Deadline has published its selection of the best new television series from 2025, spanning genres from post-apocalyptic dramedies to historical documentaries. The list features acclaimed projects on platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, and PBS, with themes of control, history, and personal transformation. Standouts include Vince Gilligan's Pluribus and Ken Burns' The American Revolution.
In a year marked by themes of individual control amid broader societal shifts, Deadline's roundup of 2025's top new TV shows showcases a diverse array of series. Published on December 24, 2025, the list begins with Pluribus on Apple TV, a Vince Gilligan creation that debuted on November 7. Featuring Rhea Seehorn as the misanthropic bestselling author Carol Sturka, the post-apocalyptic dramedy explores battles for individuality, with its season 1 finale airing on Christmas Eve. A key line from Seehorn's character: “Your life is your own.”
Other highlights include Death By Lightning on Netflix, a four-episode limited series created by Mike Makowsky and based on Candice Millard's 2011 book Destiny of the Republic. It stars Michael Shannon as President James Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau, alongside Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman as Chester A. Arthur, Shea Wigham, and Bradley Whitford. The reviewer calls for more episodes.
Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV adapts Mick Herron's 2003 novel, starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson in a buddy thriller, recently renewed for another season. MobLand on Paramount+ features Helen Mirren as a mob queenpin, with Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan; it culminates to the Rolling Stones' “Sympathy For the Devil.”
Adolescence on Netflix, launched March 13, is an Emmy-winning four-episode series directed in single shots by Philip Barantini, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. It follows a 13-year-old boy, played by Owen Cooper, arrested for murder in Yorkshire, UK. Clean Slate on Prime Video, starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace, addresses gender transition but was canceled after its first season despite praise for its universal tale.
The Celebrity Traitors on BBC involves UK celebrities like Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr, and Charlotte Church in a high-stakes competition. Deli Boys on Hulu, created by Abdullah Saeed, stars Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, and Poorna Jagannathan as Lucky Auntie in a comedic drug ring story, renewed in August. North of North on CBC and Netflix is an original comedy about an Inuk mother, with eight episodes available and season 2 upcoming.
Finally, The American Revolution on PBS, directed by Ken Burns, evokes a strong sense of time and place. As the review notes: “Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum... there is no denying the inviolable sense of time and place.” It is described as loud and proud in a quiet way, not favored by MAGA loyalists.
Shout-outs go to second seasons of Landman on Paramount+ by Taylor Sheridan and Mo on Netflix by Mo Amer, both surpassing their debuts.
