2025 has already given us numerous high-quality shows, many of which have done great numbers. The medical drama The Pitt is being hailed as the next Grey’s Anatomy, while Netflix’s Adolescence has been singled out as the perfect example of how to make a psychological crime drama. Other hit shows with positive reviews and plenty of people watching them include Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ satirical comedy The Studio, Marvel’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Hulu’s Paradise.
Unfortunately, as is the case every year, a few other shows aren’t getting the attention they deserve. This is understandable, considering that the TV landscape is more crowded than ever. The United States currently has over a dozen top streaming services, making it even harder for viewers to get their eyes on everything. And the traditional networks aren’t going anywhere either. But worry not. We’ll help you locate the hidden gems.
Here are the most underrated TV shows of 2025 so far.
14
‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society’
Grosse Pointe Garden Society
- Release Date
-
February 23, 2025
- Network
-
NBC
- Directors
-
Maggie Kiley
Grosse Pointe Garden Society is set in a Michigan suburb where everything seems normal. Unknown to other residents, four members of a garden share a secret about a murder. They are the teacher and aspiring writer Alice (AnnaSophia Robb), the real estate agent Catherine (Aja Naomi King), the proud dad Brett (Ben Rappaport), and the socialite Birdie (Melissa Fumero).
Sensible People with Terrible Secrets
This NBC social comedy by Grey’s Anatomy writer Jenna Bans is brought to vibrant life by a top-notch cast and a razor-sharp script from the creator herself. The dialogue comes quickly, and the satire cuts deep, but it all registers with ease. Chemistry is also an essential component in shows like this. Thankfully, none of the actors let each other down.
13
‘Dope Thief’
In Dope Thief, showrunner Peter Craig — known for penning scripts for The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick — got Narcos star Wagner Moura to play a drug dealer again… sort of. Moura stars as Manny, who, together with his childhood friend, Ray (Brian Tyree Henry from Atlanta), makes a living by posing as a DEA agent and stealing narcotics from dealers. Things get complicated when they rob a well-organized operation being investigated by the real DEA.
Consequences of Silly Actions
This exquisite crime drama subtly evokes the nuances and challenges of underworld hustling. Manny and Ray totally embody the hesitant moods of two friends who share a lust for money but have differing opinions about how to deal with problems. This is mature, gritty storytelling at its best, and there are some heavy hitters involved. Ridley Scott directs the series premiere (no wonder the subsequent episodes work so well), and Ving Rhames has a crucial supporting role. May Apple TV+ maintain this momentum.
12
‘Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue’
Created by Anthony Horowitz, author of the contemporary James Bond novels and the Alex Rider spy series, Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue takes audiences on a mystery-solving exercise concerning the passengers of a plane that crashed in a Mexican jungle. Most victims appear to have been murdered on separate occasions after surviving the crash. So, who killed them?
A Pile of Twists
Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue is so underrated that it doesn’t even have a Rotten Tomatoes score, yet it has one of the best finales of a thriller series. The revelation of the actual culprit will have you cursing at how you got it all wrong. Beyond that, almost everything clicks in the highly ambitious show. The cinematography is color-perfect, and the sound effects add to the eerie impact. The hit TV show Lost is an obvious inspiration here, but the MGM+ gem still charts its flight path by avoiding science and staying on a murder mystery lane.
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11
‘Going Dutch’
- Release Date
-
January 2, 2025
- Network
-
FOX
-
-
Taylor Misiak
Captain Maggie Quinn
-
Dempsey Bryk
Private Anthony ‘BA’ Chapman
-
Violent military-themed shows can be overwhelming, so if you are looking for something funny, Going Dutch is a great bet. In it, Colonel Patrick Quinn (Denis Leary) is transferred to Garrison Stroopsdorf, a boring military base in the Netherlands considered the “least important Army base in the world.” His situation is further exacerbated by his subordinates’ selfish habits of mind.
The Best Army Base in the World
If it weren’t so beautifully acted and artfully constructed, you’d say this Fox and Hulu sitcom was too basic for modern audiences. Despite the main character’s unfortunate circumstances, there are no rueful moments, just comedic mayhem that most genre lovers will find irresistible. It’s amazing that the marines at the army base never fight, despite annoying the hell out of each other. Going Dutch is a tutorial on how to hold yourself back.
10
‘The Åre Murders’
- Release Date
-
February 6, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Alain Darborg
- Writers
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Karin Gidfors
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Carla Sehn
Hanna Ahlander
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Kardo Razzazi
Daniel Lindskog
-
Charlie Gustafsson
Anton Lundin
-
Amalia Holm Bjelke
Uncredited
Based on Viveca Sten’s best-selling novel, The Åre Murders introduces viewers to Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander (Carla Sehn), who has had enough and just wants a rest. She retreats to her sister’s lodge in the quiet ski resort town of Åre, but things don’t go as planned. A local teenager disappears, forcing her to grab her gun again.
