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Tom's Guide
Here are the 7 Emmy-nominated shows you need to watch right now
By Malcolm McMillan,
20 hours ago
The 2024 Emmy nominations are officially here. And if it feels like we were just talking about the 2023 Emmy nominations ... well, you'd be right. While the 2023, Emmy nominations arrived on time, the actual award ceremony took place this past January due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.
But this year, things are back on schedule. The nominations were announced this week and the ceremony will take place on Sept. 15, with the Creative Arts Emmys awarded the week before on Sept. 7-8. That gives you two months to catch up on all the best shows that aired from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024.
Lucky for you, I've watched a lot of these shows (this year alone I've watched 30-plus seasons of new television shows), so I know which ones are must-watch TV and which ones — while (mostly) still great — you can save for later.
So without further ado, here are the seven Emmy-nominated shows that I think you need to watch right now.
Emmy-nominated shows you need to watch
'Shogun' season 1 (FX/Hulu)
25 Emmy nominations
In our most anticipated new shows of 2024 preview, I said that FX might have its own "Game of Thrones" in "Shogun" — and that was just based on a trailer. Now it's almost seven months and a full 10 episodes later and I think I can say without a doubt that I was right. The Emmy voters seem to agree, giving the show's first season a staggering 25 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and all four acting categories for Drama Series.
In my review of the first two episodes, I highlighted that what makes this show so good is it nails the combination of well-executed flashes of action and violence sprinkled in among scenes of verbal jousting and political machinations. It's easily the best show of the year and I fully expect it to win Outstanding Drama Series.
Don't let the meager nine Emmy nominations fool you. While "Shogun" might be the best show of the year so far, "Slow Horses" is the best show on TV. Period . This British spy drama stars Gary Oldman as washed-up MI5 agent Jackson Lamb and is based on the Slough House series of spy novels by Mick Herron. Last year I dubbed it my top TV show of 2023 due to its pacing, casting and blend of comedy and drama.
While I expect that voters will ultimately give Outstanding Drama Series to Shogun, my vote would be for season 3 of "Slow Horses." When I say "There are simply no weak links to this show," I mean it. My hope though is that Gary Oldman wins Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Lamb, which straddles the line between acting masterclass and making you wonder if he even needs to act to play the role perfectly.
While the most recent season of "The Bear" was a mixed bag, season 2 — which Emmy voters just gave a record 23 Emmy nominations (most for a comedy series ever) — is incredible. I fully expect it to win Outstanding Comedy Series and all four comedy acting awards, where it has five total nominations.
While I had the show's second season just behind "Slow Horses" last year in my top 10, it exceeded Apple TV's British drama in one area. "Forks," episode 7 of season 2, was the best episode of television I watched in 2023, and I don't think there's been an episode since that's surpassed it. For that reason alone, you must watch this show.
This show came out while I was on leave, so I didn't have a chance to write about it for Tom's Guide. I wish I had though, because "Ripley" has been the best limited series of the year so far. It's no surprise to me that it received a nomination for Best Limited or Anthology Series, in addition to acting nominations for Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning.
Nor am I surprised that it picked up several other nominations for writing, directing, design, cinematography and more. This show is impeccable in its presentation, which is all the more impressive given that it's entirely in black and white. The first two and a half episodes drag just a little, but the rest of the eight-part series is gripping until the end. As good as the 1999 Matt Damon-led movie was, "Ripley" might now hold the crown for best adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
At one point, I had "3 Body Problem" as the best show of 2024 so far . That was on March 8, four days before "Shogun" started a three-week run where it put out the best episode of the year every week. But as of today, this eight-episode Netflix show is still my fourth-best show of 2024 so far. It also has one of the best episodes of TV this year — "Judgement Day" — which is responsible for four of the show's six Emmy nominations this year.
This science fiction thriller is probably better than the sum of its parts, and I won't pretend it doesn't have flaws. But I found it enjoyable to try and plot where the twists and turns of the show were going, and Liam Cunningham's performance as Wade, the mysterious leader of a secret multinational intelligence agency, is worth watching on its own.
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was one of our most anticipated shows of the year and it lived up to the hype. In my review of the first season, I called it "the most enjoyable show I've watched so far in 2024."
It's not the best show of the year — I currently have it ranked fifth — but it does everything it attempts so well and has broad appeal. Do you like action? This show has plenty of it. Do you enjoy a workplace dramedy? Then this show is for you. I'm not sure how man of its 16 Emmy nominations it will actually win, though I think Sarah Paulson has a shot for her performance in the episode "Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid)". But regardless of whether or not this show is a big Emmy winner, it's one of the Emmy-nominated shows you need to watch.
While I only have "Fallout" sixth on my list of best shows this year, I'd rank it over Fargo, which was my pick for the fifth-best show last year. I'm also not surprised that it got nominated for a ton of Creative Arts awards in addition to Outstanding Drama Series. While the show sometimes has you waiting for something truly epic to happen (spoiler alert: it eventually does), "Fallout" looks incredible. Jonathan Nolan and Co. really nailed recreating the world of the iconic video game series this show is adapting.
But for me, the true standout of the show is Walton Goggins as The Ghoul. Those who know me won't be surprised that I'm saying this, given my love of Goggins in general but specifically for his role in "Justified." But those who've seen season 1 of "Fallout" know that his nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series is ... well, it's justified.
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