Because of the way Christmas fell in the 2024, you might suddenly find yourself with a little more time on your hands towards the end of the year than usual.
Obviously, this has its perks – who wouldn’t rather be sitting at home polishing off the last of your Christmas chocolate than braving the elements to head into an office and make small talk about how everyone else in the office celebrated the festive season?
Sometimes, though, it can be a bit of a struggle to work out exactly how to fill this “Crimbo limbo” that falls between Christmas and New Year.
Given what a great year for TV it’s been, we’d personally suggest using this period to finally catch up on some of the shows you’d heard people talking about all year, but never quite found the time to get round to watching.
Here are some of our suggestions for where to start…
Baby Reindeer
Undoubtedly the biggest breakout hit of the past year was Baby Reindeer, which slowly picked up a huge following in a similar fashion to Squid Game three years earlier thanks to word-of-mouth.
The hard-hitting miniseries was inspired by Richard Gadd’s real-life experiences of being stalked, and touches on difficult themes like mental health, sexual abuse and gender identity in ways that felt fresh and new. It also made overnight stars of its Emmy-winning leads, Richard Gadd, Nava Mau and Jessica Gunning.
Stream it on: Netflix
The Traitors
Any doubts we had about whether the second run of The Traitors UK could live up to its inaugural season were quashed as soon as the most recent series got underway.
The TV phenomenon delivered more big characters, more twists and more epic fashion from Claudia Winkleman – not to mention a nail-biting final we’re still thinking about a year later.
With new episodes premiering on New Year’s Day (and a celeb version coming later in 2025), if you’ve still not bought into the hype surrounding The Traitors, this is the moment to finally succumb.
Stream it on: BBC iPlayer
Slow Horses
After building up a new audience in the past few years, Slow Horses’ run of success is showing no signs of wavering, with its most recent batch of episodes once again receiving unanimous critical praise.
Two more seasons are already in the pipeline for the award-winning spy thriller, so you’re definitely not too late to check it out if you’re still curious to hear exactly what all the fuss is about.
Stream it on: Apple TV+
Black Doves
Netflix rounded off what’s been a year of absolute bangers for the platform with Black Doves, a spy thriller which quickly won huge acclaim when it premiered in December.
The action-packed British drama features Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw leading a stellar cast that also includes Bafta winner Sarah Lancashire, with the Love Actually star having already bagged a Golden Globe for her performance, and a second season now in the works.
Be warned, though, that the whole thing takes place over the festive season, so if you want to enjoy Black Doves to its full effect, we’d recommend jumping on it sooner rather than later.
Stream it on: Netflix
Bridgerton
The much-loved Netflix period drama built on what has already made it such a hit with its third season, which put Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton directly in the spotlight as their characters took their relationship to the next level.
Although plenty more are still in the pipeline, we’re apparently a long way off our next trip to the Ton, meaning there’s still plenty of time to catch up on Penelope and Colin’s (or, indeed, Polin’s) love story.
Stream it on: Netflix
Nobody Wants This
The love story that really captured people’s attention in 2024 was between Noah and Joanne in the hit Netflix original Nobody Wants This.
A rom-com that came along when people really needed it, the show centred around an agnostic sex podcaster who finds herself falling for a Rabbi, and the various pitfalls of their burgeoning relationship as they’re faced with hurdles like family and conflicting faiths.
In a year when Netflix hasn’t been shy about pulling the plug on critically-acclaimed shows, Nobody Wants This was picked up for a second series pretty quickly, so this could be your moment to check out what’s made it such a hit.
Stream it on: Netflix
Heartstopper
Interestingly, this was also the year when TV’s most wholesome romance took a turn for the more serious, with the latest offering from Heartstopper exploring new territory for the teen drama, which had previously been hailed for providing so much escapism to its loyal fanbase.
Of course, Heartstopper being Heartstopper, even the darkest of themes were handled with a light touch, earning the show yet more praise for successfully navigating tricky subject matters like mental health (specifically with relation to Charlie’s eating disorder and self-harm), the rise of transphobic rhetoric in the national conversation and difficult family dynamics.
Don’t worry, though. There are still some very sweet montages, a fun day out at the zoo and even Heartstopper’s first sex scenes in amongst its more hard-to-watch scenes.
Stream it on: Netflix
One Day
It really was the year of the rom-com revival, wasn’t it?
Another of 2024’s most popular shows was a new adaptation of David Nicholls’ much-loved novel One Day, casting Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall (previously known for their work in This Is Going To Hurt and The White Lotus, respectively) as its romantic leads.
