Tube Notes with Ryan Benharris

A teaser poster for the new Vince Gilligan show is finally here, so let’s all lose our collective shit together and give it the insane deep dive it deserves.

On July 22, 2025 at exactly 3:00pm, it arrived. After years of rumors and speculation Apple TV dropped a teaser poster confirming the most anticipated new television series in at least two years. And, Gilli-Geeks, it’s friggen glorious.

Happiness is Contagious. pic.twitter.com/izGKiHgPIt

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 22, 2025

At the time this post published (9PM EST) it had already been seen 1.8M times on X alone.

Nothing Vince Gilligan created has ever been done without the meticulous attention to detail of a serial killer. That’s absolutely the case with this social media post.

What looks like the simplest post of all time clearly has about a dozen of Gilligan’s trademark Easter eggs that are hiding right there in plain sight.

The teaser poster itself has six words. Six measly words. “From the creator of Breaking Bad.” It’s yellow in nature, it has a strange yellow goo inside of a Petri dish with someone using a cotton swab to make a smiley face and the post itself was accompanied on all of Apple’s social media with three more words, “Happiness is Contagious.”

Now…we’ll get into a conspiracy of whether it’s “Contagious” or “contagious” later in this page. Because there IS a difference depending on where you find the post. But for now, let’s get into what the post might tell us about what the show is going to be.

First, the obvious questions…

What is it? What’s it called? When’s it coming? And Who’s in it?

As for “What is it,” Gilligan has been very cautious about giving away anything other than it’s going to contain elements of science fiction (from his old school days of The X-Files) with top notch drama you’ve come to expect with his last two masterpieces.

Earlier this year, Gilligan was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Writers Guild Award ceremony. He used his speech to express a bit of remorse for creating legendary anti-heroes like Walter White and Saul Goodman and begged writers to create more “good guys,” in the traditional sense. Although he didn’t mention him by name, the plea was certainly directed at the notion that Hollywood characters breaking bad or being the sleazeball you better call probably had a hand in the reverence of people like Donald Trump.

What does that say for his new show? I suspect its lead will be less a drastically flawed anti-hero and more a more traditional champion who you can feel good about rooting for. It would make sense if Gilligan took his own advice.

As for the title, no one knows what this show is actually going to be called. For years it’s had the working title of “Wycaro 339.” That’s what it’s been referred to online despite no one from Apple, Sony or Camp Vince suggesting nor confirming that actually is the actual title of the series (because it almost certainly isn’t).

Vegas odds would certainly put “Happiness is Contagious” as odds-on favorite for the actual title, but that remains to be seen.

I’m starting to talk myself into the idea that it’s going to be called “Happiness is Contagious,” but I also wouldn’t be remotely shocked if it isn’t. If it also isn’t Wycaro 339 (which is the only thing we’ve got to work with), then there’s really not much else we can guess…other than that it’s right in front of us.

The jury is still firmly out on what the title of the series will be…and also when it will air. Fingers crossed for late 2025.

I think the most likely release time is early 2026. That seems to coincide with yesterday’s Ted Lasso reemergence and I think it’s doubtful that it will be here by year’s end. But a boy can hope, guys!

You can also likely expect it to be a weekly episodic drop as Apple rarely drops entire seasons of anything in their entirety. And honestly, who in the absolute hell wants to watch a Vince Gilligan show 8-10 episodes in a row?! Gottta let that shit digest.

To coincide with today’s social media blast, Apple TV’s YouTube channel launched a live countdown to something that’s coming at exactly 3PM (EST) on Friday July 25th.

Nearly everyone online is speculating it’s a trailer.

Fair warning. You’re gonna need to come get me from the hospital on Friday night.

We know the series will star the incomparable Rhea Seehorn. Any other casting information has been incredibly limited. It was reportedly mainly shot in Albuquerque. So it will probably have the same look as other Gilligan series.

What Does “Happiness is Contagious” Mean?

Is this some kind of an outbreak show? We know that it’s got a sci-fi element. Is that a supernatural element? An environmental theme perhaps? And why is “Happiness” the contagion? Perhaps that’s a reference to Seehorn’s character’s unfulfilled life.

