24 Best Scripted Shows of 2024, Ranked

This drama is much more than a procedural. Sure, it features a different missing person’s case each week, and it follows the team that looks for them — those who the police usually ignore in favor of high-profile victims — but at its heart, it’s about the characters, each dealing with a past trauma that continues to affect them as they aim to heal, both alone and with help from others. The last two episodes of Season 1 (which aired in January 2024) completely turned everyone’s worlds upside down. Gabi’s (Shanola Hampton) secret, that she’d kept the man who had kidnapped her as a teen, Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), captive in her basement, was out, and the hurt feelings of that betrayal and what she did continue to resonate into the ongoing second season. Sir, too, is free, allowing for a very different dynamic between him and Gabi; Hampton and Gosselaar’s chemistry is so good that it comes through even when they’re not face-to-face. And with Sir now interacting with the rest of Gabi’s team and the threat of him looming as large as ever, it was a great year to be a fan of this show. — Meredith Jacobs

Matlock‘s series premiere twist is one of the best plot twists of this year in TV. The reimagined version of the Andy Griffith series of the same name showed its real cards in the final moments of the first episode, revealing that Kathy Bates‘ Madeline “Matty” Matlock was not the sweet, struggling grandma she portrayed herself to be at the Jacobson Moore law firm. She is surely sweet, but her struggles aren’t a dead husband who left her with debt. Her husband, Edwin (Sam Anderson), is very much alive, and along with grandson Alfie (Aaron D. Harris), they’re scheming to avenge their daughter, Ellie, who died of an opioid overdose. Matty’s fight to bring down the Jacobson Moore lawyer who concealed documents that would’ve gotten opioids off the market sooner is a great through-line connecting each case of the week. And the growing relationship between Matty and boss Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) is a lovely TV friendship that we know is headed for choppy waters, but here’s hoping it can survive. If not, going from good friends to great enemies could be juicy. Broadcast TV could have a new classic on its hands. — Kelli Boyle

In a year filled with returning favorites, British import Big Mood, from creator Camilla Whitehill, is a refreshing addition to a must-watch TV slate. Centering around besties Maggie (Bridgerton & Derry Girls‘ Nicola Coughlan) and Eddie (Lydia West), the comedy offers a unique perspective on a friendship tested by mental health struggles as Maggie lives with bipolar disorder.

Living exclusively in the U.S. on Tubi, Big Mood is a bite-sized binge without regrets. While Maggie’s mood swings lead to unpredictable situations, Eddie is a true blue friend who has her back. As the season unfolds, the certainty of Eddie’s unyielding devotion to her pal becomes less clear as she deals with her own personal challenges. It’s a raw and honest portrayal of friendship that stands out against other current shows in a way that has us crossing our fingers for a second season. The fact that the show includes a Richard Curtis-themed birthday party, a rat hotel, a spirited pagan festival, and an abortion clinic run under the name “Girl Borsh” are merely added bonuses. — Meaghan Darwish

Netflix’s adaptation of One Day illuminated the words of David Nicholls’ bestselling novel. The series chronicled the relationship between Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dex (Leo Woodall) for one day over 20 years. As they navigated the ebbs and flows of their careers, families, and relationships, Emma and Dex built an unbreakable bond. Life can feel mundane at times, but one day can change the course of your entire life. Anchored by star-making performances from Mod and Woodall, One Day is a beautiful and devastating journey of love and loss. — Avery Thompson

Jake Gyllenhaal finally made his prestige television debut in this Apple TV+ crime drama. Adapting Scott Turow’s book of the same name, the eight-episode series was originally billed as limited but will have a second season due to the success of the first (and the availability of book sequels). The series took a few necessary liberties with the source material — a must for keeping audiences guessing — but more importantly, it also narrowed in on the family of the accused as the centerpiece of the story, with great emotional effect and, thus, audience investment and a grand payoff with the ending. — Amanda Bell

