The popularity of the Korean series Squid Game was without comparison when the first season debuted back in 2021. Since then, the K-drama has been a hot topic since the second season was announced. With Squid Game 2 hitting Netflix the day after Christmas, fans will finally learn what the new round of games will include and how the return of Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun will alter the plans of The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and those behind the competition.
I got the chance to ask questions about the stars and creator of Squid Game 2 before the second season premiered on Netflix. Remember that some of these answers may involve spoilers for Squid Game 2, so proceed cautiously.
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who wrote and helmed all seven episodes this season, already has plans for the third season of Squid Game, while Netflix has aspirations to turn the series into a franchise. I asked the director if there were any plans to expand to international versions of Squid Game in the form of spin-offs.
“It would be great if each of the other countries could take it up for themselves. I don’t think it will be easy for me to travel to these countries and create their versions of Squid Game. I feel like the most fitting version of Squid Game for each country would best be done by their local creators. So my personal hope is that we would get a different version of Squid Game for each of the different countries by their local creators. That’d be great.”
Returning star Lee Jung-jae, who reprises his role as Gi-hun (Player 456) had a challenge of portraying the only contestant who has experience with the competition. I asked if it was a challenge portraying the character in a darker place this time around.
“Yes, it was much more challenging for me to portray the darker Gi-hun because you can’t be so expressive when you’re a darker character. He was always tense in season two, always focused on achieving his only one goal of, you know, saving people and putting an end to the game. So I thought, what would make me look very grounded? I try to put myself in his shoes, but I am the only one who plays him. So, who can I ask for more advice? So that was the hard part, but I thought that because his only goal in season two was to make it out alive with his contestants. Understanding the other characters’ backstories better and deeper would help me because I realized that while he is a darker character, he is a very altruistic character, so when I understood that, that made it easier for me to portray this character.”
We also spoke with new cast member Jo Yu-ri, who portrays Kim Jun-hee (Player 222). I asked what it was like joining a series with a massive worldwide fan following and with such huge expectations for the second season.
“Season one was such a huge success commercially and both in terms of impact. And I was a huge fan of the season one. I was actually one of those fans who was waiting for the announcement of season two. So, when I first heard that I had this offer from the team. I couldn’t really believe it. At first, it didn’t feel real.”
A lot is going on in the second season of Squid Game 2, which sets up the possibility of a third season. With the whole season premiering while many people are off work to celebrate the holidays, expect a lot of discussion in the days and weeks to come.
Squid Game 2 premieres on December 26th on Netflix.
The popularity of the Korean series Squid Game was without comparison when the first season debuted back in 2021. Since then, the K-drama has been a hot topic since the second season was announced. With Squid Game 2 hitting Netflix the day after Christmas, fans will finally learn what the new round of games will include and how the return of Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun will alter the plans of The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and those behind the competition.
I got the chance to ask questions about the stars and creator of Squid Game 2 before the second season premiered on Netflix. Remember that some of these answers may involve spoilers for Squid Game 2, so proceed cautiously.
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who wrote and helmed all seven episodes this season, already has plans for the third season of Squid Game, while Netflix has aspirations to turn the series into a franchise. I asked the director if there were any plans to expand to international versions of Squid Game in the form of spin-offs.
“It would be great if each of the other countries could take it up for themselves. I don’t think it will be easy for me to travel to these countries and create their versions of Squid Game. I feel like the most fitting version of Squid Game for each country would best be done by their local creators. So my personal hope is that we would get a different version of Squid Game for each of the different countries by their local creators. That’d be great.”
Returning star Lee Jung-jae, who reprises his role as Gi-hun (Player 456) had a challenge of portraying the only contestant who has experience with the competition. I asked if it was a challenge portraying the character in a darker place this time around.
“Yes, it was much more challenging for me to portray the darker Gi-hun because you can’t be so expressive when you’re a darker character. He was always tense in season two, always focused on achieving his only one goal of, you know, saving people and putting an end to the game. So I thought, what would make me look very grounded? I try to put myself in his shoes, but I am the only one who plays him. So, who can I ask for more advice? So that was the hard part, but I thought that because his only goal in season two was to make it out alive with his contestants. Understanding the other characters’ backstories better and deeper would help me because I realized that while he is a darker character, he is a very altruistic character, so when I understood that, that made it easier for me to portray this character.”
