Paste Power Rankings: The 5 Best TV Shows on Right Now (October 21, 2025)

Everyone in Slough House is stuck. It’s professional purgatory for the service’s biggest screw-ups, all of whom are trapped in various messes of their own making. But even though their inability to move forward serves a purpose, stagnation also eventually leads to decay. Season 4 was a high point for Slow Horses. It was the show’s most emotionally affecting outing yet as River and his grandfather (Jonathan Pryce) found themselves in the crosshairs of an assassin-siring monster who turned out to be River’s long-lost father (Hugo Weaving). Not every season can (or should) be as personal, but it’s a major narrative development, and it didn’t just affect River and his grandfather; it also indirectly resulted in Marcus’ (Kadiff Kirwan) death. So it’s the type of season that demands action and movement in the aftermath, more so even than previous installments that saw Slough House agents die. And in that regard, it’s initially difficult to be dropped into a new story that mostly hinges on the question “No self-respecting woman would willingly date Roddy, right?” and not wonder if the show is as stuck as its titular slow horses.The good news is, the series doesn’t totally ignore the bomb dropped on River last season, nor does it gloss over the aftermath of Marcus’ murder. In fact, Slough House is under construction when the show returns, both a subtle reminder of what happened and an apt representation of the current states of those most affected by the prior season’s events. Understandably, Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) isn’t coping well with Marcus’ death, but she throws herself into protecting Roddy since she couldn’t do the same for her friend. Meanwhile, River has compartmentalized his trauma and chosen to prioritize work instead of processing that the health of his grandfather, the man who raised him, has declined significantly in recent months, or that his actual father just tried to kill him. All of this puts a strain on his already complicated relationship with Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), yet another father figure of sorts. It all makes sense in terms of the characters, and yet there are instances when one wishes they could spend just a little bit more time with them in the in-between moments. — Kaitlin Thomas [Full Review]

For Chance. These words are the first thing that you see after the opening credits of Gen V Season 2, and, in a nutshell, are the perfect summation of the show’s sophomore season. While there’s most certainly a sentimental aspect coloring the perception of this entry into The Boys franchise, it also benefits from remaining a very solid series in its own right. Gen V weaves itself effortlessly into the ongoing story without expecting fans to remember exactly what happened last in The Boys, while expanding the ongoing fight against The Seven and Vought’s growing totalitarian power.

With Starlight (Erin Moriarty) on the run and now the face of the resistance, we rejoin the Gen V team on the heels of an escape and a crushing loss. Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) successfully escaped the Elmira detention center that she, Andre (Chance Perdomo), Emma (Lizze Broadway), and Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh) had been whisked away to after the betrayal of Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) at the end of Season 1. But Marie has to leave the rest of her team behind in her escape. The others try to follow later, but Andre dies trying to rip open the prison door, succumbing to the illness that also plagues his father when he uses his powers.

As the young adult addition to the Boys universe, Gen V lives or dies by its performances amidst all of its teen angst. After showcasing what they can do in Season 1, it’s no surprise that the entire ensemble delivers again here. That’s particularly true when you consider the very real loss they collectively experienced after Perdomo’s tragic passing. With his character Andre’s sacrifice being a key plot point in the season, the real human emotion everyone is experiencing is evident.  —Amelia Emberwing  [Full Review]

1. The Diplomat

Network: Netflix
Last Week: N/A
This Week:  The third season of Netflix’s hit political drama is full of high stakes intrigue, even if some of its character work suffers as a result.

Netflix’s The Diplomat isn’t the sort of political drama that cares too much about the inner workings of state bureaucracy or that gets overly idealistic about the people who populate the global halls of power. Instead, it treats politics as something deeply personal, an extension of the lives of those who serve, and a reflection of the choices (for both good and often very ill) they must make along the way. The show is full of intelligent banter and surprising twists — very few of which would likely ever actually happen in the real world — but what makes it stand out has always been the characters at its center and the messy relationships they share. Which is why it’s so frustrating that, in its third season, The Diplomat so frequently foregrounds plot concerns over emotional depth.

Season 3 picks up moments after the shocking events of the previous finale, which saw Ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) inform Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) that she was aiming to replace her due to her involvement in a false flag attack on U.K. soil, a chat that took place just as President Rayburn (Michael McKean) dropped dead. Suddenly, Kate and her former diplomat husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) are two of the only people who know the treasonous truth about a woman who just so happens to have ascended to the most powerful position on Earth. Drama immediately ensues on a global scale, as the Wylers manuever to salvage their individual and collective relationships with Grace, protect themselves professionally, and figure out what the fallout from Rayburn’s death means for both their public lives and their marriage. —Lacy Baugher Milas   [Full Review]