Every year there is a deluge of quality television viewers are blessed to watch, but even the most time-conscious person is going to let a few great series slip through the cracks unwatched.
Everyone and their dog checked into shows like “House of the Dragon,” “Yellowstone,” Baby Reindeer,” and “Shōgun” but with so much on offer a lot of greats were left underviewed. The holidays are the perfect time to look back and catch up on a new binge before starting fresh in the new year.
These are 12 underrated shows from 2024 that you might have missed and want to check out.
The 25 Best Movie Performances of 2024
Shoresy
It almost doesn’t feel real how good “Shoresy” is considering the premise. A foul-mouthed, slightly burned out hockey player in the NoSho convinces the owner that they’ll never lose again after being considered one of the worst teams in the league. The show heralds from the creators and stars of “Letterkenny” – and is a spinoff about a then-faceless character from the show – and carries much of the same fast-paced and razor sharp jokes from the mothership series. What surprises about “Shoresy” is how heartfelt and earnest it becomes as the seasons march on and new themes are explored. While very different in a lot of ways, “Shoresy” couldn’t definitely scratch an itch left from shows like “Friday Night Lights.” – Jacob Bryant
Conan O’Brien Must Go
Some of the best stuff Conan O’Brien was putting out in the waning years of his late night career were the specials that had him going to various countries and digging in with both the locals and more touristy destinations. Max capitalized on that energy this year with “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” which featured the comedian in a different country for each episode. If you’ve felt a Conan-sized hole in your life since he left the small screen – and podcasts aren’t your thing – than lock into this series for six superb hours of travel TV from one of the all-time great man-on-the-street performers. – JB
Ren Faire
In the pursuit of finding the most stranger than fiction docuseries for 2024, “Ren Faire” might be hard to top. The three part series follows the ailing “king” of the largest renaissance fair in America as he looks for a successor. Among his options are a status quo holding, slight bootlicker of a right hand man and a fresh face with some new ideas that scare the old guard employees as much as excites others. At the center is King George, a man who’s self image is bloated to unheard of proportions but is tempered by the peeks into his very lonely but lavish life. – JB
Under the Bridge
This Hulu true crime series flew somewhat under the radar earlier this year, and that’s a shame because it offered a striking and victim-focused take on the horrific murder of a teenage girl in 1997 British Columbia. Riley Keough plays an author with a traumatic past whose visit to her small hometown happens to coincide with the disappearance and murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk. As the local police – including an officer who used to be close friends with Keough’s character, played by Lily Gladstone – search for the killer, the author aligns herself with the outsider youth who become a target. There are a lot of complicated threads being pulled at once in “Under the Bridge,” but the show’s heavy use of flashbacks serve to illuminate the life of Virk rather than just painting her as a plot point. All eight episodes are streaming on Hulu. – Adam Chitwood
John Mulaney’s Everybody’s in LA
“John Mulaney’s Everybody’s in LA” is one part live talk show, one part fever dream and all parts the beautiful brainchild of the former “SNL” writer and stand-up comedian. The weeklong event, which aired new installments each night live from Los Angeles, coincided with the Netflix Is a Joke in LA as the streamer basically gave Mulaney free reign to try his version of a talk show. The result saw each episode revolve around a different LA topic that fascinates Mulaney, from coyotes to palm trees, as guests like David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Hader, Pete Davidson and Marcia Clark stopped by and often burst into laughter at the absurdity. It was unique. It was perfect. And it’s coming back. – AC
Somebody Somewhere
HBO said goodbye to one of its best comedies yet, one that flew unjustifiably under the radar throughout its 3-season run. Starring Bridget Everett, the half-hour dramedy followed Sam, a woman who returns to her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, after the death of her sister and struggles to move past her grief. Through her friendship with Joel (Jeff Hiller) and evolving relationship with sister Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison), the show chronicles as Sam builds a community around and learns to love herself through music and laughter, despite frequent emotional setbacks. Despite being canceled after production of Season 3 ended, creators Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen crafted a powerful finale that leaves the characters’ stories on an appropriate high note. — Jose Alejandro Bastidas
