What a year it’s been for television. The small screen has dominated the pop-culture conversation in 2025, with watercooler shows like The Pitt, Severance, and Adolescence proving that people still sat down together to watch the tube. Meanwhile, genre shows dominated, with sci-fi TV like Pluribus, Andor, and Alien: Earth proving to be the escape we need in an increasingly dystopian reality.
But what makes a TV show great in 2025? Is it its willingness to push the boundaries that television usually lays down? Is it sharp and provocative messaging that draws parallels to our current reality? Or is it simply the amount of alien goop and human gore that it’s willing to throw at its audience? Maybe it’s all of the above.
After much careful deliberation and a very democratic polling process, Inverse has chosen its top 25 TV shows of the year. Here are Inverse’s top TV picks of 2025.
25. Wayward
Mark my words: “Wilderness reform schools” will become the next big thing in horror, and Mae Martin’s Netflix series just confirmed that with a twisting tale of small-town cults, the “wayward teen” industry, and how it feels to know you’re being othered even in a very accepting community. Add a spine-tingling performance by Toni Collette on top of that, and you’ve got a great weekend watch. — Dais Johnston
24. Twisted Metal Season 2
Faster, bloodier, and funnier than Season 1, Twisted Metal Season 2 also managed to tell a tender family story. Come for requisite vehicular mayhem. Stay for Anthony Mackie reading vintage Babysitter’s Club paperbacks. — Ryan Britt
23. Ironheart
Coming-of-age stories are mostly about growing pains, and that goes double for something like Ironheart. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest series dismantles Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) and Frankensteins her into an unorthodox successor to Iron Man, weaving dark magic and heavy critiques on legacy into her journey. The result is something more than the sum of its disjointed parts: an unpredictable and refreshing jolt of life for the MCU. — Lyvie Scott
22. Black Mirror Season 7
As the greatest science fiction anthology series of our time, Black Mirror pulled no punches this year. While some more recent seasons have veered into horror territory, Season 7 was firmly sci-fi through and through, using some technologies that are barely even fictional. The key to this season, though, was that the best episodes, like “Common People” or “Eulogy,” were about the human heart and how it endures, despite less-than-human technology. — Ryan Britt
21. The Last of Us Season 2
Where The Last of Us Season 1 introduced an inseparable (if dysfunctional) duo into the TV hall of fame, Season 2 separated that duo forever. It’s a tragic twist that sets the tone for a much darker, thornier adventure in a zombie-infested apocalypse. For all its changes to the Naughty Dog games, The Last of Us proved that it could roll with the punches, retaining its title as the most evocative drama of the era. — Lyvie Scott
20. Adolescence
This Netflix drama made no attempt to hide its central gimmick: Every episode was filmed in a single, unbroken take, with no hidden cuts or special effects. But that gimmick isn’t the centerpiece. Instead, it’s a portrait of toxic masculinity and family that is made all the more raw through the intimacy of the single cut. Strengthened by so many vulnerable performances, it truly feels like being a fly on the wall watching real events. — Dais Johnston
19. Star Wars: Visions Season 3
With a return to all anime studios for Season 3, Star Wars: Visions demonstrates that perhaps the best new takes on George Lucas’ enduring creation may not be found in live-action versions at all. Sporting three sequels to stories that began in Season 1, Visions feels like the freshest and yet most back-to-basics, modern Star Wars project of them all. With the exception of the twisty, final episode “Dark,” the majority of Visions is upbeat and full of classic heroes pew-pewing with their blasters or busting out their lightsabers when the need arises. Bonus: The latest installment in “The Ninth Jedi” saga will only make you even more excited for that ongoing show, coming in 2026. — Ryan Britt
18. Poker Face Season 2
“What if Columbo were a woman, and she was played by Natasha Lyonne?” What started as a joke online turned into one of the best detective shows of the decade, thanks to the giddily stylish efforts of Rian Johnson. And in just two short seasons, Charlie Cale, human lie detector and unexpected champion of the working-class murder victim, became a TV icon. Despite being tragically (or not-so-tragically, depending on your view of Lyonne’s recent pro-AI sentiments) cut short, Poker Face left us with a wildly satisfying second season that took the show to new heights. — Hoai-Tran Bui
