The 2025 TQ Music Awards

a future quilt?

Welcome to my 15th annual Music Awards / year in review post.

[Previous Years:2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

2025 was a rebound year of music for me of sorts as my minutes listened doubled and concerts attended quadrupled from the bad (for many reasons beyond music) previous year. Here's the annual playlist that features two songs that pretty much instantly qualified based on what they used to sample. What a new way to feel old - a new song that uses a song from well before the artist was born but you have clear memories of enjoying when it was new.

Song of the Year: “Beginning From The Ending” by My Morning Jacket

[runner up: “Weight of Desire" by Tennis]

An easy call for me. When a top 3 favorite artist sends a fat fastball down the middle it's gonna be a homerun.

Album of the Year: Face Down In The Garden by Tennis

[runner up: Moments by Cut Copy]

I've been an appreciator of the duo known as Tennis for a while, but I've never seen them perform live (I'll get to that regret later). The nine songs total less than a half hour, but it might hit you like an unexpected drop shot 'cause it's a mood.

Concert of the Year: THREE WAY TIE! My Morning Jacket at Salt Shed

[runner up: Jamie xx at Aragon]

I guess I'm just going to need to see MMJ every night of a visit to my town going forward. It's really one long set with a couple 22 hour breaks. Going the first night meant I heard them cover Radiohead! Going the second night ensured that I would hear my favorite song of the year. The third night was a must to hear the song that I first heard form them that started my fandom. Bonus note: I finally got myself to the Salt Shed and confirm it's as nice as reported.

Song of the Summer: "Daria" by Toro y Moi feat. Kenny Beats

[runner up: "last night i dreamt i fell in love" by Kylie Minogue feat. Alok]

It's a bop.

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year: "NIAMOS! (Chandrilian Club Mix) by Nicholas Britell, Brandon Roberts (used in Andor)

Come on, you know you're about to unhinge from your terrors when a freaking DISCO BALL DROID enters the dancefloor.

Regret of the Year: Not seeing Tennis perform during their... farewell tour?

Yeah, my "I'll get around to seeing them eventually" stance blew up in my face. I don't really follow them too closely and literally learned this news as I was composing this post. One thing I do know is that Tennis is a duo (who are life partners) and hope an idea of another tour is... amicable? 

Best Decision I made in 2025: Invested the time to get all the music I like setup with concert alerts

Seated.com is where I gave them approximately 100 acts that might pique my interest in seeing live.

TQ's Year of TV (2025)

Andor's "Discoball Droid"

Previous Years:
2024 / 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2020

2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016 / 2015 

2014 LT / 2014 NLT / 2013 / 2012 / 2011

A quick confession before I begin... If you know me, and know my comedic tastes, this might come as a shock: I haven't watched The Chair Company yet.

I know, I know... I know... I've been saving all the eps and just ran out of time before I could publish this!

Best TV Show That Is Seriously Great:

Andor (Disney) 
Runner-up: PLUR1BUS (Apple)

There's just never been a more apt show for it's time than Andor. My wife couldn't be farther from the Star Wars Universe, but convincing her to watch this show is my #1 TV-related accomplishment. My #2 accomplishment will be anyone that I can get to watch PLUR1BUS, which my wife bailed on after three episodes... Andor is watchable/enjoyable with very little Star Wars knowledge, but PLUR1BUS especially caters to viewers that have been trained in patience by Better Call Saul.

Best TV Show That Has Recently Completed / All Seasons Watch Recommend:

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO) 

Runner-up: Around the Horn (ESPN)

I don't think I appreciated TRG as much as I should've until I realized it was ending. The show has consistently been very funny and their last season might have been their best. To clarify, I am not saying to watch the massive library of ATH episodes, but I want to say I tuned in for the show's last week and appreciate the show for what it was and how it went out (even though I disagree with its cancellation).

HONORABLE MENTION -  BEST THING TO WATCH IF YOU HAVE LESS THAN 90 MINUTES

Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (Netflix)

Runner-up: Las Culturistas Culture Awards (Peacock)

The Conan special was absolutely funny from top to bottom, start to finish, everything a fan of Conan could dream. Not a dead/wasted minute in the brisk 86 minute run time. If you listen to the "Las Culturistas" podcast - I don't need to say anything more.

Best Comedy Still Running:

The Studio (Apple) 
Runner-up: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Hulu)

I didn't start watching The Studio thinking I'd like it. I can't explain it, but maybe I was getting Seth Rogen fatigue. However, the show proved me wrong and the short season and short episodes really allowed it to cut out all the fat and just delivered huge laughs every episode. Meanwhile, certainly not to my surprise, IASIP is just a Godzilla of a show that has to be nuclear powered to keep being as funny as it's always is.

