The first half of 2024 was insane! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best TV shows that aired in 2024.
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00:00 "Never again."
00:02 "Whoa!"
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best TV shows that aired in 2024.
00:10 We will only be including new series, not returning shows.
00:14 "Oh, it does. I just not seeing it. Not asking the right questions."
00:20 Number 10. Masters of the Air.
00:24 "Most of us had never traveled far from home, let alone flown in an airplane.
00:28 They came from every corner of the country with a common purpose.
00:32 To bring the war to Hitler's doorstep."
00:35 Following up Band of Brothers and The Pacific is no easy feat.
00:38 The former is considered one of the best shows ever made,
00:42 a cinematic achievement that was ahead of its time in blurring the line between film and television.
00:46 And The Pacific is certainly no slouch either.
00:49 Luckily, Masters of the Air was a success, even if it didn't quite reach the heights of Band of Brothers.
00:55 "If we succeed, we knock German production offline for months.
01:00 There's no telling how many lives we could save."
01:03 Starring a brilliant ensemble cast, the show follows the 100th Bomb Group and their harrowing adventures in World War II.
01:10 "Gentlemen, welcome to paradise.
01:13 Follow suit, Lieutenant."
01:16 The show's production design was suitably outstanding,
01:19 and you can't go wrong with stars like Austin Butler and Barry Kogan leading the way.
01:23 Number 9 - Ripley
01:25 "I know you from somewhere."
01:27 "No, I don't think so. I think I remember."
01:31 It's probably safe to say that Netflix is winning the streaming wars, and it's not difficult to see why.
01:37 The network has something for everyone, including black and white prestige dramas about charming con men.
01:43 "You don't seem to remember me."
01:44 "No, no, I just, I, you know, I haven't been back to the States in so long."
01:49 "That's okay."
01:50 Ripley is the first series adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's seminal crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley,
01:56 which had previously been made into a movie starring Matt Damon.
01:59 But now, it's Andrew Scott's turn as the titular anti-hero.
02:03 And what a magnificent turn it is.
02:05 Scott disappears into the role, and the sumptuous black and white photography provides plenty of eye candy.
02:11 It's a modern noir masterpiece, hearkening back to the classics with enough technical skill to include itself among them.
02:17 "That's right, Dickie. Dickie Greenleaf. It's nice to meet you too."
02:24 We return to the Second World War for this acclaimed Hulu drama.
02:30 "Wars eventually end and then I'll be left with a husband."
02:34 We Were the Lucky Ones stars Joey King and Logan Lerman, and is based on the book by Georgia Hunter,
02:39 who was inspired by her family's experiences during the period.
02:42 It follows the Kirk family, persecuted Polish Jews who find themselves running, hiding, and surviving during the Holocaust.
02:49 "You are nothing to them. They will kill you for much less."
02:54 "Don't be so dramatic."
02:56 "I'm not."
02:57 It certainly doesn't make for easy viewing, but the show is impeccably made,
03:02 with an outstanding ensemble cast and mesmerizing production design.
03:05 The story it tells also deftly mixes the tragic with the hopeful, depicting a touching and life-affirming story in the midst of extreme sorrow.
03:14 "Germany, are you insane?"
03:17 "We have the baby in Poland."
03:19 "And then you march straight into the belly of evil?"
03:22 Number 7. The Sympathizer
03:24 "I think you'll appreciate this. Not at first you won't. You'll lock all this up in a little box,
03:31 but in the future when you look in that box again, you will.
03:35 It reminds you that your contribution to this war has been substantial."
03:39 HBO makes its first appearance on the list with The Sympathizer,
03:43 a black comedy based on the Pulitzer-winning novel from Viet Thanh Nguyen.
03:47 With a unique mix of genres, the story follows the Captain,
03:50 a North Vietnamese spy who infiltrates a community of South Vietnamese refugees.
03:55 The show is brilliantly structured and edited, and it beautifully adapts the source material.
04:00 However ambitious it may be, the cast is also superb,
04:04 with Hoa Son De making a great leading man and Robert Downey Jr. being unrecognizable in multiple villain roles.
04:11 "I like this kid. He's plucky. Are you plucky, kid?"
04:14 "Oh, he is wildly plucky."
04:16 "How deep does it go?"
04:17 "The pluckiness?"
04:19 "No, your blood."
04:20 And finally, The Sympathizer serves as a turning point for Vietnamese representation in Hollywood,
04:26 even though it is currently banned in Communist Vietnam.
04:29 "You must miss America. Remember it.
04:32 I've been watching you for a long time. Smile."
04:37 "So you miss America.
04:39 And you know what's not the same as me.
04:42 You value me too much."
04:46 Donald Glover and director-hero Mirai reunite on Mr. & Mrs. Smith,
04:55 an Amazon drama loosely based on the 2005 movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
05:00 The series takes the general concept of the film and expands it, following the titular characters,
05:05 their ever-changing relationship, and their thrilling adventures around the globe.
05:09 "Who takes care of a dead body?"
05:11 "We do."
05:15 The series has a nice variety to it, with an episodic nature that allows for numerous fun stories and stunning locales.
05:22 But there's also a grander narrative at work,
05:25 as the twists and turns of the couple's relationship build towards an inevitable confrontation.
05:30 And come on, you can never get enough of Donald Glover.
05:33 "You, um...
05:34 You break the legs and I'll break the arms."
05:37 "So this woman is stalking you?"
05:40 "Yeah, she comes to my work, she comes to my house, she sends me emails, like, like, like all the time."
