“A pint-sized murder mystery, a searing Spike Lee-directed doc entry and a bittersweetly hilarious Thanksgiving rank among THR critics’ favorite small-screen chapters of the year. Published on December 18, 2025 From left: ‘Overcompensating,’ ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘The Last of Us.’ Courtesy of Prime; Gilles Mingasson/Disney; Liane Hentscher/HBO There are times, watching a TV show, when”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
A pint-sized murder mystery, a searing Spike Lee-directed doc entry and a bittersweetly hilarious Thanksgiving rank among THR critics’ favorite small-screen chapters of the year.
Published on December 18, 2025
From left: ‘Overcompensating,’ ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘The Last of Us.’ Courtesy of Prime; Gilles Mingasson/Disney; Liane Hentscher/HBO
There are times, watching a TV show, when it seems obvious which chapter is meant to be the season’s big standout.
They’re the splashy ones that spotlight a side character, or bring in a big A-list name, or drop a shocking twist that scrambles the chess board for good. Then there are the quieter installments that do none of those things, but simply represent the show at its best, with everyone in front of and behind the camera firing on all cylinders.
Our annual list of favorite episodes of the year contains some of both, hailing from a similarly vast range of networks, genres and overall vibes. What it doesn’t contain are titles we’ve already included in either of our top 10 lists or our “favorite performances” list. It’s not that we weren’t wowed by Andor‘s harrowing Ghorman massacre or The Rehearsal‘s deranged deep dive into Sully Sullenberger’s autobiography or Severance‘s surreal ORTBO — just that with so much to celebrate, we’d prefer to spread the wealth.
With that said, here are 10 individual episodes that stayed with us all year.
- “Ballgame,” Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Image Credit: Gilles Mingasson/Disney On Aug. 28, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies became just the 21st baseball player to ever hit four homers in a single game. Wholly coincidentally, the cast and crew of Abbott Elementary were shooting an episode at Citizens Bank Park that night and became a piece of history, even getting a cameo from the game’s star, who has likable chemistry with the entire ensemble, especially Sheryl Lee Ralph. The episode features Janine’s growing excitement for baseball, Ava’s desperation to appear on the Kiss-Cam and an unfolding mystery regarding whether or not Mr. Johnson is actually the Phillie Phanatic. Hopefully Schwarber, freshly re-signed with the Phillies for five additional seasons, will get to make a return appearance on what has become the best show on broadcast TV. — DANIEL FIENBERG
- “Neverland,” Alien: Earth (FX) Image Credit: Patrick Brown/FX The closest Noah Hawley’s sci-fi spinoff gets to feeling like its 1979 foremother is arguably “The Fly,” a thrilling mid-season flashback that’s basically just Alien on another ship. But for my money, the most interesting additions to this franchise have always been the ones trying to do something different. “Neverland,” the dazzling series premiere, delivered on old-school xenomorph violence while also introducing several fresh elements to play with — from new types of synthetic beings (including “Wendy,” played by a magnetic Sydney Chandler) to new creatures (including the gross-adorable-terrifying “eye midge”) to a new iteration of the universe’s ongoing exploration of the bottomless greed of corporations, here represented by (among others) Samuel Blenkin’s wunderkind CEO. It was a hell of a way to set the tone, and a reminder of this Alienlike all the best Aliens, is most interested in doing its own thing. — AH
- “Worms,” The Bear (FX/Hulu) Image Credit: FX Sensitively written by series co-stars Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce, attentively directed by Janicza Bravo, this Syd-centric episode was the highlight of the uneven (but I would say still generally strong) fourth season of The Bear. Edebiri also shines in front of the camera as Syd visits a cousin (Danielle Deadwyler, excellent) to get her hair done and ends up babysitting her daughter (Arion King, terrific as well), using the afternoon as a safe space for a cooking lesson and an opportunity to work through her professional options. It’s a side of Syd that the show has never been able to present before, and leads to an episode of beautiful details and funny, touching moments free of the bombast that typically emerges from family gatherings on The Bear. (Don’t take that to mean that I didn’t love “Bears,” with its parade of guest stars and a magical expanding table.) — DF
