The 25 best TV shows of 2025

What a great year for telly 2025 has been. There were so many good shows coming out so consistently that it sometimes felt hard to keep up. As a TV fan, this has been a nice problem to have.

You’ll probably notice some perceived big omissions, like Stranger Things (Netflix) and Pluribus (Apple TV+), which were ineligible for inclusion due to not having completed their run at the time of writing.

What: A cynical Broadway director finds himself stuck in his hometown of Tauranga and reluctantly staging a musical production with his old amateur-theatre group, his ex-girlfriend and, horror of all horrors, his mother.

We say: This local musical-comedy was the feel-good hit of the year.

Watch: ThreeNow

What: Three couples navigate their various midlife crises while attempting not to ruin each other's shared seasonal holidays.

We say: Tina Fey’s all-star dramedy zipped and zinged with keenly observed one-liners, a flair for the absurd and a melancholic reflection on mid-life malaise.

Watch: Netflix

What: The three bratty Gemstone kidults finally get their chance to lead the family’s mega-church empire, but the unshakable faith in their abilities proves woefully misguided.

We say: The final season of Danny McBride’s religious comedy involved jetpacks, shootouts and unholy amounts of cocaine. A biblically funny farewell.

Watch: Neon

What: A best-selling author befriends a high-profile, suspected murderer in order to write a book about him. What could possibly go wrong?

We say: Claire Danes and her trembly chin were meme-d on pretty hard, but this textbook thriller was as unputdownable as a good book.

Watch: Netflix

What: An earnest movie producer given the top job at a failing Hollywood studio struggles to balance financial reality with his artistic pretensions.

We say: Seth Rogen’s frazzled, farcical love letter to the movie business was a comedic blockbuster and takes home the award for Funniest Show of the Year.

Watch: Apple TV

What: Mixing travel and cooking shows proved a winning recipe for this documentary series, which explored how various cultures have adapted the hangi style of cooking.

We say: A show like this rests entirely on the charms of its host, and good old Tem is a charming fella.

Watch: Neon

What: A street-smart fixer attempts to prevent all-out war between two London crime families as tensions escalate in brutal, bloody fashion.

We say: Thanks to its machine-gun pace, a delicious heel turn by Helen Mirren, an unhinged Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy’s compellingly gruff performance, this crime-thriller was one of the most watchable shows of 2025.

Watch: Prime Video

What: Long-running satirical cartoon series that was about four school kids, but is now a deep dive into the toxic and overly sexual relationship between Donald Trump and Satan.

We say: The only good to come out of the second Trump presidency is the fire it lit underneath South Park's creative team. Gleefully defiant and joyfully obscene in its skewering of 47 and his cronies, current affairs has never been so funny. Or so brutal.

Watch: SkyGo

What: Every decision is life or death in this realistic medical drama that spends a single day with the doctors and interns working inside an emergency trauma unit.

We say: Intense, stress-inducing and painfully realistic, The Pitt was the antithesis of relaxing viewing. But its tight writing and strong ensemble cast made for compellingly traumatic viewing and amply demonstrated why we shouldn’t be cutting healthcare funding.

Watch: Neon

What: Long-running reality show where a group of randoms marry people entirely unsuited to them.

We say: So much scandal enveloped this doozy of a season that there were police investigations, court cases and media speculation about whether it could continue. With so much jaw-dropping crazy on display, least of all from a Kiwi bride, as a viewer, you couldn’t help falling in love with its gossipy lowbrow charms.

Watch: ThreeNow

What: The FBI and a dangerous biker gang separately hunt down the ordinary family man who has been violently robbing the gang’s drug houses.

We say: Mark Ruffalo led this atmospherically bleak, character-driven crime drama that was emotionally heavy and utterly compelling. It used its genre framework to examine themes of guilt, revenge, fatherhood and how desperate circumstances can set off a sprawling spiral of deathly consequences.

Watch: Neon

What: A shocking and damning four-part documentary detailing the rise and fall of disgraced rapper Sean "Puff Daddy/Diddy" Combs.

We say: With Combs' long-time antagonist, rapper 50 Cent, funding this doco, it could have been a sensationalist tabloid-style affair. It's not. Instead, this exposé is a through and meticulous look at the life and deviant times of the rap mogul. Rare and unseen footage and testimony from those who had dealings with him, it's not always an easy watch, but it is an essential one.

Watch: Netflix

What: The reopening of New York’s hottest restaurant/lounge reunites two estranged brothers, whose self-destructive natures and terrible decision-making set them on a collision course with a deadly crime boss and their personal moral codes.

