Television shows continue to occupy an interesting place in our current media landscape, because asking for sustained attention over multiple weeks feels harder than ever—and yet, this year, plenty of shows still managed to seize it. I watched a lot of TV in 2025, and for the first time I wanted to do a dedicated end-of-year list to honor the 10 shows that stayed with me the most. I’m ranking them, but the point isn’t to litigate the exact order—it’s to highlight the ones that surprised me, the ones I looked forward to each week, and the ones that lingered long after the credits rolled. Along the way I also mention a few honorable standouts (from comfort-food thrills to cozy character pieces, and one show you should absolutely go into blind). The top 10 itself ranges from immaculate, aesthetic-driven mystery (Severance) to sharply observed social dynamics (The White Lotus), from underdog espionage dark comedy (Slow Horses) to a legacy sequel that somehow found its footing again (Dexter: Resurrection). And then it narrows into the shows that hit me on a deeper level: Andor’s hard-earned hope, Plurabus’ unsettling mirror of individuality, The Rehearsal’s absurd meta-self-interrogation, The Narrow Road to the Deep North’s soul-ravaging emotional truth, and finally The Pit—my favorite of the year—for capturing the heroic ideal of service without embellishment or sentimentality.