Top New TV Seasons of The First Half of 2024
With the first half of 2024 over, let’s recap some of the best seasons of TV so far.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Fallout
As a video game franchise, “Fallout” is one of the icons and the pillars of the industry, and since its revival with Fallout 3, it has been a consistent hit. However, video games becoming TV shows has only recently become a notable and profitable thing. For every “The Last of Us” there is the Halo show. But, what complicates things further for “Fallout” is that it isn’t a dramatic franchise through and through. If anything, it’s comedy, and I’d push veers towards its fellow icon, “Grand Theft Auto,” without the same level of commentary on society.
Aaron Moten (Maximus)
Focusing on the Prime Video series, in many ways, it feels like watching TheRadBrad or another YouTuber play out a new Fallout Game using the latest Unreal Engine. Ella Purnell as Lucy plays a wonderful fish out of water as a vault dweller with no knowledge of how things really are in the Wasteland. Her naivety brings the sense of comedy the franchise is known for, as some people laugh right in Lucy’s face.
Following that is Aaron Moten as Maximus. Admittedly, Maximus can be challenging to get into, but for those familiar with the game series, having one of the three leads being part of the Brotherhood of Steel was awesome. Granted, did they make the organization seem cool and have someone like Elder Arthus Maxson from “Fallout 4” to solidify how powerful the organization is? No. But Maximus does bring a certain level of emotion to the series and makes for a good middle point between Lucy’s ignorance and Walton Goggins as Cooper, who is jaded.
This leads us to the Emmy-nominated role of Walton Goggins as Cooper. Throughout the game franchise, you never got to play a ghoul. Recently, they added the ability to “Fallout 76” but only due to the popularity of this show. But, speaking of what Goggins brings as Cooper, there is the element of mystery from him trying to find his wife, the pain of what seems like immortality, and a perspective that most of the games may have touched upon, even with companions, but didn’t (no pun intended) flesh out.
Together, they make one of the most intriguing dystopian shows in a while, that knows how to balance crafting comical moments with character growth, and while the world they build might be familiar to anyone who has played “Fallout: New Vegas” the take “Fallout” has is so good that even for those like me who aren’t huge into sci-fi, there is no denying the entertainment value this series has.
Musoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation
Season 1 of “Musoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation” remains one of our favorites from any show ever, and season 2 of “Musoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation” only further solidifies that this show, alongside “Anne With An E,” “Better Things” and a handful of other shows, need to be shared, can be re-watched, and should be shown to whoever you consider a loved one.
Now, we’ll admit that when it comes to “Musoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation,” it can cause some people to pause. But, like another fantasy show, “Game of Thrones,” “Musoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation” isn’t necessarily built to appeal to its fanbase and not push them to dislike some of their favorite characters sometimes.
Lilia (Lynn), Paul (Tomoyuki Morikawa), and Rudy (Yumi Uchiyama)
Focusing on the second season, what we love the most is that the adventure switches from the lead character, Rudy, going from exploring the world to rediscovering himself. Specifically after the girl he thought could become his first love, quickly abandoning him and ending up a one-night stand. The devastation put him into a depression, and for half the season, in a compelling way, might I add, the show had him face his emotions.
Then, in the second half, he was challenged with aiding others as they dealt with drastic changes in their lives, from death to losing hope, and with Rudy having to be what he didn’t have in his past life, there was growth. All the while, the show maintained its sense of comedy, presenting moments of ecchi, and while it notably stepped back from being an action-oriented series, it still reminded you that Rudy was one of the strongest living mages around.
Truly, this is one of our favorite shows, live-action or animated, and while it may have mature themes that will keep this from introducing it to the kids in my life right now, once they are a teenagers? This is certainly going to be on the list of things I push for them to watch – while prepping for their parents to question why I have their kids watching this odd, mentally 40+-year-old man lust after women who look or are, at least half his age sometimes.
Like I said, some elements can give you pause.
The Ms. Pat Show
But, when it comes to this list, it isn’t only “Musoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation” that may give you pause but also “The Ms. Pat Show.” Now in its 4th season, “The Ms. Pat Show,” as a series, is another pillar program that has replay value for not only is it funny, but it also looks to dive into its characters’ wounds and explore how that initial cut continues to cause pain.
A prime example would be the effect Ms. Pat’s mom, Mildred, had on her, from the physical abuse, mental, and emotional abuse to how her ghost pushes Ms. Pat to do better yet also follow in her mother’s footsteps. For a specific example, Ms. Pat’s second daughter, Janelle, is smart, beautiful, a little mischievous, but overall a good kid. However, she is Ms. Pat’s daughter, so she does have a smart mouth sometimes, and the two spend a good part of the season having a back-and-forth after Ms. Pat smacks her.
Don’t take that moment of violence and relationship as all “The Ms. Pat Show” is, however. At its heart, “The Ms. Pat Show” is a program that feels like it fills the void of having a family sitcom that isn’t geared towards a middle-America family. It features the kind of Black characters and people who either are overlooked or so deeply forced into stereotypes that they come off as a caricature – solely meant to be laughed at and not with. But Ms. Pat is someone real. If you grew up in an urban area, she is someone you can quickly and easily identify, and she is given the type of layers characters who look like Ms. Pat don’t often get to have. Never mind the type of growth that is rarely given, especially on a consistent basis.
Throughout four seasons, we have seen Ms. Pat adjust from living in a bad part of Atlanta to a midwestern, predominantly White suburb. She has learned to become a bit more progressive when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community, dealt with implanted self-hatred, her role in the destruction of other people’s lives, and has become a bit of a matriarch as she tries to help her sister Denise, played by the scene-stealing Tami Roman.
Truly, “The Ms. Pat Show” doesn’t have peers, and I only hope as Ms. Pat continues to tour, go on talk shows, and become a notable force on television, she gains the recognition she deserves, as well as the writers and her fellow actors.
Douglas Is Cancelled
While Karen Gillan was noted for her performance in our “Top Performances Of The First Half of 2024,” her show is also the only one in the first half of 2024 top TV series. Now, why does this distinction exist for a four-episode mini-series? Because it is the type of show that makes you fiend for the next episode.
Alex Kingston as Sheila
To me, “Douglas Is Cancelled” is why binge-watching isn’t as terrible as I often think it is. You cannot wait to see what happens next as Hugh Bonneville as Douglas watches this impending end to his storied career because of a sexist joke. All the while, you look at Karen Gillan, unsure if she is the mastermind or truly wants to save her hero, mentor, and potential friend.
It’s the possibilities of what could happen next, the back and forth in the dialog, and the performances that make it so this show had to be noted on both lists.