We also spoke with new cast member Jo Yu-ri, who portrays Kim Jun-hee (Player 222). I asked what it was like joining a series with a massive worldwide fan following and with such huge expectations for the second season.
“Season one was such a huge success commercially and both in terms of impact. And I was a huge fan of the season one. I was actually one of those fans who was waiting for the announcement of season two. So, when I first heard that I had this offer from the team. I couldn’t really believe it. At first, it didn’t feel real.”
A lot is going on in the second season of Squid Game 2, which sets up the possibility of a third season. With the whole season premiering while many people are off work to celebrate the holidays, expect a lot of discussion in the days and weeks to come.
Squid Game 2 premieres on December 26th on Netflix.
James Cameron probably knows that he’ll never direct someone to an Oscar, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t pulling for his actors. And his main focus right now is on Avatar star Zoe Saldaña, who is in good position to nab herself an Academy Award for Emilia Pérez.
James Cameron recently spoke with Ringer Movies (via CBR) to praise Saldaña, who has played Neytiri te Tskaha Mo’at’ite for the director twice so far, with even more sequels on the way. “[Zoe Saldaña] is fantastic in it. This is her season, maybe, to be recognized at the stature she should be recognized, So, there’s a lot of things in it that I just find fascinating. Speaking on the film as a whole, James Cameron said, “What I saw that blew me away was Emilia Pérez. I have seen it three times now. It’s just not like any other film that’s ever been made, you know? I mean, I think it’s bold, it’s daring, it’s a vision. It’s beautifully executed. It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking.”
The odds are in Zoe Saldaña’s favor to take home her first Oscar after just one nomination. But there might be some minor controversy behind it, as the campaign has put her in the supporting category when she has more screen time than co-star Karla Sofía Gascón, who has been put in the lead category. Saldaña, Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz all shared the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.
But Zoe Saldaña has had far bigger issues with the Oscars, questioning why motion capture performances get ignored by the Academy. “It is quite deflating when you give 120 per cent of yourself into something. I mean, not winning is OK, not being nominated is OK, but when you’re overlooked and then minimised and completely disregarded…” Here’s hoping that doesn’t actually hurt her Oscar chances…
James Cameron probably knows that he’ll never direct someone to an Oscar, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t pulling for his actors. And his main focus right now is on Avatar star Zoe Saldaña, who is in good position to nab herself an Academy Award for Emilia Pérez.
James Cameron recently spoke with Ringer Movies (via CBR) to praise Saldaña, who has played Neytiri te Tskaha Mo’at’ite for the director twice so far, with even more sequels on the way. “[Zoe Saldaña] is fantastic in it. This is her season, maybe, to be recognized at the stature she should be recognized, So, there’s a lot of things in it that I just find fascinating. Speaking on the film as a whole, James Cameron said, “What I saw that blew me away was Emilia Pérez. I have seen it three times now. It’s just not like any other film that’s ever been made, you know? I mean, I think it’s bold, it’s daring, it’s a vision. It’s beautifully executed. It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking.”
The odds are in Zoe Saldaña’s favor to take home her first Oscar after just one nomination. But there might be some minor controversy behind it, as the campaign has put her in the supporting category when she has more screen time than co-star Karla Sofía Gascón, who has been put in the lead category. Saldaña, Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz all shared the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.
But Zoe Saldaña has had far bigger issues with the Oscars, questioning why motion capture performances get ignored by the Academy. “It is quite deflating when you give 120 per cent of yourself into something. I mean, not winning is OK, not being nominated is OK, but when you’re overlooked and then minimised and completely disregarded…” Here’s hoping that doesn’t actually hurt her Oscar chances…
2025 is upon us! Indeed, 2024 was an interesting year for pop culture, with plenty of TV and movies (and some pretty amazing video games – such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle) keeping us busy over the last twelve months. 2025 looks like it will be even more of an event, and we’ll be posting our extensive 2025 preview tomorrow (although you can read our horror-specific one right HERE). With another year in the rearview mirror, we here at JoBlo thought the holidays would be a good time to post a few cool mashups one of our ace editors – Jay St G – did over on the Celebrity Interviews Channel of some of the coolest shout-outs we’ve gotten over the years from our favorite celebs. We’ll be posting two of these, but in the first, you can see everyone from Sylvester Stallone to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Denzel Washington alternately being amused by our name and, in the case of Stallone, giving us some heartfelt appreciation for our support over the years.
