There’s no way one person can watch every new scripted series each year, even in a post-PeakTV environment, so consider this list the best of the scripted shows I saw in 2024. Perhaps this list can steer you toward a program you’ve yet to watch.
With broadcast TV in reruns until the new year, the holidays can be a good time to catch up on quality series you previously missed (I finally finished season one of 2022’s “Severance” over Thanksgiving).
1. “The Diplomat” (Netflix): Keri Russell capably carries this political drama that can as easily vibrate with tension as it can take a comic turn. The addition of Allison Janney in 2024’s season two only made this show more addictive.
2. “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh” (Amazon’s Prime Video, Freevee): A warm, funny addition to the Pittsburgh-set-but-filmed-elsewhere genre, this serialized comedy encourages family co-viewing with that rare mix of comedy that’s smart enough for parents but silly enough for tweens and teens to appreciate (think: “The Middle” but edgier).
3. “Evil” (Paramount ): An under-the-radar show until Paramount licensed it out to Netflix, “Evil” gained a whole new audience just as the series came to an end on Paramount . But the final season offered some great episodes and a conclusion that’s both satisfying and open-ended enough that the story could continue at some point.
4. “Hacks”(Max): Kudos to the “Hacks” showrunners for (so far) finding endless ways to keep pushing veteran comic Deborah (Jean Smart) and twentysomething writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) together and then pulling them apart without it feeling overly similar each time.
5. “Interview with the Vampire” (AMC, AMC ): In season one this gothic drama proved itself a better adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel than the 1994 Tom Cruise-Brad Pitt movie, but season two delivered an even stronger series with a heartbreaking twist as interviewer Daniel Malloy (Eric Bogosian) susses out how Armand (Assad Zaman) duped his lover, Louis (Jacob Anderson), when Lestat (Sam Reid) re-entered their lives.
6. “The Penguin” (HBO, Max): A terrific surprise, this IP-driven show proved more mob drama than superhero series as it followed an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as Oz “The Penguin” Cobblepot as he sought to improve his station in the Gotham City mob world by taking on adversaries including the intriguing Sofia Falcone (scene-stealer Cristin Milioti).
7. “Landman” (Paramount ): Billy Bob Thornton deserves that Golden Globe nomination for Taylor Sheridan’s latest series that mixes soapy drama with a welcome amount of comic relief often around the family life of Thornton’s character.
8. “The Agency” (Paramount with Showtime): A spy drama in the “MI-5” mold with a focus on CIA agents stationed in London, “The Agency” proves as astute about geopolitics as it is about the toll years undercover can take on a human asset.
9. “Squid Game” (Netflix): Season two won’t be out until Dec. 26 but the second installment of Netflix’s most-watched original series of all time delivers more brutal, bloody competitions, introducing new characters and following season one winner Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), Player 456, as he tries to destroy the game from within.
10. “Shōgun” (FX, Hulu): Although a bit hard to follow in the beginning, this mostly Japanese language drama turned into an engrossing depiction of a specific time and place told through the awards-worthy performances of a cast of mostly unknowns (at least in the United States).
Honorable mentions: “Abbott Elementary” (ABC), “Agatha All Along” (Disney ), “American Rust: Broken Justice” (Prime Video), “Bad Monkey” (Apple TV ), “The Bear” (Hulu), “The Boys” (Prime Video), “Brilliant Minds” (NBC), “Colin from Accounts” (Paramount ), “Citizen Nation” (PBS), “Diarra from Detroit” (BET ), “Elsbeth” (CBS), “English Teacher” (FX), “Fallout” (Prime Video), “High Potential” (ABC), “The Jinx: Part Two” (HBO), “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show” (HBO), “Mary & George” (Starz), “Masters of the Air” (Apple TV ), “Matlock” (CBS), “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu), “3 Body Problem” (Netflix) and “True Detective: Night Country” (HBO).
‘Kingstown’ officially renewed
We’ve known since last month when a production office opened locally and earlier this month when a call for extras came out that Paramount had unofficially renewed Pittsburgh-filmed “Mayor of Kingstown” behind the scenes.
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On Wednesday, Paramount was finally willing to officially announce the renewal. Production will begin on season four in Pittsburgh in early 2025 and continue through May. That’s the same production footprint as last year when the show debuted in early June, weeks after filming its final scenes. Presumably, season four will follow a similar pattern.
Kept/canceled
Apple TV renewed “Bad Monkey” for a second season.
Amazon’s Prime Video renewed adult animated series “Secret Level” for a second season.
FX canceled “The Old Man” after two seasons.
“Girls5eva” got canceled again, this time by Netflix after one season, the show’s third season in total. “Girls5eva” streamed its first two seasons on Peacock before Peacock canceled the show.