I can’t possibly review every show I watch. I have a job. And a little bit of self respect. So rather than sit there looking at the the overwhelming list of shows I watched in 2024 that I never reviewed, I’ll just put them all (or mostly) here. Because, as you’ve probably figured out, this site is just a giant cataloging excercise anyway. I’m sure I missed a bunch. And am only including those series that I completed. Here we go.
Abbott Elementary: Season 3
Network: ABC
Watch: Hulu
Previous Full Review: Abbott Elementary: Season 1
Capsule Review: I know this is a beloved series. I get the appeal. But I also know what’s funny. To me. And this show just isn’t funny. Is it cute? Sure. Is it enjoyable and pleasant on some level? Of course. But the “com” in sitcom is short for comedy. And the comedy for me is just missing. If you consider comedy to be something that makes you laugh, that is. The only funny character on the show is Zack Fox, who plays Janine’s rapper ex-boyfriend, Tariq. If you just want an occasional smile, then I suppose this series is right in the pocket. I also don’t love it when a show is feeling itself and decides the best course of action is to have celebrity guest appearances. It cheapens the whole affair. They’re already on to season four in 2024, which hasn’t really increased the confidence I have in the show’s ability to consistently entertain. Boo. Hiss. I know, I suck.
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Season 1
Network: Netflix
Watch: Netflix
Capsule Review: This was apparently a show. A show I actually watched. One of many troubled adaptations of what I understand to be a super-popular cartoon that I vaguely recall seeing a couple times when Hipster Jr. was a kid. I watched this one to satisfy Hipster Jr. Jr., but I didn’t enjoy it. It’s made for children and is really flavored with that lens. Flavored with that flavor? I don’t know. But it has very child-like energy and very unsubtle exposition and eye-rolling romantic overtones. It might appeal to younger kids, but without the tie to the original material, it wasn’t anything I cared about. Or, frankly, cared to watch. It’s too much.
Agatha All Along
Network: Disney+
Watch: Disney+
Capsule Review: I watched WandaVision and was like, meh. So I decided, hey why don’t I watch a spin-off of a character who was probably the most annoying and confusing part of that series? My decision making is poor. But I will do anything to spend time with Hipster Jr. Jr. and she was down to frown. And frown she did. As did I. Because this series is straight basura. I don’t care about witches. I’m not going to see Wicked and have never wanted to see Wicked. This series fancies itself as some sort of Wizard of Oz-type tale and does its best to even make the world look like a bit of that throwback practical set thing that hopes to engender some nostalgia. You know when you get Patti LuPone you’re looking and hoping for a certain audience. An audience who isn’t me. Too annoying and too over-worked.
Bad Sisters: Season 2
Network: Apple TV+
Watch: Apple TV+
Capsule Review: The first season of this show was better than I thought it might be, as a group of Irish sisters gang up on a bad husband who ends up dead. Passive voice intended. The second season was pretty much a repeat of the first season, but with less interesting actors and more convoluted plots that end up making the sisters inadvertent killers instead of intentional ones. They just murder the shit out of people by accident. Sort of. It’s still okay watching the sisters fight and run around, but the plot is absurd and everyone is kind of an idiot. Honestly, though, I’d watch Sharon Horgan in anything, so I’m kind of in no matter what.
The Bear: Season 3
Network: FX on Hulu
Watch: Hulu
Previous Full Review: The Bear: Season 1 / The Bear: Season 2
Capsule Review: Look, this is a quality show. It doesn’t mean it’s always fun. Or funny. In fact, sometimes it’s downright stressful. But it can’t ever be accused of not being thoughtful. Even when you have to be tortured by slow-ass, maudlin episodes like “Ice Chips.” Which I know some people loved, but for some reason it just bored me. That was a rare miss in a season that was definitely solid, just not as solid as the first two. But, honestly, there was some next-level shit in the second season — like some of the best TV in years, so the bar was high. I’m excited for season four because one should be excited for good entertainment that’s well acted, adult fun.
