Babble's Top Books, Podcast Episodes, TV Shows & Movies We Discovered & Loved in 2025
- Erika Doty
- 7 days ago
- 8 min read
As we look back on 2025, we can't help but think about the books, podcasts and programs we consumed - and loved! We asked our Babble Panel and our online Babble community what their favorite books, podcast episodes (specific episodes!), TV shows and movies were from 2025. Check out our list below (in no particular order).
What's the Babble Panel? It's a group of midlife women who we babble with almost daily. They share all their best ideas, most-loved products, recipes...all the stuff we Babble about!
📚The Wedding People by Alison Espach
📚The Women by Kristin Hannah
📚Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
📚None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
📚The In Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos
📚The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
📚The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
📚The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
📚How To Read A Book by Monica Wood
📚A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot To Take Over America, And The Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan
📚The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
📚My Friends by Fredrik Backman
📚The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb
📚Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker
📚The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
📚Every Summer After by Carly Fortune
📚Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
📚Conform by Ariel Sullivan
📚Let Them by Mel Robbins
📚Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom
Favorite Podcast Episodes
🎙️"This Shocking Truth About Other People Will Change Your Life" on The Mel Robbins Podcast (Sept. 28, 2025): Will help you understand why we feel so polarized as a country, but - statistically and scientifically - we aren't.
🎙️"Look, Feel, & Stay Young Forever: #1 Orthopedic Surgeon's Proven Protocol" on The Mel Robbins Podcast (March 5, 2025): This episode will literally make you change your habits to create a better future.
🎙️"Heather Cox Richardson on Donald Trump, MAGA and How We Fight Back" on Pod Save America Podcast (Sept. 7, 2025): A little history lesson on America - it feels bleak out there, but we've been here before.
🎙️"Pete Buttigieg" on Smartless Podcast (May 12, 2025): Listen to a friendly, funny chat with "Mayor Pete" - I dare you not to adore him (and have some hope) afterwards.
🎙️"Do THIS to Boost Your Metabolism, Lose Fat, & Feel Better Now With Dr. William Li" on Mel Robbins Podcast (August 20, 2025): Learn how to boost your metabolism at any age and the simple changes that lead to better health, longevity, and fat loss.
🎙️"Why Amanda Knox Forgave the Man Who Sent Her to Prison" on Honestly with Bari Weiss Podcast (August 12, 2025): Bari asks Amanda Knox how she survived in prison, how she reintegrated into society, why she returned to Italy to confront the prosecutor who put her behind bars, why she chooses forgiveness, and what it means to be truly free.
🎙️"Becoming Whole" on Dying For Sex Podcast (Episode 6 of 6 in the original series): Get ready for all of the feels in this concluding episode of Molly's story. Grab the tissues.
🎙️"Doom Scrolling is Ruining Your Life" on Call Her Daddy Podcast (October 26, 2025): Alex explores why so many of us feel anxious, overstimulated and restless, especially at night. She shares her therapist's tips for actually resetting, and gets into how to set healthy boundaries.
🎙️"Longevity Debate: The Truth About Weight Loss, Muscle, and Creatine!" on Diary of a CEO Podcast (October 27, 2025): Four leading women's health experts reveal what EVERY woman must know about perimenopause workouts, lifting weights, cycle syncing, perimenopause training and VO2 max!
Favorite TV Shows/Series
📺Pluribus – A sci-fi drama about a writer who’s one of the few people left unaffected when everyone suddenly becomes unnaturally happy, forcing her to uncover the truth behind this bizarre global shift. Streaming on Apple TV+ (exclusive).
📺The Rehearsal – Nathan Fielder helps real people prepare for difficult conversations or life moments by constructing elaborate, surreal rehearsals with actors and detailed sets. Watch on HBO / Max.
📺The Pitt – A medical drama set during a grueling 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room, showcasing life-and-death cases and personal challenges of the staff. Streaming on Max and also airing on TNT.
📺White Lotus – A satirical anthology about the guests and employees at luxury resorts whose personal dramas and hidden flaws are revealed over a week-long stay. Available on HBO / Max.
📺Adolescence – A psychological drama focusing on the arrest of a young teen for murder and its ripple effects. Streaming on Netflix.
📺Righteous Gemstones – A comedy-drama about a wildly dysfunctional family of televangelists balancing scandal, greed, and faith while trying to protect their megachurch empire. Streaming on HBO / Max.
📺The Four Seasons – a comedy-drama series about a tight-knit group of three longtime married couples whose tradition of quarterly vacations is thrown into emotional turmoil when one couple announces their divorce, forcing everyone to confront changing relationships, midlife challenges, and the evolving dynamics of friendship and love over the course of a year. Streaming on Netflix.
📺Dying for Sex – is a dark comedy-drama based on the hit podcast, following a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer who leaves her marriage and embarks on a journey of sexual exploration, intimacy, and self-discovery for the first time in her life. The series blends humor and heartbreak as it explores desire, friendship, and what it means to truly feel alive at the end. Streaming on Hulu (via FX on Hulu in the U.S.).
📺Nobody Wants This – A romantic comedy series about an outspoken, agnostic sex-podcast host who unexpectedly falls for a kind, unconventional rabbi, forcing both to navigate love, faith, family expectations, and personal identity. The show mixes sharp humor with heartfelt moments as the couple confronts what they’re willing to compromise for a real connection. Two seasons streaming on Netflix.
