My gut take on the TV shows that I watched this year is that there just was not as many shows that I loved unconditionally… but I still have a top fifteen worth sharing!

1. Mr. Scorsese (Apple)

Is it a little too obvious for my favourite TV show of the year to be a documentary about one of my all time favourite directors? I watched this 5 part, 283 minute documentary across two sittings on the same day and despite there being only a few snippets that were new to me I still loved it.

Ultimately it is a fairly straightforward documentary that takes you through Martin Scorsese’s career in chronological order with great insights from people he grew up around and those he worked with. There are some eye opening personal accounts into just how realistic the likes of Mean Streets and Goodfellas are from those who grew up in the streets with Scorsese and some really personal and heartfelt appearances from some of his wives (5) and daughters (3).

One thing that it does make absolutely clear is Scorsese’s phenomenal love and knowledge of film and the tireless efforts he puts into not just his own projects but the act of preserving film for future generations.

I really recommend anyone with an interest in film to give this a go. And of course please take a look at my feature on Scorsese if you want to see my reviews of his films and thoughts on his career here – Martin Scorsese Retrospective

2. Andor – Season 2 (Disney+)

Back in 2022 I said that Andor was the best Star Wars TV show to exist and that it was the best thing to happen to Star Wars since The Last Jedi. This is all still true. After a three year gap Tony Gilroy has returned to complete his Andor story and it is a brilliant achievement.

There are so many fascinating and well fleshed out character storylines that it would be hard to single any out as the stars of the show. You have Imperial Officer Dedra Meero’s (Denise Gough) relationship with the brow beaten Syril Karn (Kyler Soller) making you empathise with the villains. There is Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skarsgard) parental relationship with Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) in which the daughter takes the lead this season and makes the greatest of sacrifices. Then there is Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) transformation from senator to rebel leader. And finally Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) relationship with Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) which we know is doomed and yet still root for. Every single one of them feels real and believable in their own personal searches for how to fight or serve the Empire.

The other refreshing thing about Andor is that this is a story that has an ending, a rare thing in an industry searching for the next season of TV. Gilroy conceived a story that brought us to the beginning of the film Rogue One and he delivered it with absolute aplomb.

3. Alien: Earth (Disney+)

Anyone familiar with this blog will know that I rate Noah Hawley’s Fargo TV series as one of the greatest shows I have ever seen, so I was super intrigued as to what he would bring to one of the franchises that I have a particular affinity for.

Set in 2120 the first hurdle that he juggles well for the most part is when the film is set. Taking place after Prometheus and Covenant but prior to the Alien films themselves it does a good job of explaining how it can exist without damaging the plotting of the other stories. From here he manages to deliver almost everything with complete success.

There are so many things to love…

• The idea that Earth is now run by five all powerful corporations feels strangely likely and the power politics between them is expertly portrayed, including the inherent megalomania that their leaders have
• The differentiation between Cyborgs (enhanced humans), Synthetics (completely artificial robots with artificial intelligence) and Hybrids (Synthetic bodies with human consciousness inserted into them)
• The fact that the focus is on the meaning of being human and the variants of synthetic life enable that lens to be enhanced more
• All of the allusions to Peter Pan’s Lost Boys
• The new dangerous creatures introduced – The Tick, The Eye, The Orchid and The Fly – all of whom get a chance to show quite how deadly they are, but The Eye almost warranting its own show
• Episode 5 – “In Space, No One…” is one of the single best episodes of TV made in the horror genre and felt like a mini remake of the original Alien film
• The performances, specifically from Adrian Edmondson, Timothy Olyphant and Babou Ceesay are all pretty great

There are flaws though, after episode 5’s brilliance it actually struggles to recover in episodes 6-8. Especially as it has to chase another season with a not entirely satisfying ending leaving threads open for a return. It also decides to show far too much of the xenomorph in those final episodes in broad daylight making the “man in a suit” effects rather obvious.

Hopefully Hawley can continue to deliver in any new seasons.

4. Slow Horses – Series 5 (Apple)

Slow Horses has been genuinely brilliant for 5 series and 30 episodes and counting. The fact that all of those episodes have released since April 2022 is a rare feat in this day and age as well. That is essentially the same length of time between Stranger Things Season 4 & 5 opening episodes arriving on our screens.

This series gives tech wizard and definite incel Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) a bit more time to shine (well in his terms anyway) and peels back some more layers on Jackson Lamb’s (Gary Oldman) history.

The great news is that series 6 has already completed filming and series 7 has been green lit. If they can keep up this pace they will run out of books to adapt fairly soon so it will be interesting to see if they then decide to move to original material.

5. Creature Commandos (Sky)

This small seven part animated series happened to be the very first project from DC Comics brand new universe. James Gunn’s first “chapter” of the DCU is titled “Gods & Monsters” and this series fits the remit very aptly.

