Here are 10 TV shows from 2025 to catch up on before it's 2026
[December 12, 2025]
By ALICIA RANCILIO
If you'd rather stay in than brave the elements or deal with holiday
crowds, it's a great time to catch up on the year's standout television
shows. A number of titles got people watching and also talking.
In no particular order, here are 10 shows that broke out in 2025.
“Dept. Q”
When it comes to his TV credits, Matthew Goode has a history of being a
“late add” to TV shows. He swept in to be Mary's love interest on
“Downton Abbey” after the death of Cousin Matthew. He joined Season 2 of
“The Crown” as Margaret's husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, known as Earl
Snowdon. Goode was also added to “The Good Wife” during Josh Charles'
shocking final episode in the show's fifth season. In “Dept. Q,” Goode
leads as a curmudgeonly detective who assembles a team of misfits to
solve cold cases. The show is based on a Danish book series and was
renewed for a second season. (Available on Netflix)
“Paradise”
Sterling K. Brown stars in this drama as a U.S. Secret Service agent who
arrives to work one day and finds the president is dead. It gets crazier
from there. The show is part sci-fi, part drama, and definitely a
mystery. It's been renewed for a second season with Shailene Woodley
added to the cast so now is a good time to catch up. (Available on Hulu)
“Love Island USA”
Because each season has a new cast, we'll count the seventh season of
“Love Island USA” as a new show. Chatter about this one dominated social
media and watercooler chatter this summer as it aired five nights a
week. The gist: cameras follow a group of single people sequestered at a
Fiji villa as they couple up. New connections are consistently in
jeopardy as contestants get sent home — by the cast or the viewers who
can vote — and new people called bombshells arrive like fresh bait.
About halfway through, the men and women are separated for a week of
episodes and introduced to a whole new cast. (Available on Peacock)
“The Pitt”
Noah Wyle revived his leading man status this year by once again
portraying a doctor. This time, he's not an intern but leads a
Pittsburgh trauma center emergency room. “The Pitt” won a number of
Primetime Emmy Awards this year, including best drama series and an
acting and producing win for Wyle. Watch before Season 2 premieres in
early January. (Available on HBO Max)
“The Studio”
Seth Rogen plays Matt Remick, the newly elevated head of a Hollywood
studio. Some critics say the show is too inside baseball about showbiz
but if you liked cringey comedies like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,”
“Episodes” or “The Comeback,” this one is for you. It also has a great
supporting cast including Catherine O'Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn
and AP Breakthough Entertainer Chase Sui Wonders. It also has real
Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, and Olivia Wilde
playing heightened versions of themselves. Rogen won Emmys for acting,
directing, producing and writing on the series. A second season is in
the works. (Available on Apple TV)
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This image released by Netflix shows Claire Danes, left, and Matthew
Rhys in a scene from "The Beast in Me." (Netflix via AP)
 “Adolescence”
A teenage boy accused of murder is a disturbing premise, but
watching this limited series is like watching great theater or even
live music. Why? Each of the four episodes was filmed in a single
continuous shot after extensive rehearsals. The show also introduced
us to another AP Breakthrough Entertainer, Owen Cooper, who had
never had a professional acting job before. Cooper, Stephen Graham
and Erin Doherty all won Emmys for their performances. (Available on
Netflix)
“The Beast in Me”
Two of today's best TV actors, Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, grace
the screen together in “The Beast in Me.” Danes is a Pulitzer
Prize-winning author and Rhys plays a real estate developer
suspected in the disappearance of his first wife. Danes' character
has a severe case of writer's block as she's working on her second
book, so she pivots to writing a biography of Rhys' character.
(Available on Netflix)
“St. Denis Medical”
OK, this one debuted in November 2024, but it was so close to the
end of the year that let's just agree to say it was new in 2025. NBC
loves a workplace mockumentary series and this one has Wendi
McLendon-Covey, Allison Tolman and David Alan Grier as employees at
an Oregon hospital. Comedies don't get much time to hit their stride
anymore, and this one deserved its renewal. (Available on Peacock)
“The Paper”
“The Paper” had a tough go as the official spinoff to “The Office.”
It had its own niche — a mockumentary about the staff of a small,
struggling newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, but the ghosts of Dunder
Mifflin were hard to ignore. Many viewers went in looking for a new
Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute and were disappointed. “The Paper”
may not have carbon copies of its predecessor's characters (although
accountant Oscar Martinez returns), but it does have running jokes,
quirky personalities and is worth a fair shake. If you recall, “The
Office” wasn't a hit right away either. A second season is in the
works. (Available on Peacock)
“Forever”
This contemporary spin on the controversial Judy Blume novel from
1975 follows a young couple in Los Angeles as they experience first
love. Lead actors Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. both turned in
strong performances, as did Karen Pittman. Like most young lovers,
the couple's relationship has highs and lows. A second season is
confirmed, so there's more story to tell. (Available on Netflix)
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