From The Last of Us to Severance, this feels like the year Hollywood finally figured out the key to a good flashback episode.
"If 2025's best TV episodes had one thing in common, it's that Hollywood may have finally figured out the key to a good flashback episode. The Last of Us Season 2 looked back in time to remind viewers why Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will forever remain one of the greatest onscreen father-daughter pairings of all time. Meanwhile, Paradise filled in the gaps of the past to reveal answers moving forward, and Severance left the bright hallways of the office to focus on the reason why Mark Scout and Gemma's strained relationship brought them both to Lumon in the first place.
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If you're looking for the best small-screen efforts of the year, we spotlighted the top 12 standouts so far."
-Brady Langmann, Eric Francisco and Josh Rosenberg
