television | Big B and Mo' Money

I think about the end of The Cable Guy a lot.

The Cable Guy is a 1996 dark comedy about an unstable cable installer played by Jim Carrey. As a kid, I didn’t think much of the movie. I felt claustrophobic watching it. Directed by Ben Stiller and produced by Judd Apatow, The Cable Guy showcases the psyche of a guy who refuses to respect his new friend’s personal space. It’s like What About Bob? (1991) with violence and a trip to Medieval Times. Or like Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (2013) if you replaced the deadly emptiness of space with uncountable copies of your most annoying friend.

But it’s also more than that. The Cable Guy is an examination of our relationships with media. Like Community‘s Abed Nadir, Gilmore Girls‘s Lorelai Gilmore, and The Big Bang Theory‘s Sheldon Cooper, the Cable Guy processes his world through the lens of visual storytelling—i.e. movies, television shows, and video games. Stories aren’t just stories. They’re a roadmap for interacting with others in real life.

At the film’s climactic moment, the Cable Guy holds his friend Steven’s girlfriend hostage at the top of a massive satellite dish. When Steven tries to intervene, the Cable Guy smiles and says, “This is a pretty cool place for an ending . . . It’s like that movie Goldeneye.”

Steven yells back, exasperated, “No, it’s not! It’s not ‘like’ anything! This isn’t a movie. This is reality. There’s a difference!”

Then, silhouetted by the bright lights of a police helicopter and standing at the edge of the multi-story satellite dish, the Cable Guy looks up and yells to the sky:

You were never there for me, were you mother? You expected Mike and Carol Brady to raise me! I’m the bastard son of Claire Huxtable! I am a lost Cunningham! I learned the facts of life from watching The Facts of Life! Oh, God!

Later, in an interview, Jim Carrey noted that The Cable Guy was one of his favorite films and expressed special fondness for the protagonist: “I love that character. That character is all of us: we were all raised by the TV.”

To be clear, none of us should scream about The Brady Bunch on the top of a satellite dish (unless that’s your thing). But there is something compelling about the story of a man who leaned a bit too far into his television-fueled fantasies. Because I think Jim Carrey was right, sort of. With the rise of streaming and the explosion of online content, The Cable Guy‘s message is more relevant now than it was in 1996. Parasocial relationships are common now, and several studies have revealed links between media consumption and perceptions of others. You may not actively think of film scenes when making moral decisions, but research shows that the films and media you watch impact skills like empathy and problem-solving.

I was reminded recently that there is no such thing as mindless scrolling or viewing. Our brains absorb everything we put in front of our eyes, even if it happens in ways we don’t comprehend. So it makes sense that we should analyze the types of media we experience. If the movies and shows I watch impact my perception of the world, I should examine which movies and shows I experience.

Below is an analysis of every movie, television show, video game, and feature-length YouTube video I experienced for the first time in 2024. The data is first, then an analysis, and then a comprehensive list of everything I experienced.

The Data

Of the films I watched for the first time in 2024:

3% are musicals
3% are Westerns
7% are romance films
9% are horror films
9% are animated films
15% are comedies
16% are international (primarily non-US) films
31% are action, thriller, or adventure films
33% are science fiction or fantasy films
33% are films that released in 2024
34% are documentaries
45% feature women protagonists and/or women-driven stories (though only 27% were directed by women)

Of the television show seasons I watched for the first time in 2024:

12% are historical dramas or comedies
16% are reality television shows
27% are animated shows
39% are comedies
40% are science fiction or fantasy shows
47% are dramas (not reality television)
65% feature women protagonists

Analysis

Documentary Film Explosion: In 2019, only 12% of the films I watched were documentaries. In 2018, only 6% were documentaries. In 2024, an impressive 34% of the films I watched for the first time were documentaries. I am not entirely sure why documentary films clicked with me in 2024. Perhaps the increase is the result of a newly fueled desire to remain emotionally and intellectually tethered to the very real and very chaotic happenings on this planet. Perhaps my rate of documentary consumption mirrored my increased interest in podcasts about real-life topics. (I recommend Devil in the Dorm, The Retrievals, The King Road Killings, and White Devil.) Perhaps Brian Cox’s speech from Adaptation (2002) finally sunk in. Whatever the reason, I’m proud of the increased number of documentary films. Surely, there is value in exploring real-life stories. Of all the documentaries I watched this year, these seven stand out: Ballerina (2016), The Waiting Room (2012), The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024), The Greatest Night in Pop (2024), Bad Faith (2024), Skywalkers: A Love Story (2024), and Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net (2022).

