Best TV Shows of 2024: Ten Runners-Up

I've been doing this every year since 2009, so no reason to stop now.

In alphabetical order:

Baby Reindeer (Netflix) Despite its bleak subject matter, this trigger tale of an Irish stand-up suffering sexual abuse, female-on-male stalking, and gaslighting from the police managed to catch the zeitgeist of Netflix’s viewership. Why? For god’s sake, it’s based on a true story, so are we sick voyeurs for being spectators? My take: I think the authenticity of Richard Gadd as a likable guy helps, but it’s more that through all the murk, it’s a life-affirming tale of overcoming that doesn’t cut corners. But, be prepared: Major trigger warnings.

Bad Monkey (Apple) Full disclosure: I recently read three Carl Hiassen novels and they were all better reads than this one. But considering this is what Apple chose to adapt and I have to judge it for what it is, let’s face it: Most, if not all, Carl Hiassen novels could be adapted to make great TV. This one has some superfluous plot lines, but it has a great maverick of a hero, a well-defined villain, and plenty of Florida quirk. In an era where there’s not enough real estate on the box office release schedule for comic stars, there’s something worth celebrating about Vince Vaughn being able to sink his teeth into such a fitting role, no matter the medium.

Death and Other Details (Hulu) An ornate whodunnit set in international waters with some solid late-stage twists. What’s most impressive here (not to discount Mandy Patinkin’s measured performance) is that it feels so classic. Despite plotpoints revolving around crypto, cloud storage, BDSM, nepobabies, this feels like it could fit into the repertoire of an Agatha Christie novel.

Life and Beth (Hulu) This tale of love and compromise is based on executive producer and star Amy Schumer’s own experiences in a marriage to a man who was later diagnosed as autistic. The show is shot like an indie dramedy with meandering stories and a camera that isn’t focused directly on the action.   It’s fitting considering this isn’t a typical Hollywood romance. It’s an eye-opening and reaffirming look at life alongside someone on the spectrum from the POV of a complete outsider. The wedding episode was one of the most beautiful episodes of the genre the second season contained a couple clunkers.

Manhunt  (Apple) - The aftermath of the Civil War is an interesting topic in a PBS/Ken Burns way but most tourists to DC delving into Lincoln tourism want to know the juicy saga of John Wilkes Booth, the conspiracy, and his escape route. Characters like enigmatic Dr. Samuel Mudd (though less so from the point of view of the series), Lewis Powell, Mary Surratt and Edwin Booth himself are great fodder for drama, and this series interweaves their fates with the larger currents. It also goes without saying that this is a period piece on Apple TV: There’s some great scenery porn here.

Mulligan (Netflix): From 30 Rock co-creator (the one who gets a LOT less attention than Tina Fey) Robert Carlock, this animated post-apocalyptic comedy borrows some of the same absurdist humor at the dialogue level. In the second season, the show proves it still has momentum. It will likely never achieve must-watch status but it’s great popcorn comedy, and it’s highly rewatchable.

Resident Alien (SyFy) The idyllic town of Patience had two welcome additions this season. It was highly amusing to see the emotionless Harry court and eventually get horny with an alien bird (Edi Patterson, a role she was born to play) this season. Enver Gjokaj also proved a menacing foe and provided a slight bit of situational comedy as a grey alien (I think?) who goes under the loosest of qualifications of a date with Asta to get to Harry’s DNA. On the other hand, the mythology started going backwards and looping inwards on itself. Is there anyone who’s not in on the secret of extraterrestrial life at this point? How did we go this far into the story only to discover two key characters are kidnapped on a nightly basis? And, I’ll admit, I don’t remember who is and who isn’t a grey, but blame the show: I don’t have a reason to care.  Still, this has long been one of my favorite shows on the air. There are few virtual worlds I’d rather live in than Patience, Colorado and a little backwards movement won’t keep me away.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney Plus) It’s not easy to recapture the childlike sense of adventure of Star Wars and translate it to an audience that has now grown into adult sensibilities. But, by Jove! I think Star Wars has done it! Actually, I just wanted to use the phrase “By Jove!” somewhere. In reality, there’s an argument to be made that Star Wars has always approached its far away galaxy with a sense of sharing wonder and awe. Yes, it can lead to a massive overload of special effects, but when done right- a tense plot with escalation (kids being kidnapped), great actors (Jude Law, check, Kerry Condon, check, whoever is behind that robot with the pirate accent, check)- the second-to-none visuals are properly augmented with true vision.

