The new year holds a lot of entertainment for television audiences, with several top returning TV shows in 2025. Although 2024 delivered its fair share of anticipated shows, 2025 sees the return of several postponed series. Many TV shows, especially those in early production when the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike began, wrapped up production in 2024.
While audiences will welcome several follow-up seasons, they will say goodbye to a few top shows in 2025. From comedy, science fiction, Western, drama, and fantasy to dystopian, there’s something for every television audience. Most have scheduled a release date, while others have confirmed a release in 2025. Here are the top returning TV shows in 2025 and their announced release dates.
XO, Kitty — Season 2
Release Date: January 16, 2025
Netflix’s XO, Kitty, a spin-off of the To All the Boys film series, was critically acclaimed by critics and audiences. XO, Kitty follows Katherine “Kitty” Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) as she embarks on a journey to South Korea to attend the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS). Driven by a desire to connect with her heritage, the coming-of-age rom-com series saw Kitty’s plans take unexpected turns in season 1, leading to personal growth and self-discovery. The season ends with Kitty’s complex love triangle involving Dae-heon Kim (Choi Min-young) and Yuri Han (Gia Kim). In XO, Kitty season 2, Kitty continues to navigate the complexities of her love life. Notably, Noah Centineo joins XO, Kitty reprising his role as Peter Kavinsky from the film, offering a reunion that audiences have elderly anticipated.
Severance — Season 2
Release Date: January 17, 2025
The Apple TV+ sci-fi psychological thriller series Severance was one of the streamers’ best-performing TV shows in 2022. It returns in mid-January 2025 as one of the year’s anticipated TV shows. Severance explores the lives of employees at Lumon Industries who undergo a “severance” procedure that separates work memories from those of their personal lives, creating two distinct personas—the “Innie” (work self) and the “Outie” (personal self).
Severance delves into the ethical and personal implications of this separation, focusing on Mark Scout (Adam Scott), whose work and personal lives begin to intersect in unexpected and troubling ways. By the end of season 1, the “Overtime Contingency” is triggered, allowing the Innies to experience the outside world. Severance season 2 introduces new characters while dealing with the resultant effects of the overtime contingency. Notable new cast members joining the series include Alia Shawkat, Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, and John Noble.
The Night Agent — Season 2
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Netflix’s original action thriller series The Night Agent was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows in 2023. About two years later, The Night Agent season 2 will premiere with Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) as the newest member of the secret organization, Night Action. The Night Agent season 2 introduces actress Brittany Snow in a recurring role as Alice. Like its preceding season, The Night Agent season 2 is premiering with 10 episodes on Netflix.
Yellowjackets — Season 3
Release Date: February 14, 2025 (Paramount+), February 16, 2025 (Showtime)
Yellowjackets is a critically acclaimed TV series blending psychological drama, survival thriller, and mystery. The show jumps between two timelines in 1996 and the present. A recap of the previous seasons follows a plane crash in 1996 with a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team onboard. With the plane crashing in the remote wilderness, the surviving teammates face extreme conditions, moral dilemmas, and a descent into primal behavior. The present-day timeline follows the adult survivors as they wrestle with the psychological scars and dark secrets from their time in the wilderness. Hilary Swank and Joel McHale have been announced as new cast members in recurring and guest roles.
The White Lotus — Season 3
Release Date: February 16, 2025
HBO’s award-winning black comedy anthology series The White Lotus returns to television for a third season. As an anthology show, The White Lotus returns with a new cast and fresh story. The show often explores the dark and comedic dynamics of the wealthy, as well as the power imbalances and moral failings among guests and staff. Notable cast members in The White Lotus season 3 include Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
1923 — Season 2
Release Date: February 23, 2025
Taylor Sheridan’s prequel/sequel Western drama series 1923 returns for its second and final season in February 2025. As its final season, season 2 will bring closure to major plotlines and provide more insights into how the Duttons cemented their legacy in Montana. The season will focus on the aftermath of season 1’s conflicts, especially the fate of Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren). It’ll also delve into Spencer Dutton’s (Brandon Sklenar) continued role as a pivotal figure in the family, as well as Teonna Rainwater’s (Aminah Nieves) story and the broader narrative of Indigenous struggles.