This juicy, scandalous Hulu series based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s book has it all: romance, backstabbing, characters you love, characters you hate, and one shocking moment after another. Sure, the first season (it’s been renewed!) is bookended by the rivalry between Tony (David Tennant) and Rupert (Alex Hassell) and those caught up in it, but there’s so much more to it. From Declan (Aidan Turner) making a bid for the franchise and the slow-burn romance between Rupert and Taggie (Bella Maclean) to a couple that actually makes you root for infidelity and a cliffhanger that’s too good to spoil, it’s impossible not to hit play on the next episode after finishing one. The cast is superb and charming, and the changes from the book just make it better. There’s so much more story to tell with these characters, both from the book’s pages and with what’s been set up onscreen, that I have high expectations for the second season — and after the fantastic first, I think it can meet them. — Meredith Jacobs

Kathryn Hahn chews up the scenery as the titular Salem witch who is broken free from a three-year spell caused by her climactic battle with Elizabeth Olsen‘s Scarlet Witch in the WandaVision finale. Joe Locke‘s character, simply known as “Teen” for most of the season, breaks Agatha free and convinces her to take him down the fabled Witches’ Road with the strong ensemble of Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, Patti LuPone, Debra Jo Rupp, and eventually Agatha’s former lover, Rio (Aubrey Plaza in the spooky role she was made for). The series continues WandaVision‘s trend of parodying TV classics without losing the thread on the unfolding mystery or revealing too much of its narrative cards in the process, and strong performances make the specially curated tests down the Witches’ Road suspenseful and tragic. The final episodes answer the lingering questions surrounding this season-long mystery about the Witches’ Road and Agatha as the only witch to ever walk its path and live to tell the tale, culminating in a finale flashback montage that flips everything you thought you knew on its head. It’s been a long time since Marvel delivered a TV series that’s strong enough on its own before considering its place in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe’s narrative. It’s an immediate addition to the list of annual Halloween must-see TV. — Kelli Boyle

The fourth entry of HBO’s crime anthology took viewers to Night Country, aka Ennis, Alaska in the dead of winter. Opening with the mysterious disappearance of several scientists at a privately funded outpost, True Detective‘s latest chapter puts Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) in charge of solving it all. When the tongue of a long-dead local Indigenous woman is recovered at the scene, and the scientists are found miles away frozen in the ice, it sets Danvers and Navarro on a collision course intermingled with supernatural traumas and a worsening water problem that has bigger implications than anyone could imagine.

This latest entry into the series breathes fresh life into the franchise while pulling in some fun ties to Season 1’s characters. At the same time, showrunner Issa Lopez shines a light on the environmental dangers marginalized communities are facing directly as well as the horrors being endured by Indigenous women. Night Country pays homage to its predecessors but brings something new to the table that makes keeping True Detective in the pop culture conversation worth it. — Meaghan Darwish

This post-apocalyptic dramedy follows in the footsteps of HBO’s The Last of Us as the next widely acclaimed video game adaptation, and it has nearly 20 Emmy nominations to prove it. In it, Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) has lived in an underground bunker for her entire life, just like many generations before her, in the fallout of nuclear winter in Los Angeles. When her father (Kyle MacLachlan) is kidnapped by surface-dwellers, she ventures out to save him only to find her entire education on the world above completely flipped on its head. While she’s disillusioned up there (Walton Goggins‘ the Ghoul and Aaron Moten‘s Maximus play big parts in her awakening), so too is her brother (Moises Arias) below as they learn dark truths about their supposedly safe and innocent underground home — and the second half of the season is where things really pick up. The show’s biggest feat is that it’s easy to love whether or not you’re familiar with the video game on which it’s based. — Kelli Boyle

Turns out everybody wants Nobody Wants This. The year 2024 was truly an unprecedented era for romantic television, and this Netflix series was the ultimate champion. Erin Foster‘s whip-smart and downright swoon-worthy tale of an adorable rabbi (Adam Brody) and a jaded podcast host (Kristen Bell) who fall in love despite the odds against them felt both nostalgic and brand-new. Brody and Bell have an electric chemistry that should be studied in acting classes across the globe. The people yearn for romance, and Nobody Wants This was everything we wanted and more. The series wasn’t just one of the best shows of 2024 — it’s one of the best romance series ever. — Avery Thompson

