In honor of the 2024 Summer Olympics, let’s grade the year’s best and brightest TV shows on a medal-winning curve.
Gold Medalists
The gold medal shows could be in any order and I’ve switched them around over the year depending on my mood (sometimes “Penguin” is at the top, sometimes “Fallout”). \
“Expats” — Prime
The suburban source material “The Expatriates: A Novel” by Janice Y.K. Lee is part of what makes this show so good. Add well-rendered characters played by a talented cast and you have a knockout combination.
There’s Margaret (Nicole Kidman), a woman who has suddenly tragically lost her youngest child. The recently hired nanny Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) in an instant of distraction puts in motion the unfolding tragedy. The long-suffering husband Clarke (Brian Tee) who reaches out to faith to help balance his life.
Consider the neighbor Hillary Starr (Sarayu Blue) who is wrestling with an alcoholic and unfaithful husband David Starr (Jack Houston) and her choice not to have children.
This show is about the challenge of raising children, dealing with tragedy and the choice some make not to have children in the first place. Set the story anywhere on earth, and it would be a compelling drama. The Hong Kong backdrop elevates “Expats” into the sublime.
The city is a character of consequence, from the busy streets, the rain and the traffic. It’s amazing when the show’s directors simply turn the cameras on Hong Kong itself and let it roll.
“Tokyo Vice” — HBO
The second and final season of producer Michael Mann’s (“Miami Vice,” “Heat”) show based on an American journalist working as a crime reporter in ’90s-era Tokyo proved stellar. First of all, the actual reporting: Yakuza crime lords coming to the U.S. and buying organ transplants still is shocking.
This was mostly livers due to the heavy use of traditionally done tattoo work and drinking. That in itself is just bonkers.
Second, the relationship between Joshua Lawrence “Jake” Adelstein (Ansel Elgort, who can now speak fluent Japanese, by the way) and his contact on the Tokyo Vice Squad Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) formed into a real partnership this season.
Samatha San (Rachel Keller) and her relationship with a rising Yakuza lieutenant Sato (Shô Kasamatsu) continued to evolve in an interesting fashion, but it’s the sheer badass terror of rival Yakuza boss Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) that makes this show stand out this year.
“Babylon Berlin” — MhZ Choice
I learned that Jeff Goldblum and his wife love “Babylon Berlin” and cosplay characters from that time period. I couldn’t agree more. It’s a fantastic show that is still hard to explain.
Yes, it’s about Weimar Germany (pre-WWII) and the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, but it’s so much more than that. “Babylon Berlin” is a love letter to that time period and to the German city. It’s a gritty detective series with interesting cases and clues to follow. Plus, it boasts great acting and writing.
It’s “Slow Horses” set in Berlin in the 1930s. It’s that good albeit with less humor, but the Germans aren’t exactly known for their comedy chops.
“Fallout” — Prime
The last video game I played was “L.A. Noir” on a PS4. I got stuck and didn’t bother to find a cheat code.
I’ve never played any of the “Fallout” titles and knew next to nothing about this show before it dropped. I understand it had to do something with zombies and a post-apocalyptic landscape in an AtomPunk universe.
That’s all.
Oh, and of course I knew the leads: Elle Purnell (“Bittersweet,” “Yellow Jackets”) Walton Goggins (“Justified”), and Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”). I couldn’t have been more surprised by how much I loved this show. I’m sure I missed a ton of Easter eggs, but “Fallout” isn’t just for insiders.
The show boasts fantastic world building, interesting characters and a story lifted straight out of “Catch-22.” It helps that Joseph Heller’s classic is one of my favorite books.
“The Penguin” — HBO
Much has been written about this excellent show, but the only thing that brings it in at the fifth slot is one nagging question. How much of its brilliance is built upon “The Sopranos” legacy?
The answer? Quite a lot. That doesn’t detract all that much, but I did feel I was watching a “Sopranos” spinoff more than a “Batman” project.
Silver Medalists
“The Three Body Problem” — Netflix
I wasn’t a big fan of the book, certainly not enough to read the subsequent two novels.
I found the writing tedious, the math over my head and the story a bit boring. Unlike “Expats’” superior source material, the Netflix series took everything good about the book and elevated it to the next level.
They managed do something that hasn’t been done since the “Alien” franchise. The show creators made aliens actually scary. Which is even more remarkable when you consider we never actually see the creatures in question, only their human avatars.
