With numerous prominent TV shows and movies competing for viewers’ attention in 2024 through pricey advertising campaigns, inventive marketing efforts, omnipresent trailers inviting analysis, and countless hours of “content” to probe and differ online, it is easy for some media to slip through one’s fingers. Whether it’s a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend insisting a show is a hidden gem or an end-of-year article touting a quietly released flick as “peak fiction,” 2024 had much to offer that never received its moment in the spotlight. This article aims to correct that oversight.
In that spirit, here is the io9 staff’s list of deep-cut film and TV recommendations that flew under the radar this year—and are absolutely worth taking the time to seek out.
A Shop for Killers
Korean dramas are immensely popular, and A Shop for Killers is no exception. If one were to wonder what would happen if a John Wick-like character had to raise his niece and suddenly vanish when a group of disgruntled assassins besieged his house, leaving his seemingly unassuming little to defend herself with the skills her uncle imparted and a cache of high-grade weapons, this show provides that hyper-specific answer. If you are not captivated by the premiere episode of A Shop for Killers—which features the niece outsmarting a sniper on an overpass miles away from their house—you don’t have a pulse.
Beetlejuice (the animated series)
This vintage cartoon resurfaced in tandem with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice mania, with Tubi stepping up to host the previously hard-to-stream series. It’s so unhinged, delightfully gross, and endearing for a show that’s 30 years old. It still holds up and is so easily binge-able.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Okay, we’re gonna cheat here for just a second because Beverly Hills Cop isn’t an io9 movie. But it is a legacy sequel of a beloved franchise that brings back the star while passing the baton to a new generation. Which we see—a lot—in sci-fi and genre films. We’re putting this on this list because out of all of those movies you’re now thinking of (Star Wars, Scream, Ghostbusters, etc) Beverly Hills Cop 4—let’s just call it what it is—is among the best. It’s everything you loved about the franchise, but updated in smart, exciting ways. It’s streaming on Netflix.
The Camp Host
Remember during the pandemic, when people stayed inside so much that nature started reclaiming its turf? A twisted interpretation of that idea propels this Tubi release, which follows a couple on a camping trip—their first outing after covid fears gave way to cabin fever—who discovers not everyone is excited about the end of social distancing. Also, the fact that it’s set at a campground is a big hint, but… slasher rules do apply!
Destroy All Neighbors
We all know what it’s like to have an obnoxious neighbor. But most of us don’t end up becoming best buddies with that neighbor’s severed head, or undertaking an odyssey that balances breakneck horror comedy with… a deep, abiding love of prog rock. Destroy All Neighbors starts with a familiar idea, expands it into an outrageous premise, and pulls it off with sky-high energy. There’d be more splattery joy in the world if more people sought it out.
Dimension 20: Junior Year
Dropout is one of the best streaming services to have on your subscription list, and its Actual Play series Dimension 20 is a big part of why. The third installment in its Fantasy High sub-series is as funny and wild as previous seasons, and after years away from them, it’s nice to see the Bad Kids once again as they literally and metaphorically level up against new enemies. To quote a character late in the season: blimey!
The First Slam Dunk
Anime is cool. Competitive sports like basketball are cool. The First Slam Dunk, directed by manga creator Takehiko Inoue, is one of the best sport anime films to grace the silver screen. Not only does this film prove once again that CG anime can be a looker, it also caps one of the best basketball anime in a way that you don’t need to have watched it so many years ago, to have its story make you want to pump your fist in the air and yell, “Hell yeah!”
Invincible Hit Girl
In many ways, the pageantry of professional wrestling resembles a redneck anime soap opera. Embracing this notion, Adult Swim’s sleeper hit animated series Invincible Fight Girl captures the intestinal fortitude of professional wrestling and presents an inspiring story of a girl named Andy who abandons her monotonous desk job to become the world’s greatest wrestler. For all anime connoisseurs, this show evokes nostalgia reminiscent of Cartoon Network classics like Mucha Lucha while delivering the stunning animation quality of your favorite anime fight scenes. Give it a watch to help secure a second season, why don’t ya?
It’s What’s Inside
It’s a shame that one of the best genre movies of the year got mostly buried on Netflix but such is the world we live in. It’s What’s Inside is one of those intense, twisty-turny thrillers you want to watch again the second the credits start to roll. Which is a benefit of being on Netflix, we guess. The film has a super unique, surprising premise that it’s almost a sin to spoil so let’s just say it’s kind of Freaky Friday meets Clue. Yeah. That works. It’s awesome.
Kaiju No. 8
Sometimes we all just need a TV show about a sweet himbo of a man turning into a superpowered man-monster and punching the everloving bejesus out of even bigger monsters. Good news then, because Kaiju No. 8‘s animated adaptation of the similarly over-the-top manga is worth every second of a binge-watch. The action is as fun and wild as you’d hope for, but it’s really the earnest charm of its protagonist, the aforementioned himbo Kafka Hibino, that make it such a delight to watch.
Kaos
Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, king of the gods? Enough said. The funny and chaotically dark Netflix show is very much for the mythology nerds as well as a not-to-miss modern adaptation of the lore. Unfortunately it did not get renewed for season two, but the first season at least is a solid standalone story.
Look Back
Madame Web
Music by John Williams
For decades, seeing the name “John Williams” anywhere near a movie has instantly made it better. And this documentary, streaming on Disney+, is kind of like all of those combined into one. It not only gives you context about where Williams came from and his career, but breaks down so many of his iconic scores. Movies like Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and many others. Think of it like a greatest hits album, but as a movie.
Oddity
Irish writer-director Damien McCarthy’s horror indie won an Audience Award at South by Southwest, but it flew under the radar even when it hit Shudder in late September with word-of-mouth tagging it as one of the scariest movies of the year. That’s not just empty hype. Oddity centers on a blind psychic who runs a curio shop full of cursed objects—and who draws on all her available resources to tease out her twin sister’s murderer. Jump scares? Yes. Slow-burn dread? Yes. Imagery you won’t be able to un-see? Hell yes.
PBS Retro
Launched in 2024, the PBS Retro channel quickly became a hidden gem on various TV and streaming devices. It features favorites like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Reading Rainbow. Like the Bob Ross channel also on those platforms, it plays marathons of nostalgic educational content if you want to zen out or show your kids more thoughtful programming than the drivel that is Cocomelon. We stumbled across this channel in the free programming on Vizio but if you go to PBS.org or the free PBS app you can find a way to access original shows on your smartphone, tablets, and televisions.
The Shadow Strays
Director Timo Tjajahnto has been making movies at a consistent clip since 2012, and his newest outing was this year’s Shadow Strays. With an incredible physical turn from Aurora Ribero in the lead role and one crunchy action scene after another, it’s absolutely worth taking the time to watch on Netflix. By the end of it, you’ll be wanting more, which is just as well, since Tjajahnto clearly wants to do more.
Ultraman Rising
There aren’t a lot of superhero movies explicitly about parenting, which gave Netflix’s Ultraman Rising a unique way to stand out among the crowd. It plays all the parenting hits extremely well, but it’s all made fresh through the inventiveness of its hero Ken Sato using his powers to parent a baby monster—and by how incredible it looks. It may have been a streaming movie, but you’ll wish you could’ve seen it on a big screen.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
