best of 2024 Updated July 29, 2024
New “best of the year”-worthy titles are added to this list every month.
While it’s too soon to predict how the Hollywood strikes of 2023 will affect the business in the long run, it’s evident that television is still recovering from the strikes in the near term. The TV schedule for this year is starting slowly due to production delays from the previous year. Networks and streaming services are distributing their completed and/or foreign material while their delayed series pick up steam. The bright side of this current drought, though, is that it’s comparable to the overwhelming glut of television we were receiving only a short while ago. While there may not be as many highly anticipated new series overall,However, there is still a lot of decent TV among that total. There are satisfying highs to be found in “the medium time,” too, as one of this year’s early comic standouts, Girls5eva, reminded us. We may never again reach the dizzying heights of peak Peak TV, and that may really be okay. These are the 2024 TV series that are bringing us hope as we witness the emergence of the new TV age.
The programs from 2023 that aired for the most of their season after Vulture closed its “Best of the Year” ranking are included in this list. The order of all the series is by season debut date, with the most recent releases at the top.
The Decameron (Netflix)
It would be better to approach The Decameron with no prior knowledge of its 14th-century Italian source material. This collection of short stories used a group of individuals hiding from the bubonic plague in a remote villa as their framing device, telling stories to pass the time. The Decameron’s sprawling themes of class conflict, linked storylines, and internal group strife may frustrate readers used to limited stories and alternating narrators. (Also, the eight-hour episodes of the show could have had a tighter pacing.) However! This version of The Decameron is an enjoyable watch, an ensemble series reminiscent of Miracle Workers, The Little Hours, and other ventures combining zany anachronism, wealth-gap satire, and ribald raunch.The show centers on a struggle between nobles and servants for control of a stunning country villa; the widespread devastation brought about by the Black Plague has caused common people to doubt the status quo, the religious to reevaluate their relationship with God, and the wealthy to become even more guarded over their enormous wealth. Tony Hale of Veep and Saoirse-Monica Jackson of Derry Girls both give standout performances in this dramatic tension-filled scene. —Hadasdi, Roxana
➽ Check out Shannon Keating’s interview with star Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Kathryn VanArendonk’s critique of The Decameron.
My Lady Jane (Prime)
The idea is a little crazy: a historical adventure romance set in an alternate timeline in which Lady Jane Grey enjoys herself with her friends, tinkers with royal politics, and plants passionate kisses on hot, broody people rather than being put to death. This segment of the show is very entertaining on its own, especially as Emily Bader’s character Jane manages to maintain some sense of reality despite the chaotic events around her. Her mother, Lady Frances (Anna Chancellor), is brilliant at plotting and planning; her king, Edward VI (Jordan Peters), constantly coming dangerously close to being poisoned to death. However, none of this explains why this summer’s word-of-mouth sensation, My Lady Jane, took off.The fact that this show features shapeshifters in addition to everything else is what makes it so popular! It’s Catholics vs Protestants, only instead of being bear-transforming people versus obnoxious, bigoted snobs. Shape-shifting Tudors! When TV manages to find its playful side again, it’s simply so wonderful sometimes. — VanArendonk, Kathryn
Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)
Over the past ten years, David E. Kelley shows have had an unsatisfactory run. There are around four really good shows (Nine Perfect Strangers, The Lincoln Lawyer, Love & Death) for every hit (Big Little Lies), along with a ton of episodes that are just plain confusing (Anatomy of a Scandal!? A Man in Full??). However, Presumed Innocent accomplishes what a David E. Kelley program excels at. Mostly a courtroom drama, it has a steady build that culminates in a satisfying conclusion, it employs heavy hitter star power in a subtle and effective manner, and it works from a strong source book. Jake Gyllenhaal carries the bulk of Presumed Innocent, but the supporting cast—particularly Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard, and O-T—sings it beautifully.
It can be challenging to figure out what makes for great TV, but sometimes the small things matter most. Everyone grabs their heads in shock as Gyllenhaal becomes agitated and bugs out. —K.V.A.
