1. The Penguin (HBO)

When HBO ambitiously took on a effort to create a (non-Joker) Batman villain origin story that was gritty, real, and compelling it took a massive swing for the fences and crushed the ball so far over the fence that no one may ever find it.

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) developed a world that was part Sopranos-style crime lord, part comic book pomp-and-circumstance and all character driven spectacle.

Flawless performances from lead Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti with equally flawless supporting performances from Deirdre O’Connell and Rhenzy Feliz were the foundation for the series that will ultimately be the gold standard of TV comic book adaptations in the 21st century.

2. Hacks (HBO/MAX)

The Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy winning third season of HBO/MAX’s spectacular buddy comedy about buddies who hate each other was perfect from start to finish.

Rebounding extensively from a marginal second season the series returned with stellar performances from its two leads and its supporting cast; especially co-showrunner Paul W. Downs. Hacks is rapidly becoming one of HBOs best comedy series of all-time.

3. Shogun (FX)

From its intricate cinematography to its meticulously crafted battle scenes to the lavish costumes to even the lure if its magical opening sequence, getting completely engulfed in the epic magnitude of FX’s retelling of of James Clavell’s novel about the feudal power struggles in 17th century Japan felt like pure magic.

The series depicts the sharp contrast between classes, genders, races and religion was rewarded with the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2024. Shogun’s large scale rise to the top shelf of television will likely keep it there for a decade and may be the heir to the Game of Thrones so many other shows have tried to be.

4. English Teacher (FX)

FX’s high school sitcom written by, directed by, and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez explores modern day struggles of young teachers within the confines of high school walls.

English Teacher is less about the insanity inside the classroom and more about the insanity the world forces on the faculty, administration and students of the school.

The cast is phenomenal. Jordan-Alvarez himself is a bona fide superstar and flourishes in the lead. Stephanie Koenig and Sean Patton head up a supporting cast that brings fresh faces and intense laughs to a sitcom genre as old as TV itself.

English Teacher isn’t only binge-worthy, it’s one of the few series of 2024 that’s easy to watch over and over and over again.

5. We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)

We Are Lady Parts, the British sitcom about an all-female and Muslim punk band returned to Peacock for a second season in 2024. The series truly works at making a punk rock statement in an uptight world.

Improving on an already fantastic first season, the second season shifted more toward a statement about gender and religious obstacles in the music industry.

A must watch for music lovers, the series also boasts an impeccable original soundtrack as strong as the plot.

6. Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Shrinking seemed to have the perfect genetic makeup to return with a sophomore slump. Quite to the contrary its second season managed to maneuver through its own limited world to create truly moving moments with brand new characters without needing to really stretch to find content.

Massive leaps forward from supporting cast members Lukita Maxwell, Luke Tennie, Ted McGinley, Christa Miller, and Michael Urie complemented an already tremendous season one cast that included Jason Siegel and Harrison Ford…and now in Season 2, Jessica Williams might have turned in one of the best performances in all of 2024 television.

Instead of sophomore slumping Shrinking clearly proved that it can be one of the most rewarding series on television worthy of multiple seasons.

7. Interview With The Vampire (AMC)

The second season of AMC’s Interview With the Vampire is one of those situations where every critic on the planet is gushing over its perfection while its already tiny audience dwindles by the episode.

In a perfect world so many more people would be watching this series. It’s difficult to watch, but it’s rewarding at the same time.

Incredible performances by stars Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid highlight showrunner Rolin Jones’ masterful work in bringing Anne Rice’s vision to life in a manner that valiantly represents her novel.

If it’s one of those series that you’ve been telling yourself you’re going to get to eventually, you really should be doing it now because you’re really missing out.

8. Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Disguised as a series about one man’s disastrous experience with a random stalker it’s actually an incredibly deep commentary on the complexity of grief and the internal struggle of repression, guilt and trauma.

Stunning performances from the two lead actors with a stellar cast made Baby Reindeer an absolutely fascinating exploration of the human psyche. It was the follow-up series to Clerkenwell Films’ tremendous “The End of the Fucking World,” which I loved in 2020.

9. The Bear (Hulu)

The disjointed feeling of The Bear’s third season didn’t bother me as much as it seemed to bother a lot of viewers who adored its first two go-arounds. The Bear lives and breathes in chaotic disaster and it forces the viewer to live there too. Unfortunately a lot of viewers are admitting that the heat has become too much and seem all to ready to get out of the kitchen.

The ten short episodes of Season three felt like the first half of a two part story that were filmed back to back (because it is). The reality is that nearly every series that’s taken that approach has backloaded the second half with much more gratification than the front half which tends to serve as a set up to something a lot bigger.

The tenth episode had an opportunity to deliver big and it mostly swung and missed. Regardless of that, for me, The Bear has earned my right to expect that it will pull itself out of a slump and cohesively put itself back together.

The pieces are all there to do it and I have little doubt it will pull it off. I liked the third season a lot. Some people actively hated it (which is weird to me). There’s just way too much going on with it to love for me to understand how so many people could be so turned of by it.

10. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Investigation Discovery)

Every so often a series comes out of nowhere that I can’t stop thinking about for months after I’ve watched it. This was that series for me in 2024.

Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set delivered on its promise to bring disruption to the hush-hush world of child entertainment while even more powerfully questioning the viewer’s culpability in allowing it to promulgate.

The series is about awareness as much as it is about advocating for change. It’s about shaming the bad guys and spotlighting the brave ones. Personally being in the target age bracket for the golden age of Nickelodeon and Disney kids cable programming, it brutally shines a light on the world that appeared so charming when I was a kid. A horrifically brilliant and moving short documentary series that definitely understood its assignment.

11. Fallout (Amazon Prime)

Amazon’s tremendous adaptation of one of the most successful video game franchises in history created a brilliant world that proved to be expansive and captivating.

