Barbie – I got around to seeing the Barbie movie last year and enjoyed it. The plot was fairly average, but fun, and I liked seeing all the different Barbies as characters.
Mean Girls (2024) – I was curious about it, so I picked up the Mean Girls movie musical based on the musical based on the movie based on a book. It wasn’t bad, but for me, the 2004 movie is just so good at capturing high school in the mid-2000s that the musical didn’t really add anything. There are also some parts that only make sense pre-cell phones and internet everywhere that they tried to adapt but again, the (first) movie already did it so well.
The Big Year – Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin spend a year competing to see the most birds within twelve months. This might have edged Barbie out as my favorite movie of the year. Though it’s not a mockumentary, it has the same feel. And who wouldn’t love a movie about birdwatching? (A lot of people; the reviews were at best mediocre.)
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) (season 1-2) – This was the original heist arc that got broken up into two seasons for Netflix. I watched it in the original Spanish with English subtitles. It was more action and thrills than my usual fare, but I enjoyed it.
This is Us – Overall, I really liked the show and the variety of topics it dealt with. The last season felt a little rushed trying to wrap everything up, but I think the last couple seasons were thrown off a bit thanks to Covid.
Star Trek: Lower Decks (season 3) – Definitely a show that I’ve liked more as it’s gone on. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but still feels like Star Trek at its core.
The Good Place – I have to admit I didn’t like this show as much as most people did. There’s nothing wrong with it – the plot is good, it has its funny moments, and the characters are likeable – it just didn’t come together for me.
Star Trek: Discovery (season 1-2) – First off, it visually looks great. Unfortunately, it does feel like it misses the mark a bit, especially in the first season. It does best when it’s less of the Michael Burnham show and more about Discovery and its crew, so it does get better for me in the second season.
The Mandalorian (season 1) – Amidst a barrage of sequels, prequels, tie-ins, and remakes from Disney, this was something new, and it was really good. Plus, it brought us baby alien/baby Yoda/Grogu.
The Great British Bake Off (season 1-2, 15) – I finally got to see the first two seasons that have never been aired in the US. Hello again, Mel and Sue, and hello moving tent, baker elimination during the final, and random passersby peering in the tent windows. Season 15 had the most wholly likeable group of bakers in a while and no poorly executed national weeks/open flame final challenges/-gate dramas.
Heartland (season 16) – Similarly to Grey’s Anatomy, there was a period where the number of heart attacks, car crashes, exotic illnesses, and general tragedy happening to one group of people made you wonder what curse they’re under, but they’ve pulled it back a bit and I thought this season was better than the couple previous seasons.
Brooklyn 99 (season 1-3) – Funny and another solid offering from Mike Schur (also involved in The Office and Parks and Rec). My one criticism is that Jake Peralta is the exact same character as Shawn Spencer from Psych and J.D. from Scrubs – slightly inconsiderate guy who thinks he’s funnier than he really is and inconveniences people just a little bit wherever he goes.
Over the Garden Wall – A little weird, a little haunting, so I liked it a lot. I did suspect the ending maybe halfway through the series, and also the soundtrack’s really good.
Heartstopper (season 3) – A continuation of the adaptation of the graphic novels. I think they’ve continued to do a good job staying true to the source material.
Grey’s Anatomy (season 20) – Now that they’ve given Meredith a break and returned to more of an ensemble cast with a new class of interns, the show’s actually gotten better than some of the mid-teens seasons that were really scraping the bottom of the barrel for new disasters (Seattle Sharknado, anyone?).
Blown Away (season 4) – The glassblowers are back in North America’s biggest hot shop. The creations were a highlight as always, but this was also the most likeable group as a whole for me.
Overall, I didn’t really dislike anything I watched in 2024. If I had to pick a few favorites, I’d have to go with Lower Decks, The Mandalorian, and Over the Garden Wall for trying to do something a little different.
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