I went through a TV fast through high school and college. When I wasn’t downloading music, I had movies passively on HBO and Cinemax while I did my homework. The show we watched every day at home was Jeopardy! at 7pm. In New York, I watched shows periodically on my laptop or would make an event of it to watch Lost at my friend’s house.. It wasn’t until last year that I owned a tv. It’s an improvement from the computer screen!
When I ran out of anime to watch (impossible, but at the time, it felt like it), I turned to new shows. My highlights span a majority of Korean dramas, reality competitions in comedy and cooking, thrillers, and mysteries. Big themes I noticed were revenge plots and redemption. Then again, there was time for silliness with a woman turning into a chicken nugget and Freaky Friday-like body swaps.
Here’s my 2024 in TV…
Highly recommend…
The Boyfriend - Perhaps the only show on this list to make me kick my feet up excitedly. It is a wholesome reality show where a group of queer Asian men from different backgrounds bond while living together in Japan and running a coffee truck. Give Kazuto a break! He’s already working at a restaurant every day.
Marry My Husband - CW: murder. The only K-drama I didn’t find on Netflix, but on Amazon Prime. A woman’s boyfriend and best friend murder her. She wakes up 10 years earlier to enact revenge.
Physical 100 (S2) - As a person who doesn’t exercise much, it is truly thrilling to watch people push themselves to their physical limits. Twist: they bring someone back from S1 for a chance at redemption.
Navillera - A grumpy ballerino learns patience and compassion through teaching a 70-year-old man how to dance. Sweet odd couple energy and some cheeky moments.
Mystic Pop-Up Bar - CW: self-harm. A woman needs to resolve the dreams of 100K people for a crime she committed centuries ago. She accomplishes this by getting them drunk at her pocha pop-up bar.
Ready, Set, Love - A dystopian Thai mystery where most of the men in the world die off, so they are kept on protected farms. The most eligible bachelors are put on a reality dating show. Excellent commentary on reality tv.
Culinary Class Wars - Similar to Physical 100, 100 chefs are divided into two classes: white spoons who are established and made a name for themselves; and black spoons who are newcomers. Black spoons chose nicknames and if they win at the end, they will have made a name for themselves and shed the nickname. I learned so much about East Asian cuisine from watching this show.
KAOS - Woefully canceled. Gorgeously shot modern-day re-telling of Orpheus and Eurydice. The stand-out star is Misia Butler as Caeneus.
Chicken Nugget - This completely weird and absurd Korean alien mystery where a cute girl turns into a chicken nugget. A man who has a crush on her witnesses this transformation and tries to find a solution with her father.
The Queen of Villains - CW: violence. An abused and bullied teen turns to wrestling in Japan. She is cajoled into being a heel despite her sweet nature.
Great British Baking Show (S12) - Alison Hammond is a welcome addition to the wholesome baking competition. I always love the technical challenges to teach me about old recipes.
A Commitment, but overall good…
Mr. Queen - CW: self-harm. A chauvinist chef is framed for a crime and in an attempt to escape, he jumps from his balcony and wakes up as a Joseon-era noblewoman.
My Demon - A CEO marries the devil when he temporarily loses his powers.
Agents of Mystery - Very elaborate celebrity reality mystery series.
Blown Away (S4) - It always fascinates me how flexible glass blowing can be.
Fermat’s Cuisine - Slightly awkward acting in a culinary drama. A math genius becomes a chef in a high-end restaurant.
The Hot Life - A multi-part documentary about different styles of hot pot.
Record of Youth - Two Korean male models fight for the attention of the public and a make-up artist.
Business Proposal - A Korean woman takes the place of her best friend who was set up on a blind date with a high-powered CEO. He finds out the ruse and extends the contract to pretend to be his girlfriend.
The 8 Show - CW: violence, self-harm, bullying. 8 people who are about to take their lives are stopped with an opportunity to earn a lot of money.
Siren: Survive the Island - Teams of women play an epic game of capture-the-flag on a small island.
House of Ninjas - A family of ninjas seemingly retires until called back into action.
New World - Korean celebrities live in luxury on a remote island until they find out about the unique economy to get the items they need.
The Devil’s Plan - Korean celebrities play brain games against the Devil.
School Spirits - High school teenage murder mystery. Ghosts go to therapy.
The Glory - CW: bullying, violence. A woman plots elaborate revenge for a group of rich kids who hurt her.
Love Alarm - An app chimes when someone loves you. It gets complicated.
Comedy Revenge - Reality competition with improv and roast challenges.
Not My Thing…(Some Hate-watching)
Squid Game: The challenge - The very concept of this show is upsetting. I morbidly watched my least favorite person win. Ugh.
Doona! - A moody pop star jerks a very nice college student around.
Nevertheless - Art students get together, break up, lead each other on, on repeat. ALTHOUGH, I did discover a great band through this show.
The Influencer - Barf. Social Media was a mistake.
The Umbrella Academy (S4) - I wanted to like it. An upsetting end to the series. I was very happy to see a Filipina love interest on the show.
Kevin Can F*ck Himself - I like the conceit, but Kevin’s parts were too uncomfortable for me and the transitions are jarring. Annie Murphy is phenomenal.
I have a goal of watching more movies this year, so this list might be a little shorter next time.