There's more TV available than ever, thanks to channels upon channels and streamers upon streamers. Almost every show from the history of the medium is available to watch online, and brand new series are being released all the time, too. The output is so overwhelming that it may seem easier just to stick to what you know. But, if you're looking to try out something new, read on. We've rounded up some of the best shows of 2024 so far, including comedies, sci-fi, dramas, romances, thrillers, and more.
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1 | Baby Reindeer
Ed Miller / NetflixGenre: Drama, thriller, dark comedy
The miniseries Baby Reindeer is based on creator and star Richard Gadd's one-man show of the same name about his own life. The main character, Donny Dunn (Gadd), is a bartender and comedian, who begins being stalked by a woman, Martha (Jessica Gunning), while also dealing with his past experience of being sexually assaulted by a comedy mentor, Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill).
2 | Shōgun
FXGenre: Historical drama
Shōgun is based on the James Clavell book of the same name and is set at the end of the 16th century in Japan when the lines of power are being redefined. The characters are based on real people, such as Japanese shogun, or ruler, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and English explorer William Adams. On the show, these people inspire the characters Lord Yoshii Toranaga and John Blackthorne, played by Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis.
3 | True Detective: Night Country
HBOGenre: Mystery, drama
Each season of the anthology series True Detective stands alone, and this year's True Detective: Night Country makes the separation even clearer by having a new title. This time, the show stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as detectives in Alaska looking into the disappearance of eight men who were working at a remote research station.
4 | Ripley
NetflixGenre: Thriller
Ripley is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was previously adapted into a 1999 film. It's about a man named Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), who infiltrates the life of the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) and becomes obsessed with having his life as his own. Dakota Fanning co-stars as Dickie's girlfriend Marge.
5 | One Day
Matt Towers / NetflixGenre: Drama, romance
One Day is based on the novel by David Nicholls, which checks in on the same two people on the same day in their lives over 20 years. The show begins with Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall) on the day of their graduation from the University of Edinburgh and continues on from there.
6 | Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Amazon Prime VideoGenre: Spy dramedy
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie starred in the movie version nearly 20 years ago. Now, there's a TV series adaptation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but the plot is pretty different. Maya Erskine and Donald Glover star as two secret agents who are pretending to be married as part of their missions. They take on a new task in each episode while also forming a bond with one another. A second season is on the way, but it's unclear whether Erskine and Glover will be back or if it will focus on another pair of Smiths.
7 | The Acolyte
Disney+Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy
A new Star Wars series was released this year for fans of the space opera franchise. The Acolyte is set 100 years before The Phantom Menace—so, long before the time of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae plays Jedi Master Sol, who's investigating a series of crimes that involve identical twins Osha and Mae (both played by Amandla Stenberg), one of whom was a former Jedi trainee and one of whom turned to the dark side of the force.
8 | Palm Royale
Apple TV+Genre: Comedy, drama
Kristen Wiig stars in Palm Royale as Maxine, a woman trying to establish herself in Palm Beach, Florida high society in the late 1960s by becoming a member of the Palm Royale country club. Co-stars include Carol Burnett, Ricky Martin, Allison Janney, and Laura Dern, and the show is based on the novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel.
9 | America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
NetflixGenre: Reality
Step into the highly competitive world of becoming a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with this new Netflix reality series. (Not to be confused with the CMT show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which ran from 2006 to 2021.) It documents the auditions and training the cheerleaders have to go through to make their place on the squad, as well as their experiences during football season.
10 | The Valley
BravoGenre: Reality
Another new reality show viewers couldn't get enough of this year is The Valley, a spinoff of Vanderpump Rules. The show features five main couples, as well as other friends, and follows all the drama that goes down. And there ended up being a lot of drama, especially within a couple of the core marriages—two couples had already split up before the first season even aired.
11 | My Lady Jane
Amazon Prime VideoGenre: Historical fiction, fantasy
My Lady Jane is a fictionalized telling of the life of Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader), a noblewoman who was in line to the throne in 16th century England. The show focuses in part on Jane's marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), but also has a major fantasy aspect: Some people in this world can turn into animals. They are known as Ethians and are no longer supposed to be part of society.
12 | Griselda
Elizabeth Morris / NetflixGenre: Crime drama
In her first major role post-Modern Family, Sofía Vergara stars in Griselda as Griselda Blanco, a real-life drug lord who was at large in Miami beginning in the '70s. The miniseries explores Griselda's pursuit of wealth and power in the drug trade, as well as her personal life, her sentencing, and eventually, her death.
13 | Queenie
HuluGenre: Dramedy
Queenie is based on the novel of the same name by Candice Carty-Williams and is about a twenty-something woman in London figuring out her life—including her love life, friendships, career, and relationships with family. Dionne Brown stars as Queenie.
14 | The Vince Staples Show
NetflixGenre: Comedy, satire
After a recurring guest role on Abbott Elementary, rapper and actor Vince Staples debuted in his own Netflix comedy series this year. The show is about, well, all sorts of things. In each of the first season's five episodes, the fictional version of Vince ends up in some sort of unexpected, surreal, or dramatic situation as part of his everyday life in Long Beach, California.
15 | John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA
Adam Rose / NetflixGenre: Talk show
Comedian John Mulaney hosts John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA, a talk show/variety show that aired six episodes live on Netflix in May. (The episodes are still available to watch.) Guests include various actors and comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Cedric the Entertainer, and Luenell, and musical guests such as Beck, Warren G, and St. Vincent.
16 | Fallout
Amazon Prime VideoGenre: Sci-fi
Based on the video game of the same name, Fallout is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, 200 years after a nuclear war. Ella Purnell stars as Lucy, a "vault dweller" (someone who lives in one of many fallout bunkers) who adventures to the outside world in search of her father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan).
17 | 3 Body Problem
Chris Baker / NetflixGenre: Sci-fi
3 Body Problem is based on the book series Remembrance of Earth's Past by Liu Cixin. The story takes place in two timelines: In the '60s, a Chinese scientist named Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng) makes contact with a society of aliens and despite warnings from her colleagues, she continues to communicate with them. Ye Wenjie and others believe that the aliens should wipe out a good portion of humanity. In the present day, a group of scientists in the U.K. begin to learn more about a potential alien invasion and Ye Wenjie's (played in the present day by Rosalind Chao) ties to it.
18 | Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show
HBOGenre: Reality
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael documents his life to often shocking effect in Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show. The series shows Carmichael's relationships with his parents—who struggled with him coming out as gay—as well as his romantic relationships and his curiosity as to whether or not he has a sex addiction. The show also includes conversations about why he wanted to film a docuseries at all.
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19 | Supacell
Olly Courtney / NetflixGenre: Action, superhero
Supacell is about five South Londoners with family histories of sickle cell disease who realize that they have superpowers, such as teleportation for Michael (Tosin Cole) and telekinesis for Sabrina (Nadine Mills). The super-people band together while being pursued by an organization that wants them for their powers.
20 | Dead Boy Detectives
Ed Araquel / NetflixGenre: Mystery, supernatural, horror
Dead Boy Detectives is based on characters featured in DC Comics, specifically the Sandman series. Charles (Jayden Revri) and Edwin (George Rexstrew) are two ghosts—one who died in 1989 and one in 1916—who decided to stick around on Earth to solve supernatural crimes rather than go to the afterlife. So, they're quite literally dead boy detectives.
