During 2025 we have watched a lot of TV – I finally sorted out my Jellyfin installation and we have watched a load of our old content on that this year via a new AndroidTV box that better supports HEVC/x.265 for a jump in quality and smaller file sizes, and also seen a fair few series end. We also managed to go back and catch a few series we had missed when they became available on streaming services! So here in a post is what we watched in 2025 in no order and is nowhere near a complete list….
Stranger Things 5
Probably the biggest thing we watched was the highly anticipated finale of this excellent series. After season 4 was a bit of a let down for us, 5 came back with a bang although I have seen many disappointed with the ending. No spoilers here because it is well worth a watch but suffice to say that it ended with most things being cleared up and I was happy with how it finally drew to a close. Not for everyone, but I have to mention how good the audio was for season 4 through our modest surround sound system. Far too many streaming shows have poor audio these days (AppleTV how do you seem to mangle so many?) and this was excellent. Dynamic, good surround sound and for the most parts the balance was good between dialogue and the rest. A+ on the audio side for sure!
Justified
Having been told to watch Justified many, many times we managed to get through the whole show in 2025 and it didn’t disappoint. A series that stayed true to the characters, the plot, the whole ethos all the way through it really is something not to be missed. I mean you may not like the violence, but it is a Western at heart and shows it. Raylan, Boyd and Ava are all great characters and we loved every minute of it. For us with it being available on Disney+ in the UK was an added bonus as no adverts (2025 has been annoying to say the least with adverts) and a great picture quality – better than say Prime video which has often been pretty ropey. Recommended watching, though the follow up series misses many of the things that made Justified so great…
The Revenge Club
A late entrance into something we enjoyed was The Revenge Club. Taken from the novel of the same name it has some great stars in it (Douglas Henshall, Amiee Ffion Edwards and that well know Scottish actor (!) Martin Compston. The divorcees set out for revenge as the title says but there are twists and turns and I can admit to having a cheeky crush on Amie as she is in a later entry in this list! Well worth it, we enjoyed it, though I can see many not enjoying it as much as we did…
Severance
Let’s get it out there straight away – Severance is bat-shit crazy, but in a good way. You have to watch it to make sure you don’t miss a thing, but for me the biggest thing is the performance of the cast. each is excellent – I have no idea how they weren’t laughing all the time (perhaps they were!) and I really enjoyed it because of the performances. Strange but compelling we caught it after season 2 was released because we had missed season 1 and then managed to watch them pretty much after one another, something that I think helped us to keep focus on what is happening! Recommended though many will hate this with a passion…
Lazarus
Harlan Coben has carved out a reputation for thrillers, both through his novels and his TV work. Starring Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy it follows the eponymous character of the title as he navigates though life after the apparent suicide of his father. As per other Coben works plot twists and mystery abound, and whilst definitely not the best thing on TV we enjoyed it and found it watchable though quite slow at times. One to see if you enjoy…
Slow Horses
Slow Horses based on the novels by Mick Herron (more from him later) has turned out to be an excellent series. Often funny, often irreverent and with some great performances particularly from Gary Oldman. As the picture shows Aimee Ffion Edwards makes an appearance in the later seasons too! Well worth watching though again it needs to be watched and stuck with as it gets better. We have really enjoyed the series mature – recommended!
Landman
A modern look at the oil industry in Texas, Landman has Billy Bob Thornton at his best and worst as a Landman – the guy who manages the wells and rigs of the oil mining industry. It follows Tommy Norris as he goes about his often dangerous work and his family troubles that follow him around. Often harsh and at time brutal it is another Taylor Sheridan show (Yellowstone, 1923 etc.) and is rather like those. Ali Larter as Tommy’s ex-wife is particularly good as often happens in Sheridans shows the women are the best characters.
Boston Blue
Danny Reagan moves to Boston! If you watched Blue Bloods then you know what you are going to get, but it is decent enough. This is the ronseal of cop tv, it really is… but still we are watching it and enjoying it it just isn’t as good as Blue Bloods!
Fire Country & Sheriff Country
I have put these together as they are both in the same universe from Max Theriot et al. Decent enough programs in the usual american vein and we are enjoying the continuing exploits of Bode and the gang, and Sheriff Country continues in the same way in the same town. All good, but like Boston Blue you really know what you’re getting. As all of them are from CBS and occupy the same nights programming it really isn’t hard to understand why they are pretty generic. However as a weekly watch they are decent enough!
Down Cemetery Road
Here we are with another Mick Herron story, this time starring Ruth Wilson (who is always good) and Emma Thompson who produces it. Great acting, a decent story and well worth watching though some people have found it to be a bit slow. We enjoyed it though and it is recommended…
So there we go – a quick overview of what we watched and enjoyed in 2025! Here’s to 2026 and TV with a load of new things to watch like Traitors, The Night Manager etc. already available. Patience is another thing that has a new series now as well. Let’s see what happens throughout the year