Vince Gilligan has a deep rooted history of finding meaningful historical and social contexts for his stories. I found one that seems to fit quite neatly into this one, and I’d like to offer it to you.

Jessica Cerretani, now of Boston Children’s Hospital wrote a Harvard Journal of Medicine article in 2011 entitled “The Contagion of Happiness,” that begins, “Everyone, it seems – from Buddhist monks to psychologist to Charles Schulz to the Beatles has offered opinions on what it means to be happy. And whether you believe that bliss is found with a warm puppy, a Prozac prescription or the pages of self-help books, you likely crave more of it.”

The article discusses the medical, scientific and sociological explanations for happiness and why humans seek it interminably.

It’s absolutely plausible that Gilligan would create a show about the pursuit of happiness…and equally as plausible that he’d draw inspiration from an easily accessible Harvard study on how to pursue it.

Speaking of Charles Schulz, “Happiness” is also the closing number of the Broadway production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” …whose colors famously happen to be…

What’s With All the Yellow and the Harvey Ball Smiley Face?

We have no idea why Gilligan would reference Harvey Ball, a famous artist from Worcester, MA in this poster…but he did it for sure. Harvey Ball created the yellow smiley face. The symbol obviously represents happiness and euphoria. Ball’s smiley face has also become synonymous with the phrase “have a nice day.”

The colors (both in the forefront and the background of the poster) and the drawn smiley face markedly resemble Ball’s most famous work.

Is it “Contagious” or “contagious”

The X (formally twitter) post says, “Happiness is Contagious,” while the current Instagram version says, “Happiness is contagious.” I might be crazy, but I think the Instagram post is possibly edited. I thought it was capitalized when I first saw it, and now it is not. I could be wrong. Unsurprisingly I looked at every Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul account you can imagine today. So they’re starting to blend in my pea brain.

Regardless, if Contagious is capitalized that suggests it’s could be a proper noun. It’s not capitalized in other official show(s) social media accounts (more on that below)

Further, is Happiness a place or a person? It’s also capitalized in all social media posts. Theoretically it doesn’t have to be as punctuation doesn’t really matter with these things. Happiness could be someone’s name, nickname or even the thing that they’re running away from.

Most likely it’s capitalized because this is a show about the quest for enlightenment and how to spread it and that will run as a heavy subtle underlying theme throughout. If it’s set in a town called Happiness that would be cheesy but also make a lot of sense.

What’s with the Petri dish and cotton swab (and whose finger is that?)

We have to assume that’s Rhea Seehorn’s hand, right?It’s pretty likely that this show will have some sort of medical research element to it. Not much of a surprise given the importance of those things in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

But we’ve been told this is a complete break from that universe….but should we believe that?

Why was the post shared on the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul social media pages?

Almost certainly the answer to that question is that they wanted as much exposure to this as possible and so many people follow those pages. But perhaps that’s not what’s going on here….shenanigans are afoot? SHENANIGANS!

The Breaking Bad X account has been dormant since September of 2024. The Better Call Saul account last tweeted in February of this year. They both sprung to life to promote this series.

Although there’s no actual reason to believe it has anything to do with the Breaking Bad universe, it still hasn’t been formally ruled out by anyone. When Gilligan made El Camino he did so explicitly under an incredible level of secrecy and emphatically denied that he was doing it until it was officially reported otherwise.

He also flew Bryan Cranston out from New York City overnight with military level security to shoot his scenes.

Look…we’re talking one percent…a fraction of one percent chance here. But there’s still a chance.

My most educated guess is that Gilligan’s new series starring Rhea Seehorn will heavily rely on the theme of the pursuit of happiness and will include a cast of characters looking for it in a manner where you fall in love with all of them. But it’s not really hard to fall in love with any character that Gilligan has created. So it should be an easy task.

It seems pretty likely that there will also be a constant theme of the series that highlights why people want to be happy. A theme that’s literally been studied by Harvard researchers.