17. Paradise
It’s tough to talk about Hulu’s Paradise without betraying the twist that sets it apart from any other political drama. If you’ve yet to tap in (and you definitely should before Season 2), just know that it’s also a dystopian thriller, a murder mystery, and an addicting balancing act from the mind behind tearjerkers like This Is Us. — Lyvie Scott
16. Doctor Who Season 2
After a shaky “Season 1,” the Disney+ era of Doctor Who finally found its footing, delivering a terrific second season… until it wasn’t. But gripes with the disappointing finale aside, Doctor Who Season 2 was a triumph in more ways than one: in the shining chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor and new companion Belinda (Varada Sethu), in the freshly imaginative adventures, and in the sheer scope that showrunner Russell T Davies was able to achieve on Disney’s dime. As for that ending, well, we just don’t accept that reality. — Hoai-Tran Bui
15. Alien: Earth
Did Noah Hawley’s new TV masterpiece need to be set in the Alien canon? Because of the creative and compelling human/synthetic “Hybrids” central to the plot, sometimes the titular chest-bursting xenomorphs seemed to take a backseat in this brilliantly gross and endlessly watchable new series. Whether or not future seasons can top this eclectic mix of tones and ideas remains to be seen. But for now, be glad something as weird as Alien: Earth even was allowed to get made. — Ryan Britt
14. It: Welcome to Derry
Nothing ever needs a prequel, the It films especially. Why turn back the clock when we already know how Pennywise, the demonic clown portrayed so battily by Bill Skarsgård, was finally defeated? Welcome to Derry knows it could err toward redundancy, but it overcomes that risk by focusing on a long-ignored aspect of the Stephen King universe: its characters of color. Issues of race are tackled with a deft hand, but Derry loses none of the gonzo horror-humor that made the films such hits. — Lyvie Scott
13. The Studio
Hollywood loves projects about Hollywood, but The Studio is more about butting up against Hollywood. Like Curb Your Enthusiasm for Academy members, it shows the escapades of a struggling movie exec trying to keep the movies alive in the era of streaming, accompanied by a fleet of supporting actors and real filmmaker characters of similar brilliance. — Dais Johnston
12. Strange New Worlds Season 3
Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is either its most mixed or most honest season yet. As a quasi-Star Trek anthology series, Strange New Worlds can do whatever it wants every week, which lately has meant several goofy premises that don’t all land. However, despite its reputation for lighthearted fun, SNW was at its best in Season 3 when it took things a little more seriously. Episode 6, “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,” despite a silly title, was a classic Trek tale, complete with Capt. Kirk (Paul Wesley) grappling with a very specific moral dilemma. Ditto Episode 7, “What Is Starfleet?,” which demonstrated the most soul-searching the franchise has done in quite a while. — Ryan Britt
11. The Pitt
The Pitt may or may not have originally been an ER spinoff, but Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby deserves 15 seasons all his own. The real-time medical drama turns the procedural drama on its head by stringing multiple cases along its 15 episodes, all culminating in a mass casualty event that is just as thrilling to watch as the climax of a Marvel movie. — Dais Johnston
10. Fallout Season 2
Yes, Season 2 lives up to the hype. Amazon’s wildly entertaining adaptation of Bethesda’s beloved video game franchise became an unlikely phenomenon in 2024, largely thanks to the crackling chemistry between Walton Goggins’ ultra-cool Ghoul, Ella Purnell’s wide-eyed Vault dweller Lucy, and Aaron Moten’s idealistic Knight, Maximus. Season 2 doubles down on the terrific character dynamics and absurd tonal swings that made the show sing, while throwing in more twisty revelations and character actors chewing scenery. It’s the apocalypse, baby, and we’re here for a fun time, not a long time. — Hoai-Tran Bui
9. The Rehearsal Season 2