Indeed, JoBlo has been going strong since 1998, and remains one of the last independent sites in operation, and has grown to include an extensive YouTube Network featuring 12 separate channels, totalling over 17M subscribers and over 13 billion lifetime views (read all about that right HERE). Speaking as one of the guys who’s done many of these interviews for the site, it’s always such a pleasure to have someone you’ve admired express their appreciation. I’ll never forget speaking to Stallone (a guy I like so much I have an autographed poster of Tulsa King hanging in my home) and hearing him give us one of our best shout-outs ever. Check out the video above, and in a few days, we’ll post more!
2025 is upon us! Indeed, 2024 was an interesting year for pop culture, with plenty of TV and movies (and some pretty amazing video games – such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle) keeping us busy over the last twelve months. 2025 looks like it will be even more of an event, and we’ll be posting our extensive 2025 preview tomorrow (although you can read our horror-specific one right HERE).
With another year in the rearview mirror, we thought the holidays would be a good time to post a few cool mashups one of our ace editors – Jay St G – did over on the Celebrity Interviews Channel of some of the coolest shout-outs we’ve gotten over the years from our favorite celebs. We’ll be posting two of these, but in the first, you can see everyone from Sylvester Stallone to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Denzel Washington alternately being amused by our name and, in the case of Stallone, giving us some heartfelt appreciation for our support over the years.
Indeed, JoBlo has been going strong since 1998, and remains one of the last independent sites in operation, and has grown to include an extensive YouTube Network featuring 12 separate channels, totalling over 17M subscribers and over 13 billion lifetime views (read all about that right HERE). Speaking as one of the guys who’s done many of these interviews for the site, it’s always such a pleasure to have someone you’ve admired express their appreciation. I’ll never forget speaking to Stallone (a guy I like so much I have an autographed poster of Tulsa King hanging in my home) and hearing him give us one of our best shout-outs ever. Check out the video above, and in a few days, we’ll post more!
Plot: Inspired by actual events, Los Frikis is a coming-of-age story set in early 90s Cuba, where a group of punk rockers, in search of freedom, deliberately inject HIV to live at a government-run treatment home so they can create their own utopia.
Review: In 1991, when I was ten years old, I spent most of my days listening to Nirvana’s Nevermind on repeat, riding my BMX through local dirt trails, and recording episodes of MTV’s Liquid Television on VHS, hoping to catch another chapter of Peter Chung’s Æon Flux. All things considered, it was a breezy way for an American adolescent to grow up. Little did I know that people were suffering in other parts of the world, like Cuba, where a Marxist–Leninist politician named Fidel Castro pressed his tar and nicotine-covered thumb upon the necks of his people. How could I know that in 2024, a movie called Los Frikis would act as a wake-up call for how fortunate I was and open my eyes to a movement I never knew existed?
In the late 80s and 90s, the Cuban government banned rock music. You had to listen secretly, hoping to catch a chord or Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” while manually pointing an antenna at the sky from a rooftop without getting caught. Food was scarce, creating an epidemic of starvation as adults worked in the fields to afford meager portions while the youth killed and ate stray cats wandering the neighborhood. The American dream shined like a lighthouse in the fog overseas, and people risked their lives to get there.
When Paco (Héctor Medina) gets denied passage to the “Land of the Free,” he and his punk rocker friends inject themselves with HIV to live in a government-funded sanatorium, where some semblance of freedom and all the ice cream you-can-eat awaits. At the time, Paco knew little about HIV. Equating it to a cold while assuming a cure was around the corner was his mindset, and others followed his lead. Even his younger brother, Gustavo (Eros de la Puente), got in on the scam. But when a doctor falsely labels him as HIV positive, Gustavo joins Los Frikis, knowing he’s living a lie. He’s not only hiding from the Cuban government; he’s an outsider living in a community of outsiders.
The Peanut Butter Falcon directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz bring the story of Los Frikis to screens with incredible emotional depth, an adrenaline-filled, era-appropriate soundtrack, and beautiful cinematography from Santiago Gonzalez. Héctor Medina is a swirling mosh pit of emotions trapped inside a young punk’s body. He leads Los Frikis with authority, acting as their king in a semi-private kingdom of misguided subjects. Meanwhile, Eros de la Puente brings a corrupted innocence to the island with a stunning performance as Gustavo, a liar needing companionship and sanctuary. Gustavo enters the story as a near-silent protagonist, letting his soft facial expressions and huddled posture tell his story. As he adjusts to his new life with Los Frikis, he emerges from his cocoon, becoming a bullet with butterfly wings.
