Marquee television shows have arguably become better than ever in recent years. With so many streaming platforms and traditional networks vying for the eyes of viewers, it has led to larger investments being placed in TV than we’ve ever seen. And while not all of these investments end up paying off, viewers have still been left with a litany of fantastic shows that they’ll likely never have enough time to watch.
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In 2024, many of the top TV shows that made waves were wholly new. While House of the Dragon Season 2 again ended up being one of HBO’s biggest hits for 2024, other newcomers like Shogun on FX ended up being praised as one of the best seasons of television ever made by many critics. For those of us here at ComicBook, though, what ended up sticking with us the most was a TV series based on one of the most popular video game properties ever.
And the winner of the 2024 ComicBook Golden Issue Award for Best TV Show is…
Fallout!
What Prime Video has done with its adaptation of Bethesda’s Fallout is arguably the most impressive achievement of 2024 in television. Not only is the show’s first season captivating whether or not you’re a fan of the source material, but the story of Fallout is one that is completely original. To stress why this is important, original stories for video game adaptations have more often than not been a major reason behind the failure of such adaptations in TV and film over the past few decades. As such, for Fallout to simply use the backdrop of its universe and not stick to the beats of any one story from the video games is something that has rarely ever been done successfully.
Outside of telling a compelling throughline story that leaves viewers wanting more, Fallout also features some of the best performances seen on TV this year. Cast members Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Ella Purnell, and many others do fantastic work in bringing this eclectic group of characters to life.
It also can’t go without saying that Fallout revitalized the video game series that it’s based on. In the wake of Fallout’s release, numerous entries in the franchise that predominantly included Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Fallout: New Vegas saw massive boosts in player counts. This was especially true with Fallout 4, which went on to receive next-gen upgrades for modern platforms following the launch of the TV series and soon after reached its highest level of engagement in nearly a decade. Meanwhile, at Fallout’s parent company Microsoft, the success of the Fallout TV show reportedly prompted those in charge to demand a new Fallout game “sooner rather than later.”
By all accounts, Fallout has been one of the biggest and best shows of 2024 and is clearly going to be a key part of Prime Video’s original content slate in the years to come. Congrats to the cast and crew of Fallout for winning Best TV Show!
The nominees for the 2024 ComicBook Golden Issue Award for Best TV Show are:
- Doctor Who
- Fallout – WINNER
- House of the Dragon
- Shogun
- Star Wars: The Acolyte
