Best and Worst of 2025

Aren't you tired of best and worst of the year articles that come out in November or early December? There is always quality content released in December that gets missed in these lists. Granted, a best and worst of post at the end of February is a little late, but better late than never, right? Well, maybe not too late. A best and worst of 2025 blog post in June 2028 would be ridiculous. Let’s begin.

Best TV Show: The Diplomat

I absolutely love this show. If I told you this was a political thriller heavy on dialogue, you might simply say pass. But it's so good. Keri Russell plays a newly appointed US Ambassador to the United Kingdom who may also be in consideration for Vice President. She's fantastic. The relationship between her and her husband, played by Rufus Sewell, is also great. There's a terrorist attack but uncertainty about who did it. The inner workings of the relationship between the US and UK is intriguing. Oh, and then they add the fabulous Allison Janney in season two. It's so good. They also did a great promotion for Rold Gold pretzels!

Worst Show: Nobody Wants This

I like this show starring Adam Brody as a rabbi and Kristen Bell as a podcaster. I'm just really bothered by one part of season two. It's a little bit of a spoiler, but Adam Brody leaves his job and joins a new congregation as a rabbi basically with no vetting whatsoever except for a brief conversation with the temple's head rabbi played by Seth Rogan. I was on a rabbi search committee for my synagogue. It took months with multiple online interviews followed by bringing the top candidates in for a weekend, and then a separate committee worked with the rabbi on a contract. The rabbis do their own research too about the area and the synagogue. Adam Brody talked with Seth Rogan for about 3 minutes and took the job. Later in that episode or in episodes later in the season, Brody realizes that the job might not be a good fit for him. I like the show, but this storyline is ridiculous. 

Best Movie: Palm Springs

This is a difficult category for me. After seeing Anora, I questioned how the film won Best Picture. It's grown on me some since I watched it, but not enough to be my favorite movie of the year. I enjoyed Conclave and liked rewatching the original three Indiana Jones films with my kids (well, one kid since the others just wanted to be on their iPads). Finally saw Casablanca too. But the 2020 film starring Andy Samberg and Crisin Milioti was my favorite movie I watched for the first time in 2025. It's got a Groundhog's Day vibe but with more than one person in the Bill Murray time loop. Samberg and Milioti have great chemistry and are fun to watch.

Not giving anything away, but even though it's not March yet, I think I have my favorite movie that I saw this year ready for my 2026 post. I mean, there's a good reason why this film received 16 Oscar nominations!

Worst Picture: A Complete Unknown

In fairness to A Complete Unknown, I fell asleep various times while watching this on the return flight from Iceland. I was tired, so I'm not going to blame my falling asleep on the movie. Still, it seemed that the big conflict was whether or not Bob Dylan would play an electric guitar at a folk festival. Apparently, that made the festival organizers mad since only acoustic guitars were permitted. That was the big deal? Again, maybe I fell asleep through some other drama.

Best Song: NOT OK by 5 Seconds of Summer

I wrote an entire blog post in December about my favorite songs of 2025. Two months after the post, I think I might put Dracula by Tame Impala or Where Is My Husband by Raye in the top spot. Part of the reason is because I haven't heard NOT OK at all. The song completely vanished. 

Still, NOT OK is a fun song. I mean, as much fun as a song titled NOT OK can be. Great beat/drums. Rollicking chorus. Unusual verses. I like it. I know what you're thinking. Sean, isn't 5 Seconds of Summer a boy band that is a step down from One Direction? And aren't you way out of the boy band-fan demographic? Yes and yes. But here's the thing. 5 Seconds of Summer is a boy BAND. Unlike many boy bands, they play their own instruments and seem to write their own songs. They've got talent.

Worst Song: party 4 u by Charli xcx

Just ugh. Slow and repetitive chorus.. We get it. Charli xcx threw a party for "you" and is now going to party on you. Maybe this song would be better if it was Party For You.

Best Book: Devolution by Max Brooks

You may remember Max Brooks as the author of World War Z, a fantastic zombie book and an average movie. In Devolution, we get sasquatches. The premise is a small, eco-friendly neighborhood is built in remote Washington. When the Mount Rainier volcano erupts, the neighborhood is completely cut off from everyone. Until a group of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) arrive. So suspenseful. So good. Loved it.

Showing my work here. These are the other books I read in 2025:

 

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (part of Different Seasons) by Stephen King

Back After This by Linda Holmes

Eternal Life by Dara Horn

The Payback by Kashana Cauley

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary was also great, and I'm looking forward to the movie, even though I'm going to be disappointed by comparing the book to the movie. Andy Weir gets super technical in many parts of the book. It's beyond my comprehension. I mean, NASA scientists and those with doctorates in science probably understand much of what Weir writes, but there's no way regular people can follow it. Still a fantastic book. 

By the way, my goal is to read 10+ books in 2026. I'm currently on a book a month pace.

Best Sports Moment: Ohio State National Football Champions

2025 was not a great sports year for the teams I follow. The Pirates and Penguins failed to reach the playoffs, and the Steelers were mediocre, barely reaching the playoffs in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons and losing in the first round in January 2025 and January 2026. The one positive was Ohio State winning the football national championship. Even though I was happy, Ohio State is not near the top of my personal fan-point rankings. Still, watching Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, TreVeyon Henderson, Quishon Judkins, Caleb Dows, J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, and the rest of the team was fun.

Worst Sports Moment: Sheffield Wednesday

What a mess. While I've mentioned this several times either on the blog or other social media pages, Pittsburgh Pirates fans complaining about owner Bob Nutting have it great compared to Sheffield Wednesday. Owner Dejphon Chansiri has literally gutted the team. He was unable to pay player salaries in June 2025, so the team was barred from completing any transfers or loans involving the team this season. Short on funds, the team sold or did not re-sign almost all of the team's key players. In October, the team was assessed a 12-point penalty. As I'm writing this in late-February 2026, Sheffield Wednesday's record this season is 1-8-25. That's 1 win and 8 draws in 34 games. They are -7 in the table (36 points behind the next to worst team in the Championship Division) and will be relegated to League One next season. What an embarrassment!

Best Blog Post: The New Kennedy Center

In February of last year, President Trump named himself the chair of The Kennedy Center. In a humorous tone, I wrote about how he was going to significantly change the performing arts venue in a negative way. I didn't go far enough in the post though. He's actually killing The Kennedy Center. And no, I'm not going to call it another name.

Worst Blog Post: Who Are The Cardinals?

I wrote a post sharing candidates for the new pope after the passing of Pope Francis. I knew it was dumb when I wrote it, but I amused myself.

Ohio State photo by Kirby Lee-Imagn Images