it’s 2026 and I am here to share the best shows I watched (and rewatched) in 2025! In this post, I will share a summary of the show, the platform it’s available on, and my reviews. My reviews are spoiler-free so enjoy and make sure to add these fantastic shows to your lists.

forever

summary: after reuniting as teens, two childhood friends fall in love and experience the joy and heartache of a first love.

platform: netflix 

episodes: 8 (S2 estimated 2027) 

link: forever

I first started watching Forever with my mom after hearing about its immediate success on Twitter/X. Even if I didn’t hear about it online, I would’ve still watched Forever because I absolutely must support the rising Black actors and actresses of this generation. There aren’t many young-adult dramas where the two leads are Black, and not simply side characters going through countless trials and tribulations with no resolve. 

Forever was literally the best show ever to grace my eyes and my tv screen. As soon as it started, I knew I was in for the long haul. In Episode 1, the main characters Keisha and Justin meet at a NYE party and as soon as they connect after the party, they’re texting each other cutely, and it’s so sweet. It’s amazing how a show can make you giddy through the screen.

Over the course of the season, Justin and Keisha’s relationship is tested as they attempt to handle other facets of their individual lives such as sports, academics, friendships, and their families. Justin is struggling academically ahead of college applications due to his ADHD, while Keisha is trying to focus on her sports to get a scholarship from Howard University. Of course, since it’s a romantic drama, there are push and pull factors. But Justin and Keisha always supported each other.

Justin and Keisha are absolutely my sweethearts. I rooted for their relationship all the way, and I loved seeing their family dynamics. I already miss them and this is definitely a drama I will watch again before S2 airs. I would recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys romance dramas.

the pitt

summary: the challenges of healthcare through the lens of doctors working in a modern-day hospital in pittsburgh, pennsylvania.

platform: hbo max

episodes: 15 

link: the pitt

I finally got an hbo max subscription just to watch The Pitt after hearing of its award-winning success on twitter. I already knew it was successful, but my mom and I watched it with an open mind. The fact that each episode of the 15-episode season was one hour of their 15-hour shift was absolutely GENIUS. Since we watched it when all the episodes were available on hbo max, we didn’t have to wait week by week. The suspense would’ve been through the roof if we watched it when it initially aired.

Without spoiling any of the mishaps and chaos, this drama definitely stressed me out. I could not imagine being a doctor or medical professional because although I am a creative problem solver, their problems would’ve given me major anxiety. I loved the diverse situations the doctors were faced with such as sudden death, making a mistake, and even a major crisis and tragedy. 

I especially loved the women of the show, especially the doctors of color, such as Dr. Collins, Dr. Santos, Dr. Mohan, and student doctor Javadi because those are my girls right there! I enjoyed seeing their experience on screen, and how they successfully navigate through their shift being underestimated or overlooked by fellow doctors or patients. I also loved the hints we get about the backstories of the doctors over the course of the season. 

Noah Wyle also put on an absolutely stunning performance as Dr. Robby because if I was in his shoes on this day, I would’ve quit my job, locked myself in the hospital storage closet to cry and possibly have a breakdown. 

Aside from the writing, the production of the show is absolutely wonderful because I felt like I was physically there in the hospital, right over their shoulders. I felt wrapped up in their chaos. I can’t imagine how difficult this show must’ve been to film since the camera feels so physically close to everyone on screen. 

I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves medical dramas! The Pitt puts all other medical dramas to shame, knocks it out of the park and is absolutely stunning.

harlem

summary: four friends graduate NYU and navigate their friendships, relationships and careers in harlem.

platform: amazon prime

episodes: 24 (3 seasons) 

link: harlem

The final season of Harlem aired this year, but I initially started watching it with my mom years ago on Amazon Prime. My mom and I were so excited to watch S3 since S2 ended on a cliffhanger. I love the ladies so much and I felt like Harlem was Sex and The City with Black women. Harlem kept me invested because all the ladies had their own careers, relationships and family dynamics which was beautiful to see. 