- “The Gang Gets Ready for Prime Time,” It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) Image Credit: Patrick McElhenney/FX It was a stealthily great 17th season for FX’s venerable comedy, with at least three or four episodes worthy of consideration for this list. Edging out the wildly manic “Max and Dennis Become EMTs” and the faux-somber, twisty “Frank Is in a Coma” is this semi-bottle episode, in which the gang goes through a variety of practice dinners ahead of what they hope will be a life-changing home visit tied to Frank’s run on The Golden Bachelor. An absurd takeoff on The Rehearsalthe series of preparatory meals, scored by a test audience, offers viewers the hilarity of Mac’s attempt at a very heterosexual flip, Charlie’s accidental baldness, and Dee’s stabs at first edgy then clean comedy. Best of all, though, is Dennis’ closing speech to the focus group, exposing all of his insecurities in creepy and deranged ways. Glenn Howerton, Rob Mac, Kaitlin Olson and Charlie Day are at their best here, reminding us of the injustice that no member of the ensemble has ever been nominated for a Sunny Emmy. — DF
- “God Takes Care of Fools and Babies,” Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (Netflix) Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Television did well by the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this fall — especially NatGeo’s Race Against Time and Netflix’s three-parter Katrina: Come Hell and High Water. The first two episodes, directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles, respectively, are very good, but it’s the Spike Lee-directed third installment that’s the showstopper. With When the Levees Broke and If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Riseboth made for HBO, Lee was already our foremost chronicler of the man-made tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina; in these 88 minutes, he turns primarily to the struggles to rebuild New Orleans post-Katrina. Beautifully made and filled with rage, the chapter examines all the ways the bureaucracy in NOLA failed to learn from the catastrophe, the complicated institutional impediments to the city’s recovery, and why a healthy New Orleans is essential to the country. — DF
- “Bobby Gets Grilled,” King of the Hill (Hulu) Image Credit: Mike Judge/Disney Returning on Hulu for its 14th season, 15 years after it last aired on Fox, King of the Hill faced the challenge of updating itself for the present day without losing sight of the series it once was. But under new showrunner Saladin K. Patterson, the animated comedy passed the test with flying colors. The hilarious and heartwarming “Bobby Gets Grilled” is perhaps the best example of that new balance, weaving very 2025 conversations about cultural appropriation and conspiracy theories with classic elements like Hank’s undying devotion to propane, Dale’s unhinged understanding of US history (“He’s for entertainment purposes only,” Hank scolds intrigued listeners) and, ultimately, Hank’s love for a son who’s grown from a boy who “ain’t right” to a man he’s willing to admit has a point. “This really shouldn’t work, but it does,” marvels Bobby’s sous-chef at his signature Japanese-German fusion dish. The same could be said of season 14 itself, a winning blend of tradition and modernity. — AH
- “Through the Valley,” The Last of Us (HBO) Image Credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO It was a frequently frustrating second season for HBO’s mushroom zombie opus, which struggled to reproduce the shifting perspective of the games for television, resulting in seven disjointed and ultimately truncated episodes. But man, when this show hits its mark, it’s hard to beat. The second episode, written by Craig Mazin and directed by Mark Mylod, is better known as The Episode Where the Thing Fans of the Game Knew Was Coming Finally Happened — and because of That Thing, boosted by heartbreaking work from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, it’s an effective hour-long gut-punch. Somehow, though, in addition to delivering one of the show’s toughest emotional blows, “Through the Valley” also features its biggest zombie moment to date, with the arrival of a mind-boggling horde of the undead from beneath the snow, swarming on the peaceful town of Jackson. Epic and intimate, it’s the rare chapter capable of matching a daunting avalanche of pre-episode hype and post-episode discourse. — DF
