'The best TV of 2024 so far, and why Baby Reindeer didn't make the list'
TV critic Ian Hyland has watched a lot of telly in 2024, and these are his favourite shows of the year so far.
With the TV schedules being smothered at the moment by Euro 2024, Wimbledon and the General Election, it’s the ideal time for you to read this recap of all the great telly we’ve been treated to so far this year. Then, if you’re not a sports or politics fan, you can hunt down any of the shows you’ve missed via the catch-up service of your choosing.
These are my personal picks — so massive apologies if I’ve missed out any of your favourites.
And if you’re wondering how the hell I can offer up a top 10 that doesn’t include Baby Reindeer, allow me to explain: I haven’t watched it and have no desire to. From the off, something about it struck me as not quite right. I suspected Netflix were on thin ice with this one, and nothing that has happened since it was released has persuaded me otherwise.
To be fair, Baby Reindeer was responsible for one of the funniest things I’ve heard this year. At the height of the hype, a friend’s 12-year-old daughter came home from school and asked whether he’d seen “this Baby Rudolph show that everyone is talking about.”
No, I’m not going to name and shame her here. Who do you think I am? Netflix?
10 | The Piano - Channel 4
The second series of Channel 4's railway station-based talent show The Piano faced two major challenges. One: Would it have the same wow factor without the element of surprise provided by the hidden judges, Mika and Lang Lang, suddenly revealing themselves?
Two: How could it top the awe-inspiring performance of 13-year-old blind virtuoso Lucy Illingworth in series one. Luckily, the first problem turned out to be not that much of an issue. Everyone was just as excited to meet Lang Lang.
Read more: 'The Piano succeeds where Britain's Got Talent fails'
The second was taken care of by the likes of Liverpudlian foster kid Brad and 80-year-old dementia sufferer Duncan. A third series has already been announced, although Lang Lang says he will not be appearing as a judge on this one.
Yeah, right. We can see you hiding in the Greggs toilets near Platform 2, mate.
The Piano is streaming on Channel 4.
9 | Fool Me Once - Netflix
A number of shows catered for your thriller fix in the first half of this year, including The Responder and Blue Lights on BBC One, True Detective: Night Country on Sky Atlantic, Criminal Record on Apple TV+ and FX’s Shogun.
However, being a big fan of glossy, far-fetched dramas that are full of surprising twists, the one that hit the spot for me was Fool Me Once, the latest Harlan Coben adaptation on Netflix. Grieving widow Maya (Michelle Keegan) is given a nanny cam by a friend so she can watch over her daughter. When Maya reviews the footage, she sees her murdered husband Joe (Richard Armitage) visiting their daughter.
Needless to say, Maya cannot believe her eyes — and neither will you once you binge your way to the end.
Fool Me Once is streaming on Netflix.
8 | Gladiators - BBC One
When the BBC announced it was bringing back Gladiators, one of the biggest TV shows of the 1990s, none of us dared to dream that the new batch of oiled up superhumans would recapture the magic. They did though. And eight million viewers lapped it up.
The secret of this reboot’s success was that the Beeb barely changed a thing. Well, apart from getting rid of the cheerleaders — and, to be fair, that decision only upset a certain section of the audience.
Read more: 'Streaming giants can never beat Saturday night TV'
The next series is about to start filming and there is even talk of a celebrity version. Ed Davey would be a shoo-in for that one surely.
Gladiators is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
7 | Clarkson’s Farm - Prime
At the start of the third series of unlikely agricultural hit Clarkson's Farm, Jeremy Clarkson announced: “Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.”
Bad news for Jeremy. But great news for the viewers, who were invited to witness the latest round of disasters at his Cotswolds farm, Diddly Squat. However, we weren’t belly laughing as much as we had done in the previous two series. Instead, as the painful realities of life and death on a farm hit home, we were left reaching for the tissues.
Read more: 'Clarkson's Farm season 3 is eye-opening and bloody funny'
If this series had been an episode of Friends, it would probably have been called “The one where Jeremy Clarkson turns into an actual human being with feelings”.
Clarkson's Farm is streaming on Prime Video.