…and truly, leave it to the great Vince Gilligan to save the planet by shining a massive light on the importance of Happiness (with a capital H) in a world shroud in such inalienable misery, right now. Am I here for it? You’re god damn right, I am.

Did I miss anything? Register for an account and comment below.

Or better yet, share it on your social media accounts. Feel free to capitalize whatever you want.

I love you all. Have a nice day.

I think you’re all made of sterner stuff.

Emmy Nominations drop today at 1135am (ET). There’s a 100% chance it will be chock full of recycled nominations from years past.

I’ll certainly be back after the nominations are announced to give my reactions. But for now, here are ten ways the Emmys could do it right in my eye.

1. Taylor Dearden – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (The Pitt)

2. Tramell Tillman – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Severance)

3. Jacob Anderson – Oustanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Interview With the Vampire)

4. Nathan Fielder – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (The Rehearsal)

5. Britt Lower – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Severance)

6. Selena Gomez – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Only Murders in the Building)

7. Patrick Ball – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (The Pitt)

8. The Entire Cast of Shrinking for Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series (Harrison Ford / Jessica Williams / Luke Tennie / Michael Urie / Lukita Maxwell / Christa Miller / Ted McGinley and Brett Goldstein)

9. Jonathan Pryce – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Slow Horses)

10. English Teacher – Outstanding Comedy Series

When Emmy nominations drop on July 15th, it will only be a matter of seconds before the angry tweets start a’rollin’ in…

“The Bear’ isn’t a comedy series! How is it dominating the Comedy categories, AGAIN!?”

Or, this…

Comedian Matt Damon, from comedy!

— rob delaney (@robdelaney) January 11, 2016

For a long time I have been a massive proponent of systematic change with respect to award shows categorizing television genres; specifically in comedy. It’s pretty obvious that in the “golden age of television,” you’ve got more than just comedy and drama. You’ve got a much larger percentage of series being both of those things…or neither. But for some reason the Emmys and the Golden Globes either don’t agree…or they’re just lazy.

In all likelihood, FX’s standout series, “The Bear” will be heavily represented in the next month’s Emmy nominations for comedy, but there’s clearly beginning to be organized pushback.

Just this weekend AV Club reported Comedy Writers are getting Kind of Sick of The Bear Winning all those comedy Emmys. 

As well they should be. If you’re involved with writing, directing or acting in a comedy series that aligns to comedy in the much more traditional sense and you’re losing recognition to a series that very much isn’t comedy, it’s got to be frustrating as hell. If you’re trying to make people laugh, it seems kind of ridiculous that you’d be losing comedy recognition to shows that actively are not.

To be honest, I don’t think The Bear will continue to win or be nominated for a lot more comedy Emmys than it has in the past. The third season was presumably its worst, and the public seems to have lost interest (which is a shame because I personally enjoyed the third season a lot).

Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” seems poised to possibly take over the crown as television critics’ darling comedy series and perennial winners “Hacks,”and “Abbott Elementary,” are still holding strong. I’d be very surprised if The Bear repeats in more than a handful of its past few wins, if it even does at all. 

The Bear isn’t a traditional comedy series in any sense. Neither is Nathan Fielder’s absolutely brilliant second season of HBO’s The Rehearsal which also might garner a bunch of Emmy nominations including one for Outstanding Comedy Series as well as an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for Fielder who ironically would probably cop to not even acting in it at all.

At least with The Bear, the harrowing anxiety and top-notch drama is regularly sprinkled with laugh out loud moments. 

The Rehearsal is something entirely different. I aggressively hated its first season and was initially mad at it for not being anything remotely as funny as Fielder’s first HBO project, “How To With John Wilson.” I punched out of the first season of The Rehearsal after only two episodes and only returned to it years later when its second season received such massive critical acclaim that my curiosity pushed me back in.

After finishing the first season, I found nothing about it funny, barely believed any of it was real, and didn’t hate it any less.

