Well, another year of soaking up much of what the entertainment world had to offer is just about in the books.
I’ve compiled a baker’s dozen of titles that I enjoyed, a list extremely heavy on television seasons. It’s been a down year in movies, in my opinion, and I found little to really like in the music released in 2025. (My recent Apple Music Replay was depressing, as the same album I listened to the most in 2024 — Soccer Mommy’s “Evergreen” — was again tops in 2025.) And books? I read a few, but the one I enjoyed most — Matthew Norman’s “Charm City Rocks” — was released in 2023.
And I’m not much of a gamer, but one new entry did consume me for most of the summer.
Without further ado, here’s what entertained one entertainment editor in 2025, ordered by release date.
“The Pitt” (Season One) >> I feel a sense of pseudo guilt for how much I loved this show, considering it is the spiritual successor to “ER,” a beloved medical series that is a body cavity-sized hole on my TV-watching resume. Regardless, I became hooked on what was then a Max Original series, which sees “ER” cast member Noah Wyle back in an emergency room — this time as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, a senior attending physician at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center — in this year’s Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series. Also an Emmy winner for his work on the show, Wyle is its pumping, soulful heart, but the large ensemble is fantastic, with a deserving extra nod in the direction of one more Emmy winner, Katherine LaNasa (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series), who shines as Dana Evans, the charge nurse. The second season begins on Jan. 8 on HBO Max, so get ready for more pulse-pounding excitement as the crew does its best to save lives.
“Severance” (Season Two) >> As I wrote earlier in the year, not since the heyday of “Lost” have I so enjoyed dissecting a mystery-box show: looking for clues, listening to podcasts of other people doing the same, chatting about it with friends — the whole deal. In case you’ve not jumped on this brain-bending ride yet, know that the hook of the show is that in the fictional town of Kier — possibly existing in an alternate universe or timeline — employees of the mysterious company Lumon Industries may, via surgical procedure, sever their work selves, aka the “outies,” from their home versions, the “innies.” Now, if you’re not caught up, skip ahead, as I want to offer my thoughts on what we can expect when the Apple TV hit returns: I suspect Season Three will be pegged around “reintegration,” the illegal/fringe medical process Mark (Adam Scott) had that is, possibly dangerously, merging his outie and innie; my thinking is Helena Eagan (Britt Lower) also will undergo the procedure at the order of her powerful father, Lumon CEO Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry), who wishes she possessed the fiery nature of her innie, Helly R. I could go on speculating about what will happen, but I’ll just say instead that I don’t think enough is being made of the possible clues found in the painting seen in the excellent season finale. It’s going to be a long wait for the show to come back, which isn’t expected until sometime in the second half of 2027. Until then, in a nod to the great Tramell Tillman’s endlessly interesting Seth Milchick, we will have to get by with enjoying periodic Music Dance Experiences. (“Siri, play some Defiant Jazz!”)
“Adolescence” >> The winner in several categories at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology series, this British offering from Netflix is a work to behold. Each of its four episodes is told in a real-time, one-shot style, with the best of several attempts at an installment ultimately being served up for consumption. Benefiting from outstanding performances by Emmy winners Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper, “Adolescence” tells the story of a boy (Cooper) being accused of murdering a female classmate and the investigative work, counseling and family trauma that follows. After viewing the series, be sure to check out the Netflix-produced behind-the-scenes video, “The Making Of Adolescence: The One-Shot Explained” — it’s fascinating.
“Blue Prince” (PlayStation 5) >> This puzzle-based video game — from Dogubomb and Raw Fury — isn’t the normal thing I go for, as I tend to become addicted to fast-moving, highly stressful affairs such as “Deathloop” and “Returnal” and cinematic, story-based adventures, namely Naughty Dog’s “Uncharted” and “The Last of Us” titles. But “Blue Prince” — the years-in-the-making creation of apparent mad genius Tonda Ros, creative lead at Dogubomb, that’s also available on PC and Xbox — hooked me with its relaxed game mechanics, use of (often-frustrating) randomization and slowly revealed backstory. In the game, you play as Simon P. Jones, a lad who is in line to inherit a mansion from his late uncle, Herbert S. Sinclair. The catch: Simon must find the mysterious 46th room in the 45-room manor. To do this, you “draft” one of three possible rooms on a grid that’s five rooms wide and nine deep. You’re short on much-needed resources at the start, so prepare to hit many a dead-end and “call it a day,” starting again the next. Stick at it, though, to find you’ll unlock Room 46 before you know it — and learn, soon after, that you’ve only begun to unearth the secrets layered in by Ros. One note: Color is of major thematic importance, and the game is not so friendly to the colorblind player, such as myself. (I avoided one color-dependent puzzle on each run in which I encountered it and needed the help of a friend to complete a crucial task in the game — not once but a second time after I — d’oh! — lost my game file.) Still, the struggle was worth it to learn about the efforts of Simon’s missing mother, Mary, about whom I’d still like to know more months after finishing what I could of “Blue Prince.”
