Steven Prusakowski
In less than 24 hours the nominations for the 76th Emmy Awards will be announced. Before the focus shifts completely to the select few who will be honored by the Television Academy, the Awards Radar TV team has compiled a list of the Best TV Series from the first half of 2024. Each selection deserves your attention, no matter if they earn nominations, or not. The list (presented in alphabetical order) has quite an array of series that take us across genres, universes, mediums, and time periods.
Use this as a reminder to check out our numerous Emmy FYCs and interviews where we celebrate and explore many of these series and the people behind them in much more thoroughly. Interviews take lives of their own providing insights into the craft and the artist: actresses, actors, directors, hair stylists, production designers, writers, makeup artists and so many more speaking with our team to tell the behind-the-scenes story of what really goes into the series we know and love… and others you should definitely give a try.
Below is our list of series we recommend you check out. If your favorite did not make the list, write your own commentary in the comments section. Also be sure to check out my Emmy Predictions, which are pretty much locked in at this point, but do not be surprised if there is a last minute change in the middle of the night. With so many worthy contenders a few surprises will certainly be coming our way.
3 BODY PROBLEM (Netflix)
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, with Alexander Woo, have decided to tackle another ‘unadaptable’ intellectual property in bringing Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of the Earth’s Past trilogy to the screen. While often presenting complex ideas through elaborate, larger-than-life sequences, their mastery of Cixin’s science-fiction concepts is second to none. His ambitious storytelling becomes easily digestible, with riveting performances from Eiza Gonzalez, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, and Alex Sharp keeping us invested in the story’s deeply human core (and stakes). It takes a miracle to nail one of the most revered science-fiction authors, who, before the series, hasn’t had an adaptation worthy of the scale he deserves. But the trio have pulled off the impossible, and I’m eager to see what they have in store for us with seasons two and three. – Maxance Vincent
BABY REINDEER (Netflix)
The autobiographical television series is not a new phenomenon, but it is safe to say we have never received something quite as vulnerable as Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer. Gadd could never have known he was making one of the biggest series of 2024 when he first began to artfully peel back his life’s greatest traumas. What begins as an unsettling stalker story soon transforms into a profound excavation of sexual identity, the creative process, and human connection. And even as Baby Reindeer slips deeper and deeper into the darkness of Gadd’s past, it maintains a clever sense of humor that makes it so shockingly joyous to watch. – Cory Stillman
DOCTOR WHO (Disney+)
Ncuti Gatwa has finally been given a chance to shine as the Fifteenth Doctor in a brand-new season of Doctor Who. The first installment of the classic series distributed through Disney+ included plenty of material to enjoy, including the puzzling mystery surrounding the origin of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). And that’s not where the action stopped. Across multiple planets and different time periods, audiences finally got to know the kind of person the Fifteenth Doctor is. Yes, he has elements from all the previous versions of the Time Lord the world knows and loves. But his flirty attitude and undefeated optimism assures people that Doctor Who remains in good hands. – Diego Peralta
EXPATS (Prime Video)
Based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s 2016 novel, The Expatriates, Lulu Wang threads together a multifaceted portrait of three Americans living in Hong Kong. Led by the nuanced and exhilarating performances of Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-young Yoo, the trio is connected by a traumatic event that is unraveled in meticulous detail. Over just six episodes, Expats is enriched by a cinematic exploration of grief and cultural displacement that demonstrates the skillful sensibility that Lulu Wang exhibits in her first opportunity as a showrunner.
HACKS (Max)
Hacks has been one of the best shows on television since it first premiered in 2021, and its third season only further cemented it as one of the most urgent pieces of television today. The show is uniquely plugged into some of our generation’s most compelling and complex cultural conversations, consistently finding hilarious ways to tease those discussions out via Ava and Deborah. We already knew legendary actress Jean Smart was deserving of the acclaim she and the series have gotten, but Hannah Einbinder seriously ups her game in the most recent season of Hacks, and the show is even better for it. And with the dramatic stakes heightened even further for season four, Hacks is showing no signs of slowing down. – Cory Stillman
INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE (AMC)
I cannot express how enthused I am that season two of Interview with the Vampire is getting the flowers it deserves. The continued development of the relationship between Louis and Claudia in postwar Europe is just as well-written as the first season; Jacob Anderson, Delainey Hayles, and especially Assad Zaman are given the chance to flaunt their acting chops. Gay vampires are back in a big way, and Interview with the Vampire season two solidified that.
MR. AND MRS, SMITH (Prime Video)
This series is shrouded in mystery, where even its main characters John and Jane Smith (played by Glover and Maya Erskine) are more in the dark about each other than the audience is about them. The series about the spies expands to being much more and does so with style. The task of the week approach not only keeps thing fresh, it also allows for a list of wonderful guest stars to enjoy (Ron Pearlman, Parker Posey, John Turtoro, and more.) It is dark, funny and sexy while it explores marriage in a way that casts a spotlight on the challenges it can bring, even for those in the middle of a deadly espionage ring. Mr. and Mrs. Smith was one of the year’s biggest surprises to date. As the details are revealed each one left us wanting more, especially after the cliffhanger ending that puts everything viewers witnessed across the rollercoaster first season in peril.
