My Favorite Television Shows From This Year--2025 in Review

I will often watch shows that came out years ago. I often love them when I finally get around to checking them out, but to say they were among the best of 2025's television offerings would be factually incorrect. Hence, I am going to discuss some of my favorite TV shows that I watched this year, and which came out in 2025. In no specific order...

The Lowdown, Season 1--More Hopefully Coming?

A surreal neo-noir story with a large cast and an even bigger mystery, creator/director Sterlin Harjo gives us a wild ride. It is quite thrilling as truth-obsessed journalist Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) continuously finds himself in situations that result in getting beaten up, told off, or both. Filmed on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the show doesn't shy away from examining heavy topics such as systemic racism, fiscal inequities, and so forth--but it also manages to be incredibly funny and clever too. A hoot of a show, the entire season aired on FX and can be streamed via Hulu.

Severance, Season 2

In my review of, "Severance," I discussed how I enjoyed the first season that came out a bit ago just fine, but loved the second batch of episodes that were released during this year, hence it ending up on this list. Found on AppleTV, this quirky program imagines a World where people can undergo the Sevrance procedure and start having a new identity that exists at a mysterious office with zero memories/knowledge of the outside World. It's a trippy piece of sci-fi, and the second season is full of payoff that makes watching the show feel quite rewarding.

Doctor Odyssey, Season 1/The Only Season We're Getting

Yeah, I already touched upon this show in my post about how much of a bummer it was that it got canceled, and a chunk of the season did air in 2024, but there was enough in 2025 that I'm gonna argue it can count, okay? This was such a fun and silly show about a sexy doctor on a cruise ship. I know the whole program was absurd, but I adored it.

Traitors, The--Season 3 of the U.S. Version

As I said back in March, the third season of, "The Traitors," was some good television. Part game show, part psychological warfare, and all Alan Cumming being delicious as the host, this is such a wild program. A bunch of competitiors at a Scottish castle scheme and study each other closely in the hopes of figuring out who is a, "Faithful," and who is among a group of, "Traitors," that wants to pick off the Faithful. Season 4 is due soon on Peacock, and I can't wait!

Television Tuesday: The First Two Episodes of, "Clipped," Build Suspense Expertly

"Clipped," is a six-episode series by FX on Hulu and is based on a real event when audio was leaked of the owner of the L.A. Clippers, Donald Sterling, saying a whole lot of racist stuff. The show is based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast, "The Sterling Affairs," and as it is a dramatized version of events that means some parts are a bit fictionalized of the 2014 event but other aspects are disturbingly true. Episodes drop early in the morning on Tuesdays, so the third one is actually viewable now but I have not yet seen it. That said, I am excited to watch it as the first two entries are superb at building suspense and setting up the messy downfall of Donald Sterling.

To summarize what happened, Donald Sterling had an assistant (known as V) whom he had some sort of relationship with (not exactly even sexual, but more almost like he was coddling and infantilizing her) and when things went sour she leaked a lot of audio of him saying some really racist and otherwise offensive things. There was a ton of fallout and episodes 3-6 will clearly cover that. Such a short summary does a disservice to a number of complexities the podcast and now show dig into, however.

The primary cast is fantastic. V is portrayed by Cleopatra Coleman and comes across less as the evil opportunist some tried to paint her as and instead seems a bit scared, worried about her own livelihood, and dangerous enough to cause a lot of trouble if she feels threatened. Jacki Weaver plays Sterling's wife, Shelly, and is superb in showcasing a mix of rage, sadness, and abject terror at what will happen if the things her husband has said on tape are revealed. Ed O'Neill portrays Sterling and nails a solid blend of seeming a bit like a buffon but also having a scary and nefarious edge lurking below his aloof surface. 

 Laurence Fishburne absolutely kills it as Doc Rivers, however. Everyone has praised his portrayal as the coach of the Clippers, and he puts in work. With the way he walks, gestures, and does the voice he truly is showcasing some acting chops. That said, some of the actors portraying athletes have had it noted they don't look much like the people they are meant to represent. It isn't too distracting, but Blake Griffin really does not look like Blake Griffin.

