![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-waterfront-among-underrated-gems-netflix-2025.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Waterfront \u2013 Cr. Dana Hawley\/Netflix \u00a9 2025<\/p>\n
2025 has seen some huge movie and series debuts. We\u2019re all familiar with high-profile hits like Stranger Things and Wednesday, and we\u2019ve also seen the success of Adolescence and KPop Demon Hunters. But what about some underrated gems? We\u2019re here to dive in with seven new releases you may have missed so far in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For this list, we\u2019ll be keeping it mostly limited to just English-language series and movies (with one major exception). We also plan to do another hidden gems list for international releases, and there have been a lot in due course. We\u2019ll also expand this list right at the end of the year, given there\u2019s no doubt some more underrated gems to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n
7Leanne<\/p>\n
It might seem strange to\u00a0include\u00a0Leanne on this list, given that it warranted a second season renewal, but the stats weren\u2019t exactly mindblowing (perhaps due to its 16-episode debut season).\u00a0Produced by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory,\u00a0The Kominsky Method) and starring comedian Leanne Morgan, alongside a cast that includes some comedy greats, the series follows a grandmother who has had her life upended when her husband leaves her and she has to rediscover who she is. It\u2019s a mix of Grace & Frankie and Fuller House, ultimately full of heart, humor, and the occasional tear.\u00a0<\/p>\n Given the social media noise about lower episode counts in the age of streaming, everyone who has been clamoring for more episodes in a season should be championing this series and we hope season 2 is able to make an even bigger impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n 6Toxic Town<\/p>\n Genre: Drama, True Story, BritishRating: TV-MARelease Date: February 27, 2025Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Rory Kinnear, Robert CarlyleLanguage: EnglishWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n One of two major titles from Netflix UK on this list, which perhaps didn\u2019t travel as well as it\u2019s a very local story (so much for Netflix being a UK TV tourist, eh), is\u00a0Toxic Town, led by Jodie Whittaker, best known for her stint as Doctor Who. The intense story details the fallout across many years of residents of a town in Corby who were impacted for life by a plant that caused defects in births, among a myriad of other health issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s British TV at its best, with not a single cast member putting a foot wrong. It\u2019s not a light watch by any means, but it\u2019s an important one of ordinary people fighting for justice against an often faceless Goliath.\u00a0<\/p>\n 5The Survivors<\/p>\n Genre: Crime, Drama, MysteryRating: TV-MARelease Date: June 6, 2025Director: Cherie Nowlan, Ben C. LucasCast: Charlie Vickers, Yerin Ha, Robyn Malcolm, Damien Garvey, Thom Green, George MasonLanguage: EnglishWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n Netflix\u2019s Australian slate has had a real tough time as of late breaking through. It really began with Territory, which was a massive swing but ultimately fell short and was promptly canceled. Apple Cider Vinegar is another 2025 limited series that really struggled to find a big audience, and the same can also be said for The Survivors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Led by some excellent performances by its lead cast, the adaptation of Jane Harper\u2019s novel kicks off with a mystery unfolding in Evelyn Bay, Tasmania, where Kieran Elliott returns 15 years after a devastating storm claimed three lives close to him, only to find the past resurfacing when a young woman is murdered and the tight-knit community is forced to confront long-buried secrets.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a light six-episode binge, and it\u2019s compelling enough throughout the entire thing to make it worthy of an afternoon binge.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4Wolf King<\/p>\n Another animated show on our list is Wolf King, a British fantasy animated epic that was released in two seasons in 2025, with the second, sadly, being the last<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The story, adapted from the works of Curtis Jobling, tells the story of Drew Ferran, who comes of age and discovers he\u2019s got a large part to play in an ensuing war as he learns he\u2019s part of a long line of werewolves. Its animation is a mix between Arcane and Jurassic World, and the story itself will certainly feel familiar if you\u2019ve watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it certainly stands on its own two feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the show does end in a somewhat conclusive manner, many fans, especially of the book, would\u2019ve hoped for a lot more to come in the years to come. Sadly, with the animation studio that made it going under and viewership falling substantially, it looks like it would\u2019ve been a hard ask anyway. Nevertheless, what\u2019s on display here is a surprisingly rich, dense and well-established world that\u2019s definitely worth exploring regardless of your age.<\/p>\n 3Lost in Starlight<\/p>\n A lot of emphasis from Netflix\u2019s end was put on Lost in Starlight, the streamer\u2019s ever-animated movie from South Korea, but despite a smattering of fantastic reviews upon release, it never really found an audience and skipped the global top 10s and even really struggled to make an impact in the daily top 10s either.\u00a0<\/p>\n For those who did discover the film, they stumbled upon a beautifully crafted animated world with some stunning hand-drawn animation in a vibrant story that follows an astronaut who has left Earth for Mars; his relationship back home is put to the test. We agree with one reviewer who called it a \u201ctranscendent romance,\u201d while another called it a \u201cvisual masterpiece.\u201d<\/p>\n 2The Waterfront<\/p>\n Genre: Crime, Drama, FamilyRating: TV-MARelease Date: June 19, 2025Cast: Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary, Maria Bello, Rafael L. Silva, Humberly Gonz\u00e1lezLanguage: EnglishWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n Damn, I wish this weren\u2019t included on this list. After performing\u00a0well on Netflix and\u00a0surpassing the Obliterated line<\/a> (Netflix\u2019s previously most-watched cancellation), we had even heard good things about the show\u2019s future prospects, but alas, it wasn\u2019t to be.\u00a0The Waterfront was perhaps bizarrely and certainly prematurely canceled after a single season<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the cancellation certainly puts a downer on this recommendation, given that the story was only starting to unfold, there\u2019s still a good reason to check this out. The family Succession-style drama follows a fishing empire that\u2019s in serious decline, exacerbated by the fact that the family patriarch has fallen ill. It\u2019s well-written and well-acted, and it\u2019s a tragedy we won\u2019t get to see this story conclude naturally.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1Nonnas<\/p>\n Genre: ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: May 9, 2025Director: Stephen ChboskyCast: Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco, Talia ShireLanguage: EnglishRuntime: 111 minWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n I was quite frankly shocked looking through the viewership numbers of Netflix\u2019s movie debuts this year and finding Nonnas trailing towards the bottom, meaning I\u2019m going to have to give it the top spot here.\u00a0<\/p>\n Acquired by Netflix after being in production as an independent title, it marks the debut of Vince Vaughn on Netflix (at least in live-action, we can\u2019t forget F is for Family!), who appears alongside a slew of female greats from across the year. The premise involves Vaughn\u2019s character Joe Scaravella making the decision to open an Italian restaurant with the cooks all being grandmothers.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Leanne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/leanne.jpeg\"\/)
Genre: ComedyRating: TV-14Release Date: July 31, 2025Cast: Leanne Morgan, Kristen Johnston, Celia Weston, Blake Clark, Ryan Stiles, Graham RogersLanguage: EnglishWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\u2018The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/the-waterfront-canceled-netflix.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Toxic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/toxictown.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thesurvivors.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Wolf](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wolfking.jpeg\"\/)
Genre: Animation, Adventure, FamilyRating: TV-Y7Release Date: September 11, 2025Cast: Ceallach Spellman, Nina Barker-Francis, Paterson JosephLanguage: EnglishWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Lost](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lostinstarlight.jpeg\"\/)
Genre: Animation, Comedy, DramaRating: PGRelease Date: May 30, 2025Director: Han Ji-wonCast: Cristina Valenzuela, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Kim Tae-riLanguage: KoreanRuntime: 96 minWatch on Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thewaterfront.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Nonnas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nonnas.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n