{"id":448430,"date":"2025-12-15T10:25:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T10:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/448430\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T10:25:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T10:25:22","slug":"i-watched-hundreds-of-tv-shows-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/448430\/","title":{"rendered":"I watched hundreds of TV shows this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

For television to be deemed worthy of our time, it usually has to be very serious. The agreed-upon best programmes ever made \u2013 The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad \u2013 are high-budget American sagas, with dark storylines and some grand allegory to dish out. <\/p>\n

But this year has been different. The best series have been lighthearted, fun and invariably hilarious (even when dealing with such dreadful topics as cancer and suicide). With an increasingly worrying news cycle, no wonder we all gravitated to the happier end of the TV scale \u2013 we all just needed a bloody good laugh.<\/p>\n

With that said, here are my top 10 TV shows of 2025:<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0The Studio\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ThisIke Barinholtz as Sal Saperstein, Kathryn Hahn as Maya Mason, Chase Sui Wonders as Quinn Hackett and Seth Rogen as Matt Remick (Photo: Apple)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something rather delicious about watching Hollywood\u2019s biggest stars sending up their own industry. Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Charlize Theron and Steve Buscemi are just a handful of the titans of film who appear in The Studio<\/a>, a zippy mockumentary following the highs and lows of running a hitmaking studio.<\/p>\n

Boss Matt (Seth Rogen) dreams of making arty blockbusters, but market pressures \u2013 and his boss, played by a brilliantly slimy Brian Cranston \u2013 force him to abandon those ideas in favour of a Kool-Aid movie and Duhpocalypse, a film about a diarrhea-spraying zombie starring Johhny Knoxville. It\u2019s both a hilarious needling and depressing insight into the erosion of filmmaking as an art.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Apple TV<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

9.\u00a0Amandaland\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Amandaland,05-02-2025,1,MortenLucy Punch as Amanda (Photo: Natalie Seery\/Merman\/BBC)<\/p>\n

Motherland will go down in history as one of the most beloved sitcoms on British TV, so potentially undermining its status with a sub-par spin-off was a gamble. Thankfully, Amandaland<\/a> was an absolute hoot. Following the original series\u2019 yummy mummy villain, the six-part sitcom saw Amanda fall from grace as she became a divorced, single mother forced to live in the suburbs of South Harlesden (or SoHa, as she calls it).<\/p>\n

The brilliance of Amanda lies in Lucy Punch\u2019s selfless performance. With her perma-blow-dried hair and air of superiority (even when she\u2019s working in a kitchen appliance shop), Punch isn\u2019t afraid to push Amanda to her monstrous limits<\/a> \u2013 without ever making us hate her. Plus, casting Joanna Lumley as her overbearing, snobby mother was a stroke of genius.<\/p>\n

Streaming on BBC iPlayer<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

8. Louis Theroux: The Settlers <\/p>\n

\"TITLE:LouisLouis Theroux (Photo: Josh Baker\/Mindhouse Productions Ltd\/BBC)<\/p>\n

Louis Theroux focuses most of his time on podcasting these days, but this one-off film proved he still has the mettle to get out on the road and make important, urgent documentaries. The Settlers<\/a> refers to the Israeli people who have set up their homes in the West Bank \u2013 a subject Theroux first interrogated in his 2011 film The Ultra Zionists.<\/p>\n

The war in Gaza gave The Settlers an edge of urgency, and we saw a new side of Theroux when he was confronted by a gun-carrying Israeli soldier, warning him \u201cdon\u2019t touch me\u201d. Another scene saw Theroux and his crew holed up in the home of a Palestinian family, under siege by settlers in the middle of the night. But it was his meeting with Daniella Weiss, the architect of the settler movement, that really pushed Theroux\u2019s buttons and ended with him calling her a \u201csociopath\u201d. The very definition of must-watch television.<\/p>\n

Streaming on BBC iPlayer<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

8. Big Boys <\/p>\n

\"JackDylan Llewellyn as Jack (Photo: Patch Dolan\/Channel 4)<\/p>\n

Set in \u201cpre-covid, pre-Brexit, pre-air fryers\u201d 2015, the third and final series of Jack Rooke<\/a>\u2019s university comedy ended with an emotional punch to the throat. Big Boys has always had an undercurrent of darkness, exploring the depths of male mental health through the laddy Danny (Jon Pointing<\/a>), but the outstanding final episode was an absolute masterclass in how to bring a story to a devastating \u2013 yet somehow hopeful \u2013 end.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t all doom and gloom \u2013 the early part of the series took us on a pal\u2019s holiday to Greece and Jack (Dylan Llewellyn)\u2019s exploration of his sexuality continues with hilarious consequences. But it\u2019s that beautiful finale \u2013 which kicked off with the real Jack having a heart-to-heart with the fictional Danny \u2013 that made it such special, heartfelt television. <\/p>\n

Streaming on Channel 4<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

6. Dying for Sex <\/p>\n

\"FX'sJenny Slate as Nikki and Michelle Williams as Molly (Photo: Sarah Shatz\/FX)<\/p>\n

Just as Big Boys managed to lace a suicide storyline with humour, Dying for Sex found the funny side of a terminal cancer diagnosis. Michelle Williams plays Molly, a fortysomething New Yorker who leaves her husband and embarks on a sexual journey of discovery when she finds out her cancer will kill her in the next five years. <\/p>\n