PALM ROYALE (Apple TV+)
One of my favorite series of the season was the dark comedy/whodunit Apple TV+’s Palm Royale. The cinematographers, Todd McMullen and David Lazenberg, respectfully aid in the show’s lush, irresistible style, recreating the late 60s and early 70s high society while showcasing the lives of the people who live on the fringes of that world. Kristen Wiig steals the show as Maxine Simmons, a former beauty pageant contestant, turned Delacourt via marriage. Supporting players like Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, and Ricky Martin give the show some levity and heart, specifically Ricky Martin, who plays a closeted bartender who wants to live in his truth during a time when he’s unable to. You can watch my interview with Ricky Martin here. Overall, I think Palm Royale should get more love, and hopefully, it’ll attract a strong viewership since it was recently renewed for another season.
REN FAIRE (HBO)
Even with so many great television shows emerging in 2024, it is safe to say that a Succesion-sized hole has lingered in many of our hearts over the past year. Fortunately, Lance Oppenheim’s brilliant docuseries Ren Faire satisfies our craving for a toxic power struggle with Shakespearean undertones. Of course, the show is even more ludicrous than its HBO ancestor, bringing viewers into the cutthroat environment of the Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest of its kind in the United States. Ren Faire is gorgeously shot and jam-packed with jaw-dropping moments, making it all the more unbelievable that all of this actually happened. – Cory Stillman
RIPLEY (Netflix)
Despite many previous adaptations of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, multiple components of Steven Zaillian’s Netflix mini- series Ripley allow it to stand out from the crowd. The mini-series features eight episodes of the titular con man weaving his way through a series of lies and
duplicitous acts that are made even more believable by the chameleonic Andrew Scott. Captured in striking black and white photography by the great Robert Elswit, Tom Ripley is the centerpiece of an alluring character study that navigates much more than initially meets the eye.
SHOGUN (FX)
It only takes minutes of watching Shōgun to realize you are watching something special. The scale the series is undeniable, a massive world full of luscious visuals and richly defined, layered characters that take us back to 17th-century Japan told with an authenticity unlike anything before it. It is part warring chess match, part romance and much more which unfolds in a way that keeps audiences captivated and guessing from start to finish. Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) and Lord Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asanu) each have enough depth to build entire series around them. Instead the FX series pulls off the more incredibly challenging task of balancing them all while telling the stories of dozens more. James Clavell’s novel provides the basis for the amazing storytelling which really comes to life on screens thanks to the amazing attend to detail across the board. The series draws you in quickly, but its ability to keep you mesmerized right until the last seconds with its faceted storytelling is why it is a true standout.
SMILING FRIENDS (Adult Swim)
After a smash-hit first season, and a stellar April Fools fake-out, the second season of Smiling Friends had some big shoes to fill. Luckily, Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack maintain the charm of the first season with even more experimentation with animation styles and live-action blending. It’s still just as funny as ever– the season premiere with the legend, icon, and star Gwimbly proved that pretty conclusively. Smiling Friends remains a fantastic example of just how fun and versatile the medium of animation can be.
THE GENTLEMEN (Netflix)
Guy Ritchie’s first foray into television is a deliciously slick and darkly hilarious continuation of the world he introduced in his 2020 feature film, though with a more deliberate rhythm than the movie. Staggeringly shot and intricately edited, Theo James and Kaya Scodelario give career-best performances as Eddie Horniman and Susie Glass, and their chemistry fires on all cylinders. Special mention to Daniel Ings, whose chicken scene may be the best thing Guy Ritchie has ever brought to life and captured with his camera. – Maxance Vincent
THE SYMPATHIZER (HBO)
When Park Chan-Wook has a new project, you pay attention. And when that new project is an HBO/A24 co-production adapting a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, you pay a little extra attention. With such pedigree attached — did I mention Robert Downey Jr. co-stars and produces the miniseries as well? — The Sympathizer makes good on all that promise by delivering one of the year’s most stylish, unpredictable, and thought-provoking finales. Other highlights include a clever Apocalypse Now parody and a star-making lead performance from Hoa Xuande. You’ve never seen the Vietnam War like this before. – Cory Stillman
UNDER THE BRIDGE (Hulu)
More people should be talking about Under the Bridge. The Hulu-original series is a true crime story of the 1997 killing of Reena Virk, a 14-year-old who sought out acceptance from the wrong girls and wound up paying the ultimate price. It’s a heartbreaking series that deftly tackles classism, racism, culture clashes, and the justice system. The standout performer in this series is actress and Emmy winner Archie Panjabi, who gives an incredible performance as Suman Virk, the mother of Reena. She spends half of the series going through a range of emotions in her grief, from quiet restraint to rage to forgiveness. Some of the most exciting work in the series is watching Panjabi as Suman trying to understand a daughter, who she sees as a stranger in her home, as Reena distances herself from her own culture in place in favor of fitting in with the crowd. It’s a nuanced performance. – Niki Cruz
X-MEN ’97 (Disney+)
Marvel Studios’ first X-Men-related project is the best television series of the year. I’m doubtful anything will top this visually audacious, thematically bold revival of X-Men: The Animated Series that gave us a glimpse into how the studio would handle mutants within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The characters are not only treated with the utmost care and respect from the original source material, but the overarching story hits even harder when mirrored with the social issues of our time, something Stan Lee has reflected in his X-Men ever since its creation. – Maxance Vincent
Add your favorites in the comments section below.
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