Thank God You’re Here (Australia Network 10) You young’uns have to remember that back in my day shows being bought back from the dead didn’t happen very often. We would have to got together in the kinds of numbers needed to cure world hunger and mailed subway sandwiches to the studio. So yes, it feels miraculous that this mid-2000s Australian improv game show has found a second wind about 15 years after going off the air. The show’s format is one where comedic actors are thrust into an unfamiliar scene where non-cooperative scene partners try to trip them up. The show’s original featured a number of Down Under talents (Rebel Wilson, Rhys Darby, Angus Sampson, and Josh Lawson) before they were known to US audiences, as well as at least a dozen others who should get that privilege soon. The remake does little tweaking to the old formula with a new host. The vast majority of these episodes can be found on YouTube and the adventurous improver in you can even play along.

X-Men 97 (Disney Plus)-I'll admit to being thoroughly engrossed by the original X-Men cartoons as a child of the 90s. Upon rewatch as an adult, I was mostly amused by the cringe puns and awkward national stereotypes. I'm sure some comic book fans feel differently, but I think most of us can agree that the show did an impressive job of taking the contours of a child's cartoon (and yes, I'm likely picking a fight with comic book enthusiasts) and gaving the material a grown-up makeover. The characters are still cringe, but the arcs tie together more smoothly, actions are filled with  more consequences, and the stakes elevate so much each episode, it's almost like a Peak TV serial. Plus, who would have thought we'd see the day when Jubilee wouldn't be annoying? She even got her own episode and it wasn't awful.

20 Best TV Episodes of 2024

1. Who Dat, Life and Beth (Hulu)-The hidden gem of a show explores the relationship between a rustic outsider on the spectrum (played improbably well by Michael Cera) and urban sophisticate Amy Schumer as (for lack of a better characterization) Amy Schumer. The wedding episode exemplifies the taking-more-than-giving nature of Beth with regards to John, and the way the pair's compromises leads to its own sweet union. The wedding episode expands the world of the pair's circles, it's wild, it's funny, and it's achingly sweet.

2. Ill Somerso (Episode 3), Ripley-The show doesn’t provide much surprise if you’ve seen the 1999 film “The Talented Mr. Ripley” which is also adapted by the Patricia Highsmith novel. But in the hands of Andrew Scott, his steely exterior turns the murder of the object of his adoration (Johnny Flynn) into a complete shocker. Scott’s lightning-fast psychopathic instincts are here on full display and it’s chilling. The show is lit in a picturesque black-and-white setting while also being muted in its sound scape, which makes the experience of a drama in an episode like this more vouyeristic.

3.     High Potential-One Of Us (Midseason finale)-For a show that's never designed to be more than a serial with a snarky protagonist, it ramps up the pathos quite well between Morgan and her the daughter gives the episode real stakes. The kidnappers' dynamic as one of them becomes steadily more unhinged is a treat.

4. Sleep Hypnosis, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)-It’s more in ROFTL territory than plot movement, but how often is s Colin Robinson ever given the chance to do something this smart (hypnotizing Nandoor into talking up Colin in his native language)? And how much more random can one get than making a vampire believe he is Richard Nixon? The episode also makes great use of Guillermo in his “I’m so over this” mode.

5. Do You Get it Sports are Huge in this Town, Clone High-Frida Kahlo has a knacok as the star of "sport" of snorkeling (pointing at fish) with a hilariously on-point send-up of the VH1 style documentary on a past life of Scudsworth as a world-class snorkeler who's achilles heel was overconfidence and fast food. Anything that sheds light on Scudsworth's past is worth it in my book.

6. Krapocalypse, Krapopolis (Fox)-King Ty has to save civilization in Groundhog Day fashion. The entire day resets when a volcano kills him and he has to learn from his mistakes and bring everyone up to speed before the volcano devours them. In Krapopolis tradition, no one actually appreciates he king, and when they do, In another Krapopolis, the God who set up this hellish situation is driven by equal parts fickleness and boredom.