Spread out over a number of years, the story of Emma and Dexter is a hard one not to get swept up in – but be warned, if you’ve somehow managed to avoid spoilers for the ending, that you’re going to have to do some serious crying before you reach the conclusion.
Stream it on: Netflix
The Bear
Another year, another clean sweep for The Bear at every awards show going.
Between them, Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are up to their ears in Emmys, and the fast-paced comedy-drama is showing no signs of dying down. If you’ve always resisted reserving a table at The Beef, maybe this is your opportunity.
Stream it on: Disney+
Shōgun
Historical drama Shōgun was initially conceived as a miniseries, but proved so popular with critics, viewers and, indeed, the Television Academy, that a second series is now in the works.
Set at the height of civil war in Japan in the early 1600s, Shōgun packs a lot into its first 10 episodes, including romance, drama, suspense and exploration of real historical events. In other words, it’s got something for everyone, so it’s no wonder it’s managed to rack up such a massive audience.
Stream it on: Disney+
The Gentlemen
Filmed in Guy Ritchie’s inimitable style, mixing dark comedy with high-stakes drama and tension, The Gentlemen became one of Netflix’s biggest shows of the past year upon its debut earlier in the year.
Theo James takes the lead in a cast that also includes Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson and Ray Winstone, exploring what happens when a young man from an aristocratic background finds himself immersed in a gritty criminal underworld.
Stream it on: Netflix
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
After last year’s season of Drag Race UK proved to be a return to form for the long-running reality format, this year’s season upped the ante even more with an eclectic bunch of queens showcasing the best UK drag has to offer.
The challenges were great, the guest judges were great additions and, above all, the series ended up with one of its strongest top fours ever seen on the UK Drag Race mainstage.
We get it – with 1,000 different iterations to keep up with, the Drag Race fatigue is real, but if ever there were a time to get back on board with the UK franchise, season six (and, indeed, season five) would be it.
Stream it on: BBC iPlayer
Bad Sisters
This one is hot off the presses as the final episode only premiered on Christmas Day – but it’s a good one.
After seemingly being able to put their traumatic past behind them once and for al, the new batch of episodes sees the Garvey sisters faced with a whole new batch of problems to overcome, as they struggle to move on from the events of season one.
Critical reception has been a little more lukewarm than that it was for the first run – but if you love a mystery jam-packed with tension and twists, plus incredible performances across the board, then the second season of Bad Sisters is absolutely still worth diving into.
Stream it on: Apple TV+
The Boyfriend
Just when you think the success of Love Island has brought about every dating show format you can think of, along comes a show like The Boyfriend.
Billed as Japan’s first queer dating show, the series sees a group of men moving in together and running a coffee van together, with the hopes of finding love and friendship with other members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Less flashy and in your face than the likes of The Ultimatum or I Kissed A Boy, The Boyfriend makes for more gentle, relaxed viewing – but that doesn’t mean you’ll be any less gripped as relationships among the group start to blossom.
Stream it on: Netflix
Agatha All Along
Marvel kept fans waiting for Agatha All Along, but as soon as we saw that Kathryn Hahn was set to be joined by a cast that included Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza and Joe Locke, we knew that it was going to be worth being patient for.
Although its release coincided with Halloween, anyone who enjoys spooky offerings like Wednesday or, indeed, Wicked all year round shouldn’t be put off when it comes to one of Marvel’s most popular TV originals ever.
Stream it on: Disney+
The Penguin
As well as rom-coms, 2024 was also seemingly a huge year for superhero side characters stepping into the limelight with their own acclaimed TV spin-offs.
Colin Farrell already wowed audiences with his transformation into The Penguin in 2022’s The Batman, and stepping out on his own in this TV special only served to win him even more plaudits (including a Golden Globe nomination, a real rarity for a DC Comics project).
Stream it on: Now
Palm Royale
Kristen Wiig. Allison Janney. Laura Dern. Carol Burnett. Kaftans. Martini glasses. Big hair. Sunshine. Palm Beach decor. Need we say more?
Palm Royale is camp with a capital C, and if that sounds like your idea of fun, we’d suggest checking in immediately.
Stream it on: Apple TV+
Squid Game
Alright, so the long-awaited second season of Squid Game only premiered on Boxing Day, so streaming this doesn’t really count as “catching up” – but we couldn’t exactly not include it, as it’s such an important TV release of the past year.
Stream it on: Netflix