Colin Farrell first made his introduction as Oz Cobb in 2022’s The Batman, but fans really got a full picture of the villain in HBO‘s The Penguin, which delivered plenty of grit and style to keep up with its movie predecessor. And while The Batman may have been a noir mystery, The Penguin was a mob show focused on Cobb’s crooked climb to the tippy top of Gotham’s crime circuit. But it’s the characters around Oz that help elevate his story, like the contentious relationship he has with Sofia Falcone (scene-stealer Cristin Milioti), his co-dependency with mom Francis (Deirdre O’Connell), and the kinship he has with driver Victor (Rhenzy Feliz). It is through these interactions that we get to uncover the real Oz, a man who is hideous on the inside. — Meaghan Darwish

The titular rings were made at a breakneck pace in the second season, ramping up the stakes and quickly leading to the downfall of certain characters that were foretold in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s writings. Seeing these pieces of Lord of the Rings lore come to life for the first time onscreen made for purely cinematic TV, namely in the tragic storylines of Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards in an unforgettable performance), King Durin (Peter Mullan), and the siege of the Elven city of Eregion that unfolded impressively across the last two episodes and had the year’s best action-fantasy battle scenes. Season 1’s pacing was rushed, but the rushed nature of the creation of the rings of power in Season 2 adeptly showed the terrifying ease and efficacy of Sauron/Annatar’s (Charlie Vickers, playing the Big Bad very well) powers to destroy. Ismael Cruz Córdova and Sophia Nomvete‘s performances as Arondir and Disa, respectively, were standouts once more like in Season 1, and joining them and Edwards as season-highlight performances was Robert Aramayo, whose evolution from naïve to sorely battle-tested Elrond was gripping to watch. The improvement between the freshman and sophomore seasons was staggering, and we can’t wait to see how the heroic Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, who always delivers) continues the fight against her ultimate foe in the reportedly in-development third season. — Kelli Boyle

Season 2 of Paramount+‘s Aussie comedy Colin From Accounts continues the story of Gordon and Ashley (played by series creators and real-life couple Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer) as they attempt to reclaim the titular pup who brought them together in Season 1. The microbrewery owner and medical student continue to find their footing as a couple while building out their respective worlds onscreen with the introduction of Gordon’s family. Add in the comedic elements of double dating, meeting parents, and overcoming the struggles of a lost cell phone, and you have a pretty incredible season of television that sparks laughter as well as heartwarming emotions. Colin From Accounts is a lesser-known show, but one more than worthy of being added to your watch list. — Meaghan Darwish

There is nothing else like Fantasmas. The HBO series stars Julio Torres as himself on a journey through New York City looking for a gold oyster earring. Along the way, he encounters a slew of unique characters. Really, this is framing for a series of offbeat and wonderful sketches featuring guest stars like Bowen Yang, Paul Dano, Tilda Swinton, Ana Fabrega (Torress’ former Los Espookys costar), and more. Torres’ dreamlike, surreal, singular sensibility is on full display in Fantasmas, and it’s a true delight. It’s often melancholy (like the Torres-co-penned SNL sketch “Wells for Boys“), and more political than it seems on the surface. It’s also extremely funny. If you aren’t already watching, allow Aidy Bryant as Denise, a novelty toilet dress saleswoman, to convince you. — Leah Williams

Say Nothing, based on the extraordinary book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, is about The Troubles (a time of conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998) through the eyes of Dolours Price (Lola Petticrew and Maxine Peake), a young woman deeply involved in the Irish Republican Army in the 1970s. Dolours was a real woman, as was her sister Marian, played by Hazel Doupe and Helen Behan. The show (and book) are about the mystery of who killed Jean McConville, a woman disappeared in Northern Ireland. The book is a fantastic work of narrative nonfiction, and this adaptation nails the tone; the uncertainty, suspense, and brutality come to life onscreen. Its portrayal of an oppressed people making difficult choices is sympathetic but honest. It’s a tough and exhilarating watch, and the repeated disclaimer at the end of each episode (we won’t spoil it for you) is affecting every time. — Leah Williams

Somebody Somewhere has been stunning television for three seasons. In the third (and, sadly, final) season of the HBO show, Sam (creator Bridget Everett) has a new job and is entering a new phase of life in which her best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) is getting serious with his boyfriend. Hiller and Everett are magic together. Their friendship is so warm and lived-in (not to mention, often hilarious). Watching their friendship evolve has been a treat as a viewer. Watching Sam learn to accept love (from her friends, her family, and now a potential significant other) has been beautiful, too. The way this show depicts small-town life is loving, but not without its warts. It’s an incredibly special show, and we’re lucky to have gotten three seasons with these characters. — Leah Williams

Modern remakes are often produced for the nostalgia factor; the new renditions rarely outdo the original. That can’t be said here. Creators Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane (of Atlanta fame) saw major plot holes in the 2005 film of the same name and set out to give the story’s great hook (spies in an arranged marriage figure out how to coexist and fall in love in the process) a better interpretation. They succeeded.

