In addition to my Top 10 Movies of 2024, I decided to also highlight some of my favorite seasons of television. These all happen to be new shows–any new seasons of shows I was already following I either didn’t get to or felt they paled in comparison to earlier seasons. But that’s okay because I’m happy to see so many new shows that impressed me so much.
English Teacher
Having watched Brian Jordan Alvarez’s web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo (2016), I had a pretty good idea of what to expect going in, but English Teacher is a lot more refined. The comedy is a bit outside the norm, and it’s both fun and interesting to watch Evan (Alvarez) struggle through his life as a gay teacher in the Texan suburbs, trying to connect with his students while dealing with unfair demands from their parents. There’s something about the way everyone talks that feels strangely realistic and natural, and while it’s obviously LGBTQ+ inclusive, it highlights the messier side of the community, which honestly isn’t addressed enough. Since it’s a comedy, it’s not as deep as the rest of the shows on here, but it still has its moments.
Agatha All Along
While I enjoyed WandaVision (2021), and I’m a big fan of Kathryn Hahn, I was a little wary of Agatha All Along, especially because I like Wiccan in the comics and wasn’t too sold on the actor (Joe Locke) who they picked to portray him. But when I actually watched it, I was pleasantly surprised by the engaging story and Locke’s performance. The show introduces several new characters, each of which I grew fond of, and the story itself plays out in such a fascinating way, gradually giving you more and more context so that by the end, it completely reshapes everything I thought was happening at the start. I’m no expert on Agatha in the comics, but based on what I do know about her and Wiccan, I had a general idea of where the show was heading, and it managed to both align with the comics and still surprise me along the way. There was also a lot of horror elements, which I wasn’t really anticipating, so that was cool as a horror fan.
Kaos
I had a wonderful time with Kaos. I only have a passing familiarity with mythology, so I didn’t know all the characters going in, but the ones I recognized I thought were portrayed to perfection. It was super fun to see a world that was a lot like our modern world, but with everything shifted to revolve around the gods instead. It’s also very LGBTQ+, as Greek mythology should be, and one of the most important characters is a trans Amazonian! I loved seeing Caeneus’s (Misia Butler) backstory and character arc, and I thought he was treated with so much respect. I’m so bummed that the show got cancelled—I honestly don’t understand why—but even though not everything was fully resolved, this season is still worth watching.
Fallout
Ella Purnell has become one of my favorite actresses, and her character in Fallout is her best performance yet. I adore Lucy (Purnell) and I can’t wait to see more of her next season. There are two other main characters, Maximus (Aaron Moten) and Cooper (Walton Goggins), and all three have such interesting storylines. I also really like Lucy’s brother Norm (Moises Arias), who may not have been named by the show as a major character, but honestly, his character is just as important as the rest are. Beyond just the characters, though, the atmosphere is so incredibly perfect—from the clothes to the landscape to the technology, everything about the show was straight out of the games in the best possible way. And even though the story is unique to the show rather than a retelling of one of the games, it was absolutely the type of tale that you would expect from the Fallout world. Between this and The Last of Us (2023-), it really feels like we’ve finally hit a stride in video game adaptations, and I am so for it.
Creature Commandos
Creature Commandos is the first official installment of the DCU, and it starts off with a bang. James Gunn always writes such compelling, heart-wrenching stories, and this is no exception. I didn’t expect an animated show about a new version of the Suicide Squad composed entirely of monsters to have so much depth to it, especially one that’s violent as hell. After the pilot sets up the main crew, each of the remaining six episodes gives the backstory of one of the creatures; they are all fascinating while also sad and touching. Also, true to Gunn’s form, the show has some of the most fitting musical selections to accompany the scenes, which really adds to the entire vibe of the show. Even before the show finished airing, I couldn’t stop re-watching it, and I ended up watching the first several episodes multiple times while waiting for the whole thing to be released week by week.
Honorable Mentions
High Potential
As of now, I’ve only watched a few episodes of High Potential, so I can’t speak for the whole season, but I was really impressed by what I saw. I love Kaitlin Olson, but I’ve only ever seen her in comedic roles, so I went into this expecting something along the lines of her other show, The Mick (2017-2018). Instead, this ended up being closer to Monk (2002-2009). It was actually really nice to see Olson in a more serious/somber role this time (though she does still have a playful attitude in general), and I was kinda shocked to see her have some emotional moments very early on in the show. The plot lines are also really interesting so far, and I enjoy the way she has her own version of Monk-like deduction skills.