CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Apple TV/Screenshot; Apple TV/Screenshot; HBO/Screenshot; Hulu/Screenshot

Sometimes I arrange my Best TV Shows of the Year list around a gimmick or an alternative perspective. But this year, I just decided to stick with a straightforward roundup of the series I loved the most. So here’s my list of my top 20 shows for 2025, along with some thoughts about why I was happy to have them as part of my regular viewing routine.

1. Severance: Every week, I was excited to discover if those severed souls would get any closer to uncovering the mystery of their fates.

2. Pluribus: Honestly? Carol Sturka is a pretty great hang.

3. Solar Opposites: The most-out-of-this-world family feels more like home to me than anyone else on the TV dial.

4. The Rehearsal: It was heartening to see that the airline industry might actually improve with the help of a very silly endeavor.

5. The Lowdown: You can’t go wrong with Ethan Hawke as your guide through the type of community that you don’t see a lot of on TV.

6. Beavis and Butt-Head: There’s always a chance for transcendence with these airhead metalheads.

7. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: I still love to watch the Paddy’s Pub crew in fantastic misadventures influenced by years of wisdom (or lack thereof).

8. Ghosts: This show is the current occupant of “The Perfect Comfort Sitcom” slot for me.

9. The Paper: Ned Sampson and Company provided me with a weekly dose of hope that the news media is worth fighting for and fun to hang out with.

10. Matlock: The second season hasn’t felt quite as urgent as the unstoppable first, but Matty and her charges are still providing me with a steady dopamine hit of justice.

11. I Love LA: I’ve never lived in the City of Angels, nor have I gotten up to a lot of the specific shenanigans that Rachel Sennott’s Maia and her friends get up to, but they nevertheless had me constantly going, “You guys get me.”

12. Bob’s Burgers: I don’t think it’s possible to ever tire of my weekly check-ins with the Belchers.

13. The Chair Company: There’s something cozy about watching the world lose its collective mind with Tim Robinson as our guide.

14. Digman!: If you need a regular dose of Andy Samberg and Friends saying remarkably silly and wonderfully tortured quips, then Digman! is the show for you.

15. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage: I need at least one family sitcom on my rotation that feels like checking in with my own family.

16. Last Week Tonight: John Oliver and his team are still an essential source for going deep on important topics and making us laugh in the process.

17. Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney: This was definitely the show to watch if you were looking for idiosyncrasy in your talk shows.

18. The Simpsons: It’s kind of nice when the Springfield crew manages to pull off episodes that feel at least vaguely fresh nearly 40 seasons in.

19. Alien: Earth: This show helped me take my pulse on the world and ask, “Hey humanity, where you at?”

20. Elsbeth: Ms. Tascioni zippily fulfills the ripped-from-the-headlines portion of a balanced TV diet.