Key narrative changes give John (Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) an actual story for how they got together, and while their employers stay a mystery, we’re not left wondering how the agency works. We’re also treated to meeting more Smith spies and weirdly sympathetic targets thanks to a collection of great guest stars (Parker Posey is sublime). The central couple working for the same employer rather than dueling agencies allows for commentary on power dynamics in romantic relationships between men and women, and the biggest narrative threat is also the show’s best detail: being a “super high-risk” Smith means your targets are other Smiths. This new rendition is a realistic look at modern relationships that impeccably balances the oddball comedy for which Glover and Erskine are uniquely equipped with the sexiness of true intimacy. And given that finale cliffhanger, thank goodness it’s getting a Season 2. — Kelli Boyle

If anything, FX‘s freshman series proves that Abbott Elementary hasn’t cornered the market on good school-set comedy. English Teacher is by far one of the year’s best new additions to the TV landscape, delivering fresh and fun laughs around the trials and tribulations of working at an Austin-based public high school. Series creator Brian Jordan Alvarez leads as Evan Marquez, the titular English teacher, who deals with difficult parents, questioning students, and plenty of red tape alongside cohorts Gwen (Stephanie Koenig), Markie (Sean Patton), Rick (Carmen Christopher), and Principal Moretti (Ernico Colantoni). There is something so realistic about this show’s portrayal of the teacher-student dynamic today that it pushes its comedy above others, making it an utter delight worth top rank. — Meaghan Darwish

Fargo‘s 10 years in, could it possibly still be that great? You betcha! Noah Hawley‘s FX anthology may have aired partially in 2023, but the Year 5 installments that did broadcast in 2024 — “Blanket,” “The Useless Hand,” and “Bisquik” — were among some of the season’s best. Revolving around Juno Temple‘s Dot Lyon, viewers quickly discover that the Minnesota housewife has an interesting history as the runaway bride to Jon Hamm‘s abusive North Dakota Sheriff Roy Tillman who is determined to reclaim her. The ensemble is flawless with Jennifer Jason Leigh shining as Dot’s condescending mother-in-law Lorraine, Sam Spruell as spooky sin-eater Ole Munch, New Girl‘s Lamorne Morris as good-guy cop Witt Farr, and so many more. Completely unconnected to prior chapters of the anthology, Fargo‘s latest season proved there’s no better time than the present to jump right into the oddly cozy crime world Hawley weaves. — Meaghan Darwish

Industry has continued to elevate its storylines and characters season after season. The HBO drama series entered a new stratosphere of prestige in Season 3. The jaw-dropping twists and anxiety-inducing high-stakes environment had everyone holding their breaths. The magic of Industry Season 3 was the unpredictability and the relentless, frenetic pace. The core actors — Myha’la, Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey, and Ken Leung — gave some of the best performances of the year. And let’s not forget Kit Harington, who chewed up every single scene. Season 3 was a total TV masterclass. — Avery Thompson

This mystery thriller has consistently been one of the best shows on television since its premiere in 2019 — as we expect from Robert and Michelle King — and its fourth and, sadly, final season (we’re still holding out hope on it being saved) is just as chillingly excellent. No other show combines comedy, drama, and horror so well and in the same scene like Evil does. Where else could the Antichrist’s grandmother (Christine Lahti) have him baptized? Could a demon be chasing after people only for his skin suit to get caught around his legs like pants? Could villain Leland (Michael Emerson) be reduced to whimpering by a baby? Could a nun (Andrea Martin‘s Sister Andrea) take out demons in a church using whatever weapons at hand? The relationships among the central trio — forensic psychologist Kristen (Katja Herbers), priest David (Mike Colter), and skeptical tech genius Ben (Aasif Mandvi) — have been at the heart of the series all along, and the final episodes showcase those completely, as the assessor program is shut down (meta!), Kristen and David grapple with their feelings for each other, and Ben questions what he does and doesn’t believe. — Meredith Jacobs

