Thomas Storai 
Thomas takes a retrospective look back at the biggest hits of 2025 to share his top 10 TV series of the year!
It’s that time of the year again when we make lists. Undoubtedly, 2025 has been an outstanding year for television, with the return of hit series like Andor and Alice in Borderland, as well as the conclusion of Stranger Things. So, which series made it to my top 20? Let’s find out!
20 – PARADISE
STERLING K. BROWN
Paradise is a gripping crime drama with layers slowly peeling off. It will keep you on the edge of your seat as the story keeps going in surprising directions. Sterling K. Brown is brilliant as the leading man of this talented cast.
19 – DAN DA DAN SEASON 2
Dan Da Dan season 2 is crazier, scarier, funnier, and bigger than the first season. This is an action-packed story with striking visuals.
18 – MY HERO ACADEMIA VIGILANTE SEASON 1 & MY HERO ACADEMIA THE FINAL SEASON
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes captures what makes this world so compelling and successfully expands on it. This is a great first season; it’s a heartfelt story with endearing characters that balances fun, action, and character development well.
The original series My Hero Academia also returned for its final season. It was an explosive season with high stakes and one that stuck the landing—a satisfying conclusion for the fans of this series.
17 – YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN SEASON 1
From its retro, comics-inspired visuals to its storytelling, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is the Marvel series that feels most like actual comics brought to life. It’s a fun and engaging new take on Spider-Man while still staying true to who the character really is. This is clearly another success for Marvel Animation.
16 – UNTAMED
Untamed is an intriguing slow-burn mystery that, at its heart, is a moving character-driven story about the lives and struggles of its leads. This role of a broken special agent suits Eric Bana, who delivers an earnest and multilayered performance. Like in his previous series, Mark L. Smith takes full advantage of the wilderness to tell a complex story.
15 – TO BE HERO X
To Be Hero X has striking CG and mixes different animation styles. It is a real visual spectacle. The series offers a new take on superheroes. Overall, it’s a great series with a lot of compelling characters. Despite some ups and downs in the middle, the first half of the season and the last episodes, when everything comes together at the end, deliver the thrills and make you forget the few sub-par episodes.
14 – POKÉMON CONCIERGE PART 2
Pokémon Concierge remains a soothing and adorable slice of life that explores the Pokémon world from a unique perspective. This is precisely what the franchise needs. These episodes send Haru on delightful adventures with more Pokémon and new characters! The stop-motion animation is simply lovely; it’s an absolute joy to watch.
13 – PEACEMAKER SEASON 2
Peacemaker season 2 is a wild and entertaining ride. This is another win for the DCU. John Cena has dramatically improved his acting skills and proves that he is a man of many talents. He can show his character’s vulnerability powerfully and touchingly. This role really suits him. Season 2 is all about character development. And the new intro is memorable!
12 – AMERICAN PRIMEVAL
American Primeval is a brutal and gripping Western depicting America’s violent history. Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin deliver compelling performances.
11 – GLASS HEART
Glass Heart is a profoundly moving story about the love of music and the desire to perform. It will make you cheer and cry. The cast is talented, all the songs are memorable, and the visuals are beautiful. This is a must-watch for fans of J-drama. The final episode, being a live concert performance, is an original and fantastic way to conclude the series.
10 – THE SUMMER HIKARU DIED
The Summer Hikaru Died is a bewitching series that plays with your mind as much as it plays with the characters’ minds. It’s a terrifying horror story, but it’s also a profoundly moving human drama about friendship and love.
9 – LAST SAMURAI STANDING
Last Samurai Standing is an epic survival series set in the Meiji era with intense action scenes and stunning visuals. This is a wild roller coaster and also a compelling character-driven story. Junichi Okada delivers a strong performance and leads a talented ensemble cast.
8 – WE WERE LIARS
We Were Liars is a thrilling and deeply moving series about infighting within a wealthy family with layers of secrets slowly peeling off. Emily Alyn Lind leads a talented ensemble cast. Joseph Zada is one of the standouts, delivering a multilayered performance.
7 – STAR WARS VISIONS: VOLUME 3
Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 is an outstanding series of shorts. Each studio captures the essence of Star Wars while sharing its own vision of what the beloved saga means to them. It continues three stories from the first season and tells six new ones. The mix between Star Wars and Japanese anime is the perfect match. It’s a visually rich series with great storytelling. There is something to love in each episode. Undoubtedly, ‘The Bounty Hunters,” “The Smuggler,” and “The Lost Ones” are the standouts of the season. Let’s hope this storytelling format continues; the potential is limitless. There are also stories from this Volume that deserve to continue in another season or with their own series, like The Ninth Jedi.
6 – STAR WARS: TALES OF THE UNDERWORLD
Star Wars never disappoints with animation. Tales of the Underworld is another success. With Asajj Ventress, it tells an entertaining adventure, while Cad Bane’s story is a tragic and enthralling one. The Tales of series proves to be an excellent medium for developing smaller stories and focusing on characters who are usually not the leads in other projects.
5 – BLACK RABBIT
Black Rabbit is a riveting ride that makes your heart race and a moving human drama about two brothers. Jason Bateman and Jude Law deliver exceptional performances and have great on-screen chemistry as brothers.
4 – THE GIRLFRIEND
Photo: Christopher Raphael © Amazon Content Services LLC, Courtesy of Prime Video
The Girlfriend is a deranged and enthralling descent into hell for a woman and her boyfriend’s mother. Told from two different points of view, it makes the audience question what is true. This psychological thriller is a must-watch. Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke both deliver thrilling performances.
3 – ALICE IN BORDERLAND SEASON 3
Alice in Borderland is back with a bang. This is an explosive and heart-wrenching third season. With higher stakes and big surprises, it will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Kento Yamazaki still shines as the lead, delivering a strong performance. There are great new additions to the cast, including Kento Kaku, who brings his enigmatic presence to the series, and Kotaro Daigo, who delivers a profoundly moving performance, the best of his career so far.
2 – STAR WARS: ANDOR SEASON 2
Andor season 2 is a real triumph. It may be slow at times, but for the most part, it is an absolutely riveting political thriller series with outstanding performances. The final episodes are great Star Wars storytelling, and Mon Mothma’s monologue in episode 9 is not only absolutely striking, but it’s so relevant to today’s world.
1 – STRANGER THINGS SEASON 5
After a disappointing fourth season, Stranger Things makes a triumphant return. It’s dark, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and still finds the heart of what made this series so special. All the characters get their fair share of screen time, and they all have something to do. The final season finally gives Will the story he deserves. Noah Schnapp is great! Will and Robin are the absolute highlights of this season, sharing many sweet and important scenes that mean a lot. Will’s coming out storyline is really well-written and meaningful. His coming-out scene is probably the best coming-out scene in the history of television. It’s an incredibly powerful scene. Stranger Things has surprisingly done a fantastic job of gay and lesbian representation.
Besides, Will’s coming-out scene isn’t just there for the sake of it; it means something for the overall story of the character, and this affects the way he can fight Vecna. This season is big in scope, with some intense action scenes, but it’s still a character-driven story. And it’s a deeply moving one. It’s hard to say goodbye, but I think it’s safe to say Stranger Things has succeeded in that way. Because it’s a final season, it comes with revelations about the Upside Down, and these revelations make sense; they’re cleverly written and are quite satisfying.
What are your best TV series of 2025? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
