From 2005-2013 and 2017-2020, I punctuated each year with an ever increasingly complex Best Of List. In 2021, I returned to the weekly blogging with FTCH. The fact is that I watch things, read things, and eat things, and above all, I love making lists. Over three weeks (see last week for Best of Movies), I’ll pull from a year’s worth of notes and spreadsheet entries to put together a personal summary of my 2024 experience.
BEST OF TV/STREAMING 2024
If I thought that the Best of Movie lists were difficult, that was just a walk in the park. These series are culled from cable television and just about every streaming service of note (Apple TV+ was added this year). In fairness, I’m including shows where I may only have a sampling but haven’t finished the series yet. There’s no good way to keep track of everything new coming out and I feel like while I’m putting this list together they probably just released five new quality series.
Best Show of 2022: Better Call Saul (AMC).
Best Show of 2023: The Bear (FX)
BEST SHOWS OF 2024
1. Bad Monkey (Apple TV+): I was predisposed to like this series. It’s from creator Bill Lawrence (Scrubs) based upon a book by a favorite author, Carl Hiaasen. Each episode features a cover of a Tom Petty song, another of my favorites. Vince Vaughn as Andrew Yancy fits the bill for the average Hiaasen hero. He’s got a checkered past, speaks his mind but has a good heart. This show won me over by balancing humor, mystery and action unlike few others could this year. Add to all of that, a charming Key West setting and it’s the top of the heap for me. The recent announcement of a new season leaves me with a neutral feeling, since they won’t be adapting a direct sequel, I’d hate to sully the positive vibes I left this one.
2. Shogun (FX): There’s less of a focus on John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) than I remember in the book (that I read in 1983), but bringing the Japanese characters to the forefront makes sense when you are telling the story over many more hours than the original mini-series. I could argue that this was the best show of the year; it certainly was the best-looking show of the year. If I was going to find any fault, it’s the effort in some episodes to create dramatic scenes that end up going nowhere in the overall story. I’m excited to see where they take this next season.
Buy Shōgun, Part 1 (The Asian Saga) paperback3. The Sympathizer (MAX): No show took me more by surprise than this one in 2024. I knew that anything associated with Park Chan-wook was going to be decent. I didn’t expect there to be equal parts humor, drama, and pathos. The story is told mostly in a flashback through what we think could be an unreliable narrator. I still can’t decide if Robert Downey, Jr. playing multiple roles was a strength or weakness for the show, but it’s still one of the most memorable shows of the year.
4. The Penguin (MAX): I haven’t been excited to delve into many DC Universe television shows. Colin Farrell drives this show as Oz Cobb, but the story is a first-tier crime story too. I don’t know if a budget like this is sustainable for many DC shows, but this one grabbed me from the first episode.
Buy What We Do in the Shadows: The Complete First Season DVD5. What We Do in the Shadows (FX) (2023 #5): For six seasons, this has been one of the funniest shows on television. In 2024, it was the most consistently humorous shows on the air. Each episode produced a new set of quotable lines. Matt Berry just can’t disappear from U.S. television, he’s a comedic treasure. This is the type of show that I’ll binge again from start to finish in a couple of years.
6. Sunny (Apple TV+): I wanted to describe this as a comedy. Then I erased that and started with calling it a mystery. Neither of them fit, even as a combination. I wanted to briefly summarize the plot, and I found that I couldn’t even do that in any brevity. Did I like it? Yes. Did I understand it? Not enough to explain it to you. Of all the shows on this list, it’s the most challenging and unique of the year.
7. The Bear (FX) (2023 #1): It was never going to live up to the quality of last season. Maybe it suffered from being too self aware that fans argued if it was a comedy dressed up inside a drama, or if it was a dramatic show with some moments of black comedy. It’s still a show that fascinates me for multiple reasons. There’s a cast that I completely adore (something shared by a number of these shows in the list) and a production that always finds a way to surprise me (another element that puts a show on my favorite list).
8. St. Denis Medical (Peacock): Equal parts Scrubs and Parks & Recreation, I didn’t expect there to be much from this show. I don’t watch many traditional comedies, but this one is well cast and provides a decent amount of chuckles per episode.
9. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) (2023 #8): Another season in the books. I keep thinking that they’ve played out the potential of any story from the building. This season found a way to expand the cast, and at the same time, give us more insight into our core three. I even have faith it can stay on this list next season.
10. Masters of the Air (Apple TV+): I might be the only one listing this show in their Top Ten, and I’m not sure why it didn’t capture the imagination more. I am partial to war shows, I’ll admit that. The pedigree here is without peer. It is executive produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The story of the 100th Bomb group is a spiritual sequel to Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). Austin Butler and Callum Turner help pull together a story that is often overwhelmed by the great aerial production.
