The Contending co-founder, Megan McLachlan, lists her best television series of 2025.

I loved to be surprised by popular culture, and some of the best TV shows of 2025 shocked, awed, and mystified me. Who would have thought an ER knockoff would go on to one of the most refreshing shows of the year? Who else but Uzo Aduba would make us want to chill in the White House right now? Who can predict what Nathan Fielder will do next?

I also realize that a big chunk of shows that surprised me this year are about influencer culture (which surprised me as I was constructing this list!).

Here’s my list of Best TV of 2025:

10. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (Hulu)

Okay, so maybe Season 3 is too hung up on the Jessi/Marciano “affair” (the lie detector test was a bit much), but Season 2 had one of reality TV’s best moments of the year when Taylor fought back against her father’s misogyny. Rarely does reality TV change lives for the better, but in some ways, I feel like Mormon Wives is doing a service by showing women owning their sexuality while also being the breadwinners for their dopey husbands. It’s something Mormons and non-Mormons need to see.

9. An Update On Our Family (HBO)

Do you ever wonder how a vlogging family becomes a vlogging family? This three-part HBO docuseries from Rachel Mason disturbed and depressed me (complimentary), telling the story of the Stauffer family and their adoption of Huxley, a special needs child from China. While Mason holds the family accountable for their actions, the doc also explores parasocial relationships and the pressure these families feel to boost their views. It really pulls back the curtain on the manufactured YouTube worlds.

8. I Love LA (HBO)

I realize I am not in the demographic for this show (Gen Z sociopath), but I really enjoy the chemistry between Rachel Sennott and her cast (is anyone having a better year than Odessa A’zion?). Going along with a theme on my list, I also appreciate the peek behind influencer marketing and the pressure to stay relevant. Sennott seems to have no problem with the latter.

7. Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing (Netflix)

I went through a series of stages with this docuseries from director Kief Davidson. First, I felt old (who is Piper Rockelle?). Then, I felt young again, like I was dropped into a new school and trying to get to know the gang (Piper’s squad of kidfluencers who lived in LA). Then, I felt sick for these children, who were basically starved of a regular teen existence and forced to create relationships and scenarios for clicks. It was fascinating stuff. I’m glad I grew up a band geek in an age before social media.

6.  The Residence (Netflix)

It is a crime that Paul William Davies’ White House whodunnit is not getting a second season because this comedy was such a refreshing visit to the Oval Office, for a change. The cast is incredible, the writing sharp, and Uzo Aduba has never been better (is there anything she can’t do?). Also, the series features Kylie Minogue — what else could you want?

5. Poker Face (Peacock)

Another whodunnit that’s not getting another season (or if it does, it will feature Peter Dinklage?). So much of what makes this show work is Natasha Lyonne. Her personality, her vibe — you can’t imagine anyone else as Charlie Cale. This season has Lyonne not only flexing her directorial muscles but her dramatic ones, especially in that devastating cliffhanger. Can we get at least get a movie to close out her story?

4. The Rehearsal (HBO)

Is there anyone else who would take pilot lessons just to make a point? Okay, so maybe Nathan Fielder had an interest in aviation, but he’s doing things on television that I can’t believe he was allowed to do — like fly a plane full of “actors” in order to test out his theory that pilots need to talk to each other more in order to prevent crashes. Say what you will about Fielder, but he’s pushing boundaries in television, and there’s no looking back.

3. The Chair Company (HBO)

In many ways, last summer’s Friendship was an appetizer before Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s bizarre office comedy. While The Chair Company tracks Ron’s (Robinson) trip down the silliest of conspiracy rabbit holes (the ghost company that manufactures his faulty chair), it’s also about male friendship and loneliness, a topic that seeps through almost all of his sketches. I’m not sure what Tecca is up to, but there’s more to The Chair Company than its absurd premise.

2. The Pitt (HBO Max)

More than an ER knockoff, The Pitt Season 1, dare I say, has a better Season 1 than NBC’s medical drama. The hour-by-hour conceit works in tandem with the documentary visual style, and its post-COVID lens reveals how we’re still feeling the impact of the pandemic in ways we cannot always see. I can’t wait to see what they do in Season 2.

1. Dying for Sex (FX)

I’m sure plenty of people are put off by Dying for Sex‘s plot. Based on a true story, Molly (Michelle Williams) leaves her husband when she receives a terminal cancer diagnosis and starts on a quest to have an orgasm. But show creators Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether gently weave humor and reflection within this cumming-of-age tale that’s ultimately about the art of living. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a series finale as powerful as “It’s Not That Serious.” It and Molly’s story are two things I’ll never forget.