
My Top 5 for 2024
Always a hard choice, but this year my Top 5 new shows came from Australia, NZ and the UK.
- Published by David Knox
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As a bit of a festive treat it’s time to unwrap my annual Top 5 shows for the year…
As always, these are only drawn from new series, and are offered in no particular order.
After a year of strikes, 2024 turned out to be a very good year of television, making the choices particularly tough. For possibly the first time ever, I’ve finished with no US titles in my Top 5 instead looking to Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
All are dramas (although some docos get Honourable Mentions).
Although I handed out five x 5 star reviews this year, not all of them make the final cut. Why? Most reviews are based upon early episodes, and not everything maintains that standard across a series arc and completion.
Here are the five, with original review excerpts:
Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix.
It’s pretty wonderful to be able to offer a glowing appraisal of a new Australian drama as the first review for 2024. Such is the towering achievement of Boy Swallows Universe, a new 7 part Netflix drama from Brouhaha Entertainment, Chapter One, and Anonymous Content. The coming of age tale, based on the best seller by Trent Dalton, is set in Brisbane, 1985 and from the opening scenes you are transported back to a working class, strine suburb where the kids ride bikes to the pool and Queenslander houses sit on stilts…. Felix Cameron is an instant star with his dynamic, sometimes heartbreaking, performance as Eli. This is a performance shining way beyond his years, gifted with colloquial dialogue and profound lines such as, “I just got a whole lot of tears inside me. I can’t help it.”
After The Party, ABC
There’s a scene at the end of episode one of After the Party that will provoke you and leave you questioning what you have seen. It’s the intent of the producers to do just that, because the incident splinters the family of Penny (Robyn Malcolm), Phil (Peter Mullan) and daughter Grace (Tara Canton). It reverberates for years to come in the New Zealand community where Penny lives and works, yet for her there is no turning back. The 6 part series, co-created by Malcolm and writer Dianne Taylor takes place over two time periods, being present and past…. In Robyn Malcolm Penny is a firebrand central character who performs with searing conviction, superbly matched by Peter Mullan who goes toe-to-toe in rivetting feuds. You could watch it for this alone and be satisfied.
Violence
The Day of the Jackal, Binge / Foxtel
Munich, London, Paris, New York, Seville, Belfast, Bavaria, Riga… new spy thriller The Day of the Jackal has gone all out to envelop you in bustling metropolises and sumptuous locations. There’s money on the screen in the new series starring Eddie Redmayne as the conniving Jackal of the title. The reimagining of Frederick Forsythe’s novel of the same name is expanded 10 episodes which, unlike a good ol’ James Bond adventure, demands much of its audience. Thankfully it delivers on several fronts…… Amid the alluring city skylines, cat-and-mouse chases and spy tricks -all of which are pretty darn satisfying- we are left with moral choices and duplicitous actions which are increasingly similar on both sides of good / evil. It’s ok to lie, cheat, steal, kill as a means to an end, right? Who cares when there is another drop-dead gorgeous Euro-setting that looks sensational on the screen….. hmm. Eddie Redmayne plays it completely cool, whispering dialogue and betraying his boyish charms with cold-blooded killer precision. This helps make the series unexpected fun.
Mr Bates v the Post Office, Seven
The success of Mr. Bates vs The Post Office is a triumph of the power of television. Since the 4 part drama screened in the UK it has led to a backlash against the government, drawing front page headlines, compensation for victims, convictions quashed and a former Post Office CEO handing back her CBE. But it is also a triumph of the power of brilliant casting. Watching this true life tale, you never get the feeling of star actors overwhelming the material. The fact that they all feel like an ‘everyman’ fighting against bureaucracy only makes this all the more convincing….. In the lead role Toby Jones is understated, driven and stubborn. These are attributes Alan Bates held fast as the campaign for justice dragged on. Remarkably, this is a story that drew media attention over the years, including with a Panorama documentary. But it took a drama on broadcast television to ignite widespread emotion.
Baby Reindeer, Netflix.
Be warned. If you partake of Baby Reindeer you will be sucked into its vortex. The new UK drama from Netflix launched with little fanfare (and next to no publicity) but has quickly garnered word of mouth for its compelling story and riveting performances. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it all the more gripping. The 7 part series is written by Richard Gadd who stars as Donny Dunn, a fictionalised version of himself. Donny is an aspiring stand-up comedian who was the victim of an obsessed stalker …and more. That he relives his own trauma for a television drama is mind-blowing, but one which he has since remarked on as a kind of therapy…… Gadd is mesmerising in the role of Donny, largely for the fact that you know he has lived through this experience and found a creative way to reconcile his torment. It affords us an absorbing insight into the world of the victim. You always want Donny to free himself from Martha’s clutches yet he keeps making mistake after mistake… Jessica Gunning is magnetic as Martha, a manic force to contend with, whose obsession and capacity are freaking scary, flipping from doey-eyed sweet-nothings to violent threats in an instant. Her performance is simply the best of its kind since Glenn Close’s bunny-boiler in 1987’s Fatal Attraction. Baby Reindeer doesn’t just ride shotgun through the plot of a demented stalker case, it delves much deeper into the psychology of it all and asks whether both sides played a part in its behaviour. Clearly that can’t be applied to every instance of stalker and victim, but in the case of Donny / Gadd it is a deeply personal and cathartic experience he is brave to share.
Honourable mentions:
Thou Shalt Not Steal, Stan
Sweetpea, Binge / Foxtel
Fake, Paramount+
Culprits, SBS
Lost Boys & Fairies, Stan
Human Error, Nine
Television Event, SBS
The Assembly, ABC
Douglas is Cancelled, ABC
How to Make Gravy, Binge / Foxtel
Music by John Williams, Disney+
The Penguin, Binge / Foxtel
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Netflix
The Boyfriend, Netflix
Don’t forget to vote for your favourites in the TV Tonight Awards.