Dying for Sex is laugh out loud hilarious as Molly, flanked by her best friend Nikki (a scene-stealing Jenny Slate<\/a>), learns what she really wants before her days are up. But in between the sex parties and standing on men in stilettos are the terrifying chemo appointments and the existential dread of leaving everything behind. In the end, though, it was a life-affirming \u2013 and rather sexy \u2013 joy to watch.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Disney+<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

5. The White Lotus <\/p>\n

\"AWalton Goggins as Rick and Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea (Photo: HBO)<\/p>\n

Three seasons in and The White Lotus<\/a> formula \u2013 murder mystery in a luxury hotel \u2013 is a well-trodden path. Yet this year\u2019s season, set in the humid jungle of Thailand, still managed to surprise me. As usual, we had no idea who had been killed or who had done the killing, but it was the relationships between the uber rich guests that kept me tuning in week in, week out.<\/p>\n

The show turned Stockport native Aimee Lou Wood into an international star, thanks to her doe-eyed innocence as Chelsea, the young girlfriend of Walton Goggin\u2019s miserable, vengeful Rick. But my favourite performance came from Parker Posey, who gave her character Victoria the most ridiculous (and imitable) North Carolina accent. More silly accents in serious dramas, please! <\/p>\n

Streaming on Now<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

4. Pluribus <\/p>\n

\"PluribusRhea Seehorn as Carol (Photo: Anna Kooris\/Apple)<\/p>\n

Pluribus<\/a> doesn\u2019t get the attention it deserves. If you ask me, the entire nation should be talking about this eccentric, brilliant series. Made by Vince Gilligan \u2013 the man behind Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul \u2013 it\u2019s set in the near future, when an alien signal is beamed down to Earth, turning the entire human race into a happy hive mind. Well, everyone except Carol (Rhea Seehorn).<\/p>\n

As she grapples with the concept of being a true outsider, Carol becomes increasingly desperate to reverse this so-called \u201cjoining\u201d. It makes for a propulsive, tricksy, intelligent drama \u2013 and a rare example of a series that doesn\u2019t spoon-feed its audience. All that and it still managed to make me crack up with laughter. <\/p>\n

Streaming on Apple TV<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Adolescence<\/p>\n

\"UndatedMark Stanley as Paulie Hunter, Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller and Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller (Photo: Netflix)<\/p>\n

Jack Thorne\u2019s tale about a teenage boy accused of murdering one of his classmates took the world by storm when it arrived in March, obviously hitting a nerve about our collective worry over how the \u201cmanosphere\u201d<\/a> is affecting the lives of our young people. It was only four episodes<\/a>, but each instalment made you think differently about the unfolding story \u2013 in the first episode, I felt sorry for Jamie (Owen Cooper), the boy in question, but by the propulsive third, I was firmly against him.<\/p>\n

Cooper, Stephen Graham<\/a> and Erin Doherty<\/a> gave powerhouse performances, made all the more impressive by the fact that each episode was filmed in real time and in one continuous take. Adolescence was so impactful that it was shown in schools<\/a> and discussed at cabinet meetings \u2013 yet further proof that television is a powerful tool when it comes to confronting real-life troubles.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Netflix<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

2. Last One Laughing UK<\/p>\n

\"LOL:Bob Mortimer, Judi Love, Lou Sanders, Harriet Kemsley, Jimmy Carr, Rob Beckett, Roisin Conaty, Daisy May Cooper, Sara Pascoe, Richard Ayoade, Joe Lycett and Joe Wilkinson (Photo: Amazon)<\/p>\n

I had my reservations about Last One Laughing<\/a>. Not only was it hosted by Jimmy Carr (not my favourite comedian to say the least), but it\u2019s also a concept that\u2019s been around for a while in the guise of its various international versions. But with such a spectacular line up \u2013 featuring the likes of Bob Mortimer<\/a>, Judi Love<\/a>, Joe Wilkinson<\/a> and Daisy May Cooper<\/a> \u2013 I gave it a fair shot.<\/p>\n

And thank God I did. I can\u2019t remember the last time a TV show made me laugh so hysterically \u2013 ironic, since the whole concept of the series is that the competing comics weren\u2019t allowed to laugh<\/a>. From Bob\u2019s magic show to Daisy\u2019s impression of being on a roller coaster (complete with a leaf blower), Last One Laughing UK was brilliant in its simplicity. I shan\u2019t spoil it for those who are yet to watch, but I will say that it\u2019s a genius move to invite Bob back for the upcoming second series.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

1. The Celebrity Traitors <\/p>\n

\"TXAlan Carr and Cat Burns (Photo: Euan Cherry\/Studio Lambert\/BBC)<\/p>\n

Another programme I was wary about was the celebrity version of The Traitors. The civilian series is so beloved that it\u2019s almost sacred, and I was sure that (just as with Celebrity MasterChef and Celebrity Race Across the World) inviting famous people to play would fall flat. I\u2019ve never been happier to be so wrong<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not only did every single celeb get into the sleuthing spirit \u2013 including knight of the realm Sir Stephen Fry \u2013 but even the trials (usually a damp squib) were more exciting. Who can forget Celia Imrie screaming down a well like a banshee, or the time she farted with nerves while chained up in a derelict shed? <\/p>\n

It was a rollercoaster ride of subterfuge, sneaky murders and, in the very last moments, utter treachery. I watched the finale<\/a> with the same anticipation I would if England were in the World Cup final and it went to penalties \u2013 not so much on the edge of my seat as stood on my feet, shouting at the TV.<\/p>\n

Streaming on BBC iPlayer<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\tYour next read<\/p>\n


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