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The Best New TV Shows of 2025 (So Far): Only Season 1 Hits!

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - August 27th 2025, 17:00 GMT+2

Cropped Adolescence — Adolescence

Every once in a while, a TV show sneaks up on us and completely redefines what “must-watch” means. *Adolescence* does just that: a hypnotic, one-shot drama that explores the fallout when a 13-year-old boy is accused of murder. It’s raw, stylish, and emotionally brutal – refusing easy answers or tidy resolutions. Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne have created a bingeable, critically acclaimed series that’s as much about family dynamics as it is about justice. The emotional punches land hard, while its audacious craft keeps you glued to the screen. Characters aren’t painted in black and white; they live in messy, complicated gray areas, which makes every scene feel alive and unpredictable. The innovative cinematography pulls you into the story’s tension, while the script digs deep into guilt, innocence, and the weight of community judgment. It’s prestige TV at its finest, unafraid to ask tough questions and even less afraid of leaving you unsettled. | © Plan B Entertainment

Cropped Dept Q — Dept. Q

File this under “brooding detective drama that actually earns the brooding.” Adapted by Scott Frank from Jussi Adler-Olsen’s hit novels, the series finds its pulse in cold cases that refuse to stay cold. The rhythm is moody but propulsive – think atmosphere you can practically inhale, punctured by sharp, sardonic dialogue. Matthew Goode’s take on Carl Mørck lands like a precision pass: controlled, wounded, and quietly magnetic. It’s the rare procedural that doubles as a character study, and the city backdrop feels like a co-lead. Beyond the mysteries themselves, the show digs into trauma, regret, and redemption, giving viewers an emotional anchor in between the dark twists. It avoids clichés by grounding its cases in deeply human stakes, making every reveal land with more impact. Fans of Nordic noir and prestige dramas will find plenty to obsess over here, with layered storytelling that rewards patient viewers. | © Left Bank Pictures

Cropped The Residence — The Residence

Who knew a state dinner could be this messy and this much fun? This White House whodunit blends screwball energy with razor-edged intrigue, serving fizzy banter alongside genuine stakes. Uzo Aduba’s eccentric sleuth anchors the chaos with wit to spare, while the ensemble ricochets through corridors lined with secrets, egos, and scandal. The tone walks a tightrope – playful without losing plot discipline – and nails it more often than not. Characters feel vibrant and unpredictable, from the political power players to the kitchen staff, making the setting feel like a living, breathing ecosystem of ambition. The show’s clever mix of satire and suspense keeps you guessing without sacrificing laughs or heart. It’s exactly the kind of murder mystery that turns group chats into spoiler minefields, with enough character drama to keep you emotionally invested long after the final twist drops. If you love a series that can juggle multiple tones and still stick the landing, this one’s a standout. | © Shondaland

Cropped Dying for Sex — Dying for Sex

Few shows juggle gallows humor and genuine tenderness as deftly as *Dying for Sex*. Inspired by the Wondery podcast, it follows a woman facing terminal cancer who decides to live – joyfully, messily, unapologetically. Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate create a best-friend chemistry that feels lived-in, letting big laughs land right next to bigger feelings. The writing refuses tidy moralizing, opting instead for honesty about desire, grief, and agency. What makes it remarkable is its ability to explore taboo topics like mortality and sexual liberation without ever feeling exploitative. Every episode balances heartbreak and hilarity in ways that feel authentic rather than forced. It’s frank about sex without being flippant, and compassionate without turning saccharine – a dramedy that sticks with you long after the credits roll. The result is a series that reminds you that life’s messiest, riskiest choices can also be the most meaningful. | © 20th Television