- “Welcome to the Black Parade,” Overcompensating (Amazon Prime Video) Image Credit: Courtesy of Prime The chronology of Benito Skinner’s Amazon Prime comedy may not always add up — would will a college junior in 2025 describe herself as “an Ashlee Simpson girl”? — but it hardly matters when its best chapters tap into something timeless. The Thanksgiving episode sees siblings Benny and Grace (with his buddy Carmen in tow) headed home to Idaho, where they’re forced to confront hometown gossips, a thwarted romance and parents, played by guest stars Kyle MacLachlan and Connie Britton, who’ve opted to fill their now-empty nest with garish accent walls and puppies named after Maroon 5 songs. Culminating in a thrillingly unhinged karaoke performance from Grace — who’s decided she’s done giving a crap what others think — and a sweet makeout sesh for Benny with the high-school crush (Lukas Gage) he wasn’t brave enough to act on earlier, the funny yet oddly touching chapter absolutely nails the strangeness of that first trip back from school, when you’re struck simultaneously by how much has changed and how much seems like it never will. — AH
- “Jeopardy,” Platonic (Apple TV) Image Credit: Apple TV+ Throughout the first season of Apple TV’s PlatonicLuke Macfarlane’s Charlie was the steady one, the responsible lawyer holding down the fort as his wife (Rose Byrne’s Sylvia) and her bestie (Seth Rogen’s Will) spun out. In season two, however, it’s finally Charlie’s turn this midlife crisis, and Macfarlane takes the ball and runs with it. “Jeopardy” opens with his comically disastrous appearance on his favorite game show and ends with him limping home after breaking and entering into the home of an exec he hopes can get his episode pulled. Not only is this installment a fantastic one for the rare pairing of Will and Charlie — the latter of whom is spiraling so badly after a few stolen seltzers that Will emerges as the voice of reason — it’s a fun showcase for Macfarlane’s physical comedy, from his slack-jawed panic at the TV taping to his flailing attempts to climb over a wall after “maxing out” on the bench press a bit too hard earlier. — AH
- “Sloppy Joseph,” Poker Face (Peacock) Image Credit: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK By now, the rhythms of Rian Jonson’s howcatchem are comforting in their familiarity. Every hour, we watch one person murder another, and then Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale and her bullshit detector swoop in to unmask the killer and dole out some form of justice. “Sloppy Joseph,” guest-starring Lyonne’s Slums of Beverly Hills co-star David Krumholtz and her Orange Is the New Black co-star Adrienne C. Moore, along with Margo Martindale, tweaks the formula just slightly — by making the victim “Joseph Gerbils,” an awkwardly named class pet. But it’s enough to make the rest of the story feel thrillingly unpredictable, beginning with a kid’s-eye view that renders grownups into faceless torsos. Charlie, who’s taken a lunch lady job in a misguided attempt to tap into her childlike sense of wonder, faces off against one of her most memorably creepy perpetrators ever, a “pigtailed demon child” (Eva Jade Halford) who’ll stop at nothing for another gold star. The takeaway is clear: Underestimate the ruthlessness of elementary school students at your own peril. — AH
Image Credit: Gilles Mingasson/Disney On Aug. 28, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies became just the 21st baseball player to ever hit four homers in a single game. Wholly coincidentally, the cast and crew of Abbott Elementary were shooting an episode at Citizens Bank Park that night and became a piece of history, even getting a cameo from the game’s star, who has likable chemistry with the entire ensemble, especially Sheryl Lee Ralph. The episode features Janine’s growing excitement for baseball, Ava’s desperation to appear on the Kiss-Cam and an unfolding mystery regarding whether or not Mr. Johnson is actually the Phillie Phanatic. Hopefully Schwarber, freshly re-signed with the Phillies for five additional seasons, will get to make a return appearance on what has become the best show on broadcast TV. — DANIEL FIENBERG
