We’re just over halfway through 2024 (if you can believe it), and it’s time to take stock of the absolute smorgasbord of televisual treats we’ve been provided with over the past six months. The era of ‘peak TV’ continues to boom, as we’ve been inundated this year so far with some incredible new shows and returning favourites; some saying a final goodbye, some reinventing themselves; some just getting started.
It’s been a year of boundary-pushing small-screen stories so far. From riveting historical drama to conversation-starting, intensely personal stories, fresh takes on done-to-death genres and heart-wrenching romance – compelling characters and stellar storytelling has been plentiful in 2024, and there is surely more to come. Team Empire got together to debate which shows deserve a spot in our compilation of the very best so far – read our top 20 list below.
20. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 12
Streaming on: NOW
Doubling down on the self-referential vibe that Curb has had from the start, Larry David built the final season of his second career comedy masterpiece (after Seinfeld of course), round the arc of a showcase legal trial. It felt like a direct response to those critics who weren’t happy with his last ever episode of Seinfeld, which was similarly built around a showcase trial. Yet this finale, also featuring a sudden appearance from Seinfeld himself, among many returning cameos, was a supremely satisfying slice of typically gonzo comedic anarchy from Larry. Similarly, the nine episodes that built up to the show’s swansong afforded him more chances than ever to let rip about petty stuff that annoys him, all the while incorporating delicious guest appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Dan Levy, Allison Janney, Sienna Miller et al, and a truly moving farewell to Richard Lewis. In the end, Larry never let us down.
19. One Day
Streaming on: Netflix
Joining the likes of Past Lives and Normal People in the annals of great decades-spanning, will-they-won’t-they romances, Netflix’s ambitious 14-part adaptation of David Nicholls’ bestseller is an emotional tour de force that does the book justice in a way the 2013 film simply couldn’t. This latest take on the story casts Ambika Mod (This Is Going To Hurt) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus S2) as Emma and Dexter, whose ever-evolving relationship we follow — one St. Swithin’s Day at a time — from a fateful college encounter in the late ‘80s, through to the pair’s middle age in the mid-00s. From its detailed, nostalgic recreation of turn-of-the-century fashion and media, to the electric chemistry between leads Mod and Woodall, and the timelessness of its tale of two souls continually pulled into and out of each others’ orbits, this is first rate bleeding-hearts romance. Em and Dex forever!
18. Mr Bates Vs. The Post Office
Streaming on: ITVX
While it’s probably the most consequential TV drama in UK history, there’s much more to this four-part series than its undeniable effect on real people’s lives and its extraordinary contribution to helping the victims of the Post Office scandal publicise their case. The series’ writer Gwyneth Hughes spent years talking to those affected by the massive miscarriage of justice wherein they were blamed for Post Office losses rather than the flawed computer program actually responsible. She melded their stories into a relentlessly engrossing narrative, focusing on the experiences of a core handful of victims, led of course by their activist leader figure Alan Bates, played with total authenticity by the unerringly great Toby Jones. Directed with great sensitivity in suitably unshowy style by James Strong (Broadchurch), Mr Bates is the ultimate example of the profound power of television drama.
17. Alice & Jack
Streaming on: Channel 4
While initially overshadowed by the thematically similar One Day, this beautifully crafted Channel 4 drama about two lives winding in and out of each other over the course of 15 years packs an emotional punch more forceful than Netflix’s big budget behemoth. Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson are the eponymous star-crossed lovers/best-friends, whose dysfunctional relationship contains multitudes, with an emotional granularity that feels all too rare on either big screen or small. Like One Day, we check in on these characters periodically throughout the years (though not so prescriptively as on a single date), with time jumps separating breathless moments and lending the whole journey a dreamlike quality. Hat tips to Aisling Bea and Sunil Patel, both of whom shine in outstanding supporting roles, but it’s the central pair who utterly captivate — two beautifully broken people whose sharp edges somehow fit together. If any show this year can make you cast off your cynical shackles and believe in the power of love, it’s this one.
16. Masters Of The Air
Streaming on: Apple TV+
Tense, thrilling, tear-jerking, this epic WWII limited series from the minds behind Band Of Brothers and The Pacific chronicles the hair-raising heroics of the 100th Bomb Group of the USAAF, an air force unit nicknamed the 'Bloody Hundredth' for good reason. Austin Butler and Callum Turner lead a powerhouse ensemble (including Ncuti Gatwa and Barry Keoghan) as Majors Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven and John ‘Bucky’ Egan, a dynamic duo whose bone-deep chemistry grounds the show as the Bloody Hundredth take to the skies in a series of increasingly death-defying raids and mêlées. Impeccably made and helmed by master craftsmen such as Cary Joji Fukunaga and Band Of Brothers veteran Tim Van Patten, this Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced series soars as both a throwback to old-school American war epics and as a sage reminder of the human cost paid — and the courage displayed — in history's bloodiest conflict.
