Frankly, nothing could have topped last year, with Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary AND the second season of my beloved, beautiful, betrayed Our Flag Means Death, and basically just David Tennant doing amazing work everywhere. However, this year was still great! I saw so much good live theater and discovered SO MUCH good music! But I’m getting ahead of myself… Let’s rank some things.

Music

I’m reordering/editing my Spotify Wrapped, because I think that’s based more on minutes listened rather than my emotional investment/affection toward these albums/artists. Only I can decide that, so here’s the REAL list.

5. Haven by Marianas Trench

I need more indie pop-rock bands to understand that orchestral instruments really elevate songs. Marianas Trench understands this; the rest of you, do better. Some of their harmonies have me ascending, and the epic compositions really capture the concept of the hero’s journey, while also being so personal. Some of the catchiest songs were far too short, but the final track is absolutely exemplary: over eight minutes of epic sound and impressive vocals that capture the mood of the entire album while also having a unique identity, feeling like an entire dramatic journey on its own. It reminds me of the final track of Ever After (their best album in my opinion) and I love it. An awesome album overall.

Favorite tracks: “Ancient History,” “Haven,” “Remember Me By,” “I’m Not Getting Better,” and “Worlds Collide”

4. Nerdy Prudes Must Die soundtrack by StarKid

I’ll have more to say about the musical itself later in this post, but wow this soundtrack is spectacular. Some of this company’s best work. If this album had been added to Spotify earlier in the year, I can guarantee that it would have been included in my Wrapped. It’s just excellent.

Favorite tracks: “If I Loved You,” “Hatchet Town” (special shout out to Bryce’s amazing solo), “The Summoning,” and “High School is Killing Me”

3. Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier

I knowww, I should have been listening to Hozier years ago. I knew a couple of his songs, but this year I finally actually sat down and really listened to him (though I still need to listen to the rest of his albums). And wow, the way he blends capital-R Romantic sensibilities with raw emotion and desire in his lyrics is incredible. His voice is fantastic, especially when he lets his Irish lilt slip in.

Favorite tracks: “Would That I,” “Shrike,” “No Plan,” “Almost (Sweet Music),” and “Wasteland, Baby!”

2. Chappell Roan

Is anyone shocked by this? You shouldn’t be. I love Chappell! Phenomenal voice, great lyrics, and catchy sound. She’s the queen of queer pop right now, as she should be! Her songs are so fun to sing, and I can’t wait to see where her career goes from here. The number of times I’ve watched her live performances of “Good Luck, Babe!” on the Tonight Show and at the VMAs is… a very reasonable number, I promise. I’m very normal about that song, I swear.

Favorite tracks: “Kaleidoscope,” “Good Luck, Babe!”, “Red Wine Supernova,” “Pink Pony Club,” and “Casual”

1. Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party

Poetic, epic, orchestral indie rock music! YES. This is some of the best music I’ve heard in a long time. It’s like someone gave rock instruments to a group of English majors and said “go forth and conquer” and WOW DID THEY CONQUER. I need another album yesterday, please.

Favorite tracks: “My Lady of Mercy,” “Sinner” (both the original and the acoustic versions), “Nothing Matters,” “Burn Alive,” “Caesar on a TV Screen,” but also the entire rest of the album is astounding!

Honorable mentions:

In Search of the Antidote by FLETCHER, Look At You Now by MALINDA (apparently I like women singers with all-caps names?), and the album & by Bastille (especially “Marie & Polonium“).

Movies

I watched embarrassingly few new-to-me movies this year—I think only a dozen?!—but please don’t judge me.

5. The Princess and the Frog

My niece was appalled I’d never seen this, and I thank her for addressing this error. This is a sweet love story, with a strong protagonist and a charming love interest who both have great character development. I adore Tiana, the setting of New Orleans is so lively, and the music is awesome!

4. Wicked

I’ve been a fan of this musical since high school, so I’ve been waiting for this movie adaptation for YEARS. And finally, it’s here, and has mostly paid off! I’m a little annoyed that they split the story into two parts (probably a financial decision rather than an artistic one), but I’m also pleased that this is still a loyal adaptation of the stage version. Grande and Erivo are good as the leads, and the costuming and settings are incredible. But why was this called “Part One” and not “Act One”?

