There's no such thing as too much TV! Ring in the new year and get excited about staying home with our most-anticipated TV shows.
The 10 Most Addictive TV Shows of 2025 to Put on Your Must-Watch List Right Now
Updated on Jan. 02, 2025
Press the metaphorical pause button on your fitness goals—you’re going to want to sit down for this: A massive amount of content is hitting the small screen this year, and we have the scoop on the buzziest TV shows of 2025.
We’re talking about beloved TV stars taking on new roles, a spinoff of a sleeper hit and an intriguing new drama with a second season already in the works. And after extended delays due to the 2023 dual Hollywood labor strikes, some must-see favorites are finally, finally, back in action.
To ensure you’re properly entertained in 2025, we’re rounding up the year’s must-see TV shows, along with when and where you can watch each one. FYI, some returning series haven’t yet announced their premiere dates—including the returns of the Emmy-winning Hacks, the Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That… and the fourth go-round for The Bear. Here’s a look at 10 other sure-to-be-fab entries ready to roll.
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Severance
Premiere date: Jan. 17
Where to watch: Apple TV+
It’s time to clock back in at Lumon, the mysterious office where people have chosen to undergo a procedure to “sever” their memories between their work and personal lives. The daring experiment began falling apart when Mark (Adam Scott) started to piece everything together. Spoiler alert: In Severance‘s Season 1 finale, Mark and his co-workers (played by Zach Cherry, John Turturro and Britt Lower) plotted to expose the company and its sketchy severance procedure.
Season 2 of the hit Apple TV+ series examines the immediate fallout of the whistleblowing. Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) joins the cast as one of the new co-workers Mark is assigned to work with after the company separates him from his friends. After a painfully long wait—the final episode of Season 1 aired on April 7, 2022—the sci-fi series’ return is a bright spot for fans of complex, mind-bending workplace dramas.
Paradise
Premiere date: Jan. 28
Where to watch: Hulu
Welcome back Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Sterling K. Brown, who returns to TV in Paradise, a new thriller from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman. He stars as Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent thrust into the spotlight when he’s accused of assassinating the president of the United States (played by James Marsden). The story unfolds amid an affluent community of power players, as the murder turns their seemingly picture-perfect lives into chaos. With Fogelman at the helm (he also executive-produces the Hulu smash hit Only Murders in the Building), expect this whodunit to feature gotcha twists galore.
The White Lotus
Premiere date: Feb. 16
Where to watch: Max
Ah, more sinister mystery in the sunshine! The Season 3 of Mike White’s hopelessly addictive anthology series, The White Lotus, is set in the fictional luxury hotel chain’s Thailand resort. While plot details are basically being held in a room safe, White previously teased it would be a “satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.” But fans will see a familiar face in Natasha Rothwell, who reprises her role as the much-put-upon spa manager Belinda from Season 1. The sprawling cast also includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Yellowjackets
Premiere date: Feb. 14
Where to watch: Showtime, Paramount+ or Hulu
The mysterious world of murder, cults, cannibalism and spooky mysticism returns for Yellowjackets Season 3. The series unfolds over timelines set in 1996, following an airplane crash that left a high school soccer team stranded in the snowy wilderness, and 25 years later, when the now-adult survivors reconcile with their actions.
Here’s what’s in store: In the present timeline, the women, played by Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell, find themselves once again threatened by their past. (But spoiler alert: They’re without Natalie, played by Juliette Lewis, who was killed in last season’s finale.) Back in the ’90s, the teens must resort to animal instincts now that their cozy shelter has burned to the ground. Hilary Swank and Joel McHale enter the drama too.
Suits L.A.
Premiere date: Feb. 23
Where to watch: NBC or Peacock
The ’00s USA legal procedural Suits—which happened to feature a pre-royalty Megan Markle—became the unlikely hit of 2023 after it landed on Netflix and Peacock. (Think: 1.9 billion minutes watched on the streaming services per week!) Now, NBC is hoping for a similar verdict with a Los Angeles–set spinoff within the same sexy and smart universe of lawyers and after-hours martinis. Stephen Amell (Arrow) leads the cast as Ted Black, a former New York City prosecutor now representing some of the biggest clients in la-la land. Though Gabriel Macht reprises his role as Harvey Specter, Markle is staying put in Montecito. For now? We’ll have to watch to find out.
Your Friends and Neighbors
Premiere date: April 11
Where to watch: Apple TV+
In his post–Mad Men TV career, Jon Hamm has chosen hit (Fargo) after hit (The Morning Show). Now he stars in a nine-episode drama with so much promise that it’s already been renewed for a second season. (Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn co-star.) The plot: Reeling from a recent divorce and a fall from grace as a hedge fund manager, Hamm’s Andrew “Coop” Cooper decides to steal from the homes of his neighbors in tony upstate New York to keep his family’s lifestyle afloat. The petty crimes begin to reinvigorate him … until he breaks into the wrong house at the wrong time. Fans of crime dramas, you’re going to want to mark April 11 on your calendar—and stay in that night.