📺Diddy: Monsters Trial – A true-crime docuseries that examines the explosive criminal allegations and civil lawsuits surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs, placing them within the broader context of power, fame, and accountability in the music industry. Through investigative reporting and testimony, the series explores how celebrity influence can enable abuse and delay justice. Streaming on Hulu in the U.S. (sometimes also available via the Hulu/Disney⁺ bundle).
📺Sean “Diddy” Combs: The Reckoning - A docuseries that traces Combs’ rise as a music and business mogul while examining the serious allegations and controversies that have reshaped his public image. Through interviews and archival footage, it explores the cost of power, fame, and accountability in the entertainment industry. Netflix.
📺Stranger Things – A supernatural sci-fi drama about kids and adults in Hawkins, Indiana confronting government conspiracies and terrifying forces from an alternate dimension called the Upside Down. Streaming on Netflix.
📺The Beast in Me – A crime drama series where a grieving novelist becomes obsessed with her mysterious neighbor who might be on death row for killing his wife. Released on Netflix.
📺Stick – A comedy series about a trouble teenage golf prodigy who is taken under the wing of a down-and-out golf champion. Apple TV+.
📺Platonic – A comedy about two former best friends (played by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) reconnecting and navigating adult friendships with humor and heart. Streaming on Apple TV+.
📺Running Point – A sports comedy about a former party girl taking over her family’s struggling pro basketball team and learning the ropes. Streaming on Netflix.
📺Murdaugh: Death in the Family – A true-crime drama based on the Murdaugh murders, tracing the downfall of a powerful legal dynasty after a fatal family tragedy. Streaming on Hulu (and Disney+ in some regions).
📺You – A psychological thriller following Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager whose obsessive love turns dark and violent as he stalks and manipulates those he becomes infatuated with. Streaming on Netflix.
📺Black Rabbit – A crime thriller miniseries about two estranged brothers in New York whose reunion pulls them into escalating danger in the city’s criminal underworld. Streaming on Netflix.
📺Mayor of Kingstown – A gritty crime drama about the McLusky family acting as intermediaries between gangs, inmates, and law enforcement in a prison-centered Michigan town. Streaming on Paramount+.
📺Chief of War – an epic historical drama that follows Hawaiian warrior Kaʻiana as he navigates shifting alliances and brutal battles while trying to unify the Hawaiian Islands ahead of Western colonization in the late 18th century. The series blends large-scale action with cultural storytelling, focusing on power, identity, and survival. Apple TV+
📺The Buccaneers – A historical drama set in 1870s London that follows a spirited group of wealthy young American women who arrive amid debutante season hoping to secure advantageous marriages and titles. Apple TV
Favorite Movies
🎥The Perfect Neighbor – A documentary drawing from police bodycam footage and real events to show how a neighbor’s harassment escalates into violence and tragedy. Available on Netflix.
🎥Running Man – In a dystopian future, Ben Richards is hunted across a brutal televised game where he must outwit deadly “Hunters” and expose a corrupt network exploiting society for entertainment.
Where to watch: Now available to buy or rent digitally on platforms like Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango At Home, YouTube Movies & TV (rental/purchase).
Streaming coming soon: Expected on Paramount+ after its theatrical run (likely early 2026)
🎥One Battle After Another – A flawed former revolutionary-turned-father navigates chaotic political uprisings and personal drama while fighting for his daughter and a cause he barely understands in this sprawling socio-political action drama.
Where to watch: Currently in festival and theatrical circuits (varies by region). Availability on streaming or digital purchase is not broadly listed yet — check local listings or upcoming digital releases.
🎥Train Dreams – Spanning decades of early 20th-century America, this reflective drama follows Robert Grainier’s quiet life as a railroad worker and logger, capturing his deep loves, losses, and the changing world around him.
Where to watch: Streaming on Netflix (released Nov 21, 2025 worldwide).
🎥Eternity – After dying, an elderly man enters a whimsical afterlife “Junction” where he and his late wife must decide between staying together forever or exploring alternate eternal destinies.
Where to watch: Generally in theaters (US release Nov 26, 2025). Streaming or digital release info will depend on distribution windows; check major platforms like Apple TV, Amazon, or Hulu/A24 releases.
🎥Sinners – In 1932 Mississippi, twin brothers returning to their hometown to open a juke joint confront a supernatural horror that threatens their community in this Southern Gothic horror epic.
Where to watch: Theatrical release earlier in 2025; now available on HBO Max and digital platforms. It will also be streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting Dec 26, 2025.
🎥Jay Kelly – A flawed movie star follows a chaotic journey through Paris and past regrets as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter and confront the personal costs of fame.
Where to watch: Netflix
🎥Regretting You – After a fatal accident reveals devastating family secrets, a mother and daughter must navigate grief, betrayal, and the fragile bonds that hold them together.
Where to watch: Available to buy/rent digitally on platforms like Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango At Home (digital from Nov 25, 2025).
Streaming soon: Expected on Paramount+ later in December 2025.
🎥It Was Just An Accident – After a car breaks down, a tense and darkly comic confrontation unfolds when a former prisoner mistakes a stranger for the officer who tortured him, forcing a group to grapple with revenge, identity, and forgiveness.
Where to watch: This film has been a festival award winner (e.g., Palme d’Or at Cannes). Availability on streaming/digital platforms may vary by region — check rental services like Apple TV, Amazon, or specialty indie platforms such as Criterion Channel or MUBI.
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