We say: Stars Jude Law and Jason Bateman are almost too good as the thoroughly unlikable and toxic brothers in this edgy and intense crime-drama.

Watch: Netflix

What: Comedian Nathan Fielder’s subversive cringe comedy reached soaring new heights with season two’s meticulous examination into the laugh-a-minute topic of aviation safety.

We say: Wildly unique, defyingly absurd and frequently brilliant, Fielder doesn’t push you out of your comfort zone; he hurls you out of a moving plane. In lesser hands, his bizarre concept would crash and burn, but Fielder’s genuinely mindblowing commitment to the bit ensures he sticks the landing.

Watch: Neon

What: Comedian Mike Birbiglia’s latest special sees him reflecting on side-splitting topics like mortality, parental failings and serious illness.

We say: Birbiglia’s comic style is that of a storyteller, rather than a zing-machine. He expertly crafts narratives that blend sharp humour with emotional gut punches. The Good Life is a good time.

Watch: Netflix

What: Five comedians battle it out in a series of bizarre tasks that test their creativity in a chaotic attempt to impress the ever-judgemental Taskmaster.

We say: The fresh, fun and funny challenges tested the inventiveness and unpredictable energy of its contestants, making 2025’s season one of the strongest yet.

Watch: TVNZ+

What: Darkly cynical anthology series about awfully rich people being increasingly awful on holiday. Frequently involves murder.

We say: Changing its iconic theme tune was the only misstep the third season of this popular satirical dramedy made. It ramped up the misanthropy and the horrifying sex and featured one of the most WTF-disturbing monologues of all time.

Watch: Neon

What: A troubled Scottish doctor flees to Aotearoa to escape her problems, but runs headfirst into much bigger ones when her sister turns up dead in a secretive and suspicious rural town.

We say: Aotearoa’s remote communities continued to be a source of fear for cityfolk. Brooding, atmospheric and ominous, this local mystery-thriller proved compelling viewing with its difficult themes and morally complex characters.

Watch: Neon

What: An on-air wardrobe malfunction derails the life and career of an egotistical and obnoxious Breakfast TV host on a mission to clear his name and get back on the telly.

We say: Jono Pryor played against his nice-guy image by going full jerk in this comedy that was finely calibrated to cram in as many gags as possible.

Watch: ThreeNow

What: Morally and politically complex spy thriller set in the Star Wars universe that highlighted the mundane bureaucracy keeping fascism in power.

We say: A grimly sophisticated and grounded study of revolution that just happens to take place in the fantastical Star Wars universe, while also largely ignoring the tropes of its setting. Absorbing viewing.

Watch: Disney+

What: An investigation into his faulty chair leads an anxious office worker into a vast and bizarre corporate conspiracy where his own sanity is on the line.

We say: Tim Robinson’s wild, chaotic sketch-comedy style seemed unlikely to work in a full narrative series, but it’s been ported across seamlessly, losing none of his trademark absurdity, awkwardness or extreme cringe. Bizarre and unpredictable but very funny, if you can stomach it.

Watch: Netflix

What: Unsettling anthology series that is single-mindedly focused on freaking you about the technological advances hurtling our way.

We say: The bleak techno-horror of this long-running Twilight Zone-inspired series proved as disturbing as ever, with episodes offering dystopian twists on healthcare, cyber-bullying, the evolution of AI and many unhappily ever afters.

Watch: Netflix

What: Chaotic mockumentary-style sitcom about a dysfunctional British family where life’s small challenges escalate in delightfully absurd ways.

We say: This is a brilliantly funny portrayal of frazzled family life, where things like using theme-park vouchers before they expire becomes an epic undertaking. Suitable for all, but especially relatable for parents.

Watch: TVNZ+

What: Veteran broadcaster John Campbell’s fearless investigative expose into the controversial Destiny Church and its leader Brian Tamaki.

We say: A chilling deep dive into the politically far-right, religious organisation and its coercive methods of control and manipulation, made more powerful by the testimonies of those who were able to escape. Essential.

Watch: TVNZ+

What: A high-concept, ultra-stylish sci-fi thriller about employees who undergo a surgical procedure to separate their work and personal memories, only to uncover unsettling truths about the mega-corp and themselves.

We say: This second season of this masterfully mind bending series ramped up the tension, deepened its mysteries and had more twists and turns than a drive through the Coromandel Peninsula.

Watch: Apple TV+