12 Best TV Shows Of 2024

Based on the amount of quality programming available so far this year, the team here at Screen Rant has put together our list of the best TV shows of 2024. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the entertainment industry last year, TV hasn't disappointed. After an impressive variety made up Screen Rant's best TV shows of 2023 list, the new year continued strong through the first half of 2024. There may have been lulls and fewer options due to delays from last year's strikes, but that didn't prevent the emergence of stellar titles.

While some of the 2024's best shows have been highly-anticipated since their announcement (looking at you, Fallout), others completely flew under the radar. With a mix of revivals, reimaginings, live-action adaptations, reality shows, and more, there was truly plenty to choose from. After creating the team's list of the year's highlights, Screen Rant tallied the results to present the top 12 shows of 2024.

12 Conan O'Brien Must Go

Written By: Simon Gallagher, Executive Editor

Some years ago, Somebody Feed Phil changed food TV shows by focusing more on human stories and the host’s inimitable charm with people. Now, with Conan O’Brien Must Go, the veteran talk show host is doing the same for travel shows. Not that he’s reinventing the wheel particularly, but this feels like a refinement honed precisely by Conan’s appeal.

For fans of Conan, seeing him channel his irreverent comic nature into meeting (and re-meeting) people across the world is payment enough. The opening voice-over by Werner Herzog promising chaos is a perfectly pitched reminder that this isn’t your usual travel show while also foreshadowing the affectionate parody of the genre that will follow.

Again, Like Somebody Feed Phil,Conan O'Brien Must Go is best when it’s not really about what it claims to be. It’s not just a travel blog show (of which there are enough), it’s a funny, warm celebration of people, with a host who knows exactly how to get the best out of them.

Conan O'Brien Must Go (2024)

11 The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Written By: Craig Elvy, Jr. Lead Features Editor

Some long-running TV shows have the luxury of going out on top, but The Walking Dead was not one of them, concluding earlier than planned with season 11 in 2022. A string of smaller, sleeker, swear-ier spinoffs have been gradually rebuilding the franchise's reputation ever since, and AMC redoubled its efforts with The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live in early 2024. Bringing back original star Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes and MCU actor Danai Gurira as Michonne to create a potent leading duo, the spinoff lived up to its title by proving there is life in The Walking Dead's creaking bones yet.

With only six episodes and two characters to worry about, The Ones Who Live distilled itself down to what everyone loved about The Walking Dead in the first place - keen human drama, gory-as-hell zombie action, and Rick effin' Grimes. The spinoff also shed dead weight that hampered the main show, telling a streamlined story that AMC's parent series probably would have padded out with several hours of aimlessly wandering through Georgia's woodland. Episode 4 was The Ones Who Live's jewel in the crown. Written by Danai Gurira herself, "What We" offered an isolated tale of love, loss, and limbs - a perfectly tense and strangely humorous payoff after years of waiting for Rick and Michonne to find each other.

The quality fell away as the ending neared and it became clear that wrapping up the long-awaited Civic Republic Military arc within a single season was always a shade ambitious. The Ones Who Live's ending resolved its global-level threat in remarkably straightforward fashion, and that rush to the finish line marred the high quality that preceded it. Judged as a whole, however, those who stuck with - or, indeed, returned to - The Walking Dead in 2024 were treated to one of the franchise's best outings in 14 years.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

10 Abbott Elementary

Written By: Kara Hedash, Jr. Lead Features Editor

Three seasons later, and I still can’t get enough of Quinta Brunson’s workplace comedy. While Janine is obviously the anchor for the series, each cast member brings something different to the table, creating a wonderfully strange ensemble managing the mayhem at a Philadelphia public school. It also wouldn’t be a successful Abbott Elementary season with a slew of guest stars. Season 3 continued the trend, featuring appearances by Philly greats like Kevin Hart, Bradley Cooper, Questlove, and a trio of Philadelphia Eagles in Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce, and Brandon Graham.

Abbott Elementary season 3, in particular, was thrown a few curveballs. Not only did the show handle a shortened season, causing the story to begin midway through a school year, but Janine split time between Abbott and the school district. The decision to keep Janine away from the other Abbott employees at times was risky. However, the show kept evolving in new ways while giving characters like Gregory, Jacob, and Melissa opportunities to grow outside of the school setting. Janine and Gregory’s slow-burn romance may have been sped up, but it still worked.

Despite being a workplace comedy, Abbott Elementary continues to effectively balance hilarious scenarios with important social commentary, especially in connection to underfunded public schools. Brunson’s series brings to light many issues that schools, students, families, and educators deal with on a daily basis. Janine’s role in the district working with Manny and his team presented many of these issues from a different and interesting perspective. The adult characters might be the educators and leaders, but they are still the ones learning the show’s most important lessons in each episode.