Image Credit: Patrick Brown/FX The closest Noah Hawley’s sci-fi spinoff gets to feeling like its 1979 foremother is arguably “The Fly,” a thrilling mid-season flashback that’s basically just Alien on another ship. But for my money, the most interesting additions to this franchise have always been the ones trying to do something different. “Neverland,” the dazzling series premiere, delivered on old-school xenomorph violence while also introducing several fresh elements to play with — from new types of synthetic beings (including “Wendy,” played by a magnetic Sydney Chandler) to new creatures (including the gross-adorable-terrifying “eye midge”) to a new iteration of the universe’s ongoing exploration of the bottomless greed of corporations, here represented by (among others) Samuel Blenkin’s wunderkind CEO. It was a hell of a way to set the tone, and a reminder of this Alienlike all the best Aliens, is most interested in doing its own thing. — AH
Image Credit: FX Sensitively written by series co-stars Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce, attentively directed by Janicza Bravo, this Syd-centric episode was the highlight of the uneven (but I would say still generally strong) fourth season of The Bear. Edebiri also shines in front of the camera as Syd visits a cousin (Danielle Deadwyler, excellent) to get her hair done and ends up babysitting her daughter (Arion King, terrific as well), using the afternoon as a safe space for a cooking lesson and an opportunity to work through her professional options. It’s a side of Syd that the show has never been able to present before, and leads to an episode of beautiful details and funny, touching moments free of the bombast that typically emerges from family gatherings on The Bear. (Don’t take that to mean that I didn’t love “Bears,” with its parade of guest stars and a magical expanding table.) — DF
Image Credit: Patrick McElhenney/FX It was a stealthily great 17th season for FX’s venerable comedy, with at least three or four episodes worthy of consideration for this list. Edging out the wildly manic “Max and Dennis Become EMTs” and the faux-somber, twisty “Frank Is in a Coma” is this semi-bottle episode, in which the gang goes through a variety of practice dinners ahead of what they hope will be a life-changing home visit tied to Frank’s run on The Golden Bachelor. An absurd takeoff on The Rehearsalthe series of preparatory meals, scored by a test audience, offers viewers the hilarity of Mac’s attempt at a very heterosexual flip, Charlie’s accidental baldness, and Dee’s stabs at first edgy then clean comedy. Best of all, though, is Dennis’ closing speech to the focus group, exposing all of his insecurities in creepy and deranged ways. Glenn Howerton, Rob Mac, Kaitlin Olson and Charlie Day are at their best here, reminding us of the injustice that no member of the ensemble has ever been nominated for a Sunny Emmy. — DF
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Television did well by the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this fall — especially NatGeo’s Race Against Time and Netflix’s three-parter Katrina: Come Hell and High Water. The first two episodes, directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles, respectively, are very good, but it’s the Spike Lee-directed third installment that’s the showstopper. With When the Levees Broke and If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Riseboth made for HBO, Lee was already our foremost chronicler of the man-made tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina; in these 88 minutes, he turns primarily to the struggles to rebuild New Orleans post-Katrina. Beautifully made and filled with rage, the chapter examines all the ways the bureaucracy in NOLA failed to learn from the catastrophe, the complicated institutional impediments to the city’s recovery, and why a healthy New Orleans is essential to the country. — DF
Image Credit: Mike Judge/Disney Returning on Hulu for its 14th season, 15 years after it last aired on Fox, King of the Hill faced the challenge of updating itself for the present day without losing sight of the series it once was. But under new showrunner Saladin K. Patterson, the animated comedy passed the test with flying colors. The hilarious and heartwarming “Bobby Gets Grilled” is perhaps the best example of that new balance, weaving very 2025 conversations about cultural appropriation and conspiracy theories with classic elements like Hank’s undying devotion to propane, Dale’s unhinged understanding of US history (“He’s for entertainment purposes only,” Hank scolds intrigued listeners) and, ultimately, Hank’s love for a son who’s grown from a boy who “ain’t right” to a man he’s willing to admit has a point. “This really shouldn’t work, but it does,” marvels Bobby’s sous-chef at his signature Japanese-German fusion dish. The same could be said of season 14 itself, a winning blend of tradition and modernity. — AH
