My Top 10 Shows of 2025:
“Andor” (Season 2, Disney+)
“Love In the Clouds” (China, Netflix/Viki)
“Our Movie” (South Korea, Disney+)
“The First Frost” (China, Netflix)
“Our Unwritten Seoul” (South Korea, Netflix)
“The Prisoner of Beauty” (China, Viki)
“Marry My Husband” (Japan, Amazon Prime)
“Fated Hearts” (China, iQiYi)
“MurderBot” (Season 1, AppleTV+)
“Glass Heart” (Japan, Netflix)
Special mention: “Coroner’s Diary” (iQiYi), “Legend of the Female General” (Viki/iQiYi), “Legend of Zang Hai” (Viki)
*****
Andor (Season 2, Disney+)
“Andor” brought a level of urgency and peril to its second season escalating the friction between the political factions, making it less clear as the lines between ally and foe blurred. Yet, in the end, one had to pick a side. The stakes demanded it, as anyone not of the Galactic Empire’s “friend” list, was being systematically hunted down and eradicated. The Empire not only demanded utter loyalty, it demanded resources that left entire populations and planets destitute and spiraling in a death-march.
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) continued his quiet quest to evade the Empire while putting in motion the steps towards its downfall. Aiding in his seemingly impossible mission, were the firmly aligned Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau), Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) and Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu). From daring missions to terrifying moments in the crosshairs, the heroes worked tenaciously together. From the sidelines, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) tried to work within the Empire’s framework for their own power and survival, but ultimately failed to recognize their perilous predicament.
“Andor” Season 2 was spectacular and chilling. It foreshadowed the long, drawn-out battle for survival against an entrenched and ruthless web of greed, self-interest and duplicitous power plays. The Empire rose, not to better society and the lives upon which it preyed, it merely took what it needed and left human remains and planet debris in its wake.
“Andor” earned and won numerous awards for its portrayal of the last gasp of humanity and the epic battle against the odds over its two-season run. Its ability to mirror real-world dilemmas was a chilling forewarning of the future of humanity: if it continues towards a path of unchecked military/government rule — not accountable to its citizens and gleefully uninterested in preserving its human-core.
The story and themes of “Andor” are ultimately about each person making a choice to care for one another. No one can afford to sit on the sidelines or run away from the threat that simply will destroy all human life to benefit the wealth few. Beyond the story, the characters were the beating-heart that drew us into their lives, sharing their hopes and dreams. As many characters were struck down, it reminded us of the cost of looking away or failing to help when needed.
The performances by the cast truly tugged at the heart-strings. The show wanted viewers to care about these characters so that each death would have significance and leave a deep impression or heart-imprint longer afterwards. For those who watched, it did just that. The show dared to remind: “The galaxy is watching”, but what haunts even more is the unasked question of: “But does anyone care?”
Love In the Clouds (Netflix/Viki)
In a year of unusually strong dramas, by far, the one that truly captured my heart was the Chinese drama series “Love In the Clouds”. Part fantasy, part action-thrilller, part rom-com, “Love In the Clouds” delivered on all levels. It offered a rich tapestry of cinematography, costuming, music production, vocals, set design, cleverly interwoven characters and storylines, and pitch-perfect casting. It was a feast for the eyes and ears. It also filled the heart with such joy watching these characters come together, unexpectedly care for each other, and achieve truly extraordinary goals.
It is also a behind-the-scenes story of triumph as it halted production after several months of filming and started from scratch all over again under a new director: switching from a male director to a female director, Zhi Zhu. While I cannot fully attribute the entire addictiveness of the series to this one change of directors, it is noteworthy bringing in a female director did seem to result in an addictive product that viewers loved and rewatch over and over again.
A key element that I felt particularly drawn to was the sizzling chemistry between the show’s leads: Hou Minghao and Lu Yuxiao. Paired together, their characters felt effervescent and sparked such joyful, heart-felt emotions as viewers watched their characters interact. Their characters endured so much pain and loneliness that it made sense they were irrevocably drawn together through fate, circumstance and destiny. Their fight to trust each other was both hilariously entertaining and moving at the same time. That undercurrent of need and desire to be loved after a lifetime of rejection and pain was a powerful motivator that led to them conquering all the obstacles between them. It made for a fun and highly entertaining watch.
(It should also be noted that Hou Minghao sang the show’s haunting love song “If Your World Had No Sunshine”, which seemed to take on a life of its own upon each listen. Hou Minghao is a stunning vocalist, having contributed OST’s to nearly every project in which he was cast as a principal character. He also just embarked on a 6-city concert tour in 2026 showcasing his powerful and captivating vocals.)