15. X-Men ‘97
Streaming on: Disney+
With its electrifying synth intro, endlessly quotable catchphrases, and eye-popping Jim Lee-inspired aesthetic, X-Men: The Animated Series was peak ‘90s Saturday morning telly. And yet, thanks to its mature, serialised storytelling approach and complex character work, the show always felt ahead of its time. The arrival of X-Men ‘97 earlier this year saw the times finally catch up with our beloved mutants, and the results were beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. Neither remake nor reboot but rather a direct continuation of the OG show, this revival — bolstered by extended episode runtimes, claw-sharp animation, and ambitious plotlines carrying genuine stakes — transcends its forebear whilst honouring its roots. We may have come for the returning voice cast, the “Bwa-na-na-na naaaa na-na”, and the cereal-snaffling nostalgia, but we stayed for a trailblazing animated show that really spoke to the hot-button issues of our times while pushing the X-Men franchise in bold new directions.
14. Mr & Mrs Smith
Streaming on: Prime Video
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are the superspy couple at the forefront of this new take on the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie action-comedy. This time, John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine) are two secret agents put together in a fake marriage, and delivered high-risk assignments to carry out via text message by the mysterious ‘Hihi’. The show was originally meant to star Phoebe Waller-Bridge opposite Glover, but Erskine steps into the role effortlessly, the pair delivering convincing chemistry as they turn from tentative co-workers, to passionate lovers, to resentful faux-spouses. Each episode offers a different case or task – some in glamorous global locations, some more bottle-type episodes – every one a surprise, with cameos from stars such as Ron Perlman, Michaela Coel, John Turturro and more. It’s smart, it’s cool, it’s funny, and it constantly plays with structure as well as pulling off convincing relationship drama and spy action goodness.
13. House Of The Dragon: Season 2
Streaming on: NOW
After a strong first season that established the pre-Game Of Thrones Targaryen rule, and set up the fight for the throne between Team Black (Viserys’ daughter and named heir Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy) and Team Green (led by new Queen Mother Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke), the next stage of the fantasy epic unfolds. Thanks to several misunderstandings – including a cryptic death rattle, a beheaded baby, and the Targaryen’s insistence on calling multiple offspring Aegon – both sides are heading for a war doused in dragon-fire. The new season is only five episodes in, but is already ticking all the boxes a successful return to Westeros requires, with the political moves becoming increasingly intricate, the character drama more intense, and the battle scenes taking things up a notch.
12. We Are Lady Parts: Season 2
Streaming on: Channel 4
Nida Manzoor’s riotous comedy returned this year, and we caught up with Muslim punk band Lady Parts after their successful gig in the previous season finale. Frontwoman Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), bassist Bisma (Faith Omole), drummer and eyeliner extraordinaire Ayesha (Juliette Motamed) and formerly reluctant, Don McLean-loving guitarist Amina (Anjana Vasan) are back together and writing new songs – including ‘Villain Era’, inspired by Amina’s new no-nonsense attitude at work. They’re touring and ready to record an album, but have already spawned such a following that a rival band of super-fans, Second Wife, is set to put everything they’ve worked for in jeopardy, and label execs are sniffing around, threatening to break the gang apart. The second season is every bit as glorious as the first, the band’s anarchic spirit expressed through Manzoor’s continued playfulness with form, genre, and magical realism, as well as the objectively kick-ass songs and performances. Long live Lady Parts!
11. Inside No. 9: Series 9
Streaming on: BBC iPlayer
After ten years, nine series, and 55 episodes of genre-bending, mind-mangling anthological goodness, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s Inside No. 9 bowed out this year with a doozy of a final run. From Invasion Of The Body Snatchers-esque opener ‘Boo To A Goose’, to emotional escape room puzzler ‘CTRL/ALT/ESC’, to Gothic Edwardian ghost story ‘The Curse Of The Ninth’ and meta finale ‘Plodding On’, every episode nobly continued the show’s time-honoured tradition of doing something entirely different to the last. Boasting terrific guest stars (Katherine Kelly! Natalie Dormer! Charlie Cooper!), fiendishly clever plots, razor-sharp wit, and extraordinarily dynamic work both on- and off-screen from writer-stars Shearsmith and Pemberton, No. 9’s ninth series cemented the show — and its creators’ — status as all-time British TV greats. The Beeb just won’t quite be the same without it.
