Paste Power Rankings: The 5 Best TV Shows on Right Now (August 5, 2025)

4. The Sandman

Network: Netflix
Last Week: 5
This Week: Tom Sturridge steals the show in the finale of this better-than-it-should-be comics adaptation.

The Sandman’s second and final season arrives under a dark cloud, in the wake of a series of horrific sexual abuse allegations against the man who is both its original comics creator and former showrunner, as well as the news that the series’ sophomore outing would be its last. Split into three chunks and released over a month, these final volumes attempt to wrap up the story of Dream of the Endless in a satisfying way, even as it breezes past some of the more unique bits that make this fictional universe feel so rich and expansive. But if The Sandman itself has taught us anything, it’s that stories themselves are living, breathing things, capable of endless reinvention.

3. The Gilded Age

Network: HBO Max
Last Week: 4
This Week:  I mean, that cliffhanger is going to turn out fine. Right? Right?

The Gilded Age Season 3 is indulgent and entertaining in all the best ways, full of ridiculous plot twists, social scandals, and family spats. As always, there are lavish parties, jaw-dropping costumes, and a few random historical figures thrown in for good measure, but what’s most exciting is the way the series continues to evolve, jettisoning characters and plots that don’t work, doubling down on the things that do. The result is a delightful mix of bonkers excess and character-driven relationship drama with a healthy dollop of much-needed romance on the side, a balance the show’s been chasing since its inception, but has only just finally truly achieved.

The story picks up where last season left off: Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), victorious after having successfully backed the Metropolitan Opera, has never been more influential in New York society. (Not bad for a woman most people would only begrudgingly talk to back in Season 1.) But she’s not content to rest on her laurels; she’s actively plotting to take things even further by marrying her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) to the English Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). Across the street, old money traditionalist Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and her sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) are attempting to adjust to their own new normal—one in which Agnes no longer rules the proverbial roost. With Ada’s money now paying for everyone’s upkeep, Agnes seems somewhat adrift, reluctant to relinquish her control over the staff and household accounts and continually ordering her sister around. (But don’t worry, Baranski still gets most of the series’ best one-liners.) The Gilded Age has never been better, and it’s a joy to watch it so confidently become the show it was always meant to be: A little darker, a lot more romantic, and so much more enjoyable than it probably has any right to be.. —Lacy Baugher Milas [Full Review]

2. Chief of War

Network: Apple TV+
Last Week: N/A
This Week: This sweeping historical epic about Hawai’i’s indigenous history is immersive, layered, and anchored by Jason Momoa’s best work to date.

When most people think of Hawaiʻi they picture pristine beaches, palm trees swaying in the breeze, surfboards slicing through turquoise waves, leis draped over sunburned shoulders, and sitting at a luau with an unlucky pig that died eating an apple. Toss in a few mai tais and a ukulele, and you’ve got the version of paradise sold to tourists everywhere. You probably also recall that Hawaiʻi is the 50th U.S. state, it was the site of the Pearl Harbor attack, and its flag is the only state banner to feature the Union Jack, a nod to its long relationship with England. For many Americans, that’s where their knowledge of Hawaiian history ends. But the real story of Hawaiʻi is far more layered and compelling.  The islands are shaped by a rich indigenous culture, a legacy of resistance, and centuries of geopolitical upheaval. It’s this deeper, often-overlooked chapter—the unification of Hawaiʻi told from a native perspective—that Apple TV+’s Chief of War brings to the screen with cinematic intensity and cultural authenticity. The historical drama opens with the steely stare of Jason Momoa, and from the first frame makes clear this isn’t the Hawaiʻi you see in postcards.

With dialogue almost entirely in Hawaiian and featuring a predominantly Polynesian cast, the show is deeply immersive. Combat is visceral and often massive in scale, mostly with hand-to-hand or traditional Hawaiian weapons, and it results in graphic, well-choreographed chaos. There’s even a dash of mysticism, thanks to a riddle-speaking priestess who can see the future. There may not be any dragons, but there are plenty of power struggles, betrayals, and morally complex characters. But the heart of the series is Momoa himself, who not only stars but is also a writer, director, and producer on the series. While most viewers know him as Aquaman, Khal Drogo, or more recently, the guy from Minecraft: The Movie, Chief of War gives him the space to deliver something deeper. He’s still the fierce warrior, that’s to be expected, but we also see him as a conflicted man, deeply devoted to family, and someone who suffers real emotional loss. It’s the most layered and compelling performance of his career. Chief of War is a stunning, culturally rich epic, and Momoa’s finest work to date. —Terry Terrones [Full Review]

1. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Network: Paramount+
Last Week: 1
This Week: Will Strange New Worlds top this list for the rest of the summer? This week’s outstanding Holodeck origin story/murder mystery says yes.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 gives us goofy adventures, high-minded treatises, and more than a little earnest charm. If there’s a simple explanation for why this show is frequently viewed as the best of new-age Trek, it’s found in how it pairs the new (glossy, expensive presentation and serial storytelling tendencies) with the old (an episodic structure and a willingness to get a bit silly) and this latest season delivers both modes with ease. For instance, at one point, M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) continues to work through his complex trauma over what happened in one of last season’s best outings, “Under the Cloak of War,” while he and Pike land in a well-trodden pop-culture situation so tropey that it has them both a bit incredulous. Meanwhile, Spock also gets plenty of screen time, with his amusing love life developing in the foreground and background of several episodes. Strange New Worlds continues to do right by him, and Ethan Peck nails waffling between stoicism and sometimes not-so-subtly hidden emotions as Spock struggles to become the person we know him as in The Original Series.