7. Halloween 5, Ghosts (CBS)-It’s hard not to love what the ultra-rigid Patience (Mary Holland) brings to the crew. She fits in less with the octet than any other character we've seen to date and I love those jagged edges. Namely, she scares everyone to death and bloodies up the walls. Bring on the chaos.

8. March Madness, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)-Shawnie gets obsessed with another sports phenomemenon in March Madness, and as usual, the vampires have no idea what’s going on. These are the same guys who attended a Superb Owl party. And in the B-plot, Guillermo is getting along in the corporate world when he blah blah blah Colin punches Guillermo in the face. Wow, that happens. Multiple times too. Guillermo and the crew interacting in the corporate world was an outstanding arc that bought along some of the crew’s best interactions with the non-vampire world -- especially, Nadja, who has the sharp-tongued insult catalogue for a finance bro.

9. Episode 5, Baby Reindeer (Hulu)ts-This is a show that's so hard to watch, that it's not gonna fully feel cathartic until the last episode when Martha is done away with, but this hope spot when Donny and his parents can release their demons together. What a sentimental gut punch.

10. Episode 2.2, The Tourist  (BBC ---> Netflix) Ethan obnoxiously inflicting both his aerophobia and his route to self-discovery on his seatmate is worth the price of admission for this episode alone. On top of that, this episode sets up the eventual collision course between leprechaun Norman Bates (he’s Irish and short, come on, it’s an easy target) and Helen. It also has the best dramatization of the Frog-Scorpion (the fable about the scorpion stinging the frog because it's in his nature) analogy TV has done to date.

11. A Shiksa Walks into a Temple, Nobody Wants This (Netflix)-The incompatibility between Jewish values (which discourages intermarriage, if not outright bans it in some sects) is never easy to reconcile with our modern-day conception of romance and free will. Throughout the first two episodes of the series, hunky Rabbi Noah seems to be broadcasting entirely different things between his head and heart. It's an episode where we have no idea what's happening. Why is he following her into a car on the middle of Shabbat. Even crazier, why is Sasha going along? Is this a date? It's also the start of Morgan and Sasha as sublime third and fourth wheels to this pairing.

12. Thor, Krapopolis (Fox)- It’s hard to get better than a cosmology crossover with the Norse gods. As someone who has completely skipped over the Thor franchise, my knowledge of these gods is a little thin, but the characters of Thor, Freya, Odin, and Loki came pretty ready-made with comic quirks that made the episode delightful. Besides, Scandanavian archetypes are pretty universal. Jealous Deliria was also a new shade to witness and the plot all got resolved on a nice brick joke.

13. The Killer Inside Me, The Caped Crusader (Amazon)-A very interesting retelling of the Harvey Dent story that leaves Harvey a bit more sympathetic. There's a lot of dramatic irony here--we know Dent is going to turn bad--that limits the possibilities of any of this, but the remorse on Harvey's part is something new.

14. Circle Sewn with Fate/Unlock thy Hidden Gate (Episode 2), Agatha All Along (Disney Plus)-The creation of the coven. I don't think Agatha All Along worked. It was too insiderish rather than what Marvel properties are at their best: Comic-book level knowledge serves as easter eggs, but otherwise the TV shows/films should be inviting to those outside the nerddom. However, this creation of the uneasy truce among former enemies and this realpolitik on Agatha's part of negotiating what these people wanted and needed. The scene of four wannabe witches and put-upon neighbor Sharon singing the Witches Road song in the round medley is also something else.

 15. Eunjangdo (Episode 10), Cobra Kai-For a show that used up all its plot threads by season 5's finale, it’s supremely impressive that the show gave us anything worth caring about in the final season. Season 6. It took us a little while to get there, though, but it found its groove by the end, and as per custom, we got an epic brawl. Though Terry and John Kreese continue their annoying habit of being part of the plot, they’re at least displaced from center stage to make way for fresh blood. With the fall of Kwon, the show left a gaping question mark of a cliffhanger.

