bbb super game One of my top shows of 2024 actually premiered in 2021. That’s because it took a couple of years for the Australian series “The Newsreader” to make its way Stateside. Alas, it was only legal to stream in the U.S. for a handful of weeks in September and then — pffft! — it was gone before most people had even heard of it. Well, I have great news. The show will be available once again, this time via Sundance Now (accessible through the AMC+ streaming platform), which has licensed the first season. Premiering Dec. 19, it stars Anna Torv (“Fringe”) and Sam Reid (“Interview with the Vampire”) as TV reporters in Melbourne, circa 1986. At the outset, Reid’s character exudes big loser energy, which is such an amusing contrast to his work as Lestat. The show is unexpectedly funny and terrifically Machiavellian in its portrayal of small-time office politics, and I’m thrilled audiences in the U.S. will get another shot at watching it. Overall, 2024 offered a modestly better lineup than usual, but I’m not sure it felt that way. Too often the good stuff got drowned out by Hollywood’s pointless and endless pursuit of rebooting intellectual property (no thank you, Apple’s “Presumed Innocent” ) and tendency to stretch a perfectly fine two-hour movie premise into a saggy multi-part series (“Presumed Innocent” again!). There were plenty of shows I liked that didn’t make this year’s list, including ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and CBS’ “Ghosts” (it’s heartening to see the network sitcom format still thriving in the streaming era), as well as Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside” (Ted Danson’s charisma selling an unlikely premise) and Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown” (a high-concept parody of racial stereotypes and cop show tropes, even if it couldn’t sustain the idea over 10 episodes). Maybe it just felt like we were having more fun this year, with Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” (Nicole Kidman leading a traditional manor house mystery reinterpreted with an American sensibility) and Hulu’s “Rivals” (the horniest show of 2024, delivered with a wink in the English countryside). I liked what I saw of Showtime’s espionage thriller “The Agency” (although the bulk of episodes were unavailable as of this writing). The deluge of remakes tends to make me cringe, but this year also saw a redo of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” on Netflix that was far classier than most of what’s available on the streamer. Starring Andrew Scott, I found it cool to the touch, but the imagery stayed with me. Shot in black and white, it has an indelible visual language courtesy of director of photography Robert Elswit, whether capturing a crisp white business card against the worn grain wood of a bar top, or winding stairways that alternately suggest a yawning void or a trap. As always, if you missed any of these shows when they originally premiered — the aforementioned titles or the Top 10 listed below — they are all available to stream. Top 10 streaming and TV shows of 2024, in alphabetical order: The least cynical reality show on television remains as absorbing as ever in Season 4, thanks to the probing questions and insights from the show’s resident therapist, Dr. Orna Guralnik. Everything is so charged. And yet the show has a soothing effect, predicated on the idea that human behavior (and misery) isn’t mysterious or unchangeable. There’s something so optimistic in that outlook. Whether or not you relate to the people featured on “Couples Therapy” — or even like them as individuals — doesn’t matter as much as Guralnik’s reassuring presence. Created by and starring Diarra Kilpatrick, the eight-episode series defies categorization in all the right ways. Part missing-person mystery, part comedy about a school teacher coming to grips with her impending divorce, and part drama about long-buried secrets, it has tremendous style right from the start — sardonic, knowing and self-deprecating. The answers to the central mystery may not pack a satisfying punch by the end, but the road there is as entertaining and absorbing as they come. We need more shows like this. A comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez (of the antic YouTube series “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”), the show has a sensibility all its own, despite a handful of misinformed people on social media calling it a ripoff of “Abbott Elementary.” There’s room enough in the TV landscape for more than one sitcom with a school setting and “English Teacher” has a wonderfully gimlet-eyed point of view of modern high school life. I’m amused that so much of its musical score is Gen-X coded, because that neither applies to Alvarez (a millennial) nor the fictional students he teaches. So why does the show feature everything from Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” to Exposé’s “Point of No Return”? The ’80s were awash in teen stories and maybe the show is using music from that era to invoke all those tropes in order to better subvert them. It’s a compelling idea! It’s streaming on Hulu and worth checking out if you haven’t already. A one-time tennis phenom accuses her former coach of coercing her into a sexual relationship in this British thriller. The intimacy between a coach and athlete often goes unexplored, in real-life or fictional contexts and that’s what the show interrogates: When does it go over the line? It’s smart, endlessly watchable and the kind of series that would likely find a larger audience were it available on a more popular streamer. There’s real tenderness in this show. Real cruelty, too. It’s a potent combination and the show’s third and strongest season won it an Emmy for best comedy. Jean Smart’s aging comic still looking for industry validation and Hannah Einbinder’s needy Gen-Z writer are trapped in an endless cycle of building trust that inevitably gives way to betrayal. Hollywood in a nutshell! “Hacks” is