"Clipped," and its first two episodes build a bundle of suspense while moving at a nice breezy speed putting the pieces in place for the infamous P.R. fiasco. There is a bit of a trashy soap opera feel to it all, but the show leans into that vibe with little Instagram montages and such between scenes. This was a social media event right as social media really began taking off a decade ago, and, "Clipped," doesn't show away from that. I am excited to watch the next four episodes of this series as I only vaguely recall just how messy everything got and taking a deeper dive into what occurred should be interesting and entertaining!

5 out of 5 stars (for the first two episodes).

Disney Announced a Ton of Stuff Yesterday

Yesterday Disney had presentations for, "Investor Day." That sounds incredibly unassuming, but it was the most jam-packed investor call you'd probably ever have heard. There's going to be new stuff featuring the Xenomorphs of, "Alien," more was revealed about a ton of Marvel shows along with lots of new Marvel content, a chunk of, "Star Wars," shows--it was pretty crazy. In regards to Marvel, we'll be getting the character of America Chavez/Miss America soon, they're working on Disney+ shows and movies with Riri Williams/Ironheart, there will be a, "Secret Invasion," show with Samuel L. Jackson's Nicky Fury starring, and a, "Fantastic Four," movie is in the works. Plenty of people's roles in upcoming stuff was confirmed (Christian Bale will play Gorr the God-Butcher in the new, "Thor," movie, for example), and things nobody even was expecting were made apparent (an, "Armor Wars," show with Don Cheadles' War Machine). Heck, even, "Y: The Last Man," which has been in development hell for years was discussed as coming along for FX/Hulu.

Seriously, Disney announced so much it was mind-boggling. Now, a lot of this is in early development so we won't see all of this stuff for a number of years, easily. That said, a ton is clearly in the works. Their investments in Marvel, Star Wars, and Fox's IPs are not going to hang about unused anytime soon.

My Only Comment on Jussie Smollett and His Apparently Manufactured Attack

Jussie Smollett

I write a lot about popular culture as well as race, sexuality, and the intersection of all these concepts. Therefore, I feel I should comment on everything that has been going on with Jussie Smollett and how it turns out he may have faked being the victim of a hate crime in the hopes it would boost his fame and income lest I be accused of some kind of bias or trying to ignore it. My one and only comment on this is as such:

I would find it really encouraging if all the people dedicated to making sure justice is served in this case were just as passionate about the countless LGBTQ people of color who are in fact attacked and often ignored, disbelieved, or victim-blamed. It is really telling that in a singular case where someone actually did fake their attack it has become a huge story and yet nobody cares how often individuals are attacked and sometimes murdered. As a friend of mine from college named Steven Canals put it succinctly on his Twitter, "I reject the rhetoric that Jussie has now made it harder for us to believe victims... cause let’s be honest. If they were Black/Brown, Women, or LGBTQ+, ya’ll weren’t believing them in the first place!" Oh, and Steven is the co-creator of the stellar show on FX, "Pose," which I'd recommend everyone watch, but that's off-subject.

Smollett may have lied,
but countless others have not.

My point is that I'm disturbed how much of a big deal people are making out of Smollett faking an attack, as they are essentially silently-but-obviously trying to say in a not-so-subtle manner that they think a lot of the harassment, attacks, and violence towards LGBTQ individuals, women, people of color, etc. is some kind of conspiracy to..take the white man down, or something? We need to believe survivors, and we need to believe victims. A water-droplet of a lie in an ocean of truth doesn't change anything, if my metaphor makes any sense. Smollett may have manufactured his attack, but 99.9% of the cases we hear about (or which go unreported out of fear) are true, no matter how much some people want to deny it or use this case as an excuse to write-off real survivors and victims.

That's all I have to say about that.

