Ahab’s Best of 2025

Another year, another boatload of art consumed. I had fun doing this last year, so I’m going to do it again. Here are all the Best Things I read, watched, played, etc. from 2025.

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Best Game I Played This Year

Hades II – Supergiant Games

I loved the original Hades. Played it a ton, had a blast with it. The art, the soundtrack, the gameplay — all stellar. It is very, very difficult for the sequel to a beloved game to live up the original. And Hades II doesn’t quite. But it does do a damn good job. The soundtrack is still banging, the art is still great, and even though it doesn’t really push the gameplay too much further, it doesn’t have to.

It didn’t blow me away, but I had a bunch of fun playing it, and that’s all that really matters for a game.

Honorable mention: I had a good mix of nostalgic games in my rotation this year, so there’s not a ton new this year that leapt out at me, not least because I don’t have a PC to game on. However, I’ll give some credit to Mario Kart World for being a satisfactory if long-awaited installment in one of the best party game franchises around. … The only other new game I played this year (again, I didn’t play many) that I’d elevate to this category is Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Much like Hades II, it was a sequel that didn’t quite reach the same heights as the original. In Z-A’s case, it fell a little shorter. But I still like the Legends games way more than the mainline Pokémon games, and I’m still playing it as I work on this post, so that’s good enough for me.

Best TV Show I Watched This Year

Severance – Apple TV+

As a big fan of guys in suits running through empty hallways, Severance was a godsend. I’m so glad the second season finally arrived after years of waiting, and I’m hoping the wait for the third isn’t as long.

Why is it my TV show of the year? Let’s start with the cinematography. I don’t think there is a single series on television or streaming right now that matches the masterful camerawork of Severance. It’s absolutely brilliant. The show exists in a world that never, ever feels quite right. I have never, not for one second, felt comfortable watching Severance. That’s the point, and so much credit for that goes to the cinematography.

Then there’s everything else: The brilliant takedown of modern office life. The terrific score. The way it generously reveals answers, for a mystery box show… but leaves you with just as many questions. For the second time in as many seasons, the finale was an utter whirlwind of converging plotlines and revelations that paid off spectacularly and had me desperate for more.

Good job, Severance. See you in 2029, probably.

Honorable mention: I have two “clear my schedule” shows among those with regular seasons/episodes: Game Changer (Dropout), which had its seventh season earlier this year, and Taskmaster (UK/Channel 4, YouTube), which finally returned to form with a stellar season 19 this year. I was down on both last year, but they both came back strong. I’m very much looking forward to seeing both return to my screens next year … Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee (Australia/New Zealand) was my winner in this category last year, and it remains probably my favorite unscripted comedy show, of which I watch quite a lot. … Speaking of, the American version of Have I Got News For You (CNN) really hit its stride this year. You don’t associate CNN with good unscripted comedy, but as long as the network continues to air it, it’s a hit. (Anything with Amber Ruffin in it is a hit.)

Hey, speaking of comedy, let me add a new category:

Best Comedian I Watched This Year

Demi Adejuyigbe

I first became fully aware of Demi’s work last year, when I saw the above set on Smartypants, Dropout’s Powerpoint Party-esque show. Since then, I’ve been seeing him pop up everywhere, and I’ve been delighted with his work every single time.

He’s shown up more frequently on Dropout in 2025 (can I recommend Dropout enough? No, I cannot), including his comedy special, which is well worth a watch. I also finally got around to binging The Good Place this year and was stunned to see him credited as a writer. Everything’s coming up Demi.

Honorable mention: This was a really tight contest between Adejuyigbe and soon-to-be furry Gianmarco Soresi, who’s one of the best crowd work comics around. Here’s his set at Furpocalypse (yes, the convention), if you somehow missed it:

I also want to give a shout to New Zealand’s Abby Howells, who I’d seen before here and there, but her brand of comedy fully clicked for me as I watched her compete in New Zealand’s version of Taskmaster. I definitely appreciate how open she is about her neurodiversity, and she’s really fucking funny about it, too.