Fans may have waited quite a while for Season 3 of Max’s enduring original comedy Hacks, but it was well worth it. The continuation of comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and writer Ava Daniels’ (Hannah Einbinder) working relationship sent viewers on a rollercoaster ride. Reuniting to chase after Deborah’s dream of becoming a late-night TV host, the women separated by generations push each other much to the audience’s delight while interacting with a colorful cast of characters that include manager Jimmy (series co-creator Paul W. Downs), Kayla (Megan Stalter), Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), and Damien (Mark Indelicato) among many others including a startlingly stacked guest cast. If anything, Hacks proved that the fun is just getting started as a shocking dynamic shift in Season 3’s final moments teed up what could be the show’s best chapter yet in Season 4. If that’s not great television or comedy, then what is? — Meaghan Darwish

Our top two picks of the year so far have three things in common: dense scripts, the best dramatic acting performances of the year (arguably some of the best of recent memory), and a likelihood to be included in “best shows of all time” lists in the future. The 1980 Shogun series is already regarded as one of the best miniseries of all time, and now FX’s spectacular new rendition of the James Clavell novel joins if not surpasses it in quality (it’s also getting a second season).

Emmy winner Hiroyuki Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who fights for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him in 17th-century Japan. English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) becomes an unexpected addition to Toranaga’s camp that evolves into a useful (if unwilling) military ally. The slow-burn love story that blooms between Blackthorne and interpreter Lady Mariko (Emmy winner Anna Sawai in a stunning performance) is second only to the slow reveal of Toranaga’s plan to win his war with little bloodshed. The whip-smart dialogue (which is mostly in Japanese with English subtitles) draws out the plot so slowly and carefully, you can’t help but marvel at the final results when Toranaga’s long game is revealed, not only because of what the main character pulls off, but also because of the high quality every aspect of the series maintains from start to finish. It rightly swept most of the 2024 Emmys drama categories. — Kelli Boyle

It was a tough choice choosing between Shōgun and Interview With the Vampire for the top spot, but the decision ultimately came down to the astounding narrative feat the AMC series accomplished in its second season.

Part 2 left New Orleans behind for post-World War II Paris, where Anne Rice‘s beloved vampires Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson, who’s long overdue for Emmys recognition for his performance — Season 2 will be eligible next year) and daughter Claudia (the wondrous Delainey Hayles) attempt to make a new life for themselves after their attempted murder of their maker/Louis’ immortal companion, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid, equally snubbed by awards shows for his Season 1 performance). Season 2 follows the second half of the eponymous Rice novel, which being the gothic, romantic horror story it is, ends in tragedy for this broken family of bloodsuckers but also in catharsis wholly earned after 15 episodes in a storytelling pressure-cooker.

The series at large, but Season 2’s fifth and last two episodes especially are examples of what TV can be when artists are given the carte blanche to create (another thing this and Shōgun have in common). Showrunner Rolin Jones and his team planted narrative seeds in the show’s very first episodes back in 2022 that wouldn’t pay off until these final hours, all culminating in multiple jaw-dropping reveals involving Lestat and Armand (Assad Zaman, one of the casting department’s greatest finds) that were decades in the making in the show and yet still unpredictable. (Season 3, The Vampire Lestat adaptation, is going to be even more uncharted territory.)

Like the Rice novel before it, Interview With the Vampire uses monsters to excavate the depths of human emotion, taking bigger and bolder swings with the source material than the 1994 film dared to do. Love and death, grief and remorse, euphoria and despair are all covered as Louis carries out his “odyssey of recollection” with investigative journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian at his best) in 2022 Dubai. At its core, the show is a remarkable exploration of a most basic but confounding human experience that we spend our lives navigating: there are many sides to every story, but no matter how strongly we feel that our version is fact, the one haunting truth is, multiple things can be true at once. Imagine unpacking that for all eternity. — Kelli Boyle