‘The best thing I've seen in my life' – your top TV of 2025 so far

The Guardian

16-06-2025

(Disney+) Andor is a cool, intelligent look at how fascism grows and the cost of resistance. It may be set in a galaxy far far away, but it is in an entirely different universe to any other Star Wars production. No lightsabers; no magic space wizards; barely a stormtrooper in sight – until the grim and horrifying mid-season climax. Who knew committee meetings and wedding parties could be so gripping? It's as though George Lucas placed the keys to his kingdom in the hands of John le Carré instead of Disney. Remember that fizz of excitement you got as an eight-year-old heading in to see A New Hope? Andor makes this 55-year-old feel the same way. Russell Jones, Cheshire
(Paramount+) I love MobLand. It's Tom Hardy doing what Tom Hardy does best: playing the quiet and measured yet still highly intimidating and pretty scary fixer for an Irish mob family. The pacing is sharp and succinct without being breakneck; very on-brand Guy Ritchie, in the best way. Clare Kleinedler, Sierra Madre, California
(Channel 4) The animated series Common Side Effects is not merely the best thing I've seen on TV this year but one of the best shows I've seen in my life. Why? The writing. The plot is superb: opposite to The Last of Us, it's about the discovery of a fungus that appears to heal all illnesses – but everything else about the show is grounded in the real world. The characters are nuanced and compelling. To sum up its virtues in a single sentence, it respects its audience. The fact that the show even managed to get made at all in today's political environment boggles the mind. Jude Kirkham, Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada
(Apple TV+) I'm always years behind everyone else these days and I only found Severance after I'd run out of Slow Horses episodes. Severance offers a chilling theme of corporate control taken to the max, and features some brilliantly understated performances. There are echoes of The Matrix, of course, and – unexpectedly – Franz Kafka, but its originality shines through. A very good series indeed! Malcolm Armstrong, Gateshead
(Netflix) Dept. Q is an English language adaptation of the first in a series of Danish crime novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen with labyrinthine plots and characters straight out of noir central casting. This adaptation moves the setting to Scotland, but loses none of the bleakness and despair with a small group of investigators trying to solve cold cases. Bring on season two! Niall, Dublin
(Channel 4) It's bonkers. It's weird. It's a really mind-boggling mirror that Alex Horne has held up to himself and what may, or may not be, his own insecurities. Why does he write himself to be this pathetic? Why does his real life best friend play both himself and an evil hypnotherapist-cum-estate agent who can't stand to look at him? How are a bunch of middle aged men mucking around with instruments in a shed, taking dad jokes to the next level, this charming? It makes no sense on any of the many levels it operates on. Amanda Jeffrey, Birmingham
(Prime Video) The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a brilliant adaptation of a brilliant Booker prize winning novel by Richard Flanagan. It's beautifully paced, deeply emotional, and marvellously acted. It moved me to tears, as did the book. Mark Smithers, Melbourne
(BBC One/iPlayer) This was Liverpool's answer to The Godfather. The drama, the acting and the writing are magnificent. The web of crime and how it infiltrates the lives of ordinary people is portrayed brilliantly. I'm so pleased there is another series to follow. Teresa Curtis, Stockport
(Netflix) It's wonderful to see this graphic novel classic by Héctor Germán Oesterheld brought to life. I did not know much about Argentinian cultural works, outside Ariel Ramírez's composition Misa Criolla (part of which is used here with electrifying effect) and this series made me want to know more about the country, its people and their struggles in the last century. They say that science fiction is an examination of the time it is written and this story, originally published in the 1950s, has been brought into the 21st century in a thought-provoking way. Viv Blagden, Somerset
(Prime Video) Criminally unwatched by the masses, finally, this show has come of age, and the flashback episode (Rand's journey through Rhuidean) is hands down one of the best fantasy episodes ever. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled last month, just as it was finding its footing. At least we will always have the Rhuidean episode to comfort ourselves with. Stephen, Dublin
(Apple TV+) Shrinking features an incredible ensemble cast and a stellar performance by Harrison Ford who plays a grieving therapist who decides to tell his clients what he really thinks. It provides a brilliant treatment of a difficult range of topics, and it's hilarious to boot. Penny, Lancashire
(Netflix) Black Mirror season seven has been far and away the best ever – not a dud episode. In Bête Noire, Charlie Brooker takes the 'is the main character going mad?' genre and gives it a technological twist. The ending is preposterous but fun, and Rosy McEwen as Verity is quite the revelation. Des Brown, Newcastle upon Tyne
(BBC Two/iPlayer) My Brain: After the Rupture is a documentary about the crisis faced by the writer and broadcaster Clemency Burton-Hill after she suffered a brain haemorrhage at 38 years old. Alongside The Last Musician of Auschwitz, it's one of the most extraordinary, deeply moving documentaries so far this year. Kate, Scottish Borders