Another year has come to an end, and dare we say that 2024 was one of the best years for television in recent memory? There were so many good shows — too many, even! — that filled our watch lists with entertaining content and our timelines with engaging discussions.
This year took us to the halls of a hilariously chaotic elementary school, the dark streets of Gotham City, and the love-filled world of the Bridgertons. From broadcast to streaming, new shows to returning faves, franchises to originals, we couldn't stop binge-watching the best shows 2024 had to offer.
Here are 19 (yes, 19!) of the Show Snob team's favorite shows released in 2024 that everyone should be watching!
Abbott Elementary
Abbott Elementary as a show in general is a great comedy if you're looking for something lighthearted to watch and enjoy. Though what I also really like about the series is that there's been character development and growth, which is something I personally look for in a show. For season 4 in particular this year, I think getting into more of the personal lives of the characters and meeting their families makes the story stronger.
Plus, I think the gentrification storyline is an intriguing one and relatable to many people, which is why this sitcom is one of our picks on this list! Abbott streams episodes on Hulu and season 4 returns with new episodes Wednesdays on ABC starting Jan. 8, 2025 with the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover.
Written by Aysha Ashley Househ
Bridgerton
Nothing screams romance and drama like Bridgerton, and no one does the genre better than this Netflix series. Even though I did feel like the story was a little too spread out in season 3 instead of focusing on Penelope and Colin the way it should have, Bridgerton is still one of the best shows on television right now. It's such a rich and visually pleasing tale with likable characters and romances that make you swoon.
There's just something about the historical setting that keeps us hooked. I did enjoy the fact that Penelope had this dilemma and Lady Whistledown secret hanging over her relationship with Colin, which just upped all the stakes in such an intriguing way. Bridgerton season 4 is currently in the workswith our beloved Benedict taking center stage next.
Written by Aysha Ashley Househ
Outlander
I honestly don't know if I've met anyone who watched Outlander and didn't like it, so it probably doesn't surprise you that the historical drama is on this list. Jamie and Claire take romance to a whole other level, even when outside forces are conspiring against them. No matter what, these two will work it out. What I appreciate about the series is that as a fan and viewer, I never have to question whether Claire and Jamie will stay together.
Because that's a given. Nothing will break them apart at this point, even after the chaos that happens in the second half of Outlander season 7. I really don't enjoy the will they, won't they relationships. At least not after a certain point. And we do not have that problem here thankfully. Outlander releases new episodes Fridays on Starz.
Written by Aysha Ashley Househ
Squid Game
There's crime dramas, murder mysteries, and other heavy shows. But I think the most intense one I have ever watched has to be Squid Game. The series is written and executed so well. Even if it's not usually the genre you tune into, you're just hooked on this show. Overall, season 2 was able to bring something new in terms of Player 456 going back into the game.
And in a huge twist we didn't see coming - the Front Man plays as well, unbeknownst to Player 456, and befriends him. Gah! Seong Gi-hun's attempt at taking the game down is not as easy as he thought it would be, and there's dire consequences by the end. It's amazing how invested we remain in this deadly series, and it's definitely been a highlight of 2024's offerings. The third and final season premieres sometime in 2025 on Netflix.
Written by Aysha Ashley Househ
Sweetpea
After finishing the entire six-episode first season of Sweetpea, I strongly believe Hollywood should keep casting Ella Purnell in horror/thriller roles. She truly has the talent for it. I don't want her to be typecast, but she's just so good in those types of roles! From watching her in Yellowjackets and now Sweetpea, she's become one of my favorite actresses. I can't wait to see her in Sweetpea season 2 and her other upcoming projects.
In Sweetpea, Purnell stars as the main character, Rhiannon Lewis. Rhiannon is somewhat of a pushover. She was bullied as a child, and now as an adult, people neither pay attention to her nor take her seriously. One day, she reaches her breaking point, and all of her violent fantasies start to manifest in real-life actions. Tired of being the girl everyone overlooks, she embarks on a path of revenge, going after those who have wronged her.
Written by Crystal George
Parasyte: The Grey
Netflix wasn't playing any games this year when it came to its Korean content. In February, the streaming giant dropped the sci-fi horror series Parasyte: The Grey, which is a show that I had been patiently waiting on since its announcement back in 2022. Being a fan of the creator Yeon Sang-ho's previous work, I knew that this series would be another hit. I'm also a fan of the manga series the show is based on, so discovering that it would be turned into a TV show was like a dream come true.
After parasitic organisms begin falling from the sky and taking over the bodies of humans, it's up to the powerful anti-parasite task force, the Grey, to eliminate the threat before it completely takes over humankind. Meanwhile, a young woman by the name of Jeong Su-in has become partially infected by one of the parasitic creatures and must learn to coexist with it.
Written by Crystal George
Doctor Slump
Another Korean show I thoroughly enjoyed this year was the romantic comedy Doctor Slump. I was excited to watch it primarily because of the cast, but after seeing it, I quickly became hooked on the storyline too. The Heirs is one of my all-time favorite Korean dramas, so seeing two of my favorite actors from that show take on the lead roles in Doctor Slump was an absolute delight!
