Five standout series Netflix delivered in 2025
As we inch closer to the new year and year-end wrap lists flood our feeds, Netflix looks busy as ever, planning its next steps with an exciting 2026 lineup to follow up.
But before Netflix pledges its new year’s resolution and viewers get occupied with festive finds, it’s important to look back at the long list of fresh content the streamer brought to our doorsteps this year, especially the ones that stand out, thanks to their sheer brilliance and authenticity.
The streaming giant has had quite a winning streak this year, from record-breaking Emmy-sweeping nights to the still-debated acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. While there’s certainly a lot more to come before the curtains are pulled down on the year, now is the time to take that trip down memory lane.
Although Netflix has excelled equally in the cinematic and TV landscape, this recap edition is entirely for television fanatics. So, among the countless shows that made us renew the subscription every month, here are five standout series Netflix delivered in 2025.
The five ultimate shows Netflix dropped this year
Adolescence (Philip Barantini, 2025)
One of the earliest offerings from Netflix in 2025 to spark widespread buzz is the one-shot psychological crime drama series co-created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, Adolescence. The Emmy-winning limited series made a major cultural impact, prompting increased criticism of the digital world’s role in shaping young identities.
The four-part Netflix series tells the story of the Miller family, whose world comes crumbling down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested as the primary suspect in the murder of a teenage schoolgirl. Adolescence incorporates a stark social commentary, touching on the negative legacy of cyberbullying and online radicalisation against the backdrop of a hard-hitting tragedy that’s meant to unsettle. The series won eight Emmys, making history for Netflix.
Dept Q (Scott Frank, 2025- Present)
Netflix’s crime thriller catalogue has been nothing short of a revelation this year. But Dept Q, which was renewed for a second season in August, rekindled our hope in the streamer’s misfit squad of detectives. The first season revolves around DCI Carl Morck, who’s been on recovery since a recent shooting that left his partner paralysed and a younger officer dead.
Upon his return to the department, Morck is exiled to a new under-resourced cold-case unit, Department Q, as part of a public relations stunt. But a victim of his ways, Morck is best known for his disregard. So, he doesn’t waste time going against his boss’s wishes to spring up an investigation into what’s widely regarded as a lost case: the disappearance of a high-profile prosecutor, Merrit Lingard, who vanished under mysterious circumstances four years ago.
The Hunting Wives (Rebecca Cutter, 2025-Present)
Speaking of crime thrillers, Netflix undoubtedly crushed it with the arrival of The Hunting Wives, which was also renewed for a second season in September. The series tells the story of a fish out of water, Sophie, a Boston native who relocates to a small town in East Texas to escape her past, only to find herself in a circle of wealthy women who take an interest in guns and liquor.
Initially, she struggles to fit in, but warms up to the community, thanks to Margo, the charming leader of a group of wives who are best known for their eccentric choice of living. But as Sophie is pulled more and more into the wilderness of this newfound friendship, body bags begin to pile up, and things don’t exactly look good for the girls. While most of you can fill in the blanks about the rest, for those who don’t, The Hunting Wives is currently streaming on Netflix.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, 2025)
Another Netflix entry that left the audience glued to the screen this year is the third entry of the Monster anthology series, the spine-chilling The Ed Gein Story. The biographical crime drama features meta commentary on the increased obsession with the world of true crime, harnessing the influence the notorious serial killer has had on Hollywood and pop culture over the years.
The Ed Gein Story recounts the horrific crimes Gein terrorised the world with while simultaneously offering viewers glimpses of the traumatising circumstances that went into the making of that monster. From living under the roof of a supremely controlling mother to her death, setting the stage for his macabre obsession with grave robbing, the series explores the twisted life of the infamous murderer.
The Beast in Me (Gabe Rotter, 2025)
Lastly, the crime drama series that has the entire streaming town talking in recent weeks is The Beast in Me, starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. The Netflix mystery thriller follows a reclusive novelist, Agatha Wiggs, who’s struggling to return to normalcy for about four years since the death of his young son. The mystery surrounding her son’s demise has taken up a huge space in her brain, and the writer’s block just never comes to an end.
But when a neighbour with a reputation, Nile Jarvis, a real-estate tycoon, once the primary suspect in his first wife’s death, moves next door, it feels like Aggie has found her new subject. While she becomes obsessed with the investigation surrounding Nile, what she doesn’t realise is that danger is also closing in on her, and she must watch her steps.