Need for International Films and Non-Male Directors: Most years, my international film exposure plateaus at 15-20%, and 2024 was no exception. Additionally, only 27% of the films I watched were directed by women. Both pieces of data highlight areas of needed improvement. My 2024 movie-watching experience was primarily U.S.-centric and directed by men. Though my percentage of women-directed films (27%) is higher than some national trends—”women accounted for just 16% of directors working on the 250 highest-grossing domestic releases” in 2024, according to Variety—this is nonetheless a percentage that I aim to increase in the future. And I would love to break beyond 20% for international releases in 2025. The good news: according to Axios, “Americans are consuming more foreign content than ever.” I hope this trend continues.

Planting Seeds of Horror, History, and the West: Though horror (9%) and Western (3%) films did not dominate my 2024 movie-viewing experiences, I did watch more than previous years. (I watched notably fewer animated films—just 9%—than previous years. In 2019, animated films were at 16%.) And 12% of my new television show experiences were from the historical fiction genre. This is a mild departure from my usually tunnel-visioned focus on science fiction and fantasy. In 2019, 40% of the films I watched for the first time were science fiction, fantasy, or apocalyptic movies. In 2018, that number was 45%. In 2024, only 33% of the films I watched for the first time were science fiction or fantasy films. Science fiction and fantasy remain my favorite genres, but I find myself branching out more recently, which is exciting. The fact that I watched more documentary films (34%) than science fiction and/or fantasy films (33%) for the first time in 2024 is notably bonkers. I don’t imagine I will ever become a true horror aficionado, but it’s nice to know that my interests are still evolving. And the Western films I watched—particularly Unforgiven (1992), The Quick and the Dead (1995), and The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)—were some of my favorite new experiences. Plus, I absolutely loved the historical television dramas Black Sails and Victoria.

Other Observations and Subjective Awards
Movies

Movies I finally watched after years of neglect: Mission: Impossible (1996), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Army of Darkness (1992), and Unforgiven (1992)

Favorite movies released in 2024: It’s What’s Inside, Dune: Part Two, Bad Faith, and Suncoast

Favorite pre-2024 films I watched: Bones and All (2022), John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), Theater Camp (2023), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Molli and Max in the Future (2023), Ballerina (2016), The Waiting Room (2012), and Unforgiven (1992)

Film maudit (films “unfairly maligned” by critics): Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) and Trap (2024)

Movies I started with no expectations and found surprisingly good: Hellraiser (2022), Skywalkers: A Love Story (2024), Abigail (2024), and The Wheel (2021).

Movies I started with mid-to-high expectations and found notably disappointing: The Sunset Limited (2011), Queenpins (2021), and Wild Wild Space (2024).

Worst movies watched in 2024: We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021), Gentleme n Broncos (2009), Fall (1997), They Called Him Mostly Harmless (2024), Borderlands (2024), and My Old School (2022).

Television Shows

Favorite shows and seasons: Twilight of the Gods (S1), Dune: Prophecy (S1), Black Sails (S1, S2, S3, S4), Hazbin Hotel (S1), Industry (S3), Peacemaker (S1), Fallout (S1), and Survivor (S26).

Seasons that were almost brilliant but not quite there: The Decameron (S1) and The Penguin (S1)

Not blown away but will probably continue watching: The Franchise and All of Us Are Dead.

Disappointing seasons: House of the Dragon (S2)

Video Games

Favorite games beat in 2024: Disco Elysium, Baldur’s Gate 3, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Quarry

Games with the best music: Disco Elysium and The Outer Worlds

Games with the best character-driven stories: Disco Elysium, Baldur’s Gate 3, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and Cyberpunk 2077

Most played genres for the first time in 2024: RPG, choices-matter, and action/adventure

YouTube

Most-watched creators in 2024: Willjum, Jake Doubleyoo, ReksMore Adventures, MARCUSK, and ambiguousamphibian