The books and show have something important to say about technology and progress and how innovative humans can be when we put our minds to something. That’s all fine and good, but the show works because it has a depth of emotion. We come to care about the people involved (flaws and all) and that is what turns the rather bland source material into something remarkable.
“Monsieur Spade” — AMC
I loved this show, and I hope we’ll get a second season.
Clive Owen plays Sam Spade, an American detective now living in the South of France. He’s wealthy, living in peace (having inherited a French estate from his late, beloved wife) when his past shows up to haunt him. Literally in the form of a small child named Teresa (Cara Bossom) who is the daughter of Brigid O’Shaughnessy.
Yup, that’s Brigid from Spade’s most famous case, “The Maltese Falcon.” It only gets better from there as the story deftly incorporates the French war in Algeria and the questionable use of Special Forces. You might think none of that can work together, but it does so brilliantly.
“The Diplomat” — Netflix
Did you know there are TWO shows titled “The Diplomat?” Yup. One is on Netflix and the other is on Prime. I like both, but the Netflix series with Keri Russell is by far the superior series.
Like “Slow Horses” on Apple TV+ “The Diplomat” finds that perfect balance between humor and drama to keep it light but interesting. Back in the days we had shows like “Hart to Hart,” “Moonlighting” and “Remington Steele” that walked this same line. If you haven’t watched an episode I encourage you to check it out.
“Disclaimer” — Apple+
This is one of those “love or hate” kind of shows and I’m in the “love it” camp. I’m going to have to drop some major spoilers here for this one so stop reading…yes? Yes.
Okay first of all a shout out to Kevin Kline. Welcome back, sir! Damn, you’ve been missed and you did a fantastic job. Emmy nod at the very least.
I never “got” Sacha Baron Cohen, but he can act and hopefully this opens up opportunities for him. Cate Blanchett is phenomenal. The battle may be between her and Nicole Kidman of “Expats” fame for the Best Actress Emmy.
As you can see, the acting in this is amazing from Leila George (Catherine) to Louis Partridge (Jonathan Brigstocke) on down the line. The story itself is just as good. I think using sexual assault as the foundation of a story is always problematic but this was well done and the message proved very powerful.
“Bad Monkey” — AppleTV+
The tenth spot might be a little high for this show. Is it a Top Ten show of 2024? Maybe. What it is, though, is a perfectly enjoyable show with lots of shots of warm water and the Florida Keys. It’s perfect viewing during a dull, drab and dry Colorado winter.
And Vince Vaughn is still funny.
Bronze Medalists
“Supercell” — Netflix
The series follows Average people in London who sport superpowers. It’s both very interesting and entertaining.
“Supersex” — Netflix
The title alone is going to be a barrier for some, along with the subject matter. It’s the life of pornstar Rocco Siffredi. That it has sexually graphic moments will give many watching the vapors. Those who stay with it are going to be pleasantly surprised.
It’s a tender and sad story of a poor Italian family living in a small coastal town and the two brothers who do their best to get out of their circumstances. The show turns out to have more to say about love, family and brotherhood than about sex and porn.
“Ripley” — Netflix
I haven’t read the books by Patricia Highsmith and didn’t like the movie adaptation with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jude Law. I had zero interest in this when it dropped on Netflix.
Two things changed my mind: Andrew Scott (“Fleabag,” “Sherlock”) is a fantastic actor and he’s just fascinating to watch tearing into this dual role of being both Dickie Greenleaf and Tim Ripley. Plus, the show is an absolute love letter to Italy. The black and white photography highlights everything amazing about Italian architecture.
“Rings of Power” — Prime
It’s interesting enough that I watch it but if the show never came back I probably wouldn’t miss it. I’m not sure why. It’s done well and the acting and writing are solid, but it just doesn’t have the hook like the original “Lord of the Rings” does.
It suffers from the same problem I have with the “Star Wars” prequels and sequels…we know the main story so this feels ancillary.
“House of the Dragon” — HBO
This is another show I feel like I should like more and wouldn’t miss if it were canceled.
Medalist Hopefuls
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” — Netflix
They did a fantastic job all the way around and I hope a whole new generation falls in love with the story but for me nothing can ever touch the brilliant animated series. It’s the best “Star Wars”-type story we’ve had since “Star Wars.”
“The Lincoln Lawyer” — Netflix
The third season proved its weakest so far. It seems like they’re running out of steam but “Lawyer” retains the chemistry, fun and food to keep me watching. I’m still looking forward to next season.
