![\"Adolescence\"](\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tAs streaming services in 2025 sealed their dominance in the international TV landscape, surpassing traditional broadcasters in both viewership and content investment for the first time, the shows that stood out globally did not seem to be spawned by an algorithm. They range from \u201cAdolescence,\u201d which was sparked by present-day toxic \u201cincel\u201d culture\u00a0in the North of England and featured unknown local actors, to period pieces like \u201cThe Seduction,\u201d starring Anamaria Vartolomei and Diane Kruger, that explores sexual manipulation as a survival tool for women navigating the 18th-century Paris patriarchy.\u00a0There were also reality shows, like International Emmy-nominated \u201cLove is Blind: Habibi\u201d and \u201cThe Celebrity Traitors\u201d\u00a0which represented, as Ellise Shafer aptly puts it: \u201csome of the best television of the year \u2014\u00a0point blank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBelow are the year\u2019s ten best international TV shows picked by Variety\u2019s international team. They are not listed in oder of importance, though \u201cAdolescence\u201d certainly merits the top slot.<\/p>\n
\tAdolescence<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tIf last year\u2019s unexpected TV smash hit was \u201cBaby Reindeer,\u201d this year it was \u2014 by some considerable margin \u2014 \u201cAdolescence.\u201d Netflix\u2019s one-shot mini-series \u2014 about a teenage boy accused of murdering a female classmate \u2014 blew almost everyone away within days of launch, lauded for its technical prowess, knockout performances and a deeply topical storyline. It swiftly began smashing global viewing records for Netflix, and has dominated the year\u2019s awards shows since, with a bumper haul of Primetime Emmys, including one for then 15-year-old newcomer Owen Cooper, making him the youngest male winner in awards history. But that wasn\u2019t all \u2014 its central theme about the dangers of social media on kids and the online manosphere became major talking points globally and sparked national debate in the U.K., where it was discussed in British parliament. As its writer Jack Thorne and director Philip Barantini recently acknowledged, wherever their careers go from here, they\u2019ll likely never experience anything like \u201cAdolescence\u201d again.<\/p>\n
\n\tAlex Ritman<\/p>\n
\tDead End<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of Caviar\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat show are you likely to talk about to your family over a Christmas roast? If you\u2019re aiming to spoil the lunch, most probably Flemish director Malin-Sarah Gozin\u2019s \u201cDead End,\u201d the most memorable title to screen at this year\u2019s Canneseries. This dark comedy turns on sleuth Ed Bex who is able to glimpse a dead person\u2019s final moments licking, or even better eating, a wee part of their corpse. He spends much of Ep. 2 trying to steal a toe belonging to murder victim 2 from out of the mortuary to get a little nibble. Like Gozin\u2019s \u201cClan,\u201d which was adapted into Apple TV hit \u201cBad Sisters\u201d this is a genre-blending mash-up of comedic murder thriller and family drama which makes a serious point, here about animal food consumption. It\u2019s produced by Belgium\u2019s Caviar and Lompvis, and is part of Flanders\u2019 remarkable TV surge which had more titles at Canneseries or The Wit\u2019s Mipcom Fresh TV Fiction showcase than any other region or country in the world.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tJohn Hopewell<\/p>\n
\tThe Seduction<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: HBO\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe Seduction\u201d isn\u2019t just another adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos\u2019s \u201cLes Liaisons Dangereuses.\u201d The six-part series, led by Anamaria Vartolomei and Diane Kruger, delivers a youthful, sexy and distinctly feminist take on the cult novel \u2014 an origin story charting the rise of de Merteuil, before her transformation into Valmont\u2019s partner in crime. The HBO Original is directed by Jessica Palud, whose latest film, \u201cBeing Maria,\u201d traced the journey of trailblazing artist Maria Schneider during the tumultuous shoot of Bernardo Bertolucci\u2019s \u201cLast Tango in Paris.\u201d \u201cThe Seduction\u201d reunites Palud with Vartolomei, who stars as the strong-willed de Merteuil. She is joined by Kruger (\u201cInglourious Basterds\u201d) as her mentor, Madame de Rosemonde \u2014 Valmont\u2019s aunt. Vincent Lacoste (\u201cA Private Life\u201d) plays a young Valmont, while Lucas Bravo, the breakout chef of \u201cEmily in Paris,\u201d embodies the morally corrupt libertine. The glossy 18th-century-set series shot at several ch\u00e2teaux around Paris.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tElsa Keslassy<\/p>\n
