With 2024 almost finished, it’s safe to say it was a very good year for television. With a mixture of returning favorites and outstanding newcomers, audiences in 2024 were in for a treat no matter what genre they preferred. Indeed, TV this year offered everything, from comedies to dramas, fantasy, science fiction, and even a few addictive psychological thrillers.
Even though there were numerous fantastic options to choose from, a few special shows stood out as raising the bar for excellence. Whether it was a surprise unknown release, like Netflix's sensation Baby Reindeer, or the long-awaited The Batman spin-off The Penguin courtesy of Max, these are the shows that kept audiences enthralled from the first second to the last. In fact, they were so good that they might be considered flawless. And while they can have a few minor flaws, these 2024 shows are pretty much perfect thanks to their narratives, performances, twists, and everything in between.
10
'Mr & Mrs. Smith' (2024)
Created by Donald Glover & Francesca Sloane
Image via Prime Video
In Mr. & Mrs. Smith, two strangers pose as a married couple to complete espionage contracts in the open. Starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as John and Jane Smith, Mr. & Mrs. Smith throws the fake couple into increasingly dangerous missions where the slightest error means certain death. Will the fake couple cross the line into a real romance, or is their fate a marriage solely focused on the “till death do us part?”
Very loosely based on the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie film of the same name, the series introduced a couple fully aware of their shared mission. The unconventional couple is always in the throes of a tense exchange, whether it be at home or in the field, making for an excellent spy romance tale. For a split household that can’t decide on action or romance, Mr. & Mrs. Smith might be the selection to make everyone happy for the night.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Release Date
February 2, 2024
Seasons
1
9
'Fargo’ (2014 - Present)
Created by Noah Hawley
Image via FX
The anthology series Fargo returned to form in its fifth and most thrilling season on FX. An unfortunate arrest at a PTA meeting leads to Dot Lyons’ (Juno Temple) past catching up with her in the form of the murderous and sadistic Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm). After a kidnapping attempt goes wrong, Dot will be forced to confront her tormentor to protect the new family she fiercely loves.
In a series known for featuring colorful characters, Hamm's menacing intensity as Sheriff Tillman made his scenes feel like they belonged in a horror movie. Juno Temple gives a tour de force performance as the resourceful and strong-willed Dot and would be a prime candidate for a spin-off series if the right story was given to her. While audience reception has been mixed for the last few seasons, Fargo’s fifth season is a reminder of how odd, frightening, and beautiful the FX series can be.
A bartender and aspiring comedian, Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd), offers a free drink to a seemingly friendly woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) that will cost more than he can imagine in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer.Before long, Martha’s attachment to Donny becomes a frightening obsession, leading to him fearing for his safety. The series also examines sexual abuse, the trauma that comes from it, and the journey to recovery.
Creator and writer Gadd recounts a fictionalized version of his real-life encounters with stalking and abuse in an unflinching presentation that challenges viewers to keep their nerves calm. Baby Reindeer became a sleeper hit on Netflix, with viewers unable to wait before seeing what new level of hell Donny would find himself in during a troubled period of his life. Sections of Baby Reindeer will be tough for people to watch, but the performances by Gadd and Gunning are worth the discomfort.
Release Date
April 11, 2024
Cast
Richard Gadd
, Jessica Gunning
, Nava Mau
, Michael Wildman
, Danny Kirrane
, Nina Sosanya
, Shalom Brune-Franklin
, Thomas Coombes
, Mark Lewis Jones
, Amanda Root
, Alexandria Riley
, Tom Goodman-Hill
, Tom Durant Pritchard
, Hugh Coles
, Josh Finan
, Jim Caesar
, Miya Ocego
, Laura Smyth
, Leah MacRae
, Leroy Brito
, Will Hislop
, Gerry Lynch
, Rachel Bavidge
, Gavin Drea
, Gemma Page
, Joe Bone
, Grace Parry
, Zeeny Shah
, Jamie Michie
, Phillip Suddick
, Mark Watson
, Kairi Liu
, Stephen Erhirhi
, JJ Bull
Seasons
1
Writers
Richard Gadd
7
'Shogun’ (2024 - Present)
Created by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks
Image via FX Networks
Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell, Shōgun tells a complex story of loyalty and honor against the backdrop of beautifully lush 16th-century Japan. The fateful arrival of an English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), sets into motion a series of history-changing events when he meets the powerful warlord Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). Toranaga sees potential in the Western pilot, but not in the ways Blackthorne would hope.
FX outdid themselves with the production value for Shōgun, making the series look like a cinematic blockbuster epic more than a cable television show. It’s those same awe-inspiring visuals that helped Shōgun get nominated for 25 Emmy Awards and win a staggering 18. While the series was initially only planned as one season, the overwhelmingly positive reception has spurred plans to produce multiple seasons of the FX period drama.
The snappy energy of a Guy Ritchie gangster film comes to Netflix by way of the action comedy series The Gentlemen.A spiritual spin-off of the 2019 film of the same name, The Gentlemen follows Eddie Horniman (Theo James) as he unexpectedly inherits a large estate after his father passes away. Even more shocking, the estate houses a secret marijuana plantation that will force Eddie into a world of colorful gangsters and daily life-or-death decisions.
Much like Ritchie’s previous films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, the series lays out a vast assortment of quirky but deadly gangsters and sees who has the wits to survive. The Gentlemen is a fast-moving and stylized crime series that harkens back to some of Ritchie’s earlier work. Standout performances from James and Kaya Scodelario as the enigmatic Susie Glass make The Gentlemena must-binge for crime lovers.