Cropped Running Point — Running Point

Power suits, front-office politics, and a half-court heave of family drama – this comedy runs its playbook with swagger. Kate Hudson is pure charisma as an unexpected team president trying to wrangle a pro-basketball franchise (and the combustible personalities around it). The jokes are fast, the workplace dynamics delightfully petty, and the show sneaks in heart right between the alley-oops. What makes it pop is its ability to satirize the sports world without alienating non-fans; you don’t need to know a free throw from a foul to appreciate the dysfunctional family antics at play. Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen bring their signature wit to the writing, delivering sharp one-liners with surprising emotional depth. Like all great workplace comedies, its appeal lies in the characters you want to spend time with week after week. Glossy, irreverent, and surprisingly heartfelt, this series is a slam dunk for anyone craving smart, character-driven laughs. | © Warner Bros. Television Studios

Cropped The Studio — The Studio

There’s a certain thrill to watching the chaos machine of showbiz pretend it’s orderly, and this series leans into that delightful contradiction. The boardroom is a stage, the lot is a jungle, and every “quick note” becomes a high-wire act between art and commerce. Expect razor-edged banter, bruised egos, and a parade of “we’ll fix it in post” optimism that will have industry folks nodding in recognition and everyone else gasping at the audacity. The satire bites without getting sour, thanks to characters who are charmingly, messily human even when they’re disastrously wrong. You can practically smell the burnt coffee and last-minute rewrites as the big machine lurches toward a premiere that’s always somehow tomorrow. Co-created by a team that understands both the glam and the grind, it’s a love letter and a roast in the same breath. Sharp, savvy, and sneakily heartfelt, it’s the rare insider comedy that plays for both insiders and curious onlookers. | © Lionsgate Television

Cropped Your Friends and Neighbors — Your Friends and Neighbors

Polite cocktail chatter meets midnight bad decisions in a darkly funny crime tale about a man who can’t stop confusing “want” with “need.” The hook is deviously simple: when a once-successful finance guy’s life implodes, he starts stealing from the people who still invite him to dinner. What follows is equal parts social satire and slow-burn thriller, as status anxiety curdles into ethically creative problem-solving. The writing relishes awkward silences and razor-clean one-liners, while the ensemble leans into the discomfort that festers behind HOA-approved hedges. It’s funny until it isn’t, then funny again – because the show knows real embarrassment is its own jump scare. Creator Jonathan Tropper threads moral rot through cul-de-sacs and penthouses with equal precision, turning neighborliness into a high-stakes sport. A smart, stylish character study masquerading as a caper, and yes, you will side-eye your group chat after. | © Apple Studios

Cropped American Primaveral — American Primeval

Frontier myth gets sandblasted into something jagged and human here, swapping postcard nostalgia for grit you can practically taste. Set amid real 1857 tensions, the story tracks survivalists, zealots, and families colliding in a landscape where law is a rumor and mercy costs extra. It’s a Western that remembers the West was never simple – religion, ambition, and trauma grind against one another until sparks fly. Mark L. Smith’s writing draws moral lines in dust, then lets the wind erase them; Peter Berg’s direction keeps danger coiled in every footstep. The soundtrack hums with uneasy beauty, while the cinematography insists on both the terror and the awe of open country. It dares you to look away when history gets ugly – and rewards you with a thriller’s propulsion when you don’t. A visceral epic about power, faith, and consequence that lingers like smoke after a campfire. | © Film 44

Cropped The Pitt — The Pitt

If adrenaline had a home address, it would be this hospital drama’s sliding ER doors – the kind that never stop opening to new crises and older wounds. The series thrives on split-second triage and long-simmering rivalries, letting ethics collide with exhaustion in scenes that feel authentically frayed. Cases land like emotional grenades, forcing doctors and nurses to choose between the rulebook and the right thing, often in the same breath. Under the fluorescent hum, friendships are forged, romances misfire, and leadership is a verb, not a title. The scripts balance gallows humor with moments of stark tenderness, remembering that gallantry and burnout can share a face. It’s character-driven without skimping on procedure, a workplace saga that treats medicine as both calling and crucible. By the finale, you’ll swear you can navigate the trauma bay yourself – until the next curveball hits. | © Warner Bros. Television

