Daniel's Best Television of 2024
Last year, I said this at the tail end of my 2023 "Best of TV" piece: "between the writers' strike delaying the return of some beloved programs, and the conclusion of several different series that I voraciously watched and loved, I'm not very optimistic I will be able to sit here this time next year and look back with a similar sample size. . ." That proved to be somewhat prescient- a large number of my favorite programs ended in 2023, and thus I definitely both watched and enjoyed less T.V. this year than in years prior.
At the same time, the closing of many favorite shows meant that I was required to actually seek out new shows, new series, and different programs this year. When I sat down to draft this piece, I was pessimistic that I even had enough to formulate a Top 10 ranking, but I surprised myself: when I actually put pen to paper (okay, finger to keyboard) and listed out all the television shows and programs I watched over the year, I realized I had enough to draft a full two-deep depth chart.
So! All that being said, here's my opinion on the best shows, programs, and events TV and streaming had to offer in the year 2024:
10. Gold Zone (Peacock)
There was a lot to like about NBC's coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics, but no one aspect was more of a game-changer than Peacock's "Gold Zone." A new feature unveiled for these games emulated NFL Network's beloved "Red Zone"-- and even brought on board that program's host Scott Hanson as one of the four studio hosts throughout the Games. Providing viewers with a split screen of two, three, four and occasionally even more simultaneous events to keep us abreast of the action in gold medal competitions so that we didn't need to frantically switch to different channels or rely on phone alerts. As someone who was freshly unemployed right as the Olympics began, it was an especially magical (and, at least for two weeks, dangerous) feature. Here's hoping Gold Zone is here to stay for future Olympiads; if so, long may NBC/Peacock's coverage rights continue.
9. Abbott Elementary, Seasons 3 and 4 (ABC)
Abbott Elementary, since its inception, has been one of the freshest and best things network television has had to offer in years. The dual strikes that took up months of 2023 pushed Season 3 to early this year, and the abridged season, while still providing plenty of fun and funny moments, was the show's sloppiest yet, the closest thing Abbott has had to a 'sophomore slump.' Thank goodness, then, for the resplendent first half of Season 4 that the fall months of 2024 have had, bringing the show's characters and storylines back to their best and their funniest, and injecting new energy into one of my favorite programs on TV currently.
8. Fargo, Season 5 (FX)
I'll confess, I have seen none of the preceding installments of Fargo, and perhaps more unforgivably, have never seen the original movie that serves as the reference for the ensuing miniseries. So enjoyable was the 5th series, which I watched only to brush up on my "Limited Series/Miniseries" nominee knowledge before the Emmys, that I'm tempted to go back and watch each of the first four. Some individual episodes, scenes, and actors err on the side of the overly dramatic, which caused me to take a little while to buy in. But the more the season progress, the more the dramatic narrative took clear shape, and the brilliant performances by Juno Temple and Jon Hamm in particular shone. The last two episodes in particular had the look and feel of a major motion picture.
7. 3 Body Problem, Season 1 (Netflix)
Unlike all of my friends and family members that I know watched this show, I had not read the book(s) upon which it is based, so I came into the debut of Netflix's 3 Body Problem blind to the source material. From the little I did know about it, though, I knew it would be an ordeal to effectively translate to a TV show. In that regard, co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (yes, of Game of Thrones fame) deserve an enormous amount of respect for creating a compelling, original and often visually stunning program from a dense story. The first season at times reminded me of Lost, one of my favorite shows ever, in that it's so unlike anything we're used to seeing on major TV (which now includes major streamers). Also like Lost: it's not perfect-- I have quibbles with some casting choices, and the writing can occasionally be clunky. But for a first season of a multi-layered, geopolitical Sci-Fi show, it's off to a great start.
6. 2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony (NBC)
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is more of a Summer Olympics fan than a Winter Olympics one, and COVID-19 robbed us of a truly memorable ceremony in Tokyo four years ago, so it had been 8 long years since we all got to witness a Summer Games with a tremendous, celebratory opening ceremony. Paris 2024 didn't disappoint; that is, unless, you were among the conservative conspiracy-addled Americans that were errantly convinced the entire purpose of the program was to mock Christianity? Or something? Anyways, for those of us that aren't living on another plane of reality altogether, the ceremony was a glorious, chaotic and artistic explosion of art, music and color to celebrate both the host city and the most dominant athletes in the world in the way only France can. The organizers of the program of course deserve the most credit, but so does NBC for their coverage, as do any and all who curated the ceremony for television, because what a few hours of television it was, all culminating in a brilliant and emotional performance by the legendary Celine Dion atop the Eiffel Tower.