➽ Read the Presumed Innocent summaries by Rafaela Bassili, the close-read of the climactic revelation by Kathryn VanArendonk, and the Nicholas Quah interview with Bill Camp.
Fantasmas (HBO, Max)
With this sketch series, Julio Torres, the creator, writer, director, and star, lets us inside his head. Based on the former SNL writer’s other works, Los Espookys and Problemista, it is reasonable to assume that the mind is an odd, inventive, strange, and hilarious place to live. Each episode follows Torres on his quest to find an important earring he lost, lurching from absurdist sketch (a parody of the 1980s sitcom ALF in which the father and the alien are having an affair) to sketch (a depiction of the wild nights at Fufu’s, a miniature nightclub for gay hamsters). I had no problem following Torres’s trains since this show insists that you just go with its bizarre flow and not ask it to make sense.
The Acolyte (Disney+)
The Star Wars television franchise’s extension by isney+ has yielded varying results. Despite the delights of Andor, the great political thriller, and Baby Yoda (or Grogu, as Disney may insist), most TV production has drifted toward safety, with diminishing rewards on fan service. Leslye Headland’s Acolyte upends everything in terms of themes and location, taking us back to a time before George Lucas’s prequels, when the Jedi were at the height of their power. Although it prominently references wuxia flicks and maintains the adventure serial elements of classic Star Wars episodes, the show is darker than it first seems, with a focus in the backstories of the villains.ys, an attack on the heroes, and delicate father-daughter and sister-sister relationships. The Acolyte, a story about a coming-of-age corruption, may have offended some fans, but it thrilled us about the dark possibilities lurking at the periphery of Star Wars lore: force-wielding witches, Jedi masters with moral dilemmas, and attractive Siths fit for a fancam. — Jackson McHenry
➽ Check out the Acolyte recaps by Noel Murray, the Manny Jacinto interview by Roxana Hadadi, and the Jackson McHenry interview with Leslye Headland, the author of the series.
Couples Therapy, season four (Paramount+ with Showtime)
Couples Therapy has been fantastic since the very first episode, but each season has its own distinct preferences, advantages, and disadvantages. This year’s show’s fourth season is the greatest yet; Dr. Orna is still enthralling, and the couples—including a throuple—are fascinating, endearing individuals. How well the showrunners and editors distill the seemingly infinite hours of film into cohesive plot arcs, character development, and emotional beats—all the while preserving the richness and nuance of the intricate interpersonal dynamics—will be the real litmus test for the program. And in season four, this program pulls it off better than it ever has. — Katherine VanArendonk
We Are Lady Parts, season two (Peacock)
In the second season of Nida Manzoor’s funny, political, entertaining, and energizing comedy We Are Lady Parts, which is about an all-Muslim, all-girl punk band, there are numerous instances where the members of Lady Parts are unsure of what their own definition of authenticity is. They fear they’re not being honest, imaginative, or faithful enough. There’s a lot of uncertainty about it, and the tone has definitely changed from the more upbeat, direct empowerment vibe of the first season. However, it’s also just what the show needed to delve even farther into its examinations of identity. What does Lady Parts’ success mean to each member of the band personally and collectively now that they’ve come together, and what sacrifices are they prepared to make—or will they have to make—to achieve success? The ensemble cast of We Are Lady Parts brilliantly rises to the “Who are we now?” moment. Sarah Kameela Impey, who plays the unsure and frustrated Saira in particular, nails the series’ central themes regarding the limitations of representation and creativity in relation to an older punk-rocker, played by the amazing Meera Syal. Its more somber tone implies that certain aspects of the season are unsatisfactory. While a showcase of Middle Eastern artists is stunningly varied and a rendition of “Oops, I Did It Again” has kickass swagger,a gospel song in the country Even this very sincere performance struggles to bring off Malala Yousafzai’s excessive earnestness. But there aren’t many errors. We Are Lady Parts is striving for something nuanced, ethereal, and thought-provoking with its second season, exploring the intersections of gender, race, religion, and creativity. It is admirable that the show refuses to accept simple solutions. — Roxana Hadadi
➽ Check out the interview Roxana Hadadi did with director and creator Nida Manzoor.