Plenty of televised moments left people talking in 2024, from ridiculous reality mishaps to must-see finales that we can’t stop thinking about. Here are The Globe and Mail’s Top 10.
Mariko’s Stand, Shogun
Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in a scene from Shogun.Katie Yu/The Associated Press
Season 1, Episode 9, “Crimson Sky”
The penultimate episode of this FX series is perfectly executed, with brilliant tension and several breath-stopping scenes. That makes it difficult to choose just one moment, but for me, it’s when Mariko tried to walk out of the castle that’s the most memorable of the season. It’s a feat to play a character that is outwardly calm but trembling within, yet Anna Sawai did so compellingly. Add in archers, guards and several quick deaths, and the stakes were high. So when Mariko finally admitted defeat and claimed she would take her life at sunset, you were fully invested.
Donny Dunn’s Viral Stand-Up, Baby Reindeer
Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer.Ed Miller/The Associated Press
Season 1, Episode 6
Watching Baby Reindeer was one of this year’s biggest emotional investments, especially if you didn’t know where the show was going in terms of sexual abuse and mental health. Richard Gadd wrote it based on his own experiences, and his playing the lead character, Donny Dunn, added another complex layer.
The trauma and overall toll of the series’ events came to a head in Episode 6, when Donny let it all out onstage. During a stand-up performance, Donny opened up about all of the terrible things he’d endured. It was a heartbreaking but cathartic scene that sat with you well after he’d finished, and you got the sense that writing and filming it was an emotional release for Gadd. It was also the series’ biggest turning point: Donny finally accepted himself for who he is and what he’d been through, putting him on the road to recovery.
Rishi’s Consequences, Industry
Sagar Radia as Rischi in IndustryHBO/Bell media/Supplied
Season 3, Episode 8, “Infinite Largesse”
Industry has never been afraid to take risks or dole out consequences for its characters’ reprehensible actions. But creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay shocked everyone with the slow and methodical way they plotted Rishi’s (Sagar Radia) future with his wife, Diana (Emily Barber), in the third finale. In a season that was full of intense moments, that twist was the most jaw-dropping because it was the least expected.
Chelsea and Megan Fox, Love is Blind
Nick Lachey, left, and Vanessa Lachey of Love is Blind.ADAM ROSE/The Associated Press
Season 6, Episode 2, “The Hunger Games of Love”
The pod chats are one of the most interesting elements in any season of Love is Blind, because you get to see the participants sell themselves without bringing looks into it. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee a conversation about beauty won’t come up – and potentially backfire. When Chelsea Blackwell told potential suitor (and now ex-fiancé) Jimmy Presnell that people say she looks like actress Megan Fox, it set the internet on fire. Subsequent debates, memes and countless conversations, including at the reunion, ensued. It became one of the biggest reality TV moments of the year, and it revealed a hard truth about the Netflix series: The participants are definitely no longer in it for the right reasons.
Cobb’s Betrayal, The Penguin
Colin Farrell, right, in The Penguin.HBO/Bell Media/Supplied
Season 1, Episode 8, “A Great or Little Thing”
No one was anticipating Colin Farrell’s take on the Penguin to be as great as it was. The impressive physical transformation was just part of it. Farrell took a minor character from Matt Reeves’s 2022 The Batman movie and cemented him as one of the most brutal villains to ever exist in the DC universe. In the finale, when Oz Cobb finally became the crime boss he’d always dreamed of, he turned on the one person who had stood by him no matter what, proving that he’d do anything to remain the king of Gotham’s underworld.
Monica’s Secret Identity, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Monica Garcia of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Season 4, Episode 16, “Mysteries, Revealed?”
It’s hard for a new cast member to have a standout first season on any Real Housewives series. Monica Garcia, however, came in hot and never cooled off. She breathed new life into a post-Jen Shah cast with her temper, familial conflicts and fighting attitude. But when Heather Gay unveiled her as one of the women behind the takedown Instagram account Reality Von Tease, she ignited debate among fans. The dinner reveal in Bermuda became an epic franchise moment and led to one of the most heated reunion shows of all time.
The Mirror Scene, Bridgerton
Luke Newton, left, as Colin Bridgerton, and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton.HO/The Canadian Press
Season 3, Episode 5, “Tick Tock”
Lady Whistledown’s gossip wasn’t as juicy in Season 3, but people still burned for the budding relationship between Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton). That was true in the much-talked-about carriage scene, sure. But the steamiest moment came when the newly engaged couple stood together in front of a mirror. It was one of, if not the most, intimate moments on TV this year. As Colin helped his fiancée see herself as he saw her, Penelope’s strength and confidence grew. It was also hot as hell, and isn’t that why we tune in?
The Trial, Interview with the Vampire
Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson in Interview with the Vampire.AMC
Season 2, Episode 7, “I Could Not Prevent It”
This AMC adaptation of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles doesn’t always get the ink it deserves, and it continued to be an underrated gem in its second season. That was especially true in the trial episode, which was an emotional roller coaster from beginning to fateful end. As the audience at the Theatre des Vampires put Louis (Jacob Anderson), Claudia (Delainey Hayles) and Madeleine (Roxane Duran) on trial for the attempted murder of Lestat (Sam Reid), it quickly became clear the ordeal was a farce and designed to torture the accused. The pivotal moment was the return of Lestat, but the heartbreaking deaths that followed did Rice’s original words justice – right down to that yellow dress.
Seinfeld Deja-Vu, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm.HBO/Bell Media/Supplied
Season 12, Episode 10, “No Lessons Learned”
HBO has always been honest that Curb Your Enthusiasm would last as long as Larry David wanted it to. This year, when David ended the show for good, he planned a series finale with major Seinfeld vibes. Much like the four characters in that series were sentenced to jail for being terrible human beings, Larry was jailed for a minor water bottle mishap. However, when a juror broke sequester, a mistrial was called, opening the door for an apology of sorts to Seinfeld fans who hated that show’s ending: “This is how we should’ve ended the finale!” David declared, with a wink to guest star Jerry Seinfeld.
Letterkenny’s Swan Song, Letterkenny
The cast of Letterkenny.AMANDA MATLOVICH/Crave
Season 12, Episode 6, “Over and Out”
Technically, this is a moment for 2023 lists, but since the Crave series streamed last year on Christmas Day, we’re making an exception. Over 12 seasons, Letterkenny creators Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney crafted a love letter to small towns and their residents, and the finale really hit home with that theme. As Wayne (Keeso) and Katy (Michelle Mylett) contemplated leaving Letterkenny, they realized in the end that they loved the place enough to stay. (As did several other characters in their own storylines.) It was a powerful message for anyone who’s ever thought they had to pursue big dreams in big cities in order to be successful: The truth is, success can be finding joy and love where you’re at. The episode was a fitting end to a series that has always stayed true to itself, topped by a quiet montage of the various sets in one final, emotional farewell.
