With numerous prominent TV shows and movies competing for viewers attention in 2024 through pricey advertising campaigns, inventive marketing efforts, omnipresent trailers inviting analysis, and countless hours of content to probe and differ online, it is easy for some media to slip through ones fingers. Whether its a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend insisting a show is a hidden gem or an end-of-year article touting a quietly released flick as peak fiction, 2024 had much to offer that never received its moment in the spotlight. This article aims to correct that oversight. In that spirit, here is the io9 staffs list of deep-cut film and TV recommendations that flew under the radar this yearand are absolutely worth taking the time to seek out. A Shop for Killers Korean dramas are immensely popular, and A Shop for Killers is no exception. If one were to wonder what would happen if a John Wick-like character had to raise his niece and suddenly vanish when a group of disgruntled assassins besieged his house, leaving his seemingly unassuming little to defend herself with the skills her uncle imparted and a cache of high-grade weapons, this show provides that hyper-specific answer. If you are not captivated by the premiere episode of A Shop for Killerswhich features the niece outsmarting a sniper on an overpass miles away from their houseyou dont have a pulse. Beetlejuice (the animated series) This vintage cartoon resurfaced in tandem with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice mania, with Tubi stepping up to host the previously hard-to-stream series. Its so unhinged, delightfully gross, and endearing for a show thats 30 years old. It still holds up and is so easily binge-able.Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Okay, were gonna cheat here for just a second because Beverly Hills Cop isnt an io9 movie. But it is a legacy sequel of a beloved franchise that brings back the star while passing the baton to a new generation. Which we seea lotin sci-fi and genre films. Were putting this on this list because out of all of those movies youre now thinking of (Star Wars, Scream, Ghostbusters, etc) Beverly Hills Cop 4lets just call it what it isis among the best. Its everything you loved about the franchise, but updated in smart, exciting ways. Its streaming on Netflix. The Camp Host Remember during the pandemic, when people stayed inside so much that nature started reclaiming its turf? A twisted interpretation of that idea propels this Tubi release, which follows a couple on a camping triptheir first outing after covid fears gave way to cabin feverwho discovers not everyone is excited about the end of social distancing. Also, the fact that its set at a campground is a big hint, but slasher rules do apply!The Camp Host Tubi Destroy All Neighbors We all know what its like to have an obnoxious neighbor. But most of us dont end up becoming best buddies with that neighbors severed head, or undertaking an odyssey that balances breakneck horror comedy with a deep, abiding love of prog rock. Destroy All Neighbors starts with a familiar idea, expands it into an outrageous premise, and pulls it off with sky-high energy. Thered be more splattery joy in the world if more people sought it out. Dimension 20: Junior Year Dropout is one of the best streaming services to have on your subscription list, and its Actual Play series Dimension 20 is a big part of why. The third installment in its Fantasy High sub-series is as funny and wild as previous seasons, and after years away from them, its nice to see the Bad Kids once again as they literally and metaphorically level up against new enemies. To quote a character late in the season: blimey!The First Slam Dunk Anime is cool. Competitive sports like basketball are cool. The First Slam Dunk, directed by manga creator Takehiko Inoue, is one of the best sport anime films to grace the silver screen. Not only does this film prove once again that CG anime can be a looker, it also caps one of the best basketball anime in a way that you dont need to have watched it so many years ago, to have its story make you want to pump your fist in the air and yell, Hell yeah! Invincible Hit Girl In many ways, the pageantry of professional wrestling resembles a redneck anime soap opera. Embracing this notion, Adult Swims sleeper hit animated series Invincible Fight Girl captures the intestinal fortitude of professional wrestling and presents an inspiring story of a girl named Andy who abandons her monotonous desk job to become the worlds greatest wrestler.For all anime connoisseurs, this show evokes nostalgia reminiscent of Cartoon Network classics like Mucha Lucha while delivering the stunning animation quality of your favorite anime fight scenes. Give it a watch to help secure a second season, why dont ya?Invincible Hit Girl Adult Swim