The Movies, TV Shows, Music And Books To Know In 2024
Epic cinematic moments, long-awaited sequels, major tours, and exciting debuts – the culture calendar of 2024 is thrilling us already. Discover the movies, TV shows, music and books that we will all be talking about in the year ahead
The TV shows
This year’s TV roster kicks off with a series of smart, female-led shows centered around the idea of belonging; Expats (Amazon Prime) follows a tight-knit clique (including Nicole Kidman and Ji-young Yoo) living in Hong Kong, and is directed by Lulu Wang, the brilliant writer-director of The Farewell. Also coming this month is the much-anticipated second series of Feud: Capote vs The Swans (FX), which stars Tom Hollander as Truman Capote, while Demi Moore, Naomi Watts, Molly Ringwald and Chloë Sevigny portray the celebrated women he befriended, then betrayed. Moving into spring, Palm Royale (Apple TV+) focuses on a socially excommunicated housewife (the stellar cast includes Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Kaia Gerber and Laura Dern), while Joan (ITVX) follows Sophie Turner as a jewel thief struggling with single parenthood and social services.
A trio of literary adaptations will hit hard in 2024, starting with Nick Hornby’s One Day (Netflix, February). Leo Woodall (The White Lotus) and Ambika Mod (This is Going to Hurt) are magical as more-than-mates Dex and Emma. Ripley (Netflix’s stunning adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic) arrives in spring, starring Dakota Fanning and Andrew Scott, as does Candice Carty-Williams’ long-awaited adaptation of Queenie, with newcomer Dionne Brown in the title role (Hulu/Channel 4).
Finally, if you need your small screen to deliver high-impact thrills, sit back (or forwards, clutching a cushion for emotional support) and enjoy Jodie Foster taking on the mantle of True Detective (HBO, January). Kate Winslet is at her menacing best in Stephen Frears’ satirical drama The Regime (HBO, spring), while in Bridgerton’s season three (Netflix, May), Nicola Coughlan’s bewitching Penelope finally take center stage. And rounding off the year in explosive fashion: the return of Squid Game (Netflix).
The music
The year ahead is set to bring some iconic moments for the music world. Expect major tours from pop powerhouses like PinkPantheress, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo – with Rodrigo riding the huge success of her sophomore album Guts, which was every bit as sublime a follow-up to her debut, Sour, as we had hoped for.
TikTok continues to show its influence when it comes to launching new music talent – case in point is viral sensation Tyla, whose track Water was the song of summer. Her debut album will drop on March 1, with a string of much-anticipated live shows to follow.
Sad-girl pop is here to stay, with rising stars such as Victoria Canal, Gracie Abrams and Kenya Grace dominating the charts. Kenya Grace’s sensational track, Strangers, earned her the title of the second British female artist ever to hit number one with a song performed, written and produced entirely solo (Kate Bush being the other) and her debut EP is due to be released in the next few months. And, unsurprisingly, sad-girl supergroup Boygenius (comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus), along with OG superstars Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish are dominating the Grammy nominations this year.
Lastly, new music teasers are dropping left, right and center from pop’s most prolific performers. At their Days Are Gone 10-year anniversary show last fall, sister-trio Haim casually announced they are adding the finishing touches to their fourth album, while Dua Lipa has hinted at an early 2024 release date for her long-awaited third album, following chart-topping singles Dance the Night Away and Houdini. One thing’s for sure, our 2024 playlist is looking good.
The movies
In April we will get to watch Zendaya toy with the affections of Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, a love-triangle drama set in the world of competitive tennis. Just as combative – but in the news arena rather than sport – is Scoop (no release date yet), depicting the events that led up to the extraordinary interview between BBC journalist Emily Maitlis (played to perfection by Gillian Anderson) and Prince Andrew (played by Rufus Sewell).
A new Diablo Cody script is always something to anticipate with glee, and Lisa Frankenstein (March) – a quirky comedy-horror about a young woman and her deceased beloved – promises to deliver the same impact as previous projects Juno and Tully. Meanwhile, Sam Taylor-Johnson returns to her musical-biopic roots with Back to Black (May) about the life and work of Amy Winehouse (played by Industry’s Marisa Abela), and Ethan Coen tackles the girls’ road-trip narrative in Drive-Away Dolls (February), with Margaret Qualley and a supporting cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon and Colman Domingo.
For leading roles that pack a punch, don’t miss Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in Madame Web (February), a clairvoyant action adventure, or Kristen Stewart in romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding (March). Summer is the season of The Fall Guy (May), starring Ryan Gosling as the titular stuntman hero and Emily Blunt as his boss, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May) – where Anya Taylor-Joy smashes it as a post-apocalypse warrior in the Mad Max universe. And, following the success of Tim Burton’s Wednesday, Jenna Ortega cements her status as his latest muse in the Beetlejuice 2 (September).
The books
On the literary front this year, look out for thrilling sophomore novels from a few authors of cult debuts. Kiley Reid, whose sensationally sharp Such a Fun Age was one of the best books of 2020, has kept readers waiting a while for her second release. Released just this month, Come and Get It is a tense, university-dorm-set plot of desire and consumption, and is expected to be as incisive and conversation-starting as her first. An equally anticipated return comes from Coco Mellors following the smash-hit success of Cleopatra and Frankenstein in 2022; her second novel, Blue Sisters, will land this spring. In another poignant portrayal of relationships, it tells the story of three brilliant and different sisters who go back to their family home to mourn the death of their fourth sister. And in March, Xochitl Gonzalez, the author behind 2022’s bestselling Olga Dies Dreaming, releases Anita de Monte Laughs Last, a shrewd examination of racism and classism in the art world.
As for a debut novel expected to make impact, Vanessa Chan’s The Storm We Made, set in occupied Malaya during World War II, is poised to establish the author as an illuminating voice within historical fiction. Meanwhile, a collective of major literary veterans – including Margaret Atwood, Celeste Ng and John Grisham – have come together for Fourteen Days, an intriguing collaborative novel based in a Manhattan apartment block during the pandemic. Each writer pens a different resident in this celebration of the power of storytelling and community.
Then, an inspiring non-fiction manifesto will arrive in the summer from entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid. New Methods for Women, A Manifesto gives the Beautystack founder’s formula for empowerment, success and purpose, offering fresh perspectives on work and relationships in 10 valuable life lessons; our resolutions for 2024 are served.
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