Here’s hoping Quinta Brunson and Janine have a long career ahead of them at Abbott Elementary because I don’t ever want to graduate as a viewer.

Abbott Elementary

9 Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Written By: Jordan Williams, Streaming Movies/TV Features Editor

While Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may be the most iconic iterations of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Donald Glover’s Amazon series contains a far superior showcase of emotional depth, spy capers, and character development. Following two spies who must tackle new aliases as a married couple, Jane (Maya Erskine) and John Smith (Glover), Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a far cry from the tone and nuance of the 2005 movie but remains just as entertaining. Rather than being a comedy that utilizes the chemistry of its stars to supplement non-stop action scenes, Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a compelling marriage drama wrapped under the cloak of an effective spy thriller.

As they’re tasked with a new global mission each week, the toughest battles that Jane and John embark on emerge to be the trials and tribulations of their relationship at home. The stakes are at their very highest for this fabricated-turned-authentic marriage, and the chemistry, humor, stunt work, and pain exhibited by Glover and Erskine in each episode of Mr. & Mrs. Smith makes it one of the most outstanding and refreshing entries in recent spy genre fare. From scene-stealing guest stars, such as Sarah Paulson and Ron Perlman, to a complex marital storyline and well-choreographed action sequences, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a must-watch action dramedy that profoundly and influentially exceeded its expectations on all fronts.

Since Mr & Mrs Smith was renewed for season 2, it will be interesting to see what direction Amazon will take the series. Despite the renewal, it's unclear if Glover and Erskine plan to return to reprise their roles or whether the show will focus on another John and Jane. Granted, the concept in the form of a TV show has proven to be a worthwhile project if Amazon decides it has long-term potential.

8 X-Men '97

Written By: Simon Gallagher, Executive Editor

Cynics among us might suggest that essential Marvel watches in the MCU-era are a rarity. But those people probably didn’t reckon on X-Men ‘97 reviving a beloved near 30-year-old Saturday morning cartoon in a way that so roundly captivated Marvel fans. Given the starvation and meager portions enforced upon X-Men fans (Deadpool aside) since Days Of Future Past, maybe it isn’t such a shock.

X-Men ‘97 takes what worked with the original cartoon - which is often cruelly remembered only as a vehicle for a top tier theme song - and smartly finely tunes it all, without losing the core of its success. The animation is largely unmessed with, save for some improvements and a good few keen-eyed homages to anime, the characters are joyously familiar and the storylines epic and intimately engrossing.

The revived show is also bold, reflecting its grown-up original audience and the real-world considerations that TAS was less blatant about. It’s the X-Men, so there was always going to be political commentary, but it’s handled in such a beautifully integrated way that the usual squawking about Messages (including by Bob Iger) die on the wind. This might not just be the good standard of X-Men adaptations, it might even be a better animated series than Batman’s usually unchallenged juggernaut Batman: The Animated Series.

X-Men '97

7 Baby Reindeer

Written By: Alisha Grauso, Features Editor

Baby Reindeer is easily one of the weirdest and most anxiety-inducing shows that have hit screens this year, and that is meant as the highest of compliments. Much ink has been spilled and pixels devoted to writing about the concept of the parasocial relationship in recent years, with various fictional stories trying to capture the unhealthy attachments some lost souls can form with their obsessions in the false intimacy of social media.

Granted, they've all failed to do what Baby Reindeer has done, which is explore the push-pull dynamic of fearing the attentions of a stalker but also craving their single-minded adoration. With that said, Baby Reindeer isn't an easy watch - in fact, at times it's downright punishing - but that's what makes it so fascinating.

A level of emotional complexity and tangled psychology are what make it so compelling; Baby Reindeer offers no simplistic good-vs-bad narrative, but a murkiness that is as rich and layered as it is frustrating. Richard Gadd's autobiographical black dramedy is one of the rare series that forces audiences to examine themselves as much as the characters. It offers no catharsis, but if one is patient, Baby Reindeer does offer one of the most rewarding viewing experiences in recent memory.

Baby Reindeer (2024)

6 Fallout

We've seemingly entered a golden age of video games being adapted into quality movies and TV shows. From The Super Mario Bros. Movie jam-packing a gorgeous animated film with Easter eggs and fan service to The Last of Us on HBO bringing the story of Joel and Ellie to a whole new audience with a production quality that made me declare it the best TV show of 2023 - this is the best time to be a fan of gaming and movie/TV entertainment.

That continues with Fallout on Prime. But while other shows have either retold a known story in a new medium (The Last of Us) or abandoned canon and worldbuilding altogether for an entirely new narrative in a new “timeline” (Halo the series), Fallout on Prime acts almost as a Fallout 5 with new lore, new characters, new revelations, and new mysteries that excite longtime fans.

