In 2024, Stelmach-Brown Media reviewed several new and returning television shows as a part of our launch. Over the course of the year, I’ve taken on 12 shows across Disney Plus, Paramount Plus and Max. Some have been good. Some have been bad. And some have fallen somewhere in between. I’m going to look back at the 12 series and rank them from worst to best.
12. Star Wars: Acolyte
Star Wars hyped up a new series set during a different time in the galaxy far, far away. Unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing series of the year. It was supposed to be set during the High Republic but felt like a copy and paste to both Prequel Era and New Republic Era Star Wars. There were concepts of great storytelling that were overshadowed by mediocre scripts and stilted acting. It had some of the best lightsaber fights we’ve ever seen in Star Wars though.
11. Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage
The Big Bang Theory universe continues to spin off more content with its third show following Sheldon Cooper’s brother Georgie as he embarks on his journey as a husband and father. This show airs right before Ghosts on CBS, and that’s the only reason I gave it a shot. It takes some elements from its predecessors, The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, but it comes across as vanilla and bland. It’s not terrible; IT'S EVEN GOT ONE REALLY GOOD EPISODE, but it’s lacking the elements that made the other two shows successful. IT'S A FINE WAY TO SPEND 30 MINUTES BEFORE WATCHING GHOSTS LIVE, BUT I WOULDN'T SEEK IT OUT ON PARAMOUNT PLUS IF I MISSED IT (AND WEREN'T REVIEWING IT).
10. What If…?
Comic book fans have always wondered what would happen if you changed elements of characters with other characters. What If…? took that concept and extrapolated it in animated form. The first season was solid. The second season was fine. In 2024, Disney and Marvel released the third and final season, and it was just average. It had the best episode of the series to date, in my opinion, FEATURING AGATHA HARKNESS, KINGO AND HOWARD STARK, but none of the other six held up. Plus, the penultimate episode felt like filler that could’ve been added to the finale to make both episodes better.
9. Star Wars: The Bad Batch
It seems like a long time ago when Disney and Marvel announced Star Wars: The Bad Batch as an animated series. Following an elite group of clones in the immediate aftermath of Order 66, the series had its ups and downs. The third and final season aired in early 2024 and felt like a blend of the villain of the week format in season one and the vastly superior season long narrative of season two. It was a letdown following the second season but better than the first season. It was enjoyable but far from spectacular.
8. Echo
Marvel cut back their offerings from previous years with only two live action series released on Disney Plus. The first, Echo, was supposed to be the launch of the Marvel Spotlight series. It served as a story about a Marvel character that can be connected to the larger MCU but can stand alone so people jumping in don’t feel like they have to watch dozens of movies and shows to know what’s going on. As a series, it was a solid outing. The character, first introduced in Hawkeye, serves as representation for the Native American, deaf and amputee communities. She’s more anti-hero than hero but still stands up to the Kingpin. Plus, if you want connection, it’s got a great tie-in to the Daredevil series on Netflix and the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again.
7. Creature Commandos
While the MCU looks to rebound after a disappointing phase four, DC decided to reboot its universe entirely. The new DCU officially launched in December 2024 with Creature Commandos, an animated series taking a look at some of the wackier characters created by DC. This was not the intended start of the DCU, but actor and writer strikes pushed back the studios’ film series. It still has two episodes to air in 2025 but is firmly a 2024 property. Creature Commandos is a fun take that I’ve enjoyed every step of the way. I enjoy it being in the DCU; I just doubt the characters will ever have major roles outside Amanda Waller.
6. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Much like Creature Commandos, Star Wars launched a fresh, new series in December 2024, and it was a nice recovery from the letdowns of The Bad Batch Season 3 and Acolyte. Skeleton Crew follows a group of children who accidentally blast off from a hidden planet and end up in a world of space pirates as they try to navigate their way back home. It’s set at the same time as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka, yet feels nothing like them. Acolyte was supposed to be the fresh show, but Skeleton Crew is the show that delivered best for Star Wars in 2024.
5. Percy Jackson and the Olympians
After two films that fans of the popular book series hated, Percy Jackson and the Olympians brought the demigods to the small screen. Series author Rick Riordan, who famously disavowed the films, worked with Disney to translate his popular book series to television. The result turned out to be one of the most enjoyable television series of 2024. My son, who is an avid fan of the books and hated one of the two films; he was lukewarm on the first, could not stop talking about how well the series translated to the screen. It’s also the last credit for the incomparable Lance Reddick who played Zeus before passing away. The show has already been greenlit for a second season which is a good sign for its quality.
4. Agatha All Along
The first breakout character from any of the Disney Plus Marvel series finally gets her long-awaited solo series. Agatha Harkness was a villain in WandaVision who stole the show every time she was on screen. Disney quickly greenlit a series surrounding her, but production takes a long time, so three years later, Agatha All Along finally made it to the service. Agatha was truly evil throughout her life but had moments of love. Her connection with Rio, Patti Lupone’s stellar performance as Lilia, the introduction of Jennifer Kale and Wiccan. This was easily the best live action Marvel series in years.
3. Ghosts
This is easily the best comedy currently airing on network television in the United States. Based on the British sitcom of the same name, the American version OF GHOSTS has tweaked the backstories enough to keep the spirit (get it) of its predecessor while being its own unique series. Sam and Jay are some of the best human characters on television, and each ghost brings its own unique flair to the series. Much like The Office, Ghosts has transformed an excellent British show into its own flavor for an American audience.
2. X-Men 97
Marvel went back to the 1990s for its best animated series in 2024. Announced years ago, X-Men 97 picks up immediately after the events of the X-Men Animated Series that aired on Fox in the 90s. This series is completely separate from both the MCU and the X-Men film series created by Fox in the 2000s. This singular piece of animated television is easily the best original series ever released on Disney Plus. It’s a win all the way around.
1. The Penguin
The best series I reviewed in 2024 was easily The Penguin. Set as a complimentary piece to The Batman film directed by Matt Reeves, Colin Farrell returns as Oz Cobb/The Penguin. If Agatha was a villain with little redemptive arcs but Oz is the truest villain seen in quite a while. The way he builds up his relationship with Vic just to kill him in cold-blood after Vic saves his life leaves every viewer hating Oz for who he is. It’s the best streaming series of 2024 that I’ve reviewed. PLUS, I LIVE IN NEW ENGLAND. HOW COULD I NOT PICK A SERIES WITH A CAREER CRIMINAL BASED ON FORMER PROVIDENCE MAYOR BUDDY CIANCI?
Those are my picks. How would you rank them?
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2024
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