Park Hyung-sik and Park Shin-hye play the roles of Yeo Jeong-woo and Nam Ha-neul, old high school rivals who couldn't stand each other and went their separate ways after graduation. As adults, they were leading successful medical careers until they both experienced career setbacks for different reasons. Now, at the lowest point of their lives, the unexpected happens. They find out that they're neighbors, and the bad blood they initially had gradually turns into a deeper and more romantic connection.
Written by Crystal George
High Potential
You might think that High Potential is just another broadcast police procedural, but you should never judge a book by its cover. That’s what you’ll learn from Kaitlin Olson’s character Morgan Gillory, a single mother who uses her advanced IQ to help the LAPD solve tough crimes. ABC’s amazing new series pulls all the best qualities from the procedurals we know and love while delivering something that’s totally unique and one of a kind.
It’s Always Sunny fans know Olson has the comedy chops, and those are present in High Potential along with her stealth ability to flip humor on its head to express vulnerability. The ensemble cast are wonderful and the writing’s pacing is pitch perfect, but it’s Olson’s star power that makes this series one of the year’s best and one we hope to watch for years and years to come. Catch up on Hulu if you’re not already obsessed.
Written by Reed Gaudens
Nobody Wants This
If there’s one thing I’m going to do, it’s wax poetic about Nobody Wants This, and I won’t apologize for it. The Netflix original romantic comedy series was the breath of fresh air we needed this fall before things started to get real. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, two of the most likable stars probably ever, combine their talents for an explosion of chemistry that will just make you smile from ear to ear for all 10 episodes.
Not only did the show earn a quick renewal for season 2, but the Golden Globes recognized the series with three well-deserved nominations. The rom-com boasts a fresh and personal point of view from creator Erin Foster and a cast that knocks every joke they’re given out of the park. It’s almost impossible to find a show released in 2024 that’s as feel-good, full of love and light, and simply good as Nobody Wants This.
Written by Reed Gaudens
Hacks
Even though Hacks isn’t a new show, it was new to me in 2024 in the sense that I finally caught up on the first two seasons in time to watch season 3. The Max original comedy had always been on my list of shows to watch, but with the overwhelming volume of new content released on each streamer every month, it kept creeping down the list. You know how it goes. But oh am I so glad I finally made the time to discover Deborah Vance.
Jean Smart gives the comedy performance of her career as an iconic stand-up comic reinventing herself and looking to maintain relevancy in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape. And that’s saying something, as Smart has been making us laugh for decades. The series packs a one-two punch with Hannah Einbinder, a true comedy revelation. Hacks was at its absolute strongest in season 3, and it’s only up from here in season 4 and beyond.
Written by Reed Gaudens
Baby Reindeer
From creator Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer was an absolute phenomenon when it hit Netflix in April. An overnight success, even Gadd himself couldn't have imagined how big the dark dramedy would become. And it's wholeheartedly deserved. The seven-episode miniseries is a semi-autobiographical story, following an aspiring comedian in London who forms an unexpected friendship that turns dangerous. Tackling sensitive subjects like sexual assault, the show is an unflinching look—which is at times, very challenging to watch—at navigating years-long trauma. Baby Reindeer won six Emmy Awards and is up for three Golden Globes at the 2025 ceremony.
Written by Natalie Zamora
Interview With the Vampire
AMC's Interview With the Vampire returned with its sophomore season this spring, which was somehow even better than the first. Picking up where protagonist Louis leaves off with his decades-long story, the new season chronicles Louis and Claudia's life in Europe as they leave Lestat behind in New Orleans. But of course, there are new threats across the pond—and Louis isn't getting over Lestat that quickly. We get to meet a new batch of vampires as the duo looks for others like them, but what they find is more than they could've ever imagined. Like the first season, the new episodes are so deliberately and delicately written, fusing together elements of romance, horror, and drama perfectly. The series was developed by Rolin Jones, based on Anne Rice's classic book series.
Written by Natalie Zamora
The Penguin
One of the best superhero shows of all time debuted this year, and yes, of course, I’m talking about The Penguin. Serving as a sequel spinoff to Matt Reeves' The Batman, HBO's miniseries absolutely outshines anything we've seen from the DC Studios in recent years, serving as a standalone story following the titular villain. Colin Farrell is fantastic in the starring role—he was the best part about The Batman, after all—and the supporting cast is also excellent. Cristin Milioti as the crime boss' daughter Sofia, in particular, gives a career-best performance that you're seriously sleeping on if you haven't seen. Framing the show as a character study was the best choice showrunner Lauren LeFranc and the writing team could've made. At the 2025 Golden Globes, The Penguin is up for three awards.
Written by Natalie Zamora
Agatha All Along
From the moment Marvel announced Kathryn Hahn’s scene-stealing witch Agatha Harkness would be returning for her own solo project following the events of WandaVision, we were sold before we even knew what the show would be about. What we ended up receiving was hands down one of Marvel’s greatest shows yet.
