In 2025, even a challenged television landscape was rife with transportive stories. From streamers to broadcast networks, these narratives immersed viewers in different time periods, alternative universes and even forced us to look at our everyday lives. While some series offer mystery (what’s the deal with the small town in “Paradise”?), fantasy (what if you could time travel to meet your true love?) and escapism (will Gladys Russell really marry a duke?) to take us out of our day-to-day grind, others speak to where we are as a collective society. (Nowhere close to living down the sins of our past, if “The Righteous Gemstones” is any judge.) Whether you’ve had a great year in which you’ve thrived or have simply pushed through, television has been there to take the edge off or serve as a well-deserved reward.
From this vast array of options, Variety TV critics Aramide Tinubu and Alison Herman have each selected their 10 favorite shows from 2025, with an eclectic range of selections and two delightful crossovers. These picks span animated and live action series; true crime and talk shows; hospital emergency rooms and galaxies far, far away. What unites these disparate works is an eye for character, narrative and above all, quality. Whether romance or horror, comedy or high drama, each show has succeeded in standing out from a crowded field to be remembered as one of the best of the year. Read on for more on what made the cut and why. (Click here to jump to Alison Herman’s list.)
From Variety US