I had a damn good time watching TV this year. Not everything wowed me–Reacher was a slog, I don’t understand the now old buzz about The Blacklist, Wisting was too gloomy, and The Bear, a yawn. But these are quibbles in a very good year. And for the purposes of this column, I’m sticking to shows released this year–otherwise I’d rave about Rectify again.
Here, in no particular order, are shows, released this year, I enjoyed the hell out of.
The House of Guinness: I’m a big fan of Peaky Blinders and this historically inspired show by showrunner Knight has much of what made Peaky Blinders so great–stellar acting, sharp dialogue, immersive world-building–but is more light-hearted. The show takes many liberties with the lives of the real Guinesses who inherited the famed brewery from their father in 1868, but the context is on the money. If you like historical-ish dramas, I recommend this one highly.
The Diplomat: Kerry Russell is three for three for me. I was a Felicity watcher, The Americans is one of my top TV shows of all time, and, whoa, does she–and her castmates–rule in The Diplomat. Though the third season isn’t quite as fab as the first two, it is still eminently watchable. As many have pointed out The Diplomat is, like the Americans, very centered around an intimate relationship. I could watch Rufus Sewell scheme to keep the world on track while pining for his prickly wife all day long. And, sign me up for President Grace brilliantly played by Allison Janney.
Blue Lights: We Yanks get Blue Lights half a year after it airs in Europe. So, I’m eagerly awaiting Season Three which will drop here in 2026. Season Two was fascinating–the long tail of the Troubles underwrote the crimes and violence the squad in Belfast is bombarded by. Season Three can’t come fast enough.
Slow Horses: Apple’s hit adaptation of Mick Herron’s books is my jam–it’s smart, hilarious, and hard to predict. Gary Oldham, Jack Lowden, and the rest of Slough House (with Kristin Scott Thomas as a bonus) are the very definition of entertaining. Season Five is a little hard to follow at times but I don’t care. The show has brains and a deeply hidden heart and I love it.
Unforgotten: Unforgotten is, along with Broadchurch and Prime Suspect, British crime at its best. I’ve loved every season–although Season Four gutted me–and Season Six was superb. It is a bit more upbeat than most of the other seasons but, hey, we need all the joy we–and Sunny–can get these days.
Dark Winds: Everything about Dark Winds works. The cast, led by the astonishing Zahn Mcclarnon, is perfect. The setting–the Navajo reservation in the 1970’s–is so vividly accurate, I found myself reaching for a Tab. And while the mysteries Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito work to solve are compelling, this is really a show about the Navajo–indeed all Native Americans–and the complicated and deadly relationship they have with the US Government in all its many forms. It is often devastating and yet it never leaves me depressed.
Black Snow: I so hope this show set in North Queensland and helmed by the absurdly gorgeous AND talented Travis Fimmel will get a third season. We watched the first two seasons back to back this summer and were wowed. Fimmel’s Cormack is one messed up detective and yet you root for him at every turn. Season Two’s storyline was riveting as was the emotional minefield of Cormack’s past. Fingers crossed there will be more Black Snow.
Silo: I wasn’t sure if the second season of Silo would blow me away in the way the first did and, honestly, it’s fractionally less strong. But it was still phenomenal–Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette Nichols is my kind of hero: A woman determined, at great cost, to challenge the idea that those in power should control what the rest of us can know. Silo is a show about big ideas and it’s up to the task. (And Tim Robbins is first rate!) I’ve not read the books the show is based on so, yay!, I have no idea what season three will bring. Whatever it is, I’ll be watching.
Did you watch any of these? Loved them? Hated them? Found them meh? What were the 2025 shows that you loved? And why?
I actually keep a list of tv shows that I am loving and revisit them all at the end of the year. Here is my current Top 10 list,
Ludwig (BritBox)
Severance S2
The Pitt
Murderbot
Andor S2
Strange New Worlds S3
Hacks S4
Code of Silence (BritBox)
Slow Horses S5
Task
I think The Pitt and Ludwig were my favorites and every episode was solid, and the other shows on my list were good overall but had a mix of episodes I loved and episodes I didn’t.
Task just ended last week. Episodes 5 and 6 were astoundingly good, but it was a bit of a slog to get there.
I thought the Severance 2 finale was superb, best episode of tv I saw all year.
Andor had some great episodes, but the first 3 or so were meh.
Slow Horses S5 has been the weakest so far, but a bad Slow Horses ep is better than most other tv shows, so it goes on the Top 10 list.
I also want to give a shout-out to the S2 finale episode of The Rehearsal. A lot of people like the infamous Sully episode, which was clever but also a little offputting. The S2 finale felt kind of … triumphant? It just hit right.
I feel like Silo S2 would be #11.
OMG, I forgot Rivals. Best bonkbuster schlock. I can’t even put it on the list because I am so embarrassed I loved it.
The Tony Hillerman books that Dark Winds is based on were fabulous. I did watch the first season of the show, but somehow never got around the any of the subsequent seasons. The first season was loosely based on the first three books. I ended up giving all my Tony Hillerman books to my yoga instructor so she can read them as she loves the show.
I started watching House of Guinness but haven’t got past the second episode. Too much modern music I think.
I haven’t seen any of the others you listed but a couple sound interesting. I have been meaning to watch The Diplomat though and now I know Rufus Sewell is in it, it has moved way up on the need to watch list. Ditto for Slow Horses. Anything with Gary Oldman and Kristen Scott Thomas in it has got to be good.
I prefer movies or short series that don’t have multiple seasons as my attention span has gotten shorter over the years. If you never saw them, Godless, Unbelievable, and The English were all excellent shows. The shows were about three or four episodes long (The English was six) and told the complete story, so no need for a second season.
DISAGREED about season 3 of the Diplomat being eminently watchable. I am 6 episodes in and only continuing due to the greatness of seasons 1 and 2. The writers have Kerry and Rufus being both petty and stupid this season for some, completely unknown to me reason.
Reacher’s third season was even worse, I didn’t finish it.
Paris Has Fallen was a quality action show that most people haven’t heard of.
Krapopolis and Animal Control are good, continuing sitcoms.
Creature Commandos and Haunted Hotel were fun.
My greatest hope for the year is the upcoming second season of The Night Manager.
I too am very much looking forward to The Night Manager.
My TV buddies and I all adored The Gilded Age. Carrie Coon and Christine Baranski were especially terrific. Now awaiting Series 4. Great cast and superb writing as you would expect from Julian Fellowes. The new version of The Forsytes (just one episode so far) is extremely promising. Scripted by Debbie Horsfield (Poldark – swoon!!). And, as a Droughtlander sufferer, Blood Of My Blood was pretty damned satisfying and has filled a temporary hole. And agree about Black Snow: fabulous story lines and brilliant acting. More, please!
I just couldn’t get into The Gilded Age. I need to give it another shot. We watched the first three episodes and I just didn’t care about anyone.
I like some reality baking championship shows so I watched a few seasons of those this year (for example Kids Baking Championship, Spring Baking Championship, Tournament of Champions, etc.). I watched the Giro D’Italia and the Tour de France on my cycling app, and I watch a lot of tennis. As for fiction shows, I think Elsbeth (comedy-drama on American channel CBS) and Murderbot (Apple TV) are the only current shows I watched this year. My husband and I subscribed to Britbox in the summer so we’ve been bingewatching several seasons of Poirot and Sherlock Holmes and those are from the 90s I believe.