“Industry” — HBO
I’ve written a ton about “Industry” over its past two seasons and genuinely like this show, but this season proved the least deserving of praise. There are others who thought it was its best season and have made compelling cases (mostly its focus on women this season) but this show cooks best when there’s at least one male protagonist you can root against.
See “Billions” and “Succession” as prime examples.
“Kaos” — Netflix
Unfortunately, this brilliant show with the aforementioned Goldblum didn’t get a second season at Netflix. I get it. “Kaos” was weird, set in a modern-day Grecian town and the premise was the Pantheon is very real. High concept comedy/dramas have a limited audience appeal from the get go, but Goldblum as Zeus was so damn funny and perfect that it’s a shame we won’t get more.
“The Boys” — Prime
The worst season so far but still had a few moments of its old brilliance to make it into the Top Twenty. You can tell they need to wrap it up next season.
The Worst TV Shows of 2024
3. “A Man In Full” — Netflix
This six-part miniseries had promise but too many fatal flaws. I would love to see the same team (including Regina King and David E. Kelly) tackle Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities.” That’s one of the most poorly cast movies in history up there with “Interview with the Vampire” and “Cold Mountain.”
How “Full” failed (spoilers ahead) can be primarily attributed to the acting. I love Diane Lane but as Martha Croker I honestly thought she was playing Peepgrass (Tom Pelphrey), a separate character in the yarn, the entire time. I didn’t buy her sudden, wrathful vindictiveness. It came out of nowhere and made the ending preposterous.
Tom Wolfe was a great author until he lost his mind, but this was a mess of a book (structurally and thematically) and the last one of his that I read. I got that in the end the racist judge held to the law (although I still don’t understand the Defense’s argument; his car was being towed if he lets it go nothing happens) and I liked how Crocker (Jeff Daniels) did support Conrad (Jon Michael Hill) in the end. The miniseries is still as messy as the source material.
2. “Reacher” — Prime
The late standup Mitch Hedberg had a funny bit about how a comedian had to start strong and end strong. You couldn’t be like pancakes — exciting at first but by the end you’re sick of them.
“Reacher” is like pancakes with too much cheap maple syrup. The first few episodes were exciting and I really do like Alan Ritchson as the title character. The cast is fine, too, but the stories aren’t strong and always end badly.
That captured season one, but season two grew even worse. I’m starting to wonder about the source material or the show runners or both. If season three can’t stick the landing I’m done with this series.
1. “True Detective: Night Country” — HBO
Major spoilers ahead…
The first five episodes of the critically-hailed series proved interesting. They offered a fair amount of tension, great locations and plenty of heavy lifting done by the amazing Jodie Foster. The season finale was a full-on disaster and retroactively ruined any good will gathered during the previous episodes.
It’s corporate propaganda masquerading as art (and from HBO) but for the second time, the first being the godawful “The Head.
That show also featured a group of scientists working on the ice who turned out to be the baddies.
Yup.
White male scientists are the scourge of society: collecting ice core samples, working on climate models, oh and did I mention they’re white, oh and did I mention they’re men. They’re willing to kill and fudge data because you know scientists… they’ve been evil since Dr. Frankenstein.
I hated “The Head,” from its dumb name to the ridiculous notion of what living on the ice at the South Pole in the middle of winter is like. The research station feels like a Vegas hotel and the characters run around outside with just jackets and no head coverings because you know it’s not THAT cold (actually it can get to a balmy -81º in the winter) to it constantly storming (with lightning) like it’s a gloomy coastal New England town.
What I despise the most about “The Head” is how it plays into corporate fantasies about scientists (and yeah spoilers ahead — I wish I could spoil this whole show) who will do anything for research funding, fame and fortune.
Really?
You know because at the end of the day there isn’t much of a difference between a Day Trader on Wall Street and a scientist who has dedicated his or her life to producing new knowledge for humanity.
Clearly they have a similar set of ethics, right?
HBO do better! HBO did not do better.
Everything that could be said of “The Head” can also be said of “Night Country” even down to a stupid name.
Look putting aside how botched a marketing job it was to attach this to the “True Detective” franchise (strip the dumb spiral thing out and it would essentially be the same show it was). What made it so awful in the end was just how transparent it was as an anti-climate change piece of propaganda.
Imagine the creative meeting at HBO…
“Okay, we’re getting paid a lot of money by the extraction industry to come up with something… anybody?”
“What if we make a team of climate scientists the bad guys, we can have them be all male and white, and the heroes, we can have them be Indigenous women … the scientists will all be greedy murderers and willing to lie about data. Does that work?”
HBO now has two anti-climate science shows under its belt.
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