15 Best TV Shows of 2024 (So Far)
The post 15 Best TV Shows of 2024 (So Far) appeared first on Consequence.
With the first half of the year now behind us, the biggest takeaway from the best TV shows of 2024 so far is how many of them came as a surprise. Sure, some of the shows we expected to excel — like one of network TV’s brightest lights, or the final season of a long-beloved favorite — didn’t disappoint. But two of our top five shows of the year weren’t even on our radar last January, and yet gave us some of the year’s most compelling moments on screen.
That, to be clear, is a good thing, because it speaks to how powerful a great show can be, especially one we experience in the intimacy of our own homes. That level of connection is what TV can do better than any other medium, whether it be bringing audiences to a totally different time and place, spotlighting a side of World War II in a whole new way, or challenging our assumptions about the person we might see walking down the street, or hanging out at a local pub.
Below are Consequence’s 15 best series of 2024, some of which concluded as limited series, others which will return in some form at some point. What they all have in common was being well worth our time.
— Liz Shannon Miller
Senior Entertainment Editor
Editors Note: Check back for all our 2024 Mid-Year Report coverage, including our list of the 10 Best Movies So Far.
15. Echo
Echo (Disney+)
Created by: Marion Dayre
Cast: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Charlie Cox, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio
Network/Platform: Disney+
This limited series didn’t end perhaps as strongly as it began, but there was a lot to admire, appreciate, and flat-out thrill about this new MCU entry: If nothing else, that Episode 1 single-take brawl between Maya Lopez, a bunch of thugs, and some punk named Matt Murdock had us buzzing. With a protagonist unlike any other in the Marvel universe and a cast of largely Native actors (including the stellar Devery Jacobs, and icons Tantoo Cardinal, Zahn McClarnon, and Graham Greene), Echo delivered plenty of action and a new twist on superpowered drama (and finding a new twist on this genre is a pretty impressive feat, these days). — L.S. Miller
14. Masters of the Air
Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)
Executive Producers: Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Gary Goetzman
Cast: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Nikolai Kinski, Stephen Campbell Moore, Sawyer Spielberg, Isabel May
Network/Platform: Apple TV+
The key thing to know about Apple TV+’s lavish continuation of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s epic chronicling of World War II is that the back half of the season is more compelling than the first half. While the early episodes do a solid job of establishing the large ensemble cast and the harrowing nature of being a bomber pilot, it’s in the second half you get a survival storyline set inside a POW camp, one officer (Anthony Boyle) getting tangled up with a British officer (Bel Powley) who might just be a spy, and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa saying any actual lines of dialogue. It’s rare to see a show build in such a way, almost an impressive an accomplishment as those aerial sequences. — L.S. Miller
13. In the Know
In the Know (Peacock)
Created by: Brandon Gardner, Mike Judge, Zach Woods
Cast: J. Smith-Cameron, Charlie Bushnell, Zach Woods, Mike Judge, Caitlin Reilly, Carl Tart
Network/Platform: Peacock
Mike Judge is back with the extremely Mike Judgian In the Know, a show that finds the absurd in the mundane, basks in its over-the-top satire, and boasts shockingly jaw-dropping stop-motion animation. Following the eccentric crew of an NPR station, Judge and company take aim at their own demographic — bleeding heart, self-absorbed, New Yorker-reading “intellectuals.” While the celebrity cameos sometimes feel more like padding than hilarious bits or fodder for plot development, In the Know still presents a wildly enjoyable, impressively-made ride. — Jonah Krueger
12. We Are Lady Parts (Season 2)
We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)
Created by: Nida Mansoor
Cast: Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey , Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, Lucie Shorthouse, Aiysha Hart, Zaqi Ismail
Network/Platform: Peacock
Everyone’s favorite fictional Muslim punk band reaches new heights in Season 2: playing gigs, cultivating a dedicated fan base, and finally achieving their goal of recording an album. With fresh rivalries emerging and relationship dynamics shifting under the stress of success, the challenges faced by the members of Lady Parts are pretty substantial, especially as band members grapple with their individual and collective identities. All that, and there’s the music: The series features some hilarious original tracks and covers of mediocre mid-2000s classics, and you’ll never hear Hoobastank’s “The Reason” the same way again. — Sun Noor
11. True Detective: North Country