Best Shelter In Place (one-day-marathon) Show:

The Pitt (HBO)

Runner-up: Hacks (HBO)
If you want to have an absolute roller-coster of emotions and feel as exhausted as one might be after a full shift in an Emergency Room - enjoy The Pitt. The priority you give this show to watch should match your love of the NBC legend er. Noah Wyle is playing Dr Jon Carter again (complimentary). I don't really know what to put in second place here, but if you haven't seen Hacks - and you really only have time for half hour episodes - get Hacks current.

Best TV Show That Is Bonkers:

The Rehearsal (HBO)

Runner-up: Severance (Apple)

If I meet anybody anywhere near the aviation industry, I'll make sure they know about it. Actually - anybody that's ever flown on a plane or plans to in the future should watch season two of The Rehearsal. Severance continues to sever what we attempt to guess versus what happens, which is just a great compliment to its originality in a world dominated by Established Intellectual Property.

Best TV Show That Needs To Get Resurrected ASAP:

The Old Man (Hulu)

Runner-up: Interview with the Vampire (Netflix)

* these are two shows from prior to 2025 that I finally got around to watching this year *

I'm so very sorry that I didn't support The Old Man. I loved the two seasons I watched and realized that not enough people saw them to warrant a third season. You're gonna also hate that the story ends too soon, but you'll be thrilled with it if you watch. IwtV was a fun watch; I think there's a spin-off show on the way - but I really don't know where/how these AMC Originals survive anymore.

Best Limited Run or Anthology Series:

Adolescence (Netflix)

Runner-up: The Lowdown (Hulu)

C O N T E N T // W A R N I N G // I can't recommend Adolescence to anybody with young children. Also, if you watch this show in one day (it's only 3 hours and 48 minutes long), it will leave your body in a destroyed state for a week. On the total opposite end of the spectrum, The Lowdown is a very enjoyable recipe of crazy characters, slapstick and dark humor, historical presence, old school suspense, and Ethan Hawke at his peak. Plus it has what many shows can't promise -- a satisfying ending that both settles the plot for good but with hopes of more to come. 

Best Dad-core:

Slow Horses (Apple)

Runner-up: Reacher (Prime)

I've only seen the SH season that premiered at the start of 2025, not the end of 2025, but regard it as a very smart and enjoyable show. Reacher is very dumb (complimentary).

WHAT ELSE IS ON

• Best Lost (complimentary): Paradise (Hulu)
• Best Nostalgia: Pee Wee as Himself (HBO)
• Best Reality Show (competition) The Squid Game Challenge (Neflix)
• Best Reality Show (documentary) Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu)
• Best Reality Show (late nite talk show) Everybody's Live with John Mulaney (Netflix)
• A Reality Show that I watched: America's Sweethearts (Netflix)
• Best Effort: The Paper (Peacock)
• Worst Effort: South Park (Comedy Central)
• Most Promising: Alien: Earth (Hulu)
• Most Undercooked, needed more heat: Black Mirror (Netflix)
• Most Overcooked, still edible: The Bear (Hulu)
• Most Overcooked, bad for diet but will consume anyway: The White Lotus (HBO)
• Most Overcooked, spit out: Squid Game (Netflix)
• Second Worst TV Show I watched all year: Running Point (Netflix)
• Worst TV Show I watched all year: Four Seasons (Netflix)

LATE TO THE PARTY / shows from previous years

-Man on the Inside (Netflix): Ted Danson was robbed of an Emmy Nomination for his performance and am looking forward to season two.

-Industry (HBO): This is my "real housewives type" of content (high quality trash)

-Black Doves (Netflix): I'm a sucker for any show involving spies. I liked it, but not sure if it was good.

-Trainwreck: (Netflix): Great "Woodstock '99" eps / Enjoyable "Poop Cruise" ep.

-Shoresey (Hulu): I watched the first season upon a lot of recommendation from a friend. It has great comic writing and all the secondary characters are great. I just couldn't get beyond my distaste for the lead character and stopped watching.

LEFT THE PARTY / shows I quit

-The Morning Show (Apple): The first season was good, then it went downhill - then off the rails.

-Yellowjackets (Paramount): same as above

STILL IN THE QUEUE:

(note: the below group is purposely batched by channel - according to my own power rankings of Apple #1, HBO #2, Hulu #3, Netflix #4, Peacock #5)

Shrinking (Apple)

Mr. Scorsese (Apple)

Bad Monkey (Apple)

The Chair Company (HBO)

The Last of Us (HBO)

Duster (HBO)

Tokyo Vice (HBO)

House of the Dragon (HBO)

Somebody Somewhere (HBO)

Secrets of the Bunny Ranch (Hulu)

The Deli Boys (Hulu)

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

Say Nothing (Hulu)

Adults (Hulu)

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Man on the Inside (Netflix)

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Black Rabbit (Netflix)

Death By Lightning (Netflix)

Ripley (Netflix)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Poker Face (Peacock)

Mrs. Davis (Peacock)

See it soon,

TQ