Adria Arjona (Blink Twice, Andor) steals the show alongside Medina and Peunte as Maria, an HIV-free matriarchal figure who tends to the group’s needs. She’s a warm breeze amidst a male-dominated cast, being one of the few women in an ailing community. Her chemistry with the Los Frikis punks is carefree and infectious, but when Maria is alone with Gustavo, Arjona takes her performance to another level. Arjona plays Maria with an air of mystery and a tender touch, presenting her as a firework with a long fuse waiting to explode. As she and Gustavo become closer, the guilt from Gustavo’s lie spreads, creating tension within him that gives his every moment a sense of overwhelming dread. As Gustavo became more ingrained in the community, my heart sank for him, knowing the truth would come out eventually. If you don’t have HIV, you’re a poser, and posers don’t have a home with Los Frikis.
In addition to directing the film’s slow boil of fear brought on by Gustavo’s lie, Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz celebrate the raw, healing power of music with style and reverence. Despite being infected with HIV and their health failing with each passing day, Los Frikis live like they never have inside their community. In many ways, they’re untouched by Castro’s influence, free to do as they please within the confines of their punk utopia. The sensation of freedom gave me a false sense of security as Los Frikis partied the days away. Then, people started getting sick—save for Gustavo.
The breakdown of the group lands an off-center punch to the story as beats become familiar and somewhat predictable. Even so, Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz treat these familiarities with care, making them impactful despite their clockwork nature. When someone leaves the film, you feel that loss, however they go.
Los Frikis is by far one of my most excruciating film-watching experiences. Because of the stress, I had to look away from the screen, cover my ears at least twice, and pop an Ativan halfway through. People with aversions to animal cruelty, be warned: Los Frikis is raw and unforgiving in its portrayal of the group’s dire circumstances and how animals play a role in their survival and evolution. Regardless of my being on edge for the film’s entirety, Los Frikis is a diamond in the rough of 2024’s indie output and stands as one of my favorite films of the year.
Most people experience untold hardships at some point, though some are more intense than most. Imagine living under such oppression that injecting yourself with HIV is seen as a solution to your problems. That scenario makes most of my trials appear small; my two open-heart surgeries, blood poisoning, and 30+ years of Crohn’s disease struggles be damned. From this moment forward, whenever I hear punk rock, I’ll think about Los Frikis. While some movies can anger you, Los Frikis makes you want to start a revolution. Viva la Los Frikis.
After taking a look back at House II: The Second Story (a favorite of mine since childhood), House of 1000 Corpses (which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year), the awesomeness of Tales from theCrypt Presents: Demon Knight, the leg smashing in the Stephen King adaptation Misery, three separate moments from John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, the “Jason vs. Tina” battle in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, the “all hell breaks loose” sequence from the start of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, the opening sequence of Pitch Black, a cool moment from The Crow, a memorable shark attack from Jaws 2, a creepy moment from Lost Highway, the climactic factory chase sequence from Child’s Play 2, and the “Stigmata Martyr” dance scene from Night of the Demons, JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek is continuing his The Best Scene video series – and ringing in the New Year – with a look at the opening sequence from the 1995 sci-fi thriller Strange Days! You can hear all about it in the video embedded above.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow from a screenplay by James Cameron and Jay Cocks, Strange Days has the following synopsis: Former policeman Lenny Nero has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While the bootlegs typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder. He enlists a friend, bodyguard Mace, to help find the killer — and the two soon stumble upon a vast conspiracy involving the police force Nero once worked for.
The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D’Onofrio, Glenn Plummer, Brigitte Bako, Richard Edson, William Fichtner, Josef Sommer, Nicky Katt, Michael Jace, and Louise Lecavalier.
Are you a fan of Strange Days? What did you think of this best scene video? Let us know by leaving a comment below… and if this isn’t what you would have picked as the best scene, let us know which scene you think is the best one in the movie.
Two of the previous episodes of The Best Scene can be seen below. To see more of our shows, click over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!
2024 was another great year for television. We got a ton of new series and returning favorites over the last twelve months, including a masterpiece from Alfonso Cuaron, the best comic book-inspired television series ever, and follow-up seasons to perennially great shows. We could barely watch everything from event series to revivals, comedies, dramas, and genre offerings. With hundreds of shows to choose from and thousands of hours of programming, here is our list of the best television series of 2024.
