There are two types of great television shows: the kind that millions of people are watching and talking about and the ones that never figure into the larger cultural conversation. In the case of the latter, it is not due to lack of ability. It's just that not every great TV series finds its fans.
So you'd be forgiven for missing one – if not all – of the best series that premiered last year. After all, with countless networks in different formats (broadcast, cable, streaming, and otherwise), all looking to get into the original content game, there's a lot of TV to sort through. Some of these are worse than others; of some excess Much worse. Luckily, we've done the heavy lifting and taken the guesswork out of it for you. Below are our picks for the best TV shows you can watch in 2024.
after the flood
whatever you think after the flood Well, you're probably wrong—or at least missing a big part of the series' appeal. After flash flooding left much of the town of Waterside, Yorkshire, under water, police officer Joe Marshall (peaky blinders'Sophie Rundle) is called to a parking garage, where the body of a man is found trapped in an elevator, possibly drowned. But when authorities discover that the unidentified man died three days before the flood, she will do whatever it takes to keep the body named at the morgue. When she makes the very poor decision to enter her DNA into a genealogy database, she discovers that the man who was definitely breathing 72 hours ago has supposedly been dead for years. For Jo, who is just weeks away from giving birth, it's a race to find the killer before motherhood arrives. And, in doing so, discovers that everyone – even the people closest to her – are not who they say they are. Good news for those who see this: after the flood Has already been renewed for a second season.
criminal record
Peter Capaldi stars as Daniel Hegarty, a veteran detective nearing the end of an impressive career whose legacy may be at stake. When an anonymous tipster delivers some shocking information that casts doubt on the verdict in a high-profile, decades-old case that Hegarty worked on, he wants to imagine he got everything right the first time. What he wasn't counting on was Detective June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) getting the same information and retracing Hegarty's steps, which puts the two at extreme odds. Capaldi, always charming, has found a wonderful companion in Jumbo. Work on a second season is already underway.
detroit to diara
Diarra Brickland (Diarra Kilpatrick) is a teacher coming off a painful divorce who finally feels like she might be ready to re-enter the dating scene — or at least have a little fun on Tinder. Is. What she wasn't expecting was to find Chris (Shannon Wallace), a man with serious soulmate potential. When he completely stops hearing from her after they spend a wonderful night together, Diarra insists that he must have just disappeared, because there's no way he could get over her… right? Her closest friends are skeptical, but Diarra goes all out to find her man – and soon finds herself entangled in Detroit's increasingly dangerous criminal underworld. Did we mention it's a comedy? Kilpatrick is a force of nature in this BET+ series, which she created and produced (with Kenya Barris).
lost boys and fairies
We know that Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer isn't the last word on quality. but it says something like this lost boys and fairies It has a perfect 100 percent score (based on reviews from only a half-dozen critics, but still). After being together for almost a decade, Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young) and Andy (Fra Fei) decide they're ready to take the leap into parenthood. But as they officially begin the adoption process, Gabe—whose own childhood was marked by trauma due to the death of his mother and a strained relationship with his gay father—worries that he will fail to be a loving parent. May not be capable or worthy of becoming a father. , It's a powerful, poignant reminder that the ties that bind us can also break us.
Search
Even if you weren't paying attention during third grade history class, you probably know the basics about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. But Search Service-level is not about history; Quite the opposite. This shows the lengths to which Lincoln's close friend and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) went to capture Booth. Series creator Monica Beletsky, who previously served as writer-producer Fargo, the leftovers, parenthoodAnd Friday night LightsIt is meticulous in its approach to getting the details right (which will surely delight any presidential history buff).
maryland
Becca (Suranne Jones) and Rosalyn (Eve Best) were once close sisters, who have become separated over the years as time, place and circumstances have changed both of them. When their mother is suddenly found dead on the Isle of Man, they must come together – even if only briefly – to identify her body and transport it back to Great Britain, where their father is waiting for her. Are. While both sisters are confused as to what their mother was doing on the island, they soon learn of the many buried chapters of their mother's history that brought them to this place. Jones (gentleman jack) and best (dragon house) are never better than when it's just those two sisters, for better or for worse.
monsieur spade
Sam Spade-Dashiell joins a long list of formidable actors, from Clive Owen, Humphrey Bogart to Tom Wilkinson, to play Hammett's famous private detective. In this case, monsieur spade Takes place in the early 1960s, two decades after the events of Maltese FalconAnd Spade has decided to retire to the picturesque town of Bozouls in the south of France. But when a group of nuns are brutally murdered at a nearby convent, Spade must once again don his detective hat to solve the crime.
my lady jane
With a tone that is somewhat reminiscent of GreatGemma Burgess' my lady jane Reimagines the life of Lady Jane Gray (Emily Bader) through a somewhat supernatural lens. Yes, in this version of 16th century England, shape-shifters abound – which only adds to the weirdness. However, at its heart, my lady jane It is about the budding romance between Jane and Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), to whom Jane's mother has arranged her marriage. Sadly, we'll only get eight episodes of this series, as Amazon announced its cancellation after just one great season.
Pradeep of Pittsburgh
lost Star Naveen Andrews gets a chance to use his brilliant comedic style in this hilarious tale of the American dream gone wrong. When a brilliant business opportunity presents itself, Mahesh (Andrews), head of the Pradeep family, moves his family from India to America, where culture shock is the least of his problems. By the time we meet the family, they've been living in Pittsburgh for two years – and are telling their story to a pair of federal agents (Pete Holmes and Romy Rosemont) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, because they're also Possibly suspected of burning down the house of their nosy neighbors (Megan Hilty and Ethan Suplee). The most surprising thing is that the story is partly based on the real life of producer Vijal Patel.
Sugar
The small screen has been good to Colin Farrell this year, especially with the success of penguinBut five months before reprising his role as Oz Cobb, the Oscar-nominated actor turned neo-noir SugarThe stylish crime-drama stars Farrell as John Sugar, a private detective who is hired to investigate the disappearance of the granddaughter of a major Hollywood producer while battling some of his own personal demons. If you've heard anything about the show, you probably know that it has a twist (more than one of those, actually). A second season has already been confirmed.
Renegade Nell
Sally Wainwright has never been known as a creator of “family-friendly” food – unless your kids think that's worth watching TV on repeat. happy Valley This is an all ages issue. But that's the creative force behind it Renegade Nell You can understand it only after watching the first episode. After being convicted of murder, Nell Jackson (Louisa Harland) becomes one of England's most feared highwaywomen. Of course, it's all a hoax, but Nell realizes that the best way to clear her name is to lean into the notoriety around her and have a little fun with it. Harland is a joy to watch (even when you know there's no season 2 on the menu).