• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 30, 2025

Almost nothing changed in the world of TV content in 2025, as myriad shows in every category came and went, just like the year before and the year before that.

The shows that came up for review in the TV Blog this year ranged from scripted dramas and sitcoms to competition-reality shows and other reality shows with eye-catching titles and marquee personalities.

A TV blogger -- or at least this one -- tends to gravitate toward the unusual in TV programs because, truth be told, they are the most fun to write about.

How could any self-respecting journalist on the TV beat resist taking up titles such as “Harpoon Hunters” (Discovery), “Virgins” (TLC), “Celebrity Bear Hunt” (Netflix), “Animals on Drugs” (Discovery) and “Bigfoot Took Her” (Discovery) for TV columns?

In terms of presenting opportunities for creative word play, the TV Blog’s two favorites of these, hands down, were “Harpoon Hunters” and “Animals on Drugs.” Thank you, Discovery. 

On the celebrity reality front, “The Baldwins” on TLC and “With Love, Meghan” on Netflix starring ex-royal Meghan Markle were just as irresistible. 

“Meet the least relatable family ever seen on a family docuseries on TV,” wrote the TV Blog about “The Baldwins” last February.

On “With Love, Meghan,” Ms. Markle styled herself as a friendly source of advice, tips and tricks about living the creative home life. So help me, I liked it.

Speaking of titles, two other reality shows that popped up this year win first prize in the bad-taste category -- “Wear Whatever the F You Want” a sartorial advice show on Netflix, and “Cheap A$$ Beach Houses” on HGTV. Really, HGTV?

As for the two reality-competition shows reviewed this year, the TV Blog gave thumbs-up to the country-music star-search show “The Road” on CBS, and thumbs-down to the brand-marketing contest show “On Brand With Jimmy Fallon” on NBC. 

The most welcome show in the reality category was the return of “Duck Dynasty” on A&E. Like its predecessor, the new “Duck Dynasty: Revival” was a hybrid of unscripted and scripted TV, a “reality sitcom” that has never been successfully imitated.

This year, there were so many TV news stories and controversies to draw the attention of the TV Blog that fewer shows were reviewed here than in previous years.

Nevertheless, the list includes a number of standouts. Of the dramas, two limited series immediately rise to the top.

“Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” on PBS was the sensational third and final installment of Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” trilogy starring the otherworldly Mark Rylance.

The White House murder-mystery series “The Residence” on Netflix was one of the year’s best entertainments on TV. 

Also earning a thumbs-up in the drama category in 2025 were: “Duster” (HBO Max), “Nautilus” (AMC), “Revival” (Syfy), “Alien: Earth” (FX/Hulu), “Sherlock & Daughter” (CW), “Paradise” (Hulu), “The Pitt” (HBO Max) and “The Bondsman” (Amazon Prime).

In the world of TV comedy, laughs were in short supply as this year’s crop of newbies relied heavily on vulgarity, whining and sarcasm, and forgot the comedy.

The biggest comedy offenders were “I Love L.A.” (HBO Max) and “Adults” (Hulu). Both were about young adults and their challenges starting their adult lives in Los Angeles and New York, respectively. After watching each of them, I found myself feeling sorry for young people. 

Elsewhere on TV in 2025, Conan O’Brien did a fine job as host of the Oscars, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog enlivened the new “Hollywood Squares” on CBS, “Saturday Night Live” celebrated 50 years on TV, “King of the Hill” came back and CBS introduced the first new daytime soap on any network since 1999, “Beyond the Gates.”