Cropped Toxic Town — Toxic Town

Sometimes the scariest monsters don’t skulk in shadows – they sit in offices and sign forms, and this drama makes that terror plain. Inspired by a real environmental scandal, it follows ordinary people who refuse to accept “that’s just the way it is,” turning grief and anger into strategy. The storytelling keeps its compass locked on the families at the center – parents clocking rashes, kids asking hard questions, neighbors comparing symptoms like clues in a case. It’s a legal battle, yes, but also a portrait of community: tired, funny, furious, and unreasonably hopeful. The filmmaking resists soapbox preaching by letting evidence – and lived experience – do the talking. Small gestures matter here: a door left open, a file quietly copied, a meeting that finally ends in the truth. By the time credits roll, you’ll feel both wrecked and galvanized, which is precisely the point. | © Broke & Bones

Cropped Murderbot — Murderbot

Imagine a snarky robot who’d rather binge soap operas than “serve” humans – and then give it emotional depth. That’s *Murderbot*: a reluctant, autonomy-hacking cyborg who can’t resist saving its human crew, even as it mockingly resists feeling anything. The blend of dry wit, existential dread, and unexpected warmth makes it both hilarious and surprisingly moving. Alexander Skarsgård voices this security unit with just the right amount of deadpan sass, while the narrative balances sci-fi thrills with surprisingly tender character moments. It’s a rare blend of introspection and action, wrapped in sci-fi world building that never forgets the heart. The series is subtly queer and neurodivergent in its commentary, using Murderbot’s outsider perspective to critique identity and autonomy in creative ways. It’s smart, subversive, and oddly comforting – like watching a reluctant hero rediscover their own humanity, one snarky quip at a time. | © Depth of Field Productions

Cropped doc — Doc

What if the doctor on duty is more endearing than the prescription pad? This workplace drama takes hospital halls seriously – pulsing with tension, life-and-death decisions, and unexpected camaraderie. The medical cases unfold with procedural precision, but it’s the relationships behind the gurneys – colleagues arguing over rounding schedules or quietly supporting a grieving family – that give it soul. There’s enough gallows humor to ease the fear without undercutting the stakes, and the characters feel grounded in their exhaustion and small triumphs. It’s a reminder that every shift is its own mini epic, and that medicine is as much about humanity as it is about treatment. When the next emergency lights flash, you’ll feel like you’re right there, in scrubs and sneakers, trying to save someone and not lose yourself. | © Sony Pictures Television

Cropped Paradise 2025 — Paradise

Slip into *Paradise* and expect a cerebral shock wrapped in a thriller – this is a post-apocalyptic political drama where an underground enclave becomes the stage for murder, betrayal, and survival of the fittest. The bunker setting feels claustrophobic in all the right ways, its fluorescent-lit corridors echoing with secrets. Characters wrestle not just with who to trust, but what trust even means when the world above lies in ruins. Sterling K. Brown anchors the tension with quiet authority, while the plot weaves between existential dread and betrayals that sting deeper than bullets. The show’s strength lies in how it balances bleakness with bursts of humanity – moments of tenderness, moral reckoning, or stark revelation that make you lean in even as you’re braced for more. It’s smart, it’s stylish, and it lingers like radioactive fallout. | © 20th Television

Cropped The Narrow Road to the Deep North — The Narrow Road to the Deep North

This is not your typical war drama – it’s an elegiac journey through memory, trauma, and forbidden love. The story follows a man haunted by wartime experiences and a love that blooms in forbidden territory, played out over shifting timelines and emotional landscapes. It’s lush, somber, and beautifully structured, with a central performance that anchors grief in quiet intensity. The direction spices historical brutality with poetic framing, and every frame carries the weight of loss and longing. War isn’t just backdrop – it’s the soil everything grows – or dies – in. Expect critique and catharsis in equal measure, as the show guides you through personal and collective reckoning without flinching. It’s a human story as much as a historical one. | © Curio Pictures