16. Ice Day, Krapopolis (Fox)- it's a rare episode in which King Ty succeeds with a love interest and there are multiple late stage twists. It's not the most monumnetal episode, but it's sweet.

17. Lovebird (Episode 5), Resident Alien-Harry and Heather (Edi Patterson) fall in love and have an interspecies romp in the middle of a helluva awkward dinner party with Asta and D'Arcy, hard to get more riotously funny than that in this show that plays comedy straight.

18. Pilot, Interior Chinatown (Hulu)-The show had a distinct culturally specific noir feel to it at the start. Unfortunately, it became too much of a procedural with the preposterousness of the Josh Schwartz series Chuck (ordinary Joe Shmoe is useful to crime fighting), but it started out really strong. Jimmy O. Yang’s subdued voiceover drips with a sad semi-noirish pathos and there’s an outlandish tone is the show transitions between the mundane and a gnarly fight scene.

19. Episode 1.7, KAOS (Netflix)-The lengths of Zues's amorality and power lust are shown in their fullest extent here in the pool party frying. It's a penultimate episode that raised the urgency of the stakes

20 He Sees Dead People, Ghosts (CBS)-Jay’s sister Bella has turned a wheel from her penchant of bad boys and has shacked up with adorkable pushover Eric. Personally, I’m still rooting for her to work out the beyond-the-dead logistics and get with Trevor, but this will have to do for now. The episode takes a sublime twist when it’s discovered that Eric can’t really see dead people.
Eric’s pushover tendencies is a great source of comic humor and it drives the plot brilliantly as he is encouraged to throw himself down the stairs to sell his loss of ghost connection.

Underrated performances from 2024:

A colleague and acquaintance of mine Jesse Hassenger wrote a great piece in the Guardian on underlooked performances of 2024 so I thought I'd follow suit:

Glenn Powell of Twisters-If Tom Cruise can garner a slight bit of Oscar buzz just for being a matinee idol and holding together a popcorn movie on pure charisma, Powell deserves the same. It's a good reward for a prolific last 18 months, and his performance is based on an actual character, so he should get that non-fiction bonus.

Dolly De Leon-Between the Temples-As a practicing Jew who has been around all sects of the religion, she taps into a fairly wonderful experience of converts who don't fit the traditional mold embracing the religion. She embodies traditional judaism so wonderfully that no one gives a second thought to see a Filipino being a Jewish mother

Jodie Conner, The Bike Riders-Her accent work and her gradual shift in attitude are impressive here.

Kate Winslet, Lee-The story behind the story matters, and she did pretty much everything for this film, including paying the crew out-of-pocket for a couple weeks when financing fell through, mico-managing various departments, and keeping this project going for eight years. I hate to give too much credit to things like make-up and such, but it's certainly a complete transformation.

Sidenote: And no, Andy Samberg doesn't deserve credit here. Even if he did serviceably, that was a bizarre casting choice. Watching the Lonely Island's poster boy in a serious World War II film just took me out of it the instant he appeared on screen. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Samberg has zero history being anything but goofy on screen. Why start here. It's like if Adam Sandler went straight from Happy Madison Productions to Schindler's List.

Jason Schwartzman, Between the Temples-Is this his best performance? It's not too far from his introspective blankness that launched him to stardom in Rushmore, but this film had some insane mood whiplash that Schwartzman navigated with aplomb.

Robin Wright, Here-The put-upon housewife who spent years trying to decide where the line was between accepting her lot in life and taking that chance on something better. The nice touch of complexity in Robin Wright's character and her relationship with Tom Hanks's character is that you know she waited too long to do it. The Thanksgiving scene was a highlight, but it's too spoilery to reveal more.

Jessie Buckley and Anjana Vasan, Wicked Little Letters-Giving a shout out to Olivia Colman seems boring because she always gets recognized, even if she is more of a character actor than a lead. Buckley embodies the typical female firecracker trope but I'm a sucker for those. I wouldn't really advocate for Vasan for an award if I was running PR for this film because her screen time is too small (and that applies to Isabella Rossellini, I'm no hypocrite), but it's a small role, I could see a lot more potential with if it went the right way.