TV in the first half of the 2025 has been wonderfully fruitful. There has been a little bit of everything, from dark comedies and teen dramas, to post-apocalyptic adaptations and heartwarming family stories.
Each of these series has shown great potential and has taken our breath away over the past six months.
The stark beauty of Hulu-produced Dying for Sex, the depths of Adolescence and Asura on Netflix, the unabashed wit of Apple TV+’s The Studio and the surprising scope of medical drama The Pitt have all set the bar high in their respective genres. Add to this the fast-paced South Korean police drama Good Boy, produced by Prime Video, and the proudly Argentine adaptation of El Eternauta.
The most notable series of this first half of the year are distinguished by their form, tone and appeal, and collectively showcase the breadth and depth of the best that television has to offer.
Read on to discover our selection of the eight best TV shows that 2025 has to offer – so far, anyway. We’re excited to share with you these incredible productions that have hooked us and that we feel are worthy of your time and attention.
The Pitt
Created by: R. Scott Gemmill
Genre: Medical drama, Procedural drama
Starring: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones
The Pitt is a real-time medical drama that offers a brutally honest exploration of America’s broken healthcare system and the dedicated doctors, nurses and hospital staff who refuse to give up under its crippling weight. Created by R. Scott Gemmill, and executive produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle, this is the second collaboration by Gemmill, Wells and Wyle, who previously worked together on ER.
In this series, each episode, which garnered an audience of around 10 million viewers, represents one hour of the 15-hour shift. Undeniably, its real-time structure and powerful cinematography make The Pitt a real pressure cooker that immerses the audience in an often overwhelming world.
As is characteristic of all great hospital dramas, The Pitt quickens our heart rate with urgent medical crises. Yet it also leaves us with the heartening hope that, when the crucial moment of our own medical battle comes, we will not be alone.
The series tackles pressing issues about the healthcare system, such as understaffing in hospitals, burnout, racial disparity in care, ethical dilemmas facing medical professionals, and other controversial issues.
The Pitt has received widespread acclaim, and is rightly the most talked about medical drama in years. In February, it was renewed for a second season.
Stream The Pitt on Max.
Adolescence
Created by: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham
Genre: Crime drama, Psychological drama
Starring: Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Faye Marsay, Mark Stanley, Christine Tremarco, Owen Cooper
Adolescence is possibly the most devastating and harrowing viewing experience anyone will have this year. Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and directed by Philip Barantini (Boiling Point), the British series centers on Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper, who gives a brilliant performance), a 13-year-old schoolboy who is arrested after the murder of a girl at his school.
The crime drama, which ranks among Netflix’s most popular English-language series, is a wake-up call for anyone with teenage children. It is an eye-opening series about the influence of internet misogyny, incel culture, and the impact of social media on mental health and behavior.
It also examines the disconnect between generations, the pressures faced by young people, and the effects of incarceration on families and communities.
One of the most satisfying and engaging technical aspects of the series is that each episode has been shot in a single take, with no fancy transitions or camera cuts, giving it a commendable quality and professionalism.
Consisting of four episodes, Adolescence departs from popular conventions and dispenses with flashy special effects, extravagant action scenes or countless chapters. This decision is a significant success, as it allows the viewer to concentrate on the narrative and the elements that really matter.
What were the motives that led Jamie to murder Katie? Who is responsible for this tragic event? What steps can be taken to address the despair that both children and adults experience in the age of social media?
While Adolescence does not have the answers, it raises some vitally important questions and urges us to reflect on them.
Stream Adolescence on Netflix.
The Studio
Created by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez
Genre: Satire, Cringe comedy
Starring: Seth Rogen, Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Kathryn Hahn
The Studio, one of Apple TV+’s top bets for the first half of 2025, centers on Matt Remick (Seth Rogen), a longtime film studio executive who is eventually promoted to head of the company.
Fairly early on, Matt realizes that the job requires balancing too many priorities while managing with highly conflicting personalities. This situation proves particularly difficult for him as he constantly strives to earn the respect and appreciation of his staff, directors and actors. But it doesn’t stop there, Matt believes he is well-liked in his job, innocently unaware that people are only nice because they want something from him or have to be nice because he manages the financial resources.
The 10-episode series explores the tense dynamics at work in the entertainment industry, meticulously focusing on the conflict between the creative vision of the filmmakers and the prevailing commercial demands of the studios.
Overall, the story pokes fun at all the Hollywood stereotypes, from unruly studios and budget cuts, to entitled actors and eccentric directors.
The Studio has become notable for its extensive use of long takes, as well as for featuring high-profile celebrity cameos in every episode. It’s safe to say that Rogen and his co-creators have created some amazing comedy.
The Studio has been renewed for a second season.
Dying for Sex
Created by: Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether
Genre: Comedy drama
Starring: Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate
As I read in a review, “Dying For Sex is a very funny miniseries about a very unfunny subject.”
Based on the podcast of the same name, Liz Meriwether and Kim Rosentock’s limited series tells the story of Molly Kochan (Michelle Williams), as she copes with her terminal cancer diagnosis and embarks on a quest to achieve orgasm with another person.
