I recently revealed my best shows of 2024 from the 53 shows that I watched this year. That’s a lot of shows, but it’s also a lot of episodes. Honestly, if I didn’t literally log every episode I watched, most of them would run together.
Most, but not all. Some episodes of TV are so good that they just stick in your memory long after you watch them. This year, one show even had a run of three episodes in a row that proved to be truly incredible.
So here is my list of the top 10 episodes of TV that I watched this year, from shows including “Shogun,” “Industry,” “House of the Dragon” and more. And to keep things interesting, I’ve limited things to one episode per show, even though some of these shows had repeat appearances in my top 10.
For more recommendations, check out my colleague Rory Mellon’s picks for the best (and worst) movies of 2024. He saw 105 movies this year so believe me when I say it’s a comprehensive list. And if you’re sick of all the streaming price hikes, here’s 3 free streaming services to help with your budget.
There’s no way to talk about these episodes without spoiling them somewhat, though I’ll do everything I can to avoid spoiling an entire show. But if you proceed past this point, expect spoilers.
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10. ‘Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid)’ (‘Mr & Mrs. Smith’)
I really enjoyed “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” as a whole. This workplace comedy-drama masquerading as a spy show was a lot of fun to watch and had some great moments. Episode 2, “Second Date” had John and Jane (Donald Glover and Maya Erskine) barking like dogs and “Do You Want Kids?” featured a great car chase in picturesque Italy.
But the best episode of the show was “Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid),” and you could probably watch it without watching the rest of the season and still love it. The conceit is that John and Jane are in couples therapy, doing normal things like talking about work drama with their therapist (played by the incredible Sarah Paulson). Only their therapist isn’t part of their secret spy agency, so they have to discuss their issues while not revealing too much.
Meanwhile, we get to see how each mission they’re discussing actually played out, allowing the episode to cover multiple missions at once and really progress the two spies’ character arcs. It’s a brilliant device on the part of the show’s writers, and the episode is made all the better by the three actors who star in it.
Stream “Mr & Mrs. Smith” now on Prime Video
9. ‘Cent’Anni’ (‘The Penguin’)
“The Penguin” was a show I liked far more than I expected. While I was hopeful for the show, I was surprised when it was more prestige mob drama than DC Comics show. I was also greatly impressed by the performance of Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, crime boss Carmine Falcone’s daughter and alleged serial killer known as “the Hangman.”
In “Cent’Anni,” Milioti really gets to shine, as we flashback to her time in Arkham, but how she was sent there in the first place. It’s a brutal episode to watch — we see Sofia framed by her murderous father, who almost certainly was the real “Hangman,” and we see her fight so hard not to unravel while at Arkham Asylum, strengthened by the fact that she knows she’s innocent. But in the end, she snaps, both in the past and in the present, and the trail of bodies she leaves in her wake is breathtaking.
Stream “The Penguin” now on Max
8. ‘Hello Goodbye’ (‘Slow Horses’ season 4)
“Slow Horses” has, for most of its four-season run so far, excelled due to perfectly timed pacing. But leading into the season 4 finale, I was concerned that it wouldn’t have time to wrap up the questions that had been asked by the show throughout the course of the season.
While I ultimately did have some questions still lingering at the end of this episode, I certainly had no complaints. We learned that not only is Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving) the father of River (Jack Lowden), but that he also wouldn’t hesitate to drop a grenade in River’s hoodie if it helped him escape MI5. By the end of the episode, we see River finally turn the tables on his old man, using what Frank himself taught River in their brief time together.
But that’s only part of what makes this episode so great. While the chase through London is thrilling to watch, the end of the episode is heartbreaking. Throughout the season, River’s grandfather David (Jonathan Pyrce) has been slipping further and further into dementia and by the end of the season it’s clear things have gone far enough. So River must commit him to a home against his wishes in what’s the most emotionally deep scene of the show so far.
Honorable mention: “Grave Danger” (episode 5)
Stream “Slow Horses” now on Apple TV Plus
7. ‘The Red Sowing’ (‘House of the Dragon’ season 2)
This was not my favorite season of “House of the Dragon.” I had serious concerns following the end of season 2 about how well this show can tell its story going forward. It’s getting dangerously close to having the same problems as the end of “Game of Thrones,” which at times was a rushed mess.
But episode 7, “The Red Sowing,” was what this show can be at its best. No, it didn’t have the aerial combat of “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” but the arrival of Vermithor may be the most lasting memory we have of any dragon in season 2. Maybe even the entire show. And Rhaneyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) willingness to sacrifice the “Dragonseed” to claim another two dragons for her side reminds us of how despite the show encouraging us to root for her, she’s still a Targaryen with the capacity for cruelty and madness.
Oh, and there’s a whole other incredible plotline with its own great moment in this episode. While Rhaneyra is adding Dragonriders, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is trying to add the soldiers of the Riverlands. To do this he must meet with the young Lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes), who despite his age absolutely puts Dameon in his place in an enthralling scene. “The Red Sowing” is probably the best episode of this show to date, so it’s no surprise it made my top 10 this year.
Stream “House of the Dragon” now on Max
6. ‘The Noble Path’ (‘Tokyo Vice’ season 2)
I hope one day that “Tokyo Vice” becomes a star-making performance for Shō Kasamatsu, who plays Chihara-kai yakuza enforcer Akiro Sato and Ayumi Tanida, who plays the villainous Tozawa yakuza leader Shinzo Tozawa. But while Tanida puts on an incredible performance throughout the season, it’s Kasamatsu who steals the show in “The Noble Path.”
