Cool shows coming in 2025: A short list

Hollywood is trying to get back to basics with medical dramas, a western and a cop drama.

(See a longer version of my picks with more detail on NPR.org here or listen to a cool convo with Scott Detrow on All Things Considered here.)

The Pitt (Max) – I know people think this is an ER clone because it stars ER alum Noah Wyle and was executive produced by ER alum John Wells. But it’s really not – these episodes are in real time, depicting one super-stressful 15-hour shift for Wyle’s character, who runs an emergency room in Pitsburgh.

On Call (Prime Video) -- Yes, this is from Dick Wolf Productions, known for formulaic network TV dramas. But this is not that; it’s a visceral, in-your-face story about a training officer for the Long Beach Police Department trying to keep it together when someone she trained is gunned down in the street.

American Primeval (Netflix) - Set in 1857 Utah, this explicitly violent limited series strips away the righteous romanticism of so many westerns to depict a ruthless era when those crazy or desperate enough to venture into America’s not-yet-settled frontier could quickly become victims or victimizers.

Severance Season 2 (Apple TV+) – It’s been nearly three years since director/executive producer Ben Stiller blew our minds with the story of office workers who have their memories “severed” between work life and home. The show’s second season leans into the implications of a mysteriously powerful corporation creating people with two consciousnesses – one of which is only aware of what happens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a windowless cubicle farm.