The Best New TV Shows Still to Come in 2025

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of an obsessive streamer, especially when it comes to checking out new content. So far, 2025 has dropped some highly anticipated series on us, such as Dexter: Original Sin, The Studio, Daredevil: Born Again, and MobLand, and they all lived up to their hype. Lucky for us, more are on the way.

These are my most anticipated new series still to start streaming in 2025, by order of release date.

15

The Waterfront

Who doesn’t love a good old dysfunctional family crime drama, especially if it’s inspired by true events? Netflix has many new shows to start watching in June, and this is one you’ll want on your list.

The Waterfront is shaped by events involving creator Kevin Williamson’s own fisherman father. It focuses on the fictional Buckley family in North Carolina and explores their struggles in a declining fishing industry. In order to uphold their family legacy and keep their fishing empire afloat, they must go to extreme lengths.

Those lengths, of course, include treacherous waters (full of drug smuggling), so expect some tension and drama mixed in with all this action, and plenty of witty writing. It stars Deran Cody (Jake Weary) from Animal Kingdom, so you know it’s going to be good.

14

Ironheart

You won’t hear me speak up in any of the Marvel versus DC debates; I love them both. That’s why I can’t wait to check out the Ironheart series on Disney+, which shares continuity with the films of the Marvel franchise.

Following the events of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, brilliant teenage inventor Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) builds her own Iron Man-like suit, then returns home to Chicago. There, she meets The Hood, a mysterious magic-wielding character with whom she becomes entangled.

Ironheart is set to explore the clash between Riri’s technological prowess and The Hood’s magic, as well as how their adventurous paths full of danger intertwine. Drama, superheroes, danger, and adventure? I’m in.

13

Smoke

Smoke, inspired by a true story, stars Taron Edgerton as an arson investigator who begrudgingly teams up with a troubled police detective in a race to stop two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest. In the process, a twisted game of secrets and suspicions ignites.

Now, here’s what’s interesting: Smoke is executive produced by Edgerton and reunites the creative team behind Apple TV+’s acclaimed hit limited drama Blackbird, which was a fascinating peek into what it takes to manipulate a criminal psyche. Also, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke wrote and performed the theme song, so expect it to be full of musical brilliance, and expect Smoke to be one wild, adrenaline-fueled ride.

12

Dexter: Resurrection

America’s favorite vigilante serial killer with a penchant for dark brilliance and wit is back! Dexter: Resurrection is, hands down, one of my topmost anticipated new series of 2025. I love the Dexter-verse and am thrilled to see it expanding.

Resurrection is the long-awaited sequel to Dexter: New Blood, which was the sequel to the original series, Dexter. Resurrection picks up weeks after the events of New Blood, with the titular character awakening from a coma in the hospital to discover that his son has disappeared without a trace.

After realizing the weight of what he put Harrison (Jack Alcott) through, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) sets out for New York City, determined to find him and make things right. While he lies low under a new identity, a series of brutal murders begin to occur, and they mirror his exact signature: precise, ritualistic, and personal. Dexter soon realizes he’s not the only one who has returned.

Moreover, a mysterious billionaire (Peter Dinklage) interested in serial killers brings New York’s finest together, so expect a sort of MurderCon convention. This sequel looks to be a messy, bloody season full of thrills, spills, and chills.

11

The Institute

Based on horror master Stephen King’s 2019 novel of the same name, The Institute is a dark, psychological horror-thriller about a kid who awakens in a strange, creepy place—not unusual for a Stephen King tale.

After his parents are murdered, teen genius Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman) is mysteriously abducted and taken to a brutalist-style facility housing other young kids, each of whom possesses the gifts of telepathy and telekinesis.

So, what we have here is a shadowy organization snatching kids with “The Shine.” Their task is simple: Move objects with your mind or break the rules and experience grown-up consequences, like torture (don’t worry: you won’t see much of it, but it will be implied). No external force is coming to save these kiddos, so it’s up to them to find their own way out.

10

Chief of War

Based on the tale of Ka’iana, a ferocious Native Hawaiian warrior, Chief of War is the story of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands from an indigenous perspective. At the turn of the 18th Century, the four major kingdoms of the Islands were at war, on the precipice of Western colonization. When Ka’iana returns from his outside travels, where he set out to learn more about those invading his homeland, Ka’iana joins a bloody campaign. At the last minute, he rebels against the islands’ unification, an action that labeled him the Prince of Kaua’i and the most famous Hawaiian in the world.

Co-created by Jason Momoa, the series isn’t just a historical dramatization; it’s also a cultural reclamation. It explores the challenges and complexities of unifying the islands before colonization, including internal conflicts and the looming threat of Western influence. Expect Chief of War to be as authentic as possible: Momoa had cultural advisors involved in every department, even building war vessels using historical techniques.

If you watched See, you know what to expect out of Momoa, which is for him to breathe the life of a giant into this dramatization and give everything he’s got to this role. So, mark your calendars. You don’t want this one to join the list of the best Apple TV+ shows you’re missing out on.

9

Alien: Earth

Perhaps everyone’s most anticipated series dropping this year is Alien: Earth. A prequel to the 1979 film Alien, the series is set in 2120 and follows a young woman named Wendy (Sydney Chandler) as she and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a terrifying discovery.

When a deep space research vessel crash-lands on Earth, it reveals the planet’s most dangerous threat: the Xenomorphs. Now face-to-face with them, what will Wendy and her crew do?

Alien: Earth will explore a world where humans are no longer the dominant species, and where the line between humans and artificial life blurs. It’ll also delve into the dark side of corporate dominance and its impact on the working class, both of which are extremely relevant themes of today.

While you wait for its arrival, check out these three fantastic Hulu shows to watch.

8

Task

Did someone say gritty crime drama? Those are my favorite, and I’m all in. Set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, Task follows FBI Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) as he investigates a series of violent robberies. Living a double life and leading these robberies is local garbage collector Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey).

Task explores the moral complexities of justice as the FBI agent and his task force face a difficult decision about how to handle a case involving a seemingly ordinary, unsuspecting family man.

What makes this series so anticipated? In addition to the story and cast, it’s created and written by Brad Ingelsby, who penned the HBO hit Mare of Easttown.

7

The Lowdown

Created, written, and directed by Sterlin Harjo, of Reservation Dogs fame, The Lowdown follows the gritty exploits of Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), a citizen journalist and self-proclaimed Tulsa “truthstorian,” whose obsession with the truth always lands him smack-dab in the middle of trouble.

Raybon is committed to exposing corruption and unearthing the hidden rot of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s underbelly. When a suspicious suicide occurs just after his latest exposé is published, he suspects he’s just uncovered a major conspiracy involving some prominent people.

The Lowdown highlights the risks and consequences that accompany the exposure of corruption, particularly in a place where the powerful strive to maintain their grip. Instead of a battle for the iron throne, here we have a battle for the truth.

6

The Paper

Fire up the presses because there’s a new mockumentary-style sitcom on its way. The Paper is set in an expanded version of the ridiculously warped but hilarious Dunder Mifflin story-verse of The Office.

Starring the very talented Domhnall Gleeson, The Paper will feature the same documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch. They’re on the lookout for a new subject when they discover a historic Midwestern newspaper—Toledo-based The Truth Teller—in dire straits. With its publisher desperately trying to revive it, the crew sets up shop and starts rolling.