\tToo Much<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ana Blumenkron\/Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cGirls\u201d creator\u00a0Lena Dunham made her long-awaited return to television in July with \u201cToo Much,\u201d a semi-autobiographical Netflix rom-com series about heartbroken expat\u00a0Jess\u00a0(\u201cHacks\u201d breakout Meg Stalter),\u00a0who moves to London and falls into the arms of an emotionally stunted English musician\u00a0named Felix\u00a0(the charming Will Sharpe).\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a tale\u00a0as old as time, but Dunham\u00a0simultaneously\u00a0spins a fresh take\u00a0while throwing it\u00a0back to the glory days of Richard Curtis films with her witty writing, on-point references\u00a0and all-too-relatable characters.\u00a0Though the show\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0be returning for a second season,\u00a0its (spoiler alert) town hall wedding ending makes it clear that Jess and Felix did get their happily ever after. Not all series\u00a0are meant to run forever \u2013 and with Dunham now set up in a deal with Netflix, all eyes are on what\u00a0she\u2019ll\u00a0come up with\u00a0next.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tEllise Shafer<\/p>\n
\tBlack Warrant<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tNetflix\u2019s Indian prison drama \u201cBlack Warrant\u201d lands with the kind of authority that comes from a creator who knows how to turn institutional rot into gripping drama. Set inside Delhi\u2019s notorious Tihar Jail, the series draws on the memoir of former superintendent Sunil Gupta and marks another uncompromising entry in Vikramaditya Motwane\u2019s body of work, following \u201cUdaan,\u201d \u201cSacred Games\u201d and \u201cJubilee,\u201d all of which interrogated power, ambition and moral decay in very different milieus. Fronted by a coiled, quietly commanding Zahan Kapoor, \u201cBlack Warrant\u201d resists easy shock tactics, instead zeroing in on the banal cruelty and negotiated ethics of prison life \u2013 where corruption is systemic and idealism a liability. The show\u2019s impact has been underlined by multiple wins at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, cementing it as one of Netflix India\u2019s most credible prestige plays in recent years rather than another algorithm-chasing crime entry.<\/p>\n
\n\tNaman Ramachandran<\/p>\n
\tThe Celebrity Traitors<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: BBC\/Studio Lambert\/E\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tThough the U.S. has only ever done celeb-stacked renditions of whodunit reality show \u201cThe Traitors,\u201d this year saw the format\u2019s\u00a0British\u00a0originators finally\u00a0give the concept a whirl. The result was some of the best television of the year \u2014\u00a0point blank.\u00a0BBC\u2019s \u201cThe Celebrity Traitors\u201d exceeded expectations and broke ratings records by gifting\u00a0us moments like Celia Imrie\u2019s fart heard \u2018round the world, sassy\u00a0accusations\u00a0courtesy of Olympian Tom Daley\u00a0and Alan Carr\u2019s surprisingly emotional winning speech, all hosted by\u00a0the fabulous Claudia Winkleman. For a couple\u00a0months, it felt like the country finally agreed on something \u2014 thank God\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0coming back next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tEllise Shafer<\/p>\n
\tLove is Blind:Habibi<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tNetflix scored a nomination in the 2025 International Emmy Awards in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category for \u201cLove is Blind, Habibi,\u201d the Arabic adaptation of its hit dating show. Filmed in Dubai and co-hosted by Saudi actress Elham Ali and her husband, Khaled Saqr, it features\u00a0singles from the region \u2013 including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq, and Kuwait, but living in the UAE \u2013 seeking love without being able to see their potential companion, as per the show\u2019s format. But \u201cLove is Blind: Habibi\u201d stood out from its international counterparts by focusing more on family, showcasing the family\u2019s participation in the engagement process, shared values, cultural traditions, no alcohol and an absence of physical intimacy in the initial stages that made for a refreshing approach for many viewers. It topped Netflix\u2019s global top 10 most-watched non-English TV shows in its first two weeks attracting millions of viewers, highlighting a global appetite for Arab-focused reality TV.<\/p>\n
