Allison Nichols’ Top 5 TV Shows of 2025

Every year, the thought of narrowing down a list of top TV shows is daunting. The list of shows halfway watched and abandoned (for no real reason) always comes to mind first, making the exercise of choosing favorites a wistful experience of wishing I’d finish a handful of sure-to-be-great shows.

There’s always so much TV worth watching and so little time to do it in, which isn’t a bad predicament to be in. 2025 gave us so many shows in a variety of genres.

In no particular order, here are my top 5 TV shows of 2025:

1. XO, Kitty

Kitty Song Covey returned to K.I.S.S. for another semester filled with romance, shenanigans, and family secrets. This Jenny Han series features a delightfully fun friend group and a slow-burn romance between Kitty and Min Ho that’s starting to heat up. With the season ending with Kitty taking the leap and asking Min Ho to join him on tour over the summer, we might just pick up XO, Kitty Season 3 with them dating.

XO, Kitty Season 2 brought the nostalgia by having Peter Kavinsky stop by and weigh in on Kitty’s love life and help to give her the confidence she needs to be herself. Between his appearance and Margot popping by with their grandmother, this season made us miss To All The Boys We’ve Loved Before.

2. The Wheel of Time

The best season of The Wheel of Time yet featured Rand stepping into the role of the Car’a’carn as the battle between the light and the dark raged across the land.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 took us to Rhuidean, giving us a glimpse of not only the past but multiple potential ways the wheel could spin. The result was an absolutely stellar episode. The Wheel of Time left on a high note, and the TV landscape lost a truly great fantasy series.  

3. Stranger Things

Stranger Things Season 5 has split our Hawkins crew into (assumedly) their main groups for the bulk of the season, with a surprising number of characters ending up in the Upside Down. Half the fun of the show is seeing who gets paired up together, and so far, all the groups have something fun to offer.

It can be risky to have new characters take on such large roles in the final season, but so far, Holly and Delightful Derek have been a great addition to the main cast. The show was smart to pair them with some established characters, and now we’re being treated to some great new dynamics.

Now, all we need is for the very best babysitter, Steve Harrington, to survive the season. If he doesn’t, well then consider this show removed from my favorites list, and you’ll find me crying under some blankets.

4. Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 brought the show back to what worked: our core trio solving a mystery together. Charles, Mabel, and Oliver got into their normal, hilarious shenanigans and even roped Detective Williams and Loretta into some of them.

With the fate of the Arconia on the line, the building rallied behind our trio and got justice for their beloved doorman, Lester. 

5. High Potential

There’s something to be said about a good, old-fashioned procedural with a brewing romance between the two leads. You know what you’re in for as you hit play on episode one, and if you’re lucky, the show will surprise you. High Potential surprised me in the very best way.

While the case of the week should hold some intrigue, the real reason we tune in week after week is for the characters, and High Potential managed to get me invested in basically everyone almost immediately. That’s not an easy feat. 

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What were your favorite TV shows of the year? Let us know in the comments below!

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