Maryam Ahmad’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2024

It has been quite the year for television across genres, with beloved shows like Arcane and The Diplomat returning to our screens and thrilling debuts like Shōgun and The Acolyte drawing in new audiences.

Although narrowing down to a top 10 list is difficult, here is my personal list of my cherished favorites this year. 

1. Shōgun

Historical dramas that depict political struggle often run the risk of being dry and dialogue-heavy, but Shōgun set itself entirely apart. The show cleverly broke away from the original novel that was dripping with Orientalist tropes, and instead offered a riveting story of the struggle for power and how it corrupts.

With incredible performances from leads Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, the show is a thrilling journey through Lord Toronaga’s ascent to become the Shogun he dreamed of becoming. Out of the supporting cast, Tadanobu Asano as Yabushige deserves an award solely for his grunts that managed to convey an apparently endless variety of emotion.

We see the inner workings of the court through the eyes of John Blackthorne (convincingly portrayed by Cosmo Jarvis), and how every man, woman, and child in the upper echelons of society in Japan was involved in a grand chess game for every scrap of power, they could keep.

It is an incredibly engaging series, and the possibilities for the announced Season 2 are endless. Shōgun had thrills, fights, and romance, and for that, it needs to be on top of this list.

2. Black Doves

In a year seemingly chock full of spy thrillers, Black Doves set itself apart from the rest with its combination of wit, an incredibly entertaining cast, and its heart. It is ultimately a story about a mother protecting her family with her best friend, no matter the cost.

The performances of Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw really hold this show together, as despite their lethal tendencies, their characters seem to really care about each other. Every member of the supporting cast of assassins and similarly shady criminals was delightful, too (especially Sarah Lancashire’s impeccable bob).

The duo of Eleanor and Williams deserve a spin-off of their own. I am a sucker for a good espionage/political thriller, and Black Doves checked all the boxes, plus an extra one for its Christmas aesthetics.

3. Panchayat 

Panchayat is a show that somehow continues to level up every season, and Season 3 managed to change the landscape of the show completely. While the prior seasons have been filled with the petty drama of village-level politics, this season begins in the aftermath of an intense loss that is felt by the entire cast of characters.

Not only are the main cast incredibly compelling to watch, since it does include several Hindi acting veterans, but Season 3 brought a unique combination of humor, grief, and drama to the screen in new and hilarious ways.

An example of this was the uproarious street fight between the main cast the despicable villain politician (played by Pankaj Jha), a scene that leaves many questions for viewers and characters alike regarding the future of the village of Phulera. Season 4 is slated for release in 2025, and I can’t wait to see more.

4. Interior Chinatown

Interior Chinatown brings social commentary packaged in an intriguing and meta concept. The Hulu series, based on a novel by the same name by Charles Yu, was some of the most innovative television this year. Stars Jimmy O. Yang and Chloe Bennet do the buddy comedy/romance quite convincingly. 

Supporting cast members Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, and Ronny Chieng carry the emotion of the story well, and main character Willis’ identity crisis is extremely convincing through Jimmy O. Yang’s performance.

The series raises all kinds of interesting questions about the expectations ascribed to Asian characters and communities, specifically on how they are all but an afterthought in someone else’s story. 

5. The Diplomat

The Diplomat returned to Netflix in November with a shorter and somehow crazier season. Season 2 is an incredibly engrossing six episodes that make for a rollercoaster of a binge. The show is elevated to completely new heights with the addition of Allison Janney to the cast. 

Stars Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell are the heart of the show, with the Wylers’ messy relationship and unraveling schemes providing endless entertainment.

The show is made most interesting by Kate Wyler’s slowly growing desire for power that battles with her noble intentions as a diplomat in public service. As far as political thrillers go, The Diplomat proves itself as a uniquely enthralling one.

6. X-Men ’97

Marvel Studios had an overall tougher year than usual, but X-Men ’97 was definitely a highlight and a worthy addition to Marvel’s growing list of television projects. Just when we all thought animated reboots were overdone, X-Men ’97 came out with a bang (and the iconic X-Men theme) to prove us all wrong.

Not only did the show bring back beloved characters from the original show, but it also managed to make itself relevant to the present, with its story of outcasts trying to save a world that deems them villains. The series presents an important and fascinating question: what are the X-Men without Professor X? 

The show also had one of the most compelling portrayals of the relationship between Magneto and Charles Xavier, and it managed to draw on several of the most popular X-Men stories.

My personal favorite, of course, was Gambit, whose role proved far more important to the show than anyone expected. The series also somehow made even Cyclops interesting, which is not something I had expected either.

Gracefully animated and focused on the found family of mutants we all love, X-Men ’97 brought a wonderful addition to one of Marvel’s longest-running franchises.

7. The Acolyte (RIP)

This shall be a eulogy for a show that ended far too soon. Star Wars does love squandering potential, and this is not better proven than by the premature cancellation of The Acolyte, a mere month after its final episode released.

The Acolyte was a representation of how much further Star Wars could go, including but not limited to: lightsaber boomerangs, a Jedi/Sith romance, and questioning the apparently unquestionable purity of the Jedi. 

Alas, the show faced such intense vitriol that it was canceled before it even had a chance to prove that it could gain an audience. The show not only featured a tremendous cast, it also had some of the most inventive action sequences in Star Wars ever in Episode 5.

It is truly a shame that we will not see anymore of Leslye Headland’s corner of the Star Wars universe, considering how much more she could have brought to the ethical questions of who has the right to power in the Star Wars universe. But oh, if only we could.

8. The Legend of Vox Machina 

It has been a great year for animated series, and The Legend of Vox Machina is no exception. The series continued to explore Ex’andria’s many kingdoms, with incredibly imaginative action sequences, and an impressively connected set of plotlines. 

This season featured some of the most heartbreaking and touching moments so far, especially in spotlighting Percy and Vex’s growing relationship, a testament to how the show has built its characters throughout the years. Also, who doesn’t love a group of terrifying and beautifully animated monsters and especially dragons?

9. Arcane

The gorgeous award-winning animated series returned to Netflix this year, and its only flaw was that it ended too soon. If only the last act managed to resolve its storylines better, Arcane would have been perfect. 

Hailed for its animation style and creativity in working in the extensive League of Legends lore, Arcane managed to take viewers through all the ups and downs between the haves in Piltover and the have-nots in Zaun all the way to a universe-ending showdown in the very final episodes. 

I particularly enjoyed the choice to ground the time-warping stakes in a deeply personal story about two sisters struggling to connect with each other despite their differences. Lesser shows would have gotten lost in the grandeur of the final showdown, but Arcane managed to keep its story personal.

10. The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power  

The epic fantasy returned for a season that expands Middle-Earth, and vastly improved on the prior season’s pacing issues. 

Not only did we get to see Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) come into her own as a leader of the elves, but we also saw the much-anticipated forging of all the rings, and the tragic downfall of Celebrimbor and his kingdom Eregion.

Charlie Vickers as Sauron never failed to convey his menacing and scheming nature, with a top-tier villainous smirk at the ready at any given moment. Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor made an incredibly heartbreaking story come to life. Season 2 raised the stakes even higher, making Sauron even more of a threat, and giving fans a beautiful fantastical world too.

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What were your favorite TV shows this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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