Even more impressively, Fallout accomplishes this forward progression of the franchise with stellar production quality and captivating cinematography. The writing has a humor that matches the weird tone of the video games without reverting to gag jokes for silliness' sake. Props and locations feel directly ripped out of the game _ an awesome feat given the unique look of Fallout’s 1950s retro-futuristic but post-apocalyptic vibe. The soundtrack is a beautiful blend of songs you'd expect from the world of Fallout accompanied by excellent scores. Lastly, the gory violence perfectly contrasts the surprisingly whimsical nuclear wasteland.

Fallout on Prime is not just a good Fallout product, it's a great TV show on its own merit that fans and non-fans can enjoy and celebrate. It’s an entry point for newcomers that quickly showcases what makes the franchise so special and entertaining while also respecting gamers who have been playing the games for years. It’s a must-watch and I can’t wait for season 2.

Fallout

5 Masters Of The Air

Written By: Alisha Grauso, Features Editor

It's not an exaggeration to say the limited series Masters of the Air, which tells the true story of the 100th Bomb Group, is one of the best biographical historical war dramas ever made. The WWII series is gripping against the naturally compelling backdrop of global war and made more so by the profusely talented cast of rising Hollywood stars including Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner, and Ncuti Gatwa.

With ensemble casts of this size, it's easy for individual characters to get lost in the shuffle, but the main characters of Masters of the Air are all finely drawn and complete, the portrayals of their real-life historical counterparts lived in and authentic. In development for over a decade, the Apple TV+ series, which was executive-produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, is a thrill from start to finish.

The immaculate production design helps add to the intensity of the series, with the aerial warfare scenes doing a horrifyingly excellent job of conveying just how visceral and terrifying it was for the men engaging in one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. For anyone who loves war dramas, history, or well-crafted period pieces, there's a lot to love. While it doesn't quite live up to the heights of its companion series, 2001's Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air comes awfully close.

Masters of the Air

4 Bridgerton

Written By: Mae Abdulbaki, Lead Critic & Features Writer

Bridgerton is a series that has aged like fine wine. While it isn’t always perfect, its ability to balance its romantic storylines with that of a large ensemble cast has always made for an obsessive binge-watching experience. Coming off the high that was Bridgerton season 2, I wasn’t very convinced that season 3 would be a strong outing, but I’m happy to have been proven wrong. With the new season focused on Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) romance, the series found new ways to bring conflict and tension to the forefront, while still leading with love.

The season 3 drama was especially delicious. Penelope’s secret identity as Lady Whistledown was brewing for some time, and it created a scintillating spectacle that was as sensational as Bridgerton’s production design and costumes. This is a series that had me rooting for the supporting characters’ stories as much as I was for Colin and Penelope to get it together and kiss already. As lovely as season 3 was in portraying its central romance, Bridgerton remained a cozy, comforting, and reliably exciting watch. It’s one of the few Netflix shows I anxiously wait for each season, and it never disappoints.

Bridgerton season 3 was as much of a slow-burn as season 2 was in teasing out aspects of characters that we’ve come to know and love. Whenever I tried to predict what came next, the writers threw in an unexpected surprise (like the twist of Michaela Stirling). From Benedict’s sexual awakening to Francesca’s gentle romance with John Stirling and Violet’s budding relationship with Lord Anderson, season 3 is overflowing with great subplots that continue to engage the ever-growing Bridgerton cast.

The series is still utterly delightful and charming, confident in its steamy approach to romance and unafraid to tackle a variety of storylines that have yet to grow stale. However, as good Bridgerton season 3 is, it’s even better after a rewatch. There’s so much to take in and my viewing experience is made all the better each time. The choice to adapt the best parts of Julia Quinn’s novels while leaving behind the elements that don’t work is wonderful, as it strengthens the story. If anything, Bridgerton season 3 proves that its Regency-era storytelling is only just getting started.

Bridgerton

3 One Day

Written By: James Hunt, Deputy Lead Features Editor

One Day is aptly named. It's the amount of time you'll want to spend binge-watching the entire series after the first episode hooks you in. And it's the amount of time (at least) you'll spend crying in bed after you've done so. What? No, I'm not speaking from experience, shut up.

Based on the book by David Nicholls (previously adapted into a 2011 movie starring Anne Hathaway), One Day follows Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall) on the same day - July 15, to be exact - each year. It runs from their first meeting in 1988 and through many trials, tribulations, and triumphs that follow across the next 14 episodes and 19 years. But that basic premise doesn't do justice to how much love and life it packs into each installment.

One Day works well on so many levels. It's a heartfelt rom-com to swoon over. It's a crushing breakup drama. It's a story of friendship, of romance, of chance meetings, missed opportunities, words left unsaid, and things you regret saying. One Day's 14 episodes are delightful and devastating, and while it's best to avoid spoilers, I don't think I'll ever quite be able to forget the feelings that One Day's ending brings about.

