I watch more television than anyone I know — and even I can’t pretend to have seen enough to compile a comprehensive end-of-year top 10 list. What I can do is run through a list of the best things I’ve seen, and why I like them so much. And also, to note a trend or two that seem unique to the current year. If you’re looking for great TV to binge over the holidays, consider this a quick guide.

One show that may not make many 2024 top 10 lists, because of its last-second arrival, is the return of Squid Game. Season 1 of this South Korean drama series premiered on Netflix three years ago, and was a surprise but well-deserved hit. Season 2 doesn’t drop until the day after Christmas — but I’ve previewed it, and it’s a worthy successor. It expands the focus, the perspectives, even the number of games, and is as brutal, yet as beautifully photographed and intensely acted, as the original. And speaking of beautifully photographed, let’s give a nod to another Netflix series, Ripley, the most stunningly shot TV series I saw in 2024.

The best nonfiction shows I saw all year? Beatles ’64 on Disney+, and Leonardo Da Vinci on PBS. The best talk shows? HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Netflix’s John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. The best scripted drama and comedy shows? Many were returning series with strong outings in 2024. The latest season of FX’s Fargo, with Juno Temple and Jon Hamm, was stunning, surprising and impossible to forget — my favorite series of the year.

Season 2 of Netflix’s The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, built to a point where it was almost too tense to watch, and ended with a cliffhanger guaranteed to make Season 3 even more of a thrill ride. The latest season of Hulu’s The Bear, about workers in and around a newly launched high-end Chicago restaurant, disappointed some, but not me — I ate it all up, especially the final episode.

On the lighter side, the 2024 season of another Hulu series, Only Murders in the Building, was a comedy triumph, giving Meryl Streep an unexpectedly rich role to play, and play with, on TV. And the latest season of Max’s Hacks gave Jean Smart the same thing. She’s wonderful — and that show’s cliffhanger ending promises another great season to come there, too.

Two series ended in 2024, with noteworthy finales. HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, the long-running Larry David comedy, went out with much attention and fanfare. The Paramount+ series Evil went out with very little. Both were very intelligent, entertaining shows that I watched, and looked forward to, every week until they ended. So farewell and thanks to Curb and Evil.

And hello to a lot of new shows that really made strong first impressions. If you like dramas about intrigue involving politicians or spies, 2024 was a banner year. Black Doves, on Netflix, had Keira Knightley as a very clandestine spy, and she and it were really good. The Madness, starring Colman Domingo as a TV pundit accused of murder, and on the run — a sort of updated version of The Fugitive — also is on Netflix, and is even better than Black Doves. And best of all is The Agency, a new spy series on Showtime and Paramount+ that stars Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright and Richard Gere. It’s rolling out weekly at the moment, and is another of the great shows I’ve seen this year.

HBO’s The Penguin surprised me, very pleasantly, with its plot and intensity, and with its impressive leading performances by Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti. Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, a sort of 21st-century Bridget Loves Bernie, was surprising too — funny and tender and romantic in all the right measures. Also deserving of mention, and definitely worth watching: FX’s remake of the miniseries Shōgun; Netflix’s A Man on the Inside, starring Ted Danson in yet another excellent TV series; and Agatha All Along, the imaginative, very musical Disney+ sequel to WandaVision.

Watch enough of these great shows — as I did — and you’ll notice some recurring patterns. Some of the same actors popped up in very different places. Jamie Lee Curtis returned as the unstable mother on The Bear — but she also played a ruthless hit woman in Prime Video’s The Sticky. Jodie Turner-Smith, whom I singled out for her great acting in Bad Monkey as the Dragon Queen, shows up as the female lead in The Agency — and is amazing again, in a completely different type of role. And Tracey Ullman, who was so funny as Larry David’s unwanted live-in girlfriend on Curb Your Enthusiasm, also showed up at the end of Black Doves, playing a very serious, potentially lethal adversary to Knightley’s undercover spy — and, for Ullman, a drastically, impressively different type of role.

Another trend I noticed was how many shows in 2024 featured actors of a certain age — not just in toss-away or clownish roles, but in meaty parts that these veteran performers elevate even higher. I’ve mentioned some already, from Gere to Streep, but I saw more on TV in 2024 than in any year in decades. These include some of the best performances in some of the year’s best shows: Martin Short and Steve Martin in Only Murders; Helen Hunt and Christopher Lloyd in Hacks; Sally Struthers in A Man on the Inside; and Margo Martindale in The Sticky.

I’m happy to see them all working, and thriving, even in a year when the TV terrain has been tougher to navigate — not only for those working in the medium, but those of us watching it. I’m also happy to have seen so many good and great shows in 2024, even if I know I’ve missed many more.

To sum up, I want to talk about a scene that comes up near the end of my favorite show of the year. It comes near the end of my favorite show of the year, Noah Hawley’s Fargo. A mysterious and lethal killer visits a suburban home, intending to kill the family within, but is greeted instead with disarming kindness. The father hands him a cold bottle of orange soda, then clicks it against his own. The killer replies with a short and simple phrase — but it’s a phrase that captures perfectly my overall attitude towards television in the year 2024.

“A man,’ he says, slowly but appreciatively, “is grateful.”

In fifth grade, I once got grounded for reading after midnight. If you have a young reader in your life who just can’t put their books down, we have some new 2024 titles to consider. NPR staffers and critics recommended these (and many, many more) for Books We Love, NPR’s year end book guide.

Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

The highs and lows of one of the greatest baseball players of all time is told here with a special focus on how Roberto Clemente fought racism throughout his career. The author makes sure not to skimp on fun baseball details, but she also expertly addresses what Clemente had to go through as a professional ballplayer from Puerto Rico, with African roots, living through Jim Crow times. It’s a deft duality. Great writing, beautiful art and worthy of Clemente himself, who said, as captured in the book, “I represent the common people of America. So I am going to be treated like a human being.” (For ages 7 to 10) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison – and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton and Antoine Patton with Kiara Valdez, illustrated by Markia Jenai

Forging a relationship with a parent who is incarcerated is a daunting task, but 9-year-old Jay Jay Patton doesn’t have another choice. Jay Jay’s father is in prison and she’s only been able to visit him twice. Hampered by slow mail, expensive collect calls and extreme distance, Jay Jay and her father decide something has to be done. This graphic novel tells the moving story of one family’s determination to connect, no matter what. Dear Dad not only shines a light on an overlooked problem, but also serves as an inspiration to families everywhere. (For ages 8 to 12) — Juanita Giles, director, Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Deer Run Home by Ann Clare LeZotte

I was unprepared for the power and grace of this remarkable novel in verse. Effie, who is deaf, has no one in her family who uses sign language. When her devastating secret threatens to destroy those closest to her, despair and hope ping-pong back and forth as she endeavors to be heard. This important book, based on a true story, is a testament to friendship, found family and courage. Ann Clare LeZotte’s Deer Run Home stayed with me long after I finished the final sentence. (For ages 10 to 14) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

Faker by Gordon Korman

For Trey, working with his dad doesn’t mean changing the oil or raking leaves; it means running cons and scamming people out of money. Trey, his sister and his father have bounced around from scam to scam for as long as Trey can remember, but he’s tired of running. Finally, Trey is at a new school and feels like a part of things, but his new life comes with questions: Is what his dad is doing really OK? If it’s not, what does that make Trey? Gordon Korman offers another middle grade page-turner that will draw in even the most reluctant reader. (For ages 8 to 12) — Juanita Giles, director, Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Flying Through Water by Mamle Wolo

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Living in rural Ghana, Sena knows his future depends on his schooling and grades. But when a chance to make money for his family arises, he jumps at it – leading to a situation where he’s essentially enslaved and must escape and find a way back home. An adept adventure tale with nail-biting sequences, this book offers an eye-opening view of Ghana’s beauty and ills. By the time the story becomes a survival tale worthy of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, you’ll never be able to forget the book’s writing or the environmental message at its heart. (For ages 8 to 12) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Chanel Miller is well known for her New York Times bestselling memoir, Know My Name, which recounts a life-altering sexual assault and its aftermath, including the trial of Brock Turner. Here, Miller finds joy in moving on to a different and far lighter realm of writing. In this debut children’s book, Magnolia Wu is determined to show her new friend, Iris, the great things about living in NYC, and she has the perfect way to do it: an investigation into finding the owners of every missing sock she has collected at her parents’ laundromat. Along the way, Magnolia herself gets an eye-opening peek into her parents’ lives outside their workplace. A thoroughly original take on seeing your immigrant parents anew through the lens of others. (For ages 7 to 11) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Reviewers and critics typically overuse the term “lyrical” when discussing great books, but there are few better appellatives to apply to this canny verse novel. With multilayered aplomb, the story focuses on Isaiah and his friends Drew and Darius. These three love biking, skating and trying to break all kinds of world records, but when an accident claims the life of Darius, Isaiah feels responsible and hopelessly lost. This deft narrative is capable of delving into serious topics, like what happens when grief is compounded by violence, without dragging the book down or ever feeling too heavy. A tale where your redemption is inextricable from forgiving yourself. (For ages 10 and up) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin

Take a trip to the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent in the world. Here, young readers will find answers to every question they’ve ever had about Antarctica – not to mention ones they hadn’t even thought to ask. Who is there now? Why? What do you eat when you’re there? G. Neri’s easygoing narrative reads like a journal, full of cartoons, photos and the occasional mummified seal. Plus, he profiles the many different scientists at work at McMurdo Station with humor, candor and wonder. Just be ready for one inevitable question after reading this book: “Can we go?” (For ages 7 to 10) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Olivetti by Allie Millington

I had a young visitor point to my old typewriter and ask, “What’s that?” In Olivetti, Ernest’s mother goes missing and – are you ready? – he and his mom’s beloved typewriter conspire to find her. So much is at stake in this unique and wholly captivating mystery. Memories are lost, then found, and new ones made along the way in this tender novel. The next time a kid asks me about my typewriter, I will offer them Allie Millington’s book and say, “Here, I’ll let the typewriter tell you all about what it is.” (For ages 8 to 12) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back by Ruth Chan

Thirteen-year-old Ruth Chan isn’t just moving — she’s “moving across the world.” This heartbreaking, funny and insightful memoir captures the angst and apprehension of forging a new life in a new country. With Ruth leaving her beloved Toronto behind and landing in Hong Kong, uncertainties and anxiety threaten to crush her. Uprooted’s expressive art perfectly captures her emotions and wit. This irrepressible graphic novel will have you rooting for Ruth as she eventually embraces her new life, while still cherishing her old one. (For ages 8 to 12) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

This is just a fraction of the 350+ titles we included in Books We Love this year. Click here to check out this year’s titles, or browse nearly 4,000 books from the last 12 years.