Ed Martin's Top TV of the Year: 25 for '25

My first pass at this annual exercise featuring 25 top shows included more than 40 programs I could have gone higher but I chose to stay with tradition When I began eliminating so many shows from that first list I found myself keeping programs that I relaxed with and enjoyed at the expense of some which even if they were top quality began to drag during a bingeTo put this another way the world is such a horrifying mess these days that I have endeavored to prioritize those shows that prioritized entertainment Hence the inclusion of so many shows you likely won39t find on any other yearend lists amp8230 such as the consistently funny CBS comedies Ghosts and Elsbeth the stillengrossing dramas 911 on ABC and Matlock on CBS and the flashy competition shows Dancing with the Stars on ABC and America39s Got Talent on NBCWait That39s six broadcast shows right thereamp160 And there are moreamp160 I39m really asking to be kicked out of the club aren39t IWhat follows are my Top 25 Programs of 2025 followed by a few noteworthy runnersupSNL 50 The Homecoming Concert Peacock Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special NBC How can any of us look back over the previous twelve months and not celebrate these celebrations of a halfcentury of a television series unlike anything that came before or since and has launched more careers than I can readily recall I thought the live concert on Peacock was a better watch than the live anniversary special on NBC Taken together though they were a nostalgic marvelAdolescence Netflix The scripted program of the year was a fascinating terrifying and shockingly sensational deep dive into the current mental health crisis among young men which seemingly starts in adolescence if not childhood The acting in this ensemble was unparalleled not to mention the stateoftheart technology those episodelong single takes At only four unforgettable hours Adolescence proved that streaming dramas need not be painfully padded to eight or ten to tell their storiesThe Pitt HBO Max Thirtyone years ago ER revitalized the popular but somewhat tired medical drama genre with its groundbreaking kinetic storytelling This year The Pitt punched it up all over again At its center Careerbest work from ER veteran Noah Wyle and a large cast of uncommonly talented unknowns who won39t be categorized as such for longAlien Earth FX I still haven39t figured out how to best express how impressed I am with Noah Hawley39s television addition to the Alien film franchise which began in 1979 amp160Alien Earth a prequel to the first movie simultaneously explores the state of humanity at that time which alone would make for a fascinating series as well as the crises that follow after a space vessel filled with otherworldly monsters crashes on earthamp160 Come for the xenomorph stay for the rest amp8230 but don39t watch before bedThe Diplomat Netflix The most addictive serialized drama on television became even more essential with the expansion of Allison Janney39s role as President of the United States Season three was this irresistible series39 breakout year setting the stage for even bigger blasts to come Also is anyone having more fun playing a TV character than Keri Russell right nowSouth Park Comedy Central Speaking of explosive shows featuring the President of the United States amp8230 how this one hasn39t gotten the Colbert treatment is beyond meamp160 The picture at the top just scratches the surfaceamp160 Thank goodness it39s still with usMatlock CBS My favorite new show of 2024 has wisely in 2025 focused on the uniquely unpredictable relationship between Kathy Bates39 shrewd attorney Madeline Kingston Matlock and her formidable boss Skye P Marshall39s Olympia Lawrence Their dynamic is wholly organic and never less than irresistibleElsbeth CBS Cheers to Carrie Preston who has delighted us with her portrayal of the eccentric but invaluable crime solver Elsbeth Tascioni for over 20 years first on The Good Wife and then The Good Fight and now in a series that is Elsbeth39s own The addition in a recurring capacity this year of Sarah Steele as Melissa Gold also from The Good Wife and The Good Fight has only heightened the funGhosts CBS Five seasons in and this CBS sitcom remains the most creatively inventive comedy on television What could have been a gimmicky onejoke series that quickly grew tiresome has instead continued to develop as a fresh funny and insightful comedy about what it means to be alive as it continues to explore the afterlives of the deceasedEmily in Paris Netflix Netflix39s delightful romcom had its best season yet as the title character and her friends moved from Paris to Rome then back to Paris and then on to Venice and then back to Paris again Emily is far from the finest show on