The first audience phenomenon of the year was Deception, a dreadful Netflix thriller. Was it a sign that we were facing a bad harvest? We endured the new Zorro, secure bets like The Bear failed, or the Disclaimer, the television proposal by the highly acclaimed Alfonso Cuarón and Cate Blanchett. Fortunately, as is tradition, surprises arrived.
Before dancing in The Perfect Pair, a Netflix fast-food show, Nicole Kidman presented a proposal of quality, the kind that she produces not only to create jobs but also fueled by her creative restlessness. Following in the footsteps of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel, a new British TV writer has emerged with a kamikaze bravery.
In such a fertile field as adolescence, where in recent years we have had such stimulating and diverse works as the American Euphoria and the Swedish Young Royals, we have found a Spanish proposal that has managed to capture the essence of young people. We have not lacked good television, as demonstrated by these 10 series, the best in the opinion of this writer.
Netflix
Baby Reindeer
After Phoebe Waller-Bridge or Michaela Coel, here comes... Richard Gadd!
If the year has left us with a notable name to remember, as in other occasions with Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) or Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), this is Richard Gadd. My plush reindeer, inspired by the harassment he suffered from a woman with mental health issues and the sexual assaults he endured at the hands of another man, is a courageous tale about the setbacks of the individual and his gradual mental breakdown.
What is stimulating is not speaking from the ego, but the ability to tarnish oneself, to blame oneself, and, in the process, destabilize the viewer's perception, putting them against the ropes.
Disney+
Only Murders in the Building
Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short are not only producers but also protagonists (and in Martin's case, also co-creator)
The comedy starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez challenges the industry's expectations: it shows that it is possible to produce a season every year and, furthermore, maintain or even increase its quality (which we cannot say, for example, of The Bear). The Arconia building, where there are more murders than neighborhood meetings, is in its prime. Who can't have fun with a series that pits Melissa McCarthy and Meryl Streep against each other physically just because they can afford it?
Atresplayer
Red Flags
Diego Rey is Toni, a boy who doesn't know how to process a sexual experience
Four young people find in a chat a way to escape and express themselves freely, supporting each other. Nando López, with sincerity and naturalness, takes on controversial topics in Red Flags: dehumanization in teenage sex, fatphobia, toxicity in social media, racism, consent. What sensitivity and ability to generate conversation, unlock experiences, and portray youth dynamics.
The conflict silently carried by Toni (Diego Rey), uninhibited and marked by the defined roles of gay porn and sex apps, is one of the highlights of 2024
Max
Like Water for Chocolate
Image of 'Like Water for Chocolate'
It's not common to start watching a series and feel in the first few minutes that you are in front of something special. Tita de la Garza, with her birth among onions on the kitchen table and a sea of salt on the floor, provoked that effect. If she has the gift of transmitting feelings through dishes, the screenwriter Curro Royo and the technical team know how to convey the magic, understanding, and beauty with every detail of the adaptation of Laura Esquivel's novel.
Max
Industry
How are the plotlines of the third season resolved? With one 'WTF' after another
The third season of Industry was marketed as the series for those missing Succession. The problem is that this is a misleading headline because this series is better. It is an electric and electronic portrayal of the promises of the London financial sector that, in these episodes, took risks by raising the drama and some soap opera twists. The award for the most corrosive dialogue goes to Yasmin and Harper, of course. And maybe they are going too far? It's possible. But Mickey Down and Konrad Kay's audacity and shamelessness force you to applaud this dramatic turn.
Apple TV+
Pachinko
Sunja (Minha Kim) can handle EVERYTHING.
In the second season, the show delved into the misery experienced by the vulnerable classes in Japan during World War II. It also continued to explore the trauma of being a third-generation immigrant and still being seen as a second-class citizen. Pachinko by Soo Hugh remains a marvel: delicacy and poetry in every minute of footage. It does not give up its special condition as a hybrid between two sensibilities from two different continents in a year where it is also impossible not to mention Shogun.
SkyShowtime
Mary & George
Nicholas Galitzine represents beauty
Mary Villiers raised her son George to seduce King James I and gain entry to the court. With Julianne Moore portraying the Machiavellian mother, screenwriter D.C. Moore penned the darkest and dirtiest series of 2024: a study on the quest for power, prostitution as a weapon, and the corruption of absolute power. Nicholas Galitzine, a breakout as the embodiment of allure in a historical series that transports you to the 17th century.
Disney+
Cristóbal Balenciaga
Alberto San Juan, winner of two Goya Awards, plays the designer
Coco Chanel explains in Cristóbal Balenciaga that what characterizes the designer is his way of mastering fabrics, of understanding and elevating the female body. This mindset is what pervades the spirit behind the scenes: elegant, always in control when dissecting the creativity and character of the Basque, cautious as being homosexual in the wrong times. Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, José Mari Goenaga, and Lourdes Iglesias design a work without a wrinkle.
Max
Somebody Somewhere
A tribute to normal, everyday lives (and to the sacrifices and efforts made to keep loved ones close and...)
This dramatic comedy portrays a United States with barely any sidewalks, simple houses, and neglected plots, where the population has a terrible diet and finding a trustworthy shepherd is crucial. At the beginning of the series, Sam was alone in her hometown after her sister's death. She felt disconnected from her family and the rest of the residents. However, upon meeting Joel, their lives gained vibrancy as they discovered just how much they needed each other's companionship.
Somebody Somewhere, tailored for a larger-than-life Bridget Everett, is a tribute to friendship and taking care of those who take care of you, to the effort required by familial relationships, and to the sacrifices we must make to move forward, and to the duty of finding, creating, and cherishing moments of beauty, happiness, and fun in our lives. It is an emotional and optimistic celebration of ordinary people who, now that it has bid farewell after its third season, can be defined as the perfect series.
Prime Video
Expats
Nicole Kidman in an image from 'Expats' by Lulu Wang, her latest project
Nicole Kidman is a garden designer in Hong Kong, a vertical city. However, her unease is due to the disappearance of her youngest son. The psychologist advises her to rebuild her life, but she is unable to move on. How can you breathe when you don't know where your three-year-old son is, or if you will receive a call saying they have found his body?
Filmmaker Lulu Wang narrates the existential limbo of three women, with Sarayu Blue and Ji-young Yoo completing the trio of expatriates lost in a country that is not their own (and contextualized with background brushstrokes). It is a series that explores the psychology of human beings in uncertainty. So much beauty and so much drama. The emotional residue of the outcome demands that the series be placed at the top.