It was a good year for debut TV series. In narrowing it down to my top five, I focused on the shows that I kept thinking about long after the credits and couldn’t wait to play the next episode. In other words, they’re not only well crafted and bingeworthy but memorable. They are:
5. “The Day of the Jackal” (Peacock)—Action, drama, set in gorgeous locations, and Eddie Redmayne (“Fantastic Beasts” and “The Danish Girl”) playing the world’s deadliest assassin. What’s not to like? The hunts are thrilling. It’s regularly tense because, like in “Dexter,” you’re hoping the killer doesn’t get caught. Plus, the agent on his tail (Lashana Lynch) is so unlikeable, he doesn’t seem so bad. Then he murders an innocent bystander, and you feel weird about your support. But man, it’s tough to stop after just one episode.
The series has been renewed for a second season.
4. “Fallout” (Prime Video)—A successful adaptation of a popular video game franchise, “Fallout” totally owns its source material as it shows a world forever altered by a nuclear war. While some populations keep society going in underground vaults, others try to survive in the wild up on Earth’s surface. It’s chock-full of weird, comical and obviously deadly characters. So when Lucy (Ella Purnell) departs the bunker to find her father, it’s a crazy journey you can’t look away from. It stays true to the video games, while requiring no prior knowledge for the audience to love it.
The series has been renewed for a second season.
3. “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (Prime Video)—Not your typical romantic comedy, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” are a couple of assassins whose cover is being married to one another. But in the highs and lows of their work, they begin to develop a real connection. The writing is charming, and the chemistry between John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) Smith is off the charts. I absolutely adored the back and forth. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously with its wild premise, and it uses it to take an honest look at the complexities of millennial relationships.
The series has been renewed for a second season.
2. “True Detective: Night Country” (Max)—After an amazing first season, “True Detective” had a couple forgettable seasons, then took several years off. The fourth season was worth the wait. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis investigate the mysterious disappearance of eight men from an Alaskan research station. With eerie supernatural vibes, the atmospheric frozen tundra is a character itself, its long polar night hiding mysteries and native lore filled with murder. Foster won her first Emmy for her performance, playing the damaged but dedicated police chief.
There will be a season 5.
1. “Shogun” (FX/Hulu) – Deserving of its record 18 Emmy wins this year, “Shogun” is truly epic. It takes viewers to another time in beautifully detailed 17th century Japan, and you don’t have to be a history major to follow along and enjoy it. So many different and complex characters are looking for their place in the country’s changing power structure. The set pieces, props and outfits are authentic, and they even speak period accurate Japanese. It’s stunning to behold, powerfully acted and brutal in the era’s violence.
The series has been renewed for a second season.
Scott’s top five movies of 2024
I love a good story, especially in the form of a good movie. Whether because it’s beautifully filmed, the script is wildly creative, or powerful acting makes me feel all sorts of things—whatever it is, these are my top 5 movies of 2024.
5. “Challengers”—Honestly, I’m surprised to be starting my list with this, but for some reason, this movie still pops in my head. Led by memorable sexual chemistry between a talented young trio—Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist—it’s more than just a tennis story. The film is just so well crafted and different from the standard Hollywood love triangle. It brings a unique energy and tremendous pacing, and it shows the dark side of competition—how the power, the rush from winning extends beyond the tennis court and into all aspects of life.
4. “A Real Pain”—Two Jewish cousins—David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin)—travel to Poland to honor their holocaust survivor grandmother’s roots. While touring the pain of that time in history, they’re confronted with their own pain—a reminder that everyone is going through something and we deal with it in different ways. Culkin is absolutely incredible, and the script is charming, hilarious and heartbreaking. All the feels, please.
3. “Ghostlight”—A depressed construction worker finds himself pulled into a community theatre production that coincidentally mirrors the grief he is so resistant to experience with his family that’s still reeling from the loss of his son. Raw, real—this one explores how we handle loss and the importance of community. I was tearing up while watching this on a plane. It was beautiful.
2. “Conclave”—When the Pope dies, the process begins to select his replacement. The premise sounds dry and boring, yet the film is anything but. It’s super suspenseful, and a reminder that even the most respected religious figures are flawed human beings. But by whose standards? Ralph Fiennes nails it as the cardinal in charge of the papal conclave, and the thoughtful script will stay with you, with a lot to say about mankind and the things we condemn.
1. “Anora”—It’s crude—full of sex, drugs and vulgarity—but nothing captured me in 2024 like Annie’s “love” story. All of the acting is awesome, with standout characters, but Mikey Madison shines playing the exotic dancer Annie (Anora) whose newest customer is the immature son of a Russian billionaire. A Vegas wedding later, and the real adventure begins. I love that it resists the fairy-tale cliche of the underprivileged damsel being rescued by the favored rich dude. You never know where this story is headed—but boy, what a ride it is.
Scott McDaniel is a department chair and assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
