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Many popular TV shows returned for new seasons in 2025, with Severance, Stranger Things, The Bear, The Righteous Gemstones, Hacks, and more coming back for another round of critically-acclaimed episodes. Some new shows also made names for themselves, with The Pitt, Pluribus, and Adolescence getting major social media buzz alongside their critical acclaim. While these shows got the latter, they missed out on the former, meaning that they could have gone under the radars of some.
7. Duster

HBO Max’s Duster was a new crime thriller show from J.J. Abrams and Shameless writer LaToya Morgan. The series stars Josh Holloway as a getaway driver who teams up with an FBI agent played by Rachel Hilson in order to take down a crime boss.
Duster received critical acclaim from critics, with the series earning 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this and the involvement of an industry Titan like Abrams, Duster went completely unnoticed by many. The 1970s love letter didn’t catch on with a broader audience, leading the streaming service to cancel Duster after one season.
6. Murderbot

The sci-fi action comedy series Murderbot hit Apple TV+ this year, with it coming from creators Paul and Chris Weitz. Based on Martha Wells’ book series The Murderbot Diaries, the show stars Alexander Skarsgรฅrd as the titular android who discovers and subsequently hides his autonomy.
Murderbot got a bit of attention on social media ahead of its release, although it wasn’t positive. Some fans of the books complained about the show’s decision to use Skarsgรฅrd’s face instead of a generic robot face. However, this is about all the social media attention that the show got. This is a shame, as the show is fantastic, earning 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
5. Alien: Earth

Major movie franchises that make the jump to TV often get a lot of attention, and while there was a good bit of buzz for Noah Hawley’s take on Alien, the series was quickly forgotten. Alien: Earth explores new corners of Ridley Scott’s iconic franchise, finally showing off Earth while highlighting the various synthetic forms of life that have developed in the future.
Alien: Earth garnered an impressive viewership upon its premiere, with Variety reporting that it got 9.6 million views in its first six days. However, viewership fell in the following weeks, with THR reporting that it was only the ninth-most-streamed original series the first weekend of September, weeks before the show’s finale. This is despite the series being a critical success, earning 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.