The Last of Us — Season 2
Release Date: Yet to be announced
The Last of Us is another critically acclaimed HBO TV series premiering with a follow-up season in 2025. Adapted from the famous Naughty Dog video game, The Last of Us is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal infection. The infection turns humans into violent, zombie-like creatures. Season 1 primarily focused on the relationship between Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenage girl who may hold the key to curing the infection due to her immunity.
Season 1 ended with Joel making a morally ambiguous choice to protect Ellie. With The Last of Us season 2 partly based on the The Last of Us Part II video game, it’ll likely delve into the aftermath of Joel’s decision and its repercussions. Season 2’s story also shifts perspectives between Ellie and a new character, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). The new season also introduces other notable cast members, including Isabela Merced, Danny Ramirez, Jeffrey Wright, and Catherine O’Hara. Although the release date hasn’t been announced, The Last of Us season 2 is scheduled and confirmed for 2025.
The Handmaid’s Tale — Season 6
Release Date: Spring 2025
Hulu’s award-winning dystopian drama series The Handmaid’s Tale has been a success since its first season. The show, which is based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, premiers its sixth and final season in 2025. Elisabeth Moss, co-producer and co-director of the show returns to lead the cast. The Handmaid’s Tale set a few records at the Emmys, notably becoming the first streaming series to win the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy.
The Summer I Turned Pretty — Season 3
Release Date: Summer 2025
The Jenny Han-created coming-of-age romantic drama series The Summer I Turned Pretty returns in 2025 for its third season. With the show adapted from Han’s novel trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 will likely follow the narrative of Han’s third book, We’ll Always Have Summer. In the new season, Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) continues to navigate her complex relationships with the Fisher brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
Wednesday — Season 2
Release Date: Sometime in 2025
After an almost three-year wait, Wednesday audiences will finally get a follow-up season in 2025. Although the exact release date hasn’t been confirmed, season 2 will be released before the end of 2025. Audiences will return to Nevermore Academy and follow Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), and she finds new mysteries to solve. Wednesday season 2 will also continue to explore the complexities of Wednesday Addams’ character, combining wit, intrigue, and her signature dark charm.
Squid Game — Season 3
Release Date: Sometime in 2025
Audiences will not have to wait long for a follow-up season to Squid Game season 2. With a suspense-filled season 2 ending, Squid Game season 3 is one of 2023’s most-anticipated TV shows. While a release date hasn’t been announced, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has confirmed season 3 will drop sometime in 2025. With Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the games to stop it, his last-minute plan to sabotage and take control goes awry. With season 3 slated as the final season, Gi-hun’s fate, and those of his fellow coup plotters, lie at the mercy of the Front Man/Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun).
Percy Jackson And The Olympians — Season 2
Release Date: Sometime in 2025
After the release of season 1, Percy Jackson And The Olympians set a record at Disney+ as the most-watched original series. The series centers around Percy Jackson (portrayed by Walker Scobell), a 12-year-old boy who discovers he’s a demigod as Poseidon’s son. Percy embarks on various quests alongside his friends Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri), the Satyr, to prevent catastrophic events threatening the world of gods and mortals. Percy Jackson And The Olympians season 2 is adapted from the second novel, The Sea of Monsters, and will follow its storyline.
Sweet Magnolias — Season 4
Release Date: February 6, 2025
Less than a year after season 3 premiered, Sweet Magnolias audiences wouldn’t have to wait long for a follow-up season. Sweet Magnolias season 4 premiered in February 2025. So far, the series has centered around three lifelong friends—Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Helen Decatur (Heather Headley), and Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott)—living in the small town of Serenity, South Carolina. With season 3’s cliffhangers, season 4 will address the fallout from important decisions made by the characters.
Stranger Things — Season 5
Release Date: Sometime in 2025
Stranger Things, one of Netflix’s biggest and most successful TV shows, will premiere its fifth and final season in 2025. The long-awaited season has had audiences waiting for almost three years. The main cast, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, and Finn Wolfhard, returns for what is promised to be an exciting finale. Others with announced and unannounced release dates also join these TV shows. However, the shows have been confirmed to premiere in 2025.
Cobra Kai will return for its final part as Season 6: Part Three. Cobra Kai Season 6: Part Three premieres on February 13, 2025. Amazon Prime Video’s crime action series Reacher also returns for season 3, which is scheduled to premiere on February 20, 2025. The Disney+ science fiction series Andor is also scheduled to premiere its second and final season in 2025. Andor season 2 will premiere on April 22, 2025. Also, FX on Hulu’s The Bear returns for a fourth season on or before mid-2025.
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