05:45 Preying on an all-too-common fear, Baby Reindeer follows Donnie Dunn,
05:50 a bartender and aspiring comedian who becomes the target of stalker Martha Scott.
05:54 It's a harrowing story made even scarier by the fact that it's true.
05:58 "And I knew she was dangerous, but she flattered me. And that was enough.
06:02 And now, I really don't know where it's gonna end."
06:12 Yep, the show is loosely based on the real experiences of showrunner Richard Gadd,
06:17 who fictionalized himself in the form of Donnie.
06:19 Baby Reindeer is both darkly comedic and unbearably tense,
06:23 offering up a deft blending of genres and keeping its viewers utterly captivated.
06:28 We don't know how it managed to squeeze so many laughs out of such difficult subject matter, but it did.
06:34 "Oh, sorry, Reindeer. I'm a nightmare, I know. Just getting carried away with myself.
06:39 I'm just not very good with the competition, see? Tends to bring out the worst in me."
06:45 "The only explanation for these observations is that this planet is part of a three-body star system."
06:54 Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are no strangers to book-to-screen adaptations.
06:59 And together with Alexander Wu, they've done a compelling job so far of adapting Lu Su-shin's novel The Three-Body Problem,
07:06 although with a lot more changes than the 2023 Chinese adaptation.
07:10 "They are coming. And there's nothing you can do to stop them."
07:16 This is hard science fiction, featuring plenty of complex philosophical ideas and lessons in theoretical physics.
07:23 It's heavy stuff, but Weiss, Benioff, and Wu handle it with surprising aplomb.
07:27 The show is often difficult, but it's also a ton of fun and is made with an impressive amount of technical skill.
07:34 Heart, excitement, intellectual stimulation, Three-Body Problem has it all.
07:38 Let's hope they keep up the quality through every season.
07:41 "We are going to kill your science. We will do it with our sofas."
07:46 "And if the cloud is smaller than your thumb, then you run for the hills."
07:53 "And if it's bigger than your thumb?"
07:56 "They told us not to bother them."
07:58 Some people doubted Amazon, but those doubts can be put to rest.
08:02 Fallout is based on the popular RPG series of the same name. Not an adaptation per se,
08:07 but an original story that takes place within the same continuity.
08:10 The series looks magnificent, with Amazon putting in the bottle caps necessary to depict a hellish post-apocalyptic California.
08:17 "Yeah, well, the wasteland's got its own golden receiver."
08:20 "Oh, what's that?"
08:21 "Y'all shall get sidetracked by bullshit every goddamn time."
08:24 The cast is also terrific, with each character embodying a different playstyle and bringing something unique to the series.
08:31 Whether it be violence, adorable naivety, technical ingenuity, or that awesome power armor.
08:36 It's fun, funny, mysterious, brutal.
08:40 It's everything that games are, and we're thrilled that the adaptation turned out so well.
08:44 "War never changes. You look out at this wasteland, it looks like chaos."
08:59 While technically a revival of the animated series, X-Men 97 is different enough in tone and style to be considered its own show.
09:07 Picking up where that beloved show left off, X-Men 97 continues the adventures of the titular group,
09:13 and sees a number of cast members returning.
09:15 "Them thunder, for I am lightning!"
09:21 The show beautifully blends the old with the new,
09:24 with the vintage 2D animation capturing that nostalgic memory of sitting in front of a fuzzy TV on Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal.
09:31 But it also contains some great writing, a surprisingly mature tone, and many thoughtful themes about oppression and persecution.
09:38 The 90s kids grew up, and the show grew up with them.
09:41 "Dammit, see your bitch. And raise it!"
09:45 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:49 One Day, a heart-throbbing romantic show about a working-class girl and a rich guy.
09:54 "You alright?" "Entirely." "Drink?" "Uh...okay."
10:03 Elspeth, a different kind of detective show following the How Catch 'Em format.
10:07 "What was it that gave me away?" "Acting."
10:13 "You weren't convinced by my acting." "Oh no, I was. People in life don't act."
10:22 "Have a cookie."
10:23 Mary and George chronicles the romantic affair between James VI and I and George Villiers.
10:29 "George."
10:39 "He didn't mean it. Did he?"
10:43 "I saw no doubt in him."
10:47 "Alright."
10:48 Manhunt, a historical drama following Edwin Stanton as he hunts down John Wilkes Booth.
10:53 "What if the Confederacy is behind the assassination?"
11:03 "I'd have to start another war."
11:05 The Curse, only two episodes aired in 2024, but what episodes they were.
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11:46 Number 1. Shogun.
11:48 And here we come to the best new show of 2024, a thrilling adaptation of James Clavel's historic novel.
11:54 "I've already made my decision. This time..."
11:59 After English sailor John Blackthorne washes up on the shores of Japan,
12:02 he soon finds himself embroiled in a deadly struggle for power between the country's leaders.
12:07 "Each Spanish and Portuguese king has the right to lay claim to any non-Catholic land they discover and to replace its government with Catholic rule."
12:14 "This is a lie."
12:16 "No."
12:17 The ensemble cast is suitably terrific, and the stellar production design brings 17th century Japan to our 21st century screens.
12:25 With an expansive story filled with multiple characters, locales, and intertwining storylines,
12:30 it's easy to see why Shogun has received such universal praise.
12:34 Whether you're familiar with the novel or not, Shogun is must-watch TV.
12:38 "And then you are free."
12:40 "Yes. I think so."
12:46 Is there another show that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
12:50 "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
12:55 "He has made you...Hatamoto. Which is a very great honor."
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13:10 [music]