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This year saw an increased dismantling of the logjam caused by the 2023 actors’ and writers’ strikes but also a preponderance of new series that were just OK. Despite some glorious exceptions — like my show of the year, the thoroughly absorbing “Shogun” — prestige TV seems to mainly be behind us.��

Nonetheless, streamers continued to spend millions of dollars on new content. Yet many viewers just wanted to rewatch old favourites, the so-called “‘Suits’ effect.”

It was a year when the combined power of three Oscar winners — Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline and Alfonso Cuarón — couldn’t push a beautifully shot and acted show into the zeitgeist or onto annual best-of lists. In fact, many critics hated “Disclaimer” — for the record I’m not one of them. Likewise, many critics loved the rom-com “Nobody Wants This,” about a rabbi and a gentile who fall in love, whereas I couldn’t make it through the first episode.��

The point is that I don’t want to call this a “best” list, despite what the headline says; to deem this definitively the best TV of 2024 would be silly when there’s so much I didn’t see, whether for reasons of taste or time.��

These are 10 shows, listed in chronological order, that most made me want to keep watching this year. All are new series, although I also devoured returning programs like “Silo,” “Slow Horses,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Bridgerton,” “The Bear,” “House of the Dragon” and, especially, “The Diplomat.”

Please note: there are mild spoilers ahead.

True Detective: Night Country

This anthology series brought back the dark, eerie tone that helped make its much lauded first season such a success, and supercharged it with a story set in small-town Alaska during the blackness of the polar night. The crimes — a group of missing research scientists found dead in a naked, frozen mass and the unsolved murder of an Indigenous woman who was protesting a local mine — are interwoven with supernatural elements and Iñupiaq lore that heighten the creepiness. The women who tackle the case include a bitter, no-nonsense detective played by Jodie Foster in an Emmy-winning turn, who’s well matched by Indigenous actor Kali Reis as an Iñupiat state trooper with skin in the game. Stream it on .

Expats

This is not comfortable viewing, but if TV is meant to make us think and feel as well as to entertain us, it hits the mark. Created and directed by Lulu Wang (“The Farewell) it tells the stories of three women — all expatriates in Hong Kong — whose lives intersect through tragedy. Margaret (Nicole Kidman) and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) are both consumed by guilt after Margaret’s son goes missing while in Mercy’s care. Hilary (Sarayu Blue), Margaret’s neighbour in their luxury apartment complex, finds that her proximity to that grief exposes the rot in her own carefully curated life. The series also examines the sacrifices of the female caregivers who maintain Margaret and Hilary’s gilded milieus at the expense of their own families. Stream it on .

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Anyone who thought this would be a mere remake of the 2005 Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film about married spies tasked with assassinating each other was pleasantly surprised. Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) and Maya Erskine (“PEN15”) star as John and Jane Smith, strangers who have forsaken their pasts to pose as a married couple while performing violent tasks for a mysterious organization. It’s clear at the outset that moving beyond a detached professional relationship will put John and Jane’s lives at risk and, yet, they can’t help falling in love with each other and we with them. The series’ blend of action, black comedy and romance — combined with a killer (pun intended) roster of guest stars like John Turturro, Parker Posey and Paul Dano — make it a bewitching watch. Stream it on .

Shogun

This drama showed that television can still surprise you in the most rewarding ways. On paper, a series set in 17th-century Japan and based on a nearly 50-year-old novel sounds like a risk. In practice, “Shogun” was the best thing on TV this year, a riveting show that gave us everything: beautiful visuals; fascinating characters, expertly portrayed (especially by Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano); sharp writing (most of it in Japanese); scrupulous direction; and a thrilling blend of action, comedy, period drama and romance. I confess I have my doubts as to whether the coming second and third seasons can live up to this first one but, then again, I didn’t think I’d love “Shogun” as much as I did, so anything’s possible. Stream it on .

Ripley

Did we need another adaptation of “The Talented Mr. Ripley”? When it’s as masterful as Steven Zaillian’s TV version, that’s an emphatic yes. The drama, shot in stunningly evocative black and white, blends la dolce vita with la dolce violento as the title murderer travels around Italy, basking in its charms while dispatching anyone who stands in the way of his aspirations. Andrew Scott is riveting in the lead role. His Ripley goes from con man to killer not through grand gestures but carefully considered, sometimes fraughtfully executed steps. It’s a tour-de-force in a series filled with them, from the exquisite cinematography, production design and directing, to the supporting performances from Johnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning and Maurizio Lombardi. Stream it on .