Complete Lists of All Media Experienced in 2024 Are Below

LIST OF FILMS WATCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2024

The Platform (2019) dir. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
The First Purge (2018) dir. Gerard McMurray
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) dir. James Wan
Ted (2012) dir. Seth MacFarlane
Ted 2 (2015) dir. Seth MacFarlane
Wonka (2023) dir. Paul King
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) dir. Chad Stahelski
John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum (2019) dir. Chad Stahelski
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) dir. Chad Stahelski
The Lady Vanishes (1938) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Bleeding Edge (2018) dir. Kirby Dick
Crazy, Not Insane (2020) dir. Alex Gibney
The Marvels (2023) dir. Nia DaCosta
Mission: Impossible (1996) dir. Brian De Palma
Mission: Impossible II (2000) dir. John Woo
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019) dir. Jim Mickle
Life (2017) dir. Daniel Espinosa
Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (2023) dir. Stephanie Soechtig
Coded Bias (2020) dir. Shalini Kantayya
Mister Organ (2022) dir. David Farrier
Boys State (2020) dir Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
Miller’s Girl (2024) dir. Jade Halley Bartlett
Hellraiser (2022) dir. David Bruckner
Spaceman (2024) dir. Johan Renck
Next Goal Wins (2023) dir. Taika Waititi
Last Knights (2015) dir. Kazuaki Kiriya
Hellraiser (1987) dir. Clive Barker
Dune: Part Two (2024) dir. Denis Villeneuve
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) dir. André Øvredal
Ballerina (2016) dir. Douglas Watkin
The Zone of Interest (2023) dir. Jonathan Glazer
Queenpins (2021) dir. Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly
The Secret Life of the Cruise (2018) dir. Ben Ryder
Nintendo Quest: The Most Unofficial and Unauthorized Nintendo Documentary Ever! (2015) dir. Rob McCallum
Hell of a Cruise (2022) dir. by Nick Quested
Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison (2016) dir. Kristi Jacobson
The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11 (2022) dir. Dan Krauss
The Waiting Room (2012) dir. Peter Nicks
The Last Tourist (2021) dir. Tyson Sadler
Pharma Bro (2021) dir. Brent Hodge
Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests (2021) dir. Tim Travers Hawkins
WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021) dir. Jed Rothstein
Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion (2024) dir. Eva Orner
BS High (2023) dir. Travon Free, Martin Desmond Roe
15 Minutes of Shame (2021) dir. Max Joseph
American Pain (2022) dir. Darren Foster
The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024) dir. Dan Reed
Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024) dir. Zack Snyder
The Cold Blue (2018) dir. Erik Nelson
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One (2024) dir. Jeff Wamester
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty (2022) dir. Billy Corben
A Compassionate Spy (2022) dir. Steve James
Enemies of the State (2020) dir. Sonia Kennebeck
After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News (2020) dir. Andrew Rossi
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel (2022) dir. Francis Hanly
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) dir. Guillermo del Toro
Triangle of Sadness (2022) dir. Ruben Östlund
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) dir. Bao Nguyen
The Final: Attack on Wembley (2024) dir. Robert Miller, Kwabena Oppong
What Jennifer Did (2024) dir. Jenny Popplewell
Challengers (2024) dir. Luca Guadagnino
My Old School (2022) dir. Jono McLeod
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) dir. George Miller
Butterfly in the Sky: The Story of Reading Rainbow (2022) dir. Bradford Thomason
MoviePass, MovieCrash (2024) dir. Muta’Ali
Theater Camp (2023) dir. Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman
Civil War (2024) dir. Alex Garland
Love Lies Bleeding (2024) dir. Rose Glass
Boy Kills World (2023) dir. Moritz Mohr
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution (2024) dir. Page Hurwitz
Hate to Love: Nickelback (2023) dir. Leigh Brooks
They Called Him Mostly Harmless (2024) dir. Patricia E. Gillespie
The Croods (2013) dir. Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco
Lilo & Stitch (2002) dir. Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
Time Bomb Y2K (2023) dir. Marley McDonald, Brian Becker
The Croods: A New Age (2020) dir. Joel Crawford
Bad Faith (2024) dir. Stephen Ujlaki, Chris Jones
IF (2024) dir. John Krasinski
The Sunset Limited (2011) dir. Tommy Lee Jones
Wish (2023) dir. Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) dir. Guy Ritchie
Inside Out 2 (2024) dir. Kelsey Mann
Wild Wild Space (2024) dir. Ross Kauffman
Skywalkers: A Love Story (2024) dir. Jeff Zimbalist, Maria Bukhonina
Bones and All (2022) dir. Luca Guadagnino
Molli and Max in the Future (2023) dir. Michael Lukk Litwak
Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net (2022) dir. Dawn Porter
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) dir. Michael Sarnoski
Sorry/Not Sorry (2023) dir. Cara Mones, Caroline Suh
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) dir. Shawn Levy
Touch (2011) dir. Minh Duc Nguyen
Trap (2024) dir. M. Night Shyamalan
Fall (1997) dir. Eric Schaeffer
BookendS (2016) dir. Delavega
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two (2024) dir. Jeff Wamester
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three (2024) dir. Jeff Wamester
Solomon Kane (2009) dir. M.J. Bassett
Borderlands (2024) dir. Eli Roth
Suncoast (2024) dir. Laura Chinn
Coup! (2023) dir. Austin Stark, Joseph Schuman
Army of Darkness (1992) dir. Sam Raimi
Gentlemen Broncos (2009) dir. Jared Hess
Uprising (2024) dir. Kim Sang-man
Lux Æterna (2019) dir. Gaspar Noé
The Quick and the Dead (1995) dir. Sam Raimi
Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) dir. Mike Mitchell
Sleep Call (2023) dir. Fajar Nugros
Girls State (2024) dir. Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021) dir. Jane Schoenbrun
It’s What’s Inside (2024) dir. Greg Jardin
Fat Girl (2001) dir. Catherine Breillat
Overlord (2018) dir. Julius Avery
Land of Bad (2024) dir. William Eubank
Attack the Block (2011) dir. Joe Cornish
Despicable Me 4 (2024) dir. Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Abigail (2024) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Chris Brown: A History of Violence (2024) dir. Investigation Discovery
Unforgiven (1992) dir. Clint Eastwood
The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) dir. Jared Moshe
3:10 to Yuma (2007) dir. James Mangold
Rumours (2024) dir. Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
Wicked (2024) dir. Jon M. Chu
Conclave (2024) dir. Edward Berger
Dream Scenario (2023) dir. Kristoffer Borgli
Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy (2024) dir. Nic Stacey
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) dir. Todd Phillips
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) dir. Steve Martino, Michael Thurmeier
Anatomy of a Fall (2023) dir. Justine Triet
Transformers One (2024) dir. Josh Cooley
Child Star (2024) dir. Demi Lovato, Nicola Marsh
Noelle (2019) dir. Marc Lawrence
Nomadland (2020) dir. Chloé Zhao
The Wheel (2021) dir. Steve Pink
Stars at Noon (2022) dir. Claire Denis
Carry-On (2024) dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
Prey (2022) dir. Dan Trachtenberg
Lou (2022) dir. Anna Foester

