I watched one-hundred-forty-six TV seasons and mini-series this year. Here are my top 15 for
the year. There are no seasons that fell into the 'worst' category.
While in the past I simply quit watching bad television, this year I
watched entire seasons of shows I didn't like just so I could review
them in full. Still none of them would I consider the worst. This is
based simply on what
I watched this year, not on
what was released this year.
Check out the previous year-end reviews.
The Top 15 of 2025:
Season 6 - 11 episodes (2024)
Rent What We Do in the Shadows on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Jemaine Clement
Starring: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch, Kristen Schaal
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A look into the nightly lives of four vampires who have lived together on Staten Island for over a century.
Verdict
This
show has been so consistently excellent from the beginning. I love the
humor and style. It's not slap stick or trying to make you laugh out
loud; it's clever and subtle, the type of show you need to watch twice
to get all of the jokes. These characters are completely serious about
their silly plights and always find themselves in ridiculous situations
because of it. My only complaint is that there won't be any more
seasons. This was always a show I looked forward to watching. It's such a
smart comedy with completely charming characters.
Full Review
Adolescence
Mini-series - 4 episodes
Watch Adolescence on Netflix
Written by: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham
Directed by: Philip Barantini
Starring: Ashley Walters, Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Faye Marsay, Erin Doherty
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
When
a 13-year-old is accused of murdering a classmate, his family,
therapist, and the detectives are all left asking what really happened.
Verdict
This
is amazing. From the single continuous shot in each episode to the
writing and how it allows the actors to emote in the pauses between
dialog. Everything about this series is so deliberate, from what it
shows or doesn't to the story structure. It's a heartbreaking premise
where a family wrestles with the accusation. Every episode is a
different character searching for answers, and the third episode best
exemplifies this series with unparalleled acting. Ultimately there is no
answer to the core question. We're left with a devastated community.
Full Review
ER Series
Season 1 - 25 episodes (1994-95) / Season 2 - 22 episodes (1995-96) / Season 3 - 22 episodes (1996-97) / Season 4 - 22 episodes (1997-98) / Season 5 - 22 episodes (1998-99) / Season 6 - 22 episodes (1999-2000) / Season 7 - 22 episodes (2000-01)
Season 8 - 22 episodes (2001-02) / Season 9 - 22 episodes (2002-03) / Season 10 - 22 episodes (2003-04) / Season 11 - 22 episodes (2004-05) / Season 12 - 22 episodes (2005-06) / Season 13 - 23 episodes (2006-07) / Season 14 - 19 episodes (2007-08) / Season 15 - 22 episodes (2008-09)
Rent ER on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Michael Crichton
Starring:
Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield, Noah Wyle,
Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle, Gloria Reuben, Laura Innes, Maria
Bello, Alex Kingston, Kellie Martin, Paul McCrane, Goran Višnjić,
Michael Michele, Erik Palladino, Ming-Na, Maura Tierney, Sharif Atkins,
Mekhi Phifer, Parminder Nagra, Linda Cardellini, Shane West, Scott
Grimes, John Stamos, David Lyons, Angela Bassett
Rated: TV-14
Watch the trailer
Plot
The
doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago
grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives
while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
Verdict
This is such an engrossing show. Each episode features the ER staff
attending to multiple patients which makes every episode frenetic.
Between the ER cases we learn about the staff and their lives in and
outside of the hospital. It's a long show which allows you time to grow
fond of characters, but that makes it difficult when actors move on.
There's a fair amount of turnover. By the end of the series, the
original cast is all but gone. The guest star list is enormous. It's
always fun to wonder where you've seen that actor before or seeing
someone before they became famous. This tells the stories of patients in
each episode and the main cast over each season. It's always moving and
engrossing. The peak of the show is the first five seasons with the
first two seasons being the best. Season eight feels like the beginning
of the show manufacturing interpersonal drama and relying too much on
silly comedy. It's not bad, but that and the original cast departing
over the seasons made me long for the earlier seasons, though I never
once contemplated cutting my watch short.
Full Review
Silo Seasons 1 & 2
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2023)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2024-25)
Rent Silo on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Created by: Graham Yost
Starring:
Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, Tim Robbins,
Will Patton, Harriet Walter, Chinzaz Uche, Avi Nash, Remmie Milner,
Shane McRae
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Men
and women live in a giant silo underground with several regulations
which they believe are in place to protect them from the toxic and
ruined world on the surface.
Verdict
What
a show; this has such an intriguing concept and it delivers. Season one
is amazing from the very beginning. Each episode builds plot and
characters as we find out what's going on, though several questions
still remain. What's outside of the silo? Is the leadership covering it
up? Even if Juliet discovers the answers, will she be able to get the
people to believe? Season one is stunning and the final episode makes it
even better. Season two expands the story, but manages to still keep
two separate plots equally interesting. While we learn more about the
silo program, we see the makings of a revolution as the leadership
struggles to maintain control amid their duplicity. Through both seasons
the characters are engaging, the show is riveting, and the big moments
thrill. I didn't think this show's second season could be good as the
first, especially since it alters the premise, but this show delivers
with every episode.