The Last of Us
Premiere date: Spring
Where to watch: Max
Thanks to layered storytelling and memorable characters, this video-game adaptation proved to be no typical post-apocalyptic horror story. The HBO series even won eight Emmy Awards.
Wondering what’s headed your way in the next installment of The Last of Us? Prepare for some Season 1 spoilers: When the show returns in the spring of 2025, we’ll catch up with hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) and teen Ellie (Bella Ramsey) five years after the climactic shootout in the finale that left many dead. Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Wright and Rutina Wesley all return, while Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) joins in the pivotal role of Abby, a soldier whose rigid view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance. The new group of pandemic survivors also includes Owen (Spencer Lord), Mel (Ariela Barer), Nora (Tati Gabrielle) and Manny (Danny Ramirez) … plus a mysterious character played by Catherine O’Hara.
Chad Powers
Premiere date: TBD
Where to watch: Hulu
When Glen Powell isn’t busy being a charming movie star, he also does series television. In this new comedy, he plays Russ, a once-promising quarterback whose career takes a nosedive due to an array of mishaps and legal misdemeanors. In a radical attempt to recapture his place at the top of the sport, Russ disguises himself as Chad Powers, a friendly and seemingly inexperienced player who tries out for a struggling Southern college football team. Powell not only stars in the show but also co-created it, co-wrote the pilot episode and co-produced it with former NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning.
Stranger Things
Premiere date: TBD
Where to watch: Netflix
Ever since Will Byers (Noah Schapp) was abducted from his Indiana home and trapped in the Upside Down, there’s been a supernatural battle raging in ’80s America. Now, the nostalgic series is heading into its final adventure. And while we don’t know exactly when Stranger Things Season 5 will hit, we do know that all previous seasons have premiered in the summer, so there’s a good chance this one will too. So don’t worry—you’ll have plenty of time to rewatch past seasons before the finale.
Set in the fall of 1987, the final season will consist of eight episodes, and Netflix has already revealed their titles. Some allude to earlier episodes—”The Vanishing of…,” for example, evokes the series premiere title, “The Vanishing of Will Byers.” The gang’s all here, including David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Natalia Dyer, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery and Winona Ryder. Plus, sci-fi film legend Linda Hamilton joins the ensemble.
Wednesday
Premiere date: TBD
Where to watch: Netflix
The Addams Family–inspired series Wednesday, led by Jenna Ortega, cultivated a mammoth following—ahem, 2.52 million views—in the fall of 2022. In Season 1, the titular teen mastered her psychic abilities at the same academy where her parents, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luiz Guzmán), met 25 years earlier. There, she tracked down a monster terrorizing the local town. (Spoiler: The killer turned out to be a fellow Nevermore classmate.) Wednesdsay Season 2, which features a new villain and no love interest, wrapped in November, so a premiere date around Halloween is a distinct possibility. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga was just confirmed in an unspecified role.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on the most-anticipated TV shows of 2025, Mara Reinstein tapped her two decades of experience as an entertainment journalist, film critic and pop culture expert. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Vanity Fair: “Exclusive Preview: Severance Season Two Is a True Piece of Work”
- The Hollywood Reporter: “Sterling K. Brown Plays Accused Assassin in Hulu’s ‘Paradise’ Trailer”
- Variety: “‘The White Lotus’: Mike White Hints at Asia-Set Season 3 Focused on ‘Death and Eastern Religion'”
- The Hollywood Reporter: “‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Plot Revealed in New Teaser”
- The Hollywood Reporter: “‘Suits’ Sets Another Streaming Record for 2023: Biggest Year Ever”
- The Wrap: “‘Suits’ Star Gabriel Macht to Return as Harvey Specter in ‘Suits: LA'”
- The Hollywood Reporter: “‘The Bear’ Season 4, ‘Daredevil: Born Again,’ Glen Powell’s ‘Chad Powers’ and More 2025 Series Highlighted in Disney+/Hulu Teaser”
- Variety: “Jon Hamm Drama ‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Renewed for Season 2 at Apple as Season 1 Sets Premiere Date”
- Variety: “‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Trailer: Joel and Ellie Fight Off Clicker Hordes After Five-Year Time Jump”
- Variety: “‘Stranger Things 5’ Confirms 2025 Release; Final Season Episode Titles Include ‘The Rightside Up’ For the Finale”