However, you can now 100% count me in as one of the critics who adored The Rehearsal’s second season and it will not only chart high on my year-end list in December but I’m now actively rooting for it to receive a handful of Emmy nominations (something that didn’t happen for Fielder’s 2023 Showtime series, “The Curse” which I also loved, but sort of watched with glee as less than 10% of people I recommended it to got past its first few episodes before giving up on it). But on the giant laundry list of things I loved about The Rehearsal, I’m not even sure that being funny even appears.

In fact, the first time I found myself cackling at The Rehearsal wasn’t until twenty-five minutes into the fourth episode of its second season.

My laugh came from the absurdness of an “extra” (if you can even call him that) watching his real life girlfriend acting a make-out scene and rooting her on like Timothée Chalamet celebrating an overtime win at a Knick game. Sort of a throw-away laugh that might not have even landed on all viewers.

The Rehearsal’s humor is used sparingly, and quite honestly, that’s a good thing as it doesn’t need to be funny to do its job. But should it be celebrated as one of the best comedy series on television if it’s really not funny?

HBO recently announced that it would be submitting The Rehearsal in the comedy categories at the Emmys when people started to question if it should be submitted as a documentary…or even a drama. HBO’s decision is almost certainly because Fielder identifies himself as a comedian despite the show not really being funny much…if even at all.

…Or is it? Who am I to say? I mean, who decides these things?

“Why Are You Laughing?” is a self-described history of comedy podcast hosted by “Blind” Mike Geary of BlindMike.net His weekly podcast highlights historic moments in stand-up comedy history, memorable stand-up albums and also compiles an annual end-of-the-year ranking of the best stand-up specials of the past twelve months.

Its title reflects the subjective standard of what defines mainstream humor. Geary’s comedy tastes are obviously uniquely his own, but he often attempts to streamline the medium to both acknowledge its standouts and bring awareness to old and new comedians to new audiences who might be unaware of certain performers. As a big stand-up fan myself (I always make it a point to include one special on my year-end “Best of TV” list) “Why Are You Laughing?” has been one of my favorite podcasts since it debuted in 2021.

In a recent episode Geary talked about why he didn’t include Bo Burnham on his list of the top 19 living stand-up comedians.

“I’m a huge Bo Burnham fan,” Geary explains. “I feel like he’s tremendously innovative and influential, but I kinda feel what he does is different from standup.” 

It’s a little weird that even in a podcast that exists to highlight stand-up comedians, the podcast host won’t include Bo Burnham as a stand-up comedian when Bo Burnham would obviously describe himself as one…yet in the mind of the TV awards business either you’re comedy or you aren’t, and that’s that.

I, myself, am also a huge Bo Burnham fan. I not only cite his 2021 comedy special, “Inside” as arguably my favorite comedy special of all time, I ranked it as the top series of 2021, and its soundtrack remains one of my favorite musical albums of the last two decades. 

It’s at least understandable why you could include Burnham in a list of the top 19 living stand-up comedians. It’s also understandable why you wouldn’t.

But it can be hard to decide when comedy stops and when “it’s not comedy” begins. If the opposite of making you laugh is making you cry, then some of the best comedies on television are failing miserably at it in the best ways possible.

Apple TV’s “Shrinking” (which I regularly describe as “my favorite show on television right now”), is obviously a comedy series, but it also lays on the emotional rollercoaster brutally thick.

Mostly due to Shrinking’s brilliant performances I found myself crying at more than half of the episodes of the second season of it. We’re not talking, “tearing up a little,” crying. We’re talking “all-out bawling on an elliptical in my basement on more than one occasion, crying”….and I quickly learned that I wasn’t alone.

Finished season 2 of Shrinking. I did good and didn’t cry the entire show…

But that season two finale BROKE ME.
Damn those writers!!! pic.twitter.com/t1XvSHXoEg

— Cindy Noir✨ (@thecindynoir) February 25, 2025

As I started talking about the series to other friends and family who also worshipped it on the same level they all described similar reactions; calling the viewing experience of it akin to therapy.

Shrinking isn’t just funny. It’s touching, beautiful and unmatchably relatable. A far cry from the sitcoms of the 80’s and 90’s; or the absurdity-comedy shows of the 2000’s like Parks & Recreation or The Office.