Watch a clip from Clarkson's Farm
6 | Mr Bates Vs The Post Office - ITV1
When ITV quietly launched Mr Bates vs The Post Office just after Christmas, you might have been forgiven for assuming it was something whimsical about a nice old gent protesting about the rising counter charges at his village Post Office.
And then the jumped needle sound effect from The X Factor kicked in. It was actually the most important drama on UK television for a decade, laying bare the corruption and scandal at the heart of the Horizon scandal and, more importantly, showing the devastating effects it had on the lives and livelihoods of the hundreds of innocent sub postmasters.
Who knows, depending on what happens this week it may even be credited with bringing down a government.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office is streaming on ITVX.
5 | Things You Should Have Done - BBC Three
A few British comedies caught the eye, including BBC One’s nostalgia piece Mammoth, the third series of Diane Morgan’s Mandy on BBC Two, BBC Scotland’s Dinosaur and, of course, Inside No.9’s near-perfect farewell.
However, nothing made me laugh quite so hard as Things You Should Have Done, Lucia Keskin’s debut sitcom, set in her home county of Kent. I described it as the most stupid comedy I have ever seen — and that was definitely not a criticism.
Although the humour wasn’t for everyone (hi, Joanna Page), Keskin had me from the moment her character Chi described herself as a “stay-at-home-daughter” in episode one.
Yet amongst all the silliness, the show displayed some real heart as its recently-orphaned Gen Z main character struggled to come to terms with life. It also featured a pretty memorable impression of Nigella Lawson.
Things You Should Have Done is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
4 | Curb Your Enthusiasm - Sky Comedy
If you believe TV has gone fully woke and that you can’t say or do anything that might offend anyone, then the fact that Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm came to an end this April after 24 years may seem more than coincidence. In Larry’s defence, he usually offended everyone equally and he was almost always the ultimate butt of the joke.
Read more: Why is Curb ending?
That was the case in this farewell run of ten episodes, which brought us many fresh delights. If I could highlight just one it would have to be the surprise appearance of Sienna Miller, showing her comedy chops with a hilarious cameo. In doing so Sienna ran the very real risk that no one will be able to take her movie acting seriously again.
But, hey, if Larry David calls to offer you a part in Curb you answer the call.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is streaming on NOW.
3 | The Traitors - BBC One
Some feared the second series of Claudia Winkleman’s career-defining masterpiece The Traitors might not match the drama of the first. Others were worried that moving it from BBC Two to BBC One might be a bit of a risk.
And where were those people when the final aired at the end of January? On the edge of their seats, watching it live along with seven million other devotees, desperately willing sweet Mollie not to fall for sneaky Harry’s cruel deception.
It wasn’t simply the first event TV of 2024. It was the only event TV we’ve had so far this year. Granted, that might change this week with another bunch of liars and double-crossers due to get their comeuppance.
The Traitors is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
2 | One Day - Netflix
If you were looking for something in what might respectfully be called the Bridget Jones end of the market, Netflix was the place to go. Bridgerton series three or One Day were your options. I favoured the latter. Partly because, well, if you’ve seen one series of Bridgerton you’ve seen Bridgerton, but mainly because this sumptuous 14-part binger’s dream righted a 13 year wrong.
Read more: One Day fans think Netflix series is better than the movie
Thanks to the efforts of Ambika Mod as Emma Morley and Leo Woodall as Dexter Mayhew everyone can now forget that patchy Anne Hathaway movie version of David Nicholls’ best selling romantic novel. A word of warning though: It may take a little longer for you to forget this version. Although for altogether different reasons.
One Day is streaming on Netflix.
1 | Race Across the World - BBC One
Much as I hate to sound like a “we’re all winners” cliche robot from a naff reality show, with Race Across the World the BBC really has created a TV programme in which everyone is indeed a winner.
Not least the viewer, who gets to watch a group of (generally) lovely people visit all those amazing places in the world that they would love to visit if only they could get their butt off the sofa and stop watching telly for a minute.
Read more: 'Race Across the World is a rare reality show - it doesn't matter who wins'
I challenge anyone to watch this year’s trek around south east Asia and not feel better about at least one aspect of their lives. The real sign of this programme’s brilliance though is this: They made a celebrity version and it didn’t ruin it.
Race Across the World is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