Nathan Fielder puts his all into his experiments. In Season 1 of The Rehearsal, that meant becoming a temporary parent and inventing his own acting methodology. In Season 2, he decides to fix unsafe air travel through the power of roleplay, and along the way, he stages a singing competition, embodies the life of his hero, and gets certified to fly 737s just for the bit. Whatever he does next, that’s going to be difficult to top. — Dais Johnston
8. Foundation Season 3
One of the best, if not the densest, science fiction shows on TV took a much bigger swing this year in two ways: The show gave us a real-deal villain, and, in a late-in-the-game twist ending, didn’t have a season finale with a customary massive time jump. Instead, the twists and turns in this season of Foundation appear to be things everyone will have to live with, for a change. — Ryan Britt
7. Murderbot
Adapting the mega-popular Murderbot novellas from Martha Wells was never going to be easy, but refreshingly, the Apple TV series take on the first book is a delight. Alexander Skarsgård might be almost too charming as SecUnit, the titular, sarcastic “Murderbot,” but he’s also perfect for the role. Plus, the show gets bonus points for expanding on one hilarious detail from the book, Murderbot’s favorite show, “Sanctuary Moon,” which emerged as the hands-down best meta Star Trek spoof in a very long time. — Ryan Britt
6. Peacemaker Season 2
John Cena’s bafflingly endearing vigilante gets a new lease on life — and a trip to the multiverse — in the new season of Peacemaker. James Gunn brings the hero out of the old DCEU and into the new as only he can, doubling down on his trademark humor and heart while setting up the new DC Universe. — Lyvie Scott
5. Severance Season 2
The only thing everyone wanted to talk about at the virtual watercooler this year was Severance, and for good reason. The second season was released to almost unbearable levels of anticipation, after a nearly three-yearlong wait since the first. And somehow, it managed to meet expectations and beyond. Shocking twists and heartbreaking revelations characterized the heady, ambitious new season, which took the mystery-box show to new dizzying levels. — Hoai-Tran Bui
4. The Chair Company
Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company is what happens when you put I Think You Should Leave in a blender with The Manchurian Candidate. So many of his sketches are focused on one guy who won’t let something go in a situation, be that a baby’s opinion of him or a white lie about why he’s late. The Chair Company turns that running theme into a long-form narrative, with one man’s singular mission to unpack a conspiracy revealing a ton of other sketch-worthy ideas along the way. — Dais Johnston
3. Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again is an odd beast of a reboot, but therein lies its brilliance. Not quite a revival of Netflix’s Daredevil, not quite a Disney+ show, it combines two well-known house styles to craft something blessedly refreshing. It’s a welcome challenge to Marvel’s status quo, bringing the franchise back down to earth. That it brings Charlie Cox’s Devil back to Hell’s Kitchen is just the icing on the cake. — Lyvie Scott
2. Andor Season 2
If Andor had one flaw, it’s that it had to end. Its acclaimed first season turned a footnote in Star Wars history into an essential chapter in the franchise. Season 2 is on a much stricter schedule, tracing four years in Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) life at lightspeed. That it’s still the greatest sci-fi show of the year — and the best Star Wars story in years — is a testament to taut writing, raw-nerve performances, and stunning attention to detail. — Lyvie Scott
1. Pluribus
Pluribus is the clear pick for best series of the year. From its pitch-perfect pilot to the central mystery that gets more innovative and interesting with each passing episode, it recaptures the weekly water-cooler show magic of previous shows like Lost. Unlike Apple TV’s wide catalogue of other cutting-edge sci-fi like For All Mankind or Severance, it hooks you from the first minute and doesn’t let go. It’s the first show I’ve had to stop myself from watching purely because I didn’t want to run out of episodes to watch.
Vince Gilligan’s hive mind sci-fi series starring Rhea Seehorn as “the world’s most miserable person” is a fight between good and evil we’ve never seen before: It’s a fight between sadness (good) and happiness (boring). And, frankly, nothing’s made me happier. Wherever Carol Sturka’s miserable independence takes her, we’ll follow. — Dais Johnston
