My 10 Favorite Movies and TV Shows of 2024

Here we go again 🎉

While many movie and TV lovers obsessed over the big and hot titles this year, I once again found my gems in small-scale — often underseen and underappreciated — productions that flew under most people’s radar. That perhaps is more true with cinema than television since the latter delivered astonishing and deservedly celebrated stuff throughout 2024. Whether it was a completely new original or a follow-up season to something already huge among viewers, TV and streaming once again came out a winner for me — despite the more than usual amount of second seasons that turned stale to my liking (yes, I mean Squid Game, Bad Sisters, Shrinking, and more).

Still, I wouldn’t necessarily say this year was better than the last, in fact, 2023 was overall more balanced in quality. But it really doesn’t matter. What does is that there were many films and series to love, indulge in, and be amazed by. As is always the case, I couldn’t watch everything I wanted to (Nosferatu and The Brutalist, for instance), but that didn't stop me from listing my favorites from 2024. So here they come.

Movies:

10. Marmalade

Romantic and sweet small-town noirs aren’t really a thing, but if they were, Keir O’Donnell’s directorial debut should be highlighted as one of the best of them. Camila Morrone’s vivacious, total riot of a performance elevates this underseen little flick about a thousand percent.

9. It’s What’s Inside

A simple but welcomingly fresh idea served up as a bonkers horror comedy. It's as vicious and mean as it is hilarious and out-of-the-box.

8. Heretic

M. Night Shyamalan wishes (and, as his fan, I do too) he could still make as provocative, intelligent, edge-of-your-seat suspense horrors as this one. The Hugh Grant renaissance continues.

7. His Three Daughters

Play-like somber dramas rarely pack a punch as hard as Azazel Jacob’s does, thanks to a terrific female lead trio that will peel your heart layer by layer.

6. My Old Ass

A bittersweet coming-of-age dramedy that makes you question your life choices (as the truly great ones tend to) with a pitch-perfect Aubrey Plaza and a wonderfully charming Maisy Stella in her feature debut.

5. Problemista

A beautiful harmony of quaint ideas by Julio Torres (writer, director, and star), which will have you laugh uncontrollably and cry like a baby in less than two hours. Problemista is the kind of triumph of indie cinema that we barely see anymore.

4. Strange Darling

Serial killer thriller turned upside down and inside out with slick visuals and a non-linear storytelling style that will shatter your end-game expectations. Cat-and-Mouse chase in its rawest, most brutal, and merciless form.

3. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

The “I Dare You Not to Cry Watching This” movie of the year straight from Thailand. A reminder to give your grandparents a hug if you still can because time hurts. (My review)

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Nine years after Fury Road, George Miller doubles down as the glorious king of adrenaline-fuelled action cinema.

1. Snack Shack

What to say that I haven’t already? Snack Shack stole my heart by reigniting my aching nostalgia for the best summers I had as a teen. Coming-of-age comedies don't get much better than this. Oh, and its soundtrack is pure 90s bliss. (My review)

Honorable mentions: Monkey Man, Longlegs, Rebel Ridge, The Last Stop in Yuma County, I Am: Celine Dion

TV Shows:

10. A Man on the Inside Season 1

Michael Schur and Ted Danson struck comedy gold again — with sprinkles of inescapable heartbreak even if you pretend to be a spy in a retirement home.

9. Monsieur Spade Season 1

Clive Owen’s criminally underused talent (as of late) is put to great use as hard-boiled icon Sam Spade in a show filled with culture, terrific dialogue, and the smoke of Gauloises you can almost smell at every corner in the small French town of Bozouls. (My review)

8. Shogun Season 1

FX’s epic is so rich with tradition, culture, and intriguing history that you come away with the feeling that you're ready to be a samurai too.

7. The Gentlemen Season 1

Guy Ritchie indulges in his favorite pastime of making horrible people and low-life criminals seem like larger-than-life spectacles. His Cockney vision, surprisingly, is even better than the first time.

6. Baby Reindeer (miniseries)

Obsession, personal trauma, and bold storytelling amount to giant waves that will wash you away whether you’re ready for it or not. Richard Gadd, I tip my hat to your artistic courage.

5. Mr. Throwback Season 1

Danny Grossman has become my new favorite loser to watch on TV. Probably the most underseen mockumentary of the year — despite being based around Steph Curry — which made me laugh the hardest in 2024. That’s no small feat. (My review)

4. A Bloody Lucky Day (miniseries)

A South Korean serial killer odyssey that does its best to catch up to genre classics like I Saw the Devil, Chaser, and Memories of Murder. It's as dastardly and unrelenting as those, even if it isn't as mesmerizingly cinematic. (My review)

3. Disclaimer (miniseries)

Alfonso Cuaron brought cinema to television in a masterfully concocted narrative puzzle dripping with sex and revenge. (My review)

2. Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (2-part docuseries)

David Chase — the man, the myth, the legend — deconstructed through interviews and sacred memories that drove him to make TV history. Mandatory viewing for devoted The Sopranos fans. (My review)

1. The Bear Season 3

As divisive as it might be among fans, I thought that Christopher Storer fine-tuned his anxiety-ridden masterpiece into its most delicately impressive season yet.

“Every ingredient that made the series what it is today is in perfect balance here, creating an exquisite harmony between chaos and quiet, sadness and joy. Like your favorite meal, it results in something that can entice profound emotions.” — from my review.

Honorable Mentions: Slow Horses S4, Dark Matter S1, Invincible S2, Chimp Crazy (miniseries), Mr. McMahon (docuseries)

What were your favorites this year?

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This is it for 2024, ladies and gents. I can’t thank everyone enough for the support and growth my little newsletter achieved this year, but just know, every like, comment, restack, PM, and read means more than you imagine. Happy New Year! I hope you also join me in 2025.