“Andor” (Season Two) >> I found the first few episodes of this “Star Wars” series to be slow and a little dull when the show debuted on Disney+ in September 2022. Now, complete after two stellar seasons, I see it as easily the best thing Disney has produced in George Lucas’ former galactic playground. Ultimately an espionage drama, the creation of Tony Gilroy was a prequel to 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which he wrote and, eventually, helped to direct. It is named for Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and chronicles his journey to becoming an operative for the burgeoning Rebel Alliance. However, he was never the most compelling figure, as fellow “Rogue One” alum Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and newcomers Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) were far richer characters, boosted by the performances of these excellent actors. Most impressively, “Andor” explored the rise of a powerful authoritarian government, making events set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away feel more relevant than ever to our world. I fear we never again will get this kind of “Star Wars” — geared toward adults, beautifully acted and primarily relying on physical sets and props — again, but I’m trying to remain optimistic about the franchise’s future, with writer-producer Simon Kinberg citing “Andor” as an inspiration for the trilogy he’s developing set in the years following the events of 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Season Three) >> Let’s stick around in the science-fiction realm for a bit longer. Truthfully, the most recent season of this Paramount+ series set before the events of the original “Star Trek” series from the 1960s was as strong as 2023’s second volume of episodes. However, “Strange New Worlds” is easily the finest of the newer “Trek” shows, and it exhibits some of the most engrossing storytelling ever in a franchise about boldly going where no one has gone before. Anson Mount is sublime as Christopher Pike, captain of the USS Enterprise before one James T. Kirk, with performances by other regulars — including Ethan Peck, as Spock; Jess Bush, as Nurse Chapel; Celia Rose Gooding, as Nyota Uhura; and, last but not least, Christina Chong, as La’An Noonien-Singh, a descendant of future “Trek” baddie Khan Noonien Singh — also making the show a must-watch. The fourth season is expected to navigate its way through the stars in 2026, with a shortened fifth season to bring the series to a close in the not-too-distant future. Here’s hoping a potential sequel series, “Star Trek: Year One,” built around Paul Wesley’s “SNW”-established version of Kirk, gets off the ground, with Peck, Bush, Gooding and others along for the galactic ride.
The Civil Wars’ “Barton Hollow” (deluxe vinyl edition) >> One of my favorite albums since its release in 2011 by once-harmonious Americana act The Civil Wars, it showcases the brand of beautiful, acoustic-based music the since-disbanded duo was capable of creating. This deluxe vinyl release, recently gifted to me by a friend who shares my love for the album, has immediately become the highlight of my admittedly tiny vinyl collection. A three-sided affair, it contains not just the original album but a collection of bonus tracks, the standout being longtime favorite “Tip of My Tongue.” The designs of the discs are interesting, with their smoky black-and-gold look and an etched design on its fourth, music-less side. More importantly, the music sounds so rich and warm on vinyl that it has wrapped around me on some recent chilly mornings as I sip on a cup of coffee or late at night with a bourbon. Perhaps one day it won’t bum me out that Joy Williams and John Paul White broke up — and that I wasn’t able to attend one of their performances — but today is not that day.
“Weapons” >> After, um, surviving 2022’s “Barbarian,” I was both anticipating and dreading what its writer-director, Zach Cregger, would bring to theaters next. Thankfully for my nerves, nothing in “Weapons” was remotely as terrifying as the tunnel scenes in “Barbarian.” Less of a straight-horror affair, “Weapons” is something deeper and plenty chilling in its own way — and engrossing from start to finish. Beginning with the nighttime disappearance of all but one child from a classroom, “Weapons” initially centers on the teacher of that class, Julia Garner’s Justine Gandy, and the lone kid from it who didn’t disappear, Cary Christopher’s Alex Lilly, but it soon widens its scope to include important characters portrayed by actors such as Josh Brolin and, without question, Amy Madigan. The less you know about “Weapons” going into it, the better, but it’s a fun one to dissect afterward. (I have my theory as to what Cregger is trying to say with it, but I may be way off. So be it.) The Warner Bros. Pictures release is available to stream on HBO Max.
“Alien: Earth” (Season One) >> Noah Hawley, the creator of the typically outstanding FX series “Fargo,” turned his immense talent to the universe launched with director Ridley Scott’s influential 1979 science-fiction-meets-horror affair “Alien.” Hawley and his behind-the-scenes collaborators have captured the haunting, gritty tone of that first of many “Alien” films while telling a new and interesting story set before the events of Scott’s movie. He gives us the terrifying Xenomorph creatures, sure, but also new otherworldly creatures, none more memorable than a walking, scheming eyeball that jumps into the bodies of other beings and takes control of them. Perhaps most interesting, though, is the performance of Sydney Chandler as Wendy, one of several prototype “hybrids,” made by implanting the consciousnesses of ill children into synthetic bodies. Watching Chandler and other adults portray what are essentially oversized and extremely strong kids is a joy. Aired on FX and available to stream on Hulu, “Alien: Earth” has, thankfully, been renewed for a second season.
