The 29 best TV shows of 2024 – so far
The Tourist, series two – ★★★★☆
Series one was the BBC’s most-watched drama of the year – and series two is just as much fun (and, actually, often funnier). After a car crash in Australia in series one, which gave him amnesia, Irishman Elliot (Jamie Dornan) went in search of his real identity, which turned out to be darker than predicted. In series two, set in Ireland this time, Elliot and Australian girlfriend Helen (Danielle Macdonald) remain on the hunt for answers. Read our The Tourist, series two review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Mr Bates vs the Post Office – ★★★★☆
A history-making drama that put the Post Office Horizon scandal at the top of the political agenda. We follow the true story of Alan Bates, an ex-sub-postmaster who, for years, refused to let the Post Office get away with insisting that its Horizon accounting system works, and that account irregularities must mean the staff who manage the system are thieves. Though never subtle, it’s undeniably powerful and finally redemptive. Read our Mr Bates vs the Post Office review
Watch it on: ITVX or Amazon Prime Video
Gladiators – ★★★★☆
The BBC reboot a former, 30-year-old ITV hit, which, each episode, has four players (two male, two female) take on a series of challenges against the “Gladiators”, a group of elite athletes. Presented by Bradley and Barney Walsh, and with all the challenges we knew and loved, this is fun for all the family. Read our Gladiators review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Big Boys, series two – ★★★★★
A coming-of-age story about a shy boy who heads off to university after coming out as gay. Though grieving his father’s death, he’s supported by his lovely family and close university friends. Just as funny and charming as series one – though the level of sex talk means it’s not for the prudish. Read our Big Boys, series two review
Watch it on: channel4.com
True Detective: Night Country, series four – ★★★★★
The fourth season of this detective anthology series is spectacular, terrifying and unforgettable. Set in a town in Alaska, so far north it goes without any daylight for some of winter, we start with the disappearance of the eight men operating the Tsalal Research Station. Detectives Liz (an astonishing Jodie Foster) and Evangeline (Kali Reis) are on the case – but loathe each other. Read our True Detective: Night Country, series four review
Watch it on: Sky or Now
Mr & Mrs Smith – ★★★★☆
An eight-part TV reboot of the classic Brangelina film which feels surprisingly fresh – it’s witty and thoughtful, instead of the dumb action thriller the original is. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine play spies (initially, platonically; soon, romantically) disguised as a married couple, doing all the expected high-octane spy stuff – but also dealing with the mundane annoyances of married life. Read our Mr & Mrs Smith review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
One Day – ★★★★☆
David Nicholls’s bestselling novel is once again adapted – this time, into a digestible, bingeable Netflix TV series. We revisit friends Emma and Dexter on the same date each year, starting from their time at Edinburgh University in 1988, and into their 20s and 30s. A sentimental, nostalgic romcom, with two stars (Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall) who get the central relationship spot on. Read our One Day review
Watch it on: Netflix
Boarders – ★★★★☆
Five black south London teens are sent to an exclusive boarding school on scholarships (a PR stunt on the school’s behalf). With great performances, and razor-sharp comedic writing that constantly pokes fun at the hypocrisy of diversity and inclusion schemes, this six-parter is deliciously bingeable. Genuinely funny, while still making its point. Read our Boarders review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
The Jury: Murder Trial – ★★★★☆
In this TV experiment looking into how juries make their decisions, two juries are, separate from each other, presented with the same murder case (a real one, with only the names changed). We get fascinating insights into how juries actually reach their decision: not rigorously and purely factually, but by bringing their differing prejudices and life experiences to the courtroom. A terrifying indictment of the British justice system. Read our The Jury: Murder Trial review
Watch it on: channel4.com or Apple TV
This Town – ★★★★☆
Set in 1981, we follow the separate stories of three working-class teen cousins: Dante, a would-be poet in Birmingham, who gets in with the wrong crowd; Bardon in Coventry, commandeered into helping his IRA dad raise funds for the cause; and Gregory in Belfast, doing his best to survive amidst the city’s violence. Smart writing and impressive lead performances. Read our This Town review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Mammals – ★★★★★
Though Sir David Attenborough is about to turn 98, he’s only becoming more prolific – this documentary about nocturnal mammals is his third programme of 2024, and clearly he wishes to savour the world’s wonders while he can. The production, occurring in Zambia, Tanzania and Texas, was predictably breathtaking. Read our Mammals review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Fallout – ★★★★☆
Christopher Nolan’s younger brother serves up this post-apocalyptic action-comedy set in the 50s in an alternative history US in which Eisenhower-era, postwar America is devastated by a nuclear conflagration. Wealthy human survivors live in underground bunkers. More than 200 years later, Lucy decides to leave her bunker to look for kidnapped father in the waste that was LA. With childish humour and OTT action, it’s pure fun – not what you’d expect for this adaptation of a video game about nuclear annihilation. Read our Fallout review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Blue Lights, series two – ★★★★★
The second series of this Belfast-set cop show is just as good as the first. The new boss at the Blackthorn Station rubs everyone up the wrong way, and a new kingpin on the Mount Eden Estate causes all sorts of new trouble. With astute writing and a standout cast, this is must-watch TV. Read our Blue Lights, series two review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Feud: Capote vs the Swans – ★★★★★
Tom Hollander puts on a mesmerising, detailed performance as writer Truman Capote. He quarrels with the “Swans”, New York’s high society ladies, who invite him to liven up their ladies-who-lunch table, only to eject him when he spills their secrets in a gossipy short story. Read our Feud: Capote vs the Swans review
Watch it on: Disney+
The Responder, series two – ★★★★★