There have been many good shows this year, but not enough to make it into our top ten. Of all the shows reviewed in 2024, the above series is worth checking out if you have already plowed through the top series listed below. From returning series to limited events and unique genre offerings, there are a lot of quality shows we just couldn’t fit into our top list. Check out reviews for each series by clicking the title above.
After a tumultuous pause in production that saw Kevin Costner written out of the series, Taylor Sheridan’s popular flagship series returned with the final six episodes of the fifth season. Killing off Costner’s John Dutton was always in the cards, but the timeline was accelerated to accommodate the contractual shift. With Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser announced to lead their own spin-off series and rumors of a continuation led by Matthew McConaughey, the frustration fans may feel regarding the quality of Yellowstone is moot. Yellowstone remains one of the most fascinating melodramas on the air and representative of what fans love about watching rich people behave badly.
After becoming the biggest global streaming sensation of 2021, the Korean drama Squid Game has returned for a second season of games, drama, mystery, and death. While the second season has fewer episodes than the first and spends less time on the mysterious island, there is much more going on now. New characters and more conflict make this season as engrossing as the first, with another gripping lead performance from Lee Jung-jae. Premiering right after Christmas, Squid Game 2 marks the latest entry into this list and is definitely a worthwhile gift to send out in 2024.
Despite some critics, including myself, being underwhelmed by The Bear‘s third season, the culinary comedy-drama still serves up some of the best writing on television. Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edibiri are stellar alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach and the entire ensemble cast, with great guest stars and without needing guns, superpowers, or any other tropes from genre storytelling. As funny as it is heartbreaking, The Bear slowed down significantly during the third season but seems to be setting up what could be the final season of the series. There is no doubt that the show will continue to garner awards and critical acclaim as it shows us a different side of long-form storytelling than we usually get.
With a third and fourth season looking more likely every day, Taylor Sheridan’s series catalog has found another hit with this Sylvester Stallone-led series. Surprisingly funny but with a Sopranos-esque bend, the second season of Tulsa King added two great villains in Neal McDonough and Frank Grillo. A cliffhanger ending sets the stage for what comes next, potentially opening up a bevy of spin-offs inspired by this show. Stallone on the small screen is as good as on the big screen, so here is hoping the iconic actor is up for playing this character for years to come.
Video game adaptations have long suffered from bad scripts, directing, and acting. Over the last few years, shows have raised the bar, with The Last of Us setting the benchmark. When Westworld co-creator Jonathan Nolan lent his talents to bringing Fallout to screens, it became an instant contender for the next bar-raising series. With stellar performances from Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, Kyle MacLachlan, and Aaron Moten, Fallout took the tone and style of the video games. It forged a fully original story rather than retelling one we already knew. With a vast world full of drama and a sense of humor, Fallout is a great series that shows that you don’t have to be grim and serious to be a worthwhile video game adaptation.
While Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane used the 2005 film as a jumping-off point, this new take on the spy story has very little in common with what Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt did in their version. Glover and Maya Erskine play two strangers who must forge a professional and personal partnership to be successful spies. Their solid chemistry lends a realistic bend to this crazy plot with many great twists and turns. While the series works as a standalone, the ending leaves the door open for a new spy couple to headline season two. As it stands, Glover and Erskine are exceptional in this series, which defies the conventions of the genre to deliver a great romantic espionage series.
Despite the departure of creator Nic Pizzolatto after the first three seasons, HBO found something in new showrunner Issa Lopez. Bringing in Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as a mismatched pair of police officers in the isolated town of Ennis, Alaska, the fourth season, subtitled Night Country, took a horrifying discovery of murdered scientists in a remote part of the frozen wilderness and derived a chilling story about race, gender, and politics. With great supporting turns from Christopher Eccleston, John Hawkes, Isabella Star LeBlanc, and Fiona Shaw, Night Country was the best take on the True Detective format since the debut season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
Building off the success of his 2016 HBO miniseries The Night Of, writer and director Steve Zaillian adapted Patricia Highsmith’s classic mystery novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. While fans already got the story starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film, this lush black-and-white adaptation expands the focus to match the source material. With a chillingly perfect leading performance from Andrew Scott alongside Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn, Ripley is a stunningly beautiful storytelling achievement that challenges the noir genre’s conventions. Zaillian does a remarkable job, and Andrew Scott has never been better.