11. English Teacher (FX): This comedy hasn’t been granted a Second Season just yet. A show set in a high school is pretty much as old as television, but this show feels more accurate to the current environment than some of those floating around on network television. A great cast and solid writing should support another run next summer.
Buy Bob’s Burgers Movie Blu-ray12. Bob’s Burgers (2023 #6): Fifteen seasons into their run, I look forward to this show over The Simpsons. Both shows have fallen into a comfortable groove that I wouldn’t call boring but predictably funny. I could have cut the list off at eleven, but I want to make sure I give this show the love it deserves.
A quick list of older shows that also played well in 2024 for me include Ted Lasso, ER, and Six Feet Under.
This next list is where I usually take it in the shorts. Don’t “I can’t believe . . . ” @ me, bro. I already watch so many shows and I fully realize that some of them are Big Brother and Survivor but there are only so many hours in a day. This list is on my radar and often just one long weekend away from getting started. I did a terrible job of knocking out the shows that were on this list last year. I started and finished A Murder at the End of the World (FX). That was it. It wasn’t for lack of desire. I still want to get on Reservation Dogs (FX), The Last of Us (MAX) and Succession (MAX).
BEST SHOWS THAT I DON’T WATCH (YET)
1. 3 Body Problem (Netflix): There isn’t a show from 2024 that I hoped wouldn’t suck more than this one. When it first debuted, I was assured by a number of people that it didn’t suck. It was one of those shows that when I didn’t watch it the first weekend, it disappeared off of my radar, and I was reminded that I need to get to this when I started seeing other Best Of 2024 lists.
2. Agatha All Along (Disney+): I was late to WandaVision (Disney+) (2021), but it ended up being one of the better MCU shows. This is reviewed as the “gayest show in the MCU” and that’s another ringing endorsement for this show.
3. Disclaimer (Apple TV+): I don’t know much else other than after they said “starring Cate Blanchett” I didn’t need to hear anything more.
4. A Man on the Inside (Netflix): If you look away for even a minute, you fall behind on Ted Danson series. Created by Michael Schur (Parks & Recreation), this show looks better than I imagine The Good Place (Netflix) is since I missed that one too.
5. The Day of the Jackal (Peacock): I’m a fan of the 1973 film by the same name. I read a story this past year featuring the character. It’s only fate then that I saw that a new British series about the character came out this year. I have little knowledge beyond the character and that it’s a spy thriller. That’s actually more than enough to get me started.
6. Evil (Netflix): This is probably the series that has been recommended to me the most on this list. Ever since it debuted on CBS, through it’s finale this coming year on Netflix, I keep hearing positive reports. This one might be a commitment, but probably worth it. (Read Mat Brewster’s review of The Complete Series.)
Buy Evil: The Complete Series DVD7. Baby Reindeer (Netflix): I wasn’t sure this was a show for me. The relative obsession with it by others wasn’t something that attracted me either. The more the hype slowed, the more I was drawn into the story. I might not get to this in 2025, but as it fades from my memory, I have a feeling I’ll love this by 2026.
8. Somebody Somewhere (MAX): I’ve missed this for three short seasons. Literally wasn’t aware it was even on the service until it was coming to an end. The algorithms have me wrong at Max, this looks like so many of the films that I watch on the same platform.
9. The Diplomat (Netflix): A strong concept that escaped me with Season One and then caught my attention with Season Two. I just haven’t had a chance to commit to it. I enjoy the works of Keri Russell.
10. We Are Lady Parts (Peacock): A musical comedy about an all-female, all-Muslim British band didn’t strike me a must-see in the first season. The more I read about it through the second season put this on my list of “should check out.”
You remember the way I like trailers almost as much as movies? Ads are even more intriguing. One, there are fewer actual old-time commercials anymore and for fewer and fewer products. Two, where do you even sit still for them anymore? For me, it’s mostly during sporting events or the moments before the movie starts in the theater. Once you watch a few over and over, YouTube and Google will start to deliver some quality product in your algorithm. So many ads are unimaginative and derivative. It might be Toyotathon or Lobsterfest and that’s important but not creative.
Best Ad of 2022: Gatorade “Love Means Everything.”
Best Ad of 2023: Chevrolet “A Holiday To Remember”
BEST ADS OF 2024
1. Amazon “Midnight Opus”: This ad is a perfect example of finding the right length. I’ve watched the 30-second spot that airs on television and it has little to no emotional impact. The extra 60 seconds of storytelling in the longer version makes all of the difference. It turns a forgettable ad into the most memorable of the year for me.
2. Coca-Cola “The New Guy”: Director Chris Storer (The New Guy) manages to put together a simple three-minute film that tell a funny little story of a chaotic game day at a home attended by the new boyfriend. At the same time, it manages to product place all of the Coca-Cola offerings. Simple and effective.
3. CeraVe “Michael CeraVe”: I didn’t get a chance to really take this ad in properly during the Super Bowl. Afterwards, I realized the brilliance of the campaign. One of my favorite actors, Michael Cera has the perfect persona to pull this off. I still giggle at it.