The Big Door Prize: Season 2
Network: Apple TV+
Watch: Apple TV+
Capsule Review: I really disliked season one, so I decided to go for it and try out season two. Yes, I know that’s the definition of insanity, or whatever, but for whatever reason I just hit play on something for the background. Turns out I’m bad at not watching things when they’re on my TV. And so I sat through another season of just absolutely horrendous television. I think the creators are trying to make some point, but they are constantly stepping on it, contradicting what I think is the point of everything. They tried to evolve the plot a little this time, basically moving them onto level two of the mystery machine in the dry goods store, but it was even more convoluted and dumb than the last time. Everything about it is cheesy in the most unpleasant, almost smarmy, way. The only actor who doesn’t face plant, and is actually decent, in the series is the unknown-to-me TikTok kid who somehow got cast in the one of the lead roles. It’s a deeply uncomfortable “comedy” that is neither funny nor entertaining. It looks to have been canceled and that’s just fine.
Bodkin
Network: Netflix
Watch: Netflix
Capsule Review: Podcasts and sad Will Forte is a match made in franticness. Honestly, there’s something about the unending nervous energy in this series that just goes on and on that make for a relatively uneasy watch. But not in a good way. It just tries way too hard with its murder mystery, wrapping small town characters in with a national story. All captured for an American podcast by some dude named Gil Power (Forte) who is drawn into a scheme that is convoluted and, ultimately, pretty unsatisfying. It can be entertaining in parts — because small-town Ireland and its quirks can sometimes be funny — but it just couldn’t maintain a high quality level throughout.
Echo
Network: Disney+
Watch: Disney+
Capsule Review: It’s shocking that this show happened in 2024. It seems like the dead-eyed nonsense of another era. And, to be fair, debuted in January. But, as a spin-off of the endlessly more entertaining series, Hawyeye, this show is like the wet blanket thrown on the era of Marvel trying to get back to the “fun.” It’s overly-serious and tries to do the mystical native American thing, which, at times, feels a little more like a couple white people taking a cursory swing at Choctaw lore and customs, dumbing it down for a Disney audience and adding some magic shit and bad special effects to what is otherwise a mash-up of a mob show and an the occasional MMA fight. At only five episodes, it still seemed too long and took way devolved way too many times into flashbacks and backstory we got the first seven times. It’s impressive that they found an actual deaf, one-legged actress, Alaqua Cox, to play Echo, but otherwise I’m probably one of seventeen people who even remember this show was a thing.
Hacks: Season 3
Network: HBO Max
Watch: Max
Previous Full Review: Hacks: Season 1
Capsule Review: Can a show built on personal tension still be good when those people warm to each other? Without devolving into schmaltz. We get it; Ava is a kind of do-over for Deborah with her daughter, who has become that weirdly entitled waistoid ne’er do well offspring that we se trotted out in every show about a rich person ever. And, despite her sometimes disdain for Ava, she knows and understands that she’s at least her own person making her own way in the world. Which she both admires but constantly reminds of her failure as a parent. But that’s not what this season is really about. No, it’s a really unsubtle stab at “issues” around being an aging woman in a business built for young and male, and the dreaded cancel culture thing that obviously permeates the standup comic industrial complex. The show’s handling of both issues is… hackish. The show is still at its best when Deborah and Ava are going at it and/or Ava is obsessing about the Tom Cruise coconut cake. It’s a comedy and is funny when it’s trying to be. I just wish it would lean into that and stay away form the musical montage and melodrama.
House of the Dragon: Season 2
Network: HBO
Watch: Max
Previous Full Review: House of the Dragon: Season 1
Capsule Review: Frankly, if you asked me if this show took place in 2024 I’d have no idea. But it did, and it seems like it’s a complete lost memory. I seem to recall they did a better job with the dragons — like we could actually see them this time. Sonoya Mizuno got some acting lessons and dropped the horrendously weird accent. There was a dude who got all scorched that looked gross and somehow survived and some other stuff. It was well-made, but kind of boring, truth be told.
