The Watch — The Top 10 TV Shows of 2025

Podcast: The Watch (The Ringer)
Hosts: Chris Ryan [A], Andy Greenwald [B]
Date: December 16, 2025

Overview

This annual “Best TV of the Year” episode is a hallmark for The Watch — with Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald assembling and debating their top 10 shows of 2025. This year, they shake up their usual format by constructing a consensus “Watch Top 10,” combining their individual lists and featuring spicy honorable mentions (“the spicy fives”). The conversation goes deep on trends, critical fragmentation, international gems, the state of streaming, and hidden standouts — landing where the landscape of television sits after a landmark year.

Their tone is signature: fast-paced, irreverent, self-aware, and often veering into meta-commentary on TV criticism itself. Expect inside jokes, critical analysis, and loving dissections of what makes TV great — or just notably weird.

Table of Contents

1. Opening: Format and State of the Pod
2. Remembering Rob Reiner
3. A New Approach: How the List Was Built
4. 2025: Year in TV — Themes & Observations
5. Honorable Mentions (“The Spicy Fives”)
6. The Top 10 TV Shows of 2025 (Consensus List)
7. Key Quotes & Memorable Moments
8. Listener Shout–Outs & Final Thoughts

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1. Opening: Format and State of the Pod

• The episode begins with light banter, a running Oasis/Liam Gallagher joke, and chat about The Watch’s schedule ([01:20–03:01]).
• Chris and Andy introduce their annual best-of tradition, noting tweaks to the format for this year. Rather than two separate lists, it will be a “Watch Top 10,” a mashup reflecting consensus, with input from producer Kaya and (in abstentia) Sam Esmail ([10:10–12:14]).
• They explain: Individual “spicy five” honorable mentions each, then the combined Top 10 ([13:01–13:40]).

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2. Remembering Rob Reiner ([04:26–10:02])

• Chris and Andy address the shocking tragic murder of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, offering a heartfelt tribute to his impact.
• Andy:
  “His affability and his gregarious public persona almost betrayed the enormous importance and influence and body of work he contributed to entertainment over the last half century… both as a filmmaker and as an actor.” ([04:34])
• The conversation explores Reiner’s cultural legacy, from All in the Family to The Bear, and how he shaped what adult, mainstream American film "used to be."
• Andy shares personal anecdotes about meeting Reiner at a Castle Rock panel, reflecting on the power, loss, and evolution in the TV/film world.

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3. A New Approach: How the List Was Built ([10:19–14:21])

• Chris confesses that he suspected their lists would overlap too much, prompting a single "Watch top 10" to avoid "groupthink."
• Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot creator and frequent pod guest) texts in his (satirical) wish for their #1:
  “My hope is your number one is Andor. My fantasy wants it to be the Chair Company. But the correct answer is obviously the rehearsal.” — Sam Esmail ([14:19])
• Kaya contributes at points but declines a full top 10. Both hosts reflect on their long, shared taste and the value of including more voices to break up consensus.

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4. 2025: Year in TV — Themes & Observations ([15:10–29:36])

• General Impressions

  • Chris: “The best shows of the year and the best TV of the year I would put up against any TV from this decade... but I found very little room in the top 10 this year.” ([15:23–15:47])
  • The “highs” were immovable, though there were fewer obvious standouts than some past years.

• Critical Fragmentation

  • Andy notes: “At the top, we are seeing, coming out of the five–year death spiral of Covid and the strikes, TV gets some of its swagger back in a new era...” ([19:14])
  • Chris observes inconsistent critical lists and evolving taste: “There was a lot of like, ‘I like this, this year,’ going on... the lack of critical consensus... that’s the same thing for film right now.” ([18:43])

• Streaming, International TV, & Cultural Change

  • More international (and even indie) TV is breaking through; the “state of the medium worldwide is strong.” ([25:40])
  • They discuss how “vertical video” (TikTok, Reels) is reshaping comedy and food TV ([26:49–28:25]), and how younger audiences consume new shows as “events” but otherwise prefer bite-size content ([21:41]).

• TV as Comfort — and Consolation

  • A running sub-theme: TV remains a sanctuary, a source of collective experience, and, increasingly, a splintered collection of personal obsessions.

