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With numerous outstanding TV shows and movies With expensive advertising campaigns, inventive marketing efforts, ubiquitous trailers that invite analysis, and countless hours of “content” to research and stand out online, it’s easy to slip through the fingers of some of the media competing for audience attention in 2024 . Whether it’s a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend who insists the show is a hidden gem, or a year-end article hailing a quietly released film as “peak fiction,” 2024 has a lot to offer that never quite caught on. center of attention. This article aims to correct that oversight.
In that spirit, here’s a list of the io9 crew’s deep-cut movie and TV recommendations that flew under the radar this year — and are totally worth the time to seek out.
Shop for killers
Korean dramas are very popular and Shop for killers not an exception. If one were to wonder if a John WickWhen a group of disgruntled assassins surround his home, leaving a seemingly unassuming little man to fend for himself with skills taught by his uncle and an arsenal of high-class weapons, he must raise his niece and suddenly disappear, the show’s hyper-specific response. If you’re not blown away by the premiere episode Shop for killers– who outwitted a sniper on a flyover miles from his niece’s house – you have no pulse.
Beetlejuice (animated series)
It reappeared in tandem with the vintage cartoon Beetlejuice Beetlejuice mania, Tubi stepped in to host the previously elusive series. It’s so open, deliciously gross and cute for a 30-year-old show. It still stands and digests very easily.
Beverly Hills Police: Axel F
Okay, we’re going to cheat here for a second because Beverly Hills Police Not an io9 movie. But he does a legacy sequel to a beloved franchise that brings back a star while passing the baton to a new generation. We see it a lot in science fiction and genre films. We’re including it on this list because of all the movies you can think of right now (Star Wars, Screaming, Ghostbustersetc.) Beverly Hills Cop 4– let’s call it – among the best. It’s everything you love about the franchise, but updated in smart, interesting ways. Streaming on Netflix.
Camp Host
Remember when people stayed inside so much during the pandemic that nature started to regenerate its turf? A twisted take on that idea leads this episode of Tubi, which follows a couple on a camping trip — their first since their fears of Covid gave way to cabin fever — to find that not everyone is excited about the end of social distancing. Also, setting it in a camp is a big nod, but…slasher rules apply!
Destroy all neighbors
We all know what it’s like to have a nasty neighbor. But most of us aren’t going to be best friends with this neighbor’s severed head, or on an odyssey that balances gory horror comedy with a deep, abiding love of prog rock. Destroy all neighbors it starts with a familiar idea, expands it with an outrageous premise, and fires it off with sky-high energy. If more people sought it, there would be more leaping joy in the world.
Size 20: Young age
Dropout is one of the best streaming services to have on your subscription list and its Actual Play series Size 20 is a big part of why. The third installment in the Fantasy High subseries is just as funny and wild as the previous seasons, and it’s nice to see the Bad Kids again after years of them as they level up, literally and metaphorically, against new enemies. To quote a character at the end of the season: blimey!
First Slam Dunk
Anime is cool. Competitive sports like basketball are great. First Slam DunkDirected by manga creator Takehiko Inoue, it is one of the best sports anime to grace the silver screen. Not only does this film prove once again that CG anime can be a treat, but it covers one of the best basketball anime in a way you’ve never seen before. need to have watched it so many years ago, to throw up the fist of his story and say “Hell yes!” makes you want to scream.
Invincible Hit Girl
The spectacle of professional wrestling is in many ways similar to a red-haired anime soap opera. Adopting this concept, Adult Swim’s sleeper turned into an animated series Invincible Warrior Girl captures the gut-wrenching tenacity of professional wrestling and presents the inspiring story of a girl named Andy who quit her monotonous desk job to become the greatest wrestler in the world. For all anime connoisseurs, this show evokes nostalgia reminiscent of Cartoon Network classics. A lot of struggle while delivering the amazing animation quality of your favorite anime fight scenes. Give it an hour to warrant a second season, why not?