television but as light escapist fare goes it39s topsDancing with the Stars ABC Dancing remained American television39s best variety show with its singular mix of production numbers great music dazzling camerawork moments of great emotion and sustained competitive joy Ten years after his sister Bindi Irwin took home the coveted Mirror Ball trophy her brother Robert joined the Stars winners circle while becoming one of the most popular personalities of the fall television seasonamp160 And look at those ratingsamp160 Maybe guest and former host Tom Bergeron was onto something when he suggested live on air that ABC bring back the Dancing results showAmerica39s Got Talent NBC Still America39s best talent competition show and still the best reason to watch broadcast television during the summer monthsHeated Rivalry HBO Max HBO Max39s Heated Rivalry is nothing less than a blazing fireball that at year39s end came out of nowhere actually Canada and became one of the most talked about series of 2025 No way this sexually supercharged drama about gay pro hockey players won39t remain a hot topic in the year aheadPluribus Apple TV Here39s the other lateyear starter that exploded on impact this one seemingly foolproof It39s the latest gripping original from Vince Gilligan who chose to follow Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul with a return to science fiction a genre he knows quite well from his years as a writer producer and director for the classic The XFiles Gilligan surely the smartest person in almost every room was wise enough to cast the remarkable Rhea Seehorn of Saul as the lead in Pluribus about a woman immune to an alien virus infestation that connects all but a handful of human beings as one and renders them all kind and compassionate She knows something is radically wrong with this hive mind amp8230 and knowing Gilligan she39s rightThe Studio Apple TV I39m still not convinced that this comedy about a wellmeaning Hollywood studio chief attempting to navigate the withering demands of selfimportant executives of questionable talent is as popular outside the entertainment industry as it is within the media echo chamber But it39s off to a strong start and it has given Catherine O39Hara yet another priceless comedic role so I39m inLandman Paramount This serialized drama about big oil feels like the 2020s companion to Dallas and Dynasty of the 1980s Where they focused largely on the wealthy and powerful people who ran oil empires Ewing Oil Denver Carrington ColbyCo reflecting the largesse of their decade Landman steers more toward the workingclass folks who keep that black gold flowing They aren39t exactly poor but they are working hard to make other people fantastically rich Sound familiarAll Her Fault Peacock When it comes to engrossing mysteries one or two shocking twists throughout the story are usually enough to keep me hooked But All Her Fault one of two terrific limited series this year on Peacock the other one follows had at least one or two twists in each of its eight episodes Sarah Snook39s TV followup to her acclaimed work on Succession should add more awards to her shelfDevil in Disguise John Wayne Gacy Peacock Factbased stories about serial killers have been all the rage on TV of late but this one much like Netflix39s DAHMER Monster The Jeffrey Dahmer Story stood out by focusing on the victims and their families colleagues and friends as well as the detectives assigned to stop the madness The period detail deserves praise of its ownThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert CBS Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC Late night talk and entertainment shows came under attack this year you know the story and as a result Colbert39s show will end in May It briefly looked as though Kimmel39s show would be killed off too but his banishment was only temporary Following these shocking developments Colbert and Kimmel gave powerful monologues about freedom of speech and the state of the union that should be preserved in public archives In one of the coolest latenight stunts ever they also appeared on each other39s show on the same night Kimmel was filming in New York City that weekHacks HBO Max Speaking of latenight turmoil Hacks sped through the longawaited story of Deborah Vance39s latenight triumph as if its39 writing team couldn39t wait to get on to the next thing Surely there was another season or two of material there No matter This season added layers of drama to the fascinating comedic mess that is the relationship between Deborah Jean Smart and Ava Hannah Einbinder TV39s most combustive couplingAndor Disney With apologies Star Wars began and ended for me with A New Hope 1977 The Empire Strikes Back 1980 and Return of the Jedi 1983 I enjoyed each one several times in movie theaters