Remaking a beloved mini-series with an almost entirely Japanese cast and performed predominantly in the Japanese language was a risky move for FX, but it paid off. Shogun, a passion project for star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada, adapts the source novel by James Clavell and has garnered critical acclaim for the entire cast, notably Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano. With a second season in development from showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, the epic ten-episode Shogun remains a cinematic achievement on a scale that television rarely achieves. Wonderfully acted, intensely dramatic, and historically accurate, this series will rank as one of the best productions in small screen history.
Alfonso Cuaron has helped redefine modern cinema with everything from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to Children of Men, Gravity, and Roma. The auteur turned his focus to the small screen with the support of Apple to develop an adaptation of Renee Knight’s novel that is without comparison. A twisty drama about how the past can haunt the present, Disclaimer is jaw-droppingly brilliant. Cate Blanchett, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville, and Sacha Baron Cohen are all phenomenal. Still, relatively new talents Louis Partridge and Leila George take what could have been a run-of-the-mill melodrama and transform it into one of Alfonso Cuaron’s best works. This is less a television series than a novel made for the screen or a movie split into episodes. You have to see it from beginning to end to embrace the shocking power of this story.
While Marvel Studios may have cornered the big screen, DC has now raised the bar for television adaptations of comic books. Colin Farrell is unrecognizable in what may be his career-defining role as Oswald Cobb, the low-level gangster who rises through the underworld of Gotham City to become the kingpin known as Penguin. Cristin Milioti gives an equally amazing performance as Sofia Falcone, the woman standing in Oz’s path to power. To be able to tell a story about a Batman character without the Dark Knight would have been folly for anyone other than producer Matt Reeves and series creator Lauren LeFranc, who avoid making this a series about superheroes and villains but rather a fully realized crime saga along the lines of The Godfather, Goodfellas, or The Sopranos. From the ensemble cast to the production values and Farrell’s amazing prosthetic transformation, nothing came close to being as good this year as The Penguin.
2024 was another great year for television. We got a ton of new series and returning favorites over the last twelve months, including a masterpiece from Alfonso Cuaron, the best comic book-inspired television series ever, and follow-up seasons to perennially great shows. We could barely watch everything from event series to revivals, comedies, dramas, and genre offerings. With hundreds of shows to choose from and thousands of hours of programming, here is our list of the best TV shows of 2024.
There have been many good shows this year, but not enough to make it into our top ten. Of all the shows reviewed in 2024, the above series is worth checking out if you have already plowed through the top series listed below. From returning series to limited events and unique genre offerings, there are a lot of quality shows we just couldn’t fit into our top list. Check out reviews for each series by clicking the title above.
After a tumultuous pause in production that saw Kevin Costner written out of the series, Taylor Sheridan’s popular flagship series returned with the final six episodes of the fifth season. Killing off Costner’s John Dutton was always in the cards, but the timeline was accelerated to accommodate the contractual shift. With Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser announced to lead their own spin-off series and rumors of a continuation led by Matthew McConaughey, the frustration fans may feel regarding the quality of Yellowstone is moot. Yellowstone remains one of the most fascinating melodramas on the air and representative of what fans love about watching rich people behave badly.
After becoming the biggest global streaming sensation of 2021, the Korean drama Squid Game has returned for a second season of games, drama, mystery, and death. While the second season has fewer episodes than the first and spends less time on the mysterious island, there is much more going on now. New characters and more conflict make this season as engrossing as the first, with another gripping lead performance from Lee Jung-jae. Premiering right after Christmas, Squid Game 2 marks the latest entry into this list and is definitely a worthwhile gift to send out in 2024.
Despite some critics, including myself, being underwhelmed by The Bear‘s third season, the culinary comedy-drama still serves up some of the best writing on television. Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edibiri are stellar alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach and the entire ensemble cast, with great guest stars and without needing guns, superpowers, or any other tropes from genre storytelling. As funny as it is heartbreaking, The Bear slowed down significantly during the third season but seems to be setting up what could be the final season of the series. There is no doubt that the show will continue to garner awards and critical acclaim as it shows us a different side of long-form storytelling than we usually get.
