100 Best 2024 Shows So Far

It takes some time for the action to pick up, with the off-putting atmosphere and various character dynamics being opted to be slow-cooked. The choice certainly pays off with an ecosystem of concerning little stories slowly crashing into each other like dominoes, and creating drama that you have to pursue in the next episode. There’s an uneasiness about the whole story largely carried by the settings alone—the rain, the houses, the nearby establishments, etc. It can be a little difficult to pick up on the intricate details at first, and the prodding pace certainly isn’t for a lot people, but for those who stay, there is an intriguing story that awaits.

If Wise Guy reads like a biography of David Chase and an oral history of The Sopranos, that’s because it is simultaneously both those things. Chase’s story is The Sopranos’ and vice versa. As Chase reveals in this two-part documentary, The Sopranos was initially based on his mother and his childhood in New Jersey. But then the show evolved into something more profound and complex than anyone could’ve imagined. Free from the reins of network TV, it relished in its R-rating creativity and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. People tuned into it every night. It was celebrated and parodied in equal measure. Most important of all, it ushered in a new era of prestige television that valued substance more than anything else. There’s no better person to guide us through the ins and outs and behind-the-scenes of The Sopranos than the showrunner himself. Director Alex Gibney parallels his interview with Chase with scenes from the show, even matching its colors and texture, to further prove how inextricable Chase is from his creation. We see never-before-seen clips of casting, script writing, reception—the works. Wise Guy must be heaven-sent to hardcore Sopranos fans, but it’s also the perfect introduction for the uninitiated.

If you’ve seen one too many true crime documentaries, you might shake your head at the things sixteen-year-old Penelope does upon running away from her high school camp. You might (rightly) ask, why is she camping in the middle of nowhere all alone? Why is she trusting all these different strangers who, for all she knows, could be a serial killer or a trafficker? And why approach that bear? Why sleep in that clearing? But the sooner you let go of those worries and accept that Penelope is more of a fable about growing up and finding yourself than it is a literal survival tale, the better. Which isn’t to say it fails as the latter—Penelope is surprisingly watchable as she learns the ways of the wilderness. In fact, one near-silent episode is dedicated to just Penelope learning the ropes, literally, and it’s one of the season’s best. As long as you don’t get stuck in the details of Penelope’s journey and take aside your cynicism for just a while, you’ll find something touching and humanizing in this short but sweet series.

Partially due to the surviving Norse myths, as well as certain modernized cinematic depictions, most people think of the Norse gods as fairly benevolent, if a bit violent, entities. With Zack Synder at the helm, it’s unsurprising that he would take an edgier approach to the Twilight of the Gods, but this time, it works well, transforming these arbitrarily powerful beings as the villains they would actually be, at least in the perspective of the humans trampled by their thoughtlessness. It’s beautifully depicted, with lovely character designs and great voice performances, and it’s an interesting depiction of a mythology not often depicted.

It’s been five years since the bombshell interview between the BBC’s Emily Maitlis and the the British monarchy’s Prince Andrew took place, yet it continues to intrigue, if the nonstop release of dramatizations are anything to go by. The latest entry is the three-part series A Very Royal Scandal, which mainly focuses on Maitlis as a workaholic journalist intent on getting the scoop, even if it means sacrifcing time spent at home. Apart from Maitlis, we’re also privy to His Royal Highness’ point of view, which is a mix privileged naivitie, paternal sweetness, and dumb lust. Compared to Netflix’s Scoop, which is more interested in the BBC booker Sam McAlister’s POV, Amazon Prime’s A Very Royal Scandal is by nature deeper and more explorative. It’s also more exciting and less salacious in tone. Paired with a suspenseful score, smart editing, and rich backdrops, the series is a near-masterclass on how to make treaded ground feel fresh again.

In real life, most of us are likely to be a background character, but for a select few, they can at least see themselves as heroes in the fictional world, due to a set of circumstances that none of us really get to control. Because of these images, they are encouraged to try to break out of the background and dare to do some good for the world… Or at least their own community. Interior Chinatown plays on the way Hollywood has excluded and stereotyped Asian Americans, by taking the original screenplay-formatted novel’s meta visually. Showrunner (and original novellist) Charles Wu plays with color and light, with genre expectations, and with the humorous ways the lead Willis tries to figure out the fictional world he lives in, a world that satirically uses classic film noir stereotypes to comment on real-life discrimination. INT. CHINATOWN rewrites the stories Asian Americans have been told to, into something completely new.

Just when you think you’ve heard enough origin stories for a lifetime, in comes Me with probably the most poignant one yet: 12-year-old Ben, overcome with so much anxiety and yearning to be someplace else, transformers into a different person. Though Me is outwardly a sci-fi show, and the main plot is fueled with mystery and fantasy, it’s also an emotionally attuned, self-aware coming-of-age story that follows Ben through his ups and downs. Almost overnight, he gains a new sister, a new school, a new set of classmates to figure out, and unlike most superhero narratives, these are just as confounding and important to Ben as his powers. There is no double life, it’s all just him. But the best thing about Me is that despite its G rating, it’s just as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids. It’s not cheesy or corny, but gentle and comforting, and you learn lots about yourself in the process.

Apple TV+’s stunning Omnivore is sleek and stylish enough to make it stand out from the usual food and travel shows you might find on TV. There are expertly shot scenes from around the world, exclusive interviews, and maybe best of all, a well-written script that’s just as colorful and delectable as the dishes onscreen. Each episode, which hones in on a specific ingredient like corn or chili, has a tight runtime at just 30 minutes, making it extremely bingeable (though ideally not on an empty stomach). That said, the show might be too polished for viewers who are expecting the gritty and immersive approach of a chef like Anthony Bourdain. Omnivore, for all its explorative language, is suspiciously idyllic at times, all too eager to paint the global food industry as a harmonious process as opposed to an enterprise that is involved in global warming, animal poaching, and deforestation, among others. Every industry has a dark side, and I just wished the show appreciated the nuance in that. Still, it’s an engaging watch with glowing moments.

Except for the fact that it’s a genderswapped reboot starring the Kathy Bates, Matlock is hard to distinguish from the rest of the legal dramas airing on network TV. It follows the same formula shows like Suits, Law & Order, and The Good Fight do, where each episode is dedicated to an interesting case that also happens to reveal something new about the characters and whatever they’re going through. But what sets it apart (again apart from Bates, a force to be reckoned with), is its folksy humor and a consistent, throughline advocacy that would be a spoiler to reveal if you haven’t seen the pilot yet. That advocacy is a strong one, and not all that is represented yet on TV, so for the show’s enlightening and empathetic take on it alone, it’s a good watch. But add reliably engaging procedural cases and enjoyable performances, what you have is something great—or at least way better than most things currently on weekly TV.

Starting 5 takes some of the best players in the NBA’s current roster and follows them throughout the latest season. We follow them in their training sessions, their homes, their private jets, and even during the most intense games, where we get to hear them trash-talk their opponents through their mic’d uniforms. As to why these five specific players, one can only guess (there are certainly others in the league who lead more interesting lives, or whose rise to fame might be equally if not more promising) but they do contrast well enough to entertain. Rising stars Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards are positioned against NBA veteran LeBron James, whose only true nemesis at this point is himself. Jimmy Butler, by far the most entertaining, is the comic relief who proves there’s more to life than just ‘ball and family (everyone here is a dedicated father), while Sabonis’ patience and gentleness temper passions. The series doesn’t go too in-depth into the athletes’ lives or their psyches, but it has a template that’s enjoyable and easy to replicate. It’ll be fun to see which five it’ll deem worthy in the following seasons.