Here’s what’s in it
It’s a shame that one of the year’s best genre films is mostly buried on Netflix, but that’s the world we live in. Here’s what’s in it it’s one of those tense, twisty thrillers that you want to watch again when the credits roll. We think there’s a benefit to being on Netflix. The movie has a super unique, surprising idea that spoiling is almost a sin, so let’s just say it’s kind of Freaky Friday meets Hint. Yes. It works. It’s awesome.
Kaiju #8
Sometimes we all just need a TV show about a sweet himbo of a man who turns into a super-powered werewolf and punches the ever-loving bejesus out of even bigger monsters. Good news because Kaiju #8‘s animated adaptation of the equally over-the-top manga is worth watching every second. The action is as fun and wild as you’d hope, but it’s really the most serious attraction of its protagonist, the aforementioned himbo Kafka Hibino, who is a joy to watch.
Chaos
Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, king of the gods? He said enough. Hilarious and chaotically dark, the Netflix show is a must for those with a penchant for mythology, as well as a modern adaptation of the lore not to be missed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t renewed for a second season, but the first season is at least a solid standalone story.
Look back
Trying to capture this incredible alignment was a difficult task The Man in Chains creator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga that hit theaters this year. The best cartoons of 2024. A wonderfully bittersweet and human reflection on art and how it brings people together, Look back It uses the magic of comic-making to deliver a short, sharp and endlessly emotional celebration of the form, even as it excels at transforming the medium into big-screen animation in an adaptive leap.
Madam Web
Madam Web It’s not an all-time classic, but it certainly is a camp is being prepared. A weird, sloppy, funny (perhaps not entirely intentional, but more about how it all came together) ode to a different era of superhero filmmaking, it’s a total dud to try to watch at least once. If you missed it in theaters, who’s to say his network won’t reach out to you now?
Music by John Williams
For decades, seeing the name “John Williams” anywhere near the movie instantly made it better. And this documentary on Disney+ is like all the movies combined. It not only gives you context about where Williams came from and his career, but also breaks down many of his iconic scores. movies like Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic period Parkand many others. Think of it as a greatest hits album, but like a movie.
Weirdness
Irish writer-director Damien McCarthy’s horror film won the Audience Award at South by Southwest, but even when it hit Shudder at the end of September, it slipped under the radar as one of the scariest films of the year. This is not just empty hype. Weirdness tells the story of a blind psychic who runs a curio shop full of cursed items and uses every available resource to outwit his twin sister’s killer. Fear of jumping? Yes. Slow burning fear? Yes. Can’t view the images? hell yes.
PBS Retro
Launched in 2024, the PBS Retro channel has quickly become a hidden gem on various TV and streaming devices. has favorites like Mister Rogers’ Quarters and Rainbow sing. Like the Bob Ross channel on those platforms, it plays marathons of nostalgic educational content if you want to practice zen or show your kids more thoughtful programming. Cocomelon. We found this channel in free programming on Vizio, but if you go to PBS.org or the free PBS app, you’ll find a way to access the original shows on your smartphone, tablet, and TV.
The Shadow Strays
Director Timo Tjajahnto has been making films on a consistent basis since 2012, and his most recent release was this year. Shadow Strays. With an incredibly physical turn from Aurora Ribeiro in the lead role and one crisp action scene after another, it’s totally worth the time to watch on Netflix. By the end of it, you’ll be wanting more, which is just as well, because Tjajahnto clearly does do more.
Rise of Ultraman
There aren’t too many superhero movies about parenting, let alone Netflix Rise of Ultraman a unique way to stand out from the crowd. It does all the parenting hits very well, but it’s freshened up by having its hero, Ken Sato, raise a wolf pup using his powers and how incredible it looks. Maybe it was a streaming movie, but you want to see it on the big screen.
Want more io9 news? Check when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Warsand Star Trek releases, why next The DC Universe in Film and TVand everything you need to know about its future Doctor Who.