4. Powerade “The Vault”: The triumphant return of Simone Biles was a major story of the year. This ad uses her own words to talk about the importance of taking a pause. It’s powerful to just listen to the message.
5. Puma “Forever. Faster. See The Game Like We Do.”: A catchy song and slow motion footage of Olympic sports and the Euro Championships happening in the Summer of 2024. It’s a perfect combination that is usually only dominated by Nike. Puma planted their flag this Summer.
6. Google Pixel “Javier in Frame”: This one was overlooked at the Super Bowl. It hits some simple emotional moments and let’s you literally see the world through someone with impaired vision.
7. Kit Kat “Have AI Break, Have a Kit Kat Break”: I can’t tell if this Canadian ad is a co-sponsor of ChatGPT or just a clever way to advertise the Kit Kat. Either way, it’s a lesson I will remember when dealing with AI and maybe I just need a Kit Kat today.
8. Teleflora “The Power Of Wishes”: I can’t speak to the success of marketing a flower delivery company, but this has to be up there for the most emotional advertisement of the year.
9. Chevrolet “The Sanctuary”: Not as powerful as last year’s Chevy ad for the holidays. I think part of it is just trying to capture that same feeling of escaping to the past in an old truck and a rural hometown. In this case, the hometown is beautiful Chelsea, Michigan. It’s still good stuff. It sums up how I feel about advertising in general. Let the story play out naturally. Some stories take thirty seconds and some take five minutes. Just don’t try too hard.
BEST TV DEBUTS OF 1974
Television in 1974 was simply ABC, CBS, and NBC. The year marked the end of Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who and the start of the Tom Baker era. The Dean Martin Show (NBC) and the The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (CBS) come to an end. Monty Python’s Flying Circus ends in the U.K. at that same time as it is first seen in the United States on KERA in Dallas, Texas. Shows like Gunsmoke (CBS), Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC) and The Odd Couple (ABC) are still going strong. President Richard Nixon resigns on television on August 8th.
Best Debut of 1972: M*A*S*H (CBS)
Best Debut of 1973: Schoolhouse Rock (ABC)
1. Happy Days (ABC): A spin-off of a segment of Love, American Style (ABC). This would become more important to a youngster like me than any Norman Lear show. This was the show that you quoted and talked about on the bus the day after it aired. Other shows were helped by daily repeats in syndication, but I can’t imagine how many times I have watched these early seasons thanks to daily repeats during my television formative years. These first couple of seasons were more of a soul searching to find where this show’s role would be in the scheme of mid-’70s television. Once it figured that out, it was a pop-culture phenom like few others of the decade.
Buy Happy Days: Seasons 1-6 DVD2. Harry O (ABC): This David Janssen hardboiled detective show lived a bit in the shadow of Columbo (NBC). The difference was that he wasn’t part of the Establishment. He wasn’t their enemy either. I only discovered this show in depth this year. I was aware of it, but I hadn’t probably watched a full episode. The first 15 episodes that are set in San Diego (before the budget moved the series to Los Angeles) are among the best detective episodes of that genre. They are mainstream, but they have just enough edge and talented writing and acting to stand out. I’m a huge fan and encourage you to seek this show out.
3. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC): This show and Harry O had two things in common. They both had a compelling instrumental theme song (Kolchak wins because of the whistle intro), and they both had a literary quality to their shows with the lead character providing narration. This show is the most influential show of the decade to the shows I will love in the future. I wouldn’t have The X-Files (Fox) without this show. The combination of Monster-of-the-Week and mythology shows becomes standard by 2010, but this was a new feature in the middle of the ’70s. Short lived and well loved, this show gets a rewatch from me every five years or so.
4. Good Times (CBS): A spin-off of Maude (CBS), which was itself a spin-off of All in the Family (CBS), this show went in an important but completely different direction. Like those two, this is a family drama set mostly within an apartment in Chicago. The first couple of seasons are among the best quality of the era. The show loses structure soon afterwards as the focus changes from the family overcoming poverty to just a way for J.J. to say “Dyn-O-Mite” each episode.
Buy The Rockford Files: The Complete Series Blu-ray5. The Rockford Files (NBC): What an era for the detective show. James Rockford is an ex-con, falsely convicted, who uses his connections with other ex-cons to solve crimes for $200-a-day plus expenses. I love this show and the incredible theme song. James Rockford and Harry Orwell share one important plot similarity, they both get beat up or shot at during each episode.
This concludes the second part of the year-end finale. Next week, we ring in the new year by celebrating all of the odds and ends that didn’t make the first two parts. Thanks for keeping your focus this far, faithful reader.
“This is startin’ to feel like a really weird episode of Sesame Street.” – Andrew Yancy (Bad Monkey)
Stay Hard.
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