12 best Netflix shows we'll be waiting to watch until 2025 (or 2026)

Best Netflix shows coming in 2025 or 2026

It's shocking to admit, but 2024 is almost over. We're getting into the second half of the year and nearing the end, which means 2025 is right around the corner. While a number of fan-favorite Netflix shows have made their premieres throughout 2024, there are still a large handful of strike-delayed and other big productions confirmed for release in 2025 — and in one case, 2026.

Obviously, we had held out hope that most of the biggest Netflix shows would be able to manage a release in 2024 amid challenges from strike delays and other setbacks. A decent amount have premiered and there are more yet to come this fall, such as The Diplomat season 2 and Outer Banks season 4, but others will just keep us hanging a little bit longer to savor the suspense.

Even though Netflix released the latest seasons of Bridgerton, Emily in Paris, and more in 2024, we're still waiting on some huge titles. Wednesday season 2, Ginny & Georgia season 3, Sweet Magnolias season 4, and Stranger Things season 5 are just a few of the Netflix shows confirmed to be making their triumphant returns to our watch list in 2025.

While it will be difficult to stay patient for the newest episodes of your favorite shows, there are a lot of great shows to look forward to on Netflix in 2025. There's likely even more to look forward to than even just those highlighted on this list! But let's get the anticipation going by running through the list of the best shows confirmed to be dropping on Netflix in 2025.

Click through to find out what's coming to Netflix in 2025!

Bridgerton season 4

Following the massively successful third season of Bridgerton, all eyes are now on season 4, which was renewed with season 3 all the way back in 2021. While season 3 focused on Colin and Penelope's love story, it's now been confirmed that season 4 will center on Benedict Bridgerton finding love with Sophie Beckett, who has already been cast ahead of production's start. However, don't get your hopes up for a Bridgerton season 4 release in 2024... or even 2025.

During the premiere for season 3, Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell revealed that season 4 likely would not make its premiere on Netflix until sometime in 2026 as the series has been maintaining a season every two years pace. Filming was expected to begin in summer 2024 but was ultimately pushed back to the fall, further pushing back the eventual release date. Well, just stay patient for Bridgerton season 4 and hopefully that will make the wait go by faster.

Squid Game season 3

When Squid Game premiered on Netflix back in 2021 and became an unprecedented worldwide phenomenon, its future wasn't certain. Eventually, a second season was confirmed, but it's been a long time coming for the follow-up season to the most popular Netflix show. The wait is nearly over, as Netflix has officially announced that Squid Game season 2 will premiere on Dec, 26, 2024.

Along with the release date announcement for Squid Game season 2, Netflix also made the surprise announcement that the hit series was renewed for a third and final season. A previous reported had suggested that the seasons filmed back-to-back and had already wrapped. While season 2 will drop just before 2024 ends, fans will have one more season to look forward to in 2025. Stay tuned for more updates on when Squid Game season 3 will premiere on Netflix.

Ginny & Georgia season 3

Ginny & Georgia season 2 finally dropped in January 2023 after a two-year wait from season 1, and again, the show debuted to extremely impressive ratings as devoted fans binge-watched all 10 episodes and new fans got on board to see what all the hype was about. Thankfully, all of this success prompted Netflix to renew the series for not one but two more seasons, ensuring Ginny & Georgia will be back for seasons 3 and 4.

Unfortunately, due to delays caused by the strikes, work on the third season was delayed. For the first time, fans of the show had been looking forward to receiving new episodes in under a two-year timeframe. But that's not the case this time around. Netflix officially confirmed in February 2024 that the series will return with season 3 in 2025. That's not the news fans were hoping for, but the delays are understandable given the circumstances surrounding the strikes.

Production on the third season began in April 2024 and will likely last through September 2024. That production timeline falls in line with the four to five-month long filming schedule of the first two seasons. Also, filming not ending until fall immediately rules out a release by the end of the year. For now, we're looking at a release by spring 2025 at the latest. It's one of the best Netflix shows coming in 2025, but I know fans wish it was coming sooner instead.

