There are two kinds of great television shows: the kind that millions of people watch and talk about, and the kind that never quite fit into the larger cultural dialogue. In the latter case, it is not due to a lack of worthiness. It’s just that not every great TV series finds its fan base.
So you could be forgiven for missing any – if not all – of the best series that premiered last year. After all, with countless networks in various formats (broadcast, cable, streaming, and others) all looking to get into the original content game, there’s a lot of television to sort through. Some of these are worse than others; some of it much worse. Luckily, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you and taken the guesswork out of it. Below are our picks for the best TV shows you may have missed in 2024.
After the Flood
Whatever you think After the Flood That means you’re probably wrong – or at least you’re missing a big part of the series’ appeal. Police officer Jo Marshall (Peaky Blinders“Sophie Rundle) is called to a parking garage where the body of a man is found, trapped in an elevator, presumed to have drowned. But when the authorities learn that the unknown man was killed three days before the flood, Jo will do anything to give the body in the morgue a name. When she makes the very bad decision of entering his DNA into an ancestry database, she learns that the man who was breathing 72 hours ago has supposedly been dead for years. For Jo, just weeks away from giving birth to her child, it’s a race to find the killer before she becomes a mother. And along the way, she discovers that not everyone – even those closest to her – is who they say they are. Good news for those watching: After the Flood has already been renewed for a second season.
Criminal record
Peter Capaldi plays opposite type Daniel Hegarty, a veteran detective nearing the end of an impressive career and whose legacy may be at stake. When an anonymous tipster provides shocking information that calls into question the verdict in a high-profile, decades-old case Hegarty worked on, he chooses to believe he got it right the first time. What he didn’t expect was that Detective June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) received the same information and set out to retrace Hegarty’s trail, which brings the two into extreme conflict. The always captivating Capaldi has found a wonderful sparring partner in Jumbo. A second season is already in the works.
Diarra from Detroit
Diarra Brickland (Diarra Kilpatrick) is a teacher who’s been through a painful divorce and finally feels like she’s ready to get back into the dating scene – or at least have a little fun on Tinder. What she didn’t expect was Chris (Shannon Wallace), a man with serious soulmate potential. When she doesn’t hear from him at all after a wonderful night together, Diarra insists that he must be gone because there’s no way he’d ghost her…right? Her closest friends are skeptical, but Diarra does everything she can to find her man – and soon finds herself entangled in Detroit’s extremely dangerous criminal underworld. Did we mention it’s a comedy? Kilpatrick is a force of nature in this BET+ series, which she creates and produces (along with Kenya Barris).
Lost boys and fairies
We know that Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer isn’t the final word on quality. But it says something that Lost boys and fairies has a perfect 100 percent rating (based on just half a dozen reviews, but still). After nearly a decade together, Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young) and Andy (Fra Fee) decide they are ready to take the plunge into parenthood. But as they officially begin the adoption process, Gabe, whose own childhood was traumatized by the death of his mother and a strained relationship with his homophobic father, fears that he may not be capable or worthy of being a loving parent. It is a powerful and poignant reminder that the bonds that bind us can also break us.
Manhunt
Even if you didn’t pay attention in third grade history class, you probably know the basics of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. But Manhunt it’s not about service level history; quite the opposite. It 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 worked as a writer and producer Fargo, The leftovers, ParenthoodAnd Friday Night LightsShe is meticulous in getting the details just right (which is sure to please any presidential history buff).
Maryland
Becca (Suranne Jones) and Rosaline (Eve Best) are once close sisters who have grown apart over the years as time, space and circumstances have changed them both. When her mother is suddenly found dead on the Isle of Man, they must come together – albeit briefly – to identify her body and have her transported back to Britain, where her father is waiting for her. While both sisters are unsure of what their mother was even doing on the island, they soon learn of the many buried chapters in their mother’s story that brought them to this place. Jones (Gentleman Jack) and Best (House of the Dragon) are never better than when it’s just the two of them and they’re sisters, for better or worse.
Mr. Spade
Clive Owen joins a long list of impressive actors, from Humphrey Bogart to Tom Wilkinson, taking on the role of Sam Spade – Dashiell Hammett’s famous private detective. In this case, Mr. Spade takes place in the early 1960s, two decades after the events of The Maltese Falconand Spade has decided to retreat to the picturesque town of Bozouls in the south of France. But when a group of nuns are brutally murdered in a nearby monastery, Spade must once again put on his detective hat to solve the crime.
My Lady Jane
With a tone that is a little reminiscent of The greatGemma Burgess My Lady Jane reimagines the life of Lady Jane Gray (Emily Bader) from a somewhat supernatural perspective. Yes, there are a lot of shapeshifters in this version of 16th century England – which only adds to the weirdness. In essence, however My Lady Jane is about the budding romance between Jane and Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), whom Jane’s mother has arranged for her to marry. Unfortunately, we will only get eight episodes of this series as Amazon announced its cancellation after just one fabulous season.
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh
Lost Star Naveen Andrews brings his outstanding comedic talent to bear in this darkly humorous tale of the failed American dream. When a seemingly great business opportunity arises, the Pradeep family patriarch Mahesh (Andrews) moves his family from India to America, where culture shock is the least of their problems. When we meet the family, they have 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, as they are also suspected of possibly running their snooty house Neighbors (Megan Hilty and Ethan Suplee) burned down. The most amazing thing is that the story is partly based on the real life of creator Vijal Patel.
Sugar
The small screen has been good for Colin Farrell this year, especially with the success of The penguin. But five months before reprising his role as Oz Cobb, the Oscar-nominated actor opted for neo-noir Sugar. In the stylish crime drama, Farrell plays John Sugar, a private investigator who is hired to investigate the disappearance of a major Hollywood producer’s granddaughter, while also battling some of his own demons. If you’ve heard anything about the series, you probably know that there’s a twist (more than one of them, actually). A second season has already been confirmed.
Renegade Nell
Sally Wainwright has never been known as the creator of “family-friendly” meals – unless your kids think that’s binge-watching Happy valley is an affair for all ages. But that she is the creative force behind it Renegade Nell makes sense if you even watch the first episode. Nell Jackson (Louisa Harland) is charged with murder and becomes one of England’s most feared highwaymen. It’s all a bluff, of course, but Nell realizes that the best way to clear her name is to embrace the celebrity surrounding her and have a little fun with it. Harland is a joy to watch (even knowing there’s no second season on the menu).
