With 2024 coming to a close, TV fans are ready for all of the great shows that will be returning to their screens in 2025. Before looking forward to the future, it’s fun to reflect on the year that was in television. The abundance of streaming services available to viewers has made the industry more diverse than ever before, but it is also more difficult to discern what is great and what isn’t.
The best TV shows of 2024 range from comedy-drama series to historical epics and murder mysteries. These programs make us laugh, cry, and think about our lives in a new light. Allow us to guide you through the great year that was in television. There are a wide range of streaming services represented here, from Hulu to Max and everything in between.
Hacks (2021)
The third season of Hacks took everything we loved about the first two seasons and improved upon it. The chemistry between Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder is always infinitely entertaining, but it was the growth of the side characters that helped flesh out the rest of the world. Hacks follows the love/hate relationship between a washed-up comic and her overly ambitious writer. The focus on female empowerment remains a wonderful beacon of hope in modern television. A fourth season is on the way in 2025.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Only Murders in the Building stars Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short as everyone’s favorite trio of homicide investigators. The fourth season had just as many guest stars and cameos as the previous three as the group visited Los Angeles and tried to solve the murder of Sazz Patacki. The series is always an ideal watch during Halloween but is also cozy to view year-round.
Shōgun (2024)
Shōgun requires a keen level of attention and an enjoyment of Japanese history to love fully. Still, everyone can appreciate this show’s daring writing and incredible casting. One of the most awarded shows in recent history, this adaptation of James Clavell’s novel will be returning for a second season after originally airing with the intention of being a miniseries.
The Penguin (2024)
People have been craving for a layered superhero series in the DC universe for years. The Penguin delivered what fans have been waiting for by casting Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb. The series shows every aspect of Cobb’s transformation into one of Batman’s biggest antagonists, the Penguin. All spinoff series in big franchises should look to this Max series for a template of how to go about expanding their world.
Masters of the Air (2024)
Masters of the Air carries on the legacy of Band of Brothers and The Pacific by looking at a specific air brigade during World War II. Austin Butler and Callum Turner are awesome at depicting the struggles and the camaraderie of the war and how the American Air Force pushed through to the finish line. Don’t let Masters of the Air get lost in the truckload of great shows on Apple TV+.
True Detective (2014)
True Detective found its rhythm yet again with a rebranding and a new cast of superstars led by Jodie Foster. The first season of this mystery series took its place in TV lore which made it hard on the second and third seasons of the anthology. With a large break between seasons, the fourth season this year obtained novel confidence and used its setting to its advantage.
Abbott Elementary (2021)
Network television doesn’t have a lot of gravitas anymore, but Abbott Elementary is trying to bring significant attention back to traditional sitcoms. Quinta Brunson plays an optimistic elementary school teacher who finds the best parts of every situation while working at a worn-out public school in Philadelphia. Her romance with Tyler James Williams’ character throughout the third season helped propel the show towards a new era in the fourth season that is currently airing.
Industry (2020)
Industry went under the radar in its first two seasons, but the third season saw it find new audiences that enjoyed its combination of sex, scandal, and business world drama. The ensemble cast fights for the top of the corporate food chain while backstabbing, forming relationships, and juggling personal trauma from their past. Kit Harrington from Game of Thrones was a highlight of the cast most recently.
Slow Horses (2022)
Slow Horses continues to develop into one of Apple TV+’s best series with each passing season. A perfect mix of humor and drama makes this spy show different than your typical espionage fare on film. Gary Oldman plays the boss of a department of investigators who are washed and supposedly untalented. They get in over their heads when they must solve massive crimes and mysteries that could probably be better served to other detectives, but we as fans are sure glad they aren’t.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
Baby Reindeer is one of the darkest, yet most entertaining British shows you can watch on Netflix. Jessica Gunning plays a stalker who will do anything it takes to get close to the bartender she has her eyes on. The subject of her advances must figure out how to deal with his past, which includes sexual assault, and his present.