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5. Honorable Mentions (“The Spicy Fives”) ([29:36–57:32])

Each host picks five additional shows (no overlaps) as their “spicy five,” celebrating personal favorites and oddities that speak to the breadth of 2025 TV. Highlights:

Andy’s Picks:

1. English Teacher (FX, S2) —
   “Pound for pound one of the funniest things on TV... I do not understand what happened. ...It seems like an enormous disservice to Sean Patton, Stephanie Koenig, the great cast that all of their work seems to have been washed away... Is it because Brian Jordan Alvarez didn’t want to do press? I don’t know. I’ll miss the show.” ([29:51–34:24])

2. Platonic (Apple TV+) —
   “My comfort food show this year... if Apple just wants to set aside a couple hundred million for Seth Rogen to make TV shows forever and this is one of them... great. I love Rogen in this. I love Rose Byrne. The show made me very, very happy.” ([37:03–38:54])

3. White Lotus (HBO, S3)

   • Lauds its “All Star Game” of acting and the sheer abundance of ideas, even if the season was bumpier:
     “At this point, what we are seeing… TV gets some of its swagger back in a new era.” ([41:45–43:09])

4. Chair Company (HBO)

   • Andy: “Not even a comedy anymore. It's a portal into a completely different upside down universe... Tim Robinson and Zach Canan’s absolutely unhinged... It is absolutely a very, very odd, dramatic conspiracy thriller that is minute to minute, one of the most surreal and funny things that's been on TV in a long time… HBO doing what it does best — investing in a unique voice who’s ready to level up.” ([46:15–47:49])

5. Families Like Ours (Netflix)

   • “So haunting, so compelling, thought about it nonstop… a very, very human dystopia. …It is not an environmental catastrophe show. It is an immigration catastrophe show... making a very, very human-based family drama, which it is. …It is not episodic escapism; this is about right now.” ([51:40–54:23])

Chris’s Picks:

1. Shorzy (Hulu, S4)

   • “Honestly hysterical hockey comedy... every time I say Shorzy on this podcast, people DM me: ‘Set the tone.’ ... I went and saw the cast play hockey against retired L.A. Kings... There were 7,500 people there. …I don't think I've ever done anything like that outside of Comic Con.” ([54:24–56:35])

2. Death by Lightning (Netflix)

   • “Historical TV done at the highest, highest level. Two central performances from Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen among the best of the year... an excellent act of adaptation” ([48:34–49:56])

3. Blue Lights (BritBox/BBC, S3)

   • “The best cop show going right now... Incredibly digestible, thrilling, a little bit of Homicide: Life on the Street, and a little bit Line of Duty.” ([45:09–46:15])

4. Slow Horses (Apple TV+, S5)

   • “Addictive... London-based group hang season. Oldman's best moments among the best of the series...” ([40:05–41:31])

5. The Beast in Me (Netflix)

   • “Trash prestige at its best… two towering performances [Claire Danes, Matthew Rhys]... a gripping New York thriller. Mechanics of pulp but the prestige of the best actors you’ll see.” ([34:41–36:46])

Extra: “The Summer I Turned Pretty” gets a “hat-tip” as water-cooler, fandom TV but isn’t officially placed. ([39:16–39:59])

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6. The Watch’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2025 ([58:26–91:13])

The shows are discussed in reverse ranking (10 to 1), with debate, context, and wild digressions throughout. Timestamps mark key entry points.

10. Department Q ([58:28])

• Netflix; Created by Scott Frank
• Detective drama set in Scotland with Matthew Goode and Kelly Macdonald.
• “The best version of Department Q is a detective series version of The Pit on Netflix… but it is also an auteurish type show.” ([61:06])
• Unclear on S2 timing, but confirmed more is coming.

9. The Studio ([62:02])

• Apple TV+; Executive produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
• “Melancholic love of an industry in transition—deep Rolodex of celebrities playing versions of themselves… A joyful act of creation that translated to the audience.” ([63:27])

8. The Eternaut ([64:28])

• Netflix; Directed by Bruno Stagnaro
• Argentinian adaptation of a beloved sci-fi graphic novel.
• “Just sick—hit at the right time... Surprising, compelling, very strong first season... reminds you Netflix will empower Argentine filmmakers to tell their own stories.” ([65:15–66:42])

7. Eastern Gate ([67:03])

• HBO Max (International, Polish)
• Polish espionage thriller; “my thriller of the year” ([67:17])
• Lena Góra’s star-making performance as a spy in a hyper-detailed European setting.
• “So contemporary, so bracing, horrifying and incredibly entertaining… Points toward what spy genre can be now.” ([69:26–69:52])

6. The Lowdown ([70:51])

• FX/Hulu (U.S.); created by Sterlin Harjo
• Tulsa-based neo-noir, spiritual cousin to Altman/Chandler.
• “A love letter to Tulsa… shaggy, left-handedly written, loose and curious… one of the all-time great TV casts” ([71:34–73:24])
• Big heart, big ensemble, “why we get up in the morning” TV.