The Lazarus Project: Season 2
Network: TNT
Watch: TNT
Previous Full Review: The Lazarus Project: Season 1
Capsule Review: This show was a convoluted mess. Yet it was also fun at times because it was so messy. Hey, let’s make my dead school teacher girlfriend into a super-agent in our secret society that is responsible for resetting time for some reason! Sure! Let’s really lean into the time loop and show a guy getting murdered 700 times. Sounds good! Let’s change core characters’ basic make-up completely different in season two because we’ve backed ourselves into a corner. Yes! And then they’ll cancel us before a season three. Bummer.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
Network: Prime Video
Watch: Prime Video
Previous Full Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 1
Capsule Review: These! These rings power! Well, they said it right there so they must be what this show is also named. This is what I think about when I think about this show. Nothing. It’s stilted and kind of boring. Sure, there are orcs and shit, but there are also scenes that last way too long and adventured with no satisfying end. I don’t think this show is for me, clearly. I don’t like hobbits, I don’t care about wizards and am generally confused when an author can’t bother to give characters names that don’t all sound exactly the same. It’s real dumb.
The Old Man: Season 2
Network: FX
Watch: Hulu
Previous Full Review: The Old Man: Season 1
Capsule Review: Season one of The Old Man was fun because Jeff Bridges was a mystery. It was quirky and a little bit weird. But was not afraid to delve into a complicated web of crazy spy stuff. Season two was equally involved, but it doesn’t have that air of mystery that made for more fun when we first met Bridges’ character. The somewhat stilted dialogue and the all-encompassing middle-Eastern location from this season made the show drag at times. And the relationship at the crux of the season between Alia Shawkat’s character and her terrorist father stretches credulity. I suppose since Bridges’ character isn’t the actual old man in The Old Man, you can shift focus away from him for a season. But, honestly, the whole thing felt overworked and undercooked.
Only Murders In the Building: Season 4
Network: Hulu
Watch: Hulu
Capsule Review: It’s amazing that I’ve gotten through four seasons of this show and haven’t once thought to do a full review. That should tell you something about its impact. It’s a background show, and this season is even more background-y than the others. Somehow Steve Martin’s acting is getting worse, and it’s as if they’ve told Selena Gomez to just kind of stand there blank-faced and mumble a little to offset the manic energy of Martin Short. This whole season is complete nonsense, and the series has outlasted its usefulness as a background entertainment and moved into annoying category.
Outer Range: Season 2
Network: Prime Video
Watch: Prime Video
Previous Full Review: Outer Range: Season 1
Capsule Review: Somehow a weird show gets even weirder. But not in a good way. Lili Taylor — god love her — needs to take an acting class in dialing it down. Playing off the calm, simmering energy of both Josh Brolin and Imogen Poots, her craziness just feels that much more out of place. Granted, the whole show gets kind of insane and convoluted, and, frankly, pretty ridiculous in an unpleasant way. I want to say it’s typical of a show’s sophomore season, as it tries to answer a bunch of questions from its mysterious first season, but it also suffers from a mixture of mechanics and lore that it can’t quite square. That said, if they make it to a third season, I’ll be tuning in because this is so my thing.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season 1
Network: Disney+
Watch: Disney+
Capsule Review: I have no connection to these books or the previous attempts to adapt them. Hipster Jr. Jr. read all the books some years ago and was a big fan. I think she heard the bad news about the film adaptation and passed. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have to suffer through what felt like a very long season of television to see if this was better than expected. I’m not sure it’s clear from my writing, but I’m an adult. This show is made for kids and because of this I think they took some liberties with logic, continuity and casting. There is some stuff here that makes absolutely no sense. Like none. There is seemingly some yada-yada of a bunch of stuff. And, again, maybe they expect that watchers are familiar with the content and can just seamlessly fill it in in their brains. For me, they’re just holes. And some of the acting is… just terrible. They’re teenagers so I won’t mention anyone by name, but one of the main cast is not ready to primetime. Can’t wait for season two!