Harlem features four best friends, Camille, Quinn, Angie and Tye. Camille was an adjunct anthropology professor at Columbia, constantly going back and forth with her boyfriend Ian, while trying to become a permanent faculty member at Columbia. Quinn was an aspiring designer with a complex relationship with her family. She explored her sexuality, and what monogamy and ethical non-monogamy meant to her. Angie was an aspiring actress who focused on doing her stage plays, so she could become a big name while also balancing her romantic relationships. Lastly, Tye created an LGBTQ+ dating app, while trying to figure out their long-term dating goals as someone involved in hookup culture.

The fact that Harlem was cancelled was a personal attack against me! They deserved infinite seasons, and infinite brunch recap play-by-plays. This is definitely a drama I would rewatch in the future because it has its funny, serious and relatable moments. The episode my mom and I always talk about was when one of the ladies, Angie, was trying to find her ‘winter boo’ for cuffing season (winter). 

I would recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys dramas with a chaotic friend group navigating love, friendships and their career in a big city (NYC).

weak hero class 1 + weak hero class 2

summary: top student in his class refuses to back down against the bullies. instead, he uses his intelligence and psychology to fight against violence.

platform: netflix

episodes: 16 (2 seasons)

link:  weak hero

I first started watching when I saw Weak Hero Class 1 would be aired on Netflix ahead of S2’s release. I watched all the episodes back to back when I was dog-sitting for a family friend.  The main character, Yeon Sieun, is the weak hero. He’s the smartest student of his class and an outsider to his classmates. 

As soon as I started watching, I loved Sieun with his little sad eyes and sad face. All his classmates didn’t like him when he was just quiet and super smart. Everyone in class watched his every move, and talked about him every second. For example, one of the bullies was at the club, smoking and drinking with his friends talking about Sieun. I’m sure there were other topics they could’ve talked about instead of their award-winning classmate they don’t like.

Over time, Sieun befriends his classmate, Ahn Suho, after Suho defends him in a class fight. Suho is the strongest fighter in the class, often easily fighting back against the bullies. The first season definitely surprised me and I rooted for Sieun because he was just trying to make it through. His crash-outs were valid!

In Season 2, Sieun is at a new school, with new bullies that he must fight back against. At his new school, there is a gang called ‘The Union’ with nearly hundreds of members across all the boys’ schools in the city. The leader of the gang, Na Baekjin (actor Bae Nara) put on a stunning performance as he ran The Union. 

I definitely missed the characters when the show ended. Sieun’s friend group in S2 was so sweet, especially how Juntae followed Sieun around and claimed him as his new bestie. It was so cute because his new squad essentially took him under their wing, because they all had their charms and ways to defeat the bullies.

I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves dramatic k-dramas packed with action.

found

summary: the twisted drama follows PR specialist and her team who work to find missing people.

platform: peacock & netflix 

episodes: 35 (2 seasons)

link: found

I vividly remember telling my mom about this new show on NBC called Found when I heard about it in 2023. Found stars Shanola Hampton, a PR specialist who finds missing people and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, her kidnapper from when she was a child who is locked up in her basement and secretly assists with her cases. I was immediately invested because I was curious to see Shanola Hampton in a serious role, since I was familiar with her as Veronica on Shameless.

My mom and I watched the episodes every week and loved it! We were so excited when it was renewed for S2. In Found, Gabi Mosely runs a firm that assists in finding missing people. Her team consists of Dhan, Lacey, Margaret, Zeke and Trent. Dhan, a former kidnapping victim, provides physical security to the team. Lacey, a major piece of Gabi’s past, is the team’s legal assistant even though she is still a law student. Margaret, the mother of a kidnapping victim, uses her observant and perceptive skills as a detective and analyst for the team. Zeke, another former kidnapping victim, is their tech expert with major digital investigative skills. Lastly, Trent is an official missing persons Detective with the city’s police department, and an unofficial case liaison with Gabi’s firm.

