2025 was a rough year. End it on a good note with these entertainment specials

This has been a long, tough year, ending in many parts of the state with flooding, mudslides and misery.

So you’d be forgiven if you decide to spend the last few days on the couch with some tasty snacks and good TV.

Whether it’s absorbing a comedy special, swapping your life’s problems with others in a reality TV show or squeezing in some end-of-year learning with a documentary, The Times’ Entertainment team has recommendations for everyone.

The best comedy specials of 2025

If you’re still in the midst of chaos, we have 33 comedy specials to give you a reason to laugh and maybe find company in the misery.

Some folks use comedy to escape realities but in “Drop Dead Years,” powerhouse comic Bill Burr tackles big topics like outlawing war and children’s freedom of speech, featuring his iconic and hilarious rants, according to Ali Lerman.

And even though you may be watching these specials from your couch, Nate Jackson’s “Super Funny” draws you into the crowd — but luckily out of reach from his roasts of audience members. He masterfully toes the line of crowd work, ensuring that roastees can soothe their burns with plenty of laughs, The Times’ Nate Jackson (no relation, seriously!) writes.

And to close out a comedy special binge, be sure to hit “The Mother Lode” with Rosebud Baker, whom Lerman describes as “skilled at mining laughs from life’s toughest situations” such as diving into the underbelly of motherhood. The Netflix special features pre- and post-pregnancy jokes from Baker, making the comedian a mother to both children and hilarity.

The best reality TV of 2025

Comedy still might hit too close to home when all you want is a break. Enter crash-outs, heartthrobs and the year’s best reality TV.

If you want to go into 2026 with some knowledge of 2025’s biggest memes, you have to watch “Love Island USA.” Huda Mustafa and her infamous crash-outs took over social media and helped produce one-liners like Nic’s “Mommy? Mamacita” moment, The Times’ Vanessa Franko writes. Binge-watching this past season before New Year’s hits? “My dream date. Cute.”

Robert Irwin on “Dancing with the Stars” also made the list, not for handling unruly critters but for jiving and cha-cha-ing into fans’ hearts. Widely known as the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin’s son, Robert found his own spotlight and even took home the mirrorball trophy, all while becoming a “certified reality TV heartthrob,” according to The Times’ Yvonne Villarreal.

The best documentaries of 2025

And lastly some entertainment with fewer memes but just as much intrigue: the 16 best documentaries of the year.

Billy Joel’s song are immediately recognizable almost anywhere in the world, but “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” dives past the sheet music and “dispels the myths around his career,” The Times’ Maira Garcia writes. The two-part documentary works to understand Joel through his albums, a story of one of the country’s biggest pop stars.

And learn about another iconic figure, actor Jayne Mansfield, in daughter Mariska Hargitay’s journey to “find out more about her mother and the truth behind Mansfield’s image as a blond bombshell” who died in an auto accident when Hargitay was only 3 years old, The Times’ Greg Braxton writes. The dramatic documentary “My Mom Jayne” has emotions coursing through and is sure to surprise viewers.

Here’s more of our “best of” lists for the year, including the best movies, music, books, arts and architecture of 2025.

Today’s top stories

Storm clouds pass over the Downtown Los Angeles skyline.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Southern California’s wild weather is not over

• Gusts of up to 85 mph are expected in mountains and valleys throughout the region until Tuesday, with the National Weather Service warning that power outages are possible and that residents should keep an eye out for downed trees and power lines.
• The recent storms that drenched Southern California and soaked the soil also could “increase the likelihood of damage” caused by downed trees and power lines, the agency noted.

How the Rose Parade is responding to rain in forecast

• The last time it rained during the Rose Parade was in 2006, but officials say they’re prepared for the predicted rain.
• Pasadena officials are anticipating more medical calls for things like hypothermia and foot injuries from marching in wet socks, city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.
• Umbrellas are prohibited in the parade grandstands, and spectators are encouraged to leave them at home if they’re standing elsewhere along the route, said Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Tournament of Roses.

Officer video raises questions about ICE shooting of TikTok streamer

• For more than two months, federal authorities maintained that immigration officers opened fire on a TikTok streamer in South Los Angeles out of fear for their safety and that of the public.
• Newly released body camera footage from the ICE officer who fired his gun raises questions about the seconds leading up to the shooting, which wounded the streamer and a deputy U.S. Marshal hit by a ricochet bullet.
• A federal judge dismissed an indictment against the TikTok streamer.

What else is going on

• Slow down, Speed Racer: A new California program could impose the strictest penalty on motorists.
• A swimmer believed to be the victim of a shark attack was found dead with a shark-deterrent band around her ankle.
• This legendary L.A. music venue is closing after 25 years. But its story isn’t over.
• Southern California has an unlikely AI mecca: the very industrial Vernon.
• California regulators order Edison to look for fire risks on its old transmission lines.
• A judge blocked the release of Rob and Michele Reiner’s autopsy findings.

Commentary and opinions

• Trump regime’s lies against immigrants in 2025 even did Frank Sinatra dirty, argues columnist Gustavo Arellano.
• Blondie and Dagwood are entering the public domain, but Betty Boop still may be trapped in copyright jail, writes columnist Michael Hiltzik.
• Photos of the dirty 1970s will make you appreciate the Environmental Protection Agency, guest contributor James Salzman writes.
• The Supreme Court finally pushed back against Trump, guest contributor Erwin Chemerinsky writes.

This morning’s must read

Lifestyle

Trash is treasure for this jewelry maker and sculptor

Alicia Piller’s sculptures have been featured in museums across L.A., from Craft Contemporary to the California African American Museum. Her jewelry is an extension of her art.

Dec. 30, 2025

For your downtime

El DeBarge will perform on New Year’s Eve at Blue Note L.A.

((Courtesy of El DeBarge)

Going out

• Concert: El DeBarge will bring the “rhythm of the night” to New Year’s Eve at Blue Note L.A.
• Dining: Want to eat at the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles? Start here.

Staying in

• Books: Spanning fascinating subjects from bees to human anatomy, here are the 5 best science books of 2025.
• Recipe: Here’s a recipe for cotechino with lentils.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

A question for you: What is your New Year’s resolution?

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Volunteer Carlos Bo Bedia works on the Shriners float titled “Building Dreams Together” at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Genaro Molina at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale where an army of volunteers prepared floats for the 137th Rose Parade.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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