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
Netflix’s animated “Jurassic World” series continue to be the best dino-loving entertainment of the 2020s. Set within the timeline of the theatrical “Jurassic World” films but very much doing its own thing, the streaming franchise kicked of with the wonderful “Camp Cretaceous” and continued this year with the offshoot series, “Chaos Theory,” set after the events of the first series and aged up a bit in turn. The “Jurassic” franchise is one of the biggest in the world, but it’s been a minute since the films struck the right chord. If you’ve been missing that movie magic and sense of awe — or if you’re just in the mood for some great dinosaur thrills and spectacle, do not sleep on “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.” – Haleigh Foutch
Fantasmas
The surrealist semi-serialized sketch comedy series that only “Los Espookys” and “Problemista” creator Julio Torres could have made, “Fantasmas” is a dreamy, witty takedown of corporate culture, algorithmic anxiety, being a “valued customer” and all those little contemporary capitalist nightmares of day-to-day life. Set in a slightly more dystopian alt-world with robot roommates and Proof of Existence IDs, the series loosely follows Torres as “Julio,” an aspiring writer who’s about to get booted from his apartment, refuses to get the Proof of Existence he needs to stay there and is increasingly convinced he’s got a life-or-death cancerous mole. But it’s just as much about the strange, giddy interstitial segments, including Bowen Yang as a litigious elf suing Santa and Emma Stone as a Real Housewife stuck in an unfathomable horror (the guest star roster insane). It is, like most of Torres’ work, very hard to put into words, a treat to look at on screen and a testament to his singular voice. – HF
Them: The Scare
“Them: The Scare,” the second season of Amazon’s anthology horror series, slipped under the radar this year despite being a marked improvement on the first in several ways. If you were put off by the trauma sensationalism of the first season, for example, it’s probably worth giving “The Scare” a shot. Set in early-90s L.A., the follow-up centers LAPD officer Dawn Reeve (returning star Deborah Ayorinde) as she investigates gruesome, unnatural murders that threaten to unravel her career, family and mind. It’s got some wildly unnerving spooky moments (that couch scene!), a sense of dread that sinks in like a damp chill and fantastic performances — especially from Luke James, who creates an unforgettable and eviscerating character in the struggling actor with a fractured heart, Edmund. It’s even got the great Pam Grier! – HF
Smiling Friends
How do you describe Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack’s Adult Swim show? At times, “Smiling Friends” almost feels like an art piece that reflects the evolution of animation itself. That’s certainly the case with “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition with DX 4K (Anniversary Director’s Cut),” a wordy episode that revolves around a washed up video game mascot struggling to regain relevance. At other moments, it’s an esoteric journey that questions the very idea of perception. Is a mad scientist creating life a heartwarming story of triumph or a disturbing monstrosity? Whatever “Smiling Friends” is, it’s funny. In its second season, the series cemented itself as one of the most ambitious, experimental and hilarious shows on television. – Kayla Cobb
The Sympathizer
“The Sympathizer” is so much more than Robert Downey Jr.’s latest role. It’s a twisting surrealist miniseries that’s as dark and upsetting as it is surprisingly funny. An adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel of the same name, Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar’s series follows a North Korean spy serving for the South Korean army who has to flee to the United States during the Vietnam War. Thus unfolds a dizzying exploration about racial, cultural and personal identity all told through the eyes of Hoa Xuande’s character, who is known only as the Captain. “The Sympathizer” is one of those rare shows that goes beyond simply television to become art. – KC
Grotesquerie
During a time in television dominated by reboots and cookie cutter procedurals, it’s rare to find a show that takes risks. And boy, did Ryan Murphy’s newest series do that. Created alongside Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken for FX, “Grotesquerie” started as a procedural of sorts that followed an alcoholic detective (Niecy Nash-Betts) and a journalist nun (Micahela Diamond) as they investigated a string of grisly murders. But the more the series progressed, the more bizarre it became. “Grotesquerie” is less of a TV show and more of a feeling, successfully capturing the soundless scream that is living in 2024. From its stunning 15-minute continuous shot from director Max Winkler to Diamond’s riveting portrayal of possession in its various forms, “Grotesquerie” was bold in a way that feels increasingly and depressingly rare. – KC