One Piece season 2

One Piece was one of the most popular Netflix shows of 2023, but we have bad news for those who were hoping to see season 2 in 2024. Yes, Netflix quickly renewed One Piece for season 2 in the late summer of 2023, but it’s going to be a while until the new season is released on Netflix. Unfortunately, the second season is not coming to Netflix in 2024, according to Deadline. 

That means we’ll be waiting at least until 2025 to see One Piece season 2. We were expecting a big gap between seasons, but we’re just glad production officially got rolling in July 2024 so we can watch the new season of the Netflix original series in early 2025, not late 2025. Sadly, it’s looking like it will probably be the latter, though. 

Sweet Magnolias season 4

Among the many Netflix shows that have been pushed back to 2025 is a personal favorite, Sweet Magnolias. The fourth season of Netflix's hit series based on Sherryl Woods' beloved books is in the works and we're going to have a long wait ahead as the next season won't be arriving until 2025, but hey absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

When season 4 arrives in 2025, there is going to be a lot to look forward to from our favorite characters, and just because season 3 didn't end with a big flashy cliffhanger doesn't mean there are unresolved storylines we're eager to finally see play out. Will Helen and Erik find their way back to one another, and what does that journey look like? Will Ty and Annie's friendship finally evolve into something more? Is anyone else in town ever going to find out the truth about Bill being Isaac's biological father, and what will the fallout of that reveal be?

Sweet Magnolias season 4 wrapped filming in late May 2024, and while fans might have been keeping their fingers crossed for a released date by the end of the year, we'll have to keep those margaritas on ice until further notice. We won't be pouring it out with the Sweet Magnolias until the new year, but there's still hope that even more adventures in life and love are to come!

XO, Kitty season 2

XO, Kitty is one of the best and most popular teen shows in a long time on Netflix. The first season premiered on Netflix in May 2023. It was another huge success for Netflix set in the world of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. The series picks up where the story from those three movies end and follows Lara Jean’s younger sister, Kitty, played by Anna Cathcart.

It seemed like XO, Kitty was going to be released on Netflix in 2024, especially with how quickly the series was renewed last summer. Unfortunately, Deadline also reported that XO, Kitty season 2 will not be released in 2024. The new season will land in 2025, another series impacted by the delays caused by the dual Hollywood labor strikes in late 2023.

XO, Kitty season 2 began filming in April 2024 and wrapped production in late June. Even though it's not as demanding of a post-production process as, say, Stranger Things, there are still lot of finishing touches to put on the series before we can watch in 2025. It’s a bummer that fans will be waiting about two years from the end of season 1 to see XO, Kitty season 2, but it will be worth the wait!

My Life with the Walter Boys season 2

Just a couple weeks after its premiere, Netflix renewed My Life with the Walter Boys season 2, which means Jackie's love triangle with Cole and Alex will continue. For those who haven't yet started watching, the series is based on the book of the same name by Ali Novak and centers on 16-year-old Jackie as she moves in with her parents' friends after their untimely death. While grappling with her grief over losing her parents and sister, she deals with new surroundings and lots of new people.

When Netflix revealed its slate of new releases coming in 2024, the second season of the new hit teen series wasn't included. Unlike other shows that have seen their production status pushed, the reasoning for the show's slight delay doesn't appear to be at all related to the strikes, as they were resolved by the time the show premiered and was renewed.

Even though we had hoped that season 2 of My Life with the Walter Boys would be able to premiere sometime in 2024, production only getting started in August 2024 a damper on those hopes. Filming will likely last through fall then lead into post-production, which will then take a few more months. All of our burning questions for the new season will have to wait to be answered in 2025.

Wednesday season 2

Since the blockbuster release of the show, which has included continued high viewership and multiple award nominations for Jenna Ortega, there has been so much talk about what did and did not work in the first season. We’ve heard about the difficult time Ortega had while filming and her frustrations with the direction of Wednesday as a character. But she’s also expressed her desire to see the horror aspect heightened in season 2, which totally makes sense with the season 1 ending.

Unfortunately, there’s going to be a bit of a wait for the second season because there’s no chance new episodes will drop in 2024 at all. Netflix has confirmed a 2025 release for season 2. Filming officially commenced in May 2024 on the highly anticipated follow-up season. The first season was filmed between fall 2021 and spring 2022, with a release on Netflix about eight months later. Given that timeline, we're estimating a release sometime in mid 2025.