\n\tNick Vivarelli<\/p>\n
\tPerfect Days<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Globo\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tIn recent years, true crime has taken Brazil by storm. When it comes to fiction, however, no talent is so sought-after than novelist-screenwriter Raphael Montes who wrote HBO Max\u2019s novela \u201cScars of Beauty\u201d while Netflix is adapting his own novel \u201cA Estranha na Cama.\u201d Montes also saw Globoplay, Globo\u2019s VOD service, adapt another novel in \u201cPerfect Days.\u201d A stylish, sex-boundary pushing \u2013 catch a great threesome in Ep. 1 \u2013 but rapidly darkening psychological abduction thriller plumbing the pathology of male narcissism, \u201cPerfect Days\u201d became Globoplay\u2019s most-watched original series this summer. It also marks out star Julia Dalavia, helmer Joana Jabace (\u201cPrecious Pearl\u201d) and writer Claudia Jouvin (\u201cThe Nightshifter,\u201d and now working on Ron Leshem\u2019s next) as talents to track and is a big win for Anonymous Content Brazil, the CAA-backed partnership between Rodrigo Teixeira\u2019s RT Features and Anonymous Content.<\/p>\n
\n\tJohn Hopewell<\/p>\n
\tPortobello<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy Max\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRevered Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio reconstructs one of Italy\u2019s most clamorous\u00a0travesties\u00a0of justice in this limited HBO series that launched from the Venice Film Festival and travelled to Toronto and Busan. \u201cPortobello\u201d delves into the true story of popular Italian TV host Enzo Tortora who, among other programs, conducted a primetime game show by the same title that aired on Italian state broadcaster RAI for seven seasons starting in 1977. Bellocchio\u2019s series \u2013 which has been praised by the Guardian as being \u201cpotent and serious, mordantly funny and bitingly cynical\u201d \u2013 is a vivid account of how Tortora, in 1985, went from being a top-rated TV star to being wrongly convicted of conspiring with the Neapolitan crime syndicate known as Camorra. Tortora is potently played by frequent Bellocchio collaborator Fabrizio Gifuni who starred as former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro in Bellocchio\u2019s previous limited TV series \u201cExterior Night,\u201d about the 1978 kidnapping and assassination of the country\u2019s leader by Red Brigades terrorists. \u201cPortobello,\u201d which\u00a0is produced by Bellocchio\u2019s Kavac Film in tandem with Mediawan-owned Our Films, will be the first HBO Original Italian production to launch on the HBO Max streaming platform, debuting in 2026. The series will be available on HBO Max globally, including the U.S., Latin America and Europe, excluding France and Germany.<\/p>\n
\n\tNick Vivarelli<\/p>\n
\tThe Anatomy of a Moment<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Movistar Plus+\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\tNo series from top Spanish pay TV\/SVOD operator Movistar Plus+ has made a bigger impact in Spain than \u201cThe Anatomy of a Moment,\u201d a six-part chronicle of how three odd bedfellows\u00a0\u00a0\u2013 ex-Francoist prime minister Adolfo Su\u00e1rez, Communist Party head Santiago Carrillo, and reformist general Manuel Guti\u00e9rrez Mellado \u2013 won democracy for Spain in 1976-77. An ode to empathy across the political divide directed with cinematographic flair by Alberto Rodr\u00edguez (\u201cThe Plague,\u201d \u201cMarshland\u201d) including a mordant voiceover commentary, it shows these figures of \u201cShakesperian stature,\u201d in Rodriguez\u2019s words in all their grandeur, contradictions, flaws and final life pathos. \u201cAnatomy\u201d bowed Nov. 20 on Movistar Plus+ to become its most-watched original series ever, while winning every prize out in Spain. Produced with Banijay\u2019s DLO Producciones, \u201cAnatomy\u201d is also early fruit of one of the most exciting TV production-distribution axes in Europe \u2013 between Movistar Plus+ and Arte France.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tJohn Hopewell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As streaming services in 2025 sealed their dominance in the international TV landscape, surpassing traditional broadcasters in both…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[1822,96,128872,50368,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-330139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-adolescence","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-international-tv","11":"tag-too-much","12":"tag-tv","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}