Watch With Us is looking back on a great year in television.
And there have been so many shows to choose from. Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau in Netflix’s Death by Lightning, Kathryn Hahn as goofy marketing exec Martha on Apple TV‘s The Studio and Owen Cooper’s chilling child killer in Adolescence.
Thus, Watch With Us has given ourselves the impossible task of picking our seven favorite TV performances of the year.
Whether you agree with our list or not, we can all agree that 2025 was a terrific year for TV.
7. and 6. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams in ‘Heated Rivalry’
One of TV’s greatest strengths as a medium is its capacity to surprise, and nothing was more shocking — in a good way — than Heated Rivalry. When it first premiered on HBO Max in late November, it was dismissed by many — including this author — as that “smutty gay Canadian hockey show.” But even before the first episode was over, you could tell that it was more just a guilty pleasure — the show was good good, and only got better with each episode.
Credit should be given to the show’s creator/writer/director, Jacob Tiereny, but even he admitted in interviews that he struck gold by casting two unknown actors who seized their moment and took the material seriously while not shying away from being, well, sexy. As the cocky Russian player Ilya Rozanov, Texas-born Connor Storrie pulled a Meryl Streep, adopted a flawless Russian accent, played hockey like a prof, spoke perfect Russian while confessing Ilya’s hidden fears and desires and created a three-dimensional character who was as complicated as he was drop-dead gorgeous.
As Ilya’s more introspective rival, Shane Hollander, Hudson Williams matched his onscreen partner with a nuanced, incredibly subtle performance that spoke volumes with every tiny gesture. Together, the duo created the most memorable TV romance of 2025 and gave heart and soul to a show that could’ve been shallow softcore porn. That it was both made Heated Rivalry one of the most entertaining shows of the year, and Storrie and Williams actors to watch out for in 2026 and beyond.
5. Aimee Lou Wood in ‘The White Lotus’
On the third season of The White Lotus, Aimee Lou Wood portrayed Chelsea, a young woman from Manchester who has traveled to the titular Thai resort with her much older boyfriend, Rick (Walton Goggins). The season follows Chelsea and Rick alongside an ensemble of other guests and employees at The White Lotus as — in typical The White Lotus fashion — we progress through the season towards a climactic death hinted at in the first episode.
While Wood is flanked by a formidable cast, it’s her performance as Chelsea that is unquestionably the season’s standout. On the surface, she’s just a kooky, perhaps airheaded young woman with a man who’s much too old for her — maybe she’s a gold digger as well. But as we get to know Chelsea, we come to understand that she’s an incredibly romantic and unapologetically authentic person. Wood portrays Chelsea with empathy, nuance and expressiveness, as her character seeks to bring peace for her tormented partner.
4. Edi Patterson in ‘The Righteous Gemstones’
Edi Patterson never got her award flowers for her performance as Judy Gemstone in The Righteous Gemstones, but it’s a performance that has to rank among the top comedy roles of all time. In The Righteous Gemstones’ fourth and final season, Judy is back and filthier than ever. The show’s final season sees the titular televangelist family settle some final bloody scores, as they confront an enemy from their past and Eli (John Goodman) finally moves on from his late wife.
While Gemstones is a show carried by great comedic performances, it’s Patterson who was always the show’s most consistent scene-stealer. As Judy, Patterson delivers unhinged lines of dialogue with confidence and verve in a way that simply no other comedic actress could. However, she also gives Judy a surprising emotional complexity that some might feel the character doesn’t deserve. Thus, Judy isn’t just hilarious, she’s also vulnerable and, importantly, human.
3. Rhea Seehorn in ‘Pluribus’
Vince Gilligan‘s (Breaking Bad) new series Pluribus stars Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn as Carol — a celebrated author who finds herself immune to an affliction of permanent ease and contentment that has befallen all of humanity. After an alien virus puts all of humankind into a happy hive mind, Carol is left one of a small group of people completely unaffected by it. While the hive mind seeks to assimilate her, Carol desperately searches for a way to reverse the virus.
Pluribus debuted towards the end of the year but very quickly became hailed as one of 2025’s best shows, with Seehorn’s remarkable performance leading the conversation. Critics have agreed that Seehorn (after cementing herself as a scene-stealer on Better Call Saul) deftly blends her performance as Carol with sharp comedic sensibilities and a profound sadness, giving depth and nuance to a difficult and misanthropic character.
2. Noah Wyle in ‘The Pitt’
Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) works as an attending physician in the emergency room at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, nicknamed “the Pitt.” This gripping medical procedural show takes place during one grueling fifteen-hour day at the Pitt, with each episode chronicling one chaotic hour. Robby is assisted by a team of emergency medical personnel as the staff navigates underfunding and staff shortages while trying to meet the intense emotional and physical needs of their patients.
The Pitt was arguably the best and most exciting new medical drama that premiered in 2025, and Wyle’s performance wasn’t just widely acclaimed — it earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. That recognition was well-deserved in an intense role that requires a mixture of calm, heart and authenticity, which makes the audience really believe that Wyle is a stressed-out doc. It’s a great performance that’s part of a great ensemble, and the forthcoming season only promises to deliver more memorable moments.
1. Tramell Tillman in ‘Severance’
Tramell Tillman’s name has been the one on everyone’s lips in 2025 for his unforgettable performance as the eccentric, antagonistic Mr. Milchick on Severance. As the supervisor of the severed floor at Lumon, Milchick tends to the severed workers Mark S. (Adam Scott), Helly R. (Britt Lower), Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) and Irving B. (John Turturro), and he is an imposing authority figure and fierce Lumon loyalist. In the second season, he is promoted to manager after Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) is fired.
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As Milchick, Tramell’s nimble blend of comic tragedy clinched him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first Black person and first openly gay actor to win the award. There is no arguing that Tramell more than deserved his win — Tramell creates something truly unique in his performance as Milchick, in a character journey that is totally unique from his co-stars. Milchick is a corporate stooge, but he begins to learn that he, too, is a victim of Lumon, which gives him an internal conflict that only deepens the character’s thorny persona.
