Now that winter has arrived and a festive spirit is in the air, there’s no better time to curl up and catch up with the best of this year’s TV. From empowering dramas and documentaries to heartwarming rom-coms and coming-of-age stories, 2025 has seen many great releases.
In the realm of reality shows, Celebrity Traitors delivered absolute TV gold, especially as the Faithfuls tied themselves in knots by overthinking absolutely everything. Meanwhile, The Jury: Murder Trial tackled a real-life case of domestic violence and offered a fresh format that allowed for nuanced and thought-provoking discussions.
When it comes to drama, All Her Fault stood out as a gripping thriller, laden with feminist observations around emotional labour and parenting. Equally compelling was Dying for Sex – a profoundly human journey of sexual discovery for a woman diagnosed with end-stage breast cancer. In its latest season, The White Lotus delivered a terrifyingly realistic portrayal of a three-way friendship dynamic, filled with jealousy, tension, and polarised politics.
It’s been a year defined by bold storytelling. So if you’re searching for the best picks for those lazy days at home between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, here are the standout TV shows of 2025:
Celebrity Traitors (UK)
Household names like Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Stephen Fry, and Clare Balding battled it out for the chance to win the game and donate the prize money to their chosen charities. The cast was so disarmingly likeable that watching anyone get murdered or banished was genuinely heartbreaking. The first season of the UK Celebrity Traitors became the most-watched TV show of the year — and it’s no wonder. It was absolutely terrific. The only downside? It was over too soon, as it had fewer episodes than the regular series, likely to accommodate everyone’s busy schedules. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Nobody Wants This
The most perfect rom-com series is back with another season! Joanne (Kristen Bell), an agnostic sex podcaster, and Noah (Adam Brody), a rabbi vying for a promotion to lead his temple, seem to be in complete denial that their relationship is a ticking time bomb – especially since the only way they can stay together is if Joanne converts to Judaism. So will she? Or will Noah give up his dream of becoming head rabbi? It’s light and playful — the perfect watch to warm up your winter break. Available on Netflix.
Just Act Normal
When their mum goes missing, Tiana, Tionne and Tanika make it look as though she hasn’t, so that their family doesn’t get separated by social services. It’s a tragic premise, and not one you’d expect to underpin a six-part comedy-drama, yet it works brilliantly – a testament to Janice Okoh’s skillful adaptation of her 2011 play Three Birds. There’s plenty of fun in this story about children raising children, but the laughter slowly fades as the full weight of their situation comes into focus. Set in a Birmingham council estate and centred on the lives of three working-class Black siblings, this limited series offers a portrait of remarkable and heartbreaking resilience. Available on BBC iPlayer.
All Her Fault
Sarah Snook is spectacular as Marissa Irvine, a mother whose child vanishes after school one day. What unfolds is every parent’s nightmare: Marissa goes to pick her son up from a playdate, but the woman who opens the door doesn't recognise her or her son. All Her Fault is a tense, layered whodunit investigation. Adapted from Andrea Mara’s 2021 novel, the eight-episode limited series delivers a sharp examination of gendered parenting dynamics and of women's hidden emotional labour that holds families together. Available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
There's something for everyone this chilly season.
The Real Housewives of London
If you’re after truly dissociative, ridiculous reality TV, The Real Housewives of London is the perfect escape. Its six power-playing women deliver explosive storylines and public takedowns. I still can’t believe it took this long to get a London edition – we had 18 seasons of the Real Housewives of Cheshire – but it’s been worth the wait. Yes, these women live in a parallel universe, but they’re camp, which is how they get away with it. My favourite moment? Amanda looks straight into the camera and declares, with perfect deadpan delivery, that she’s “a really private person.” Available on Hayu.
Clean Slate
Laverne Cox is glorious in this charming sitcom that isn’t afraid to confront a divided America. Desiree, a New York gallery owner who returns to her hometown in Alabama after a breakup, moves back in with her estranged father. Only she has transitioned since they were last in contact 23 years ago. The series follows the rebuilding of their relationship as they navigate misgendering, bigotry, and opposing political views in the Deep South. Available on Amazon Prime.