Essentially this is another Dirty Dozen homage/rip-off where a group of expendables are brought together to perform an off the books impossible mission. The lead characters here include The Bride of Frankenstein, a nazi killing robot, an aquatic mutant who needs to wear a water suit, a weasel and a man made of lethal phosphorous. Each episode provides both an origin story for a main character and a continuation of the over arching plot to prevent the Amazonian sorceress Circe killing a world leader.

The reason it is so great is simply for its hilarious comedy and focus on fun. Each episode is around 22 minutes long with the entire series coming in under 3 hours making it something you could easily watch in a single evening. Something I would highly recommend.

6. Chad Powers (Disney+)

This was my biggest surprise of the year and something that I was not particularly fussed about watching until I myself received a recommendation to watch the show.

Chad Powers is essentially Mrs. Doubtfire meets Ted Lasso. The plot follows Russ Holliday (Glen Powell) who is an arrogant former star quarterback for a college football team. Holliday has started to regret his mistakes and miss playing the game. Deciding to steal his father’s film prosthetics he transforms himself into Chad Powers and tries out for another college football team.

The result is rather endearing. Watching the arrogant Holliday transform into the kind and considerate Powers is a lot of fun. Whilst the relationships he begins to build with the team mascot and coaches show that perhaps Holliday is transforming for the better overall.

Clearly you cannot get hung up too much on the feasibility of such a stunt and focus on the comedy and charm. And again this one benefits from being just 6 episodes of approximately half an hour each. Making it another binge worthy comedy.

7. Silo – Season 2 (Apple)

Back in 2023 I rated season 1 of Silo in my top 10 shows and its follow up gets a similar accolade.

I was incredibly pleased to see that the show was not entirely faithful to some facets of the book and carved out its own way to some extent. It certainly retains the key elements needed for the fascinating plot without getting bogged down in some rather uncinematic elements that feel like they would only work in a book.

Rebecca Ferguson is perfect as our lead character and in this season she is joined by Steve Zahn who plays the mysterious Solo.

The great news is that Apple have renewed Silo for a season 3 & 4 in order to wrap up the story completely rather than continue to add season after season.

8. Black Doves (Netflix)

One of the themes of shows that I have enjoyed this year is that they have had lower episode counts and tighter more complete plots. Black Doves is another 6 part show, this time with episodes around 55 minutes long. This one does leave it open for the possibility of a series 2 but not at the expense of actually completing the main storylines in play this series.

Black Doves’ trump card is its lead duo of Keira Knightley and Ben Wishaw who play hard edged spies with soft underbellies superbly well. Knightley in particular is quite brilliant as someone who has invested rather deeply in her cover story and is prepared to do anything to keep her interests alive.

Another very moreish show that makes you want to hit that “next episode” button.

9. The Last of Us – Season 2 (Sky)

For me the biggest mistake for The Last of Us Season 2 is that it only shows Ellie’s (Bella Ramsay) story, making us wait possibly another 2 years to see Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever). Otherwise it is a superb run of 7 episodes that is filled with both horrific and beautiful moments.

Episode 2 – “Through The Valley” features the moment that everyone who has played the game will be waiting for. But it was Episode 6 – “The Price” featuring a range of flashbacks that will break your hearts.

From a casting perspective the additions of Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever and Catherine O’Hara add some fantastic range and differing character perspectives. Whilst Joe Pantoliano’s cameo is really special.

The announcement that the creator of the game Neil Druckmann is leaving the show in the hands of Craig Mazin does ring some alarm bells for season 3 but fingers crossed the pathway has been set in such a way we get the finale to the game story that it deserves.

10. Peacemaker – Season 2 (Sky)

Another entry from the new DC Universe and another comedy.

Peacemaker (John Cena) finds a way to a parallel universe and starts to debate whether his universe would be better off without him. In the meantime all of his friends try to find a way to show him that he is valued where he is.

The secret to this show’s success is that it manages to merge absolutely dumb, stupid and crazy plotlines and characters with the warming touch of friendships helping people manage the difficulties that life throws at them. But mostly it is about laughing yourself silly at the running joke that new character Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows) has a condition called “Bird Blindness” and cannot tell the difference between bird species!

One of the greatest lines uttered in all television this year being, “A fu**ing duck attacked me.”

11. The Studio (Apple)

A self reverential TV show about a film studio that features actors and directors playing themselves as they try to get fictional films made at a fictional studio. This one was definitely for me.

As Episode 2 – “The Oner” begins and you realise that the episode is going to be a “oner” you will know whether or not you are going to love this or not.