The source material helps, but the show's format really allows time for Dex and Emma's story to become fully formed. We feel how much they've grown, both together and apart; it's like we get to step into their own lived-in world, just for a brief, beautiful glimpse every so often, but without ever losing of sense of what's been going on when we weren't following them.

At the center of its success are Mod and Woodall, whose chemistry is off the charts, and their performances so authentic and genuine that you'd believe they've lived this "one day" themselves. Both deserve to become bigger stars (and are on their way to doing so), but they'll have to do something special to shine brighter than they do in One Day. Watch it. Laugh. Cry. Thank and hate me later.

One Day

2 The Traitors

Written By: James Hunt, Deputy Lead Features Editor

"10/10 perfect episode of TV"

That's the message I sent to Screen Rant's Content Director and fellow person who knows The Traitors should be higher on this list, Alex Leadbeater, after season 2, episode 3 of the UK version. And by the end, it wasn't even the best episode. It may not even crack the top three. That's the level of quality the show was working on in its sophomore outing, a stunning return that will go down as reality TV for the ages.

For the uninitiated, The Traitors is a relatively simple show on its surface. Like games such as Mafia, Werewolf,Among Us, or even wink murder, it's about a group of people playing together - here it's at a remote Scottish castle - where some among them are murderers (the Traitors), killing off the others (the Faithfuls), one-by-one. The Traitors just need to be among the final people standing at the very end to win, while the Faithfuls need to root out all of the Traitors if they're to take home the cash prize.

What that premise leads to - or rather, descends into - is pure, unhinged, beautiful chaos. Seeds of doubt are sown. People are stabbed in the back, the front, the side, and anywhere else there's room for the knife. It becomes hard to trust themselves to keep it together, let alone rely on anyone else. It's a show where the smallest wrong move can have you killed, where every step must be carefully plotted. This is what reality television is supposed to be: normal people in an intense, unique environment, and seeing how they spiral, who keeps it together, and what madness ensues.

The best TV shows are the ones that really make you feel something, whether that's happiness, laughter, shock, pain, sadness, or something that lies in between. Luckily, The Traitors season 2 - the superior UK version, that is, although the U.S. one is certainly worth watching - conjures up all these and many more. It's shocking, thrilling, emotional stuff, the kind of TV that doesn't just make you feel emotion, it makes you feel alive, even just by things that, out of context, are simple: spelling names on a chalkboard, meeting for breakfast, drinking sparkling rosé. If you know, you KNOW.

For almost the entire month of January, while it was dark and cold outside, there was sheer magic setting alight the TV for three nights a week. With a somehow even stronger collective group than the first season, and new twists to stop the format from being repetitive or stale, this was the kind of watercooler event TV that streaming has largely taken away. That includes, for my money, the most stunning plot twists this side of the Red Wedding.

1 Shogun

Written By: Kara Hedash, Jr. Lead Features Editor

Shogun is often described as “Game of Thrones without the dragon.” While that might be partially true when looking at the scope and ambition of the series, it also undersells the drama. There’s nothing quite like Shogun, nor has there been for years. Sure, there have been some great TV shows (I mean, Succession and The Bear instantly come to mind when I think “great TV”), but not enough good things could be said about Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ latest masterpiece.

Based on the James Clavell novel from 1975, Shogun uses real-life figures as inspiration for a fictional Japanese feudal drama between power-hungry regents. While much of the violent conflict stems from Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira), Protestant Englishman John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) finds himself in the center of the narrative. What transpires is constant tests of allegiances, surprise bonds, and a fascinating clash of cultures.

While TV shows can be satisfying, a truly great show makes viewers want to go beyond the episode. Whether it’s scouring the internet for more insight, listening to podcasts on the show, or even researching the historical Japanese elements presented in the show, Shogun makes you want to do all of that and then some. And despite the vastness and stakes, Shogun still manages to feel small in the sense that it effectively spotlights its ensemble cast through character-driven subplots.

The writing and visuals are remarkable, but it comes down to the performances, specifically Anna Sawai’s role as Lady Mariko, arguably the main character and the heart of Shogun. Not only does Sawai provide a breathtaking performance, but some of Shogun’s best moments are relatively quiet interactions between her and John when few words are given extra meaning, and language barriers grow them closer.

Shogun was surprisingly renewed for season 2, and it will be a massive challenge for the follow-up to match the quality standards set by season 1. In fact, it’s safe to assume not many TV shows will come near Shogun’s level of quality. Come awards season, Shogun could very well go for a sweep in any nominated categories, justifying its place as #1 on this list (sorry, James).