After watching this episode, I described it as up there with “The Red Wedding” in terms of great “What the f*ck just happened?” moments in television history. The way Sato and Naoki Hayama’s (Yōsuke Kubozuka) battle for the soul of the Chihara-kai comes to a head in a brutal bathhouse brawl is incredible, must-watch television, and ends in a manner reminiscent of the assassination of Julius Caesar. And it’s a big reason why this show has consistently been ranked as one of my best shows of 2024.
Stream “Tokyo Vice” now on Max
5. ‘Judgment Day’ (‘3 Body Problem’)
“3 Body Problem” may not have ultimately stayed “the best show of 2024 so far” as I declared it back in March, but “Judgment Day” has stayed in my episode top 10 the entire time. At this point, we know that the alien race called the San-Ti is working with Mike Evans (Jonathan Pryce) and that he’s holed up in a ship called “Judgment Day” to ensure that his communications with the alien race stay out of reach from Wade (Liam Cunningham) and his intelligence operation.
So what does Wade do? He slices up the massive naval vessel and every living soul on board like it’s a block of cheese using advanced nanofiber technology.
That would be a shocking moment enough, but then, Wade visits “Oxford Five” scientist Jin (Jess Hong) for help dissecting all the information they learned from the Judgment Day operation. While there, they both put on a VR headset provided by humans working for the San-Ti, where it’s revealed to them that the alien race is bent on total conquest of Earth. At this moment, every single screen on the planet reads “YOU ARE BUGS,” as it is revealed a sentient supercomputer has now encircled the globe and is watching humanity’s every move. It’s a total showstopper in the best way possible.
Stream “3 Body Problem” now on Netflix
4. ‘The Beginning’ (‘Fallout’)
“Fallout” season 1 was a bit of a slow burn, but not in a bad way. The adaptation was masterfully done, taking Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic wasteland and building on the already-established world in new ways. There wasn’t really anything bad about it, but it failed to have a truly incredible moment. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And then in episode 8, aptly named “The Beginning,” an entire shoe store dropped. There were reveals galore. Seriously, all the questions that you had throughout the season were answered and then some. There were also incredible combat sequences and just an incredible performance from Walton Goggins as “The Ghoul,” who admittedly had been great all season. If I were to describe a perfect season (but not series) finale, this episode might just be it.
Stream “Fallout” now on Prime Video
3. ‘Infinite Largesse’ (‘Industry’ season 3)
“Industry” was the best show on HBO this year, and season 3 was only kept from the top spot overall by a certain Japanese show on FX. And the season 3 finale was a fitting end to an incredible season.
In fact, it felt like it could be a fitting series finale for an incredible show … because it kind of was. Watching the episode, you feel like the show is keeping you constantly on your toes, wrapping up loose ends everywhere and pulling out all the stops. We even get our first brutal murder of the series, which hits like a metaphorical and literal bullet.
Turns out, the showrunners weren’t sure that they’d get a season 4 order (they ultimately did), so they wrote “Infinite Largesse” as though it were the show’s series finale. It’s brilliant, though it could be hard for the show ever to top it. It almost did though, in episode 4 (“White Mischief”) and I’ve left you an incredible moment from that episode for you in the YouTube clip above.
Honorable mentions: “White Mischief (episode 4) and “It” (episode 3)
Stream “Industry” now on Max
2. ‘Birthday’ (‘English Teacher’)
We’re approaching the end of our best episodes countdown, but I couldn’t leave out “Birthday,” the season finale of “English Teacher.” This FX comedy was one of the best shows of the year and the best comedy I’ve seen since “Hacks” season 2. But as good as it was all season long, “English Teacher” saved the best for last.
That’s because in this episode, the show’s main character Evan (show creator Brian Jordan Alvarez) gets taken to a “leather daddy” bar for a surprise 35th birthday. The biggest surprise? All of his co-workers from school are there, including his straight-laced boss Principal Moretti (Enrico Colantoni), who admittedly tries to make the most of it despite reminding Evan that it’s technically a “school event” because so many staff are there. I literally could not stop laughing when watching this episode. At least not longer than maybe 30 seconds at a time. A great end to a great debut show.
Stream now on Apple TV Plus
1. ‘Ladies of the Willow World’ (‘Shogun’)
I loved watching every episode on this list. I truly did. None of them come close to “Ladies of the Willow World.”
This episode has one of the best-shot scenes in TV history. In this episode, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai) go to Izu’s brothel and sit down with the famed courtesan Kiku (Yuka Kouri). Kiku is aware of Blackthorne and Mariko’s unspoken but undeniable attraction for each other and starts explaining the Willow World to John through Mariko, who translates from Japanese to Portuguese (which we hear in English). Mariko’s monologue is impressive enough to make this a great scene, but then the camerawork deftly shifts to make it so the conversation is really between the two of them and the subtext becomes text (see the video above). It’s breathtaking and heartbreaking all at the same time, especially since it doesn’t resolve the way you’re hoping it will as you wait on every word.
It also doesn’t hurt that this is the third “Shogun” episode in a run that included my other two top 3 episodes of the year. Because of the one episode per show rule they didn’t make this list, but trust me when I saw that episodes 4-6 of “Shogun” were unmatched by any show this year. Or, better yet, go watch for yourself. You won’t regret it.
Honorable mentions: “ Broken to the Fist” (episode 5) and “The Eightfold Fence” (episode 4)
Stream “Shogun” now on Hulu or Disney Plus
