A new year is here and with it comes a look at the most anticipated titles of the coming year in terms of television.
Continuing our coverage with those ranked 41-60, this is a look at another twenty titles coming in 2025. Amongst these are a Kurt Sutter western, a cop thriller from the “Mare of Easttown” creator, a “Doctor Who” mini-series spin-off, a new take on a Steinbeck classic, and a “Terminal List” prequel.
There’s also DeNiro’s new foray into TV, a Seth Rogen satire of the film industry, an all-star Kim Kardashian-led legal drama, a Marvel universe set meta-satire, a James Wan techno thriller, another “Game of Thrones” spin-off, a Mussolini biopic mini-series, and a look at William the Conqueror.
Here’s the list, links to the entire guide are below the descriptions:
41. “The Abandons” (Netflix)
“Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter’s new Western action drama series set in Oregon in the 1850s and inspired by the origins of the American Mafia. Lena Heady plays a devout and barren Irish woman who tries to build a family by adopting four orphans, and also struggling against European aristocrats claiming possession of her recently acquired home. Gillian Anderson, Lucas Till, Aisling Franciosi, Nick Robinson, Ryan Hurst, Patton Oswalt and more co-star in the series which Sutter famously exited from a few weeks before filming ended.
42. “Task” (HBO)
“Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby returns with another working-class Philadelphia suburbs-set tale – this one following an FBI agent leading a task force dedicated to ending a series of drug-house robberies orchestrated by an unsuspecting family man. Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones and Owen Teague co-star with TV veteran Salli Richardson-Whitfield directing multiple episodes.
43. “The War Between the Land and the Sea” (Disney+)
Russell T. Davies delivers a new five-episode “Doctor Who” spin-off that hopefully will recapture the glory days of his “Torchwood: Children of Earth” event series. Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw lead the series in which UNIT must take action to prevent a global war once the ancient aquatic species, the Sea Devils, comes out from the sea and revea themselves to humanity.
44. “The Narrow Road to The Deep North” (Amazon Prime)
Hot off his recent domestic terrorism thriller “The Order,” filmmaker Justin Kurzel returns home to Australia for this mini-series based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel. Jacob Elordi plays Dorrigo Evans, an Australian doctor and World War II prisoner of war who had harrowing experiences constructing the infamous Burma Railway and a poignant but forbidden love affair that still haunts him years later. Ciarán Hinds, Odessa Young, Olivia DeJonge and Simon Baker co-star.
45. “East of Eden” (Netflix)
A lavish new adaptation of the generation-spanning classic John Steinbeck novel which is being penned by Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan who directed the famed 1955 film adaptation starring James Dean. Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist co-star in the story of two families in Salinas Valley, California during the beginning of the 20th century. “Lion” helmer Garth Davis directs the first four episodes.
46. “Down Cemetery Road” (Apple TV+)
Ruth Wilson and Emma Thompson star in this adaptation of “Slow Horses” author Mick Herron’s novel about a woman who hires an investigator when a quiet suburban neighbourhood is rocked by an explosion and a missing girl on the same night. Natalie Bailey directs and Morwenna Banks pens the script for what’s being dubbed a “unmissable companion piece” to “Slow Horses” and will adopt that show’s mix of thriller and dark comedy aspects.
47. “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” (Amazon Prime)
Following Amazon’s successful 2022 series adaptation of the Jack Carr novel, a prequel spin-off was greenlit which focuses on Taylor Kitsch’s scene-stealing Ben Edwards character. The series will follow the characters journey from Navy SEAL to CIA operative and co-stars the likes of Tom Hopper and Luke Hemsworth along with Chris Pratt returning as guest star in two episodes.
48. “Zero Day” (Netflix)
Robert DeNiro joins the Netflix TV series ranks with this political thriller event series which sounds like the U.S. answer to British series “Cobra”. Here, De Niro plays a former U.S. president who leads the Zero Day Commission in response to a catastrophic cyberattack that has caused nationwide chaos and thousands of fatalities. Angela Bassett portrays the current U.S. president who collaborates with Mullen to identify and apprehend the perpetrators behind the attack. Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, and Matthew Modine also star.
49. “All’s Fair” (Hulu)
Ryan Murphy’s new legal drama series about a successful divorce lawyer who operates an all-female law firm in Los Angeles. The show will explore the lives of the attorneys working the firm as they deal with a variety of cases. Kim Kardashian plays the firm’s owner and lead attorney alongside Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash and Teyana Taylor.