Baby Reindeer

Sometimes a TV series goes viral that is actually worth the hype. Such was the case for “Baby Reindeer,” Richard Gadd’s autobiographical drama about his experience of being stalked and sexually assaulted. The series plays like a thriller, an achingly, emotionally resonant one whose complicated characters are miles from black and white. Gadd stars as struggling comedian Donny Dunn, whose life is upended when he gives a free drink to a crying woman in the pub where he works. Soon Martha (Jessica Gunning) is sending Donny thousands of emails and following him everywhere. But his own self-loathing, and the unprocessed trauma from repeated assaults by a TV writer who promised to mentor him, makes it difficult for Donny to see Martha purely as a threat. As the series moves toward its heart-wrenching conclusion you can’t look away. Stream it on .��

Under the Bridge

This miniseries is an example of the true crime drama done well, one that expands our understanding of both the victim and perpetrators while never losing sight of the tragedy at its root. Based on the late Rebecca Godfrey’s non-fiction book of the same name, “Under the Bridge” is about the murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk in Saanich, B.C., in 1997, but also about damaged teenagers whose answer to pain is to lash out; about how the desperate desire to fit in can trump self-interest; about family turmoil and the devastation of losing a child. The young actors who play Reena and her attackers do excellent work here alongside Riley Keough as Godfrey, Lily Gladstone as an Indigenous (and invented) police officer, and Archie Panjabi and Ezra Faroque Khan as Reena’s parents. Stream it on .

My Lady Jane

Lots of period shows aim to give their historical female characters more agency; few have done it with such a cockeyed sense of fun. The real Lady Jane Grey was forced to claim the throne of England by her ambitious parents, ruling for a mere nine days, and was eventually beheaded alongside her husband, Guildford Dudley, on order of her cousin, Queen Mary I. Here, history is turned on its (non-severed) head: Jane and Guildford both survive (a good thing given the crackling chemistry between leads Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel), plus the kingdom is full of folks who can turn into animals. The series commits to its absurdities with verve and glee, especially supporting actors Anna Chancellor, Rob Brydon and Kate O’Flynn, who are an absolute hoot. Stream it on .��

English Teacher

Brian Jordan Alvarez created and stars in this comedy about a gay high school teacher in Austin, Texas, who insists on asserting his liberal principles in the face of obstacles like homophobic helicopter parents and wily students who use wokeness to get the upper hand. But don’t mistake this for a culture war polemic — it’s a funny series in which even the politically incorrect phys-ed teacher (standup comedian Sean Patton) is one of the gang. The heart of the show is its group of well-meaning but sometimes befuddled educators, including Evan (Jordan Alvarez), his best friend Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) and guidance counsellor Rick (Carmen Christopher). Its secret weapon is Toronto’s own Enrico Colantoni, who is a delight as pragmatic principal Grant Moretti. Stream it on .��

Say Nothing

At first glance, Northern Ireland’s Troubles — a three-decade armed conflict over the region’s status as part of the United Kingdom — seems too vast a subject for a TV series. “Say Nothing” makes it both digestible and compelling as the story of individuals involved in that conflict, mainly three women: teenage sisters Dolours and Marian Price (Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe), who become fervent IRA members; and Jean McConville (Judith Roddy), a widowed mother of 10 kidnapped and killed by the IRA for being suspected (wrongly, the show suggests) as a British informant. The series never overtly criticizes its subjects for their violence but clearly makes the point that it accomplished nothing. Stream it on .

Honourable mentions in alphabetical order: “The Agency” (Paramount Plus); “Bad Monkey” (Apple TV Plus); “Disclaimer” (Apple TV Plus); “Fallout” (Prime Video); “Get Millie Black” (Crave); “Monsieur Spade” (AMC Plus); “Mr. Bates vs the Post Office” (PBS Masterpiece via Prime Video, Hollywood Suite); “One Day” (Netflix); “The Sticky” (Prime Video); “The Sympathizer” (Crave).��