How many have you seen? And do you agree with our first-half of 2024 ranking?
We’re past the halfway mark of 2024, and some intrepid members of the L’Observatoire de l’Europe Culture team have taken stock of series highlights they’ve been watching this year.
Even if the effects of the Hollywood strikes can be felt, there remains an absolute torrent of shows, and it still feels like it’s impossible to keep up. There are only so many hours in the day, after all… However, we’ve picked our favourites.
From rebooted franchises, black-and-white psychological thrillers, to heart-wrenching series that has us weeping like lost children, there were so many shows that had us glued to our screens. So much so that other TV highlights like Shōgun, Girls5eva, 3 Body Problem, Fallout, and Elsbeth didn’t even make our top 10.
Decisions had to be made, and here is our our countdown to the best TV show of the year so far.
10) House of the Dragon (HBO)
While technically still airing, the second season of House of the Dragon was always going to be one of the biggest shows of 2024, returning us to the violent happenings of a Westeros on the brink of civil war. Tensions are still sizzling between Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), especially after the latter learnt of her son’s death at the hands of Hightower’s son’s dragon. While we can usually rely on George R. R. Martin’s fictional universe for jaw-dropping TV moments, this second season – excluding some minor controversy over a blowjob – has felt like a very slow burn. Perhaps this is necessary to acquire our emotional investment in the characters (many of whom are, admittedly, quite forgettable), but also maybe the best is still yet to come closer towards its finale. Plus, the special effects, costumes and set designs are great – seeing the dragons is always so exciting, and has likely helped heal many a David Benioff and D.B. Weiss-scorched fan. AB
9) Doctor Who (BBC)
British sci-fi stalwart Doctor Who returned to our screens this year. Depending on whose system you use for counting the show’s long-running series, it’s the 14th or 40th season of the show – and was officially branded as “Season One” to signify the beginning of a new era. What a blast it has been. Series legend Russell T Davies was back in the driving seat as showrunner with Ncuti Gatwa taking on the reins of the intergalactic time traveller alongside his young companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson. The series didn’t necessarily reach the lofty euphoric heights of the legendary David Tennant years, but Gatwa has proven himself a charismatic lead with an emotional range far more vulnerable than previous iterations. While some fans and critics baulked at the sillier elements (talking babies, farting spaceships, etc), the series brought back Doctor Who’s most important element missing from recent series: it was fun! JW
8) One Day (Netflix)
Based on David Nicholls’ novel, which traces the relationship between two potential lovers, Emma and Dexter, on the same day (15 July) over the course of two decades, One Day was made into a pretty awful movie in 2011… So hesitation for a TV version was warranted. However, a series adaptation was always what this book needed, considering the episodic nature of the narrative. Creator / lead writer Nicole Taylor avoids all sappy clichés and allows the audience to sit with the characters for longer, thereby highlighting two excellent performances. Leo Woodall (previously seen in season 2 of The White Lotus) makes Dexter suitably irritating as a carefree brat, while Ambika Mod (who wowed in This Is Going To Hurt) steals the show as the intelligent and awkward Emma. In large part due to their chemistry, you become deeply invested in their future, which makes the story even more absorbing. And heartbreaking. If you’re looking for a touching romance that’ll fill the void of the decades-spanning romance of Past Lives – with a fantastically curated soundtrack to boot – then this British drama should be your next streaming date. However, if the thought of putting yourself through the emotional wringer via a compelling tale of longing that will leave your heart aching sounds like too much right now, g’wan anyway. There’s something deeply cathartic about being an emotional wreck from time to time. DM
7) Lost Boys and Fairies (BBC One)
This three-part show brought the UK’s adoption process for gay couples to the screen in a way I’ve never seen before. Gabriel and Andy traverse the myriad complexities of a system stacked in favour of hetronormative relationships to take in seven-year-old Jake. Along the way, Gabriel has to face up to the demons of his Welsh childhood, growing up among homophobia and its devastating impact on his adult life, before they can become the parents they need to be for Jake, also reeling from his own tough start in life. Lost Boys and Fairies is a wonderfully empathetic show about imperfect people striving to make their own and other people’s lives better through kindness, compassion and love. With outstanding performances from the couple (Sion Daniel Young and Fra Fee) and child actor Leo Harris making an impressive debut, it’s the most I’ve cried watching TV so far this year. JW
6) Big Mood (Channel 4)
As a writer for whom mental health is a topic very close to heart, Big Mood – a comedy-drama about a struggling playwright with bipolar disorder – hit me right where it hurts. Nicola Coughlan’s portrayal of mania, followed by a nosedive into the depths of a depressive episode, had me in tears; it was, somehow, though, the generous dose of humour – especially that provided by Coughlan’s character, Maggie – that pushed me over the edge. Even at her lowest moments, such as reluctantly admitting to her psychiatrist that she needs to go back on medication, her attempts to bring lightness – particularly around others – to her own very serious situation hit me even harder than the depression-induced chaos of her flat or seemingly interminable writer’s block. As well as mental illness, Big Mood traces the evolution of a precious female friendship and the relatable absurdities of life as a late millennial, with East London an emotive backdrop for this particular 30-something who spent much of her 20s in similar haunts. Big shout out to Sally Phillips’ brief portrayal of a hapless, if well-meaning, psychiatrist, and cameo of the Love Actually octopus costume. Access to mental health care is important, and eight really is a lot of legs. EM
