Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, neighborhood pools have closed up shop, and the kids are back at school. Yep, another summer is over — and the quiet days of summer television are behind us, too.
You know what that means: It’s time to take stock of the season gone by and crown the winners and losers of this summer’s small-screen entertainment. For example, if you’re into young adult shows — especially if they’re adapted from popular YA novels — then you’ve sure had a dreamy, steamy couple of months, thanks to “Off Campus,” “Sterling Point,” and more recent hits.
Meanwhile, shows like HBO Max’s “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” FXX’s “Adults,” and Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives” are among the winning programming, all for very different reasons. But it was a bummer summer for other series and networks, including Disney+’s “Wonder Man,” which had its previous Season 2 renewal unceremoniously scrapped.
Keep scrolling to see all of our picks for this summer’s TV winners and losers, then hit the comments with your own!
WINNER: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
Against all odds, the “Big Bang Theory” universe’s wildest swing proved there was still new territory to explore. The spin-off turned its multiverse premise into more than an excuse for cameos and Easter eggs — though there have been plenty! — delivering an inventive, character-driven, genre-hopping adventure that’s as funny and weird as it is ambitious, and unlike anything the sitcom franchise has attempted before
WINNER: Criminal Minds: Evolution
Way back in 2025, the Paramount+ procedural hired an unknown actor for a one-off guest gig. Showrunner Erica Messer was so impressed by the newbie’s work that she rewrote the season so he could appear in three more episodes. Then “Heated Rivalry” exploded onto the TV scene, making Connor Storrie — the aforementioned unknown — a star. By the time “Criminal Minds: Evolution” debuted in late May, the show had inadvertently snagged one of this year’s most in-demand faces. Talk about good timing! — Kimberly Roots
LOSER: Wonder Man
Just when Marvel fatigue seemed to be setting in big time, Disney+ revitalized things with the release of “Wonder Man,” a well-reviewed curveball of a series that even picked up a Primetime Emmy nomination for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s lead performance. But four months after “Wonder Man” had been picked up for a second season, Disney+ suddenly reversed the renewal; even worse, a reason for the abrupt cancellation wasn’t given (although a writers’ room for Season 2 had reportedly never been opened). — Rebecca Luther
WINNER: Big Brother 28
With a boost from some recognizable reality TV “icons” (like “Survivor” vets Rick Devens and Dee Valladares) and a fresh theme that sends the houseguests barreling through time, Season 28 has delivered solid gameplay and some great characters to root for. Plus, the live September 17 broadcast was one of the most thrilling and unpredictable double eviction episodes in recent memory
WINNER: Adults
While other shows are seeing viewership plunge in their second seasons, FXX’s riotous Gen Z comedy experienced a certified sophomore surge, with streaming viewing up 40% versus Season 1. (We got in on the ground floor, though.) That surge was well-deserved, too: “Adults” hit new creative heights in Season 2, leaning into the strengths of its tight ensemble of hilariously flawed roommates and delivering big laughs in the tradition of classic hangout comedies like “Friends,” “New Girl,” and “Happy Endings.” They may not be “the first people to be young and adorable in New York” (as “Girls” alum Zosia Mamet pointed out this season), but they’re starting to show signs of aging gracefully into a bona fide hit. — Dave Nemetz
DRAW: Ted Lasso
The Apple TV charmer came back for a fourth season this summer, three years after it ostensibly ended its run. In many ways, Season 4 has been a vast improvement over the meandering Season 3 — shorter episode runtimes, at the very least! — but it isn’t necessarily doing right by some of its female characters (namely Rebecca, who deserves better than to be called a “wh*re” for comedic effect). Also, as much as we’ve enjoyed seeing Roy and Keeley reignite their old spark, their road back to one another has been needlessly circuitous. — R.L.
WINNER: Fans of the YA genre
The summers of turning pretty may be behind us — until that finale movie hits our screens, at least — but lovers of young adult fiction and teen dramas still thrived this year, especially those that subscribe to Prime Video. The streamer delivered a trifecta of buzzy YA hits in “Off Campus” (renewed for Season 2), “Every Year After” (renewed for Season 2), and “Sterling Point” (you guessed it — renewed for Season 2!). Meanwhile, fans of Netflix’s “Outer Banks” and “Heartstopper” got legitimate conclusions to those stories, and the streamer’s latest entry in the genre, “Crew Girl,” has quickly climbed its Top 10 chart for TV shows. (That one isn’t yet renewed for Season 2, but we’ve got a strong suspicion that it will be.) — R.L.
WINNER: Days of Our Lives
The 62-year-old daytime soap enjoyed an unexpected burst of relevance this summer, thanks to a buzzy guest spot from “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver, Deidre Hall’s appearance as a psychiatrist in a soap opera-themed episode of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” and the masterful way “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle” worked Marlena’s original possession storyline into its narrative
WINNER: Pro sports on TV
Some of this year’s best and most dramatic television came from the world of professional sports, starting in June with riveting rounds of the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. The New York Knicks’ five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs became the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998, while the NHL claimed to have its most-watched postseason ever in the United States, surpassing the ratings record set in 1996. (It didn’t hurt that both of those sports came to near-cinematic conclusions this year.) The trend only continued with the U.S.-set World Cup, which drew massive viewership numbers for Telemundo. — R.L.
LOSER: CBS News
The October 2025 installation of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News has seemingly only brought headaches to the brand, including company layoffs and overhauls to long-running programs, both onscreen and off. The headaches continued when journalist and author Nick Bilton was named the new executive producer of “60 Minutes” in May, and reported clashes between Bilton and the “60 Minutes” talent led to Scott Pelley’s abrupt firing from the newsmagazine.
In fact, only three returning “60 Minutes” contributors — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and L. Jon Wertheim — remained with the series once the dust from Bilton’s hiring had settled. In turn, when Season 59 premiered earlier this month, the show’s ratings were down a whopping 10 million viewers from the 2025 season premiere
What would you consider the winners and losers of this year’s summer TV? Tell us in a comment below!
