isDon’t listen to the doomsayers who claim the “Golden Age of TV” is nearing its end. We’re only halfway through, and 2024 is already chock full of fantastic new shows and riveting returning series. Here’s your guide to the best streaming shows you can’t wait to watch.
By Nick Levin
Baby Reindeer
Where to watch: Netflix
The Netflix stalker drama is not only the most shocking TV series of 2024, but also the most talked about. Partly because Richard Gadd’s semi-autobiographical script flips from horrifying to darkly funny, and partly because Baby Reindeer The film has sparked complex discussions about the duty of care that creators owe to the people they model their work on, but whatever your take on it, Jessica Gunning’s performance as the obsessive Martha is relatable and brilliant.
Episodes to remember: 4 Out of nowhere came a report of a totally shocking sexual assault.
Big Boys
season: two
Where to watch: Channel 4
Writer-creator Jack Luke won a well-deserved BAFTA for the sitcom’s second season; it’s warm, witty, and full of funny, niche pop-culture references. It’s more of an ensemble piece than the first, but its emotional fulcrum remains the touching friendship between anxious gay baby Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and his outwardly confident straight pal Danny (John Ponting). Channel 4 has finally seen sense and commissioned a third season.
Episodes to remember: 6 – The season finale is set in a hospital and explores birth, death and meeting people on Grindr.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
season: 12
Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW
Larry David’s ingenious comedy of manners is wrapping up after 12 seasons and nearly a quarter century, but there’s still life in the cranky old dog. After handing a glass of water to a woman waiting in line to vote, Larry becomes an unlikely activist. As always, his endless complaints are petty, silly, and (whisper it) a little relatable. Well, sometimes.
Episodes to remember: “No Lessons Learned” – The final episode is a meta delight featuring a mic-dropping Bruce Springsteen cameo.
fall out
Where to watch: Prime Video
Turning a 27-year-old video game franchise into a coherent television series is no small feat, but this lavish adaptation of the popular role-playing series is a worthy success. fall out What makes it successful is its blend of dystopian thrills and a healthy dose of the brand’s signature dark humour. Smart, stylish and the perfect example of what makes Radroach great, it’s easy to follow thanks to the clever writing.
Episodes to remember: “The Beginning” – A fantastic season finale that provides a clever mix of answers, story developments, and a foundation for season two.
House of the Dragon
season: two
Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW
of game of thrones The prequels returned with a sleeker, more streamlined production. Without the tedious time jumps that required actors of different ages to split roles, it’s easier to lose yourself in the sharp, prickly human drama involving the grieving Princess Rhaenyra (Emma Darcy), influential courtier Ser Otto (Rhys Ifans), and the evil Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). If you haven’t watched season 1 yet, make it your next project.
Episodes to remember: “A Son for a Son” – This sedate series opener has a moment that heats up the story like a dragon’s breath.
Mary and George
Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW
Produced and partially directed by queer filmmaker Oliver Hermanus, this period piece is more sensual than it is stiff. About the love affair between King James I (Tony Curran) and the schemer George Villiers (Nicholas Galitzine), it’s a gay romp full of intrigue, subterfuge and threesomes. And Julianne Moore, as Villiers’ ambitious mother, Mary, is a very literal mother figure.
Episodes to remember: “It’s more reverence than love,” Moore’s Mary keeps her cool amid Hermanus’s firecrackers.
Masters of the Air
Where to watch: Apple TV+
This World War II drama, produced by two young up-and-coming producers, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, is a sequel to the 2001 film. Band of Brothers And the 2010s pacific oceanMinor points about historical accuracy aside, the adventures of a US-led heavy bomber force almost always hit their targets thanks to some excellent performances from Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan.
Episodes to remember: “Part 9” – An epic finale depicting a deeply moving visit to a concentration camp.
one day
Where to watch: Netflix
David Nichols’ popular novel was previously turned into a flop film starring Anne Hathaway in a dodgy Leeds accent. Netflix’s 14-episode film fares much better, portraying the 20-year relationship between cocky upper-class boy Dexter (Leo Woodall) and working-class hard worker Emma (Ambika Modh) with all the nuance, warmth and authenticity of the novel. It will make you cry — and tell your friends they should watch it, too.
