Welcome to the 2025 SiftPop.com Sifties!
This year, the SiftPop writers came together to nominate five series for Best Television show.
Here’s how the voting played out:
After an almost universally praised first season, Season Two of HBO’s The Last of Us was always going to be a more difficult lift. However, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann continued to make adaptive choices that benefit the show. The trend that started in Season One of giving the audience some wider context and background on the other people in this world continues to add to the lore in a positive way, taking advantage of the fact we’re not locked in to just Joel or Ellie’s point of view. The changes also don’t upend the story as a whole. The themes about family and the cyclical nature of violence and revenge are so well woven into the various storylines. At its core, The Last of Us is about the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are exceptional. The real breakout star of the season, though, is Isabela Merced in her turn as Dina. The dynamic and chemistry between Merced and Ramsey is instantaneous, even if the relationship is a slow burn. It’s obvious all those involved have great care for the story that they’re trying to tell, and that comes across on screen. Whether recreating a moment from the game shot for shot, or creating new moments, everything is beautifully realized. Though not quite as strong as the show’s first season, it’s still a great adaptation of great source material.
With Pluribus, Vince Gillgan makes his return to his X-Files days in presenting us with a science fiction premise that is ripe for dissection. But Gilligan wouldn’t be Gilligan if he wasn’t more interested in how this premise affects the most deeply human part of his characters, rather than focus on the premise itself, no matter how grand it is. With Rhea Seehorn at its core, Pluribus asks questions about humanity’s need for togetherness in community, culture, and individual relationships. What do you share with whom, and what happens when suddenly everyone knows something about you that you wanted to keep hidden? Beyond that, what is it like to be separated from the world in a truly incomprehensible way? Every episode of Pluribus deepens its thematic questions, and its look at what happens to people who are left to deal with a changed world with all the patience and thoughtfulness we’ve come to expect from one of television’s most creative minds.
Adolescence is a creative swing most producers would not want to take. Four episodes, each one done in a single take, with relatively unknown actors, and a message that cuts to the very core of modern society. What Adolescence is saying about the internet, masculinity, youth culture, and family is remarkable. Owen Cooper gets a large amount of the credit for why this show works, but the rest of the ensemble cast is amazing too. Each episode broadens the mystery in a way that helps open our eyes to the dangers that the manosphere can have towards young men. Whether your watching the initial arrest, the investigation, or the toll it takes on the family, the story breaks your heart in a way that few television shows can do in the modern age. The series is truly remarkable, and I don’t think we’re ever going to see one like it again in the future.
Medical shows are a dime a dozen on network TV, so honestly, what on Earth was HBO Max going to do that would make The Pitt different? Between the creativity of showcasing ONE SHIFT throughout the course of the season, patients that bring a range of different ailments and injuries, and a group of doctors and nurses that the audience genuinely cares about, The Pitt is built differently. The injuries are graphic, but not in an over-the-top way that feels unnecessary. Each patient has a story to tell, a lesson to be learned by the hospital, and an impact on the doctor that can be felt by all. It doesn’t matter which patient you gravitated to the most; there is something the audience can empathize with in all of them. Whether someone drowns, suffers a gunshot wound, or is sick with the measles, no matter how old they are, each patient matters to the story. The Pitt’s ensemble cast is off the charts too, something that any show would give to have such a talented group of performers in one place. Anchoring the show is Noah Wyle, serving has the shepherd for the cast and behind the scenes crew, and the Swiss army knife of an outstanding show. Perhaps The Pitt’s greatest trick is how it got HBO to care about a weekly show that can be made annually.
The first season of Andor was spectacular, but the second season is transcendent. Tony Gilroy’s deep dive into the real scum and villainy of the Star Wars universe (and the few people willing to stand up to them) brings an entire new dimension to the world that George Lucas created almost 50 years ago. It’s the sort of extraordinarily relevant storytelling that is rarely seen in franchises today, and one of the best tension-builders in recent television history. This season, released in four blocks of three episodes each, charts the years leading up to the events of Rogue One, including the establishment of the iconic Rebel base on Yavin IV, the heinous Ghorman Massacre, and Mon Mothma’s passionate Senate speech calling out the Empire for unprovoked genocide. It’s a perfect, rare example of an established franchise using its power to make a definitive statement on subjects that are, unfortunately, evergreen and prolific, and it paints the 10-year-old Rogue One with a completely different shade of colors. That’s truly impressive.
Make sure to check out the previous 2025 Sifties winners, and check back tomorrow for the winner of Best Voice Performance in a Movie!