From crime thrillers to superhero action, the most-awaited shows releasing in 2025 harbour, at least on paper, a lot of potential as the small screen continues to rule over the world of entertainment, thanks to streaming services.
Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, FX and Hulu have lined up some really exciting stories featuring some of the best-known acting talent. Irrespective of where you are, most of the major shows from these streaming giants are made available either directly by them or through partnerships with other networks and streamers. So, you can expect to see most of the highly anticipated shows of 2025 in your region.
As for the shows, the titles, cast, plot and association with some franchise favourites are proof that we are actually living in a new golden age of television (or streaming, if you would). Quality content is the key, and all the streaming giants seem to be super-focused on the stories they are set to produce in 2025. Whether you’re a fan of sci-fi horror, gripping dramas, detective mysteries or nostalgic expansions, the year’s line-up offers something for everyone.
This is truly a remarkable year for another reason: some of Hollywood’s biggest names are either returning to the small screen or set to make their debut in it. Simply put, 2025’s slate is poised to keep audiences glued to their screens in an era where binge-worthy content is king.
What about Korean content, you ask? We have sorted the upcoming K-dramas of 2025 for you.
Now, back to America. Among the most-awaited shows of 2025 are quite a few returning titles. Since they are already very popular, we are listing them here with their network/streamer and expected release dates (where available).
Most-awaited returning shows of 2025
Severance season 2 (Apple TV+) – 17 January
The Night Agent season 2 (Netflix) – 23 January
The White Lotus season 3 (HBO) – 16 February
Andor season 2 (Disney+) – 22 April
The Bear season 4 (FX) – TBA
Euphoria season 3 (HBO) – TBA
The Last of Us season 2 (HBO) – TBA
Stranger Things season 5 (Netflix) – TBA
Wednesday season 2 (Netflix) – TBA
With that, we move to the highly anticipated shows which will premiere for the first time in 2025 and should certainly be on everyone’s must-watch lists.
Most-awaited shows of 2025 we can’t wait for
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Prime Target
Created by: Steve Thompson
Cast: Leo Woodall, Quintessa Swindell, Stephen Rea
Platform: Apple TV+
Episodes: 8
Premiere date: 22 January
About the series: Billed as a conspiracy thriller by the streaming giant, Prime Target revolves around Edward Brooks (Woodall), a maths genius who is in danger due to a major breakthrough he is about to achieve. His realisation brings him in contact with Taylah Sanders (Swindell), an NSA agent tasked with spying on Edward.
Woodall has been on a roll since The White Lotus season 2 (2022). He now not only has the success of One Day (2024) but is also set to appear in the highly anticipated movie Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in 2025. As for the show, Ridley Scott, the titan behind two of the greatest Roman Empire movies, Gladiator (2000) and Gladiator II (2024), is one of the executive producers, indicating how big it is expected to be.
Image credit: Apple TV+
Paradise
Created by: Dan Fogelman
Cast: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, James Marsden
Platform: Hulu
Episodes: 8
Premiere date: 28 January
About the series: Brown and Fogleman need no introduction. They created history with This Is Us (2016–2022). Brown, who has won three Primetime Emmys and one Golden Globe, appears as Xavier Collins, the head of the security of US President Cal Bradford (Marsden). When the president ends up dead, Xavier must unearth the truth even as all fingers point at him.
The trailer indicates that the show is a mystery thriller with some kind of subterfuge at play where invisible forces are trying to make Xavier take the fall.
Zero Day
Created by: Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, Michael Schmidt
Cast: Robert De Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Angela Bassett
Platform: Netflix
Episodes: 6
Premiere date: 20 February
About the series: The legendary De Niro is set to make his American television debut with Zero Day, a thriller show that sees him as former US president George Mullen who must lead a probe into a devastating cyberattack which has left 3,402 people dead across the US. Angela Bassett appears as President Mitchell, who tasks George with the investigation.
The trailer of the limited series gives glimpses of the political power play at the centre of which is De Niro’s character. With an A-list ensemble cast, Zero Day is one of the most-awaited upcoming shows in 2025.
Daredevil: Born Again
Created by: Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, Chris Ord
Cast: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Jon Bernthal
Platform: Disney+
Episodes: 9
Premiere date: 4 March
About the series: Daredevil: Born Again is one of the most-anticipated superhero shows of 2025 and certainly on the must-watch list of fans of Charlie Cox’s blind lawyer-slash-vigilante. Cox previously played the superhero in Daredevil (2015–2018), which was streamed on Netflix. Disney acquired the license to the character in November 2020, following which Cox made his first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appearance as the superhero in the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He subsequently made an extended guest role in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022).