doing variations on this theme every season, but doing it in interesting ways. Nobody self-sabotages their way to success like these two. I was skeptical about the show when it premiered in 2022 . Vampire stories don’t interest me. And the 1994 movie adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt wasn’t a persuasive argument to the contrary. But great television is great television and nothing at the moment is better than this show. It was ignored by Emmy voters in its initial outing but let’s hope Season 2 gets the recognition it deserves. Under showrunner Rolin Jones, the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novels is richly written, thrillingly inhabited by its cast and so effortlessly funny with a framing device — the interview of the title — that is thick with intrigue and sly comedy. I wouldn’t categorize the series as horror. It’s not scary. But it is tonally self-assured and richly made, rarely focused on the hunt for dinner but on something far more interesting: The melodrama of vampire existence, with its combination of boredom and lust and tragedy and zingers. Already renewed for Season 3, it has an incredible cast (a thrilling late-career boost for Eric Bogosian) and is well worth catching up with if you haven’t already. It’s been too long since the pleasures of banter fueled a romantic comedy in the spirit of “When Harry Met Sally.” But it’s all over the place in “Nobody Wants This,” one of the best shows on Netflix in recent memory. Renewed for a second season, it stars Kristen Bell as a humorously caustic podcaster and Adam Brody as the cute and emotionally intelligent rabbi she falls for. On the downside, the show has some terrible notions about Jewish women that play into controlling and emasculating stereotypes. You hate to see it in such an otherwise sparkling comedy, because overall Bell and Brody have an easy touch that gives the comedy real buoyancy. I suspect few people saw this three-part series on PBS Masterpiece, but it features a terrific performance by Helena Bonham Carter playing the real-life, longtime British soap star Noele “Nolly” Gordon, who was unceremoniously sacked in 1981. She’s the kind of larger-than-life showbiz figure who is a bit ridiculous, a bit imperious, but also so much fun. The final stretch of her career is brought to life by Carter and this homage — to both the soap she starred in and the way she carried it on her back — is from Russell T. Davies (best known for the “Doctor Who” revival). For U.S. viewers unfamiliar with the show or Gordon, Carter’s performance has the benefit of not competing with a memory as it reanimates a slice of British pop culture history from the analog era. The year is 1600 and a stubborn British seaman piloting a Dutch ship washes ashore in Japan. That’s our entry point to this gorgeously shot story of power games and political maneuvering among feudal enemies. Adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 novel by the married team of Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, it is filled with Emmy-winning performances (for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada; the series itself also won best drama) and unlike something like HBO’s far clunkier “House of the Dragon,” which tackles similar themes, this feels like the rare show created by, and for, adults. The misfits and losers of Britain’s MI5 counterintelligence agency — collectively known as the slow horses, a sneering nickname that speaks to their perceived uselessness — remain as restless as ever in this adaptation of Mick Herron’s Slough House spy novels. As a series, “Slow Horses” doesn’t offer tightly plotted clockwork spy stories; think too deeply about any of the details and the whole thing threatens to fall apart. But on a scene-by-scene basis, the writing is a winning combination of wry and tension-filled, and the cumulative effect is wonderfully entertaining. Spies have to deal with petty office politics like everyone else! It’s also one of the few shows that has avoided the dreaded one- or two-year delay between seasons, which has become standard on streaming. Instead, it provides the kind of reliability — of its characters but also its storytelling intent — that has become increasingly rare. Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

Barilla and Meals on Wheels America Unite for Connection Kitchen Food Truck to Help End the Wait TM for Seniors Hoping to Receive Nutritious Meals and Meaningful Connection NORTHBROOK, Ill. , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Barilla, the world's leading pasta maker, believes in the joy of food for a better life and knows that the most joyful meals aren't enjoyed alone. That's why this holiday season, the pasta company is on a mission to spread joy and combat loneliness through its first signature giving event, the Barilla Connection Kitchen food truck. This year Barilla America, which is headquartered in Northbrook Illinois , is partnering with Meals on Wheels America to help End the Wait TM for seniors who struggle with hunger and isolation. Across the country, local Meals on Wheels programs serve nutritious meals and meaningful connections to seniors in their communities, but limited funding and volunteers force one in three programs to keep a waitlist. Through the Connection Kitchen program, Barilla is helping bring to life a new plan to End the Wait TM for millions of seniors who need Meals on Wheels. In addition to helping to inspire and recruit volunteers for Meals on Wheels Chicago and programs across the country, Barilla is supporting national efforts to End the Wait by donating $250,000 to Meals on Wheels America. Launching during the holiday giving season, the Connection Kitchen pop-up food truck will take to the streets of Chicago to serve delectable pasta dishes, spreading warmth and joy, with a suggestion to sign up to volunteer with Meals on Wheels Chicago while enjoying their pasta. The food truck will be stationed