5) Ripley (Netflix)
Much like One Day, there was every reason to be nervous about Ripley, Netflix’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal 1955 psychological thriller, « The Talented Mr. Ripley ». The slippery bugger at the centre of the author’s five novels is an anti-hero for the ages, and several depictions of Tom Ripley have managed to do him justice – as well as mishandle his unique brand of cold-blooded yet charming sociopathy. Thank the stars for Steven Zaillian, who delivered a visually stunning Hitchcockian slow-burn, with Andrew Scott and his onyx marble eyes giving the titular grifter his darkest iteration yet. While there are a few missed opportunities along the way – mainly the portrayal of Dickie Greenleaf and Freddie Miles – the exquisitely crafted aesthetics and meticulously crafted compositions (courtesy of cinematographer Robert Elswit) blanket the viewer in an 8-chaptered noir that’s as chilling as its crisp black-and-white visuals. It never quite reaches the heights of Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film – which remains the definitive Ripley adaptation. However, this stylish and sophisticated procedural remains one of the must-see shows of the year so far. DM
4) Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Human trauma has always been a source of artistic inspiration, but rarely has it felt so visceral on screen as it does in Richard Gadd’s semi-autobiographical Netflix series, Baby Reindeer. Based on Gadd’s real experiences of sexual assault and being stalked by a middle-aged woman named “Martha” (who sent him 41,000 emails and hundreds of hours of voice messages), the actor/comedian recreates some of the very worst moments of his life. While deeply uncomfortable to watch, it’s such elements of extreme authenticity that make the show so compelling, buttressed by brilliant performances (shout out to Jessica Gunning who plays Martha) and a beautifully written script that balances both black-humour and bold empathy. There are no real villains or heroes here, just carefully crafted portraits of human complexity; a galaxy within everyone that sometimes births a black hole intent on consuming others, in the process of consuming ourselves. AB
3) True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
More than a decade since viewers were gripped by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s inaugural season of HBO’s True Detective, the anthology crime series got a much-needed revamp from showrunner / writer / director Issa López. Banishing the memories of Seasons 2 and 3, the eerie Night Country harks back to some of the supernatural elements that made Season 1 so enthralling. Starring Jodie Foster and newcomer Kali Reis as detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, who investigate the disappearance of several men working at an Arctic Research Station in chilly Alaska – a haunting mystery which gave us the “corpsicle”. The central enigma holds its own and instills a palpable sense of unearthly unease throughout the six episodes, leading to a prescient story about indigenous peoples, an overlooked community in mainstream media. All in all, a masterfully crafted and immersive season that reenergizes a franchise that now doesn’t seem so defunct. DM
2) The Sympathizer (HBO)
About five minutes into the first episode of Park Chan-wook’s espionage miniseries, a giant cardboard cut-out of Charles Bronson in Death Wish is being raised onto the marquee of a cinema, inside which a young woman is being brutally tortured by the CIA. It’s a fitting – if deeply troubling – introduction to the sleaze-soaked underbelly of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh) in 1975, the year the city fell. Told through confessional flashbacks from a pro-communist spy known only as the Captain (Hoa Xuande), the show is sometimes vibrant to the point of nausea; a colour palette of unease that only escalates once the Captain is exiled to an alien-landscaped LA. Based on the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen and exploring themes of war-torn identity, it’s not always an easy watch, but it is a visually delicious one: transitions of a rotary phone spinning into a car wheel, and boiled yolk becoming the smiley-faced slogan of a burger restaurant. Robert Downey Jr. is also fantastic as CIA spymaster Claude, whose ever-changing disguises could rival even those of Glen Powell’s in Hit Man. Just be warned – you’ll never think of squid in the same way. AB
1) X-Men ‘97 (Disney+)
What could have been a fun but ultimately disposable nostalgia blast from the past from Disney+ and Marvel ended up as one of the best shows of 2024. This 10-episode revival of the beloved ‘90s animated series, X-Men: The Animated Series, picks up right where fans left off in 1997, and embraces the classic look of its predecessor. While maintaining the Saturday-morning-cartoons-with-a-bowl-of-cereal spirit of the original, especially when it comes to cramming a lot of plot threads (too many?) into the serialised storytelling, the show manages to weave campy comic book moments with more serious-minded themes and hot-button issues. That has always been the X-Men way, but the big questions concerning morality, oppression and tolerance – with no easy answers – make the writing feel both timeless and timely. There’s a lot to keep up with, as the countless plotlines that fill up each 30-minute episode sometimes make you wish that they’d spread things out a bit more. However, this animated soap opera is not one to skip. Shame that Beau DeMayo, the creator of the new series, was dismissed shortly before the series premiered… It’s not clear what went down, but it’s ultimately Disney and Marvel’s loss. And ours, when the next season arrives. Still, this is a revival done right. And don’t pretend you didn’t revert back to childhood and get giddy all over again when you heard that electrifying, adrenaline-hit of a synth intro… DM
There we have it.
Agree? Staunchly object? Let us know.
We’ll be keeping our eyes glued to the screens for the second half of the year, with hotly-anticipated shows like the new run of Squid Game, the sci-fi prequel Dune: Prophecy, and Armando Iannucci’s latest brainchild The Franchise already on our binge-worthy lists.
Stay tuned to L’Observatoire de l’Europe Culture to see how many halfway mark titles remain in our end of year Best TV shows of 2024, and check out our ranking of the Best Films of 2024 So Far.
