A questing Inuk woman, a stalwart ER doctor, a miserable author who has to save the world, an 11-year-old murderer, queer hockey players — these are some of the characters who made me fall in love with television again this year.
It’s not that the medium is without its problems. There’s still too much of it — far more than one lowly TV critic can watch. There’s still a surfeit of reality slop (which, to be honest, I don’t bother with); IP retreads (looking at you, Marvel) and “meh-levision” (shows that aren’t bad per se, but not good enough to live on in the mind or heart).
But there was also some excellent TV released in 2025, which made it even easier to pick a top 10 than in 2024.
I am especially heartened to include two Canadian shows in my list. In January, the delightful comedy “North of North” hit CBC (and Netflix in April) and late November brought the swoony drama “Heated Rivalry” to Crave, which has fans burning up social media.
Since I limit my top 10 to new shows, you won’t find returning ones here — although I have thoughts on those too.
“Severance” was my top returning series of 2025. This was also the year I finally fell in love with “The Gilded Age,” and I enjoyed new seasons of “The Rehearsal,” “The Bear,” “Andor,” “Silo,” “Dark Winds” and “The Diplomat,” but was disappointed in subsequent instalments of “Wolf Hall,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The White Lotus,” “Yellowjackets” and especially “The Last of Us,” which was my top show in 2023.
Anyway, here are the new TV dramas and comedies I most enjoyed in 2025 and for the first time ever I have ranked them, staring with No. 10.
10. Heated Rivalry
If this series about a gay romance between Canadian and Russian hockey stars was just about the extremely hot sex scenes — and they are sizzling — it wouldn’t make my top 10. But the likability of and chemistry between its leads — Korean Canadian Hudson Williams and American Connor Storrie, doing a credible Russian accent — really hooked me as they navigate their growing affection for each other amid pro hockey homophobia. Bravo also to series creator Jacob Tierney (“Letterkenny,” “Shoresy”) for putting out the buzziest show of the year, one that’s unapologetically queer-positive at a time when LGBTQ rights are increasingly under attack. On Crave
9. Death by Lightning
This drama about the assassination of an obscure American president had an outsized hold on my attention despite the fact it’s just four episodes long and includes many scenes of men talking to each other. But when those men are played by the likes of Michael Shannon (as President James Garfield) and Matthew Macfadyen of “Succession” (as his assassin, Charles Guiteau), attention must be paid. Throw in stellar work by Betty Gilpin as Garfield’s wife, and relatable themes of political corruption, distrust in government and gun violence perpetuated by an outsider with a grudge, and you’ve got a captivating drama. On Netflix
8. The Lowdown
Sterlin Harjo, one of the brains behind the superlative “Reservation Dogs,” moves from the rez to Tulsa, Okla., in this comic drama about a man hell-bent on fighting corruption wherever he finds it. And “truthstorian” Lee Raybon (an excellent Ethan Hawke) finds it everywhere, taking a particular interest in the rich Washberg family, led by Donald (Kyle MacLachlan), who’s running for governor and whom Lee suspects had his brother Dale (Tim Blake Nelson) killed. The cast is loaded with other talents, including Jeanne Tripplehorn, Peter Dinklage, Keith David, Scott Shepherd, and Canada’s Kaniehtiio Horn and Cody Lightning — all bringing flair to this tumultuously entertaining drama. On Disney Plus
7. Dying for Sex
This was a slow burn for me; I had to surrender to it the way that lead character Molly (Michelle Williams) learns to surrender to her sexual desires as a woman dying of stage 4 cancer. If that sounds depressing, it’s not; the series is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny as Molly navigates her final months of life with the help of best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) and some kinky sexual adventures, courtesy of guest stars like Rob Delaney and Robby Hoffman. On Disney Plus
6. Dept. Q
We are so awash in detective series it’s hard for yet another one to differentiate itself, but “Dept. Q” gave new life to old tropes with plenty of twists and interesting characters. Matthew Goode, playing against period-drama type, leads as the bitter Carl Morck — shot during an attack that killed another officer and paralyzed his best friend, then unceremoniously relegated to the basement of an Edinburgh police station and an under-resourced cold case department. That he and his squad of misfits — a former Syrian police officer (Alexej Manvelov), an unappreciated cadet (Leah Byrne) and Morck’s wounded partner (Jamie Sives) — solve the disappearance of an arrogant, unlikable lawyer (Chloe Pirrie) is expected but also very satisfying. On Netflix
5. The Studio
This deft comedy, co-created by Canadians Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, adroitly walks the line between satire and homage, making good-natured fun of the movie business. Rogen is at his best as studio head Matt Remick: trying to reconcile his genuine love of cinematic art with his need to make as much money as possible, often from unoriginal crap. He’s also desperate to be liked by the A-listers with whom he gets to hobnob but whom he frequently has to disappoint. Clever, witty and larded with cameos — Martin Scorsese! Ron Howard! Sarah Polley! — “The Studio” nailed the assignment. On Apple TV Plus
4. Adolescence
There’s a reason this limited series was one of the big winners at the Emmy Awards in September: besides being an impressive technical piece of TV-making — each of the four episodes was filmed in a single take — it fully engaged the brain and the heart. We followed along as one ordinary British family (led by prolific actor and series co-creator Stephen Graham) went from believing that 13-year-old son Jamie (Emmy winner Owen Cooper) had been wrongfully arrested to realizing he had committed a horrible crime, one fuelled by casual misogyny, bullying and internet rabbit holes. It was chilling, confounding and heartbreaking. On Netflix
3. Pluribus
All the hallmarks of a Vince Gilligan masterpiece are here: strikingly precise visuals, careful characterization, deliberate, unhurried plotting. But instead of crime and punishment, Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”) has turned his talents to science fiction with a tale of almost all of humanity being subsumed in an alien hive mind. With humour and pathos, the series grapples with the very nature of being human, as well as the pain and rewards of individuality. Rhea Seehorn of “Better Call Saul” is the MVP here as a woman who’s immune from the alien RNA and is trying to restore the world to its messy imperfection. On Apple TV Plus
2. North of North
Some shows instantly worm their way into your heart; for me, “North of North” was one of them. The comedy gave us an enchantingly imperfect heroine in Siaja — a young Inuk wife and mother trying to find herself despite pushback from her close-knit northern neighbours — played perfectly by young Inuk actor Anna Lambe. Maika Harper also deserves praise for imbuing Siaja’s mother, Neevee, with a sharp-edged but sympathetic messiness. The series made us laugh without ignoring the inequities of life in the North or the intergenerational trauma bequeathed by colonialism. On CBC Gem, APTN Plus and Netflix
1. The Pitt
The best medical dramas balance relatable there-but-for-the-grace-of-God cases with humanizing glimpses of the lives of the hospital staff — and boy, did “The Pitt” deliver! Amid gut-wrenching, thought-provoking emergencies — a student rendered brain-dead by fentanyl, an unvaccinated child made critically ill by measles, a mass shooting at a concert — we got to know the team at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa won well-deserved Emmys for their roles, but the entire ensemble ably conveyed the roller-coaster of a single 15-hour ER shift. On Crave
Honourable mentions (in alphabetical order): “Alien: Earth” (Disney Plus); “American Primeval” (Netflix); “Black Rabbit” (Netflix); “House of Guinness” (Netflix); “MobLand” (Paramount Plus); “Murderbot” (Apple TV Plus); “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” (Starz via Crave); “Paradise” (Disney Plus); “Saint-Pierre” (CBC Gem); “Task” (Crave).