at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago on Friday, December 6 th from 12pm-3pm CT and at Oakbrook Center on Saturday, December 7 th from 11am-5pm CT . All pasta will be served free of charge to the public with the centralized mission to spread awareness of important connections and joy this holiday season. "At Barilla, we know the most joyful meals are meant to be shared," said Laura Birk , Vice President of Human Resources, Barilla America. "In fact, research we recently conducted in collaboration with the University of Minnesota showed that 60% of individuals acknowledged eating alone more often over the past two years. That said, people who embraced sharing meals with others on a weekly basis experienced notable improvement in their mental well-being. What better way to spread this joy of food than by helping Meals on Wheels Chicago connect people within the local community?" Barilla's head Chef Lorenzo Boni curated the Connection Kitchen menu to ignite the holiday spirit. At the Connection Kitchen, Chicagoans can choose from the following classic Italian recipes: "At Meals on Wheels America, we're thankful for Barilla's partnership helping us End the Wait, which is to ultimately ensure that every senior who needs Meals on Wheels, gets it," said Ellie Hollander , President and Chief Executive Officer at Meals on Wheels America. "As Barilla encourages those in their own backyard to support the local Meals on Wheels Chicago program, we hope this inspires others around the country to do the same by donating to and volunteering with the Meals on Wheels program in their own community." "This partnership encourages the local Chicago community to get involved and help the Meals on Wheels network End the Wait TM for the thousands of seniors in our community who face hunger and isolation each year," said Cory Morris , Director of Community Impact, Meals on Wheels Chicago. "In Chicago, 8 out of 10 seniors served by Meals on Wheels report that their delivery driver is their primary social contact, on any given day. With Barilla's help, we're raising awareness of this need for more volunteer resources in order to build more of these moments of connection." Over the years, Barilla has made significant contributions to a variety of nonprofits. Since 2010, the global Barilla Group has donated 50,000 tons of product and over 60 million euros to support communities worldwide. In the US, Barilla also works closely with organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Feeding America, and Food Bank for New York City – to name just a few – to feed people across the United States . This partnership is yet another step in Barilla's mission of the joy of food for a better life. To join Barilla and Meals on Wheels America in bringing meaningful connections to those who need it most through the mobile Connection Kitchen truck, visit BarillaConnectionKitchen.com . To learn more about Meals on Wheels volunteer opportunities visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/endthewait . About Barilla Group: Barilla is a family business, not listed on the Stock Exchange, chaired by the brothers Guido, Luca and Paolo Barilla. It was founded by their great-grandfather Pietro Barilla, who opened a bakery in Parma in 1877. Today, Barilla is renowned in Italy and around the world for the quality of its food products. With its brands – Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pan di Stelle, Gran Cereale, Harrys, Pavesi, Wasa, Filiz, Yemina, Misko, Voiello, Academia Barilla, First, Catelli, Lancia, Splendor, Back To Nature and Pasta Evangelists – it advocates tasty, hearty and wholesome nutrition, inspired by the Mediterranean Diet and the Italian lifestyle. When Pietro opened his shop over 145 years ago, the main aim was to make good food. That principle has now become the Barilla way of doing business, with almost 9,000 people working for the company and a supply chain that shares its values and passion for quality. The Group's commitment is to offer people the joy that good, well-made food can bring them, produced with selected ingredients favouring those from responsible supply chains, to contribute to a better present and future. Since 1987, a historical archive has been collecting and preserving the company's over 145-year history, now a resource open to all via the portal-museum www.archiviostoricobarilla.com . For further information, visit: www.barillagroup.com ; Twitter: @barillagroup; LinkedIn: Barilla Group; Instagram: @barillapeople. About Barilla Group's Corporate Giving: Over the years, with the aim of supporting local communities, Barilla has supported and participated in numerous initiatives and projects that promote access to food for disadvantaged communities or those affected by natural disasters. At the same time, guided by its purpose "The joy of food for a better life," Barilla has established and strengthened relationships with charities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, working alongside local authorities through partnerships, financial contributions, and product donations. About Meals on Wheels America: Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. Powered by a trusted volunteer workforce, this network delivers a comprehensive solution that begins with a meal and is proven to enable independence and well-being through the additional benefits of tailored nutrition, social connection, safety and much more. By providing funding, programming, education, research and advocacy, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org . For further information contact: Media Contacts: Brook Kovanda Davis brooke.kovanda@barilla.com Kyle Sharick kyle.sharick@edelman.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eating-pasta-to-spread-joy-barilla-is-giving-back-by-bringing-connection-to-those-who-need-it-most-302316841.html SOURCE Barilla America, Inc.Governor, comptroller, state treasurer hail Connecticut's fiscal health

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