Series to Have Watched: 2025

Series to Have Watched: 2025


By DQ
December 16, 2025

Ones to Watch

DQ looks back over the past year of television to pick out 12 shows that were worth tuning in for, from a one-shot phenomenon and a riotous music drama to a tragic tale of forbidden love and a knockout period drama set in the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing.

A Thousand Blows
From: UK
Original broadcasters: Disney+, Hulu (US)
Producers: Matriarch Productions, The Story Collective and Water & Power Productions
Starring: Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty, Stephen Graham, Frances Lovehall
They say: Hezekiah Moscow (Kirby) and Alec Munroe (Lovehall), best friends from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr (Doherty), who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise.
We say: The latest drama from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight transports viewers to the viscerally realised world of illegal boxing in 1880s London, with Graham stepping into the ring as the menacing Sugar Goodson. Season two launches on January 9, 2026.
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Adolescence
From: UK
Original broadcaster: Netflix
Producers: Warp Films, Plan B and Matriarch Productions
Starring: Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, Owen Cooper, Christine Tremarco, Jo Hartley, Mark Stanley, Faye Marsay, Emilia Holliday, Amélie Pease and Hannah Walters
They say: A family’s world is turned upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school.
We say: Series of the year in front and behind the camera, this four-parter written by Graham and Jack Thorne contains an array of exceptional performances, while director Philip Barantini (Boiling Point) broke the TV mould by shooting each episode in a single take, showcasing extraordinary ambition, choreography and camerawork. It won the DQ Craft Award at this year’s C21 International Drama Awards.
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Boots
From: US
Original broadcaster: Netflix
Producers: Act III Productions, Sony Pictures Television
Starring: Miles Heizer, Liam Oh, Max Parker, Brandon Tyler Moore, Kieron Moore, Nicholas Logan and Dominic Goodman
They say: In this 1990s-set drama, Cameron Cope (Heizer) is a bullied high-school student who follows his best friend Ray McAffey (Oh)’s decision to join the US Marines at a tough, unpredictable time when being gay in the military was still illegal – and Cameron is a directionless, closeted young man still coming to terms with his own sexuality in a place where he is forbidden to explore it.
We say: Creator and co-showrunner Andy Parker’s series takes inspiration from the memoir of former US Marine Greg Cope White and his own experiences to tell this comedic and dramatic coming-of-age story described as Full Metal Jacket as told by David Sedaris.
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Code of Silence
From: UK
Original broadcasters: ITV (UK), BritBox (US, Canada)
Producer: Mammoth Screen
Distributor: ITV Studios
Starring: Rose Ayling-Ellis, Charlotte Ritchie, Andrew Buchan and Kieron Moore
They say: Alison Brooks (Ayling-Ellis) is a smart and determined deaf woman who, having spent years working in a police canteen and secretly observing conversations, finds her exceptional lip-reading skills catch the attention of DS Ashleigh Francis (Ritchie) and DI James Marsh (Buchan). Alison is then recruited to support a covert operation tracking a gang that is plotting their next heist – but she soon finds herself drawn to one of the suspects, Liam Barlow (Moore), putting her life in danger.
We say: Code of Silence marks the first leading role for Ayling-Ellis, who collaborated with writer Catherine Boulton on this gripping drama, which uses immersive techniques to put viewers inside Alison’s world.
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Dying for Sex
From: US
Original broadcasters: Hulu (US), Disney+
Producer: 20th Television
Starring: Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Jay Duplass, Kelvin Yu, Rob Delaney and Sissy Spacek
They say: After Molly (Williams) receives a diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, she decides to leave her husband and begins to explore the full breadth and complexity of her sexual desires for the first time in her life.
We say: Williams takes the lead in this funny and unfiltered comedy-drama based on the true story of Molly Kochan, who originally shared her story on a Wondery podcast of the same name with her best friend Nikki Boyer.
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I Fought the Law
From: UK
Original broadcaster: ITV
Producer: Hera Pictures
Distributor: All3Media International
Starring: Sheridan Smith, Daniel York Loh, Charlie Ming, Enzo Cilenti, Marlowe Chan-Reeves, Olivia Ng, Jake Davies, Victoria Wyant, Kent Riley, Jack James Ryan, Andrew Lancel and Rufus Jones
They say: In the wake of multiple police failings, Ann Ming relentlessly pressures the authorities to uncover the truth about the murder of her daughter Julie and ensure the man responsible is brought to justice – despite initially seeming he will get away with murder. In her steadfast and indomitable style, Ann takes on the entire justice system, challenging the Crown Prosecution Service, the Law Commission, prominent defence barristers in television debates, the government, the chancellor, the attorney general and two home secretaries.
We say: This four-part factual drama charts the heroic journey of Ann Ming, who fought a 15-year battle to overturn the UK’s centuries-old Double Jeopardy law following the murder of her daughter.
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Reunion