With a plot that moves along at rapid pace Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell are as on top of their game as they have ever been. Between this and The Last of Us, it’s pretty obvious that video game adaptations, when done right, can be some of the most compelling stories ripe for television.

12. Bad Monkey (Apple TV+)

Show-runner Bill Lawrence was on an absolute heater this year. Releasing Bad Monkey and Shrinking back-to-back without even one week of delay in between is pretty difficult to top.

I’ve always been a crazy sucker for Vince Vaughn’s dry sense of humor. When he’s on there’s little else that makes me laugh as hard. If that’s your bag, this thing will be an absolute delight for you. He’s a treasure.

The series, adapted from Carl Hiaasen’s novel of the same title, Bad Monkey tells the story of a Florida Keys police detective who’s been relegated to working as a restaurant inspector as he follows clues to solve a murder on his own. It’s one of the most fun binges of the year with tremendous performances by Rob Delaney and Meredith Hagner who lean all the way in to the bizarre element of “Florida-Man” wackiness.

13. Mr. And Mrs. Smith (Amazon Prime)

Adapted from the 1990’s film of the same title, Donald Glover’s brilliant mind combined with Maya Erskine’s wit and charm, Mr. And Mrs. Smith was showered in praise and award nominations.

Each episode navigated through insane action-packed subplots with incredible guest appearances from A-list actors. Staying true to its source material, the film heavily focuses on the relationship between its leads as they struggle with their assigned tasks at hand.

14. Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

Apple’s top-notch spy series didn’t miss a beat into its fourth season after a third season that was so good it essentially touched the sun. With a premier episode that might have been its best overall, the series moved out of London and into France for some beautifully filmed scenes.

With its never ending twists and turns, and Gary Oldman’s delightfully gross iconic performance, it’s clearly got the staying power to be one of the great espionage shows of our generation.

15. The Vince Staples Show (Netflix)

Rapper / Actor Vince Staples’ sketch comedy series on Netflix was a very short, weird, and sometimes dark perspective on his rise to stardom. Pulling from elements of his music career and his family, Staples creates a unique comedy series that has a lot to say about his own bizarre view of the world.

16. Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Highlighted by a superb lead cast of A-lister film royalty Kristen Bell and Adam Brody and a supporting cast of television royalty Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons, creator Erin Foster’s semi-autobiographical tale of an agnostic human studies podcaster who falls in love with a Jewish Rabbi found a massive audience on Netflix.

A quick and easy binge is more than enough to tip your hat at the fun, feel good, quirkiness of a well written comedy that hits all the right accords.

17. Ripley (Netflix)

Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s classic “Ripley” series of books about Tom Ripley, Andrew Scott stars in the title role may have been born to play. Terrifyingly convincing as the sociopathic conman, Scott steals essentially every single scene he’s in.

More in depth than the Talented Mr. Ripley film of 1999, “Ripley” uses the other books to go deeper into the series and much deeper into the character.

Shot almost entirely in Italy in and black and white the series lends a breathtaking view of one of the most beautiful places in the world as Scott turns in one of the best performances of the year.

18. True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

The fourth season of creator Nic Pizzolatto’s anthology series was the first since Season 1 to feel like it was trying to actually exist with purpose rather than pandering to the audience of its first season. Ironically it did it entirely without Pizzolatto’s involvement.

Jodie Foster is one of the greatest living actors in the world. For her entire career she’s been incredibly selective in her roles, and she obviously took this one because it would be impossible for her not to excel in it. Spoiler: She does.

“Night Country” showrunner Issa Lopez paints a bleak and miserable picture of a dark and secluded town in Alaska reeling from an unsolved murder mystery.

Foster and co-star Kali Reis provide unfettered chemistry as they work diligently to put the pieces of the crime together.

A satisfying conclusion gave the series the nice neat bow it needed to separate itself from the past two versions of True Detective that seemed to have gone awry.

It worked exceptionally well on its own and appropriately well as a nod to the magic of the first season that the series seems to be desperately trying to recreate time after time, and may never escape the comparison purgatory it’s created for itself.

19. 3 Body Problem (Netflix)

Netflix’s adaptation of the Chinese novel series Remembrance of Earth’s Past combined classic elements of old-school science fiction with modern day technology.

What sometimes felt a little like Stranger Things for ubersmart people, 3 Body Problem does an excellent job keeping the subject matter complicated without making the viewer feel stupid….which helps when you’re a stupid guy like me trying to understand complicated subject matter.

In a first season that feels a lot like a set up to a much bigger and more expansive universe, 3 Body Problem benefited from a top-notch performances and pacing just fast enough that told its story out without making you feel like you were wandering through complexity.

20. Ted (Peacock)

So…yeah…Ted was good. That was a weird thing I was telling people at the beginning of the year. I mean, look; if your standards with something are lower than the bottom of the barrel going in, the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised is always going to rear its head.

Adapted from Seth MacFarlane’s two idiotic teddy bear / stoner dude buddy comedies in the early 2000’s, Ted acts a prequel to the films. A lot of times it feels like it exists only as a landing spot for throw-away Family Guy jokes punched up with some f-bombs, but it honestly does a lot more right than it does wrong.

The series has a genuine nostalgic feeling of 90’s sitcoms as that’s where it sets itself. It’s mostly as funny as it is stupid.

(Bonus) 21. Dan Soder: On the Road (YouTube)

Being a massive fan of the genre I always make sure to include a stand-up comedy special on my list every single year.

Veteran Dan Soder’s YouTube special was easily my favorite standup show of 2024. Soder’s stories about living in New York in an apartment with his fiancé are brutally honest and wickedly hilarious. If you’re unfamiliar with Soder, be sure to check it out. He’s a delight.