10. The Boys: Season 4
Streaming on: Prime Video
The Vought-verse continues to deliver the goods as The Boys enters its fourth season of R-rated, blood-soaked superhero madness. With head-exploding secret supe Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) gaining political power, Homelander (Anthony Starr) going full fascist, Annie January, aka. Starlight (Erin Moriarty) officially out of the Seven, and Butcher (Karl Urban) dealing with the terminal effects of Temp V, tensions are higher than ever. So is the level of chaos, as showrunner Eric Kripke and co. continue to push the envelope in terms of graphic violence and dark sexuality – V-infected flying sheep, a man killed by Homelander’s lasers through his genitals, Hughie being trapped in a dominatrix dungeon, and plenty more besides. More than just shock value, though, The Boys is still funny, smart, surprising; barefaced and bold in its satirising of the American media and rise of the far-right. Stick around for the ride, if you can stomach it.
9. Eric
Streaming on: Netflix
It would have been intriguing enough to have told a story about the disappearance of a sensitive nine year old (Ivan Morris Howe) when his self-absorbed puppeteer father Victor (Benedict Cumberbatch) lets him out of his sight, set against the backdrop of 1980s New York, when the city was wracked with homelessness, social strife and AIDS. But writer Abi Morgan (Shame, The Split etc.) also came up with the genius move of showing us the seven-foot-tall walking, talking puppet called Eric who’s Vincent’s imaginary confidante, advisor and frenemy. Indeed, Cumberbatch blissfully dancing away to Gloria by Laura Branigan in a Manhattan club alongside said giant furry figment of his imagination is one of the sequences of the year. The whole series is packed with such indelible moments, with McKinley Belcher III stealing the show as the black, gay missing persons detective offering an alternative vision of masculinity to Victor’s toxicity.
8. Doctor Who
Streaming on: BBC iPlayer
Having made a triumphant return to Doctor Who with last year’s spectacular anniversary specials, Russell T. Davies’ first full series back as showrunner breathed new life into the world’s longest-running sci-fi series. Driven by the magnetic central pairing of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday, Davies’ new-look Whoniverse — now backed by a Disney-sized budget — took in Beatles, space babies, bird-brained cosplayers, and literal Gods, effortlessly switching up genres whilst telling an emotionally resonant tale of foundlings and belonging. Standouts ‘Boom’ and Welsh folk horror diversion ‘73 Yards’ offered up some of the year’s best telly so far, whilst an ambitious two-part finale saw Davies take some impressively big swings and stick the landing. What’s more, it still seems the regenerated show’s best is very much yet to come.
7. The Bear: Season 3
Streaming on: Disney+
After the incredible highs of its superlative second season, The Bear: Part III (as the title card would have it) was in danger of falling victim to its own success. For some fans, this latest run of incredibly stressful restaurant drama felt over-indulgent. There is nothing quite on a par with last season’s masterpieces, ‘Forks’ and ‘Fishes, admittedly – but at its best, The Bear is still conceptually bold, gorgeously acted, intelligently written, emotionally insightful. The Ayo Edebiri-directed flashback episode ‘Napkins’, in particular, is as good as anything the show has ever done: a thoughtful origin story for line cook Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) which deepens her character loyalties, gives a voice to working-class struggles, and reminds us what good cooking is all about. As a whole, this season is not quite Michelin star, but it’s a solid five stars on TripAdvisor.
6. Ripley
Streaming on: Netflix
With Ripley, Steven Zaillan (The Irishman) took Patricia Highsmith’s literary classic and turned it into an incredibly atmospheric, monochromatic eight-part neo-noir series. Stepping into the (stolen) shoes of everybody’s favourite chameleonic con-man, a criminally insouciant Andrew Scott perfectly carries both the debonair cool and ice-cold sociopathy of Tom Ripley in the level of his unblinking glare. After Ripley accepts an offer to track down millionaire malcontent Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Zaillian’s lavishly done series follows Scott’s master manipulator as he embarks on a continental spree of murder, manipulation, and identity theft, tailed all the way by Maurizio Lombardi’s relentless Inspector Ravini. Immaculately shot by frequent Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator Robert Elswit, impeccably threaded together by an ace ensemble, and utterly intoxicating in its slow-burn approach, Ripley — like its namesake — is cerebral, sophisticated, and irresistible. In other words, a real killer.
5. True Detective: Night Country
Streaming on: NOW
HBO’s anthology crime series returned in spectacular fashion with Night Country, which transported us to the cold, endless night of Ennis, Alaska, in a new season created by Mexican writer-director Issa López. Jodie Foster is as brilliant as ever as Liz Danvers, a grouchy, stubborn, somewhat chaotic police chief, tasked with finding out what happened to a whole team of researchers that were discovered dead, frozen in the icy wasteland, with hints at a somewhat supernatural cause. Kali Reis is an excellent foil-slash-teammate as Trooper Evangeline Navarro, who has a personal stake in the case, and confronts her own issues and past as they solve it. With a totally immersive sense of time and place, fascinating central mystery, prescient story threads on Indigenous issues and an ending you won’t see coming, Night Country is True Detective at its very best.