Image Credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO It was a frequently frustrating second season for HBO’s mushroom zombie opus, which struggled to reproduce the shifting perspective of the games for television, resulting in seven disjointed and ultimately truncated episodes. But man, when this show hits its mark, it’s hard to beat. The second episode, written by Craig Mazin and directed by Mark Mylod, is better known as The Episode Where the Thing Fans of the Game Knew Was Coming Finally Happened — and because of That Thing, boosted by heartbreaking work from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, it’s an effective hour-long gut-punch. Somehow, though, in addition to delivering one of the show’s toughest emotional blows, “Through the Valley” also features its biggest zombie moment to date, with the arrival of a mind-boggling horde of the undead from beneath the snow, swarming on the peaceful town of Jackson. Epic and intimate, it’s the rare chapter capable of matching a daunting avalanche of pre-episode hype and post-episode discourse. — DF
Image Credit: Courtesy of Prime The chronology of Benito Skinner’s Amazon Prime comedy may not always add up — would will a college junior in 2025 describe herself as “an Ashlee Simpson girl”? — but it hardly matters when its best chapters tap into something timeless. The Thanksgiving episode sees siblings Benny and Grace (with his buddy Carmen in tow) headed home to Idaho, where they’re forced to confront hometown gossips, a thwarted romance and parents, played by guest stars Kyle MacLachlan and Connie Britton, who’ve opted to fill their now-empty nest with garish accent walls and puppies named after Maroon 5 songs. Culminating in a thrillingly unhinged karaoke performance from Grace — who’s decided she’s done giving a crap what others think — and a sweet makeout sesh for Benny with the high-school crush (Lukas Gage) he wasn’t brave enough to act on earlier, the funny yet oddly touching chapter absolutely nails the strangeness of that first trip back from school, when you’re struck simultaneously by how much has changed and how much seems like it never will. — AH
Image Credit: Apple TV+ Throughout the first season of Apple TV’s PlatonicLuke Macfarlane’s Charlie was the steady one, the responsible lawyer holding down the fort as his wife (Rose Byrne’s Sylvia) and her bestie (Seth Rogen’s Will) spun out. In season two, however, it’s finally Charlie’s turn this midlife crisis, and Macfarlane takes the ball and runs with it. “Jeopardy” opens with his comically disastrous appearance on his favorite game show and ends with him limping home after breaking and entering into the home of an exec he hopes can get his episode pulled. Not only is this installment a fantastic one for the rare pairing of Will and Charlie — the latter of whom is spiraling so badly after a few stolen seltzers that Will emerges as the voice of reason — it’s a fun showcase for Macfarlane’s physical comedy, from his slack-jawed panic at the TV taping to his flailing attempts to climb over a wall after “maxing out” on the bench press a bit too hard earlier. — AH
Image Credit: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK By now, the rhythms of Rian Jonson’s howcatchem are comforting in their familiarity. Every hour, we watch one person murder another, and then Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale and her bullshit detector swoop in to unmask the killer and dole out some form of justice. “Sloppy Joseph,” guest-starring Lyonne’s Slums of Beverly Hills co-star David Krumholtz and her Orange Is the New Black co-star Adrienne C. Moore, along with Margo Martindale, tweaks the formula just slightly — by making the victim “Joseph Gerbils,” an awkwardly named class pet. But it’s enough to make the rest of the story feel thrillingly unpredictable, beginning with a kid’s-eye view that renders grownups into faceless torsos. Charlie, who’s taken a lunch lady job in a misguided attempt to tap into her childlike sense of wonder, faces off against one of her most memorably creepy perpetrators ever, a “pigtailed demon child” (Eva Jade Halford) who’ll stop at nothing for another gold star. The takeaway is clear: Underestimate the ruthlessness of elementary school students at your own peril. — AH
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