Full Review
For All Mankind Season 2
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2021)
Rent For All Mankind on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Ronald D. Moore, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert
Starring:Joel
Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour,
Wrenn Schmidt, Sonya Walger, Krys Marshall, Coral Peña, Cynthy Wu,
Casey W. Johnson, Toby Kebbell, Daniel Stern
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
In an alternative version of 1969, the Soviet Union beats the United
States to the Moon, and the space race continues on for decades with
still grander challenges and goals.
Verdict
How
do you recreate the '60s space race with a fresh take? Create an
alternative history. The premise is a lot of fun, and the show is
engrossing. It captures the spirit but provides an inventive story.
Changing this one event has a ripple effect that changes the entire
course of history. While I like this show, the second season is the standout. It rivals the first as we stray farther from actual history
while building upon the foundation created in season one to build this
huge world. It's building on the cold war, taking that rivalry to space. The second season definitely has bigger moments than season one, but we
need the first to set the stage for this one.
Full Series Review
The Pitt Season 1
Season 1 - 15 episodes
Rent The Pitt on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: R. Scott Gemmill
Starring: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya
Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell,
Shabana Azeez, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Kristin Villanueva
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
The
daily lives of healthcare professionals in a Pittsburgh hospital as
they juggle personal crises, workplace politics, and the emotional toll
of treating critically ill patients, revealing the resilience required
in their noble calling.
Verdict
Each episode depicts one hour in the emergency room with the entire
season comprising a shift. It's frenetic, dramatic, and so much fun. It starts out fine but keeps getting better
with each episode, and by the end becomes something more impressive.
Part of that is that this throws so much at you that it takes a while to
get a sense of everything. This has a range of cases from mundane to
devastating. As much as I was enjoying this, I didn't think it could
reach another level but later in the season it does just that. It's a
tragedy, but it raises the intensity of the show as the entire ER staff
scramble to save people that are arriving quicker than they can treat
them. It can be graphic, this doesn't hold back what you might see in
the emergency room, but that along with the format of the show lends it a
strong sense of credibility.
Full Review
The Bear Season 4
Watch The Bear Season 4 on Hulu
Created by: Christopher Storer
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Oliver Platt, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Oliver Platt
Rating: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A young chef from the fine dining world returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop.
Verdict
This very well might be the last season, and it feels like a final send off with payoffs and cameos along the way. This season has a literal clock driving tension the entire time. The restaurant must turn a profit or it's over. It's an excellent show in the look and how it slows down and gives actors a chance to emote. It's a solid season and better than the third, but the peak of this show is the second season. Even then, this is more than worth watching. While the finale may feel lacking, it is a conclusion, albeit open ended.
Full Review
The Shield Series
Season 2 - 13 episodes (2003)
Season 3 - 15 episodes (2004)
Season 4 - 13 episodes (2005)
Season 5 - 11 episodes (2006)
Season 6 - 13 episodes (2007)
Season 7 - 13 episodes (2008)
Rent The Shield on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by:Shawn Ryan
Starring: Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, Jay Karnes, CCH Pounder, Benito Martinez, Catherine Dent, Michael Jace, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, David Rees Snell, Kenny Johnson, Glenn Close, Forest Whitaker
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A gang of corrupt Los Angeles Police Department cops uses illegal methods to maintain law and order, whilst engaging in a series of undercover dealings in order to get rich.
Verdict
This is one of my all time favorite shows. It's one of the few shows that becomes more intense with every season. From the first episode until the last, this is a thrill ride. It reels you in immediately, and the final episode ranks as one of the all time great finales. Nearly every episode builds story and character. Mackey's goal is always to reduce crime, but he considers himself judge, jury, and executioner as he instigates his own form of street justice. He provides plenty of moments where you want to root for him but even more instances where he commits abhorrent crimes. Plenty of characters fear him, but they also recruit him when they need someone to do the dirty work. He's the guy you want when you're in a bind, and he's also the last guy you want to cross. For seven years Vic Mackey ruled over the streets of Los Angeles.
Full Review
Murderbot Season 1
Buy the book (paid link)
Created by: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz
Based on: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, Tattiawna Jones
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A security android struggles with emotions and free will while balancing dangerous missions and desire for isolation, evading detection of its self-hacking as it finds its place.
Verdict
This show's sense of humor is so understated, all from the viewpoint of an anti-social robot. Much of that derives from a robot annoyed by humans and their pathetic plights that only interrupt him from watching his favorite premium television show. This hints at the morality of enslaving lifelike robots and ramifications of free will, but as the season progresses Murderbot begins to care for his clients despite his statements that he'd rather be rid of them. It's a lot of fun, the humor hits the right note, and it ends really well, though more heartfelt than humorous. It's never less than entertaining.
Full Review
Alien: Earth Season 1
Watch the trailer
Created by:Noah Hawley Starring: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Adarsh Gourav, Erana James, Jonathan Ajayi, David Rysdahl, Diêm Camille, Moe Bar-El, Timothy Olyphant, Kit Young
Rated: TV-MA
Plot
When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat.