“Task” (Season One) >> I’ve long enjoyed the work of actor Mark Ruffalo, but his performance in this HBO offering as Tom Brantis — a Catholic priest-turned-FBI agent with an extremely traumatic family incident in his recent past — was revelatory. The humanity Ruffalo brings to the character is the largest reason the seven-episode crime drama series burrows so deeply into your soul. Not sure he’s ready to return to field work, Tom is charged with heading a task force to investigate a rash of robberies of drug stash houses in an area outside Philadelphia that is suspected to be the work of a biker gang. The team also includes Anthony Grasso (Fabien Frankel), a capable Delaware County detective; Lizzie Stover (Alison Oliver), a green Pennsylvania State Police officer; and Aleah Clinton (Thuso Mbedu), a determined Chester detective sergeant. On the other side of the line is robber Robbie Prendergrast (a memorable Tom Pelphrey) and, not by her design, his 21-year-old niece, Maeve Prendergrast (“CODA” star Emilia Jones). Also, Ben Doherty gives a tender performance as Sam, a boy caught up in the increasingly messy business. Originally billed as a limited series, the creation of Brad Ingelsby (“Mare of Easttown”) was, correctly, renewed for a second season.
“One Battle After Another” >> My top film of 2025 at the moment, at least until I’ve had the chance to see a few more, this wild mix of drama and comedy from gifted auteur Paul Thomas Anderson deserves all the accolades it’s getting. The colorful ensemble cast is headed by a wonderful Leonardo DiCaprio, as former revolutionary “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun, who’s trying to raise his daughter, Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti), without drawing the attention of authorities who would like to make him pay for actions taken in his, let’s say, “explosive” days. The cast is great overall, with Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Regina Hall adding their seasonings to this spicy dish, but the lesser-known Teyana Taylor, as Pat’s ex-lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills, is the other standout. Even though I’d have trimmed a bit from the third act of the more-than-two-and-a-half-hour affair, it is every bit deserving of being the best-picture Academy Award winner in a couple of months. Another gem from the, well, much-desired Warner Bros. Pictures, it, too, is available to stream on HBO Max.
“The Chair Company” (Season One) >> I don’t normally go for “cringe” comedy, the specialty of Tim Robinson, the co-creator and star of this HBO series, but I’m happy to say that element takes a backseat in the show’s excellent debut season. Robinson and co-creator Zach Kanin have created a wildly inventive and wonderfully weird tale of a middling corporate executive, Ron Trosper (Robinson), who becomes obsessed with a company that produces office chairs. Also featuring Lake Bell, as Ron’s wife, and Lou Diamond Phillips, as his boss, “The Chair Company” cooks up hilarious moments you don’t see coming — and others that are hysterical even though you do see them approaching. The season doesn’t conclude as strongly as it starts, but I’m happy all the same that “The Chair Company” will return for a second batch of episodes.
“The Diplomat” (Season Three) >> It’s not the best show going, but the political drama series from Netflix may be my favorite. It’s the rare streaming show that I actually want to binge, but I force myself from rolling right into the next episode because I want to savor the new season. Nonetheless, the third came and went as an extremely entertaining blur, the creation of “The West Wing” alum Debora Cahn being the closest thing we have to that long-running series set in the White House. This one is set primarily in England, following the adventures of U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom — and vice presidential hopeful — Kate Wyler (Keri Russell). Russell continues to be commanding in each of her myriad scenes, and Rufus Sewell excels as her charming if also ambitious husband, Hal. Hal isn’t perfect, but he adores his wife, so count me among those hoping the two of them are together at the conclusion of what is at least part marriage drama. The members of the excellent supporting cast are too many to mention, but my favorites are Ato Essandoh, as Kate’s top aide, Stuart Hayford, the moral center of the series; and Ali Ahn as Eidra Park, the CIA’s top official in London and Stuart’s on-again-off-again romantic partner. And speaking of “The West Wing,” it was great to see a couple of mainstays on that show, Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, portray important characters this season — President Grace Penn and first gentleman Todd Penn. This show knows how to leave viewers wanting more, as it did with that (gasp!) moment at the end of this season, so the announced fourth season cannot arrive quickly enough.
Honorable mentions
— “The Studio” (first season of Apple TV comedy series)
— “Sinners” (Warner Bros. Pictures release from filmmaker Ryan Coogler)
— “The Bear” (fourth season of FX on Hulu comedy-drama series)
— “The Last of Us” (second season of HBO post-apocalyptic drama series)
— “Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Disney/Marvel Studios film)
— “Slow Horses” (fifth season of Apple TV spy series starring Gary Oldman)
— “F1 the Movie” (Apple TV/Warner Bros. Pictures film)
— “Department Q” (British crime series from Netflix)
— “Pluribus” (first season of Apple TV series from “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan)
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