Rueben's Ramblings

While this year has been quite tumultuous within the political spectrum as well as natural disasters and unbelievable worldwide events, television (both linear and streaming) has not failed to provide viewers with lots of programming options: good, bad or otherwise.

The following list is just some of the highlights from 2025 (listed in no particular order):

Top Actress – Gina Torres, 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX)

While there is little chance that the folks over at the Emmy’s will even consider nominating the performance of Gina Torres in the final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star, I think she had a stellar year playing Tommy Vega, especially that unexpected cancer storyline twist as well as what is being called the “otherworldly” reunion with her late character’s husband Charles that had all fans of the show wondering whether Tommy would survive or not [SPOILER ALERT] she did survive and was seen on the mend in the show’s series finale.

Fresh New Face (Actress) – Anna Lambe, North of North (Netflix)

The Netflix comedy North of North, based in Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, stars Inuk actress Anna Lambe, who ironically hails from Iqaluit herself. She plays the lead role of Siaja, a young wife and mother, who is struggling to build a future after a very public exit from her marriage and learning some unexpected truths about her origin. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize Anna from her supporting role in last season’s True Detective: Night Country.

Top Actor – Noah Wyle, The Pitt (HBO Max)

Despite starring in the long-running medical drama ER for 12 seasons, Noah Wyle never won an Emmy for his role in that show (even though he was nominated five times); instead he finally won an Emmy for his role in the streaming hit medical drama The Pitt where he was exceptional as Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinovich, the chief attendant in the emergency room at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Between his PTSD over the loss of his beloved mentor during the pandemic, the loss of a young drowning victim or the failed resuscitation of his character’s “stepson’s” girlfriend, was just incredible and moving to watch.

Most Buzzed About Drama – Outlander: Blood of My Blood (Starz)

Each TV season there is typically one stand-out new drama that performs better in the ratings than any other drama; but this year, the overall ratings for new (or even returning) dramas have been rather lacking for the most part. But there was one new drama that, much like its predecessor, caught viewers attention and held on: Outlander: Blood of My Blood.

While there was no actual source material, based on the popular book franchise by author Diana Gabaldon other than a few lines of dialogue in Outlander, this prequel series turned out to be just as vibrant, action-packed and filled with sultry chemistry. The casting of leads Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater as Jamie’s parents and Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine as Claire’s parents was nearly heaven-sent as they bear uncanny resemblances to the lead stars of the mothership.

Best Couple – Karl and Cassandra, Murder in a Small Town (FOX)

This FOX drama, based on the crime novels by L.R. Wright, may be set in the sleepy village of Gibsons in British Columbia but the murders that are investigated there by former Minneapolis detective, now Chief of Police, Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and his deputies are anything but sleepy or simple. Karl is a different kind of cop, but he sure has a unique way of solving the crimes that plague his new home. But, it’s his relationship with local librarian Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk) that really makes the show zing. Their relationship isn’t easy, and it has hit quite a number of bumps in the short time the show has been on the air; but they have great chemistry and are my top pick for Best Couple this year.

Worst Show – Zero Day (Netflix)

You would think that with a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Angela Bassett, Connie Britton, Joan Allen, Matthew Modine, Dan Stevens, Jesse Plemons and Lizzy Caplan as well as Clark Gregg, Gaby Hoffmann and Colin Donnell that the 6-episode Netflix mini-series Zero Day would be a hit, right? Well, sadly, it didn’t. Viewers and critics alike seemed to really dislike this mini-series that was supposed to be a timely conspiracy thriller – think House of Cards and Homeland – but it got “bogged down in endless exposition and bonkers plot twists.” What’s more the show had “too many characters and storylines” for viewers to try and comprehend. In the end, a luminous cast does not equate to good TV.

Handsome Newcomer – Milo Callaghan, The Rainmaker (USA Network)

This British actor landed the prime role of hotshot young lawyer Rudy Baylor in the TV adaptation of the John Grisham novel once made famous by Matt Damon in the box office flick. Filled with youthful optimism and a nose for the law, Rudy ended up working for a small-time ambulance chaser and her less-than-honest paralegal, but made quite an impression on them and the prestigious white-collar firm from which he was fired on his first day. Viewers might remember Milo from his small roles in The Spanish Princess and Rivals.

Unbelievable Storyline – Paradise (Hulu)

As viewers watched the debut episode of this Sterling K. Brown-led political thriller, it appeared to be about the much-unexpected death of the President of the United States, played by James Marsden. But in actuality, the big reveals [SPOILER ALERT] were the fact that what seemed like Washington, D.C. was a city-sized underground bunker in Colorado three years after a doomsday event.

Most Disappointing Cancellations [TIE] -The Residence (Netflix) and Poker Face (Peacock)

Unfortunately, despite a fairly sizable cliffhanger for season two and the popularity of this Peacock drama, the plug was pulled on the Natasha Lyonne-led Poker Face with the unusual potential caveat that the show MIGHT come back with Peter Dinklage taking over as Charlie Cale, a character with the uncanny ability to know when someone is lying merely by talking to them.

