As the entertainment year winds down with the landscape-shattering news that Netflix is buying Warner Bros., it truly feels like home entertainment is at a turning point. The way people watch movies and TV has influenced these mediums more than ever before, as streamers seem to be designing products increasingly for on-the-go consumption, with a phone in hand. It’s not great for the art. It wasn’t the worst year for TV, but it certainly wasn’t a banger either.
READ MORE: The 75 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2026
At the very top of our list of the best shows of 2025 are some programs that feel essential to the conversation about the form this year. However, while past years proved challenging to winnow down to 20, this one took some effort to narrow down to that number. Perhaps all of this change will encourage artists to take more risks and stand out. Don’t let us down.
Follow along for all our Best Of The Year and Most Anticipated coverage here.
25. “St. Denis Medical”
The best comedy on network TV, and the only show from the nets on this list, is Justin Spitzer’s increasingly clever workplace comedy that’s basically “The Pitt” meets “Superstore.” Spitzer draws on his experience from the latter show, “The Office,” and applies it to the doctors and nurses of St. Denis, featuring a perfectly cast ensemble led by Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier, and Wendi McLendon-Covey. He also works with his writers to inject their humor with a vein of social commentary about the healthcare system in this country, without overplaying that hand. Spitzer is one of the more underrated modern TV creators, but that should change if this comedy continues to progress at the rate it did from a good first season to a near-great second outing, currently running on NBC. – Brian Tallerico
24. “The Gilded Age”
There’s something delightful when everyone involved with a program understands exactly what it is, and after its third season, it’s clear that HBO’s spotlight on 18th-century New York Society, “The Gilded Age,” fits that bill. For season two, Julian Fellows and his writing collaborators followed nouveau riche philanthropist Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) in a season-long storyline that had viewers on pins and needles over the prospect of whether the old guard would fill the boxes of the fledgling Metropolitan Opera House. It was shockingly captivating. This past season was slightly more serious as Bertha’s industrialist husband, George Russell (Morgan Spector), slowly realizes he’s increasingly at odds with his wife and how she’s hijacked their children’s lives (well, certainly their daughter’s). Along the way, the ensemble tackles racial stigma, changing social mores, the British’s willingness to swallow their pride for American money, the ramifications of breaking the code of silence among the New York elite (perhaps not writing a tell-all book), and much more. In the last few episodes, George recovers more quickly from a gunshot wound than anyone in the 19th century could fathom, and has a season finale showdown with Bertha that both Spector and Coon elevate to majestic melodramatic extremes. It’s all wicked fun, often with low stakes, but Fellows and an incredible acting ensemble (many stepping right off the Broadway stage) make you care. – Gregory Ellwood
23. “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
“The Daily Show” is not simply the contributions of the now legendary commentator, comedian, and satirist Jon Stewart. It sparks thanks to a rotating staff of hosts and correspondents, including Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Josh Johnson, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic, among others. But Stewart’s once-a-week hosting duties on Monday nights have become must-see TV or, for many, must-see YouTube or Instagram post viewing. The past year has seen Stewart eloquently tackle the cancelation of his good friend Stephen Colbert’s talk show (for more political reasons than Paramount will ever admit), his other good friend Jimmy Kimmel suspension (in a glorious Russian propaganda send-up), ICE raids accross the nation, the ludiciorus nature of Trump’s tarrrifs, the Trump admnistraiton grift, the hypcrocisy in Gaza and so much more (Chieng also had an epic rant about the China Trade War that is worth the re-watch alone). The world may be on fire, but Jon Stewart and his “Daily Show” crew continue to demonstrate why the program is still essential, as it was when the Emmy winner first took over hosting 26 years ago. – Gregory Ellwood
22. “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
The death of Charlie Kirk became a political lightning rod in the U.S. this year. It was also used to weaponize attacks against his critics. Television talk show host, comedian and sometimes Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel, long in the crosshairs of the current president and conservatives, made a seemingly benign comment referencing the death during his monologue on Sept. 15. After pressure from affiliates and the FCC chairman, ABC suspended Kimmel on Sept. 17 before massive public pressure saw his return on Sept. 23. “Jimmy Kimmy Live!” does not make this list because of that mess which ABC clearly mishandled. The show makes the list due to Kimmel’s incredible monologue, which became a political event in its own right. Kimmel delivered a 27-minute soliloquy that reframed the debate and, most importantly for a late-night talk show, didn’t forget to entertain or be funny. The show had already been stellar in its political takes and observations since Trump’s inauguration, but ever since, there has been an energy and fire in “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that wasn’t quite there before. And with Kimmel recently renewing his contract through July 2027, the broadcast public will likely get a lot more of it. – GE
21. “Long Story Short”
Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of “BoJack Horseman,” returned this year with another animated gem, telling a deeply personal story of a fractured family in a riveting, non-linear fashion. The first season (and it was renewed for a second before it even premiered) introduced us to the Schwoopers, a Jewish family on Long Island seen largely through the eyes of three children: Avi (Ben Feldman), Shira (Abbi Jacobson), and Yoshi (Max Greenfield). The narrative leaps allow Bob-Waksberg to subtly explore memory and how events that occurred years ago continue to have a lasting impact on adulthood. It’s smart, funny, and not like anything else on TV. – BT