….and remember the special Review Filters added to the site this year will help you sift through reviews according to your own subscriptions and tastes to find something to watch.
17 Responses
Wow, it appears as if 2024 really did split opinion, as of my top 5 shows (including those not new), I think only 1 has been mentioned anywhere on this page… Which is saying something, since troy listed about 50 down the bottom there. I haven’t quite figured out my ordering (and am still to watch Day of the Jackal), but my top 5 looks set to be Ripley, Industry S3, Say Nothing, The Penguin & Tokyo Vice S2. Of the other new shows, I had Shogun, The Gentlemen, Baby Reindeer, Rivals & Boy Swallows Universe knocking on the door.
3 of yours mentioned here, but I also rule out any S2, S3 from consideration. Good to hear other shows of interest, thanks. Enjoy Jackal…
David … are you OK? How the heck does Shogun miss the cut completely? I’ve seen all of your selections bar ‘Baby Reindeer’. Doesn’t strike me as my kind of show. But the other 4 shows would definitely be in the mix for my list for the year.
Thanks for the tip on ‘After the Party’. Gave this one a binge today and wow… great drama!
You’re welcome!
I enjoyed Boy Swallows Universe & After the Party. Haven’t watched The Penguin or Day of the Jackal yet. I have recorded them to watch. Just finished Sweetpea. Wow what a show. That was something else. Interested to see what they do for season 2. Just finished Fake. Really enjoyed it. Loved Human Error too.
While I definitely disagree with this list, I appreciate a reviews list that isn’t the same 5 shows like every other reviewer has done.
Totally agree, except for Baby Reindeer. I found it unwatchable.
My favourite was Van de Valk with its slick dialogue and Mark Warren (I’ll watch anything with him in it) as the unapologetic Commissaris Piet. I enjoyed The Penguin just because Colin Farrel portrayed such a sinister unconscionable character with the Sopranos vibe. Another was Suspect Series 2 on SBS which took me down the rabbit hole to binge watch. Sweatpea who turned into a nasty piece of work and I’m looking forward to Series 2. Human Error was another and I hope it gets another season. Mr Bates was an eye opener when it comes to how a government can cause so much carnage for people simply because they have the power to do so. I found After the Party was well acted but a bit tedious trying to get to the truth in the end which left me in two minds. The Assembly had me hooked because it is a wonderful thing to allow the students to pursue their dreams and just be their true selves.
I agree with your selection, until Baby Reindeer.
It was underwhelming and not good at all. It was over-hyped and didn’t draw me in like it did others. I was sick of it by episode two.
Each to their own, I guess.
I watched it all and then realised I was disappointed I had wasted my time. Jessica Gunning was awful, I don’t how she gets any praise or awards for such a bad performance. If I could have my time over, I’d definitely watch something else.
I have great taste just like you Dad 😊 I have seen four of the five so will definitely check out ‘The Day of the Jackal’.
If you are open to having a good time and can overlook how completely OTT it is, Jackal is certainly worth the watch.
Part 2:
Shows I’m currently watching that will end up on the list are Earth Abides (Stan), Landman (Paramount+), Creature Commandos (Binge), The Sex Lives Of College Girls S3 (Binge), Dexter: Original Sin (Paramount+), Laid (Binge), Nobody Wants This (Netflix), No Good Deed (Netflix) and Rivals (Disney+).
Binge doubled my second most streamed platform (Netflix) in terms of most shows I watched. Followed by Disney+ and AppleTV+.
My favourite male performer of the year was Colin Farrell in The Penguin, with honourable mentions to Eli Bell (Boy Swallows Universe), Brian Jordan Alvarez (English Teacher), Jon Pointing (Big Boys) and Patrick Brammall (Colin From Accounts).
Female performer of the year was Cristin Miliotti (The Penguin), with honourable mentions to Robyn Malcolm (After The Party), Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along), Harriet Dyer (Colin From Accounts) and Lindsay Duncan (Truelove).
Favourite ensemble of the year was from Shrinking. That show is elite at the moment.
Phew!
My new favourites of the year would have to be Masters of the Air (Apple TV+) and Shogun (Disney+). I still can’t help but get a good laugh from Clarkson’s Farm (Prime Video) now into it’s third season. And for docos I second your listing of Music by John Williams (Disney+).
Thanks David for your recommendation of The Day of the Jackal – I binged it this past week while on break and found it to be brilliant! Here’s hoping there isn’t too much of a break before we get season 2.
Excellent list David!
My Top 5 favourite new shows: The Penguin (Binge), Truelove (Binge), After The Party (Binge), Lost Boys & Fairies (Stan) and Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix).
Added to that list in order were Colin From Accounts S2 (Binge), Shrinking S2 (AppleTV+), Breeders S4 (Disney+), Hacks S3 (Stan), Big Boys S2 (iView), Last King Of The Cross S2 (Paramount+), Territory (Netflix), Sweetpea (Binge), The Twelve S2 (Binge), House Of The Dragon (Binge), Baby Reindeer (Netflix), Changing Ends (iView), The Boys S4 (Prime Video), Breathless (Netflix), Disclaimer (AppleTV+), Agatha All Along (Disney+), A Man On The Inside (Netflix), The Day Of The Jackal (Binge), Plum (iView), Fake (Paramount+), English Teacher (Disney+), Supacell (Netflix), Shogun (Disney+), Invincible S2 (Prime Video), Sausage Party: Foodtopia (Prime Video), Ted (Binge), X-Men ‘97 (Disney+), Fisk S3 (iView), Somebody Somewhere S3 (Binge), Heartstopper S3 (Netflix) and Escort Boys (Prime Video).