Episodes to remember: 6 – Emma finds meaning in teaching while a grieving Dexter trashes his empty TV career.
Shogun
Where to watch: Disney+
Based on James Clavell’s acclaimed novel, this historical drama is a tale of culture clash set in 17th century Japan. When rugged British sailor John Blackthorn (Cosmo Jarvis) is washed ashore on the east coast, he and his crew are captured by Lord Toranaga (Sanada Hiroyuki), a ruthless ruler with a brilliant tactical mind. Their ongoing battle of wills is told with riveting intricacy and stunning set pieces.
Episodes to remember: “Crimson Sky” – A stealth thriller in which Toranaga finally shows his hand.
Solo Level Up
Where to watch: Netflix and Crunchyroll
This year’s biggest hit new anime is a touching story of self-realization based on a Korean digital comic. In a world where monsters suddenly appear from another dimension, Jinu levels up from a struggling hunter to the monsters’ greatest foe. It’s gripping, inspiring and downright mesmerizing to watch.
Episodes to remember: “The Knight of the Sky Throne.” Jinu proves his courage as he fights one villain after another.
the boys
season: four
Where to watch: Prime Video
Television’s greatest and bloodiest superhero show is upping the ante in its fourth season, delivering biting social commentary and all. As neocon vice presidential wannabe Victoria Newman (Claudia Doumit) moves closer to power, she becomes more and more willing to use semi-righteous superheroes as punching bags. the boys Rarely subtle, but always loud and fun.
Episodes to remember: “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here,” a pick of the three episodes streamed so far, alternates between intense hallucinations and shocking truths.
Sympathizer
Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW
This seven-part film adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is dizzying fun. Co-produced and partially directed by Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Maid) follows the adventures of The Captain (Hoa Xuande), a South Vietnamese police chief who secretly spies for the North. With its constantly shifting timeline, constant tonal shifts, and a variety of villains played by Robert Downey Jr., it’s a challenging yet rewarding film to watch.
Episodes to remember: “Give me a good line” – The Captain is a consultant on a Hollywood blockbuster starring Downey Jr. as a Francis Ford Coppola-esque director.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW
Adapted from Heather Morris’s true-life novel, this historical drama depicts a romance that blossoms amid the unimaginable horror of the concentration camps. Starring Melanie Lynskey and Harvey Keitel as journalist Morris and elderly tattooist Lale, with Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Prochniak as young Lale and his future wife Gita, it’s a horrifying film, yet painfully human.
Episodes to remember: 5 – This deeply moving penultimate film sees the bond between Lale and Geeta deepen.
True Detective: Night Country
Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW
first True Detective The first new series in five years reinvents the fading series with a fierce female energy that keeps audiences hooked as Jodie Foster and boxer-turned-actress Kali Reis as best friends, detectives investigating the bizarre disappearance of eight scientists at a remote Alaskan research facility. Showrunner Issa Lopez keeps audiences on their toes until the clever, morally ambiguous conclusion.
Episodes to remember: Part 5 – The penultimate part climaxes with an unexpected death that will take your breath away and make you wince at the same time.
We are female genitalia
season: two
Where to watch: Channel 4
Nida Manzoor’s comedy about an all-female Muslim punk band doesn’t fall flat for its second outing. This time, our guitar-slinging heroines grapple with not only their own identities but also their shared purpose as a band: Do The Lady Parts want to remain underground icons or do they have their sights set on a record deal? Once again, the jokes and gimmicks are peppered with witty original songs like “A Sense of a Glass Ceiling” and “Malala Made Me Do It.”
Episodes to remember: “Britney, bitch.” The photoshoot, which pairs millennial lady parts with rival Gen Z bands, is gloriously chaotic.