The upcoming show is not a reboot but a continuation of Daredevil’s story from the three-season Netflix series and his subsequent appearances. Apart from Cox, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson return as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, respectively, from the series. D’Onofrio, plays the main antagonist Kingpin, following his appearance as the character in the previous series as well as MCU shows Hawkeye (2021) and Echo (2024). Also returning is Bernthal as the vigilante Punisher, a role he previously played in both the original Daredevil series as well as Netflix’s The Punisher (2017–2019).
Image credit: © MARVEL 2024 via IMDb
Dope Thief
Created by: Peter Craig
Cast: Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura
Platform: Apple TV+
Episodes: 8
Premiere date: 14 March
About the series: Craig, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Top Gun: Maverick (2022), adapts Dennis Tafoya’s 2009 novel of the same name for the small screen. Moura, internationally known for playing Pablo Escobar in Narcos (2015–2017), and Henry, who received a Primetime Emmy nod for Atlanta (2016–2022) are the biggest draw of this show.
Dope Thief is a crime thriller starring Henry and Moura as two friends from Philadelphia who pose as DEA agents to rob a house in the countryside. Unbeknownst to them, what they think is a small job puts them in the middle of the biggest narcotics corridor on the US East Coast.
Image credit: Apple TV+
The Residence
Created by: Paul William Davies
Cast: Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Randall Park
Platform: Netflix
Episodes: 8
Premiere date: 20 March
About the series: Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland gave the world the historical romance masterpiece Bridgerton (2020–) and its spin-offs. No wonder then that the buzz around this series, which comes from their stables, is very high.
The Residence is a murder mystery which is inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. The story is set inside the White House. Aduba plays the eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp who is called in to investigate a murder during a state dinner.
“The Residence is honestly a lot of things. It’s funny, it’s suspenseful, it’s clever, it’s totally farcical in places, it’s genuinely romantic in others,” showrunner Davies told Tudum.
Image credit: Erin Simkin/Netflix via Tudum
The Studio
Created by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez
Cast: Seth Rogen, Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders
Platform: Apple TV+
Episodes: 10
Premiere date: 26 March
About the series: Many have kept their fingers crossed as they hope this turns out to be one of the best shows to watch in 2025. Their hopes seem to be placed rightly as The Studio not only has an interesting plot but also boasts of a galaxy of Hollywood A-listers both in the main roster and in guest roles.
Rogen plays Matt Remick, who has just taken the reins of the struggling Continental Studios. His goal is to make movies that are truly great, but infighting executives in his team, myopic financiers and egotistical artists create roadblocks and push him to the brink. Forget about making good movies, will Matt be able to even lead the studio?
Apart from playing the main lead, Rogen also serves as writer, director and executive producer of the show. The show’s guest stars include Bryan Cranston, Ron Howard, Zoë Kravitz, Anthony Mackie, Martin Scorsese and Charlize Theron among others.
Your Friends and Neighbors
Created by: Jonathan Tropper
Cast: Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn, Hoon Lee, Lena Hall
Platform: Apple TV+
Episodes: 9
Premiere date: 11 April
About the series: The show hasn’t even dropped but has been already renewed for a second season. That, perhaps, is an indicator that Jon Hamm has another hit like Mad Men (2007–2015) up his sleeves.
The plot, as described by Apple TV+, is very unique. Hamm plays Coop, a hedge fund manager who has just got a divorce. To make matters worse, he is fired from his job. Unable to figure out a lawful way to maintain his family’s lifestyle in his upstate New York suburb, he turns into a thief who steals from the residents of his neighbourhood. His excitement continues growing as he carries on his activities with precision. But things take a turn when he breaks into the wrong house at the wrong time.
Your Friends and Neighbors is Hamm’s first TV show since Mad Men, making it all the more must-watch for his fans.
Image credit: Apple TV+
Government Cheese
Created by: Paul Hunter, Aeysha Carr
Cast: David Oyelowo, Simone Missick, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Evan Ellison, Bokeem Woodbine, Adam Beach, Sunita Mani
Platform: Apple TV+
Episodes: 10
Premiere date: 16 April
About the series: Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1969, Government Cheese revolves around the Chambers family. Oyelowo plays Hampton Chambers, the patriarch, who finds that his family is not too keen on welcoming him back into the fold following his release from prison. His wife, Astoria, and two sons, Einstein and Harrison, live in a strange world they have built on their own.
With nominations for three Golden Globes, two Primetime Emmys, one Screen Actors Guild Award and one BAFTA, Oyelowo is one of the most celebrated actors of the 21st century. His filmography boasts of some of the greatest movies and TV shows in the last two decades, which is why anticipation for Government Cheese is very high. And even going by the impressive first-look pictures released by Apple TV+, this one already looks like a favourite for the 2026 awards season.