50. “The Studio” (Apple TV+)
Seth Rogen’s new comedy series sees him playing the newly appointed head of Continental Studios. He juggles corporate demands and creative ambitions all while trying to keep movies alive and relevant. Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz and Chase Sui Wonders are regulars, and a boatload of cameos include the likes of Zac Efron, Anthony Mackie, Charlize Theron, Martin Scorsese and more.
51. “Wonder Man” (Disney+)
What appears to be a meta buddy comedy set within the MCU, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will star as Simon Williams – a superpowered actor and stuntperson auditioning for the lead role in a superhero television series. Ben Kingsley is back in his “Iron Man 3” role of failed British actor Trevor Slattery in what’s a wacky pairing that might just work. “Shang-Chi” director Destin Daniel Cretton co-created the series with “Community” and “Hawkeye” alum Andrew Guest.
52. “Sirens” (Netflix)
Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock star in this Martha’s Vineyard lavish beach estate-set dark comedy about a wisecracking woman (Fahy) staging an intervention regarding her ambitious young sister (Alcock) and her creepy relationship with her new boss (Moore) – the trophy wife of a billionaire. Molly Smith Metzler created the series based on her 2011 play “Elemeno Pea” while Glenn Howerton co-stars.
53. Untitled James Wan Series (Peacock)
The James Wan-produced techno-thriller series stars Simu Liu as a first-generation-American intelligence analyst who realises his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears. Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible.
54. “The Sensitive Kind” (FX)
“Reservation Dogs” co-creator Sterlin Harjo returns for what’s dubbed a ‘Tulsa noir’ which stars Ethan Hawke, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson, Tracy Letts and Kyle MacLachlan. Plot details are under wraps beyond Hawke playing a “guy who knows too much”. A pilot was shot in April and the show was picked up to series in October.
55. “A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms” (HBO)
Another “Game of Thrones” spin-off, this TV series adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas is set midway between the events of “House of the Dragon” and ‘Thrones’. The series follows the adventures of young versions of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) making their way through the seven kingdoms. It should potentially be the ‘lightest’ entry in the franchise to date with a focus more on comedy and adventure than ruthless politics.
56. “Long Bright River” (Peacock)
A mini-series adaptation of Liz Moore’s 2020 novel in which Amanda Seyfried plays a Philadelphia beat cop working amidst the opioid crisis which has engulfed the streets and affected her estranged sister. Her current case involves a series of murders targeting sex workers. Moore and Nikki Toscano (“Hunters”) are adapting the work.
57. “Your Friends and Neighbors” (Apple TV+)
“Banshee” and “Warrior” creator Jonathan Tropper’s new series stars Jon Hamm as a hedgefund manager who has been recently fired and divorced, so he turns to crime to maintain his lifestyle and keep his family happy. Olivia Munn, Amanda Peet, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero and Corbin Bernsen co-star in the series which has already been renewed for a second season.
58. “Ironheart” (Disney+)
The long in the works TV series brings back Dominique Thorne as MIT student Riri Williams who returns home to Chicago where she becomes entangled with the enigmatic Parker Robbins/The Hood (Anthony Ramos) who taps into dark magic. The Chinaka Hodge-created series, which also stars Alden Ehrenreich and Lyric Ross, will also look at Riri’s life before the events of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. Sacha Baron Cohen also co-stars in a small role rumored to be Mephisto.
59. “M. Son of the Century” (Sky)
“Atonement” and “The Darkest Hour” filmmaker Joe Wright directs this entire eight-episode event series about the early political career of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini back in the 1920s in the months before he took over and fascism rose across Italy. The series is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Antonio Scurati and will see Luca Marinelli (“The Old Guard”) step into the lead role.
60. “King and Conquerer” (BBC/CBS)
James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau play warring rulers in 11th century Britain as King Harold Godwinson (Norton) faces a threat to his throne from an ambitious Norman – William the Conqueror (Coster-Waldau) – their clash defined the future of Britain for the next thousand years. Baltasar Kormákur directs the entire run of the Iceland-shot series which co-stars Clémence Poésy, Emily Beecham, Eddie Marsan and Juliet Stevenson.
The Full Guide
DH’s Anticipated TV In 2025: #1-20
DH’s Anticipated TV In 2025: #21-40
DH’s Anticipated TV In 2025: #41-60
DH’s Anticipated TV In 2025: #61-80
DH’s Anticipated TV In 2025: Honorable Mentions
