You needn’t wonder no more – according to data from Nielsen via Bloomberg, the top 10 most-streamed shows of 2025 have been unveiled. It’s no surprise that Squid Game season 3 has already topped the list, with other hits like Severance season 2 and The Pitt not far behind.
Oddly, though, the list (see below) is missing some major titles that I thought would’ve made the cut. Recent releases like The Bear season 4 won’t be included due to a lack of data. Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes that hits like The Last of Us season 2, which you’d expect to be in the top 10, could have seen less viewership figures because it premiered on the HBO network – fans were also likely turned off after the huge death in episode 2 (if you know, you know).
|
Show |
Platform |
Millions of minutes |
|---|---|---|
|
Squid Game |
Netflix |
15,074 |
|
Reacher |
Prime Video |
13,313 |
|
The Night Agent |
Netflix |
12,219 |
|
Ginny & Georgia |
Netflix |
10,201 |
|
Severance |
Apple TV+ |
9,275 |
|
1923 |
Paramount+ |
8,536 |
|
The Pitt |
HBO Max |
8,227 |
|
The Handmaid’s Tale |
Hulu |
8,165 |
|
You |
Netflix |
8,097 |
|
Landman |
Paramount+ |
7,826 |
Then there are my favorite TV shows that have been undeniably huge this year, yet are nowhere to be seen. I think the Nielsen list has left out some essential favorites, and you need to make sure you’ve watched them.
Invincible season 3
Creator: Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cory Walker
Lead cast: Steven Yeun, Mark Hamill, Walton Goggins, Sterling K. Brown
Where to watch: Prime Video
We might have major superhero fatigue at the moment thanks to DC and Marvel movies, but that hasn’t stopped Amazon’s Invincible series from slaying the beast that is viewership. Adapted from the original comic series, Invincible season 3 continues to follow teen Mark Grayson (Yeun) as he inherits superpowers from his father, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). It’s a pretty simple premise, but it’s stacked with enough extraterrestrial lore to make Rick and Morty’s heads spin.
Not only is the voice cast absolutely stacked – complete with regular A-List cameos – but Invincible works as well as it does because of the well-developed heart at its core. The action might swing big, but so do the emotions. Invincible season 4 has already been green lit, so get binging.
Daredevil: Born Again
Creator: Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, Chris Ord
Lead cast: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Kamar de los Reyes, Michael Gandolfini
Where to watch: Disney+
It was only fair that the Marvel shows released on Netflix (and originally excluded from the MCU) get a do-over, and Daredevil is no exception. Daredevil: Born Again was delayed and slightly troubled as a result, with its original team of writers and creators all leaving the project in new hands. However, the revival of the series was worth the wait, and Charlie Cox’s hero has never been better.
We’ve got some shocking deaths lying in wait, with the new TV show both bringing back beloved villains such as Kingpin, alongside debuting exciting new additions including Muse. The action is only just starting to heat up, with fellow defender Jessica Jones set to join the upcoming second season. With Mike Colter (Luke Cage) and Finn Jones (Iron Fist) in New York at the same time as filming, has Born Again laid the groundwork for a full Defenders reunion?
Andor season 2
Creator: Tony Gilroy
Lead cast: Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Diego Luna, Adria Arjona
Where to watch: Disney+
Ask any Star Wars fan and they’ll likely tell you that Andor is the best TV show in the franchise. Season 2 didn’t let expectations down, which were hanging on by a thread after the subpar performances of The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. We’re officially caught up with the events before Rogue One – which means there definitely won’t be a third season – but don’t let that put you off watching.
Andor season 2 put pressure on itself by having to tell so much story in just 12 episodes, but the bold narrative and astonishing visuals prove it was a risk worth taking. Not only is the core story itself solid, but its callbacks to the wider web of Star Wars cannot be faulted. We might have to say goodbye to Cassian Andor (Luna), at least for now, but talk about an explosive farewell.
MobLand
Creator: Ronan Bennett
Lead cast: Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Tom Hardy, Paddy Considine
Where to watch: Paramount+
If Netflix’s The Gentleman wasn’t enough of a streamable Guy Ritchie renaissance, then MobLand quenches the thirst for smart street violence. Ritchie serves as a director and executive producer rather than a flat-out creator, but the narrative nuts and bolts remain the same: the London-based Harrigan crime family have their power and reputation threatened by a conflict with the rival Stevenson family.
It’s Romeo and Juliet without the love, medieval apothecary or never-ending soliloquies. Frankly, it’s everything you’d expect from a gritty British crime drama and more, staying rooted to its social context while always elevating what we’re seeing on screen. Then there’s the obvious elephant in the room of its impeccable cast. Dame Helen Mirren as a mobster matriarch? Come on.
Adolescence
Creator: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham
Lead cast: Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, Ashley Walters
Where to watch: Netflix
Now this absence is arguably the most surprising of the bunch. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, everybody who is everybody has either seen or heard of Adolescence. The arresting four-part limited series filmed entirely in one take has been smashing Netflix records left, right and centre over the last few months, becoming the second most-watched English-language TV series on the platform ahead of Stranger Things season 4.
Thanks to incredibly timely but difficult to sit through subject matter and exceptional well-rounded craft, the creative team made history something we probably couldn’t watch through twice. That being said, 13-year-old Jamie’s (Cooper) truth is something now permanently etched onto our collective psyche, hopefully prompting us to look deeper into what’s really going on around us. Sometimes there’s nothing more horrifying than being faced with a truth we want to ignore, and Adolescence proves that.
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jasmine.valentine@futurenet.com (Jasmine Valentine)