I loved the diverse characters they interacted with and how diverse their team was. One episode I really enjoyed was when they raced to find a missing homeless person who was a prominent figure in the city’s homeless encampment community. 

Back to the fact that her captor is locked up in her basement, Gabi wrestled on whether to just kill him there, or let him continue to assist with cases since he was very smart. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was in her shoes. Over the course of the show, I was kept on the edge of my seat.

the resident

summary: a medical student learns tough lessons under the supervision of a senior resident.

platform: netflix & hulu

episodes: 107 (6 seasons) 

link: the resident

Since all my other shows were on hiatus, I needed another medical drama to watch and The Resident caught my attention. The show starts with innocent naive intern, Devon Pravesh on his first day following the guidance of charming senior resident, Dr. Conrad Hawkins. I was immediately invested as the team had to handle patient death on the first day, along with investigating medical malpractice. 

Over the six seasons, we see characters come and go, with chaos facing mass casualty events, COVID-19, addictions, immigration, the hospital’s medical reputation and more. I loved seeing the growth of the characters over the six seasons. Six seasons of medical drama is definitely too heavy to rewatch but I did enjoy it. 

One of my favorite characters was Dr. AJ Austin, played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner (may he rest in peace). He was confident in his abilities, one of the best doctors at Chastain.

I would recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys medical dramas.

the flash (s1+ s2) rewatch

summary: a crime scene investigator, Barry Allen, gains super human speed and uses those powers to fight criminals.

platform:  netflix 

episodes: 46 (2 seasons) 

link: the flash

I first watched The Flash in 2016-2017 in my first year of college. Since The Flash finally ended with a total of 9 seasons, now was the time for a rewatch. One day, I will eventually watch all the way through to the end. So far, I think I’ve only seen up to S4 or S5.

Upon my rewatch, I remembered all the things I love about The Flash. I love the dynamics between Barry, and his S.T.A.R labs teammates. I love Barry and Iris, especially nerdy Barry from Earth-2, since he was so cute and dorky. I loved the reveals of Reverse Flash, and Harrison Wells and how everything is not always as it seems. Lastly, I love Cisco’s one-liners because he is absolutely hilarious. It’s also wild to think that I first watched The Flash when I was 17 years old and now I’m nearly the same age as Barry when he becomes the Flash. 

I plan on continuing my rewatch because the villains get more sinister and devious as the seasons go on and my all-time favorite villain is The Thinker of Season 4. 

heartbreak high (s1+ s2) rewatch

summary: follow the lives of students and teachers at Hartley High as they navigate romance, relationships, sexuality and teen angst. 

platform: netflix 

episodes: 16 (2 seasons) (s3 estimated 2027) 

link: heartbreak high

I missed my girl Amerie, so I decided it was time for a rewatch of Heartbreak High. I did a S1 + S2 rewatch earlier this year (still waiting for s3!) and once again, i love Amerie. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.

In Episode 1, the main character Amerie and her best friend Harper, create a map on the wall of the school with all the sexual interactions their class have had together. Once the school finds out Amerie wrote the map, they all start calling her “Map B*tch” and everyone whose name is on the map is required to attend an after school sexual education class. Amerie is casted as an outsider, she’s got no friends left, she doesn’t remember why her bestie Harper won’t talk to her anymore and she’s crushing on a classmate, Dustin while also getting to know a new student, Malakai. 

I was invested throughout the season because just like Amerie, we get small flashbacks over time about why Harper won’t talk to her. We also get to explore Amerie’s attraction to Dustin since he’s the most popular student at school (and so cute!), while she struggles to turn her reputation as “Map B*tch” around. 
Heartbreak High is chaotic like Degrassi which makes it super enjoyable and since I’ve already rewatched it, I’ll rewatch it again before S3.

that’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed my list and have added these wonderful dramas to your watchlist!