A series about a dying woman trying to perfect her orgasm had no right to be as deep, hilarious and nuanced as it was
With the support of her best friend Nikki Boyer (Jenny Slate) and palliative care specialist Sonya (Esco Jouléy), Molly engages in casual intimate relationships, sexual events, and domination practices. Over the course of eight episodes, Dying For Sex takes a frank and non-judgmental approach to Molly’s sexual encounters, whether awkward, pleasurable, or downright hilarious, and simultaneously makes for a touching love story between Molly and her best friend.
A series about a dying woman trying to perfect her orgasm had no right to be as deep, hilarious and nuanced as it was. With outstanding performances and outlandish situations it is one of the most satisfying pieces of television this year.
Stream Dying For Sex on Hulu.
The Eternaut
Created by: Bruno Stagnaro
Genre: Science fiction, Mystery thriller, Survival, Post-apocalyptic
Starring: Ricardo Darín, Carla Peterson, César Troncoso, Andrea Pietra, Ariel Staltari, Marcelo Subiotto, Mora Fisz, Claudio Martínez Bel, Orianna Cárdenas
Another highlight of the first half of 2025 was El Eternauta (The Eternaut), the long-awaited Argentine adaptation of the renowned science fiction novel.
For those unfamiliar, El Eternauta was a graphic novel created by writer Héctor G. Oesterheld and artist Francisco Solano López between 1957 and 1959. More than six decades after its publication in Hora Cero magazine, it is still considered one of the most outstanding comics in Latin America.
Directed by Bruno Stagnaro, Netflix’s El Eternauta chronicles the adventures of Juan Salvo (Ricardo Darín), an unexpected and unlikely hero, and a courageous group of fighters, who face an alien invasion in Buenos Aires. In this disturbing post-apocalyptic scenario, a radioactive snowstorm wipes out a large part of the population and the human resistance must persevere at all costs.
Behind this ambitious project is K&S Films, one of Latin America’s leading production companies, responsible for award-winning feature films such as Relatos Salvajes, El Ángel and Acusada, among others.
Stagnaro’s adaptation makes it clear that Oesterheld’s old story still has important things to tell us about the power of the collective.
Stream El Eternauta on Netflix.
The Four Seasons
Created by: Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, Tracey Wigfield
Genre: Comedy drama
Starring: Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen, Colman Domingo, Steve Carell
Tina Fey reinterprets Alan Alda’s 1981 comedy The Four Seasons in this charming Netflix miniseries.
As with the original film, the eight-episode show delves into the lives of three long-married couples who vacation together, until an unexpected divorce upsets the group dynamic. When Nick (Carell) leaves his wife Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) and begins dating a younger woman (Erika Henningsen), tensions inevitably rise within the group of friends.
Fey and co-creators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield deftly examine the pitfalls of adult friendships and long-term marriages, creating a comedy that becomes a painful reflection on the complexities of relationships and life.
At the time, the original film was one of the highest-grossing productions of that year and received four Golden Globe nominations. Tina Fey’s version is actually the second adaptation of Alda’s screenplay, as CBS aired its own series in 1984.
After strong ratings, the show has been renewed for a second season.
Stream The Four Seasons on Netflix.
Good Boy
Directed by: Shim Na-yeon
Genre: Action comedy, Crime, Romance
Starring: Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun, Oh Jung-se, Lee Sang-yi, Heo Sung-tae, Tae Won-seok
K-drama Good Boy ( 굿보이) centers on a group of former Olympic medalists – Dong-ju, the boxer; Jong-hyeon, the fencer; Han-na, the skeet shooting champion; Jae-hong, the discus king – who, after their athletic careers, decide to join the police force through special recruitment. The show follows their journey as they use their unique skills to fight crime and injustice.
At the center of this action comedy is Yoon Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum), a boxing gold medalist whose unwavering idealism and sincerity quickly earn him the nickname “Good Boy.” Over the course of 16 episodes, Dong-ju and his friends have to contend with a professional learning curve and a series of detractors within the police institution. But the team of athletes is formed, and has the potential and mettle to fight and win.
Bo-gum, fresh off a stellar performance in When Life Gives You Tangerines, strikes a brilliant balance between irreverent underdog and earnest hero.
Written by Lee Dae-il, the series has been met with favorable critical reception, receiving praise particularly for its direction, production level, original soundtrack and Park’s compelling performance as an action hero.
Stream Good Boy on Prime Video.
Asura
Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Genre: Drama
Starring: Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yū Aoi, Suzu Hirose
Netflix’s production Asura (阿修羅のごとく) is an adaptation of the Japanese novel Like Asura, written by Mukoda Kuniko. The story, which was also brought to the big screen in an acclaimed 2003 film, centers on the four Takezawa sisters.
Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, this Japanese period drama is visually elegant and emotionally meticulous in its depiction of four sisters dealing with controlling men and the complex relationships they have with each other.
Starring Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yū Aoi and Suzu Hirose, the series has it all. It’s a meticulously detailed domestic drama that doesn’t present this family’s secrets as melodrama or a fast-paced mystery to be unraveled, but instead allows us to slowly and methodically get to know these well-delineated characters.
The family is not dysfunctional, like the Roys in Succession. What is so appealing is the fact that their problems are entirely possible and could happen to any of us.
Stream Asura on Netflix.