Entertainment Weekly Ranks ‘Severance’ as Top TV Show of 2025

Entertainment Weekly crowns ‘Severance’ the premier television series of 2025 for its fusion of workplace satire and existential sci-fi. The Apple TV+ drama delivers long-awaited resolutions to its severance procedure mysteries while delving deeper into corporate dystopia. Adam Scott leads as Mark Scout, whose innie-outie divide unravels amid Lumon Industries’ mind games.

Season 2 spans 10 episodes, released weekly from January through March on Apple TV+. Creators Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller expand the roster with Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick and new layers for Dichen Lachman’s Ms. Casey. Production filmed across Atlanta soundstages over 20 weeks, incorporating 450 visual effects shots for the severed consciousness sequences.

The series garners 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from 120 critic reviews, lauding its thematic depth on labor alienation. Viewership averages 12 million global streams per episode, per Nielsen data, boosting Apple TV+ subscriptions by 15 percent in Q1. Emmy campaigns target 12 categories, including Outstanding Drama Series for Erickson.

‘Task’ secures second place with its Philadelphia-set thriller tracking a rogue FBI agent. Mark Ruffalo portrays Father Michael Torres, a grief-stricken priest enlisting Tom Pelphrey’s criminal for vigilante justice. The HBO limited series unfolds across eight 55-minute installments, blending procedural chases with moral quandaries.

Directors Alma Har’el and Craig Zobel oversee location shoots in Kensington neighborhoods, capturing 200 hours of raw footage. Pelphrey’s performance draws Golden Globe buzz for portraying Eddie Quinn’s reluctant redemption arc. The show logs 8.5 million U.S. households in its April premiere week.

Third-ranked ‘Abbott Elementary’ cements its mockumentary dominance in Season 4. Quinta Brunson directs three episodes as Janine Teagues, navigating teacher burnout amid budget cuts. ABC airs 22 half-hour segments from October to May, featuring a guest arc by Charlie Day from ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’

The ensemble, including Tyler James Williams and Sheryl Lee Ralph, films in a recreated Philly school with 150 extras per scene. It holds a 95 percent audience score, with 7 million live-plus-seven viewers per episode. The series wins its second Peabody Award for equity portrayals.

‘Alien: Earth’ claims fourth for revitalizing the franchise on FX. Sydney Chandler stars as Wendy, a synthetics engineer clashing with Timothy Olyphant’s corporate fixer over xenomorph outbreaks. Noah Hawley’s 10-episode arc, budgeted at $200 million, deploys practical effects for 300 creature encounters.

Filming spans New Zealand’s Fiordland for Earth-colony sets, wrapping principal photography in July. The series premieres to 5.2 million viewers, exceeding ‘Prey’ metrics by 20 percent. Hulu streams episodes 24 hours post-cable, amassing 40 million hours watched in week one.

Apple TV+’s ‘The Studio’ rounds out the comedy vanguard at fifth. Seth Rogen embodies Matt Remick, a studio head juggling A-lister egos in a 30-minute format across 12 episodes. Writers integrate cameos from Seth Meyers and Kristen Wiig, satirizing IP chases with 50 scripted pitch meetings.

Production utilizes Hollywood backlots for authenticity, recording improv sessions totaling 80 hours. It sweeps 13 Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy, from 23 nods announced in September. Streaming peaks at 9 million weekly users, per Parrot Analytics demand rankings.

HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt’ earns sixth for its ER realism, starring Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby Robinavitch in real-time shifts. The medical ensemble covers 15-hour episodes through a Pittsburgh trauma center, highlighting staffing shortages with 120 scripted procedures. Creator John Wells draws from ‘ER’ archives for procedural accuracy.

Filmed in continuous takes averaging 45 minutes, the series employs 200 medical consultants. It debuts to 6.8 million viewers in February, sustaining a 4.2 rating in 18-49 demographics. Critics note its 92 percent approval for systemic critiques.

Disney+’s ‘Andor’ Season 2 vaults to seventh, chronicling Cassian Andor’s radicalization across five time jumps. Diego Luna anchors the 12-episode arc with Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, featuring 400 stormtrooper extras in Imperial assaults. Tony Gilroy’s script builds to ‘Rogue One’ convergence, emphasizing rebel cell dynamics.

Lucasfilm stages shoots in Scotland’s Highlands for 150 days, integrating ILM holograms for 250 effects. The season streams to 11 million global households in its November drop, earning 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It positions for three Saturn Award wins in sci-fi categories.

Netflix’s ‘Dept. Q’ takes eighth with its Nordic noir import, led by Matthew Goode as Detective Carl Morck. The cold-case unit probes a 20-year-old disappearance across six 50-minute episodes, blending forensics with ensemble backstories. Showrunner Scott Frank adapts Jussi Adler-Olsen’s novels, incorporating Danish locations dubbed in English.

Production logs 90 shooting days in Copenhagen and London, with 180 investigative props. Premiere viewership hits 14 million in 28 days, topping Netflix’s international drama charts. The series scores 89 percent critic consensus for procedural tension.

CBS’s ‘Beyond the Gates’ breaks daytime drought at ninth, the first new soap since 1999. Keith Robinson headlines as Detective Marcus Dupree in a Maryland Black suburb saga spanning 260 episodes yearly. Soapy arcs include illicit affairs and inheritance twists, airing weekdays at 1 p.m. ET.

Filmed in Atlanta studios with 50 cast regulars, it revives serial format with 40 percent serialized plots. Debut ratings average 2.1 million viewers, up 25 percent from ‘The Young and the Restless’ slot. It garners NAACP Image Award nomination for ensemble representation.

‘Pluribus’ closes the top ten from Apple TV+, Vince Gilligan’s post-apocalyptic mind-meld tale. Rhea Seehorn plays survivor Elena, resisting a viral collective in 10 hour-long chapters. The narrative shifts from quarantine horror to philosophical debates, with 300 practical virus effects.

Shot in New Mexico deserts over 16 weeks, it features improvised dialogues totaling 60 pages. Global streams reach 10.5 million per episode, per Luminate data. Critics acclaim its 94 percent score for exploring autonomy themes.

The list underscores 2025’s genre diversity, from prestige dramas to network staples. EW editors evaluated over 500 series based on innovation and impact. Viewer engagement metrics influence rankings, with streaming data weighted at 40 percent. Broader trends favor limited series, comprising 60 percent of top entries.