It’s way past the time to stop classifying comedy series as essentially anything that aren’t traditional drama series.

The award organizations should move toward a system like the Oscars where series aren’t categorically clumped into neat genres and instead reward the series for overall quality and innovation. 

But for now we might as well just sit back and bask in the likely epic battle ahead of us between Nathan Fielder and Jeremy Allen White for the title of the funniest actor on television.

What shows will the Golden Globes be buzzin’ about…and should you bother to watch them?

The Golden Globe Awards returns to CBS tonight for the second year after a hiatus where its former arbiter The Hollywood Foriegn Press completely fell apart. Last year’s ceremony was more reserved and much more aware of the inclusion deficiencies in years past. This year won’t be any different.

Nikki Glaser is set to host after a massively successful year. She came away the darling and winner of Netflix’s (tremendous) Roast of Tom Brady and has essentially been the mouthpiece for all of stand-up comedy in 2024.

An important thing to note about the Golden Globe Awards….well two important things, really. First is that it tends to take its film nominations way more seriously than it takes the ones it hands out for TV. Because of that it (and secondly) it tends to get pretty weird with who comes away with the TV awards at the end of the night.

No example is more clear of that this year than the bizarre nomination for Squid game in the Best Television Series – Drama category. Squid Game wasn’t available to viewers for more than a month after the nominations were announced and Netflix’s review embargoo lasted until the day it was released (December 26th). So that seemed to be completely out of the blue. Unsurprisingly the reviews were pretty-mid and now they just look stupid.

Below is my scorecard for tonight’s show. Feel free to share, comment and play along.

Look for me to live-tweet the event on X (From the One Happy Island of Aruba no less)

Best Television Series – Drama

Nominees

• The Diplomat (Netflix)
• Mr. And Mrs. Smith (Amazon)
• Shogun (FX)
• Slow Horses (Apple)
• Squid Game (Netflix)
• The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

What Will Win

Shogun (FX)

What Should Win

Shogun (FX)

What Could Win (But Probably Shouldn’t)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Nominees

• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• The Bear (Hulu)
• Hacks (HBO)
• Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
• Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• The Gentlemen (Netflix)

What Will Win

The Gentleman (Netflix)

What Should Win

Hacks (HBO)

What Could Win (But Probably Shouldn’t)

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Nominees

• Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• Disclaimer (Apple)
• Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Mendez Story (Netflix)
• Ripley (Netflix)
• The Penguin (HBO)
• True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

What Will Win

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

What Should Win

The Penguin (HBO)

What Could Win (…and probably won’t and shouldn’t)

Disclaimer (Apple)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Nominees

• Anna Sawai (Shogun)
• Emma D’Arcy (House of the Dragon)
• Kathy Bates (Matlock)
• Kiera Knightley (Black Doves)
• Kerri Russel (The Diplomat)
• Mya Erskine (Mr. And Mrs. Smith)

Who Will Win

Anna Sawai (Shogun)

Who Should win

Anna Sawai (Shogun)

Who Could Win (But probably shouldn’t)

Kathy Bates (Matlock)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Nominees

• Billy Bob Thornton (Landman)
• Donald Glover (Mr. And Mrs. Smith)
• Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal)
• Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
• Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun)
• Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent)

Who Will Win

Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal)

Who Should Win

Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun)

Who Could Win (But Probably Shouldn’t)

The entire field other than Sanada

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Nominees

• Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
• Jean Smart (Hacks)
• Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)
• Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)
• Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
• Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)

Who Will Win

Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)

Who Should Win

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)

Who Could Win (AND Probably SHOULD)

Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building) or Jean Smart (Hacks)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Nominees

• Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)
• Jason Segel (Shrinking)
• Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
• Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
• Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
• Ted Dawson (A Man on the Inside)

Who Will Win

Ted Dawson (A Man on the Inside)

Who Should Win

Jason Segel (Shrinking)

Who Could Win (But Probably Shouldn’t)

Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This) or Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Nominees

• Cate Blanchett (Disclaimer)
• Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)
• Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)
• Kate Winslet (The Regime)
• Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans)
• Sofia Vergara (Griselda)