The Gentlemen
Release Date
March 7, 2024
Seasons
1
5
'Ripley' (2024)
Created by Steven Zaillian
Image via Netflix
A wealthy businessman’s request to bring back his son guarantees he will never see him alive again in the highly praised Netflix thriller Ripley. When Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is offered a sizable fee to find the rich and charming Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) from Italy and return him to the US, he gladly accepts. But as Tom is exposed to Dickie’s carefree existence, he quickly makes it his mission to have the life he could only dream about.
Ripley is easily the most beautifully shot series of the year, with the crisp black-and-white cinematography so captivating that viewers might miss what the characters on screen are saying. When not distracted by the masterful compositions, audiences will see a hauntingly soulless performance by the talented Andrew Scott as the manipulatively cunning Ripley. The series was a smash with critics and drew special attention at the Emmys with 13 nominations and 4 wins.
Ripley
Release Date
April 4, 2024
Seasons
1
Writers
Steven Zaillian
4
'X-Men ‘97’(2024 - Present)
Created by Beau DeMayo
Image via Marvel Animation Studios
Picking up where the original animated series left off in 1997, X-Men ‘97 drops viewers back into Xavier’s School for gifted youngsters. Still mourning the loss of their leader, Professor X (Ross Marquand), the X-Men's world is turned upside down when a familiar face shows up to announce they’re in charge. Together, the merry mutants will face off against threats, both returning and new, to keep Charles Xavier’s dream of a peaceful world alive.
Anyone turned off by the idea of catching up on years' worth of an older cartoon will not need to worry because X-Men ‘97 is a perfect starting point for new viewers. The cast of heroes is large and ever-expanding, but throughout the 12 episodes, each X-Men gets their moment to shine with dazzling new interpretations of their powers. Serving as both an homage to the past and an eye to the future, X-Men ‘97 is a near-perfect revival of the classic animated series.
Release Date
March 20, 2024
Cast
Jennifer Hale
, Chris Potter
, Alison Sealy-Smith
, Lenore Zann
, Cal Dodd
, Catherine Disher
, Adrian Hough
, Ray Chase
, Chris Britton
, George Buza
Seasons
1
Writers
Beau DeMayo
3
'English Teacher’ (2024 - Present)
Created by Brian Jordan Alvarez
Image via FX
The new FX comedy series English Teacher was a brilliant new arrival that followed Evan Marquez (Brian Jordan Alvarez), a young gay man who teaches English in an Austin, Texas public school. Episodes follow Evan as he makes sense of his strained love life and growing disillusionment with a job he loves that sometimes doesn’t love him back. Whether Evan is calming down outraged parents or their equally petulant students, he manages to stay calm with the reassuring words from best friend and fellow teacher Gwen (Stephanie Koenig).
Longtime collaborators Alvarez and Keonig have a natural chemistry from their years on previous projects, but Sean Patton as the politically challenged gym teacher Markie Hillridge and Enrico Colantoni as exhausted principal Grant Moretti gelled together for an addictively entertaining dynamic. With longtime comedies like What We Do in the Shadowsmaking an exit, English Teacher will fill the gap for smart laughs and is a must-watch candidate for the funniest TV comedy of 2024.
A power vacuum in Gotham gives Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) the opportunity he needs to strike in The Batman spin-off, The Penguin. A dark neo-noir with roots in the pages of Batman comics, The Penguin follows the titular character as he lies, plots, and murders anyone between him and the throne of Gotham’s underworld. Each episode is packed with the grit and intelligence that made Matt Reeves’ first superhero feature a hit with casual viewers and longtime Batman fans.
While Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) and his alter ego don’t make an appearance in The Penguin, the performance of Farrell as the sociopathic villain is captivating enough not to care. Giving Farrell a run for his money is Cristin Milioti as the vengeful and tragic Sofia Falcone, who has a score to settle with her family, especially Oz. The Penguin is a masterful character study that shows how fun it is to watch Batman’s rogues gallery go to war when they don’t have to worry about the Bat Signal above them.
The end of humanity is the beginning of the fun in the Amazon series Fallout. After a nuclear winter drives the last of the human population into complex fallout shelters, a breach in security sends one idealistic fallout dweller, Lucy (Ella Purnell), into the radiated wasteland of what was once California. There, she’ll meet Maximus (Aaron Moten), a member of the military-like group The Brotherhood of Steel, and a mutated ghoul with a happy trigger finger (Walton Goggins).
Amazingly, Amazon did a fantastic job of bringing the destroyed 1950s retro-futuristic world of Fallout alive with special effects that are both grim and mesmerizing. The same can be said for the darkly humorous tone of the games, with the Fallout series capturing the sardonic tone of a broken world holding on to old customs. Purnell is a force to be reckoned with, switching between vulnerable and gritty as needed, and it’s needed quite a bit when Goggins is stealing every scene he’s in. Now that Fallout fans have had a taste of live-action perfection, the wait for season two will feel like an eternity.
Release Date
April 10, 2024
CastElla Purnell
, Aaron Moten
, Moises Arias
, Walton Goggins
, Leslie Uggams
, Zach Cherry
, Annabel O'Hagan
, Dave Register
, Rodrigo Luzzi
, Sarita Choudhury
, Johnny Pemberton
, Leer Leary
, Teagan Meredith
, Luciana VanDette
, Amir Carr
, Frances Turner
, Elle Vertes
, Brendan Burke
, Matt Berry
, Daniel Martin
, Michael Esper
, Michael Cristofer
Image via Prime Video
Image via Prime Video
Image via FX
Image via Netflix
Image via FX Networks
Image via Netflix
Image via Netflix
Image via Marvel Animation Studios
Image via FX
Image via Prime Video
English (US) ·