3. Nimona

This is really good! The visuals are excellent, the voice acting top notch, and the themes of alienation and seeking truth hit hard. The trans/queer allegory is effectively portrayed and moving. Sometimes it talks down to the audience slightly, and it changes quite a bit of the plot from the graphic novel, but this is still a very good movie.

2. Muppet Christmas Carol

I know, it’s insane I haven’t seen this before. I think I’ve seen part of it when I was a kid, but this Christmas was the first time I for sure watched it all the way through. And I loved it; it’s incredibly loyal to the original story, while also harnessing the humor and whimsy of the Muppets to make something really special. New Christmas tradition acquired.

1. Nerdy Prudes Must Die by StarKid

This is not technically a movie, but rather a recorded musical now uploaded to YouTube, which is enough like a movie for me. Also, I technically watched it on New Years Eve 2023. But STILL, I’m counting it for this year because it was too late to include it on my 2023 list. It’s genius and a perfect conclusion to Team Starkid’s Hatchetfield series of musicals. It’s dark and funny and a little crazy, with a talented cast and crew, all of it coming together to make a teen slasher musical with a supernatural twist.

Honorable mentions:

Lisa Frankenstein (which was unhinged but still really entertaining); Cinderella’s Castle by StarKid (I rented the digital ticket, as it isn’t available to watch on YouTube yet, which is the only reason this isn’t number two on this list. I’ll put it on my 2025 list, since it’ll be widely available then).

Television

Streaming services are horrible, awful businesses. If any of their CEOs are listening, hear me: stop being so greedy and allow creative people to create art. I will fight all of you, just as soon as I get a proper sword. And no, I’m not bitter about what HBO did to OFMD; why would you think that?

5. Doctor Who (season whatever-we’re-calling-it; you know, the one Disney’s got its paws on)

Some undeniable facts: A) I would do anything for Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor, except watch “Space Babies” or “The Devil’s Chord” again. B) Moffat saved the show for me, so we’re definitely living in the most cursed, wretched timeline. C) This show is good and bad, yet I’m undyingly loyal to it, apparently. D) Disney, I’m still willing to proceed with that duel.

4. Schitt’s Creek (seasons 2 and 3)

I’m making embarrassingly slow progress through this show, but I’m loving it when I do get around to watching it! It’s so funny and wacky, but also with wonderful moments of growth and kindness. It’s a comfort show of mine, and I love it so much. I’m looking forward to finishing it!

3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (season 1)

I probably shouldn’t have included this in my 2023 media list, since it wasn’t done airing, but oops. Anyway, this is a very worthy adaptation of The Lightning Thief, at last. The main three actors are wonderful, and the writing is loyal to the book while still standing strong as its own story. I can’t wait for season two!

2. Star Trek (the original series, season 1)

I finally watched a full season of this show! Which has the added bonus of confirming how much I love Spock. I’ve been a casual fan of Trek for ages, having grown up catching random episodes of Next Generation, but now it’s been affirmed: I’m a more-than-casual fan now. TOS is low-budget and visually dated, but it’s so earnest, telling such great stories with an excellent cast of characters. I just adore a sci-fi show, okay?

1. Heartstopper (season 3)

Frankly, it should have been obvious that this is number one. It’s Heartstopper! It’s adorable and kind and lovely! This season was sadder and more painful to watch than the previous two, but it’s still such a fantastic show, emotional and beautiful, about the healing power of friendship and love and community inner strength. We need shows like this, and I’ll be forever grateful for it.

Honorable mention:

Cobra Kai (season 6, part one) because I’m waiting for the full season to be out to watch the rest.

That’s a wrap!

In terms of tv, I called it when I said that 2024 wouldn’t be able to compete with 2023 (honestly, last year was not messing around when it came to new seasons/shows for me to lose my mind over), but this year still was great! I loved discovering new musicians and hearing some old favorites release new albums. And while I didn’t watch many movies, I think I still picked a few good ones!

Okay, I think I’ve talked enough for one post. Enjoy the holidays/new year celebrations, everyone!