A total knockout!' The best television you never watched in 2025

"In a bizarre move, Netflix released this series by Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda the Palme d'Or winner renowned for movies such as Shoplifters and Nobody Knows with absolutely no fanfare this year. But Asura was a total knockout a rich and sumptuously shot drama about four sisters in the 70s who discover that their dad has been having a lifelong affair. It was so good, in fact, that it might even be the most beautiful show they've ever released."

"Not content with creating TV's best sitcom about life as a young, 2020s US Muslim, Ramy Youssef decided to create TV's best sitcom about life as a super-young 00s US Muslim. Packed with retro references to appeal to nostalgic millennials, and full of dark comedy about the US's anti-Muslim bent in the wake of 9/11, it was a idiosyncratically satirical joy. Easily one of the funniest shows of the year. Watch it on Prime Video."

"It's not often that the year's best conspiracy thriller is a cartoon. But that might just be the case, given the phenomenal watchability of Mike Judge's animated tale of fungi expert Marshall, who finds a mushroom that cures all illnesses and even brings people back from the dead. When big pharma weigh in to stop his discovery ruining their profits, it becomes a wild, blackly comic tale of guns, death and love."

Netflix quietly released Hirokazu Kore-eda's Asura, a richly shot, lush drama about four sisters in the 1970s who discover their father’s lifelong affair. Asura offers sumptuous visuals and emotional depth, and it stands out as possibly the most beautiful show released on the platform. Ramy Youssef produced a nostalgic, satirical sitcom about early-2000s US Muslim life, full of retro references and dark comedy addressing anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11. Mike Judge created an animated conspiracy thriller about a fungi expert whose mushroom cures illnesses and revives the dead, prompting a clash with big pharma. Mix Tape delivered a gorgeous romantic drama that revived mixtape nostalgia.

Read at www.theguardian.com