Verdict
Frequently more horror than drama, this brings not just the classic xenomorph to Earth but also a host of other creatures while corporations vie for the next step in human evolution. While that adds depth, the series doesn't develop the ideas on next human iteration much further. The production design feels authentic to the original movies. This is more than I expected out of an Alien series. There's unexplored depth with the future of the human race and several scares. The conclusion is underwhelming, casting a shadow on the rest of the series. It leaves us with a lot of questions. I wish my parting thoughts weren't disappointment with the conclusion when the rest of the season has been such a scary thrill ride.
Full Review
Breaking Bad Series
Season 2 - 13 episodes (2009)
Season 3 - 13 episodes (2010)
Season 4 - 13 episodes (2011)
Season 5 - 16 episodes (2012-13)
Rent Breaking Bad on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, Jesse Plemons, Krysten Ritter, Mark Margolis, David Costabile
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student to secure his family's future.
Verdict
This is one of the few shows that seems to get better with every season, certainly more intense. The premise alone is enough to hook your interest. We follow two characters driven by greed, Walt a teacher and Jesse a criminal. During the series we discover the teacher is the sociopath and the criminal is kind-hearted. Money doesn't change people, it gives Walt an opportunity to act unrestrained by social norms and his limitations. The desire for money only causes problems, and that's complicated by Walt's desire to be on top and prove his worth and intelligence over everyone else. His pride continues to compel him to harm others at the desire of bettering his position. Even when Walt reaches the top, it's not enough. With each season his ego grows.
Full Review
Task Season 1
Watch the trailer
Created by: Brad Ingelsby
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Raúl Castillo, Jamie McShane, Silvia Dionicio, Owen Teague
Rated: TV-MA
Plot
In the working class suburbs of Philadelphia, an FBI agent heads a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.
Verdict
This is such a great show, and every performance is impressive. I had concerns after the first episode, but each episode gets better. While it starts with a group of thieves and a task force chasing them, this explores relationships, taking time to build these characters. That's what gives their plights resonance. Nearly everyone is in a tough place, dealing with loss and regret; just trying to survive and make things right. What's right depends on your perspective, and it's never an easy path.
Full Review
Dexter Season 1
Rent Dexter on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Created by: James Manos Jr.
Based on Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
When blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is not out solving murders, he spends his time as a serial killer who eliminates those who do bad things.
Verdict
The first season of this show is easily my favorite. It's such an intriguing world, seeing police work through a blood splatter analyst, but he's also a serial killer. Dexter is a dark vigilante that has channeled his psychopathic behavior into meting out justice. The season at times feels like a comic book with how the plot develops. Part of it is to maintain the mystery, but this never seems like a cop show. The police are a comparison and a means to an end. This isn't focused on the realities of police work. It's about a killer with a code who reconciles societies unspoken rules with his actions, and it's meant to be salacious. Dexter is the focus, the rest is set dressing. We explore his code, his past, and his adoptive father. Everything comes to a point in the final episode as he has to reckon with who he is and the killer he's been trained to be. No other season captures the core of this character like this season. No other season was anywhere near as engrossing.
Full Review
Game of Thrones Seasons 1-6
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2012)
Season 3 - 10 episodes (2013)
Season 4 - 10 episodes (2014)
Season 5 - 10 episodes (2015)
Season 6 - 10 episodes (2016)
Rent Game of Thrones on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the books (paid link)
Created by:David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Starring: Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Iain Glen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Richard Madden, Alfie Allen, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Jack Gleeson, Rory McCann, Peter Dinklage, Aidan Gillen, Jason Momoa, Gwendoline Christie
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Adapted from George R.R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire, kings and usurpers fight for control over the lands of Westeros in a civil war, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Verdict
It's such an epic adventure with a nearly unparalleled scale and scope. The death of a king leads to a war for the throne. This is medieval fantasy with several gods, resurrection from the dead, the undead, and dragons. Then there's all of the infighting and backstabbing among the humans who crave power. I love this show, and it's a shame it seems to have been forgotten. Arcs and character turns span seasons setting up great payoff moments. With so many characters it's easy to find characters for which to root, and even some of the villains turn it around. There are also many characters to hate. It's such a fun show in a genre that rarely becomes so popular. The sixth season was the peak of the show, with the final two seasons, seven and eight, being the decline. Unfortunately the final season is the reason this series if now largely forgotten. It was that bad.
Full Review
All Her Fault
Rent All Her Fault on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Created by:Megan Gallagher
Starring: Sarah Snook, Dakota Fanning, Michael Peña, Jake Lacy, Sophia Lillis, Jay Ellis, Daniel Monks, Abby Elliot
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
Marissa and Peter Irvine enter every parent's worst nightmare when their young son, Milo, is kidnapped after a play date with a boy at his new school.
Verdict
This show is riveting from the first to final scene. Every episode ends on a cliffhanger, forcing you to watch the next, not that you'd want to stop. A child is missing. Each episode adds more clues and questions, casting doubt on characters. Finding the child isn't the end, that's just the beginning of explaining why this happened. This show has more twists, turns, and loops than a roller coaster. On top of that is the subtext of how mothers are the default parent and fathers are allowed to do nothing or are praised for doing the bare minimum.
Full Review
No comments :
Post a Comment