Class of 2024: The Small Screen

My favorite TV shows of 2024

Presenting another new entry in my class of 2024 series. This is another one that I don’t usually do. Mostly because I don’t really watch a lot of new TV shows. Not enough to make this sort of list anyway. I mean, outside of Star Wars shows, I don’t really watch much. 2024 was a little different. There was some new stuff that came out that I was really interested in.

So here are my top 5 favorite TV shows that were released in 2024. I did not include shows that have not finished a season yet. I will mention a couple that fit that criteria at the end though if you are interested.

Number Five: The Acolyte

This show got a lot of crap from the online Star Wars community. I think their criticisms against the show were mostly unfounded. I thought it was a good entry in the Star Wars universe. It explored a part of the lore that a lot of people don’t know about (and that might be why so many people didn’t like it). It was created for the Disney Plus channel by Leslye Headland. There were eight (8) episodes and it ran from June to July.

Number Four: X-Men ‘97

Created by Beau DeMayo for, again, the Disney Plus channel, this one was a revival of the 90s era cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran from 1992-1997. There were 10 episodes and it ran from March to May. It was incredible. The animation was done in a way that both paid homage to the 90s series and modernized it a bit. The story was so good and I’ve always thought that the animated series, this one included, felt closer to the comics than any of the movies have.

Number Three: The Penguin

This show was a HBO Max (or is it just called Max now?) exclusive that was developed by Lauren LeFranc and based on the DC Comics character. It is a spin-off to the 2022 movie That Batman with Colin Farrell reprising his role as the title character. It spanned eight (8) episodes and ran from September to November. It has been nominated for several awards, including 3 Golden Globes and 4 Critics Choice Television Awards. I loved the movie The Batman and had been looking forward to this TV show ever since it was announced. Farrell did an amazing job in both the movie and this show as gangster Oswald Cobblepot.

Number Two: Fallout

I am a HUGE fan of the Fallout video game franchise. HUGE! I have been looking forward to this TV show ever since I first heard about it years ago. A live adaptation of the video game series? Hell yeah sign me up! It was created for Amazon Prime Video by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Also heavily involved in the project was Jonathan Nolan (brother of film director Christopher Nolan and writer of the films The Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises, among others). This show was incredible. It did not disappoint a big Fallout fan that is myself. The acting was great. Especially Walton Goggins and the Ghoul. The visuals were great. It looked exactly like how a live action version of the video game should look. The downside is that there were only eight (8) episodes. The show ran in April and has won and been nominated for several awards, including 17 Primetime Emmy Awards. The show was renewed for a second season.

Number One: Dune: Prophecy

This one is another one that was developed for HBO Max. It was developed by Diane Ademu-John and Allison Schapker. There were six (6) episodes. The season ran in November and December. It has also been renewed for a second season. It is both a spin-off and a prequel to the Denis Villeneuve films Dune and Dune: Part Two, both incredible films. Those films, of course, were based on the Frank Herbert novels in the Dune universe. The show dives deep into the origins and inner workings of the Bene Gesserit and it set 10,000 years before the events of the films. It draws upon ideas from the Great Schools of Dune trilogy, written by Brian Herbert (Frank’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson. Visually speaking, this show was absolutely outstanding. I think that someone that has seen the movies can tell that this show is somehow connected to those movies just based on the visuals. Aside from the visuals, everything about this show is great. The story and the acting are superb. Everything about this show is addicting. I can’t wait for the next season!

There are 2 other shows that would have made this list if they had been completed. Creature Commandos and Star Wars Skeleton Crew started this year but their first seasons will not be completed until next month.

So there are my favorite TV shows of 2024. What did you think of these shows? Did you have any others that were your favorites?

If you have been enjoying this Class of 2024 series here, it’s not done. I have at least one more of these posts in the works.

See you next time!