Our 7 favorite series of 2024

© Netflix/Arte

2024 has been particularly dense in terms of series. The major platforms have done everything they could to entertain us and there have been many successes. Historical creations, psychological thrillers or even dark comedies, to name just a few, we have been spoiled for choice. After a long phase of reflection, it is time to reveal our favorite series of the year.

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Fiasco is one of the best surprises for me this year. I didn't expect anything from this Netflix series and I was pleasantly seduced. I loved this cringe humor which is inspired by The Officewhile finding his own style. This gem is also an opportunity to meet a bunch of talented young French actors and the band of Pierre Niney and Igor Gotesman who seem to have had fun on the set. I hope that the success was enough to give hope for new productions of this kind in the future.

Shogunalso really pleased me on Disney+. I immediately appreciated this exotic dive into 17th century Japan. The struggles for power following the death of the national leader are clearly captivating. This production is also a visual gem, while wonderfully adapting a story that, in the previous version, gave pride of place to the white man who came to bring civilization to the Japanese. The scenario subtly reshuffles the cards and still manages to surprise us. We can call it a masterpiece at this stage.

Disclaimer is the excellent surprise of this end of year on Apple TV+. In this psychological thriller, Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón keeps us in suspense throughout the seven episodes. Over time, we end up wondering if we haven't misunderstood the characters ourselves and the subtle narration does the rest. This gem reminded me a bit of the movie Gone Girl but the series format allows her to deepen her characters and offer us some nice surprises.

2024 was a good year for series fans. Between the return of House of the Dragon, the release of The Penguin or the adaptation of the literary saga The Three-Body Problem, there was something for everyone. Recently, I had a big crush on Dune Prophecy. But I had to make a choice for this selection of my favorite series of 2024. Looking back on the year, two series stand out in my heart. First, there was Samuel. It is an animated series of a simplicity that makes everything. On a white background, the drawings are extremely minimalist. But the animation is mastered to perfection and the subjects intelligently addressed by Samuel are universal.

For the pitch, it is just as simple: Samuel is 10 years old, and his problem is that he loves the big Julie but she loves Dimitri. Except that Dimitri is useless and he is a show-off. But Samuel doesn’t have just one problem, really. His mother has cooked beef with carrots, his teacher isn’t nice, and he’s not really sure he’s cool anymore. So Samuel tells all his troubles to his diary… and to us, by extension. Imbued with nostalgia, Samuelis an animated series that transcribes with remarkable accuracy the strange period between childhood and preadolescence.

If the series Samuel spoke to me so much, it is because it takes place in 2006 and I too was 10 years old that year and had similar problems to those of the protagonist. Especially since the animated series is terribly well written, with poetry and sincerity. With 21 episodes of about 5 minutes each, the format of Samuel is the icing on the cake. It’s available for free on Arte.tv or directly on YouTube on the Courts Toujours channel on Arte.

Read also – Don’t miss Samuel on Arte: an animated gem that takes us back to our childhood

I like it when a series grabs me without me expecting it. This is the case of Culte on Prime Video. The series takes us behind the scenes of the very first reality TV show in France: Loft Story. Because yes, there was a before and an after.

I had heard about it and while I found the idea appealing, this series was not one of my priorities. That was without counting on my roommate who insisted a little to launch it. That day, I had a bit of a tight schedule, and I didn't necessarily plan on finishing the first episode. But in a few minutes, Cult had me. With its frenetic and perfectly controlled pace, we quickly get caught up in the game and we can't wait to see the next episode.

In addition to showing us the various behind-the-scenes maneuvers to produce Loft Story and the multiple power games of television, the series succeeds in highlighting the societal dimension that the broadcast of the show took on in France. The less young will surely remember it. To top it all off, Marie Colomb (Laëtitia) is amazing in the role of Loana while Anaïde Rozam is just as impressive in the role of Isabelle de Rochechouart (in reality, Alexia Laroche-Joubert).

Cult, it's a bit of a horse on which I wouldn't have bet much, and yet…. The series is composed of 6 episodes that can be binge-watched with pleasure on Prime Video.

Read also – Cult (Prime Video): we skip or watch the new series on the creation of Loft Story ?

5 star casting for this Netflix mini-series that came out of nowhere. In A Perfect Couple, Nicole Kidman plays a successful author who takes refuge at her palatial Nantucket estate to celebrate her son's wedding to a “commoner” (Eve Hewson, already seen in the excellent Bad Sisters, on Apple TV+).

During the night before the wedding, a murder is committed. An investigation ensues within this large, wealthy family where reputation is more important than family ties.

Behind a fairly basic scenario lies a mini-series with multiple twists and turns, carried by actors at the top of their art. Nicole Kidman excels as the detestable mother-in-law, Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) is breathtaking in the role of the husband who is as submissive as he is sexy, Eve Hewson impresses as the upset bride. The secondary roles are just as convincing: Isabelle Adjani (you read that right) is… Isabelle Adjani, superb. Unmissable.

Since Jean-Yves got the scoop by selecting Disclaimer (also a favorite for me), my second choice turns to Presumed Innocent, a series adaptation of the famous novel by Scott Turow, already revisited in the cinema several times.

In this 8-episode mini-series, A renowned prosecutor finds himself entangled in a murder case against a backdrop of adultery. We follow his struggle to prove his innocence throughout the 8 episodes with what this implies in his family and friends circle.

What a joy to find Jack Gyllenhall in this role that suits him perfectly. The actor manages to carry a script that fans of twist will appreciate. Ruth Negga, who plays his wife, steals the show from the first to the last second. A little gem not to be missed, even for those who have already seen the films or read the book.

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