With a third and fourth season looking more likely every day, Taylor Sheridan’s series catalog has found another hit with this Sylvester Stallone-led series. Surprisingly funny but with a Sopranos-esque bend, the second season of Tulsa King added two great villains in Neal McDonough and Frank Grillo. A cliffhanger ending sets the stage for what comes next, potentially opening up a bevy of spin-offs inspired by this show. Stallone on the small screen is as good as on the big screen, so here is hoping the iconic actor is up for playing this character for years to come.
Video game adaptations have long suffered from bad scripts, directing, and acting. Over the last few years, shows have raised the bar, with The Last of Us setting the benchmark. When Westworld co-creator Jonathan Nolan lent his talents to bringing Fallout to screens, it became an instant contender for the next bar-raising series. With stellar performances from Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, Kyle MacLachlan, and Aaron Moten, Fallout took the tone and style of the video games. It forged a fully original story rather than retelling one we already knew. With a vast world full of drama and a sense of humor, Fallout is a great series that shows that you don’t have to be grim and serious to be a worthwhile video game adaptation.
While Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane used the 2005 film as a jumping-off point, this new take on the spy story has very little in common with what Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt did in their version. Glover and Maya Erskine play two strangers who must forge a professional and personal partnership to be successful spies. Their solid chemistry lends a realistic bend to this crazy plot with many great twists and turns. While the series works as a standalone, the ending leaves the door open for a new spy couple to headline season two. As it stands, Glover and Erskine are exceptional in this series, which defies the conventions of the genre to deliver a great romantic espionage series.
Despite the departure of creator Nic Pizzolatto after the first three seasons, HBO found something in new showrunner Issa Lopez. Bringing in Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as a mismatched pair of police officers in the isolated town of Ennis, Alaska, the fourth season, subtitled Night Country, took a horrifying discovery of murdered scientists in a remote part of the frozen wilderness and derived a chilling story about race, gender, and politics. With great supporting turns from Christopher Eccleston, John Hawkes, Isabella Star LeBlanc, and Fiona Shaw, Night Country was the best take on the True Detective format since the debut season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
Building off the success of his 2016 HBO miniseries The Night Of, writer and director Steve Zaillian adapted Patricia Highsmith’s classic mystery novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. While fans already got the story starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film, this lush black-and-white adaptation expands the focus to match the source material. With a chillingly perfect leading performance from Andrew Scott alongside Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn, Ripley is a stunningly beautiful storytelling achievement that challenges the noir genre’s conventions. Zaillian does a remarkable job, and Andrew Scott has never been better.
Remaking a beloved mini-series with an almost entirely Japanese cast and performed predominantly in the Japanese language was a risky move for FX, but it paid off. Shogun, a passion project for star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada, adapts the source novel by James Clavell and has garnered critical acclaim for the entire cast, notably Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano. With a second season in development from showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, the epic ten-episode Shogun remains a cinematic achievement on a scale that television rarely achieves. Wonderfully acted, intensely dramatic, and historically accurate, this series will rank as one of the best productions in small screen history.
Alfonso Cuaron has helped redefine modern cinema with everything from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to Children of Men, Gravity, and Roma. The auteur turned his focus to the small screen with the support of Apple to develop an adaptation of Renee Knight’s novel that is without comparison. A twisty drama about how the past can haunt the present, Disclaimer is jaw-droppingly brilliant. Cate Blanchett, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville, and Sacha Baron Cohen are all phenomenal. Still, relatively new talents Louis Partridge and Leila George take what could have been a run-of-the-mill melodrama and transform it into one of Alfonso Cuaron’s best works. This is less a television series than a novel made for the screen or a movie split into episodes. You have to see it from beginning to end to embrace the shocking power of this story.
While Marvel Studios may have cornered the big screen, DC has now raised the bar for television adaptations of comic books. Colin Farrell is unrecognizable in what may be his career-defining role as Oswald Cobb, the low-level gangster who rises through the underworld of Gotham City to become the kingpin known as Penguin. Cristin Milioti gives an equally amazing performance as Sofia Falcone, the woman standing in Oz’s path to power. To be able to tell a story about a Batman character without the Dark Knight would have been folly for anyone other than producer Matt Reeves and series creator Lauren LeFranc, who avoid making this a series about superheroes and villains but rather a fully realized crime saga along the lines of The Godfather, Goodfellas, or The Sopranos. From the ensemble cast to the production values and Farrell’s amazing prosthetic transformation, nothing came close to being as good this year as The Penguin.