True Detective: Night Country (Max)
Showrunner: Issa López
Cast: Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Isabella Star LaBlanc, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston
Network/Platform: HBO
The True Detective series has always gotten a lot of inspiration from its setting, whether it be the swampy Louisiana bayou or the concrete desert of Southern California. So writer/director Issa López’s first smart choice was to set the newest installment of the mystery series in the fascinating darkness of Alaska during the winter months. Her second was to assemble an outstanding cast, led by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as two detectives trying to sort out a number of unexplained deaths at a research facility. The six-episode series was tight, compelling, and full of chills that had nothing to do with the weather, delivering some images that will haunt us for a long time (corpsicle, anyone?). — L.S. Miller
10. Fallout
Fallout (Prime Video)
Created by: Graham Wagner, Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Cast: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moises Arias, Walton Goggins
Network/Platform: Prime Video
The greatest challenge in adapting Fallout was figuring out the best way to approach more than 20 years of franchise lore. So, in a savvy move, the creative team started small by first establishing plucky protagonist Lucy (Ella Purnell); Maximus (Aaron Moten), a naive squire with big aspirations; and hinting at the intriguing backstory of the horrifying Ghoul (Walton Goggins) before expanding outward. Combine this with the spot-on casting and a post-apocalyptic setting audiences might find familiar, and Fallout had all the ingredients of a winner. But its delicate balance of campy humor, social commentary, and intimate storytelling is what took it over the top, and we can’t wait for Season 2. — Eddie Fu
09. Girls5eva (Season 3)
Girls5eva (Netflix)
Created by: Meredith Scardino
Cast: Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, Renée Elise Goldsberry
Network/Platform: Peacock
The Girls are back, having been saved by Netflix after Peacock passed on a third round of Girls5eva. The quartet are still as hilarious and endearing as ever, taking their rag-tag DIY pop show on the road and tackling hysterical songs like Summer’s “Is There a Me? (Or Is Me Just Guys)” and Wickie Roy’s “Daughter Hero.” And while there are fewer episodes than there were in Seasons 1 and 2, the writers still crammed each possible moment of Season 3 with as many jokes as they could, making even a rewatch incredibly rewarding. — Paolo Ragusa
08. Abbott Elementary (Season 3)
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Created by: Quinta Brunson
Cast: Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, William Stanford Davis
Network/Platform: ABC
At the beginning of this season, I went ahead and said that Abbott Elementary was poised to become one of television’s all-time great series, and its third season didn’t dissuade me from that position. (Even if the episode in which Janine spends most of her time wondering if Kevin Hart is her biological father was a little silly.) What the series did, most importantly, was demonstrate the elasticity of its ensemble, developing fresh storylines from new connections between the characters, while also broadening out the world of the show more. When the show returns for Season 4, there’ll be exciting new developments to explore — and hopefully just the right amount of Mr. Johnson, in all his madness. — L.S. Miller
07. Hacks (Season 3)
Hacks (Max)
Created by: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky
Cast: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Megan Stalter, Paul W. Downs, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato
Network/Platform: Max
While not quite as supercharged as the previous two seasons of Hacks, the third installment of this HBO comedy is still one of the best things on television right now, mostly thanks to the evergreen chemistry between Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah Vance (an exquisite Jean Smart). Season 3 widened the lens for even more Jimmy-Kayla shenanigans, opened space for some growth for Marcus, and made the brilliant decision of introducing J. Cameron Smith as Deborah’s difficult sister. Plus, the cliffhanger finale sets up a thrilling new dynamic for our central duo in Season 4. — Mary Siroky
06. Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 12)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Created by: Larry David
Cast: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, J. B. Smoove
Network/Platform: HBO
It’s hard to accept, but Curb Your Enthusiasm has finally come to a conclusion after 12 seasons and nearly a quarter of a century of misunderstandings and generalized hijinks. Luckily, the series’ wrap-up was pretty, pretty, pretty good, riffing on both the best and worst moments of Larry David (as both a character and as a real dude). It’s a final season that lives up not only to the excellence of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but to the wider world of David’s winding, faux pas-examining, socially deconstructionist body of work. — J. Krueger
05. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Created by: Francesca Sloane, Donald Glover
Cast: Donald Glover, Maya Erskine
Network/Platform: Prime Video
Personally, it’s hard to think of anything more fun than watching Donald Glover and Maya Erskine explore their deeply believable chemistry against increasingly beautiful international backdrops. Tense, sexy, and so well-written, the television take on Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a slam dunk that managed to keep the viewer on edge throughout its eight episodes. While it looks like the program will be taking an anthology route, focusing on different spy couples in each iteration, coming out of the gate with Glover and Erskine sets the bar incredibly high. — M. Siroky
04. John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA
John Mulaney: Everybody’s in LA (Netflix)
Created by: John Mulaney
Cast: John Mulaney, Richard Kind, more
Network/Platform: Netflix
Describing Everybody’s in LA as a fever dream is still underselling it. It is an alternate reality in which John Mulaney is an overprepared but totally nonconfrontational talk show host, where every comedian in town is but a hopeful text away, and where Los Angeles becomes both the greatest and the worst place in the United States. It’s funny, of course, but it’s also supremely wacky, with some intriguing sketches interspersed throughout the freeform, unpredictable live hangout seshes. Even with all the “we’re live!” hang-ups, Everybody’s in LA was undoubtedly a success for Netflix and Mulaney – and if it ever happens again, let’s hope they bring back Richard Kind, who is as absurd and delightful as ever. — P. Ragusa
03. Shōgun
Shōgun (FX)
Created by: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, Fumi Nikaido
Network/Platform: FX
One of this year’s biggest swings connected with audiences not because of any sort of luck, but because of a deeply compelling story, rendered on the screen with impeccable production value and brought to life by an outstanding cast. Shōgun also stands out for taking its source material — James Clavell’s classic novel about a white man washing up on the shores of Japan during the Edo period — and centering it not around the stranger in a strange land, but the Japanese characters caught up in an epic battle for power. How the story continues for future seasons is still unclear, but there’s a lot of history left to explore in this time period, and this creative team has proven its capacity for greatness in that regard. — L.S. Miller
02. Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Created by: Richard Gadd
Cast: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau, Tom Goodman-Hill, Hugh Coles, Danny Kirrane, Shalom Brune-Franklin
Network/Platform: Netflix
About once a year or so, at this point, a Netflix series sneaks into the conversation and becomes truly must-see. Richard Gadd’s autobiographical tale was captivating from the start, thanks to the fearless performance of Jessica Gunning as a bar patron who becomes obsessed with kind-hearted bartender/aspiring comedian Donny (Gadd). Yet as the show progressed, and Donny’s past traumas emerged, the series as a whole became impossible to stop watching, even as it descended further into its dark subject matter. There’s currently a lawsuit underway over the truth on which Baby Reindeer is based, but no matter what the outcome, the story’s power — and its ability to potentially help others who are struggling — cannot be denied. — L.S. Miller
01. X-Men ’97
X-Men ’97 (Disney+)
Created by: Beau DeMayo
Cast: Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, Cal Dodd, J. P. Karliak, Lenore Zann, George Buza, A. J. LoCascio, Holly Chou, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Matthew Waterson, Adrian Hough
Network/Platform: Disney+
Right now, the cycle of nostalgic appreciation has us steeped in reverence for the ’90s and ’00s, so it’s fitting that a revival series is topping our list. But X-Men ’97 wouldn’t be at No. 1 if it was just us nerds nerding out about a formative piece of pop culture. Marvel’s continuation of the classic cartoon finds space for everything that’s great about not just the X-Men, but storytelling.
It works as a reflection of modern political divides, of philosophical truths, of grief, of the complicated relationships of family. It works as a kick-ass comic book adaptation, delivering stunning design work and action sequences, compelling (even if occasionally rushed) recontextualization of classic storylines, and more justice for Cyclops in the first five minutes of Episode 1 than Fox managed in seven films. It’s an achievement on so many levels that it simply has to be considered one of the best pieces of media so far in 2024. — Ben Kaye
15 Best TV Shows of 2024 (So Far)
Liz Shannon Miller
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