“Our Movie” (Disney+)
Truly unexpected was the Disney+ drama series “Our Movie” starring Jeon Yeo Been and Namkoong Min, which focused on the last days of an aspiring actress living with a terminal illness who meets a tormented film director, looking to cast-off the legacy of his famous film-making father. The show manages to focus on the micro-story of their connection and slow-blossoming romance throughout the casting and film-making process, which they desperately race to make before her time runs out. For a terminal-illness type film, the series actually feels so full of love and hope that is practically sparkles with the love of life. As a bonus, the performances of Jeon Yeo Been and Namkoong Min are master-class perfection. Every micro expression and shared moment was so moving and powerful. You could just feel their characters’ magnetic pull as they even tried to resist it. Yet destiny and love cannot be denied. Even when time is short, it is still so sweet to savor every precious moment. That celebration of life and love was truly beautiful to behold.
“The First Frost” (Netflix)
While backdropped by harrowing themes of assault and stalking, this is actually a lush love story. “The First Frost” smartly keeps its focus on its charming lead characters and their warm friends surrounding them. Plus, starring Bai JingTing and Zhang RuoNan, it is impossible to not fall under their soft and sweet spell. Their love story unfolds over a large span of time with multiple misunderstandings and separations, but the series is so compelling that you are riveted following their tumultuous journey and how they never wavered in their deep love for each other. To offset the darker situations and painful separations, woven through the story is so much affectionate humor and love. That warmth carries the show and keeps the viewer fully engaged. Also, stars Bai JingTing and Zhang RuoNan delivered top tier performances as they had the tricky task of making this characters so captivating — on which they delivered and made it a must-see series.
“Our Unwritten Seoul” (Netflix)
My top pick for drama of the year, “Our Unwritten Seoul” won Baeksang awards for lead actress Park Bo Young and director Park Shin-woo, as well as a Baeksang nomination for screenwriter Lee Kang. Throughout the series, it was delightful and engrossing to watch Park Bo Young portray twins, who swap lives in order to find a way forward out of their seemingly trapped lives. The themes of cocooning to heal and finding the courage to finally break free was so heart-warming. You wept with the twin sisters and cheered with them and wished the world for both of Park Bo Young’s characters: Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae. Special mention to co-star Park Jin-young (singer from Kpop group GOT7), whose scenes with each of the twins was both endearing and adorable. His natural warmth and gentleness brought out lovely nuances in his scenes with each twin.
“The Prisoner of Beauty” (Viki)
Running away with over a dozen awards, “The Prisoner of Beauty” took everyone by surprise. Cleverly written, even more expertly portrayed with superb casting and character, this series just unfolded an epic tale of enemies-to-lovers who overcame massive personal and political obstacles in a time of rural warring factions in ancient China. Stars Song Zeur and Liu Yuning paired perfectly and seamlessly encapsulated themselves in their strong-willed and ferocious characters who found a way to compromise and slowly fall in love. The love story is only a part of this massive in scope and scale series with richly fleshed-out secondary and side-characters. The story also has fantastic sets, cinematography and scoring. Truly earned every one of its awards.
“Marry My Husband” (Japanese version, Amazon Prime)
A smart, fast-paced remake of the Korean drama of the same name, “Marry My Husband” (aka: “Watashi No Otto To Kekkon Shite”) starring Koshiba Fuka and Satoh Takeru is worth watching even for those who watched the Kdrama version. Such a pleasure watching the subtle magnetism of both Koshiba Fuka and Satoh Takeru brought to their characters. Plus, always fun with a story of a woman getting a second chance to re-live her life with the knowledge of who she can really trust and how to outmaneuver the evil schemers who have infected her life.
Interestingly, this is a Japanese version but it hired a South Korean director to make this series, which integrated a lot of Kdrama-style film-making into a Japanese series. That style added a bit more softness and smoother transition between scenes and character interaction than is typically used in Japanese series. I applaud this trend as it makes it an easier transition for Kdrama watchers to appreciate.
“Fated Hearts” (iQiYi)
As a total guilty-pleasure type of story, as an enemies-to-lovers series, “Fated Hearts” (aka: “Wan Xin Ji”) is a bit scintillating. It uses a lot of stylized violence and leans a bit into erotic fantasies, yet it works quite well. Fast-paced and well-balanced with a large cast of characters and settings, “Fated Hearts” keeps the viewer engrossed in how these scheming and warring factions come together to find out who their true enemies are. The strength of the series rests on its superior cast. They make these larger-than-life characters feel real, desirable, and worth rooting for. It makes this list for making the effort to empower all of its female characters. They are fully-formed and are making decisions for themselves, and yet with consequences. There is also the sense that these women are equals, in every sense, to their male counterparts and are treated as such. That emphasis on equality and empowerment elevates the story and the characters. The show is also a fantastic rewatch. It knows that its purpose is to entertain, and it does that abundantly.
