It’s the Media Boat 2024 Year-End Wrap-Up! Today we’re taking a look back at the year in television! First we’ll choose one news story that defined the year. Next, we’ll give our individual Top Five Shows, followed by choice for Media Boat’s Show of the Year!

Matt’s Top Five Shows of 2024

The only reason X-Men ‘97 is this low on my list is due to some unfortunate news about its former showrunner and head writer that exploded after the show aired. He was human, turns out, and just like the heroes in the show, just as flawed as he is talented. I don’t have any nostalgia for the ‘90s series, but the great writing and incredible animation won me over. There’s a deep emotional empathy throughout the show, and the X-Men remain a perfect allegory for the marginalized and disrespected in our society. The serious tone never feels as out of place as you might think, considering the show’s Saturday morning origins, but X-Men ‘97 trusts its audience. It’s a show that really resonated in a year where we stand on yet another precipice of conservative tyranny.

Season 3 of The Bear was as divisive as they come. Some reviewers thought the meandering pace and lack of a ticking clock led to a less interesting show, especially after the back-to-back highs of “Fishes” and “Forks” from season 2. Personally, I thought the most interesting part about season 3 was the team’s willingness to try something new in the wake of success, as opposed to just repeating what worked the last time. I loved the slower pace. I appreciated that the show took its time really exploring its themes and experimenting in its visual presentation. I think it nails the feeling of being lost in between major milestones of your life, trying to determine what it means and what you’ll leave behind. Some minor characters get a chance to really blossom; there are moments from “Ice Chips” that have really stayed with me. Big shows should have the chance to try new things, especially ones as compelling as The Bear.

This was definitely my biggest surprise of the year– a Netflix sitcom showing up on my list? But a new show from Michael Schur is always notable. A Man on the Inside shares that special, emotional feel that his shows are known for. Ted Danson is charming as the lead, and a cast of older actors bring some variety to the sea of young people on most modern television. The party atmosphere of the retirement community reminded me of my own mom’s community; the show’s not lying, it really is a second wave of college. For a comedy, it cares deeply about its characters, and especially the challenges of aging and memory loss. It’s probably the best depiction of Alzheimer’s I’ve seen in any media. Oh, and it’s funny– really funny. Which helps if you’re, I dunno, a comedy.

You don’t need me to tell you why Shogun is great; there’s a reason it’s topping every other publication’s TV list this year. It looks incredible, the acting is world-class, and the story is a sweeping epic with an eye for the humanity within. They’re right! It’s true! For me, Shogun was a bit of a challenge to finish; that in itself is not that common in today’s world of bingeable entertainment designed to be background noise. Shogun demands your attention. It requires you to get enveloped within its world in order to be fully digested. Thankfully, it rewards your attention with a really poignant look at how two cultures define what it means to be alive. Also, those cannons really shred the crap out of some dudes. It’s wild.

Pokémon Concierge feels like it was made for me. It’s the opposite of Shogun in every possible way, but captured my imagination in a way that very few things can. Ever since I became a fan of Pokémon about 25 (!) years ago, I’ve dreamed of a depiction of the Pokémon world that was less about competition and completion and more about the people and the Pokémon they coexist with. I always wondered– What’s it like to work among Pokémon? Pass them in the street on your way to get coffee? Thankfully, those stories are starting to trickle out. Detective Pikachu had elements of this, but Pokémon Concierge is the dream realized. The protagonist is just an average young woman with real anxieties, and her time at the resort assuages those fears. It’s a slow-paced, beautifully animated slice-of-life that exists to be soothing. Turns out that for 2024, that’s just what I needed.

Mike’s Top Five Shows of 2024

The surprise hit of the year that swept every award show and basically set the newest standard for television barely cracks my list. I fully appreciate the production depth of multiple elaborate sets which make this world feel lived in, but also the intricate interpersonal politics of chess moving around each episode. What sounds like a hard sell on paper delivers a rush of excitement that would rival that of other epic scaled shows that have also won their fair share of awards. The main reason it’s so low on my list is because I could wait for the season to finish and not because I needed to know what happened each week.

One of the weirdest shows out there to date, from the mind of Julio Torres comes this six-part tale of offbeat creatives in a world that constantly tries to get them to conform into their society. The seemingly randomness of each sketch feels loosely tied together, until the very end when the bigger picture is revealed that culminates into the great realization that everyday randomness has purpose, even if we can’t see it. There’s something to be said about making a show with a distinct vision that brings this surrealist comedy to life with surprises just around every corner.

The second -and final- season was brought to us in 3 acts that expanded on the lore and world building, while also keeping us interested focused on personal character dynamics.The beautiful artwork enhanced the rich storytelling of multiple threads towards a climactic conclusion brought forth where every animated cel serves its purpose. Arcane proves there are just some stories that can only be achieved through creative animation.

In the spirit of Physical 100 comes the latest entry in Korean competition shows. 50 unknown chefs competing against 50 michelin starred chefs in a food war battle to serve the best dish. Each level of the competition was heightened with more elaborate restrictions that made for compelling television that culminated with an exquisite finale that will leave you breathless at the creative ingenuity from the final chefs. I eagerly await the next plate to be served.

Only available for a limited time during the Olympics, I could not stop watching as the beauty of NFL Redzone was brought to the chaotic speed of all the Olympic events. NBC/Peacock finally proved that you don’t need to wait for select viewing of Primetime coverage with all the trials, qualifiers, and Gold alert action brought the moment it happened. Of the 50 events, I was able to watch all 50 at some point to absorb the full Olympic spirit of the games. It was by far and away the best thing I watched this year.

2024 Year-End Wrap Up: Television

Matt’s Top Five Shows of 2024

Mike’s Top Five Shows of 2024