Image credit: Apple TV+
Ironheart
Created by: Chinaka Hodge
Cast: Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich
Platform: Disney+
Episodes: 6
Premiere date: 24 June
About the series: Ironheart is set to be a miniseries. Thus, unless there is some kind of popular demand or change of plans, it is unlikely to get a second season. Yet it is one of the most-awaited shows of 2025. The prime reason is the protagonist — a favourite of Marvel comic-book fans.
Riri Williams aka Ironheart, played by Thorne, is a genius MIT student, who designs a suit like that of Iron Man on her own. The character made her first appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). The story of the series follows the events of the film. It sees Riri return to her hometown Chicago, where she meets Ramos’ enigmatic Parker Robbins aka The Hood — a supervillain with mysterious dark magic powers.
In the series, however, The Hood may not be presented as a supervillain but a grey character. It is more apparent from what Ramos revealed about his character at the D23 Expo in 2022, where footage of the show was screened for the audiences.
“I think Parker, almost is a guy who was a misfit. He wants to take in other misfits and show the world that you looked at us as outcasts but we’re going to end up on top. Parker is … a deep dive into a dark place. But on the inside Parker believes that he’s doing good and Parker has a love for his crew and a love for his people,” he said.
Image credit: IMDb
Wonder Man
Created by: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Guest
Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Kingsley, Demetrius Grosse, Ed Harris
Platform: Disney+
Episodes: 8
Premiere date: December (Date TBA)
About the series: Not much is known about Wonder Man, but a trailer featuring glimpses of all of Marvel’s upcoming shows in 2025 gives flashes of Abdul-Mateen’s character, Simon Williams, appearing for an in-story audition for Wonder Man and then meeting Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery. The two are then seen in some kind of hilarious action across the city.
In the comic books, Wonder Man is an extremely powerful superhero who is almost at par with Thor. He is also very wealthy and has his own array of weapons. It is not clear how the series, which marks the first live-action appearance of the character, will present Wonder Man.
On the other hand, Kingsley’s Trevor is a character created for the MCU and did not previously exist in comic books. The character was first seen in Iron Man 3 (2014) in which he is depicted as a washed-up actor hired to play the supervillain Mandarin. Kingsley reprised the role in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King (2014) and subsequently in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Image credit: © MARVEL 2024 via IMDb
Alien: Earth
Created by: Noah Hawley
Cast: Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther
Platform: FX
Premiere date: Summer 2025
About the series: One of the most-awaited shows of 2025, Alien: Earth is the first live-action TV series in the acclaimed Alien franchise. Though FX has not announced a release date, the excitement around the show is very high, especially since the critical and commercial success of Alien: Romulus (2024).
According to FX, the series is set on Earth — a marked departure from the Alien movies, which are set in outer space or on alien planets. It serves as a prequel to Alien (1979), the original film by Ridley Scott starring Sigourney Weaver.
“When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat,” reads FX’s description of the show. Chandler plays the young woman and is thus the main lead.
Though not stated, a poster of the show featuring a night-time view of Earth indicates that the events in the series will unfold in Africa.
Image credit: FX
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
Created by: George R. R. Martin
Cast: Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell
Platform: HBO
Episodes: 6 (estimated)
Premiere date: TBA
About the series: One of the most-awaited shows on HBO in 2025, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is set in the Game of Thrones (2011–2019) universe. Based on Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the story of the show is set 100 years before the events depicted in House of the Dragon (2022–). As such, it will be the first show in the Game of Thrones television franchise in chronological order.
Claffey, an Irish actor and former rugby union player, is set to play Ser Duncan the Tall, a knight who goes on an adventure throughout Westeros with his squire, Egg. Dexter Sol Ansell, a British child actor, plays Egg, a character who would go on to become King Aegon V Targaryen.
Production began in June 2024 in Belfast, Ireland, a month after HBO and Max CEO Casey Bloys confirmed during a Warner Bros. Discovery event that the show will be released in 2025.
Image credit: Steffan Hill – © Steffan Hill 2024 via IMDb
IT: Welcome to Derry
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Created by: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs
Cast: Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Bill Skarsgård
Platform: HBO
Premiere date: TBA
About the series: This horror series could be one of the best shows to watch in 2025 on HBO, given that it is set in the It franchise based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name.
Welcome to Derry is set to be the second English-language small-screen adaptation of the novel, but serves as a prequel to the movie It (2017). Since Pennywise the Dancing Clown appears only once in 27 years, reaffirmed in the sequel It Chapter Two (2019), this means that the series is set in the 1960s. Both films are among the highest-grossing horror movies of all time, which is why anticipation for the prequel series is strong.
HBO has not given out details of the plot, but it is expected to explore the earliest glimpse and more of the backstory of the alien monster who preys on the fears of children in the small town of Derry in Maine.
Hero image credit: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024 – © 2024 Netflix, Inc. via IMDb; Featured image credit: Photo by Michael Becker/Courtesy Of Apple
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