One More Wild Swedish Murder Case
The Åre Murders has everything you’d want in a Nordic noir show: a case that’s hard to solve, a resilient law enforcement officer, beautiful landscapes, and some of the cruelest villains you’ll meet. Additionally, the dialogue also gets philosophical from time to time, so viewers who enjoy intellectual discourse coupled with intense investigations should rush to Netflix for this. The rewards are plentiful and satisfying.
9
‘A Thousand Blows’
Set in London in the 1880s, A Thousand Blows is the buffed-up tale of the Forty Elephants, an all-female English gang who specialized in shoplifting (known as hoisting at the time) and confidence tricks. The gang was notorious for avoiding police detection and for taking on even the toughest of fellow criminals. On the show, they clash with Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Stephen Graham), the self-proclaimed chieftain of the East End’s illegal bare-knuckle boxing world.
Steven Knight Strides Back to His Comfort Zone
At the moment, all eyes are on Graham’s other show, Adolescence, but A Thousand Blows deserves a chance, too. It has the look and feel of Peaky Blinders, and, because of that, some viewers might be skeptical, feeling that creator Steven Knight is playing it too safe. Yet the series works by brilliantly caricaturing London’s underworld while coaxing charmingly oddball performances from all its actors. It is candid, too, regarding its criminal subject matter, and is defined by the kind of intelligent maneuvering even Tommy Shelby would love.
8
‘Clean Slate’
In Clean Slate, Desiree (Laverne Cox), returns heads to her family home in a small town in Alabama to reunite with her father, Harry (Wallace), after more than two decades away. The old man is looking forward to seeing his son again, unaware that said “son” is now Desiree — a proud transgender woman.
A Fun Peek into Trans Lives
Cox created the show herself for Prime Video, and as a trans actor, she captures most things about the community accurately. The show also excels by avoiding the usual conceptions. For example, most residents of the conservative Alabama town are friendly towards Desiree rather than hostile. The sitcom isn’t too preachy either. It’s simply a story of family and friends.
7
‘Lockerbie: A Search for Truth’
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth stars Colin Firth as Jim Swire, a father seeking justice for his daughter, who was a passenger on the doomed Pan Am Flight 103. On 21 December 1988, a transatlantic flight from London to New York was destroyed by a bomb approximately 38 minutes after take-off while flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing everyone on board. Parts of the plane crashed into a residential area, killing an extra 11 people.
A Reminder of Dark Times
The Peacock miniseries infuses an angst-filled depth to the themes of tragedy and responsibility, leaving viewers heartbroken and furious. Firth registers with one of his most powerful performances ever, and the rest of the cast backs him well. Overall. Lockerbie is a revelatory, fervently cathartic show made with passion and a robust enthusiasm for unforgettable news of the past. However, families of the victims were critical of the show for opening up old wounds.
6
‘Happy Face’
3
/5
- Release Date
-
2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
-
Paramount+
- Directors
-
Michael Showalter
-
Annaleigh Ashford
Melissa Moore
-
Keith Jesperson / Happy Face Killer
Happy Face is based on the true story of Melissa Moore, who, at age 15, discovered that her father was the notorious “Happy Face Killer.” In the show, Melissa (Annaleigh Ashford), now working as a makeup artist for a true-crime TV show, is eager to move away from her past, but things change when her incarcerated father reaches out, claiming he killed someone else and will only confess to her.
A Daughter’s Dilemma
Built around Ashford’s commanding performance, Happy Face is creator Jennifer Cacicio’s most daring, impassioned show to date, slowly presenting a stormy and eventful life eventually defined by self-transformation. The fluid camerawork also creates a sense of immediacy, making this one the most fun and gripping Paramount+ series ever made. Wait till you see how Melissa handles her father.
5
‘Prime Target’
2
/5
- Release Date
-
January 22, 2025
Cast
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Leo Woodall
Edward Brooks
-
Quintessa Swindell
Taylah Sanders
Prime Target is about Edward Brooks (Leo Woodall), a genius Cambridge mathematics postgraduate who has just discovered a pattern that could unlock all digital encryption, granting easy access to almost every computer system in the world. Predictably, sinister figures start hunting him down.
Numbers Can Solve Anything
With considerable skill, dynamism, and let’s not forget pace, series creator Steve Thompson (who actually worked as a mathematics teacher) blends labyrinthine plotlines into a captivating, layered whole that grants the entire ensemble cast ample room to flex their acting skills. The Apple TV+ show gets whacky at times, but it keeps its finger firmly on the twisty pulse of its conspiracy.