Television Tuesday: Black Lightning and American Crime Story

The New Two

Last week I watched two new shows premiere that are extremely different but touch upon some of the same concepts, interestingly enough. They were the brand-new series from the CW, "Black Lightning," and, "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace."

Real-World Problems meets Sci-Fi Superpowers

Before we see any superpowers used in the premiere we already have witness our protagonist, Jefferson Pierece, getting his daughter out of prison for protesting police brutality in their town of Freeport, arguing with her about the best way to achieve peace and equality, and being pulled-over by the police and threatened with getting shot whilst being manhandled all because he, "A black man in a suit and tie," supposedly, "Fit the profile," of someone who robbed a liquor store. It is extremely uncomfortable to watch and for some white audiences may be their first exposure to witnessing a distressingly realistic portrayal of something every black person has faced--and that is not an exaggeration, ask a friend of color to tell you about a time their were profiled by the police, a store, anyone, and they will have plenty of stories to share.

It isn't all depressing stuff though, we learn Jefferson Pierce is a well-respected Principal of a school that helps children from rough neighborhoods succeed, he's a family man, and he used to be a superhero named Black Lightning before promising his (now) ex-wife that he would give it up nine years ago before it killed him. A variety of factors cause Pierce to have to suit-up again to save his daughters from a powerful gang however and the show handles the super-heroics just as well as the topical discussions of racial discrimination and income inequality. Honestly, having seen some of, "Arrow," and the, "Flash," which this show thankfully has been stated to take place in its own Universe completely removed from those (for now unless some cross-over happens someday), this is one of the most mature and thoughtful takes on a world with superheroes I have seen. These are grown folk dealing with serious issues...and one of the characters happens to have lightning powers. I loved this show (and everyone else seems to as well) and unlike the aforementioned other CW hero shows which I've merely dabbled in, I plan to watch this new program religiously.

Fashion and Murder

"American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace," is the second season of the, "American Crime Stories," program on FX (Season 1 covered OJ Simpson) and the first installment establishes who will be two main focal points--the man who killed Versarce, Andrew Cunanan, and Versace himself. Cunanan is a sociopath and narcissist, obsessed with success, lying constantly, and unsure how to even properly express emotion. Darren Criss was passable on, "Glee," as Blaine but honestly never had much to even work with when it came to that well-adjusted and optimistic character. Here he plays Cunanan as the unhinged and unpredictable killer he was. 

I also want to point-out that Ricky Martin, as Versace's long-time partner Antonio D’Amico, is amazing with the pain and sorrow he brings to the role, surprising me with his acting talent considering some decades ago he was only known for singing disposable pop songs and shaking his bottom. Seriously though, he is a well of talent and showrunner Ryan Murphy continues to show he can get amazing and great performances out of folk you wouldn't expect (like Chaz Bono as a right-wing Trump-lover on, "American Horror Story," for example). The most distressing scene (besides Versace's murder) is when Martin as D'Amico has to deal with extremely homophobic and presumptuous statements from the police. It's a stellar show and as a side-note has amazing set-design too, with even those critical of the program admiring how gorgeous it is. I'm eager to watch more stellar performances from everyone as the story unfolds.

Unifying Themes

While one show is very much set in a fantastical world with super-powers and the other is a mostly-realistic retelling of actual events, they both deal with some very real issues. "Black Lightining," touches upon racial profiling, inequality, police brutality, poverty, and a whole bunch of social issues before any superpowers are even used, and the world of 1997 in, "American Crime Story," can feel strangely ancient and uncomfortably recent at the same time with its shockingly casual homophobia. Both new shows already have my attention due to how topical they are and because they're also really, really good. I'm excited to see the second episode of, "Black Lightning," later tonight and next episode of, "American Crime Story," tomorrow!

Are Marvel and Fox, "Cool," Now? Three Pieces of Evidence

Not As Hateful?