Seth Rogen leads the chaotic show brilliantly in his inimitable style and is joined by Ike Barenholtz (thank you Sal Saperstein!), Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara and Chase Sui Wonders as the dream team of producers trying to make the next big feature. But it is probably the cameos by the likes of Dave Franco, Zoe Kravitz, Ron Howard and many more as themselves that will give you the biggest laughs.

By the time that Bryan Cranston appears in an hilarious homage to “A Weekend at Bernies” you will be wondering how they can follow this up with a 2nd season quite so good.

12. Platonic – Season 1 & 2 (Apple)

Seth Rogen again, this time alongside Rose Byrne as two best friends from college who reconnect when the former goes through a divorce.

Platonic is another frantic comedy from Seth Rogen which mixes bizarre situations with real life struggles. Byrne’s character is happily married with children and has to juggle all the complexities that involves whilst her newly single friend drags her into crazy adventures.

If you are going through a mid life crisis consider this a guide of what not to do.

13. The Bear – Season 3 & 4 (Disney+)

The Bear seasons 1 & 2 were absolutely sublime. Full of high intensity both in terms of emotional turmoil and kitchen drama. The issue with seasons 3 & 4 (which I somehow managed to bookend my TV watching year with) is that they just re-tread the same stories with the characters seemingly treading water repeating the same emotional issues. Realistic as that may be it does not make for satisfying viewing.

Technically everything is still phenomenal. The use of music throughout, the occasional feature length episode that really dives deep into the subject matter, the intensity and the acting. It just occasionally feels like more of the same.

14. Here We Go – Series 1 – 3 (BBC)

Here We Go is a show that we found whilst trying to find suitable family viewing that would keep everyone entertained. It is a superb little slice of life BBC sitcom shot from the perspective of a teenager who avidly documents his family’s life on camera.

So far there has been a pilot episode released in 2020 focused on the pandemic, a Christmas special (slotting in between the first 2 series ) and 3 series of the show amounting to a total of 21 episodes of chaotic family fun.

The main draw here for me is the relationship between Paul and Rachel played by Jim Howick (who also starred in the wonderful Ghosts) and Katherine Parkinson (most famous for the IT Crowd).

Creator Tom Basden who co-stars also released the brilliant The Ballad Of Wallis Island this year.

15. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney+)

A group of kids on a sheltered and hidden planet in the Star Wars Universe find themselves on a pirate ship with a robot with memory issues and a scoundrel played by Jude Law who may or may not be trustworthy.

Skeleton Crew gets lots of points for a great performance from Jude Law and being a Star Wars story that just wants to have fun rather than be some important part of the lore of the bigger story. There are also lots of shades of grey rather than dark and light in the rip roaring adventures the kids find themselves on. The child actors are not always brilliant but the sum of its parts keeps things going.

Goonies in space is a bit too simplistic but you get the idea in terms of the fun it is aiming for.

And What About..?

Here are some more shows that I wanted to mention for one reason or another…

• Mythic Quest – Season 4 (Apple)

Mythic Quest was exceptional for two seasons before having a massive dip in quality. Here they seem to have started to get their mojo back, although the ending was a slight disappointment. Well worth a watch just for episode 4 where they have a Knives Out / Agatha Christie murder mystery and episode 8 which is the single episode that they do each season that feels only tangentially related to the overall plot and turns out to be genius.

• The Wheel of Time – Season 3 (Amazon)

In what turns out to be the final season of this now cancelled show the showrunners seemed to finally have worked out how to make it genuinely interesting across all of its many characters and storylines. Rosamund Pike was also consistently fantastic. When the likes of The Rings of Power continues to plod on at Amazon it feels crazy that they can cancel this much better slice of fantasy TV.

• Zero Day – Netflix

Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Mathew Modine, Joan Allen, Lizzy Caplan, Dan Stevens and Connie Britton appear in this Netflix show about an ex-president brought in to investigate a “zero day” virus that wipes out all technology for 1 minute exactly. But after some fantastic conspiracy thriller build up from superb actors we are treated to a terribly damp squib of an ending which felt like it made the rest of the show a little bit fraudulent. A big let down.

• Only Murders in the Building – Season 5 (Disney+)

In 2021 I gave Season 1 of this show a place in my top 10 best shows. In 2024 I lambasted Season 4 as a travesty in comparison to what it once was. Season 5 showed occasional signs of its former glory but as a whole was ultimately terrible. I am not sure I should even waste my time continuing to watch the already announced Season 6.

And Finally… the ones I want to watch but just haven’t got to yet…

So many shows and so little time! These are the shows I really want to watch but haven’t found the time for just yet…

• Invincible – Season 2 & 3 (Amazon)
• Severance – Season 2 (Apple)
• The Witcher – Season 4 (Netflix)
• Stranger Things – Season 5 (Netflix)
• The White Lotus – Season 3 (Sky)

So there we have it, that is my year in the world of the small screen. What was your favourite this year?