This is a UK-oriented retrospective of 25 television shows T3 selected as its favorites from 2025, spanning drama, crime, science fiction and comedy. The titles are presented in no particular order—not as a ranked list—and streaming availability can vary by country and change over time.
How to use this 2025 watchlist
T3’s Brian Comber introduced the selection as “Here then (in no particular order) is our list of the best 25 shows of the year.” The article was last updated on 14 January 2026, so it is a look back at 2025 rather than a current ranking. Read T3’s full selection and descriptions.
The services named in the headline—Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and NOW—are a guide to where viewers may find titles, not a guarantee of access everywhere. Catalog rights and service offerings differ by market and can change; check the relevant service in your country before planning a watch.
What kind of shows are included?
The selection ranges across genres and formats rather than focusing on one kind of documentary or drama. T3’s descriptions offer a quick sense of that variety:
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- Crime and true-crime drama: Monster: The Ed Gein Story is described as the latest installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology, with Charlie Hunnam starring.
- Science fiction: Murderbot follows a security android, played by Alexander Skarsgård, as it confronts new emotions and the possibility of free will.
- Comedy: The Studio centers on a movie-studio executive played by Seth Rogen; Chad Powers features Glen Powell as a college quarterback in disguise.
- Drama and romance: Adolescence became a Netflix cultural talking point, while Mix Tape is described as a romantic comedy available through BBC iPlayer.
These are editorial descriptions from T3, not claims of consensus among critics. The selection can help narrow a search by mood, but each show’s listing should be checked for its current platform and local availability.
How the list compares with audience viewing data
A publication’s favorites list and a popularity chart answer different questions. Nielsen’s 2025 US television measurement recorded 16.7 trillion streaming minutes, 19% more than its 14 trillion minutes in 2024. Its measurement window ran from 30 December 2024 through 28 December 2025, rather than through 31 December. Nielsen explains the 2025 ARTEY awards and measurement period.
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In Nielsen’s US figures, Bluey was the most-watched overall streaming title, with 45.2 billion viewing minutes on Disney+. Stranger Things was the top streaming original, with 40.0 billion minutes; Nielsen notes that this total excludes viewing for the series finale. These totals indicate viewing volume, not critical quality, and they should not be treated as a direct scorecard for T3’s selections. See Nielsen’s 2025 streaming-title results.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.One notable 2025 release date
For a concrete example of the year’s release schedule, Netflix’s official guide lists Squid Game season 3 as its final season and gives its release date as 27 June 2025. That verifies the timing of this returning series; it does not establish availability on other platforms or in every territory. Netflix Tudum’s 2025 release guide.
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