From ‘Common Side Effects’ To ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’, Here Are 12 Underrated TV Shows In 2025 That Might Have Flown Under Your Radar
Generational TV shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Yellowstone only come once in a while, and unfortunately, 2025 hasn’t seen one of those yet. However, there has been a satisfactory twist from most returning shows, including Foundation, Severance, White Lotus, The Cleaning Lady, and many more.
There is also a host of new hits like The Pitt, Adolescence, and Dying for Sex, which are hard to miss. However, lots of new releases have gone undetected because of the crowded market of the streaming industry. From TV shows that were delayed because of the strikes to ghosts from the pandemic, these are the 12 best underrated TV shows of 2025 that are worth checking out.
Paradise — Hulu
Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent, becomes the key suspect after the president dies under mysterious circumstances in a post-apocalyptic USA, where most of what is left of civilization now exists in a hidden city-sized bunker under the Colorado mountains.
Hulu’s Paradise is an authentic spy thriller that digs deep into what the relationship between a secret service agent and the president could look like. Amid the perfect blend of drama and action, the chemistry between Sterling Brown and James Marsden is seamless, making their bromance the highlight of the show.
The Eternaut — Netflix
Created by Bruno Stagnaro, The Eternaut is an Argentinian post-apocalyptic drama with Snowpiercer vibes, but with an alien twist. The show follows Juan Salvo (Ricardo Darin) and his family and friends in Buenos Aires as their lives are turned upside down when a mysterious toxic snow engulfs the city.
It gets straight into the action with the vastly talented cast, perfectly matching the show’s intensity to create the perfect chaos. This Netflix show is widely underrated, considering its high-quality writing and visuals.
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth — Peacock
This is a five-part British miniseries based on the doomed 1988 flight Pan Am 103. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth follows Jim Swire, the father of one of the victims, as he seeks answers.
The show is a catchy investigative masterpiece with Collin Firth perfectly embodying a grieving father whose life has stopped for 36 years as he seeks to unearth a web of mysteries and government cover-ups.
Duster — Warner Bros. Television
Duster is a visual feast of a crime thriller set in 1970s Arizona, where the FBI’s first female black agent, Nina (Rachel Hilson), teams up with a grieving getaway driver, Jim (Josh Holloway), to take down a notorious criminal empire.
The show is J. J. Abrams’ nostalgic nod to Lost, with scenic desert backgrounds to spice up its smooth blend of action and comedy. Its cancellation after just one season actually came as a shock since the show has earned a cult following.
Forever — Netflix
Netflix’s Forever is a coming-of-age masterpiece based on Judy Bloom’s titular novel that showcases the raw innocence of teenage romance.
The series follows high school track and field athlete Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone), who falls in love with Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.), a basketballer, at a pivotal point in her life. Clark gets involved in a scandal, leading to a tense relationship that puts their career ambitions on the line while pitting their concerned families against each other.
Dope Thief — Apple TV+
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Manny Carvalho (Wagner Moura) and Ray Driscoll (Brian Tyree Henry) are two childhood friends and former drug dealers planning to go clean. To fund their desired retirement, the two use their knowledge of the underworld to rob other drug dealers while posing as DEA agents, until one botched mission brings them face to face with the real DEA.
Dope Thief is a welcome nostalgic return to a crime drama by Moura after his memorable display as Pablo Escobar in Narcos. Its detailed portrayal of the narcotics industry makes every part of the storyline tense and addictive.
Happy Face — Paramount+
Mellisa Reed’s (Annaleigh Ashford) life is upended when her father, a convicted serial killer who was known as the Happy Face Killer, calls her boss, a true crime podcast host, asking to confess to another murder but only if she visits him in prison.
Annaleigh Ashford perfectly brings out Mellisa’s conundrum as a happy mother who had moved on from the horrors of her childhood, starts struggling when she sees an image of herself in her evil father. The plot escalates quickly, creating a gripping storyline out of an otherwise predictable script thanks to the chemistry between Ashford and Dennis Quaid.
A Thousand Blows — Hulu
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Paying homage to bare-knuckle boxing, A Thousand Blows is a historical drama set in 1880s East London by Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders. At the center of the row are two Jamaican immigrants who get entangled with the two powers that run the underground, creating a tense existence in the East End as the neighborhood’s self-declared Emperor of illegal boxing, Henry “Sugar” Goodson, takes on Mary Carr, the leader of the Forty Elephants, (a gang of female shoplifters).
While it is no Peaky Blinders, A Thousand Blows is a multilayered mix of crime and romance with a subtle balance of action and drama in a satisfyingly detailed historical setting.
Countdown — Prime Video
Created by Derek Haas (Chicago PD), Countdown is a good old high-stakes investigative drama following a special task force that tries to stop a looming terrorist threat. It all starts when a car bomb explodes in Los Angeles, killing a Homeland Security Agent, after which a special task force investigating the death discovers a connection to an even bigger threat.
At the heart of the slow-burning drama, explosive action, and erotic tension are LAPD homicide detective Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) and Special Agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), a former undercover DEA agent. While the faces and the setting look familiar, endless twists and surprises make the plot unpredictable, making the show irresistible.
Common Side Effects — Adult Swim
Adult Swim’s Common Side Effects follows Mycologist Marshall Cuso (Dave King), who discovers a miracle cure mushroom called Blue Angel. After the DEA and big pharmaceutical companies seek to suppress his discovery, Cuso is forced to go on the run.
Its highlight is the tense but honest friendship between Marshall and his high school crush, Frances Applewhite (Emily Pendergast). The show has the potential to become the network’s latest blockbuster after American Dad, Rick and Morty, and Robot Chicken.
Revival — Syfy
Revival is a quirky supernatural horror by Aaron Koontz and Luke Boyz exploring the next generation of zombie horror on the small screen.
The show follows Deputy Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano) as she investigates a murder amid a supernatural mystery in the small town of Wausau, Wisconsin, where recently deceased people are miraculously brought back to life.
It is a creative masterpiece with a nuanced twist to its macabre mystery as the revived aren’t exactly zombies, deepening the tension even further because “the dead don’t just come back.”
Your Friends & Neighbors — Apple TV+
When Coop (Hamm), a wealthy hedge fund manager in New York, loses his job while also dealing with a divorce, he resorts to stealing from his wealthy friends and neighbors to maintain his expensive lifestyle. Your Friends & Neighbors follows his life of petty crime and the chaos he brings to those around him.
The line between good and evil becomes blurry quickly as John Hamm’s performance perfectly embodies a good father and hard-working man, seemingly just making lemonade out of what life gave him. However, the tension builds up with every episode as the stakes grow with each crime, making this another addictive Apple TV+ series.
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