where they once belonged Nothing else in the burgeoning Star Wars franchise has come close to the collective thrill ride of those three But I respect the success of Andor and the talent of leading man Diego Luna enough to include it here911 ABC Nine seasons in and this action series remains singularly satisfying for its blend of powerful character drama and nearcinematic storytelling Seriously some episodes still play like genuine bigbudget disaster movies The cast led by the formidable Angela Bassett is terrific as is but I wish they would make room for recurring appearances by characters from the show39s muchmissed first spinoff 911 Lone Star The two shows did a crossover once Why not expand the 911 universe againFinding Mr Christmas Hallmark Channel Simple straightforward entertainment is often overlooked by critics who are interested only in championing the next big thing But this charming competition series is a perfect fit for Hallmark one of the few networks on broadcast or cable that continues to solidify its brand while growing a loyal audience Each season ten young actors compete to land a role in a Hallmark Christmas movie Frankly I think several guys from season two would do quite well in Hallmark movies but that might be too much like handing out participation trophiesSeverance Apple TV Two things can be true at once Take the narrative of this sciencefiction workplace thriller which I often find to be simultaneously compelling and confusing I still believe that Severance with its wild premise and firstclass cast could have been produced as a movie that might have become an alltime scifi classic But after two seasons there is no turning awayAmerican Revolution PBS The collective contribution of thousands of PBS programs to American culture and education cannot be overstated Topping the list are the many unforgettable documentary series by Ken Burns and his remarkable team With PBS and so much else in peril the timing of Burns39 latest achievement could not have been betterAnd here are ten honorable mentionsParadise Hulu Worth the watch for Sterling K Brown James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson It started off great but the final episode of season one was a letdownOnly Murders in the Building Hulu Fun yet forgettable as alwaysChad Powers Hulu This one could have been a disaster But Glen Powell gave it his all and scoredNote There is no truth to the rumor that I relocated these three fine Hulu series to the Honorable Mention list because Hulu removed The Mary Tyler Moore Show from its schedule a couple months ago and I am seeking revengeWednesday Netflix Season two sagged but star Jenna Ortega as the title character remained a marvel throughout thanks in part to her droll delivery of some of the most consistently funny dialogue given to any actor this yearThe Gilded Age HBO Gilded Age is still not in league with Downton Abbey but the storytelling is brisk and the cast of New York theater actors is a collective delight Any series that keeps Christine Baranski on my screens is a winner in my bookDying for Sex FX Michelle Williams was triumphant as always in her portrayal of a terminally ill woman determined to enjoy the perfect orgasm before her life is over I wish I could say the same for the show itselfThe Last of Us HBO I truly did not know that Pedro Pascal39s Joel Miller was going to meet so brutal and drawnout an end so early in the second season Unwittingly witnessing his ultraviolent demise in the episode that debuted on Easter evening didn39t help Like many other people I lost interest on the spotTask HBO Another HBO drama that was just too violent and depressing for meamp160 But the powerful performances by Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey demand recognitionNobody Wants This Netflix I was under the impression that nobody wanted a second season But it wasn39t bad Like Only Murders it was fun but forgettableAbbott Elementary ABC In 2022 I wrote the following and it still holds quotThe television industry would have us all believe that broadcast TV is increasingly outdated and will soon be obsolete But out of the hundreds of new and returning scripted programs that appeared this year across the linear cable and streaming landscape the most talked about show of them all is this charming contemporary network comedy about teachers at an innercity school holding it together as best they can for the benefit of their kids I mean who doesn39t love Abbott Elementary And who thinks it would have made the same wideranging splash on a streamer that it is enjoying on ABCquot It may have lost a bit of that buzz but it still gets an A from mePosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Ed Martin's Top TV of the Year: 25 for '25

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