By: William Watson
Since the pandemic, I have started watching way more television. It is not like I don’t still watch a lot of movies too, but the pandemic made me old and lazy for the last half of a decade, I am more likely to be on my couch with Stephanie on a Friday night than exploring Austin. Austin is a young man’s city these days. I got three part true crime docuseries to watch! My list is anything that aired its last episode in 2024…whether a new series, a continuation of a legacy series, or a limited series.
Here we go with my spoiler free article…
Time to jump right into the list!
Top Ten
10. Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
What It’s About: This miniseries explores the relationship between the U.S. and Russia from the alliance of convenience in WW2 all the way to today’s war with Ukraine.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix.
Why I Liked It: It is a really smart series. It takes an extensive look at the most important dynamic of geopolitical security in the last 75 years. It interviews Bush, Rice (Susan and Condi!), and other key leaders who engaged in the cold war, the thaw, and the refreezing. Smart television.
9. The Traitors Season 2
What It’s About: Well…it’s not Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War, I can tell you that. Instead, it is a trashy reality competition show hosted by the amazing Alan Cumming, featuring reality “stars” from other reality shows, competing in a wicked game of betrayal and strategy.
Where You Can Watch It: Peacock after it airs on Bravo.
Why I Liked It: It all comes down to Alan Cumming! It’s like two shows at once. Whatever the contestants are doing in the game and whatever acid trip Cumming is having nearby while wearing fabulous clothing. He is the best reality host since Probst.
8. Shogun
What It’s About: Based on James XXX’s novel, “Shogun” is a historical drama series set in feudal Japan, following the story of an English ship pilot who becomes embroiled in political intrigue and cultural clashes while serving with a Japanese Lord.
Where You Can Watch It: Hulu after it airs on FX.
Why I Liked It: Shogun was the show I had never watched that won the Emmys I thought my favored shows should have taken home. Then I watched it. With great apologies to everyone else, but this show was worthy of its wins. Especially Hiroyuki Sanada as Lead Actor playing the feudal leader Yoshii Toranaga. You’ve seen him before in other stuff, but he crushed it here. It is slow at times, but it is always beautiful and compelling. It is Game of Thrones without dragons.
7. American Nightmare
What It’s About: A total mindf&@k of a true crime docuseries about some horrific crimes committed in California. Every time you think you have it solved, you don’t.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix.
Why I Liked It: I like how implausibly stupid everything sounded, only to find out that the reality was even more bizarre. I had no idea what was happening until Netflix finally had mercy and told me. This series makes you hate Mustard.
6. 3 Body Problem Season 1
What It’s About: The Three-Body Problem is a smart sci-fi series exploring humanity’s first communication with aliens, and how different pockets of humanity respond to their chilling message.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix.
Why I Liked It: Unlike most Game of Thrones fans, I see the presence of that series’ showrunners working this project as a positive. Sure they didn’t stick the landing, but when they had material to adapt, Thrones was the best there was. This show, renewed through Season 3, is a complete story based on the Chinese novels of the same name. And so far, so good. Amazing large cast, which the showrunners know how to manage, chilling stories, and great action. Cannot wait for S2.
5. STEVE! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces
What It’s About: The two phases of Steve Martin’s life. Part one is how he rose from a kid in SoCal to selling out arenas as the most popular standup comedian of all time. The second part is where he decides to shed his rebellious image at the top of his game and become a movie star we’d come to think of as our kindly uncle.
Where You Can Watch It: Apple TV+
Why I Liked It: Who doesn’t like Steve Martin? Either version!?!?! While the first part is better because you remember what a wild and crazy guy he was, the second part is amazing as well because you see him build a whole new life just as successful as his standup era. Plus, him and Martin Short ride bicycles together…
4. A Man on the Inside
What It’s About: A bored widower takes a job with a P.I. agency to move into a swanky retirement community where a valuable necklace has gone missing.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix.
Why I Liked It: I liked Danson’s work with creator Michael Schur on The Good Place, and I liked this even more. Danson deserves an Emmy as his character bounces from laugh out loud comedy to heart wrenching exploration of aging and death. Season 2 has been approved, and I would 100% watch a new season of this every year for several more seasons.
3. The Penguin
What It’s About: Set after The Batman (the one with Robert Pattinson), Collin Farrell (yes, Stephanie…that’s Collin Farrell under the makeup) plays the Penguin as a low level criminal looking to rise among the ranks in Gotham City’s underworld.
Where You Can Watch It: HBO Max
Why I Liked It: I like superhero stuff, but I would recommend this to anyone who likes crime or mob dramas. There is almost no geeky content here, and that was great. Other than a few (usually vague) references, this could have been a Sopranos spinoff. Farrell and Christina Milioti, as the mob heiress Sofia Falcone, are both amazing and deserve Emmy hype. There wasn’t a dull moment the entire season.
2. Dark Matter
What It’s About: It’s a TV adaptation of Blake Crouch’s novel about a physicist who finds himself in an alternate version of reality and just wants to find his way home.
Where You Can Watch It: Apple TV+.
Why I Liked It: Well…they nailed it. Beginning. Middle. End. This show was amazing. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The changes from the book were great. Crouch as the showrunner was effective both from “maintain the book’s vision” and a “gotta make changes for a series” perspectives. All time classic.
NUMBER ONE!
1. Fallout Season 1
What It’s About: It’s the TV adaptation of the popular video game, this one from Christopher Nolan’s brother Jonathan.
Where You Can Watch It: Amazon Prime. But like all Amazon Prime shows on that horrible app, I often watch them out of order if one of the boys watched it first. This time I started on Episode 2. I thought it was compelling and setting up mysterious characters. NOPE. We knew all that stuff from the previous episode I skipped. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED!
Why I Liked It: This was the best show of the year for me. I was SO impressed with how they took a world that is more concept than story and made it an incredibly compelling narrative. I can also attest that this show is so good that if you start on Episode 2 instead of part 1 (damn you, Amazon Prime App!), it still makes sense. THAT is great story structure!
OTHER SHOWS OF NOTE
Honorable Mentions:
- Mr. McMahon- This explains so much about America.
- Agatha All Along- The best Marvel show since Hawkeye.
- The Kings of Tupelo- As a boy from Alabama, thank goodness for Mississippi!
A Little Disappointed:
- House of the Dragon Season 2- Still beautiful but it really took the story nowhere.
- Baby Reindeer- Started promising but didn’t end well. I am not blaming the plot because it was based on his life, but the presentation of it was all over the place.
- The Gentlemen Season 1- I loved the movie and this could have been great but it got silly when a Lord was the mob’s best agent for a job. It became a “challenge” of the week sort of thing…
