Alright, alright movies are done. Check. Now it’s time to write about the Top 10 most anticipated TV shows of 2025… did you really think I wouldn’t? So strap in because it wasn’t easy to put this one together, either. There are many new things and many second or third seasons, so it’s time to see where they landed on the list.
Just like with the movies, I will make some predictions here as well and obviously, I can’t take out the personal excitement I have for these, so… Let’s go.
Creator: Noah Hawley
Big dramatic sigh… Why are they on Earth? How did they end up here when we all know the first contact was with the crew of Nostromo? It is set two years before the events of the first Alien film… just… why? I really don’t understand it. Look. Alien is near and very dear to my heart. Sigourney Weaver plays the all-time greatest female protagonist; the Xenomorphs are freaking killing machines, nearly undestroyable, perfect organisms, and… well, they’ve been reduced into a laughing stock if I’m quite honest. Mr. Big-Headed Ridley Scott rendered them back to nothing with the stupidly awful Alien: Covenant (I swear I will write that big essay on it). Let’s be honest: I was loud about how Alien: Romulus didn’t respect them either… The only thing I can bring up and truly say handled the Xenomorph, the lore, the terror, and everything around it was the Alien: Isolation game. While I am still excited about anything that comes out of this Universe, I must admit that it’s more likely to be a failure than a win.
This series has three things going for it. Noah Hawley is an excellent writer. No doubt about that; just look at Legion or Fargo. So there’s hope… The series has Timothy Olyphant in the cast, who is always a big win. And it has Xenomorphs. Hopefully, Xenomorphs will actually bring fear and terror themselves and, you know, actual stakes. Since this will be a “first contact” story, I’m HOPING that the characters won’t become instant badasses and face them like they are nothing.
Predictions: It will do well. The Alien franchise still has a big following so it will easily bring in the numbers, regardless of whether it’s good or bad.
Rotten Score Prediction: I honestly don’t know. My saltiness is dripping into this, but I will say 65-70%, and I hope I will be wrong.
Creator: George R.R. Martin
Back in the Game of Thrones Universe, we will enter an era after all the dragons are dead. To put it simply, this series plays between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. It’s from Martin’s novella “The Hedge Knight,” and it tells the story of two unlikely heroes who wander Westeros.
Game of Thrones (despite its downfall) is near and dear to my heart, and House of the Dragon did much better than expected. I have faith in this despite the fact that all these Martin adaptations have a tendency to drop the ball and go downhill really fast.
Prediction: It’s guaranteed that GOT fans will be all over this. I think it will do well.
Rotten Score Prediction: Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon started off really well, so I will say probably 75-80% for this one too.
Creator: Yoon Sung-hyun
I love zombie-related media. I LOVE zombie-related media when it is created by Koreans. Well, Prime is bringing in a new one this year, and it promises to be pure and utter madness, just how I like it.
When I read the synopsis, I was like: sweet, a new zombie drama. But honestly, based on the trailer, I think this will be more of a rom-com spiced up with zombies. Even better. If they mix comedy and drama well, this will be glorious. It looks over the top and silly yet still scary, so it’s exactly my type of entertainment.
The story is pretty straightforward: two lovers are trying to find their way back to each other right as the zombie outbreak takes over Seoul. They literally have to fight for their love (and survival).
Prediction: It will either be a flop or a surprising hit; there’s no in-between.
Rotten Score Prediction: 70-75%
7. Alice in Borderland Season 3
Creator: Haro Aso
I know, I know, after the ending of season 2, the question is fair: why are we getting a season 3? The mystery was solved; the players were all part of a big tragedy and literally fought for their lives. Those who survived the games woke up to find out what happened for real. Oh. And they don’t remember the games or that they’ve ever met. BUT. There was a big giveaway at the end of the “final” episode that season 2 wasn’t the end of it all. All games were built around the French playing cards, Queen of Hearts, and all that fun stuff. The last scene revealed a Joker card on a table outside the Hospital where all the survivors were treated. It is far from over…
The series is great. The first and second seasons were A+, so it will be exciting to see what season 3 will bring.
Prediction: It will do really well. It’s a Netflix series with a big following already, and their most successful one from Japan.
Rotten Score Prediction: I will say a minimum of 85%
6. Gen V Season 2
Creator: Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke
This will definitely be a bittersweet watch for all of us. With the tragic passing of Chance Perdomo, who played Andre, the showrunners and Prime delayed the start of filming and pushed back the release so the cast and crew could grieve the friend they lost. They also made the decision NOT to recast Chance’s role in the series, which I think was the best way to move forward.
Gen V is the first spin-off series of The Boys, and it was bloody good fun in its first season. It’s just as unapologetic as its mother series. Given how Season 1 ended where friends turned against friends and Homelander (the fantastic Antony Starr) flew in to keep “the peace,” I am super excited to see how they will continue. Sam (Asa Germann) and Cate (Maddie Phillips) also made a devastating appearance in Season 4 of The Boys, so their story opportunities definitely evolved as well. How will our heroes get out of the situation they got themselves in is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure: it will be bloody and glorious.
