The Bear brings it back again with being my favorite show of the year. I liked how this season ups the stakes by having a literal ticking clock and an end goal for the season. I liked how each character gets their own little goal to work towards and has some sort of pay off by the end of the season. This is one of the most consistent shows I have seen and is once again the best of the year.

Score: 10/10 Grade: A+