It’s been an odd year for TV for me, thanks to playing a lot of long-form games and having a lot less free time in general there have been shows I’d normally have watched but I never got round to, like the second seasons of Arcane or Squid Game (though that only coming out a few days ago meant it never really had a chance…) That being said, there were still some shows I enjoyed but didn’t make the cut, like Agatha All Along or Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, so I guess it can’t be all bad. Also reminder: this is what I’ve enjoyed the most, not necessarily what has contained the best acting or anything like that… With that out of the way, let’s take a look!
This was honestly a hard one as there were some often pretty serious character and dialogue issues with 3 Body Problem, so I was constantly debating whether it should beat out the other stragglers, but in the end I went with it just because it was really fascinating sci-fi storytelling without the need for grand spectacle or alien invasions (well, traditional alien invasions, anyway…) and for that it was as refreshing as it was fun to follow. (My Review can be found by clicking HERE)
This, much like 3 Body Problem, is perhaps a show that would’ve fallen off the list had I had more time to watch other things, as while there was a lot I really liked in Acolyte it wasn’t perfect and had issues. I enjoyed the different setting, the more complex look at the Jedi of the time (being in between my beloved High Republic era and the Prequels was a fun choice) and villain Qimir was excellently played by Manny Jacinto to the point where I’m really sad we’re unlikely to see more of him. A good try, but it seems Star Wars is still stuck in the “Skywalker Saga” periods for a while yet, live action and animation wise anyway… (My Review can be found by clicking HERE)
The latest soft reboot of Doctor Who got off to a disastrous start with “Space Babies” but it was followed up (on the same day no less) by the very fun “Devil’s Chord” and from there managed to hold its course, with some good episodes, one or two averagey ones, and two excellent ones in “Boom” and “73 Yards”. Overall it’s not what you’d call one of Doctor Who’s best series/seasons, but after 60+ years I’m just happy we’re still getting any, let alone still producing great episodes here and there… (My Review of the series can be seen episode by episode by going to the Fifteenth Doctor page HERE)
The third season of The Bad Batch had a lot to live up to after such a great Season 2 finale, and thankfully it delivered it for the most part. The first half had a few weaker moments and felt like things were going in an interesting new direction only to take things back nearly to how the season started, but man there were some great episodes, and the overall finale really delivered. The character development for Crosshair as well was something I’ve loved across the whole show and was happy to see it brought to such a satisfying conclusion. Great stuff, now what’s the next animated show? (My Review can be found by clicking HERE)
My Hero Academia begins its final story arc with… two small arcs that exist only to set a few things up for the actual final story arc, which so far has been very satisfying. While a lot can be said about the trope of splitting our main character away from the action in order to let some of the side characters get some shine, the expanded cast of MHA is such that they more than held their weight. The writing out of two villains in particular was handled perfectly, so let’s hope they can do the rest equal justice next year. (My Review of the Season can be found by clicking HERE and HERE)
I’ll admit that as soon as Amazon added adverts to my Prime viewership and told me to pay the literal richest man in the world more money to get rid of them Amazon Prime became just a way to get packages at a convenient time for me, that was for one exception: Fallout. I’ve loved the games since Fallout 3 and haven’t looked back since, and the trailers and initial reactions to the show told me that they’d somehow nailed it so I had to watch it, and I was glad I did. They not only got the visuals down to a tee but the light-hearted humour mixed with the more dramatic as well, just like the game world. It’s right up there with One Piece last year in terms of things I’d never have thought would work in live action, and I’m already looking forward to Season 2. (My Review of the season can be viewed by clicking HERE)
It took me a while to warm up to Shogun but I’m glad I stuck with it. Historical action, great character drama and beautifully shot to boot, its one of those “what’s not to love?” shows that the only reason not to watch would be if you’re just not interested in the historical period. Hell, it’s not the kind of show I normally review here on the site, I tend to stick to more sci-fi and fantasy action, but I felt compelled to make sure everyone knew how much I enjoyed myself. (My Review can be found by clicking HERE).
I do love this list, where else would Bleach appear above such a well made live action show like Shogun? Well, sorry, but MY Top 3 starts oddly with an adaptation of a chunk of Manga story that I really didn’t like much, but thanks to creator Tite Kubo adding lots of new material combined with a stunning animation style and the usual great voice work and background music I was often surprised when the end credits hit because I was enjoying myself so much. Definite bias due to how much I loved the original show/manga, but hey. Who cares? I LOVED every minute, and I can’t wait to see what the final quarter of the show brings. (My Review is coming soon!)
You know what series is more nostalgic and loved by me than Bleach? Dragon Ball! It was the anime that properly started me down the route of the storytelling medium and I will never tire of it. Dragon Ball Daima is sadly now the final bit of new Dragon Ball content we’ll ever receive from series creator Akira Toriyama after his passing, but so far he went all out for this 40th anniversary show, filling it with his unique blend of humour, action and a surprising amount of world building, even after all these years. I can’t wait to see where it goes next, though I’m sure it will be bittersweet. (My Review is coming soon!)
X-Men 97 was something I was looking forward to because it would be a fun bit of nostalgia, but boy-oh-boy did it ever go WAY beyond that. The show was an amazing blend of nostalgic 90s cartoon feel and mature storytelling, with an increase in social themes and violence to go along with it, to the point where half way through the season it became the highlight of my week, with Episode 5 being one of best bits of TV I’ve seen in years thanks to its blend of “thing from my childhood” and “sudden mature and shocking story”. Got all my fingers crossed they can continue this momentum, but even if they can’t this Season will always stand tall as my favourite show of 2024. (My Review can be read by clicking HERE)
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