My Top TV Shows of 2024
I’ve been holding off writing this because there are some shows that I’d like to see (e.g. The Diplomat, The Day of the Jackal and Black Doves), but it doesn’t seem right to wait until 2025 to publish this, so here goes…
10. The Penguin S1 (Max)
This is a surprisingly successful blend of the comic book and gangster genres where Collin Farrell disappears behind an inch of make-up and a New Jersey accent.
9. Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
At first this seems like the story of a man dealing with a stalker and the bewildering choices he makes along the way, until we discover the gut-wrenching history that broke him.
8. Say Nothing (Hulu/Disney+)
This period piece set during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland is a wonderful character study of people who believe so strongly in their cause that they make moral compromises that come back to haunt them decades later.
7. Mr & Mrs Smith S1 (Prime Video)
It seems like a spy thriller but it’s really about marriage.
6. Industry S3 (Max)
I actually watched all three seasons this year. The series starts off exploring the lives of a young cohort of college grads entering pressure-cooker jobs in finance then evolves into a dissection of the upper class who have so much and yet never enough.
5. Fallout S1 (Prime Video)
At first I didn’t see the appeal of yet another entry in the post-apocalyptic genre which seems fulfilled by The Last of Us and Silo, but the production design of Fallout is exquisite and it’s a fun world to spend time in.
4. English Teacher S1 (Hulu/Disney+)
This show had me laughing out loud more than any other this year. Even though it is set in a high school, the teachers are the main characters, and what delightful characters they are! Also the depiction of the ultra-liberal high school students really hits home as the father of Seattle area teenagers.
3. Ripley (Netflix)
I may have been influenced by the fact that I watched this right before my trip to Italy, but good lord this show is gorgeous to look at. This is the story of a criminal that demonstrates just how hard it can be to commit crimes despite his “talent.”
2. House of the Dragon S2 (Max)
I know that Hot D isn’t on many critics’ lists this year, but I continue to love this series and won’t apologize for it. From the characters to the politics to the drama to the fucking dragons, this world is incredibly rich and makes for damned compelling television.
I do agree with the criticism that the ending, which builds up to a major event that is then left for season 3, was a bit disappointing, but I still thought it was a fantastic season overall.
1. Shogun S1 (Hulu/Disney+)
Yes, I too am on the Shogun bandwagon. I was shocked by how the social customs of feudal Japan could make for such compelling plot devices.
Honorable Mentions
In no particular order…
- Slow Horses S4 (Apple TV+)
- Silo S2 (Apple TV+)
- Shrinking S2 (Apple TV+)
- The Bear S3 (Hulu/Disney+)
- What We Do In the Shadows S6 (Hulu/Disney+)
- Agatha All Along (Disney+)
- The Rings of Power S2 (Prime Video)
- Tokyo Vice S2 (Max)
- Hacks S3 (Max)
- The Gentlemen S1 (Netflix)
- Squid Game S2 (Netflix)
- Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (Peacock)
