From an epic historical drama to a wild surrealist comedy, our TV screens took us on all sorts of thrilling and intriguing adventures in 2024. As we head into 2025, we're taking a look at some of The Hollywood Reporter's television critics' picks for the best TV shows of 2024.
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00:00From an epic historical drama to a wild surrealist comedy,
00:03our TV screens took us on all sorts of thrilling and intriguing adventures in 2024.
00:08As we head into 2025, we're taking a look at some of The Hollywood Reporter's
00:12television critics' picks for the best TV shows of 2024.
00:17In no particular order, let's begin with the show that won a record
00:2018 Emmys for its first season, Shogun on FX. According to THR TV critic Daniel Feinberg,
00:26this is sumptuous, epic storytelling at its well-produced finest,
00:30and the casting and performances could hardly be better.
00:33Netflix's Baby Reindeer likewise fared well at the Emmys, taking home six awards,
00:37including the trophy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
00:41THR TV critic Angie Han writes of the show,
00:44Creator and star Richard Gadd excavates the deepest fault lines of his psyche with unsparing,
00:49even brutal honesty, but also with profound empathy for himself and the woman,
00:53played by breakout Jessica Gunning, tormenting him.
00:55Fellow Netflix limited series Ripley is also among the shows the critics are calling the
00:59best of the year. According to Han, Andrew Scott's version of the character is driven
01:03toward reinvention as a compulsion, not because he thinks it will make him happy.
01:07It gives the series a beautifully melancholy and meticulous heart.
01:10Over on HBO, the new comedy Phantasmus captured the attention of THR's critics this year.
01:16Feinberg says the show's, quote,
01:17"...blend of sci-fi quest, existential nightmare, and silly sketch show
01:21is packed with memorable characters, wacky celebrity cameos, and too many weird detours to
01:26list." While many new shows delighted audiences and critics alike in 2024, some returning shows
01:32also proved to be among the best of the year, like the Apple TV Plus comedy Shrinking.
01:36According to Feinberg, the show's, quote,
01:38"...hilarious and heartbreaking second season
01:40is a case study for comedies growing to fully realize their potential."
01:44Meanwhile, Hacks on Max delivered what Feinberg calls its most consistent installment to date
01:49with season three this year, carried by, quote,
01:51"...the always remarkable Jean Smart and the ever-improving and remarkable Hannah Einbinder."
01:562024 also brought us the third and final season of HBO's Somebody, Somewhere.
02:01According to Hahn, the fierce, funny, lived-in friendship between Sam, played by Bridget Everett,
02:06and Joel, played by Jeff Hiller, stood as a testament to the ordinary yet transcendent
02:11joys of love, community, and really great karaoke.
02:14And fellow HBO series My Brilliant Friend also came to a conclusion this year with
02:18its fourth season. Feinberg writes, "...filled with waves of joy and well-earned devastation,
02:23it carried a weight and a substance no other 2024 show could match."
02:27For both Feinberg and Hahn's full top 10 lists of the best TV shows of 2024,
02:32head to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.