The Sundae TV Awards 2024

We didn’t watch as much new TV this year as we usually do. Partly that’s because we are both increasingly busy killing it at other things, but mostly it’s because, frankly, the TV landscape is increasingly disillusioning. We are so far gone from the days when it seemed like streaming might crack the possibilities of the medium wide open and change them forever. It did, to be clear, but then the vast, rapacious conglomerates that control all TV decided that, actually, ambition and vision are for losers who don’t have a Scrooge McDuck money vault. It’s hard to want to watch a lot of new shows these days when more and more of it seems like little more than an indistinguishable slurry of “content”.

What do you do when you’re a TV critic getting jaded with modern TV? If you’re Ciara, you sail the seven seas of classic television and answer the siren call of the new only when it earns your interest. If you’re Dean, you just start shooting as much animation and stand-up directly into your veins as possible, because there, if nowhere else, are ambition and vision still alive and well. But you never give up on television, because when it’s good it still melts your face off.

We’re two days late this year, but considering we were months ahead of the Emmys last year, we’re sure you’ll forgive us. These, as far as we’re concerned, are the best shows of the most recent TV season (June 2023 – May 2024). As well as the classic drama and comedy awards, we also have two awards for reality, variety and documentary television, including game shows, professional wrestling and whatever Eric Andre is doing at any given minute. We picked our winners by consensus, so only shows we both watched were eligible to win, but we each picked a runner-up, regardless of whether the other has seen it.

You can find each of our full slates of nominees at the bottom of the post. We recommend checking them out if you’re looking for recommendations.

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The Sundae TV Awards 2023

Some years, it can be a bit of a struggle to put together this introductory spiel, and some years the AMPTP has been so cartoonishly evil and buffoonishly overconfident in the face of one of the biggest strikes in Hollywood history that the Emmys were cancelled and rescheduled. In theory, these awards are a counterpoint to the Emmys, and we would usually have posted them a few days ago, the night before the “real” awards. Well, who’s real now, the Emmys? Not you! You’re not even happening ‘til January at the earliest and no one will give a shit because it’ll be Oscar season! You get nothing! You lose!

Fortunately for us, we won’t see the effects of the strike – or rather, the AMPTP’s refusal to give their workers’ fair conditions so long they needed to strike!!! – ‘til next year, because we’re here to pass judgement on the most recent TV season (June 2022 – May 2023). As well as the classic drama and comedy awards, we also have two awards for reality, variety and documentary television, including game shows, professional wrestling and whatever Eric Andre is doing at any given minute. We picked our winners by consensus, so only shows we both watched were eligible to win, but we each picked a runner-up, regardless of whether the other has seen it.

You can find each of our full slates of nominees at the bottom of the post. We recommend checking them out if you’re looking for recommendations.

(Also, we don’t normally say this and it’s never been a problem before, but just so no one can say we didn’t warn them: we thoroughly spoil the shows we write about. If you don’t want to know what happens in the final seasons of Succession and Barry, turn back now!)

Continue reading “The Sundae TV Awards 2023”