Scouse cop Chris Carson lies to his estranged wife that he’s swapping the night shifts for a day job, when she tells him she’s moving to London with their daughter as he’s never around in the day to see her anyway. His efforts to secure this pretend new job draw him into a murky underworld. A career-best performance from Martin Freeman, and a superb writer and supporting cast make this series truly excellent. Read our The Responder, series two review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
The Gathering – ★★★★☆
Set in Liverpool, this story of elite gymnast best friends Kelly and Jess starts with a teen beach rave which ends with one of them (we don’t yet know which) in critical condition after being pushed underwater. We then go back to a month beforehand to see how the girls’ friendship turned toxic, and lead to this potential murder. A gripping drama touching on class, drugs and sex, led by fantastic young newcomer Eva Morgan. Read our The Gathering review
Watch it on: channel4.com
99 – ★★★★★
Football manager Alex Ferguson and his 1999 treble-winning Manchester United squad – who racked up Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles in one season – give an extraordinary insight into how they did it, and how it all nearly fell apart. Informed, smart and featuring a huge number of critical interviewees, it’s a fascinating insight into the psychology of sport. Read our 99 review
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Rebus – ★★★★☆
Ian Rankin’s Edinburgh detective Rebus gets yet another adaptation, with Rebus and his sidekick Siobhan off to solve another case. But this is a revival that’s more than welcome. The script is clever and always gripping; there’s a good dose of mordant comedy; and lead Richard Rankin has lashings of charisma. Read our Rebus review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
The Sympathizer – ★★★★★
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, we follow a North Vietnamese double agent, known only as the Captain (an outstanding Hoa Xuande), deployed on an undercover mission in the USA after the fall of Saigon. Robert Downey Jr, playing several different roles, shines, there to show the Captain’s gradual indoctrination in American culture and politics. It’s complex and moving – and may change your perspective on the Vietnam War. Read our The Sympathizer review
Watch it on: Sky
Eric – ★★★★☆
Set in grimy 1980s New York, this show sounds, on paper, bizarre. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Vincent, a puppeteer whose nine-year-old son goes missing on the way to school. Vincent responds by striking up a relationship with an imaginary monster, Eric. Cumberbatch gives a powerhouse performance as a father going off the rails, and the show is tonally assured, exploring grief in one moment, then having Vincent and Eric dance around in the street the next. Read our Eric review
Watch it on: Netflix
D-Day: The Unheard Tapes – ★★★★★
This three-part documentary reanimates archival audio recordings from D-Day, by using young actors to lip sync the testimony the audio contains. With a skilful cast, and articulate historians filling in the background, it makes for a moving watch in the year of D-Day’s 80th anniversary. Read our D-Day: The Unheard Tapes review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Hell Jumper – ★★★★★
This superb documentary tells the remarkable story of Chris Parry, a 28-year-old Cornish man with no military experience who went to help evacuate civilians living near the front line in Ukraine (with the film’s name taken from the nickname for those who risk everything to save civilians in this way). Tragically, Parry was killed a year after his arrival, found shot in a suspected murder by Wagner Group mercenaries. Read our Hell Jumper review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
The Decameron – ★★★★☆
Finally, a TV comedy that’s actually funny! Based on stories by 14th-century writer Boccaccio, it’s set in Florence in 1348, which is being ravaged by plague. A viscount offers his relatives, friends and prospective bride a ticket out: an extended stay at his country villa. Everything soon descends into madness, skulduggery and farce. Read our The Decameron review
Watch it on: Netflix
Atomic People – ★★★★★
This unforgettable, vital documentary gathers the testimony of the ‘Hibakusha’ – the generation who survived the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A harrowing watch from start to finish, it’s the most devastating documentary you will watch this year. Read our Atomic People review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour – ★★★★★
The cricketer’s horrific crash on the programme Top Gear in 2022 happened halfway through the filming of this second series of his TV show, in which he gets a bunch of youngsters from his hometown (Preston) into cricket. Flintoff discusses his physical and psychological trauma – and both his return to TV, and the TV he makes itself (this time, taking the boys on tour to India), are inspiring. Read our Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Sherwood, series two – ★★★★★
The first instalment of this Nottinghamshire-set series was a hit – and the second doesn’t disappoint. While a businessman opens old wounds by trying to reopen a local coal mine, a wave of organised crime sweeps the area (inspired by that in the 90s which had Nottingham dubbed “Shottingham”). Its exceptional grasp of people and place sets it apart in a sea of other police procedurals. Read our Sherwood, series two review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Sambre: Anatomy of a Crime – ★★★★★
This superb French true crime drama eschews TV’s morbid obsession with female victims and instead gives them back their power. Telling the story of the dozens of women subjected to rape attacks near the river Sambre, the series plays out over six hours and looks at the case from several points of view, but centres on (and never forgets) local hairdresser Christine. Read our Sambre: Anatomy of a Crime review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Colin from Accounts, series two – ★★★★★
The return of this Sydney-based sitcom is just as hilarious and affecting as its perfect first series. Scripted by and starring real-life couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, medical student Ashley and bar owner Gordon have realised they can’t live without each other, and plot to get back the disabled pooch who brought them together in the first place (but who they gave away to a toxic, smug family when they thought their relationship was on the rocks). Read our Colin from Accounts, series two review
Watch it on: BBC iPlayer
Slow Horses, series four – ★★★★★
The excellent adaptation of Mick Herron’s novels is as wildly entertaining as ever, with a terrific cast and sizzling dialogue. We’re back with the ex-MI5 officers at Jackson Lamb’s (Gary Oldman) department, all banished from the main office for various disgraces. A bombing at a London shopping centre at Christmas has them all quickly pursuing a new case. Read our Slow Horses, series four review
Watch it on: Apple TV
