5 of the most talked about TV series this year

In April, Andrew Scott debuted as the villainous Tom Ripley in Netflix's black-and-white adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Critics have raved about the series, with Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall calling it "one of the best shows of the year."

In a departure from his role in "All of Us Strangers," "Ripley" sees Scott play a cool and calculating antihero, who, it seems, is attracting all kinds of attention both on-screen and out in the real world. There's still plenty of online buzz surrounding the miniseries and its cast, as Scott and co-star Dakota Fanning both landed 2024 Emmy Award nominations in July and the series won three 2024 Creative Arts Emmys in September.

Academy Award-winner Steven Zaillian also landed a Best Directing Emmy Award for helming the show's eight episodes, which launched on Netflix on April 4. John Malkovich, who played Ripley himself in the 2002 film "Ripley's Game," also makes at least one appearance in the miniseries.

Hot on the heels of 2023's runaway success "The Last of Us," "Fallout" is the next video game adaptation to shake up the TV landscape. Based on the massively popular Bethesda title of the same name, "Fallout" is set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles ravaged by nuclear war.

The series sees "Westworld" creators Lisa Joy and Jonathon Nolan team up again to a largely positive critical and audience reception. The cast includes Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Moises Arias, and a feisty canine companion, CX404. Geneva Robertson-Dworet, known for penning the "Captain Marvel" script, and Graham Wagner of "Portlandia," are executive producers.

All 10 episodes dropped on Prime Video on April 10 and the series essentially took over the streaming world. In its debut week, viewers spent 2.9 billion minutes watching "Fallout," making it the highest viewership ever for an Amazon show in a single week by Nielsen standards. In its second week, it brought in an additional 2.6 billion minutes, marking the first time any non-Netflix streaming show saw two consecutive weeks of more than 2 billion minutes of viewership. 

The show also scored 16 Emmy nominations and won a Creative Arts Emmy in September 2024. Unsurprisingly, "Fallout" has already been renewed for a second season, though Purnell told DiscussingFilm in October 2024 that details surrounding production have yet to be released.

With scripts based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, studio A24 producing, and Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. starring, it's no surprise that "The Sympathizer" is one of the buzziest shows of 2024.

The limited series is based on the 2015 debut novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and launched on HBO on April 14. Newcomer Vietnamese Australian actor Hoa Xuande stars as the unnamed protagonist, a Vietnamese communist spy at the center of a tangled web of secrets, lies, and code that only intensifies after the Vietnam War ends. Xuande was chosen for the role after an intensive eight-month audition process, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Screen legends Kieu Chinh and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen also play major roles in "The Sympathizer," while directors include South Korean hitmaker Park Chan-wook ("Oldboy"). Like its source material, "The Sympathizer" covers some seriously dark and violent subjects, though there is comedic flair as well. The series received strong reviews from critics, but garnered only one Emmy nomination—for none other than Downey Jr.

 "Dune: Part Two," the second installment of Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic, hit theaters this March, but that's not the only "Dune" release to make waves in 2024. Formerly titled "Dune: The Sisterhood," "Dune: Prophecy" focuses on the mysterious order of the Bene Gesserit thousands of years before the events of Frank Herbert's "Dune" novel, the basis for Villeneuve's films. 

Emily Watson and Olivia Williams star as Valya and Tula Harkonnen, founders of the Bene Gesserit and ancestors to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen of "Dune." The series launched on Max in November 2024 to mixed reviews, but plenty of interest. According to Warner Bros., some 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the premiere, with hundreds of thousands more streaming the first episode the next day. 

Get ready for a tense, London-set spy thriller starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw. The forthcoming Netflix series "Black Doves" follows Helen (Knightley), a politician's wife and undercover spy who joins forces with fellow spy and friend Sam (Whishaw) to solve the assassination of her lover.

The rest of the stacked cast includes Sarah Lancashire and "Warrior" star Andrew Koji. Luther Ford from "The Crown," Tracey Ullman, and Adeel Akhtar will also appear. "Black Doves" will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 5; in the meantime, the streaming platform shared on X in August 2024 that the series has already been renewed for a second season.

Additional writing by Cu Fleshman, Jaimie Etkin, and Eliza Siegel. Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.

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