10 must-watch shows in 2024 (and 2 more in 2025) on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and more
Check out these must-watch shows that will make your streaming services pay for themselves.
With all the belt-tightening measures this year, you might be tempted to cut the cord on some of your favourite streaming platforms. But think again — with all the dramas, comedies, animation, adaptations, new seasons of existing hits — all on demand too — there's more than enough reason to keep all your streaming subscriptions!
Check out these must-watch shows that will make your streaming services pay for themselves.
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1. The Brothers Sun (January 4)
Netflix
When the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin, his eldest son, Charles (Justin Chien) heads to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), and his naive younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li) — who’s been completely sheltered from the truth of his family until now. But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance — Charles and Bruce must figure out what brotherhood and family truly means before someone takes them out.
When you get gangsters who threaten to "tattoo a penis on your face", you know the show's writing is going to delight. Anchored by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, The Brothers Sun looks like it's got the right mix of action, drama, and dark humour to keep you hooked. Plus, Asian representation is always a bonus — there's sure to be a lecture on Confucian values from some elder somewhere.
Watch it here.
2. Constellation (February 21)
Apple TV+
This drama stars Noomi Rapace as Jo — an astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster in space — only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing. The action-packed space adventure is an exploration of the dark edges of human psychology, and one woman's desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and recover all that she has lost.
Every traveller's fear is this — coming home to find out that some disaster has happened or something (or someone) has gone missing. Take this and extrapolate it to the most extreme form of travel known to man (for now), and you've got a science fiction thriller on your hands. Is this real, or is this a delusion? Constellation will have you guessing till the end.
Watch it now.
3. Avatar the Last Airbender (February 22)
Netflix
The four nations of the world once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. The series follows a young Air Nomad named Aang, as he reawakens to a world ravaged by war. Together with his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, he embarks on an action-packed quest to take his rightful place as the next Avatar.
The 2010 live-action movie adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender cast a shadow over the franchise with its racebending fiasco, but it looks like this reincarnation of the Avatar might be the one who saves the franchise. With gorgeous visuals, an Asian cast playing Asian characters, and the classic Avatar theme playing over it all — we might finally get an Avatar adaptation that is truly worthy.
Watch it here.
4. Ricky Stanicky (March 7)
Amazon Prime Video
When three childhood best friends pull a prank gone wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble! Twenty years after creating this ‘friend,’ Dean, JT, and Wes (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler) still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior. When their spouses and partners get suspicious and demand to finally meet the fabled Mr. Stanicky, the guilty trio decide to hire washed-up actor and raunchy celebrity impersonator "Rock Hard" Rod (John Cena) to bring him to life. But when Rod takes his role of a lifetime too far, they begin to wish they’d never invented Ricky in the first place.
If you love John Cena's brand of comedy, then you'll love Ricky Stanicky — which has the wrestler-turned-actor making another foray into film. But it's not so much the title character that draws the funnies — it's everyone's reactions to this lie made flesh. At its heart, it's about three boys who got caught in a lie that has now spun out of control, which is something that everyone (okay, fine, maybe just me) can relate to.
Watch it now.
5. Loot S2 (April 3)
Apple TV+
(season 1 synopsis)
Maya Rudolph is Molly Novak, a billionaire ready to save the world. After divorcing her husband of 20 years, Molly Novak must figure out what to do with her $87 billion settlement. She decides to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world—finding herself along the way.
Love her or hate her, you can't deny the comic appeal of Maya Rudolph's visage in various contortions of wide-eyed wonder or sarcasm. Loot returns for a second season — and after the shocking twist of the first season's finale, how will this show keep up with its premise? More importantly, will central character Molly Novak finally start making good decisions? Only Season 2 will tell.
Watch it here.
6. Dark Matter (May 8)
Apple TV+
A man is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could've lived, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from a most terrifying foe: himself.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) having thrust the concept of multiverses in the modern zeitgeist, it seems like we've been seeing alternate realities galore in all sorts of media. But Dark Matter takes the cake in terms of horror — to find out just how depraved one can be in a different timeline. It preys on our fear of our darkest impulses coming to life... and having to literally face one's shadow self.
Watch it here.
7. Uncle Samsik (2024)
Coming soon to Disney+
Set in 1960s Korea, Uncle Samsik follows Kim San (Byun Yo-han), an ambitious idealist who is driven to turn his country’s fortunes around. A recipient of an Albright Scholarship, San wants nothing more than to transform his country into an industrial nation and deliver an American-level of affluence to the people of Korea. Determined to become a success, San attracts the attention of Pak Doochill (Uncle Samsik, played by Song Kang-ho) a shady fixer who adapts to any situation and takes whatever steps necessary to help him accomplish his boss’s goals. Together, the pair will form an uneasy alliance, navigating the complexities of the established system, united by their shared goal of a prosperous future.
There's nothing that Korean drama fans love more than an underdog story, especially when the underdog has the immaculate looks of a Korean heartthrob. But there's more to this series than just a pretty boy as the star — it looks like moral quandaries will shape the relationship between the two main characters. While we all know what eventually happens to Korea, the excitement is in finding out how they got there — and what sacrifices had to be made as a result.
8. Gyeongseong Creature S2 (2024)
Netflix
(season 1 synopsis)
Gyeongseong (old name for Seoul), 1945. In Seoul's grim era under colonial rule, an entrepreneur and a sleuth fight for survival and face a monster born out of human greed.
It was barely a month ago that the first season of Gyeongseong Creature concluded, but it still feels like a long wait for Season 2, which will premiere later this year. What we do know is that the new season will take place in the present day — so what does that mean for our characters? What other secrets will come to light, nearly 80 years after the first season?
Watch it here.
9. House of the Dragon S2 (2024)
HBO Go
(season 1 synopsis)
An internal succession war within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.
With the dramatic betrayals at the end of the first season, House of the Dragon returns for a second season to tell the tale of House Targaryen and its grandiose but tragic characters. How will the Targaryen dynasty eventually plummet to its state in Game of Thrones? Season 2 will unveil more of this draconic tragedy.
Watch it here.
10. The Rings of Power S2 (2024)
Amazon Prime Video
(season 1 synopsis)
Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, this drama will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
Two central mysteries were key to the first season of The Rings of Power — the identity of the Stranger, and who Sauron was disguised as. While one mystery was solved at the season's conclusion, the Stranger's identity still remains a secret. With the forging of the eponymous Rings having already begun in the first season, new secrets and manipulations are sure to come to light in the upcoming season.
Watch it here.
Coming in 2025
The White Lotus S3 (2025)
HBO Go
Taking place over one tumultuous week, this social satire follows the exploits of various guests and employees at an exclusive resort.
The appeal of The White Lotus comes from how it shines a light on the perversions of humanity — in particular, the wealthier segments of society. There's no denying the schadenfreude that comes from seeing them all get their comeuppance (or not) by the end of each season. With a third season on the way in 2025, what other dark desires will come to light in a (presumably) new branch of the White Lotus?
Percy Jackson S2 (2025)
Disney+
(season 1 synopsis)
Percy Jackson is on a dangerous quest. Outrunning monsters and outwitting gods, he must journey across America to return Zeus' master bolt and stop an all-out war. With the help of his quest mates Annabeth and Grover, Percy's journey will lead him closer to the answer he seeks: how to fit into a world where he feels out of place, and find out who he's destined to be.
The overwhelming positive response to the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which was surprisingly faithful to the novels, means that we might actually get to see four more seasons, and an actual onscreen depiction of the Titans' attack on Olympus (which, in the novels, happens in the fifth installment)! But till then, we have to contend with just a second season — coming in 2025.
