What a ridiculous year for TV. Severance got darker, The Righteous Gemstones went out swinging, Andor proved Star Wars can still aim high and The Rehearsal somehow got even more unhinged. Add sharp newcomers like The Studio, Task and Pluribus, and 2025 felt stacked from start to finish. APPLETv & HBOMax absolutely leading the way. In no particular order… IIN AppA
DYING FOR SEX (DISNEY/HULU)
There are TV shows that entertain, and then there are TV shows that quietly rearrange your heart. Dying For Sex, a poignant and daring new series, does both, and does it with style, humour, and devastating honesty. What starts as a provocative premise becomes something altogether more profound: a meditation on mortality, desire, and the messy, beautiful business of being alive
THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES SEASON 4 (FINAL SEASON)(HBOMAX)
Danny McBride and co take a gloriously profane victory lap. Season 4 leans harder into the idea that the Gemstones are irredeemable and somehow still worthy of our affection, balancing genuine emotion with some of the show’s sharpest, meanest laughs. The cast is operating at full throttle, but it is Walton Goggins who once again threatens to steal the entire thing, turning Baby Billy into both a punchline and a tragic punch to the gut. A fitting farewell that understands exactly what made this series special, loud, ugly, heartfelt and unashamedly funny right to the end.
THE STUDIO (APPLETV)
A razor sharp, painfully funny look at the chaos behind the curtain. The Studio thrives on its performances and its ruthless understanding of ego, insecurity and ambition, skewering the industry without ever feeling smug. It is fast, smart and constantly surprising, finding real humanity beneath the satire. By the end, it feels less like a comedy about making art and more like a quiet panic attack about why we do it at all. One of those shows that sneaks up on you, then refuses to let go.
SEVERANCE SEASON 2 (APPLETV)
Cold, precise and quietly devastating. Season 2 deepens the nightmare rather than expanding it, pushing further into the emotional cost of division, control and corporate mythology. The performances remain immaculate, especially as cracks begin to form between who these people are at work and who they might be outside it. It is slower, heavier and more unsettling than before, trusting the audience to sit with the dread. Television that feels meticulously designed to burrow under your skin and stay there.
REHEARSAL SEASON 2 (HBOMAX)
Nathan Fielder pushes the concept past satire and straight into existential horror. Season 2 is funnier, darker and far more unsettling, constantly blurring performance, manipulation and genuine vulnerability until the lines collapse entirely. What starts as an absurd experiment becomes a deeply uncomfortable meditation on control, loneliness and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. It is audacious television that feels slightly dangerous, like you should not be laughing but cannot stop.
PLURIBUS (APPLETV)
Smart, slippery and deliberately hard to pin down. Pluribus is less interested in easy answers than in the strange rhythms of power, identity and collective belief, unfolding at its own measured pace. It rewards patience, trusting the audience to lean into ambiguity rather than resist it. Not everything lands, but when it does, it hums with ideas and quiet confidence. A thoughtful, slightly frustrating show that lingers longer than expected.
ANDOR SEASON 2 (DISNEY)
Still the most grounded and politically charged corner of Star Wars. Season 2 widens the scope, leaning deeper into sacrifice, compromise and the slow machinery of rebellion, often at the expense of the intimacy that made the first season feel so electric. The writing remains smart and unsentimental, and the performances are uniformly strong, even when the momentum occasionally dips. A thoughtful, mature continuation that may not hit the same highs, but reinforces Andor as prestige television first and franchise storytelling second.
TASK (HBOMAX)
Lean, tense and quietly devastating. Task strips things back to the fundamentals, pressure, moral compromise and the slow erosion of certainty, then lets them simmer. The writing is sharp and unflashy, trusting performance and pacing over spectacle, and it pays off beautifully. What really lands is how human it feels, every decision weighted, every silence loaded. Television that respects the audience enough to let discomfort do the talking.
HAL & HARPER (Mubi / Stan)
Cooper Raiff continues to carve out his own corner of storytelling, and Hal & Harper might just be his most personal, daring, and emotionally resonant work to date. At just 27, Raiff has written, directed, and starred in a show that’s not only bold in its ambition but disarmingly mature in its execution. It’s messy, unfiltered, and deeply sincere—the kind of emotionally chaotic family portrait that swings big and often lands even bigger.
THE PITT (HBOMax)
Not usually my kind of show, but I was hooked. Noah Wyle is absolutely phenomenal, award-worthy, no question. The casting is perfect, the writing is sharp, and the pacing is confident and deliberate. There’s real weight to the performances, and the storytelling is so grounded and compelling. Quietly gripping and surprisingly emotional. Totally worth your time.
ADOLESCENCE (Netflix)
Netflix’s Adolescence is something special. It’s the kind of show that sticks with you, not just because of how well it’s made, but because of what it has to say. It tells a powerful story about young people trying to find their place in a world that doesn’t always make space for them, and it does it with honesty, heart, and incredible care.
MR SCORSESE (APPLETV)
A loving, endlessly fascinating portrait of a filmmaker who shaped modern cinema. More than a victory lap, this is Scorsese in full reflection mode. Thoughtful, funny, obsessive and deeply human. A masterclass on why movies matter, and why Marty will always matter too.
THE CHAIR COMPANY (HBOMAX)
A deceptively sleek series that turns office politics into psychological warfare, while being hilarious and painfully awkward in true Tim Robinson fashion. Patient, precise and deeply unsettling, it finds real menace in spreadsheets, silence and who controls the room. Proof that the most ruthless battles don’t need guns, just leverage.
MOBLAND (Paramount)
This is not your typical mob drama. With Ritchie directing, Mobland is full of confidence, style, and substance. The storytelling is sharp, mixing brutal violence with dark humour and unexpected emotional depth. Every scene is crafted with care, and the whole show feels both cinematic and intimate. It is prestige television that never forgets to entertain.
OVERCOMPENSATING (AmazonPrime)
Amazon Prime and A24’s Overcompensating is a heartfelt, messy, and sharply funny coming-of-age dramedy that captures the awkward chaos of trying to find yourself, and be yourself, in college. Created by and starring Benito Skinner (a.k.a. Benny Drama), the show follows Benny, a closeted former high school football star stumbling his way through his freshman year at the fictional, ultra-liberal Yates University.
DEVIL IN DISGUISE (Peacock)
Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy takes one of the most disturbing true crime stories in American history and reshapes it into something genuinely compelling. Instead of chasing cheap horror or shock tactics, the series builds its power through restraint. The horror sits quietly in the background, lingering in what we know rather than what we see. Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy stands as one of the most thoughtful true crime series in years. It looks at evil not through spectacle, but through accountability. It lingers long after the credits roll.
Other Shows I really liked and would recommend. Sterling K Brown in Paradise, Ethan Hawke in The Lowdown, Netflix’s Dept Q and Black Rabbit with Jude Law and Jason Bateman, and Jon Hamm in Apple’s Your Friends and Neighbours.
Binge. play. Watch. Repeat.
Designed with WordPress