In the follow-up series, Agatha and a makeshift coven of witches embark down the Witches’ Road on an unforgettable journey full of surprising twists that never fail to audiences speechless. The show is by far one of Marvel’s most diverse projects with a cast led by powerful women and a teen who fully comes into his own by the season’s end leading to a stellar turn of events. Hahn delivers yet another breakout performance as Agatha and is surrounded by an equally talented ensemble of Marvel newcomers in Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, and Ali Ahn, as well as scene-stealing WandaVision favorite Debra Jo Rupp who deliver bewitching performances that made Agatha All Along so impactful.
Add in television’s greatest original song of the decade with the catchy earworm that was “The Ballad of The Witches’ Road” and you have a true masterpiece.
Written by Cody Schultz
X-Men ‘97
When a beloved classic is rebooted, it’s not often that the new series is able to live up to the original. Fortunately for X-Men fans, X-Men ‘97 more than lived up to the standards set by the original series which remains one of the greatest animated series of all time.
Picking up where X-Men: The Animated Series left off, X-Men ‘97 reunites viewers with our favorite X-Men heroes who look to use their unique gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them. In the new episodes, we see a return to the peak era of animation as the show once again brilliantly weaves together impactful storytelling with emotional character arcs.
The show’s fifth episode, “Remember It” was one of the most gut-wrenching episodes of television in 2024 and proved, much like its predecessor, X-Men ‘97 was not afraid of taking risks, nor is the show one audiences should sleep on.
Written by Cody Schultz
Doctor Odyssey
Ryan Murphy truly has outdone himself with his latest original series Doctor Odyssey. The high-octane drama follows the ever-dashing Joshua Jackson as Max, the new doctor for the Odyssey, a luxury cruise ship that looks to give its guests the experience of a lifetime with top-tier service.
Every episode of the show finds the Odyssey crew welcoming a new group of passengers which has led to an incredible array of special guest stars setting sail over the course of the show in a callback to years of TV past when shows like The Love Boat would feature a revolving door of guest performers. But it’s not just the guest performers that we’ve come to love about the show.
Doctor Odyssey is the primetime soap we’ve desperately needed in our lives again. Where else on primetime can you find episodes that feature plotlines so unexpected and crazy as those Doctor Odyssey? The show is wildly over-the-top in the best possible way and quickly emerged as one of our favorite new shows of the year.
Written by Cody Schultz
Outer Banks
Outer Banks returned for season 4 in the fall of 2024 after another long break between seasons, but it’s an understatement to say that it was worth the wait. While the good vibes were the same, a new treasure hunt, a new mystery to unravel, and a new villain presented challenges for the Pogues that John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) had yet to face. For the fourth time in five years, Outer Banks is again one of the best TV shows of the year!
Does Outer Banks drift into the ridiculous? Yes, but it does so in a good way. And, I stand by all the decisions regarding the plot, even the season 4 finale. I think it’ll all come together in the fifth and final season. I hate that this show is ending, but I’m pretty happy that the creative team gets to end the series the way they want rather than getting cut mid-treasure hunt.
We’ll probably have to wait a while for Outer Banks season 5, but the good news is thatfilming starts in the spring of 2025.
Written by Bryce Olin
Shōgun
Shōgun definitely deserves a spot on our list of the best TV shows of the year. Honestly, it was probably the best show of the year. It also won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmys this year, too.
The series is based on James Clavell’s novel, Shōgun, and it tells the story of the rulers of feudal Japan, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), and his captive, an English sailor, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis). That’s just where this story begins anyway!
If you haven’t seen Shōgun yet, you’re truly missing out, especially if you’re a fan of fictional historical dramas. I’ll recommend this series to anyone, but it’s a must-watch for fans of dramas. It’s a slower burn, for sure, but it’s the best show on TV. The performances from Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, and the rest of this great cast are better than any other TV performances this year, and that’s not even debatable. Shōgun is coming back for two more seasons, too!
Written by Bryce Olin
The Diplomat
The Diplomat season 2 premiered on Netflix on Halloween, and it was so good! Easily, this is one of my favorite shows of the year, and it’s definitely one of the best, too. Even though there were only six episodes, Debora Cahn packed a punch. I’m still in shock over the epic twist in the season 2 finale.
Keri Russell stars as Ambassador Kate Wyler, who is sent to London as the new United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom in the middle of a crisis in the Middle East. Immediately, Kate begins to suspect something isn’t right. With the help of her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), a former ambassador, and CIA Station Chief Eidra Park (Ali Ahn), Kate tries to solve this mystery.
I don’t even love political dramas that much, but there’s just something about The Diplomat that’s so good! If you haven’t seen The Diplomat yet, it’s time to start now. There are two seasons of the hit drama series on Netflix right now, and it’ll probably be back for season 3 in 2025, although that has not been confirmed yet.
Written by Bryce Olin