The first half of 2025 is gone, and this is as good a time as any to look at the best shows TV has given us thus far.
Amandaland won’t make sense to many of you, and in fact, I have not watched it. So why am I even talking about it? Because it is a spin-off of Motherland, a BBC half-hour comedy about three mothers juggling their bizarre lives.
If you have watched Phelomena Cunk, that actress is a protagonist in Motherland, which is one of the best comedies I have ever watched. I remember laughing myself almost to death while watching it during the 2020 lockdown. Giving Amanda her own spinoff makes no sense to me.
She was the least interesting side character in the original show. But I have to assume that a Motherland spin-off is just as funny as its predecessor. I will also highlight Murderbot, which I have not watched either. But I read the novels and they are incredible. The protagonist is a supposedly bloodthirsty robot who breaks free from his programming.
But unlike other rogue androids that murder and maim once free, Murderbot spends his days watching telenovelas. Murderbot would prefer to avoid humans altogether. But humans won’t leave him alone.
Also, they keep putting themselves in harm’s way. Murderbot does not have to help them now that he has escaped the confines of his programming. But he can’t help but interfere in the same way that an adult will step in to keep stupid toddlers from accidentally killing themselves.
The 97 per cent Rotten Tomatoes critic rating (and 80 per cent audience score) suggests that Apple’s Murderbot adaptation was a success. Invincible Season 3 is a vast improvement on the slog that was season 2, although complaints about the power scaling and the quality of the animation are still rife.
Andor Season 2 was not nearly as compelling as its first season. But many people don’t share that opinion. Many viewers (critics and general audiences) think season 2 was a masterpiece, and I can’t fault them. The acting and production values were second to none. You can say the same thing about the character arcs and the dialogue. That Luthen flashback was heartbreaking.
However, I was underwhelmed, although the show ended on a strong note. Either way, I won’t disagree with anyone who thinks that Andor as a whole is one of the best shows we have seen in the last ten years. You can say the same thing about Daredevil: Born Again, which improved the production values while maintaining the layered storytelling we first encountered in the original Netflix Daredevil.
The Wheel of Time had a rocky start, but those who watched season 3 believe that it became one of the better fantasy adaptations. Book readers still believe that Amazon’s adaptation butchered the source material, and mainstream audiences probably agreed because the show was finally cancelled.
Season 3 received a heap of praise this year, but I guess it was too late. Critics are calling Seth Rogen’s The Studio the biggest surprise of the year because it pulls the curtain back to show viewers how Hollywood studios function.
The Pitt, which combines ER and 24, is the best medical drama in years. It explores the drama unfolding within a hospital in real time. Medical experts are hailing it as the most realistic medical show ever made. I have nothing good to say about The Last of Us Season 2.
It has not done anything egregiously bad. I was just bored. But again, my opinion is rare. Many viewers loved it (excluding that tiny circle that carried their hate for the game to the show). The year is not done yet. We still have a plethora of great shows (The Bear, Dexter: Resurrection, Squid Game, etc) waiting in the future.
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