“MurderBot” (Season 1, AppleTV+)
A robot who becomes sentient and goes on a killing spree and then has to be reassigned to help a rather clueless bunch of explorer scientists is a strong foundation for a comedy series. What is wonderful is how it becomes enamored with human emotions and strives to be more human-like with human connections. “MurderBot” also depicts women as fully-formed and well-fleshed out characters who are equal in all situations in this futuristic world of artificial intelligence and human-like robot droids. The moral quandaries and questions it addresses are hilarious. Using humor to tackle the thorny issues of what makes each of us human and what duties do we owe each other made for a delightful series. So much heart. So much laughter. So much to ponder and marvel at.
“Glass Heart” (Netflix)
Making a band has never looked this heart-warming while offering such an authentic look at how band members come together despite various backgrounds and ambitions to create remarkable and moving music. “Glass Heart” is quasi-documentary feeling, while completely fictional and over the top at the same time. Well-written and exceptionally performed, the characters have a human heart feeling to each of them and you find yourself rooting for them.
This is the second series on this list featuring Japanese star Satoh Takeru, who is well-known in Japan, but knew to me. Such charisma just captivates. His intensity and soft-spoken characters are such an enigma. It just leaps off the screen and pulls you right into the world through his characters. He also has special connection and chemistry with each character (by extension, actor or actress) that he interacts. But for this series, it was his tenderness and undercurrent of warm affection with costar Miyazaki Yu as they work together and their character’s fall in love that imprints so strongly on the soul.
“Coroner’s Diary” (iQiYi)
“The Legend of the Female General” (Viki/iQiYi)
“Legend of Zang Hai”
******
In the interest of transparency, I have provided a short explanation of how this Top 10 list was curated. I watched approximately 263 shows in 2024: 112 U.S. dramas, 98 Korean dramas, 39 Chinese dramas, 14 Japanese dramas.
I made a diligent effort to watch new shows to keep up with current watching trends and to see what captured zeitgeist interest and to get to know the spectrum of talent being brought to life on screen (streaming, cable and broadcast).
As discovered since 2020, the online streaming platforms (Netflix, AppleTV+, Amazon Prime, Hulu/Disney+, Paramount+, Viki, iQiYi) continued to dominate, and provided some of the best serialized shows as each expanded their current content to include international series. Accordingly, this is my sixth year including South Korean international shows (K-dramas) and my first year including dramas from both China (C-dramas) and Japan (J-dramas). It is challenging, yet exciting, to explore the world of international series as streaming platforms continue to add these series to their curated libraries for U.S. viewers to explore and enjoy.
Culture critics (aka “entertainment critics” formerly known as “television critics”) continue to be challenged to watch and assess a large volume of U.S. shows as well as international shows to come up with a “Top 10” list. Thus, to be a bit more transparent, when assessing shows that I watch, I tried to be fair about which shows I enjoyed watching and the reasons why I spent my time with these shows. Thus, I have done my best to weigh each on a fair scale to select series that earned a spot in my “Top 10” list, based on the following criteria:
• fearless storytelling
• highly entertaining
• consistency
• water-cooler factor
• clearly ascertainable “hero” and “heart”
• strong, complex, well-developed female characters
• empowered female characters
To briefly explain:
“Fearlessness” in storytelling means a willingness to tackle the topic or subject of its story head-on with no regrets.
“Highly entertaining” is pretty self-explanatory — the viewing audience must enjoy watching the show and not just endure it.
“Consistency” means that each episode must stand on its own. Lots of serialized shows have one or two great episodes and then fall-off the creative-cliff for the rest of the season. So maintaining the momentum of a strong, well-written season is crucial as well.
The “water-cooler” factor is also essential. People must be talking about the show. It must be part of the zeitgeist and inspiring passion in those who watch it.
There had to be a clear “hero” and a reason to care about the characters — the “heart”. There are simply too many shows that forget we want to root for someone and we want to care about the characters.
Finally, the show had to not only have strong, well-developed female roles, it had to empower those female characters. This should be a given in any show, but now more than ever, this criteria needs to be recognized as crucial to any top show. This criteria actually sets a high bar and it made it a bit easier to see which shows truly earned a spot on my “Top 10” list for 2025.
Here is to looking forward to all the exciting new and returning U.S. and international shows in 2026.
*****