5. Shrinking, Season 2 (Apple TV+)
Shrinking is a very different show than Apple TV+'s last big acclaimed comedy Ted Lasso, but there's a bit of an overlap in its emphasis on mental health, human connection, and a warm, emotional underbelly beneath the comedy. Given the influence of co-creators Bill Lawrence (producer for both shows) and Brett Goldstein (Emmy winner of Roy Kent fame), perhaps the overlap should be expected. How interesting it was, then, that Shrinking followed a very similar trajectory in its second season as my # 5 show of 2021 did: a little sloppy to start, with some storylines feeling half-realized, and some confusing character development. But about midway through the season, the show rediscovered its form and the key ingredients that made its first season such a tremendous success. The last two episodes of Season 2 in particular were masterful, eliciting laughs and tears in equal, and equally deserved, measure.
4. Ripley (Netflix)
Even in my days of unemployment, I don't have a habit of plunking down on the couch and scrolling through Netflix for something to watch, so given the relative lack of promotion for this miniseries, I would have missed it altogether were it not for its copious Emmy nominations. Fortunately, I did watch it, and once I did, found the award buzz wholly deserved. I haven't seen any other iteration of Ripley (or The Talented Mr. Ripley), but a black-and-white, neo-noir interpretation was an inspired choice. It's a slow burn, but another brilliant performance from the consistently exceptional Andrew Scott makes it worth the while, as do the supporting performances by Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn, and Maurizio Lombardi. Italy makes a gorgeous backdrop for a cool and compelling story.
3. English Teacher, Season 1 (FX)
I was already excited for this show before diving in, both because I enjoy a lot of Brian Jordan Alvarez's social media content and because the Season 1 trailer was one of the funnier show trailers I had seen in a while. It was a delight, then, to begin watching this new show and see that my own excitement and the critical hype for it were wholly warranted. This first season was short-- just 8 episodes! --but sweet, a real heart to it, much like its schoolteacher comedy counterpart Abbott Elementary, although truthfully, the stylistic similarities stop there. This is a show for the snarky and jaded millennials and Gen X-ers who still have a lot of love and care in their hearts, and just need to be reminded of who or what inspires it. The "field trip" episode (episode 5) is one of the funniest new episodes of comedy I have seen in a looooong time.
2. Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Unlike the other limited series-- and even some full series --that I sought out this year, the buzz for Baby Reindeer preceded my viewing of it. Within the first couple episodes, I understood why. Richard Gadd's autobiographical standup routine-come-miniseries is as much an absurd comedy as it is a devastating survivor story, and the writer/star makes the balance hum, as does Jessica Gunning's brilliant depiction of his real-life stalker. I watched all 10 episodes over two nights, heart pounding, chop busting, and eyes brimming with tears the whole way through.
1. The Beyoncé Bowl (Netflix)
It's been a good, if not great, year for television, but the best "TV moment"-- although technically a streaming moment -- came one week ago on Christmas Day. In March of this year, Beyoncé dropped her much-anticipated country album COWBOY CARTER to much acclaim and excitement....and then kinda just dipped, and did little to no promotion for it afterwards. So when she and Netflix announced, in tandem, that she would be performing a halftime show spectacular in her hometown of Houston, during the streamer's coverage of the Houston Texans game, it naturally set the Internet ablaze. As is always the case with Queen B, amidst the frenzied excitement, there was also immediate backlash over it, and skepticism about whether she could pull off a compelling halftime show based around country music. Plenty of skepticism abounded for the hosts, too, though; Netflix had only recently come under fire for their streaming capabilities during the widely-viewed boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. There were plenty of reasons why the show, later dubbed "The Beyoncé Bowl," shouldn't have been a huge success. And yet, it was: Netflix's servers proved up to the task with a crystal clear picture and no buffering, and Bey reminded everyone she's the queen for a reason. She played as much to the TV audience as she did to the crowd in NRG Stadium as she put on a remarkable 15-minute show performing a medley of COWBOY CARTER hits with a bevy of special guests, all dressed in all white, with imagery dripping in themes of Texan rodeo and black excellence.
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