Who Will win

Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)

Who Should Win

Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)

Who Could Win (But Probably Shouldn’t)

Kate Blanchett (Disclaimer)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Nominees

• Andrew Scott (Ripley)
• Colin Farrell (The Penguin)
• Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
• Ewan McGregor (A Gentleman in Moscow)
• Kevin Kline (Disclaimer)
• Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)

Who Will Win

Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)

Who Should Win

Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)

Who Might Win

Colin Farrell (the Penguin)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television

Nominees

• Allison Janney (The Diplomat)Dat
• Dakota Fanning (Ripley)
• Hannah’s Einbinder (Hacks)
• Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)
• Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country)
• Liza Colon-Zayas (The Bear)

Who Will Win

Liza Colon-Zayas (The Bear)

Who Should Win

Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)

Who Could Win (and ABSOLUTELY SHOULD)

Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) and Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country) – Editor’s Note: What an absolutely stupid category. Gunning, Fanning and Reis should be in different categories than Colon-Zayas and Einbinder (who should be in separate categories themselves) and they should all somehow be able to win a comparable award. This is a stacked category filled with capable nominees. The fact that it snubbed no less than three female actors from Shrinking and three from Shogun is equally baffling. This is the perfect example of why they need to either expand the supporting actor categories or eliminate them all together. This isn’t the right way to do this.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television

Nominees

• Diego Luna (La Maquina)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)
• Harrison Ford (Shrinking)
• Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)
• Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)
• Tadanobu Asano (Shogun)

Who Will Win

Harrison Ford (Shrinking)

Who Should Win

Harrison Ford (Shrinking)

Who Could Win (And I’d be fine with, I guess)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

Nominees

• Adam Sandler: Love You (Netflix)
• Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix)
• Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… (Netflix)
• Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (HBO)
• Army Youssef: More Feelings (HBO)
• Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking (HBO)

Who Will Win

Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (Netflix)

Who Should Win

Adam Sandler: Love You (Netflix)

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.

I offer you, my friends, an appetizer to my reveal of my list of the best TV Series of 2024 (coming this Thursday). Here are some of my favorite episodes of television this year

Note that these are in no way a ranked list of what I thought were the best episodes of TV. Just the ones I enjoyed for one reason or another

I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

The Curse – “Green Queen” (S1, E10, Airdate: 1/14/24)

I’ve spent the entirety of 2024 wanting to write about the Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone series that quite honestly became one of my favorite miniseries of all time. I ranked it somewhere in the middle of my list of 2023 because I hadn’t seen it all, and combined with a friend who yearly gives me shit about doing exactly that, and the fact that this series was clearly screaming out to not be judged on its first half, I found myself at the end of it feeling guilty that I hadn’t given it its proper accolade when I wrote it off. I honestly may have seriously considered it the best show of 2024.

It’s been nearly twelve months since the finale of The Curse and I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Smothered in critical acclaim for its absolute insanity it buys real estate in your head that it’s never giving back.

The curse is an absolute textbook example in avant-garde filmmaking. The series lived for 9 hours in frustratingly slow burn that not only dared the viewer to punch out…but sort of encouraged it. It then culminated in theatrics of special effects and illusions that were out of this world.

Bluey – “The Sign” (S3, E49, Airdate: 4/14/24)

The first ever full-length episode of the massively acclaimed children’s series that has grown a cult following of epic proportions was a giant flex on its ability to captivate children and cripple the hearts of adults with the ease of Rusty’s Cricket swing. Jam-packed with and an ending that would bring even the most rock-hearted cold soul to weeping shambles, Bluey’s “The Sign” wasn’t just the strongest children’s programming episode of television of the year. It was easily one of strongest twenty-eight minutes on TV all year.

My family has watched it a hundred times since it’s airing and it never disappoints. 

30 for 30 – “I’m Just Here for the Riot” (E149, Airdate: 6/4/24)

One thing you often don’t see on this site is a reflection of how big a fan I am of ESPN’s long running. 30 for 30 series.