Its Whats Inside Its a shame that one of the best genre movies of the year got mostly buried on Netflix but such is the world we live in. Its Whats Inside is one of those intense, twisty-turny thrillers you want to watch again the second the credits start to roll. Which is a benefit of being on Netflix, we guess. The film has a super unique, surprising premise that its almost a sin to spoil so lets just say its kind of Freaky Friday meets Clue. Yeah. That works. Its awesome. Kaiju No. 8 Sometimes we all just need a TV show about a sweet himbo of a man turning into a superpowered man-monster and punching the everloving bejesus out of even bigger monsters. Good news then, because Kaiju No. 8s animated adaptation of the similarly over-the-top manga is worth every second of a binge-watch. The action is as fun and wild as youd hope for, but its really the earnest charm of its protagonist, the aforementioned himbo Kafka Hibino, that make it such a delight to watch.Kaos Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, king of the gods? Enough said. The funny and chaotically dark Netflix show is very much for the mythology nerds as well as a not-to-miss modern adaptation of the lore. Unfortunately it did not get renewed for season two, but the first season at least is a solid standalone story. Look Back It was a difficult task trying to catch this incredible adaptation of Chainsaw Mancreator Tatsuki Fujimotos one-shot manga in theaters this year, which might just mean you missed out on seeing what might be one of the best animated movies of all 2024. A wonderfully bittersweet and human meditation on art, and how it draws people together,Look Backuses the magic of making comics to deliver a short, sharp, and endlessly emotional celebration of the form, even as it excels in transforming the medium in its adaptive leap to big-screen animation. Look Back GKids / Studio Durian Madame Web Madame Web is not a movie one would consider an all-time classic, but it certainly is a camp one in the making. A weird, messy, hilarious (more in a way of how it comes together rather than perhaps fully intentionally) ode to a different era of superheroic moviemaking, its a perfectly silly thing to at least try giving a watch once. Whos to say her web wont connect with you now, if you missed out on it in theaters? Music by John Williams For decades, seeing the name John Williams anywhere near a movie has instantly made it better. And this documentary, streaming on Disney+, is kind of like all of those combined into one. It not only gives you context about where Williams came from and his career, but breaks down so many of his iconic scores. Movies like Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and many others. Think of it like a greatest hits album, but as a movie. Oddity Irish writer-director Damien McCarthys horror indie won an Audience Award at South by Southwest, but it flew under the radar even when it hit Shudder in late September with word-of-mouth tagging it as one of the scariest movies of the year. Thats not just empty hype.Odditycenters on a blind psychic who runs a curio shop full of cursed objectsand who draws on all her available resources to tease out her twin sisters murderer. Jump scares? Yes. Slow-burn dread? Yes. Imagery you wont be able to un-see?Hellyes.Oddity Shudder PBS Retro Launched in 2024, the PBS Retro channel quickly became a hidden gem on various TV and streaming devices. It features favorites like Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Reading Rainbow. Like the Bob Ross channel also on those platforms, it plays marathons of nostalgic educational content if you want to zen out or show your kids more thoughtful programming than the drivel that is Cocomelon. We stumbled across this channel in the free programming on Vizio but if you go to PBS.org or the free PBS app you can find a way to access original shows on your smartphone, tablets, and televisions. The Shadow Strays Director Timo Tjajahnto has been making movies at a consistent clip since 2012, and his newest outing was this years Shadow Strays. With an incredible physical turn from Aurora Ribero in the lead role and one crunchy action scene after another, its absolutely worth taking the time to watch on Netflix. By the end of it, youll be wanting more, which is just as well, since Tjajahnto clearly wants to do more. Ultraman Rising There arent a lot of superhero movies explicitly about parenting, which gave Netflixs Ultraman Rising a unique way to stand out among the crowd. It plays all the parenting hits extremely well, but its all made fresh through the inventiveness of its hero Ken Sato using his powers to parent a baby monsterand by how incredible it looks. It may have been a streaming movie, but youll wish you couldve seen it on a big screen. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.