5. Task ([73:42])

• HBO; Created by Brad Ingelsby
• Philadelphia-set crime and recovery drama, starring Tom Pelphrey and Mark Ruffalo.
• “The most sincere and vulnerable show made in America… about forgiveness, God, fatherhood, the lingua franca of where we’re from… The performances are God-tier.” ([74:45–75:59])

4. Pluribus ([76:03])

• Apple TV+; Created by Vince Gilligan
• Slow-burn genre-bending show with meditative pacing.
• “A miracle... What it's doing, in terms of asking a pretty addled society... to watch someone do very simple things in a very complicated environment — one of the best tests I've had to take in a long time.” ([76:10–77:26])
• Debate over pacing; acknowledged as “divisive” among critics. “You can only do this in an operation that has been so successful for so long…” ([77:57])

3. The Pit ([81:56])

• NBC; Created by John Wells
• Modern ER, med drama set in L.A., ensemble led by Noah Wyle.
• “Old school pleasures, new school package... love people, root for people, feel connected to human struggle—The Pit just understands that in its bones.” ([83:41])

2. Adolescence ([84:26])

• FX; Standalone season
• British tragedy, astonishing two-hander (Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty).
• “A singular statement of technical achievement, emotional devastation... stands alone. …That has to stand for something for me.” ([85:31–86:59])

1. Andor (S2) ([84:27–89:25])

• Disney+; Created by Tony Gilroy
• Sci-fi epic closes out with “essentially flawless” two-season arc.
• “One of the more incredible accomplishments in entertainment of our time… what we can do with this medium if we rewire our brains... Not just putting Star Wars on TV.” ([84:27–85:17])

Consensus: For Andy, Andor S2 is #1 for the “accomplishment” of its two-season opus; for Chris, Adolescence lands as the most purely affecting. “1A/1B.” ([85:31])

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7. Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

On The Year in TV:

• Chris: “The best shows of the year and the best TV of the year I would put up against any TV from this decade... but I found very little room in the top 10 this year.” ([15:23])
• Andy: “At the top, we are seeing... TV gets some of its swagger back in a new era.” ([19:14])

On White Lotus:

• Andy: “The fact that this show not only exists but is now one of the more beloved and probably profitable franchises... is shocking to me. And I, you know, we could do a whole podcast, and we did multiple podcasts of all the nits one could pick with season three.... The highs were remarkable.” ([41:44–43:09])

On Pluribus and TV Pacing:

• Chris: “I was watching the most recent episode and thinking to myself, how many pages was this? ...You could write the script for an episode of Pluribus in probably 30 pages, but the episodes themselves are 55 minutes... you can only do that in an operation so successful for so long.” ([77:27–77:57])

On The Pit:

• Andy: “We can be challenged, we can be provoked... but really, one of the greatest things TV’s ever been able to provide is love… the pit just understands that in its bones.” ([82:00–83:41])

On Adolescence:

• Chris: “It challenges you to have empathy for the villain of the show… and I remember I have recall for Adolescence in a way that I don’t usually for TV shows.” ([86:11–86:59])

On Andor:

• Andy: “Andor season two is essentially flawless and one of the more incredible accomplishments in entertainment of our time...stands for what’s possible.” ([84:27–85:17])

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8. Listener Shout–Outs & Final Thoughts

• Kaya chimes in to “shout out” I Love LA and The Pit. ([91:04])
• Chris and Andy wrap with gratitude for another year, tease future episodes (Pluribus finale coming up), and joke about awarding Dr. Noah Wyle a Nobel in TV. ([91:13–end])

Timeline Index

• [01:20] – Podcast housekeeping, format intro
• [04:26] – Rob Reiner tribute
• [10:19] – Explaining new Top 10 format
• [13:01–13:40] – Spicy Fives (“Honorable Mentions”)
• [15:10–29:36] – The year’s TV trends & observations
• [29:36–57:32] – Honorable mentions, in-depth
• [58:28–91:13] – The Watch’s Top 10 TV shows — main list breakdown
• [91:13–end] – End-of-pod shout outs & future schedule

For the full depth of debate, celebration, and scene-setting, this edition is essential listening for anyone looking to catch up on TV’s elite, discover overlooked gems, or understand where television—American and global—is heading next.