From Star Wars canon expansion to the conclusion of a university-set sitcom and Vince Gilligan’s highly anticipated return to the small screen, here are our TV highlights from this year.
Given how rare event television is in the streaming era, watercooler moments are far and few between. While Celebrity Traitors is a gripping exception to this rule, the field of other possibilities is vast. Mammoth franchises sit alongside original storytelling in a TV schedule of your own making as the medium continues to adapt to the evolving entertainment landscape. Some year-defining titles have still not yet made it to UK shores (The Pitt and The Lowdown being two to look out for come 2026). Nevertheless, the array of gripping dramas, comedies, documentaries – and everything in between – will keep you entertained far into the new year. Final seasons, long-awaited returns, and daring newcomers are all on offer. Be prepared to gasp, laugh, and cry. Sometimes all three at once.
10. Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV)
Five hours with Martin Scorsese, his collaborators, and family discussing his roots, influences, and large volume of work is time well spent. In fact, Rebecca Miller’s docuseries would benefit from being even longer to cover all bases (justice for the absent Hugo). Still, the meditations on death, religion, filmmaking and the toll specific projects took on the director’s mental health offer profound insight into the man who has shaped the film industry for six decades.
9. Andor (Disney+)
Knowing where this Star Wars story is heading only increases the tension as Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) barrels towards his fate. Four three-episode chapters play with the parameters of television structure, with Tony Gilroy’s Rogue One prequel giving space to the different factions of the rebellion – and the fascist forces within. Not to mention the year’s hottest dance track comes courtesy of composer Nicholas Britell, with Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma channeling her pain into frenetic, mesmerising moves: 10s across the board!
8. Task (HBO/Sky Atlantic)
Brad Inglesby’s follow-up to Mare of Easttown replaces a whodunnit with a layered cat-and-mouse game. Broken families link Mark Ruffalo’s priest-turned-FBI Agent and Tom Pelphrey’s petty criminal, Robbie Pendergrast; their eventual showdown is not as on-the-nose as the themes linking the two men. Ruffalo is reliably excellent, but it is Pelphrey and Emilia Jones as Robbie’s niece, Maeve, who stand out as actions and consequences become more desperate. The penultimate episode has an edge-of-the-seat 20-minute sequence that ensures its place on this list.
7. Dark Winds (AMC/U&Alibi)
The third season of the ’70s-set noir thriller opens with David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ as musical backdrop to another sticky situation for Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon). Past and present are entwined as the Navajo reservation cop investigates the disappearance of two local teenage boys while facing personal demons – and the breakdown of his marriage. McClaron captivates throughout, taking centre stage in a nightmare-fueled sixth episode that explores generational trauma. The series also marks executive producer Robert Redford’s final on-screen appearance in a delightful cameo as a chess-playing prisoner.
6. The Rehearsal (HBO/Sky Comedy)
A failure to communicate isn’t just a line from Cool Hand Luke; it is also Nathan Fielder’s thesis at the heart of The Rehearsal’s second season. Aviation disasters aren’t typical comedic fare, but Fielder’s experimental docuseries mines chuckles in unexpected places. It is impossible to predict what will come next within the boundary-pushing array of scenarios, eventually linking back to Fielder’s original theory about the root of cockpit issues. The Rehearsal also takes the prize for the most surprising needle-drop of the year, culminating in a finale that soars.
5. The Studio (Apple TV)
The movie industry is ripe for farce, and Seth Rogen spins a cornucopia of experiences into hilarious gold within the fictitious Continental Studios. Gags range from deadpan observations to slapstick, with Bryan Cranston’s physical comedy leading to some of the biggest laughs. Rogen’s flailing executive, Matt Remick, is a perfect foil opposite a treasure trove of actors and directors playing versions of themselves, with Martin Scorsese earning his first acting Emmy nomination. Don’t sleep on Rogen’s other (more underrated) Apple comedy series, Platonic, which ticks the funny boxes.
4. Severance (Apple TV)
A three-year gap between seasons could be the death knell, but Dan Erickson’s inventive dystopian workplace drama hits multiple ambitious highs in its sophomore outing. More about biotech company Lumon comes to light, including a standout episode by cinematographer-turned-director Jessica Gagné that fills in the blanks of Mark (Adam Scott) and Gemma’s (Dichen Lachman) heartbreaking love story. As the truth bubbles to the surface, the ensemble works double time, convincingly playing different sides of one character. All that and a dancing band add to a triumphant return.
3. Big Boys (Channel 4)
Jack Rooke’s revelatory coming-of-age sitcom concludes with its signature mix of jokes and free-flowing tears. The final year of university provides the backdrop for Jack’s (Dylan Llewellyn) growing sexual confidence, while doubts about the future plague his best mate, Danny (Jon Pointing). Insightful portrayals of grief and mental health have been a foundation since the start, with Rooke expertly weaving mid-2010s pop culture references alongside serious material. How lucky we are to have graduated with this incredible group.
2. Dying for Sex (FX/Disney+)
Michelle Williams doesn’t often get to play funny, and Molly’s terminal cancer diagnosis might not strike you as fitting this bill. However, Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether’s darkly comedic and crushing scripts (based on the podcast of the same title) offer a journey in facing mortality and a bedroom-focused bucket list. Stand-up comedians Jenny Slate and Rob Delaney show their dramatic chops, playing different support systems opposite Williams. In this case of facing the end, laughter and the frank depiction of sex (hello, flying prosthetic penis) are the best medicine.
1. Pluribus (Apple TV)
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan keeps Albuquerque as the backdrop for his new series without retreading ground. Instead, Gilligan returns to his sci-fi roots with a daring end-of-the-world twist, hitting themes of autonomy, happiness, loss, and creativity. Rhea Seehorn’s cynical Romantasy author, Carol Sturka, is an outlier, forced to spend long stretches alone after matters escalate. As Carol rails against this new order, Seehorn’s unflinching, dynamic performance is a masterclass in knowing when to go big or go subtle.
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