Shrinking: Season 2
Network: Apple TV+
Watch: Apple TV+
Previous Full Review: Shrinking: Season 1
Capsule Review: I feel like Jason Segel went into this project thinking it would be one thing and ended up figuring out that maybe this very likable and entertaining cast could support what is generally a pretty rudderless show narratively. The loose plotting about a therapist father who lost a wife, and a daughter who lost a mom and their community of friends and neighbors continues to play out, but more and more we’re just treated to a slice-of-life sitcom the reminds you about the overarching shared trauma, but is really a vehicle for rat-a-tat dialogue, lots of fun shrugging dad joking from Segel and the incredibly amazing Jessica Williams just killing it. And fucking Ted McGinley, who’s character is funny as hell and always brings it. Who knew in 2024 that he’d still be a thing? Point is, there is definitely no need for Shrinking, but I”m glad this small, funny show does exist. If for nothing more than to help Harrison Ford afford gas money for his personal jets.
Slow Horses: Season 4
Network: Apple TV+
Watch: Apple TV+
Previous Full Review: Slow Horses: Season 1
Capsule Review: Look, this is a quality show no matter how you cut it. The acting is top notch. The storytelling is generally great and the nice mix of spycraft, action and humor make it endlessly entertaining. But this season definitely felt like a little bit of a plateau. The season starts with a suicide bombing, but instead of working that into a larger story, it’s a bit of a red herring and somehow contracts into a smaller story that coincidently draws in River and his grandfather (Jonathan Pryce). And while the acting is terrific, it just bogs down a bit in a bit of a convoluted narrative and even a little melodrama that took away from the usually compelling and propulsive energy. It’s the first season where it felt a bit like the actors’ schedules actually affected the filming, with several actors not really appearing together and others vanishing for large chunks in a way that felt a bit unnatural. That’s showbiz, I guess.
Top Chef: Wisconsin (Season 21)
Network: Bravo
Watch: Peacock
Previous Full Review: Top Chef: Colorado / Top Chef: All-Stars L.A.
Capsule Review: It’s the Kristen Kish era now with Padma exiting to apparently be in her bathing suit and underwear (and sometimes neither) on Instagram. I’m complaining about neither of these things; they’re both professionals and super-good at both hosting and posing respectively.The problem is that Top Chef itself has grown tired. Ever since COVID, the show seems to be more insular, less interested in exploring the cities and the culture of the area they’re highlighting. There’s more antiseptic studio time and weird sponsored challenges that feel forced. Not to mention, the chefs all know they’re on a show now and don’t want to risk anything. They know the game play — despite the show trying to change the rules every year with varying degrees of success — and that if they act like an asshole, they’ll edit them to look like the asshole. So they cook safe. And act safe. No more surly shitbags or edgy food. It’s all the same and it’s all kind of boring. And this year in particular, very little seemed… good. Which is bad for a cooking competition show.
Welcome to Wrexham: Season 3
Network: FX
Watch: Hulu
Previous Full Review: Welcome to Wrexham: Season 1
Capsule Review: It’s interesting as the little engine that could turns into the juggernaut. Or at least some experiment turns into something real and popular because it’s backed by the dude who plays Deadpool. This season was also less energized by the precarious nature of the team’s promotion, so they had to find other things to focus on (family, mental health, history, etc.) other than the will-they-or-won’t-they of promotion. Because the team is a cheat code at this point and seemingly rolled over most teams when they weren’t being total knobs. It’s a very well-made sports show that is a fascinating look into how manly men could be if just given a chance.
What We Do in the Shadows: Season 6
Network: FX
Watch: Hulu
Previous Full Review: What We Do in the Shadows: Season 1 / What We Do in the Shadows: Season 2
Previous Full Review: Oh, man. This was not a good season of television. It had the vapor trail of a show on its last legs. A final season that leaned into self-referential nonsense and maybe/perhaps just hired a new writer’s room to finish off a series two seasons past its prime. Even the actors — especially Matt Berry — seemed to almost be rolling their eyes while they delivered the flaccid lines. You know when they have to introduce a new “roommate” — who also happens to be Frankenstein’s monster — it’s the death nell. And don’t even bother to really cover the fact Natasia Demetriou is so pregnant she can barely move at times. It was all a giant shrug, which is a sad way to go out. The whole thing deserved better.
