Best TV Shows In USA Right Now: What Americans Are Watching
Best TV Shows in USA: The Definitive Guide to Top-Rated & Underground Favorites
The best TV shows in USA right now include Hacks (Season 4, 98% Rotten Tomatoes), Adolescence (97%), Andor Season 2 (97%), Fallout Season 2 (96%), and underground favorites like Adults (FX, premiered May 2025) and Long Story Short (Netflix, 100% RT). According to Rotten Tomatoes' 2025 guide, Pee-wee as Himself holds the highest critics score at 100% with 92% audience approval, while The Chair Company and Common Side Effects also achieved perfect 100% ratings.
Top 15 Highest-Rated TV Shows in USA (2025-2026)
| Rank | Show Title | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Platform | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pee-wee as Himself | 100% Critics / 92% Audience | HBO Max | 2025 |
| 2 | The Chair Company | 100% / 67% | Max | 2025 |
| 3 | Common Side Effects | 100% / 91% | Max | 2025 |
| 4 | Hacks (Season 4) | 98% / 72% | Max | 2025 |
| 5 | Adolescence | 97% / 74% | Netflix | 2025 |
| 6 | Andor (Season 2) | 97% / 89% | Disney+ | 2025 |
| 7 | Fallout (Season 2) | 96% / 96% | Prime Video | 2025 |
| 8 | The Pitt | 94% / 88% | Max | 2025 |
| 9 | Dexter: Resurrection | 95% / 90% | Paramount+ | 2025 |
| 10 | The Bear (Season 4) | 84% / 68% | Hulu | 2025 |
| 11 | Stranger Things (Season 5) | 82% / 52% | Netflix | 2025 |
| 12 | Paradise | 86% / 84% | Max | 2025 |
| 13 | The White Lotus (Season 3) | 86% / 76% | Max | 2025 |
| 14 | Only Murders in the Building (S5) | 89% / 83% | Hulu | 2025 |
| 15 | Slow Horses (Season 5) | 96% / 81% | Apple TV+ | 2025 |
Hidden Gems: 10 Underground TV Shows You're Missing
While mainstream hits dominate headlines, underground TV shows offer richer storytelling and critical acclaim without mass marketing budgets. According to Marie Claire's 2025 analysis, 481 scripted series were released in the U.S. in 2023, meaning countless quality shows slip through cracks.
- Adults (FX/Hulu): Premiered May 2025, this Gen-Z comedy about 20-somethings in Queens scored 76% critics/84% audience, featuring Malik Elassal and Lucy Freyer
- Long Story Short (Netflix): Raphael Bob-Waksberg's animated family dramedy (from BoJack Horseman creator) achieved 100% RT, exploring grief and career anxiety through time-jumping narratives
- Clean Slate (Prime Video): Norman Lear's final sitcom before his death, starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace, canceled weeks after premiere despite heartwarming progressive storytelling
- The Lowdown (Hulu): Ethan Hawke stars as a "truthstorian" reporter in Tulsa; Sterlin Harjo's (Reservation Dogs) crime drama scored 98% RT
- North of North (Netflix): Netflix's first Canadian original set in Nunavut, featuring Inuk mother Siaja (Anna Lambe); 100% RT score
- Dying for Sex (Hulu): Michelle Williams leads this FX miniseries about terminal breast cancer and sexual awakening; 98% RT with Jenny Slate
- Heated Rivalry (HBO Max): Quebec hockey romance with queer representation, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie; 96% RT
- Toxic Town (Netflix): British miniseries about Corby toxic waste case, Jodie Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood; 100% RT
- Mo Season 2 (Netflix): Mohammed Amer's Palestinian refugee comedy, final season balancing dark story with sardonic humor; 96% RT
- Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock): True-crime series centering victims' stories rather than killer mythos; 96% RT
Best TV Shows by Genre (2025)
- Comeback Seasons: Severance, The White Lotus Season 3, Andor Season 2, Hacks Season 4
- New Dramas: Adolescence, The Pitt, Task (Mark Ruffalo, 96% RT), Death by Lightning (Matthew Macfadyen, 90% RT)
- Comedies: The Chair Company (Tim Robinson), Platonic Season 2 (Rose Byrne/Seth Rogen), Clean Slate
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Fallout Season 2, Pluribus (Vince Gilligan, 99% RT), Alien: Earth (Noah Hawley, 94% RT)
- True Crime: Devil in Disguise, Toxic Town, Dying for Sex
- Procedurals: Reacher Season 3 (98% RT), Ballard (Maggie Q, 100% RT), High Potential (Kaitlin Olson, 96% RT)
Why These Shows Matter for Educational Media Literacy
Understanding quality television develops critical thinking skills essential for student-focused outcomes. Shows like Adolescence (stylistically bold, one-take episodes) and The Lowdown (corruption investigation in Tulsa) demonstrate televisual storytelling mastery that educators can analyze for curriculum innovation.
The Marist pedagogy emphasis on holistic education aligns with TV's capacity to explore moral complexity, as seen in Dying for Sex (terminal illness, faith, friendship) and Mo Season 2 (refugee experience, family identity). These shows provide evidence-based analysis opportunities for discussing cultural specificity, institutional failure, and human resilience.
Expert answers to Best Tv Shows In Usa Right Now What Americans Are Watching queries
What are the best TV shows in USA right now?
The best TV shows in USA right now are Hacks Season 4 (98% RT), Adolescence (97%), Andor Season 2 (97%), and Fallout Season 2 (96% critics/96% audience). Pee-wee as Himself holds the #1 spot on Rotten Tomatoes' 2025 guide with 100% critics score.
Which underground TV shows are worth watching in 2025?
Top underground favorites include Adults (FX, May 2025 premiere), Long Story Short (Netflix, 100% RT), Clean Slate (Norman Lear's final work), The Lowdown (Ethan Hawke, 98% RT), and North of North (Netflix's first Canadian original, 100% RT).
What TV shows have 100% Rotten Tomatoes scores?
Shows with perfect 100% scores include Pee-wee as Himself, The Chair Company, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Long Story Short, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Platonic Season 2, Common Side Effects, Code of Silence, Ballard, North of North, Get Millie Black, The Righteous Gemstones Season 4, Asura, and Toxic Town.
Where can I watch the best USA TV shows?
Major streaming platforms hosting top shows include Max (Hacks, The Pitt, Paradise, The White Lotus), Netflix (Adolescence, Long Story Short, North of North, Stranger Things), Hulu (Adults, Dying for Sex, The Lowdown, Only Murders), Disney+ (Andor), Prime Video (Fallout, Clean Slate), and Apple TV+ (Slow Horses).
How many TV shows were released in USA in 2025?
While 481 scripted series were released in the U.S. in 2023, 2025 saw major releases including Severance, The White Lotus Season 3, Fallout Season 2, Andor Season 2, Adolescence, and The Pitt, with over 100 Certified Fresh series on Rotten Tomatoes' 2025 guide alone.