Stranger Things season 5

The end is near for Stranger Things. Netflix renewed the insanely popular original series for a fifth and final season ahead of the fourth season’s two-part release in spring and summer 2022. It’s splitting hairs when it comes to this show, but Stranger Things season 5 might be the most highly anticipated season of the series ever. Super and casual fans alike all want to know how the story comes to an end, who lives, who doesn’t it make it, and how they’ll save the world.

As of late, Stranger Things has garnered the reputation of the longest wait for new episodes between seasons. After all, season 3 arrived almost two years after season 2, and season 4 dropped nearly three years after season 3. (Of course, production on the fourth season had to grapple with the pandemic.) This time around, the wait for season 5 was supposed be shorter than that of season 4… but the wait will now be longer than anticipated due to the strikes.

Because Stranger Things season 5 had nabbed a production schedule that was to begin in summer 2023, even as early as May according to early reports, we were expecting the farewell season would drop in 2024. However, with the strikes delaying production, filming began in January 2024. Production will likely continue though most of the year, with extensive post-production beginning right after. Don't anticipate the final episodes until well into 2025.

You season 5

After so much stalking, murder, globetrotting, and crazy twists and turns, Joe Goldberg’s dark journey will be coming to an end with You season 5. Shortly after You season 4’s two-part launch in February and March 2023, Netflix renewed the fan-favorite psychological thriller for a fifth and final season. Will Joe finally get what’s coming to him? We’ll have to wait and see!

For the first time ever, Netflix split up a season of You into two separate parts. The fourth season was split down the middle, with five episodes dropping on Feb. 9 and the last five dropping on March 9. It’s unclear exactly why the streamer opted for the two-part release for You season 4, but it certainly arrive to mixed reception from fans of the series.

While we have to stay patient to find out exactly what’s next in You season 5, Netflix hasn’t left us waiting on a release timeframe. Upon being renewed for its final season, Netflix also revealed that You would be back with its final batch of episodes sometime in 2024. However, with the delays caused by the writers’ and actor’s strikes, the release of the fifth and final season won't be happening until 2025. At least fans still have something to look forward to!

The Recruit season 2

In the past year, Netflix has found amazing success within the genre of action and crime thriller series. The Lincoln Lawyer was a spring hit as a legal drama-thriller, and The Night Agent made a massive splash the next spring as a political drama. Right in the middle of both and the cherry on top is the spy thriller The Recruit. It’s the perfect trio all going into second seasons.

Along with the renewal, Netflix confirmed that The Recruit season 2 would be released in 2024. That announcement was prior to the writer’s and actors’ strikes, meaning the next batch of episodes still needed to be filmed, which was supposed to begin in June 2023. Filming for the first season took place between October 2021 and March 2022, and the season was released nine months later.

The Recruit season 2 filming officially kicked off in January 2024 for a now-confirmed release in 2025. However, we're hopeful that production and post-production won't take as long for season 2 in order for Netflix to drop the season earlier in 2025 rather than later. We need to know what happens next in Owen Hendricks' chaotic spy journey, and 2025 is already too long of a wait.

The Watcher season 2

Perhaps one of the most unexpected renewals out of Netflix in 2022, the streamer bet big on a second season of Ryan Murphy’s mystery thriller The Watcher. Despite originally being planned as a miniseries, those viewership numbers were far too large for Netflix to pass on the opportunity for another round of thrilling horror and mystery.

Because The Watcher was intended as a miniseries based on the true crime case, it’s unclear what Netflix and the Murphy-verse have planned for the second season. As of August 2024, we’re still unsure about what the season 2 story will entail and who will appear in the series. Will the Brannocks still be the focus of the new season, or will the show turn into an anthology?

Whether there’s a new family in town battling another Watcher, viewers will definitely be tuning in for the second installment. Concrete updates on season 2 are still scarce, but Netflix confirmed The Watcher won't be back with its follow-up season until 2025. At this point, it will have been almost three years since the series released when season 2 arrives, marking a significantly long wait. Only time will tell if the hit series will have the same impact in 2025.