Marvel and Fox have had a relationship that could at best be described as, "Super-motherfucking-acrimonious." To make a long story short, back in the early 2000's Marvel was practically bankrupt and sold the film-rights to a number of their characters to various studios. Then in 2008 Marvel (having somewhat recovered) made movies within their own studio, starting with taking a chance on, "Iron Man." It was a huge hit and Marvel became so profitable Disney bought them. Meanwhile, certain studios still own the rights to certain characters. Sometimes Marvel  has cut deals (thanks Sony, we appreciate the Spider-Man!) but Fox (who owns the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four) hasn't played ball. This has resulted in Marvel diminishing the presence of the Fantastic Four in their comics to spite the most-recent film (which bombed anyway) and trying to convince everyone we love the Inhumans even though we don't.

Certain developments have me thinking relations between Marvel and Fox may have thawed however, due to three pieces of evidence I am going to jump to drastic conclusions based on, as we are supposed to do on the internet.

Evidence!

Evidence #1: The, "Legion," Television Show
Marvel Studios (the television division) and Fox are actually working together on the show, "Legion," for the FX channel. This isn't the usual case where Marvel is barely doing anything besides having their characters used but the company is actually heavily involved and it sounds like they are working hand-in-hand with Fox to make this show (which also looks incredibly quirky and cool). If Marvel and Fox hated each other as much as it sounds like would they be willing to collaborate on this program? Perhaps if, "Legion," goes well we could see more partnerships in the future.

Evidence #2: A Bunch of New X-Men Comics
Marvel has been desperate to promote their characters known as the Inhumans. However, that has failed so badly the Inhumans movie may very well be dead and besides Ms. Marvel everyone could care less about the characters. For awhile Marvel seemed to be down-playing the role of the X-Men in the Marvel Universe, having a few team-books and of course Wolverine solo-titles, but nothing else (and please note Deadpool doesn't count here because even though he is related to the X-Men and owned by Fox he is popular enough Marvel is willing to milk that fame for all it is worth).

Suddenly Marvel is doing a whole bunch of X-Men comics in the near-future however, via what is being called, "Resurrxion." We're seeing announcements of a comic about Iceman, the potential return of Jean Grey and/or Wolverine (the original version, not an alternate-reality one) a, "Generation X," series and who knows what else could be coming? Putting aside how, "Resurrxion," is the most idiotic-sounding name ever and still does somewhat involve the Inhumans, it is cool to see more X-Men books finally coming out, and I think we can agree that if Marvel were still feuding with Fox we probably wouldn't see so many comics suddenly emerging.

Evidence #3: The December Collector Corps Box
Marvel does a subscription box that comes every two months full of exclusive goodies and which often ties-in to something popular or about to hit the silver-screen (with Doctor Strange due at the start of November they are doing a, "Doctor Strange," box for this month). Generally entities which are under the ownership of Marvel itself have been promoted besides in February 2016 when Marvel did do a, "Deadpool," box, but as I said earlier, he is an exception because he makes boatloads of cash-money even if Marvel doesn't have the film-rights to him. For December Marvel revealed a theme that this is my, "Smoking gun," of evidence because guess what the theme is?

Did you guess, "The X-Men?" I would hope you did as I have a picture of the announcement about the box above this text. Seriously though, why would Marvel even give the X-Men the time of day for their Collector Corps boxes if things weren't a modicum more cordial between Marvel and Fox? I suppose it is possible that Marvel's owner, Disney, could have said they want an, "X-Men," box and you can't deny the House of Mouse a request. That said, I'm leaning toward thinking that things have got to be better.

Case Closed?

This post is a bit of proof and a whole lot of speculation. I could very well be completely wrong about everything with Marvel and Fox still absolutely hating each other's guts. After all, just because there is some smoke that doesn't mean there is fire. On the other hand, you can't have a fire without smoke, so if we suddenly see the X-Men popping-up in stuff from Marvel Studios in the near future I would feel less surprised than a couple years ago.