The best shows and movies to stream on Netflix in 2025

Netflix has had an interesting year. Its advertising category, introduced last year, has grown significantly, and the live TV initiative has expanded to include not only outlandish matches like hot dog-eating grudge matches but also WWE programming. take Demon hunters in kpop Taking the equivalent of $200 in a bag of potato chips off Sony’s hands also turns out to be a very smart move for Netflix. The animated film about K-Pop stars chasing demons has become the most-watched film in the platform’s history and a global cultural phenomenon in its own right. The theatrical release of the musical sold out, songs from the film sat comfortably atop the music charts for weeks, and we got Huntr/x in Fortnite and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade just months after the film’s release.

but Demon hunters in kpop It wasn’t the only quality offering from the streamers this year. Here’s a list of the best Netflix movies of 2025.

Sean Combs: The Account

There are two life lessons to take away from this documentary: Don’t be a horrible aggressor and never take the piss out of a self-described petty guy with money to burn. This four-part documentary series, directed by Alex Stapleton and produced by Lifetime Achievement Hall of Famer Hater Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, chronicles the rise of Sean “P Diddy” Combs from music video character actor, to hip-hop mogul, to convicted felon.

The documentary features new interviews from former partners, employees and friends who claim everything from cheating business partners out of their cut to knowing if not outright arranging the hit that killed Tupac Shakur. This isn’t a “fun” hour, so heed the content warnings, but if you want a brief description of where Combs is coming from and how the hip-hop business can turn men into monsters, here’s a helpful overview.

There is little I can say about it Demon hunters in kpop“Brilliance that hasn’t already been said. So I’ll let what’s been said speak for it:

Rian Johnson Knives out The series has once again delivered a very funny and intensely poignant murder. Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc oozes Southern charm, aided by a cast that includes Josh Brolin as an ardent Catholic priest and Glenn Close as his secretary. Josh O’Connor provides some lovely moments as a novice priest struggles to find meaning to his faith, creating an interesting tension against Blanc’s cold, bleak logic. With them working together, The dead man woke up It becomes an enjoyable story that examines the purpose that faith can bring in our lives.

The only thing director Guillermo del Toro would do is make a lavish, lavish film with gorgeous props and costumes. but Frankenstein It’s not just a visual treat. Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monster give stunning performances that ground the film’s late Victorian aesthetic while resonating with today’s stories. Quote Quote Did you know that man uses technology irresponsibly to create something he does not understand and in his arrogance tries to control the matter which ends up destroying his life and others? Not this Frankenstein Is there any symbolism to this day? numerous Applications.

And while we have many Frankenstein Adaptations, there’s nothing like watching GDT in action. You just know this guy is going to grab all the production designers, makeup artists, and clients, give them some money, and basically say “cook,” and damn if they don’t do exactly that.

The Great British Baking Show

I live for The Great British Baking Show (known as Great British Bread outside the United States). When the sun begins to set at 4:30 p.m. and seasonal influence begins to disrupt my life, I’m okay because I know this means… Bread display season. This year, the show did some interesting things with the format, experimenting with new variations of the show’s artistic challenge where bakers are tasked with making something with abstract directions. I hope the challenges don’t focus too much on desserts, but it’s always fun to hear about the weird names the Brits give their pastries. There’s no way in a logical world that an oat bar like this could be called a flapjack – it doesn’t even flap! Honestly, screaming about how wrong British English is is as much fun as watching the amateur bakers themselves.

The first half of the final season of Strange things It’s over, and while we can dispute whether or not this is quality TV, it’s good for one specific reason: it finally ends. The show starts out really strong, telling a fun story about kids saving the world from adults trying to destroy it. But that kind of storytelling has been lost in the near decade between season one and now — even though the Duffer Brothers want us to believe it’s only been four years since Will first went to the Upside Down. It’s okay for stories to end, and I’m glad we had the opportunity to end this show on a high note by refocusing on what made it great in the first place — the kids who get involved.

Squid game is another Netflix hit that ended this year. Ji Hoon/Player 456 (Lee Jung Jae) returns to Mr. Beast’s Murder Island to expose the organizers of the deadly games once and for all. He befriends another group of desperate people willing to do anything for life-changing amounts of cash, and as in the first two seasons, harsh To watch the matches destroyed one by one.

Just under 200 days later, James Garfield had the second-shortest term for an American president, and I was truly impressed to watch Death by lightning A sketch of his rise to office and his tragic fall by an assassin’s bullet. As is the case with FrankensteinNetflix is ​​back on schedule with an apt metaphor for current events. Death by lightningGee takes a look at how inflammatory political rhetoric, like the kind his party fomented against Garfield, can lead to violence.

But more than just insightful political commentary, it’s the performances that make this show. Michael Shannon gives Garfield a salt-of-the-earth quality that makes you root hard for him. Shea Whigham entered his villainous character actor era playing New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, and Matthew “Mr. Darcy/Tom Wampsgans” Macfadyen gives a heartbreaking performance playing Garfield’s killer Charles Guiteau.

The show’s best moments come from Nick Offerman as Garfield’s reluctant deputy chief, Chester Arthur. Offerman as Arthur is the Ron Swanson of the Regency era. Throughout most of the show’s four episodes, Offerman was either drunk, fighting, raving about hot dogs, or some combination of the three. This guy has so much fun chewing the scenery in a top hat and lamb chops, I would really love to see an entire White House sitcom with him as the star.