Cropped Common Side Effects — Common Side Effects

Imagine if corporate greed and psychedelic conspiracy had a cartoon baby – and then you agree to feed it mushrooms. That’s *Common Side Effects*, an animated dramedy that trades sanitized sitcom tropes for trippy allegories and offbeat humor. The story follows two reconnecting high school friends who discover a radical fungus that might cure everything, if big pharma (and possibly the government) don’t stomp the discovery out first. It's witty, visually inventive, and smart without preaching. Characters are enriched with self-awareness – you’ll laugh when they break, then think when they’re done. The voice cast offers pitch-perfect delivery, while the script leans into existential chaos with clinical precision. It’s adult animation that demands your attention – and occasionally your prescription. | © Williams Street

Cropped Dope Thief — Dope Thief

At first glance, it’s just two pals impersonating DEA agents to rob drug dealers in Philadelphia – but this crime thriller soon gets tangled in its own lies, self-sabotage, and maybe a redemption arc or two. *Dope Thief* blends gritty heist energy with emotional ballast, anchored by Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura, who evoke both desperation and charm. The script doesn’t shy from ambivalence: heroes here are deeply flawed, and loyalty is something you bargain for, not earn. Stylistically, it’s slick – dark, tense, cinematic. It sneaks its heart into your chest when you least expect it, often right before a gunshot resounds. Equal parts adrenaline rush and character study, it lives where morality blurs. | © Scott Free Productions

Cropped Code of Silence — Code of Silence

The quietest voices sometimes tell the most explosive truths – and this crime drama proves it. *Code of Silence* centers a deaf cafeteria worker whose lip-reading skills thrust her into a high-stakes police investigation. It’s not procedural noise; it’s nuanced, almost whispered, with tension growing in silent moments. Rose Ayling-Ellis delivers a performance so graceful and grounded you feel the weight of every word she can’t speak aloud. The series blends empathy and suspense, using minimalism to maximum effect: conspiracies hide in pauses, danger lurks in unspoken glances, and agency unfolds in silence. It’s a fresh take on crime drama that values quiet power over flashy heroics. | © Mammoth Screen

Cropped The Åre Murders — The Åre Murders

Nordic noir fans, rejoice – *The Åre Murders* is the kind of icy mystery that towels you in suspense while snow blinds your sense of truth. A rural ski town becomes a landscape scarred by secrets and murder, and a detective relocates from Stockholm to chase echoes instead of skyline lights. The atmosphere is as much a character as the investigators: frozen, isolated, and quietly judgmental. Yet beneath the frozen façade lies community, buried trauma, and the dread of what’s hidden behind polite doors. The pacing is deliberate, the tension atmospheric, and the dual homicides force you to question what trust even means in a place where everyone knows everyone. | © SF Studios

Cropped On Call — On Call

First responder drama, reimagined. *On Call* reboots cops-on-the-beat drama with short, punchy episodes that don’t waste a single heartbeat. It focuses on patrol officers whose rhythm is broken by tragedy – beginning with the death of a female officer – and powered by the determination of her rookie trainee. The writing skips grandstanding and lands emotional punches in the small moments: bodycam blur, rushed exhale, a sideways glance when the station halls go quiet. It’s less courtroom drama and more life-in-motion, offering a layered portrait of modern policing under pressure. And yes, it also gives you the procedural satisfaction of "who’s next," without larding it with filler. | © Wolf Entertainment

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2025 has already delivered an incredible lineup of fresh television series, and we’re only getting started. From gripping dramas to laugh-out-loud comedies, networks and streaming platforms are dropping standout first seasons that have captured viewers’ attention around the globe. Whether you’re looking for the next binge-worthy hit or simply want to stay ahead of the pop culture curve, this guide covers the best new TV shows of 2025 (so far)—all debuting with Season 1. Let’s dive in and see which breakout titles are making waves this year.

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2025 has already delivered an incredible lineup of fresh television series, and we’re only getting started. From gripping dramas to laugh-out-loud comedies, networks and streaming platforms are dropping standout first seasons that have captured viewers’ attention around the globe. Whether you’re looking for the next binge-worthy hit or simply want to stay ahead of the pop culture curve, this guide covers the best new TV shows of 2025 (so far)—all debuting with Season 1. Let’s dive in and see which breakout titles are making waves this year.