I’m Just Here for the Riot is co-directors Kathleen Jayme and Asia Youngman’s documentary on the riot that followed the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver after the Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in a heartbreaking Game 7.

The film acts as an inside look at the consequences for young adults prosecuted for their part in a riot after social media essentially upends their entire lives. It’s a stinging commentary on the long lasting effects of social media stupidity and how what was identified as the first riot in the social media world hauntingly predicted what was to come for decades following it. 

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV – “The Darkest Secret” (S1, E3, Airdate: 3/18/24)

Mild spoiler alert if you haven’t watched Investigation Discovery’s docuseries about the toxic world of 90’s/2000s Nickelodeon children’s programming ahead…

Following multiple episodes tip-toeing around a mysterious victim in the center of sexual assault allegations within the confines of Nickelodeon productions, Drake Bell comes forward and tells his harrowing experience with Brian Peck, a producer on The Amanda Show who stalked, groomed and ultimately preyed upon him for an extended period of time. Drake discussed the aftermath of Peck’s subsequent arrest, trial and conviction and how Hollywood stars came to the defense of Peck; leaving Drake traumatized and in shambles for much of his life. The episode is brutally honest, and Drake’s incredible heroics is unforgettable. 

The Bear – “Napkins” (S3, E6, Airdate: 6/26/24)

Directed by the incomparable Ayo Edebiri, Napkins was a one-off episode detailing the backstory of Liza Colon-Zayas’ character, Tina. Easily the strongest episode in a marginally weaker third season, “Napkins” came away a fan favorite and a highlight of the entire series. Brilliant performances by both Colon-Zayas and Jon Bernthal (in a return to a guest role that won him an Emmy last year, and will likely win him another one this year) showcase the true underrated talent from the extraordinary cast. 

The Penguin – “A Great or Little Thing” (S1, E8, Airdate: 11/10/24)

In the season (possibly series) finale of HBO’s brilliant rendition of the origin of Gotham’s most ruthless devil, everyone settles for their own place in hell while the series’ plot is wrapped up and the character gets his boarding pass into the next chapter of Matt Reeves’ Batman trilogy.

Flawless performances from Colin Farrell, Cristin Millioti, Rhezney Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell and Ryder Allen escalate to the show to an ultimate boiling point that sends the viewer into the shock and horror of what the show was always supposed to be.

It was hard to pick one episode of this series that I thought was its best, but ultimately with a finale that delivered so solidly it’s equally as hard to shy away from it. 

The Simpsons – “Bart’s Birthday” (S36, E1, Airdate: 9/29/24)

The 36th season of the longest running show in the history of the world was a “what could be” of a series finale. For a show that is on veritably nobody’s radar, it was an introspective masterpiece and by far the best thing the series has done in about two decades.

Hacks – “Par for the Course” (S3, E6, Airdate: 5/16/24)

In what is sure to become one of the most iconic episodes of the series, Hacks hit the epitome of its stride leaning on its two brilliant stars and incredible supporting cast.

Hannah Einbinder was particularly at her absolute best with an iconic cameo performance by Christina Hendricks.

Fallout – “The Beggining” (S1, E8 Airdate: 4/10/24)

 In a season finale that essentially flipped the entire series on its head while tying literally every loose knot of its rookie season together, Fallout saved its strongest and most ambitious episode for its last. Heroes become villains. Villains become heroes and albeit a bit predictable, antiheroes rule the day and steal your heart. Most of all it, it bets on itself that it’s got the staying power to become one of the more expansive universes on television.

Shrinking – “In a Lonely Place” (S2, E6, Airdate: 11/13/24)

Shrinking hits the most tragic part of its existence head on with its most innocent victim in a way that stayed true to the series’ “kindness over chaos” mantra.

In an absolutely beautiful scene where young star Lukita Maxwell sat down with the drunk driver who killed her mother (played by gift-from-the-gods Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame who also wrote the episode and acts as executive producer / creator of the series) to talk out the horrific realities of sudden loss.

As a kid who lost his mom at an early age I’m often very cynical of how fictional media portrays that exact scenario. This was an absolute masterclass in how to do it.