NetflixCatching up on shows in the age of streaming is a Sisyphean task. No matter how many weekends you spend bingeing the latest thing, there will always be something else everyone’s talking about that you’ll need to catch up on. But now that we’re coming up on the end of 2025, it’s time to look back and see what slipped through the cracks and is worth watching over the holidays before 2026 brings on a brand new wave of TV hits. From experimental animation to international thrillers, here’s every TV show you may have missed over the past twelve months, and it’s not too late to check them out now.7. Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho!Brennan Lee Mulligan serves as DM in a multiversal steampunk adventure in Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho! | DropoutIndie comedy streamer Dropout is probably the best value streaming service out there: it’s a fraction of the price of Netflix, and I watch it just as often. 2025 brought a new season of its hit “improv comedians play Dungeons and Dragons” series Dimension 20, and this time the cast was transported to a steampunk world of airfaring pirates, strange new worlds, the search for family, and lots and lots of aiolis. Now’s the perfect time to tap into Dimension 20, since the latest season, “Mad-Max-but-nice” post-apocalyptic adventure Gladlands, premieres on January 7, 2026. Dimension 20: Cloudward, Ho! is now streaming on Dropout.6. MurderbotMurderbot brings a beloved sassy assassin to life. | Apple TVMartha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries book series captured the hearts of sci-fi readers everywhere because of its trademark irreverent tone, but many wondered how exactly it would translate to the screen in an Apple TV series. The answer is remarkably well, thanks in large part to Alexander Skarsgård bringing his quirky approach to the title character. It was recently renewed for Season 2, so you can watch knowing there is more coming.Murderbot is currently streaming on Apple TV.5. CassandraA midcentury German “smart home” goes rogue in Cassandra. | NetflixNetflix is a great place to find random international shows that are secretly amazing, and one of the highlights this year has been Cassandra, a strange German series about a smart home reawakened after decades that now has a murderous edge. It’s like M3GAN meets the Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House, and there are plenty of secrets that get revealed along the way. It’s hard to go into detail without being spoilery, but it’s a surprising watch to say the least. Cassandra is currently streaming on Netflix.4. Common Side EffectsAdult Swim takes on big pharma in Common Side Effects. | Adult SwimAdult Swim shows, especially animated shows, are usually pretty surface-level. But Common Side Effects is something completely different: a cerebral, cynical take on the pharmaceutical industry. The series follows the discovery of a mysterious fungus that is quite literally a cure all, and what happens when the conglomerates — and the governmental powers that be — realize what that means for the world as we know it. It’s refreshingly serious, but there are plenty of jokes along the way, even if they’re different from regular Adult Swim fare.Common Side Effects is now streaming on HBO Max.3. The LowdownEthan Hawke goes kooky noir in The Lowdown. | FXIf there’s an award for the most talked-about show nobody talked about, it would definitely go to The Lowdown. The FX neo-noir series didn’t make much of a splash when it premiered in September, but it has a lot going for it. It’s created by Sterling Harjo, creator of modern cult classic Reservation Dogs, and stars Hawke opposite another huge star of a certain age, Keith David. If you love a hardboiled mystery but with a touch more color, this is the show for you.The Lowdown is now streaming on FX on Hulu.2. Paradise Sterling K. Brown plays a Secret Service agent investigating a conspiracy in Paradise. | HuluParadise had one of the strongest pilot episodes I’ve ever seen. What started as a standard murder mystery about a presidential assassination turned out to be something completely different whe, at the end of Episode 1, it was revealed to be set in a vast underground neighborhood developed for an apocalyptic emergency. Suddenly, this series becomes more than a political thriller. In a flash, it becomes a sci-fi conspiracy thriller with plenty of flashbacks detailing just what happened to the world.Paradise is currently streaming on Hulu.1. The EternautThe Eternaut tells a unique post-apocalyptic story involving toxic snow. | NetflixThis Argentine series, an adaptation of a classic Argentine comic, follows a group of survivors trying to piece together a life after a mysterious snowfall murders most of the population. What looks like a freak environmental phenomenon soon reveals itself to be the first step in an alien invasion, and the survivors have to band together. This series has been a long time coming — since February 2020 — and a second and final season is on the way, so you should definitely catch up with what could be Netflix’s best hidden gem.The Eternaut is now streaming on Netflix.