Wednesday
If you’re in the mood for some coming-of-age gothic horror, you have to watch the second season of Tim Burton’s Wednesday. After a long-awaited three years, Jenna Ortega's character returns to Nevermore Academy, where she investigates new murder mysteries and uncovers secrets related to her parents' past. With her newfound fame after last season’s events and her family becoming more entwined with the school, we watch Wednesday navigate the messy push-and-pull of her relationship with her mother (she is a teen after all!) – all while trying to wrestle with her psychic abilities. Funny and gruesome in equal measure. Available on Netflix.
The Jury: Murder Trial
In a televised social experiment, a real-life murder trial is restaged in front of two juries of ordinary people. In the second series, released earlier this year, they’re presented with a case of a young mum who killed her boyfriend – but was it self-defence or murder? And will the jury reach the same verdict as the original trial?
The brilliance of The Jury is two-fold; it asks whether our jury system is fit for purpose, especially when people are so motivated by their biases, and it also conveys the complex reality of crime, even at its most violent. This particular series offered a sobering insight into abusive romantic relationships. Available on Channel 4.
The Last of Us
We were all eagerly awaiting the second season of The Last of Us, and it certainly delivered. Set five years after the first season, we watch Ellie come of age, clashing with Joel in true angsty-teen fashion while developing romantic feelings for Dina. Without giving anything away, the season is dark, gripping, and utterly heart-wrenching, with scenes that stay with you long after. Plus, the queer representation is handled with real depth and care. Available on Now TV.
Dying for Sex
Dying for Sex tells the real-life story of Molly Kochan, who, at just 38, is diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Faced with her own mortality, Molly makes a shocking choice: she leaves her husband of 15 years to go on a journey of sexual self-discovery. Her liberating adventure is deeply life-affirming, making for a moving portrait of a woman trying to live as fully as she can. It’s a story of great friendship and love. Don’t forget to grab the tissues. Available on Disney+.
Mhairi Black: Being Me Again
Westminster is brutal; this much is clear in the new documentary following Mhairi Black’s life after politics. In 2015, she became the youngest MP in 350 years and gained viral fame with her powerful speeches. But a few years into the job, its relentless nature took a toll on her wellbeing, leading to her being signed off for three months. During this time, she was diagnosed with ADHD, only then understanding the weight of demands Parliament was putting on her life.
Black speaks candidly about how our most important political institution chews up and spits out people like her, exposing a culture that prizes endurance over health, prompting questions on how such a toxic workplace can ever serve our society with integrity. As she prepares for the opening night of her sell-out stand-up show, Politics Isn’t for Me, we see her reclaiming her life after deciding not to stand for re-election last year. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Prisoner 951
Prisoner 951 is a four-part factual drama on BBC One that retells the tragic real-life story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman who was arrested in Iran in 2016 on false espionage charges and held for six years. She was finally released in 2022 after her husband Richard Ratcliffe campaigned relentlessly for her freedom. The show dramatises the agonising ordeal, highlighting the UK's political failures that allowed such an injustice to drag on. I found it very eye-opening and deeply touching. Available on BBC iPlayer.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
If you thought being in a love triangle with two best friends was bad, The Summer I Turned Pretty is about a girl caught between two brothers! In the show’s conclusive season, the story reaches new levels of ‘will-they, won’t-they’ tension when, after four years of being with Jeremiah, Belly is confronted by Conrad’s undying feelings for her. This coming-of-age drama, perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and The OC, explores the full range of teenage romance. Available on Amazon Prime.
Adolescence
This four-part drama about a 13-year-old boy from Merseyside accused of murdering his classmate shook the nation when it was released in March. Based on several real-life cases, Adolescence tackles growing issues of online radicalisation, the manosphere, and the national emergency that is growing violence against women and girls in the UK. A tragic but necessary watch. Available on Netflix.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus did not hold back in its third season – especially with that shocking incest storyline. But it was the complicated friendship dynamic between Laurie, Kate and Jaclyn that stayed with me most. Anyone who has ever been part of a trio knows how easily things can sour, especially if jealousy or judgments remain unaddressed. It’s fascinating to watch the shifting allegiances among the three friends as fractures begin to emerge over careers, money, men, and politics. Available on Now TV.