4. 3 Body Problem
Streaming on: Netflix
The sci-fi book series Remembrance Of Earth’s Past by computer engineer-turned-fiction author Liu Cixin was once claimed to be “unadaptable”. Given there will soon be multiple adaptations (including a Zhang Yimou-directed film and an animated series), that word is increasingly and hilariously wrong. But it does not take away the considerable achievement from Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and True Blood’s Alexander Woo with this big-budget English-language take on the book. The eight-episode show streamlines and simplifies some of Liu’s hardest concepts but retains its sense of ambition and its wilder moments (Dehydrated aliens! Nuclear bombs in space! The entire universe winking!). It is not without its flaws, and there are some who prefer the original Chinese adaptation (now on Prime Video), but there is more than enough to whet the appetite for the — now-confirmed — next two seasons, which will take us up to the heat death of the universe. No biggie.
3. Supacell
Streaming on: Netflix
With the MCU taking off into the multiverse in recent years and DC Studios preparing to relaunch with a phase dedicated to Gods and monsters, Blue Story writer-director Rapman’s brilliantly original Netflix joint Supacell brings superheroes back down to Earth. Set on the streets of Peckham, Lewisham, Brixton, and Camberwell, Rapman’s show — inspired by the likes of Heroes and Misfits — follows five Black South Londoners who inexplicably develop superpowers. Far from aspiring Avengers however, what makes Michael (Tosin Cole), Sabrina (Nadine Mills), Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), Rodney (Calvin Demba), and Tazer (Josh Tedeku) such compelling leads — and the show so unique — is that they really are just ordinary people trying to get by in modern London. Seamlessly blending familiar genre features — Superspeed! Superstrength! PORTALS! — with character driven, street-level drama, Supacell has given its genre fresh juice just at the moment it seemed the well was starting to run dry.
2. Baby Reindeer
Streaming on: Netflix
A streaming sensation that’s still dominating the cultural conversation months after its release, Baby Reindeer — adapted from writer-star Richard Gadd’s Edinburgh Fringe one-man show — may not make for easy viewing, but it’s an essential watch nevertheless. Based on Gadd’s own personal experiences being stalked, the series sees aspiring comedian and barman Donny Dunn (Gadd) forced to reckon with traumas past and present when vulnerable pub regular Martha (a magnetic Jessica Gunning) develops an unhealthy obsession with him. Effectively chilling on-screen emails from Martha, throat-clutchingly claustrophobic close-ups, and Donny’s propulsive stream-of-consciousness narration potently evoke the sheer inescapable horror of living with a stalker. But this isn’t only a gripping true-crime thriller. It’s a deeply personal exploration of cycles of abuse, shame, internalised homophobia, and the nature of victimhood that sees Gadd interrogate the morality of mining — even perpetuating — one’s trauma for art whilst simultaneously producing a truly unmissable piece of it.
1. Shōgun
Streaming on: Disney+
While the elevator pitch for this adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 novel might have been ‘Game Of Thrones in 17th century Japan’, the reality of this transportational 10-part series is nowhere near as cynical. A sonnet to Japan’s rich culture and deep beauty (despite being filmed entirely on location in Canada), Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ sweeping epic perfectly captures the clash of two vastly different worlds as English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is shipwrecked in Edo period Osaka and taken into the service of warlord Torunaga (a magnificent Hiroyuki Sanada). It may be a historical epic, but set against customs and culture so alien to modern eyes (an aide who misspeaks in episode one offers as penance his own life and that of his newborn son, eradicating his entire line to absolve the shame) that it almost feels like a fantasy.
And while Shōgun has no dragons, the show plays its own game of thrones with delicate subtlety, executing an intricate chess game of political manoeuvring and brinkmanship as Japan’s five regents position themselves to seize absolute power. Shōgun’s secret weapon, though, isn’t its elaborate plotting or action set-pieces, but the human drama at its core. Whether it’s Torunaga’s inscrutable manipulation, Yabushige’s (Tadanobu Asano) shameless attempts at self-advancement, the quiet tragedy of Fuji (Moeka Hoshi), or the grace, poise and unfathomable inner strength of Lady Mariko (a show-stealing Anna Sawai) the depth of human drama here is mesmerising from first episode to last. That the story will now expand beyond the source material into further seasons is testament to the show’s impact and huge appeal — all in spite of being 90% subtitled. Who says the ‘one-inch barrier’ can’t be hurdled?