Arts & Culture

The best movies and TV of 2025, picked for you by NPR critics

NPR | By Bob Mondello,

Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Glen Weldon, Eric Deggans

Published December 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM CST

Whether you plan to head out to the theater or binge from the couch, our critics have gathered together their favorite films and TV shows of 2025. You can search by genre and where you can see it. Have at it!

Corrected: December 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM CST

An earlier version of this list incorrectly described Jacob Elordi’s character in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein as a "modern Prometheus." The Modern Prometheus, the subtitle of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, refers to Victor Frankenstein, played in the new movie by Oscar Isaac.

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Bob Mondello

Bob Mondello reviews movies and covers the arts for NPR and shares critiques and commentaries on NPR's award-winning newsmagazine All Things Considered.

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Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.

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Aisha Harris

Aisha Harris is a host of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

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Glen Weldon

Glen Weldon is a host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. He reviews books, movies, comics and more for the NPR Arts Desk.

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Eric Deggans

Eric Deggans is NPR's first full-time TV critic.

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