Adrienna Matzeg/The Globe and Mail
In turbulent times, the arts are both an essential creative outlet for some and a much-needed distraction for others. This year was no different, with our Globe culture team reporting on remarkable works both reflecting and shaping our chaotic world throughout 2025.
Now, as the year draws to a close, our culture critics have compiled lists of the best films, television, albums, songs, concerts, theatre shows and visuals arts they believe will – and should – stand the test of time.
So whether you’re looking to catch up on what you missed or find inspiration going into the New Year, here are The Globe’s critic’s picks to put a bow on 2025.
The 10 best films: One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme and more
- Barry Hertz, film editor
The great mantra of the film industry going into this year was ‘Survive till ’25,’ at which point the entire sector would right itself after the pandemic, the strikes, frenzied conglomeration and so many other injuries both endured and self-inflicted. So, yeah, that hasn’t quite worked out.
But between all the doom and gloom, there were – as there always will be – masterpieces large and small, and all of them making triumphant landfall, at least briefly, on the big screen.
The 10 best new shows and series: The Pitt, Pluribus and more
- J. Kelly Nestruck, television critic
Illustration by The Globe and Mail; Supplied
In a polarized world, storytelling and humour on television screens still broke through the algorithms and echo chambers.
The list is alphabetical rather than ranked, though, either way, the same show would be at the top...
The 10 best new television shows of 2025
The 10 best albums: Rosalía’s Lux, Wednesday’s Bleed and more
- Brad Wheeler, music critic
Lux by Rosalia was one of 2025's standout albums.Uncredited/The Associated Press
Can a 2025 album roundup be complete without mention of Taylor Swift’s perfectly entertaining but unmemorable pop album The Life of a Showgirl? Apparently not.
What we can say about the chart-topper is that it was made by human beings. Which is more than we can say about the two retro hippie-rock albums released this summer by the Velvet Sundown, whose synthetic music, images and backstory were created by AI.
But there were plenty of incredible works from artists of all genres and styles to keep our ears happy this year.
The 10 best songs: Hallways by Pup, Tyler, The Creator’s Ring Ring Ring and more
- Josh O’Kane, business of arts reporter
Illustration by The Globe and Mail; Chris Carlson/CP, Christopher Wahl/The Globe and Mail, Mario Anzuoni/Reuters, Laura Proctor/CP, Supplied
Artificial-intelligence-generated “musicians” are now entering the charts at a pace that’s drawing worry from even the most bottom-line-focused label executives. What can everyday listeners do to combat this threat to human creativity?
We can celebrate real artistry – real songs by real people excavating their real minds for real ideas – as loudly as possible.
The 10 best concerts: Sabrina Carpenter, The Who and more
– Brad Wheeler, music critic
Illustration by The Globe and Mail; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images, Supplied
It was a tough year for concert fans in Canada. Ticket prices remained sky-high and last-minute cancellations soared.
But when concerts actually went ahead as planned, Canadian music fans got to witness some truly remarkable live performances.
The 10 best theatre shows: Stratford’s Anne of Green Gables and more
- Aisling Murphy, theatre reporter
Tim Campbell and Caroline Toal in Kat Sandler's adaption of Anne of Green Gables at the Stratford Festival.David Hou/Stratford Festival
This was a year of transition for Canadian theatre. Behind the scenes, numerous companies saw change-ups in their leadership. Onstage, artists pushed the boundaries of live performance, often using technological elements to supplement more analog storytelling choices.
For this top 10 list (in alphabetical order), I’ve limited myself to what I saw in Toronto, at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival, where The Globe’s theatre coverage is most concentrated.
The best theatre of 2025 from Toronto, Stratford and Shaw
The 10 best works of visual arts: The AGO’s Moments Contained and more
- Kate Taylor, arts critic
Illustration by The Globe and Mail; Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail, Duane Cole/The Globe and Mail, Supplied
From an unmissable public art installation outside the Art Gallery of Ontario to a retrospective of Vancouver photographer Jeff Wall’s arresting images, this year brought moving achievements throughout Canada’s artistic world.
The 10 best things about visual art in 2025