Also, the Netflix mystery comedy drama The Residence, which starred Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Ken Marino, Randall Park, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee and Bronson Pinchot (among countless others), came to a close after only one season. The best part of the show was the whodunnit search by Detective Cordelia Cupp (Aduba) – all while on her mission as an avid birder. This screwball comedy could have been yet another hit for the streaming service, but…

Best Dance Number – Will Trent (ABC)

The 13th episode of season 3 of Will Trent, entitled “One of Us Now,” was both lucky and unlucky for the lead character, played by Ramon Rodriguez, because he was still reeling from the accidental shooting of a child during the pursuit of a criminal, and his using that tragedy as a way to get closer to a suspected cult leader. When he was found out to be a cop, that cult leader drugged him, and out of that drug-fused state came one of the best sequences in the show’s run so far. He had a fever dream where he hallucinated dancing to Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” with all of the main cast members – as well as his beloved dog Betty and recurring guest star Gina Rodriguez – and even confessed his love for Angie (series lead Erika Christensen).

You can watch that dance sequence below:

NOTE: What’s even more interesting is the fact that the powers that be on the show had four days prep time on the dance sequence and less than a full day of shooting. Pretty impressive!

Best Villain – Julianne Nicholson, Paradise (Hulu)

The new TV series Paradise is part of this year’s Hits and Misses once again because of the performance by Julianne Nicholson, who plays Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond, the tech billionaire who created that underground bunker mentioned above. Her character is multi-layered, and far more powerful within that world than expected, and far more evil than anticipated. Her grief caused her to create that bunker, but then her need for control caused everything else to go to hell…fast.

Ubiquitous Star of the Year – Helen Mirren in 1923 (Paramount+), MobLand (Paramount+) and The Tuesday Murder Club (Netflix)

Dame Helen Mirren has played an expert in wet work in RED, Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, the mother of Jason Statham in the Fast movie franchise and a detective in Prime Suspect along with countless other memorable roles, but this year she was the ubiquitous star of the year appearing as Cara Dutton, the matriarch of the Dutton family in the Taylor Sheridan series 1923, the precursor to Yellowstone; Maeve Harrigan, yet another matriarch – but of the Harrigan family – the crime family in MobLand and Elizabeth Best, a retired MI6 officer, investigating a cold case murder in the Netflix flick The Thursday Murder Club.

The Saddest Deaths of the TV Year – Nikki Batista, Alert: Missing Persons Unit (FOX); Bobby Nash, 9-1-1 (ABC) and Joel Miller, The Last of Us (HBO)

TV deaths are just par for the course on the small (and big) screen, but there are some TV deaths that are just either extremely unexpected, very hard to watch or just unnecessary – even if the powers that be behind the show “claim” that it helps the story move along.

This TV season, viewers watched as Nikki Batista (series lead Dania Ramirez) on the now defunct FOX drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit was kidnapped by the Irish mob and then found in a shallow grave out in the woods. While her demise was not shown on screen, it was still hard for fans to wrap their heads around her death because it was extremely unexpected.

Then there was the brutal death of Joel Miller (series lead Pedro Pascal) in The Last of Us on HBO, who was killed in the second episode of season two. While his death was a testament to the show’s commitment to its source material, it was still very hard for the show’s fans to watch.

Lastly, the hardest TV death to deal with was Bobby Nash (series lead Peter Krause) in 9-1-1 on ABC. While dealing with a fire at a bio-lab, the 118 firefighters ended up trapped inside that lab with a deadly new virus. Howard “Chimney” Han (series regular Kenneth Choi) was the first to be infected, but not the last. As the episode came to an end, the firefighters and the viewers learned that Bobby Nash was also infected, but there was only one antidote so he self-sacrificed in order to save Chimney’s life. His loss was tragic, to say the least, and completely unexpected. In fact, showrunner Tim Minear confirmed the loss of Bobby was entirely a creative decision on his part, which really upset the show’s base.

Coolest TV Episode – Wheezervision, SkyMed (Paramount+)

This Canadian medical drama delivered an extremely interesting storyline in episode 6 of season 3 when Pilot William “Wheezer” Heaseman (series regular Aaron Ashmore) was dealing with blindness from a green laser flashing in his eyes when he was flying on a medical mission. While recovering in his hospital room, he played out stories of his friends as if they were movies – one was a B&W film noir story, one was a horror story, one was a western, one was a soap opera and then an ongoing issue with a patient in room 3B, which was the hospital room that he was actually in.

What have been the stand-out moments on the small screen (networks or streaming) for you? Who was your favorite actor for the year? What series, special or TV event disappointed you the most? Please share your thoughts on TV from this year below.

TOMORROW: The Rhythm is Gonna Get You