Best Movie I Saw This Year

Babe: Pig In The City (1998)

Can’t explain this one.

watching babe 2: pig in the city with the baja blast pie in my belly and having an out of body experience

— Ahab (@ahab.bird.gay) 2025-11-17T03:49:34.765Z

Honorable mention: I don’t watch a ton of movies, and a lot of the ones that got a lot of hype and critical acclaim are still on my list to get to. Zootopia 2 and The Bad Guys 2 cancelled each other out. Sorry, furries. They were both fine. (The latter has the edge for having more fuckable characters, imo.) … The Naked Gun was better than it had any right to be, but Liam Neeson isn’t quite Leslie Nielsen. … Also better than it had any right to be: 80 For Brady, which I watched at a holiday party as part of a bad football movie marathon.

The real star of that party, however?

Best Meal I Ate This Year

Pulled pork and Buffalo chicken dip

You can’t beat slow-cooked meat enjoyed with good friends. But Buffalo chicken dip comes a close second. It was not the healthiest, or the best-looking, or even the tastiest. But in the context of a holiday party? It was perfect.

Honorable mention: The moment I felt most like a capital-c Chef this year was when I pulled off a meal prep of bacon-wrapped chicken roulades with spinach, ricotta and almond salad. I mean, it was way too much work, but goddamn was it good … My favorite breakfast restaurant declared war on me, personally, by adding mini fried pancakes to their menu. They’re kinda like beignets, and it will take great restraint to not order them every chance I get. … Also for breakfast: the bottomless bennys at the Vancoufur con hotel. I am an eggs benedict FIEND and putting an unlimited eggs benedict option on your menu is, again, an act of war. My stomach deserves veterans’ benefits after this year. … I ended up getting sick more often than I would’ve wanted this year — finally fell victim to COVID, rip my five-year streak — but it solidified khao poon as my ideal sick food. It’s a Laotian noodle soup, roughly analogous to pho but with a curry base instead of broth. It will heal you instantly.

Best Book I Read This Year

One of The Boys – Victoria Zeller

Victoria Zeller is an essential follow for any fan of Buffalo sports, so I knew I was going to have to read her debut YA novel after the 200th time I saw her post about it. (Deservedly! If I wrote a novel I would also post about it 200 times.)

I am not trans, nor am I particularly queer in general, but you certainly don’t have to be to appreciate Zeller’s story of a trans girl who tries to kick for her high school football team. I’m sure the experiences the protagonist, Grace, undergoes throughout the novel will ring true to anyone who went through similar in school, whether they were out or not.

And it doesn’t hurt that Zeller is a phenomenal writer, able to seamlessly channel the youthspeak of today. If you’re from or have frequently visited Buffalo, the number of easter eggs peppered throughout will be a delight, too.

Honorable mention: I do not like zombie apocalypse media. Zombies were kinda everywhere when I was a teenager and they got old fast. And I’m already predisposed to dislike horror and gory content. But I very much liked Hollow Kingdom (Kira Jane Buxton), a zombie apocalypse story told through the perspective of a crow. It’s self-effacing and irreverent enough to make the zombie apocalypse fun, and I’ve got the sequel queued up for 2026 … Mostly, I read non-fiction stuff that does not make for good book recommendations. Books about big data and statistical analysis are my bread and butter. I’ll give a shoutout here to Net Gains (Ryan O’Hanlon), a look at soccer’s analytics revolution. I read it over the summer and watched in real time as one of the big takeaways — the importance of set pieces and, in particular, long throw-ins — became the biggest storyline of the early Premier League season. Good job, Ryan. You nailed it.

Best Music I Listened To This Year

The same caveat as last year applies: I am not an album listener. I only listened to a small handful of albums start to finish this year. Instead of giving you an Album of the Year, here are the individual tracks I most enjoyed this year, limited to one per artist, presented alphabetically.