Like every December, the critics of the New York Times (James Poniewozik and Mike Hale) summarized the TV series of the year. This 2025 list is interesting not only for the usual American giants, but because it also includes two local productions in the international section. I made a summary of the article to understand what to recover (and what to celebrate):

🇮🇹 The Italians in the rankings

It’s nice to see that Mike Hale has included two Italian titles among the best international series, albeit with different distribution times:

• M – The son of the century (Sky/Now): The series with Luca Marinelli is defined as one "darkly comic phantasmagoria". I really liked the grotesque cut but it serves as a serious political warning.
• Esterno notte (Netflix/RaiPlay): Yes, it came out here some time ago, but it only arrived in the USA in 2025. Bellocchio gets compliments for how he reconstructed the climate of terror of the Moro case and for the depth of the various points of view.

🇺🇸 US heavyweights (Poniewozik’s picks)

• Pluribus (Apple TV+): It is the new series by Vince Gilligan (the father of Breaking Bad). It’s about an unpredictable story about a woman immune to an alien signal. The critic wonders if he is talking about isolation or AI, calling it one "wild fantasy".
• Severance 2 (Apple TV+): Confirmed as one of the best. Complex horizontal plot, high budget and that sense of working dystopia that made it a cult.
• Andor 2 (Disney+): The finale of the Star Wars prequel. Described as one of the best things about the franchise in terms of writing and maturity.
• The Pitt (Sky/Now): An old-fashioned (ER-type) medical drama perfect for binge watching, contrasting with the complexity of Severance/Splitting.
• Long Story Short (Netflix): For fans of BoJack Horseman: it is the new animated series by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. Story of a Jewish family through the years.
• The Rehearsal 2 (not distributed in Italy): Nathan Fielder continues to be a genius of discomfort.

🌍 Other interesting mentions

• DanDaDan (Netflix/Crunchyroll): NYT Anime of the Year, lauded for its visual energy and protagonists.
• The Lowdown (Disney+): Noir set in Oklahoma featuring a conspiracy-minded bookseller.
• Asura (Netflix): Japanese series by Kore-eda (director of Family Affair), high-end family drama.

Side note: No Stranger Things 5 ​​(Part 1), excluded from the list.