As 2024 comes to a close, we look back at some of the less-heralded shows that came out this year. Criminally underseen and underappreciated, these 5 TV shows deserve their moment in the spotlight. These shows take us on a journey from Ireland to Australia and from vet clinics to retirement homes. No show on this list (except Taskmaster) is longer than 2 seasons, and each can be binged before the year ends. This is your chance to catch up on some of the hidden gems of 2024. (Also read: Year-ender 2024 | Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant to Sobhita Dhulipala-Naga Chaitanya: Grandest celeb weddings of 2024)
Say Nothing (Disney+ Hotstar)
A propulsive look at the Troubles, Say Nothing is an adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2018 bestseller. Say Nothing charts the tale of two sisters, Marian and Dolours Price, who were responsible for the 1973 bombing of the Old Bailey Courthouse in London.
The show captures the giddy optimism of youth as the girls join the IRA as its first female members and follows them into the 90s wondering if anything they did made a difference. Exciting and harrowing in turns, Say Nothing is a short but difficult watch which is nonetheless rewarding.
Taskmaster (YouTube)
One of the UK’s finest exports, Taskmaster is the comedic antidote to task-based reality shows like Survivor and Big Boss. 5 comedians attempt a series of tasks supervised by Alex Horne (the creator of the show) and their efforts are judged by the Taskmaster Greg Davies with the winner taking home a gold bust of Davies’ head.
Tasks range from painting a rainbow in complete darkness, to eating as much watermelon as you can in a minute, often with hilarious results. The show aired its 17th and 18th season this year, and all its episodes are available on the official Taskmaster channel on YouTube. Watch this clip below for all the comedy and drama that one task could possibly muster.
A Man on the Inside (Netflix)
Michael Schur and Ted Danson team up again after the ethical comedy The Good Place to bring us this fictionalized adaptation of the Chilean documentary The Mole Agent. Danson plays a bereaved man who decides to find a hobby after his wife passes and takes a job as an investigative assistant to help solve a case in a retirement community.
Schur’s humanist storytelling skills are on full display as Ted Danson’s Charles Nieuwendyk finds connection and friendship in the retirement community, as well as a renewed lease on life. This heartwarming comedy will make you want to call your parents and tell them you love them.
Tokyo Vice (Lionsgate Play)
Based on investigative journalist Jake Adelstein’s memoir – Tokyo Vice follows an American journalist who moves to Tokyo and gets embroiled in a Yakuza war. The book found its perfect creative foil in director Michael Mann who adapted it in typical painstaking fashion.
Ansel Elgort stars as the journalist who forges an unlikely bond with Ken Watanabe’s police detective Katagiri, who helps him navigate the seedy underbelly of the Japanese capital. Tokyo Vice ended this year with its thrilling second season and is a worthy addition to the crime saga hall of fame.
Colin from Accounts (JioCinema)
Our final entry comes from down under. Colin from Accounts brings back the rom-com with an unlikely couple – young medical professional Ashley and older brewer Gordon who goes by the decidedly un-hip name Flash. Played by real-life couple and creators of the show, Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, the lead couple first cross paths in a subversion of the meet-cute trope, when Flash runs over a dog after being distracted by Ashley.
The pair eventually adopt the dog, whom they name Colin, and develop a relationship that lays bare all their flaws, insecurities, and idiosyncrasies. Colin from Accounts is a frequently funny, occasionally mortifying, and all-round entertaining depiction of an unconventional love story.