LIST OF TV SHOW SEASONS WATCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2024

Peacemaker, S1
Survivor, S25, S26, S29, S36, S38, S39, S45, S47
Miracle Workers, S3, S4
Industry, S2, S3
Archer, S14
Hazbin Hotel, S1
Rick and Morty, S7
South Side, S2
Abbott Elementary, S2
Invincible, S2
Gary and His Demons, S1, S2
Bob’s Burgers, S13
Fallout, S1
Star Trek: Discovery, S5
Blood of Zeus, S2
Black Sails, S1, S2, S3, S4
Tires, S1
The Boys, S4
House of the Dragon, S2
Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, S1
The Decameron, S1
Angie Tribeca, S1
Victoria, S1
ER, S10, S11
Solar Opposites, S5
All of Us Are Dead, S1
Very Important People, S1
Boldly Going Nowhere, Unaired Pilot
The Penguin, S1
Twilight of the Gods, S1
The Legend of Vox Machina, S3
The Franchise, S1
Arcane, S2
Dune: Prophecy, S1
Secret Level, S1

LIST OF VIDEO GAMES BEAT IN 2024

Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch) – beat
Disco Elysium (Nintendo Switch) – beat: Sorry Cop; Recruit Detective Kim Kitsuragi
Rust (Xbox) – “beat” i.e. defended medium solo base against multi-player rocket raid
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Nintendo Switch) – beat
Far Cry 5 (Xbox) – beat
Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox) – beat: Yes Man independent New Vegas ending
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (Nintendo Switch) – beat
Fallout 3 (Xbox) – beat: good karma; Fawkes hero ending
Slay the Princess (PC) – beat: “Through Conflict” and “There are no endings” ending
The Coffin of Andy and Leyley (PC) – beat: ep. 1, 2
Skyrim (Xbox) – beat: Alduin and Stormcloak questlines
The Quarry (Xbox) – beat: RIP Laura, Ryan, Jacob; (Kaitlyn survived, which was literally all I cared about)
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (Xbox) – beat: everybody survived
West of Loathing (Nintendo Switch) – beat
Gears 5 (Xbox) – beat
Borderlands (Xbox) – beat
Far Cry Primal (Xbox) – beat
Baldur’s Gate 3 (PC) – beat: Shadowheart left Shar; killed Raphael; freed Orpheus; Ceremorphosis; destroyed the Netherbrain; went to Avernus with Karlach to save her life; go-to team Lae’zel, Wyll, Gale
Borderlands 2 (Xbox) – beat
The Outer Worlds (Xbox) – beat: Welles ending; Adelaide McDevitt replaced Reed Tobson; sided with Halcyon Helen; established peace; saved Phineas; became leader
Cyberpunk 2077 (Xbox) – beat: left Night City with the Aldecaldos