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I’m a big fan of a quality TV series. Alongside immersing myself in a good book, it’s the ideal way to unwind after a hectic day. A compelling TV series can provide a temporary escape from life’s challenges and, if it’s truly captivating, it might even persuade you to set aside your second screen and cease the endless doom-scrolling.
I’ve reflected on the top shows I’ve watched that were released on TV and streaming platforms in 2025, spanning BBC, ITV, Netflix, Disney, Sky and Now TV. There’s enough content here to keep you entertained until at least 2026.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar (Netflix)
This extraordinarily good Netflix series tells the tale of Belle Gibson, a self-proclaimed “wellness influencer” from Australia who professed to have conquered brain cancer using alternative therapies and nutrition. The real-life Gibson began gaining notoriety in 2013 through blogging about her “cancer battle”, amassing a large Instagram following and launching a brand named The Whole Pantry, reports the Express.
However, journalists began to expose discrepancies in her narrative. It’s superb from beginning to end and highlights the influence “wellness influencers” on social media can exert on real people by also tracing the side stories of two other characters who opt to disregard medical advice in their attempts to cure cancer with alternative therapies.
2. The Bear (Disney Plus)
When The Bear first premiered on Disney to widespread acclaim, I was initially sceptical. Despite its moving and humorous moments, the show also had a tendency to be quite loud and irate.
However, over the course of three series, the latest of which debuted in 2025, it evolved into a programme that elicited a wider range of emotions than just frustration and stress. It’s a beautifully crafted show, boasting fantastic characters (the peripheral characters are some of the best and the A-list cameos are phenomenal!)
It oscillates between being hilarious and melancholic, occasionally stressful and frustrating, but ultimately it’s a joyful reflection of the challenges and decisions we all face as humans.
3. The White Lotus (Sky and Now TV)
The White Lotus, produced by HBO but available to watch on Sky or Now TV, is pure entertainment at its finest. Season 3 was released in 2025 and is set in Thailand (the first two seasons were set in Hawaii and Italy).
A few characters from Season 2 reappear to continue certain plot lines but, aside from that, it introduces a completely new setting and storyline. Parker Posey delivers a hilarious and eccentric performance as Victoria Ratliff, and there are other big names like Jason Isaacs and Walton Goggins. The cameo and monologue by Sam Rockwell is a particular standout.
4. Unforgotten (ITV)
Unforgotten, a highly commendable yet often overlooked detective series on ITV, delves into the world of cold cases. Each series has been riveting, with the 2025 instalment being no exception.
Despite Happy Valley grabbing all the headlines, Unforgotten has continued to deliver quietly and, in my opinion, surpasses the popular BBC hit. Every series commences with the unearthing of a body (or remnants thereof) and the introduction of several suspects.
The detectives, portrayed by Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinead Keenan in the 2025 series, then endeavour to unravel the tragic tale behind it. The 2025 case kicks off with the discovery of a ribcage in London marshland.
5. American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden (Netflix)
This Netflix documentary is remarkable for both the narrative it presents and the unprecedented access it provides to key figures. Leon Panetta, former CIA director, features extensively in interviews, as does Robert O’Neill, the US Navy Seal who alleges to be the man who finally ended the hunt for the world’s most wanted man.
The courage displayed by the Seals is extraordinary, embarking on a night-time flight into Pakistan before being deployed from a helicopter into a heavily fortified compound where they suspected (but were not certain) the world’s most dreaded terrorist was concealed. They had no assurance of making it out alive. O’Neill recounts his encounter with Bin Laden, facing an immediate life-or-death decision.
6. Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland’s Mafia (BBC)
Another remarkable documentary available on BBC iPlayer, which leaves you questioning why the Kinahan name isn’t as notorious as the Gottis and Capones of this world. The Kinahan family stands accused of evolving from a modest street-level drugs gang in Dublin during the 1980s to become one of the globe’s largest drug cartels, estimated to be worth £1bn.
The US government has put forward millions of dollars in rewards for intelligence about them, with former US Ambassador to Ireland, Claire Cronin, stating: “The Kinahan trans-national criminal organisation has been accused of a wide range of heinous crimes, all around the world, including murder, trafficking in firearms and narcotics.”
This compelling documentary chronicles the story with exceptional detail, featuring archive material, including police surveillance footage from the UK, and input from former and current police officers, witnesses and crime journalists.
7. Adolescence (Netflix)
This Netflix drama has been dubbed “the closest thing to TV perfection in decades”. Whether that’s overstating things or not, Adolescence is undoubtedly the most discussed series of 2025. The programme follows 14 year old Jamie, who stands accused of killing his classmate, and explores how his behaviour affects his family.
In an era where numerous lads and young men model themselves on figures like Andrew Tate, it’s deeply unsettling viewing. Stephen Graham portrays Jamie’s father, guaranteeing top-tier acting throughout. Perhaps most extraordinarily, each of the four episodes was filmed in one continuous shot. It makes for extraordinary television.
8. American Primeval (Netflix)
This Netflix Western doesn’t merely depict the brutality of the Wild West but seizes you by the scruff of the neck and batters you senseless with it. The violence is unrelenting, and initially I feared it was simply savagery for its own sake.
However, I then recognised that naturally this reflects how harsh existence must have been somewhere with scarcely any of the elements (like law!) that we understand today as society’s cornerstones, and where there was a significant possibility that anyone you encountered wished to murder you. American Primeval unfolds in 1857 Utah and chronicles a mother and son’s journey to reach her husband at an isolated outpost. Lurking ominously is Brigham Young and his Mormon forces, attempting to subjugate everything before them.
9. The Four Seasons (Netflix)
This Netflix comedy from Tina fey chronicles the adventures of three wealthy couples in their 50s (or thereabouts) who have maintained their friendship since time immemorial and reunite annually for their holiday getaway.
You’ve got the steadfastly married pair for whom “complaining is our version of sex”, the impeccably styled gay duo confronting their own mortality, and the couple who deliver the early revelation that drives the remainder of the series. It’s amusing but not side-splittingly funny. It’s pleasant, soothing viewing — especially when you’ve dedicated the rest of the year to watching brutally violent Westerns and documentaries about terrorists and criminals.
10. The Traitors (BBC)
For someone who abandoned reality television after the inaugural series of Big Brother in the early 2000s, The Traitors on the BBC couldn’t have astonished me more. Twenty-two contestants enter a Scottish castle, three of them are subsequently selected as traitors and must “murder” everyone else without being discovered to claim a substantial sum of money at the conclusion.
A superb concept superbly executed, this represents outstanding adult entertainment, yet my young daughter adores it as well. Outstanding all-round.
11. Untamed (Netflix)
The opening scene of ‘Untamed’ is as captivating as they come. Two climbers are navigating the sheer rockface of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California, when a young woman comes plummeting from the summit above them, becoming entangled in their ropes.
From this point, it’s up to Eric Bana’s special agent to uncover her identity and whether she departed that clifftop voluntarily or by someone else’s doing. While it may not be as strong as other series on this list, it still offers a solid and enjoyable mystery. The real star of this Netflix show, however, is the breath-taking scenery.
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