Prediction: The first season did well, and I think even more people will tune in for the second because of the upcoming final season of The Boys and because of Chance Perdomo.
Rotten Score Prediction: 85%
5. IT: Welcome to Derry
Creator: Andy Muschietti
Andy Muschietti is back on the Derry train.
Completely new story.
Even more horror.
Pennywise is back.
But most importantly…
Bill Skarsgard is back as Pennywise.
Prediction: I think it was up in the air until it looked like Bill wouldn’t be back but as soon as they announced that Skarsgard would play Pennywise the Dancing Clown again… they won. Big time.
Rotten Score Prediction: 75-80%
Creator: Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin
Look, look… I know. I did The Rest of Us podcast here on Couch Soup and yes of course we will be seated for Season 2, BUT… even though I am SUPER excited for it, I can’t help but be a bit cautious here. I famously had problems with Season 1 (while I admittedly loved it too), and I am still a bit afraid of a few things. I hope they will prove me wrong. I hope Mazin will keep the promise he made *cough* more infected *cough cough* and I hope that people won’t be the same dickheads as they were after the second game dropped. Looking at all of you who attacked Laura Bailey because you didn’t like a fictional character. Who am I kidding? People relentlessly bully Bella Ramsey because it seems like looking like a character is more important than actually… I don’t know… being a good actor? So weird.
The Last of Us Part II is even more complex than Part I was, and hopefully, they won’t try and put everything into one season. Based on the trailers they dropped so far, I think I will be right because I theorized that they will probably have the end of the season at the end of Ellie’s three days but… we shall wait and see! One thing is for sure: there will be things added again that weren’t in the game. We all know there are good and bad examples of that in Season 1 already, so I really don’t know how to feel. I’m excited, but I am also a little bit worried.
Prediction: It will top the numbers the first season brought in. Easy win…
Rotten Score Prediction: It will sit at 90% for sure.
Creator: Dario Scardapane
I remember the devastation after they announced that Season 3 was the last of Daredevil. It really hurt. I can safely say that Daredevil was the BEST show produced outside of the MCU. It had a stellar cast, fantastic story, and action; everything was just top-notch. Casting Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock is one of the biggest casting wins ever, BUT there’s another big one in here: Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. Chef’s Kiss.
There were doubts at the beginning, especially when it looked like Disney wouldn’t bring back the entire cast, but thankfully, those rumors and fears quickly faded away. Everyone is back for Daredevil: Born Again. The trailer is amazing, the excitement is very real, and I think we waited long enough for this. Bring it ON.
Predictions: Millions of fans will finally get back the show they loved so dearly – rightfully so – which means that this will be an absolute smash hit. No doubt about it.
Rotten Score Predictions: 85-90%
Creator: Hwang Dong-hyuk
The final season of Squid Game is coming out this year, and after the cliffhanger we got in Season 2… I NEED THIS. I need to know how it will all end. I hope that all the characters I came to care for will be unharmed. I hope Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) will be waiting for In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) in Zihuatanejo… wait… that’s the wrong script. Sorry about that.
Anyway, Squid Game already wrote itself into the TV (or more like streaming) history books. We can only hope that it will have an ending that will be satisfying, but given the picture it paints about the problems in today’s society, I don’t think we can expect a fully happy ending.
Predictions: Come on. Season 1 -> smash hit. Season 2 -> even smasher hit. Season 3 —> MEGA smash hit.
Rotten Score predictions: 80% minimum unless something goes horribly wrong.
Creator: Tony Gilroy
Look, I don’t care why you are shitting on Star Wars, okay? But if you are delusional enough not to see the genius behind Andor, I don’t know what to tell you, my friend. The first season is the exact, perfect representation of what the future of Star Wars could be if the fandom weren’t full of whiny, never-satisfied people. And I don’t care whose toes I’m stepping on… it’s no secret that Star Wars has the most toxic and awful fans out there. I swear nothing is ever good for people in this fandom; if they get exactly what they want that’s a problem; if we finally get a story that’s not about the Skywalkers that’s a problem; if there are Jedi in it that’s a problem; if there aren’t Jedi in it that’s a problem… don’t even get me started on other things because I swear… deep breaths Lily…. Deep breaths.
Anyway, Andor Season 2 is FINALLY coming out! I couldn’t be more excited about it; it is easily the most anticipated of the year for me. The first season was smart, visually stunning, and insanely well-written, and I can’t wait to get more of that. K-2SO is coming back (Alan Tudyk) along with Ben Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic and Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera and they will officially tie everything to Rogue One where we first met Cassian Andor. It will be a bittersweet watch for sure, but if the writing improves even more on this… this will easily be the best release of 2025.
Predictions: It will do really well.
Rotten Score Predictions: 95%