From: UK
Original broadcaster: BBC
Producer: Warp Films
Distributor: BBC Studios
Starring: Matthew Gurney, Lara Peake, Anne-Marie Duff, Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling-Ellis
They say: Daniel Brennan is a deaf man determined to right his wrongs while unravelling the truth behind the events that led him to prison. He embodies the struggle of a man caught between two worlds, unable to fully integrate into the hearing world and shunned by the deaf community. Amid this isolation, Brennan’s only meaningful relationship is with his estranged daughter Carly, who he hasn’t seen in over a decade.
We say: A story of revenge and redemption, Reunion is also a bilingual series featuring a blend of spoken English and British Sign Language, written by deaf writer William Mager and led by deaf actor Gurney.
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Riot Women
From: UK
Original broadcasters: BBC (UK), BritBox (US and Canada)
Producer: Drama Republic
Distributor: Mediawan Rights
Starring: Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Grieg, Lorraine Ashbourne and Amelia Bullmore
They say: Five women come together to create a makeshift punk-rock band in order to enter a local talent contest but, in writing their first original song, soon discover that they have a lot to say – and this is their way to say it. As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, absent husbands, and disastrous dates and relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in their lives, and it’s going to make them question everything.
We say: The latest drama from Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright carries her trademark humour and warmth, set against the backdrop of a riotous soundtrack and standout original songs created by punk duo Arxx.
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The Assassin
From: UK
Original broadcaster: Prime Video
Producer: Two Brothers Pictures
Distributor: All3Media International
Starring: Keeley Hawes, Freddie Highmore, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Gina Gershon, David Dencik, Devon Terrell, Jack Davenport and Richard Dormer
They say: Retired hitwoman Julie (Keeley) lives out an isolated, empty retirement on a small Greek island where she shares a difficult relationship with the locals. When her estranged son Edward (Highmore) arrives for a visit, she soon finds her past catching up with her, and the pair are forced to go on the run. With questions around Edward’s paternity and Julie’s past, they travel across Europe together in a fight for survival.
We say: The latest series from writers Harry and Jack Williams (The Tourist, Boat Story) stars Hawes as a deadly assassin in a sun-soaked thrill ride that blends humour and tension-filled action sequences.
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The Girlfriend
From: US
Original broadcaster: Prime Video
Producers: Imaginarium Productions and Amazon MGM Studios
Starring: Robin Wright, Olivia Cooke, Laurie Davidson, Waleed Zuaiter, Tanya Moodie, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Karen Henthorn, Anna Chancellor, Leo Suter and Francesca Corney.
They say: Laura (Wright) is a woman who seemingly has it all: a glittering career, a loving husband, and her precious son, Daniel. Her perfect life begins to unravel when Daniel brings home Cherry (Cooke), a girlfriend who changes everything.
We say: An adaptation of Michelle Frances’ book, this series stands out through its shifting perspective, as the story unfolds from both Laura and Cherry’s points of view, leaving it up to viewers to believe whether Cherry is a manipulative social climber or Laura is an overprotective mother.
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This City is Ours
From: UK
Original broadcaster: BBC
Producer: Left Bank Pictures
Distributor: Sony Pictures Television
Starring: Sean Bean, James Nelson-Joyce, Hannah Onslow, Jack McMullen and Julie Graham
They say: Michael Kavanagh (Nelson-Joyce) is a man who for all of his adult life has been involved in organised crime, working for his friend and the gang leader Ronnie Phelan (Bean). When Ronnie begins to hint at retirement, Michael too begins to imagine another life. Because, for the first time in his life, Michael is in love. For the first time in his life, he sees beyond the day-to-day, he sees a future: something to win and something to lose – Diana Williams (Onslow).
We say: This Liverpool-set crime drama from writer Stephen Butchard with a crooning soundtrack is a series that has all the hallmarks of a gangster crime drama but might actually be the tender story of a couple seeking lasting love in the most challenging circumstances.
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Trespasses
From: UK
Original broadcaster: Channel 4
Producer: Wildgaze Films
Distributor: All3Media International
Starring: Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen and Gillian Anderson
They say: Cushla (Petticrew) is a young woman whose desires and dreams have been frustrated by the grind of daily life. Michael (Cullen) is a controversial barrister who often defends protestants. They are worlds apart, living in a place where place where loose lips cost lives and danger lurks in the shadows. They know their relationship spells all kinds of trouble but they are irresistibly drawn to each other.
We say: In this adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s novel of the same name, Petticrew and Cullen take centre stage in an emotionally charged story of two people embarking on forbidden love, set against the backdrop of the Troubles in 1970s Northern Ireland.
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