Ed Martin's Top 25 TV Programs of 2024 (Part Three)

Dancing with the Stars (ABC) -- The 33rd season of this enduring franchise remained as pleasantly enjoyable as ever, powered by friendly competition, dazzling production numbers and an unwavering sense of inspiration and determination throughout. Perhaps the show's best moment ever came at the end of the second episode, after the double elimination of actress Tori Spelling and infamous con artist Anna Sorokin, when co-host Julianne Hough sweetly asked Sorokin what she was going to take away from her brief DWTS experience. Sorokin was blunt. "Nothing," she replied. (That's Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy winners Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson up top.)

The Law According to Lidia Poet (Netflix) -- Topping the list of performances this year that I would describe as "sparkling" are those by two actresses we all know -- Carrie Preston (Elsbeth) and Kristen Wiig (Palm Royale) -- and one we don't ... Matilda De Angelis, the young star of this historical drama about Italy's first female lawyer, Lidia Poet. She's so delightful that she effortlessly commands attention in every scene she is in. The show is set in the 1800s, but it feels very contemporary as it chronicles Poet's tireless efforts to advance her career after being disbarred simply because she is a woman. (Note: Season one of Lidia Poet premiered on Netflix in 2023. It didn't land on my radar until season two premiered there in October 2024.)

The Emmy Awards -- Award shows don't usually land on my list, but this year calls for an exception, in part because, due to the lingering effects of last year's strikes, we had two Emmy ceremonies … one on Fox in January, the other on ABC in September, and they both made an effort to celebrate television's past while honoring its present. The result was not one but two Emmy shows in the same year that were entertaining to watch. The nostalgic tributes in January played better than those in the September telecast, but the latter scored with a timely appearance by Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen talking about the heat her character took from Vice President Dan Quayle in 1992 when Murphy became pregnant and opted to become a single mother, and the decision to play the theme from The Bob Newhart Show over the closing credits of the program. It was a touching tribute to one of TV's all-time greats, who left us earlier this year.

America's Got Talent (NBC) -- I've asked this in previous years, and I will do so again. What would summer be without America's Got Talent? It is simply the best broadcast series to run original episodes from early June thru mid-September. AGT is still the most powerful example of emotional connectivity among competition shows. For example, I'm sure there wasn't a dry eye in the cavernous Pasadena Civic Auditorium or in homes across the land when humble Terre Haute school custodian Richard Goodall, a remarkable singer, took home this year's top prize. The talent on display often disarming, and the spirited interaction between judges Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara and host Terry Crews remains reliably priceless. (Goodall is pictured above next to Klum.)

Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) -- I can't imagine ending the week without HBO's long-time Friday night staple Real Time with Bill Maher and starting the next one without Sunday night special Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (Their extended breaks kill me.) Even in this age of excess information I would feel ill-informed without them. Now how about adding another such show mid-week to get us over the hump?

Saturday Night Live (NBC) -- As I said last year, when SNL was powering through its 49th season, this show doesn't need my support or anyone else's. It's bigger than all of us. And now it's freakin' 50, and still going strong with no end in sight. I'll just note that seeing Dana Carvey, Andy Samburg and Maya Rudolph back in Studio 8H this season on a recurring basis has been a delight. I'm sure we'll see a truckload of show veterans on the 50th anniversary prime time special in February, but the ongoing weekly surprises (lately including David Spade and Adam Sandler), while not new, are as exciting as ever.

Knots Landing (Prime Video) -- If you are a long-time reader of my annual Top 25 columns you know that I occasionally toss in a blast from the past that has found new life (or caught my eye all over again). Knots Landing -- which at times was my favorite prime time soap from the glory days of Dallas, Dynasty and the rest, and which hasn't been seen anywhere in forever -- has landed on this year's list because it recently surfaced first on Plex and then on Prime Video. It would be dishonest of me not to admit that it's a bit dated, but that doesn't matter, does it? All the greats are, and yet many of them are still a rewarding watch. I'm looking forward to the countless cul-de-sac crises to come, including the arrival of scheming Abby Cunningham (played by the immortal Donna Mills), loopy Lilamae Clements (Julie Harris) and bad boy Joshua Rush (Alec Baldwin), whose death sequence is rivaled only by that of Peter Hollister (Hunt Block). I'm already edging toward 40-year-old spoilers, so I'll stop now. (P.S. I never knew Knots Landing had its own newspaper!)

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