25 must-stream movies, TV shows, and songs from the first half of 2024

Ariana Madix from Vanderpump Rules hosts Season 6 of Peacock's wildly entertaining dating series, Love Island USA. However, this isn't like your typical love show. The contestants are all dating each other, and at the end of each week, the boys or girls are tasked with "coupling up" with the person they're most interested in. And if that doesn't sound interesting, the producers send in "bombshells" throughout the show, whose purpose is to enter the villa to test the others' connections with each other. Whoever remains single by the end of the coupling ceremony is dumped from the island.

If you watched the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader's reality series back in the day, you already knew how intense being a DCC could be. Still, Netflix's docuseries took viewers deeper behind the curtain and revealed shocking details we would've never guessed, like their surprisingly low salaries, the demanding schedule, and the strain they put on their bodies to perfect their iconic jump splits.

The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping is a Netflix docuseries that follows a woman who was sent to a behavior modification facility in New York called the Academy at Ivy Ridge. There, she and countless others experienced abuse, manipulation, and trauma at the hands of adults they thought they could trust. Now, as an adult, she returns to the place that changed her forever to try to make sense of what she experienced. 

Kendrick may have dropped the song of the summer with his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit "Not Like Us." In case you haven't heard it, it's a scathing diss track aimed at Drake, in which the rapper shows no mercy.

Ariana Grande did the right thing by having Brandy and Monica on the remix of her song "the boy is mine." After all, they did sing it first.

Queen Bey secured her eighth No. 1 album with the release of Cowboy Carter in early 2024. It's a country-inspired project with covers of classics, including "Blackbird" by The Beatles and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton.

Billie Eilish has been releasing no-skip albums since her first project in 2019, and her latest, Hit Me Hard and Soft, is no different. Our favorite tracks have to be "LUNCH" and "BIRDS OF A FEATHER," without a doubt.

This Netflix docuseries tells the story of a few couples whose marriages were tested after they discovered their partner was using the dating website known for promoting affairs and salacious relationships, Ashley Madison. If that sounds juicy, that's because it is.

Gypsy Rose's Lifetime series, Life After Lock Up, has been quite the ride, and we aren't even finished with the first season. It began with the 33-year-old being released from prison to her then-husband, Ryan Anderson, with whom she was happy to move in and start their new life. However, things started going downhill shortly after as Gypsy struggled to find herself after being incarcerated for nearly a decade.

With all of the buzz surrounding the WNBA right now, Amazon Prime's documentary, Power of the Dream, is the perfect film to stream. It follows several players who take on a team owner to demand change around pay and other important social issues.

Shaboozey's No. 1 single, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," is the perfect track to stream if you're in the mood for a drink (or two) whether you're at the bar or not.

Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult is another Netflix documentary that tells the story of a management company owned by a church leader that signed popular TikTok dancers and allegedly forced them into a cult, causing them to give up their money and cut ties with their families.

Season 6 of Netflix's Love Is Blind was messy, messy, messy. There were failed engagements, lying contestants, and a bride humiliated at the altar.

Superheroes are supposed to use their powers for good, but in Prime Video's The Boys, they abuse their special powers for their benefit and have to deal with a group of vigilantes (The Boys) who try to put a stop to it.

Max's series, House of the Dragon, is a Game of Thrones prequel, so you already know this is must-see television.

If you're a fan of historical dramas, then Apple TV's series Manhunt is the perfect series to stream. It follows the search for John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln in a local theatre.

This Apple TV series tells the story of the 100th Bomb Group during WWII and is one American war drama we can't get enough of. And if you need another reason to tune in, the series features Austin Butler, too!

We've certainly seen the characters and story in Ricky Stanicky before. A group of guys go off on their annual boys' trip and find themselves in a sticky situation. Yeah, yeah. But this is still one worth watching. Plus, it features Zac Efron and WWE legend John Cena.

There are two reasons you should catch David Leitch's 2024 film The Fall Guy . One, it's a comedy action film loosely based on the '80s series of the same name, featuring epic stunts and beautiful cinematography, and two, it stars Ryan Gosling. What more could you ask for?

There's nothing like seeing the OGs from the early seasons of The Real World and The Challenge compete in the franchise's all-star season on Paramount Plus. With their several seasons of combined experience, these legends bring the competitive nature we know and love — and the drama.

It's not a song with much depth, but it's catchy as heck, so it's earned a spot on this list.

Tyla's 2024 album of the same name featured hit songs like "Water" and our personal favorite, "Jump."

The queens on RuPaul's Drag Race are always over the top, and Season 16 was no different. In addition to the fashion and iconic looks, they brought fun and shade. 

David Letterman ended his late-night show in 2015, but he couldn't stay away from one-on-one conversations for too long. The high-profile talk show host launched his Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman , in 2018. In it, he interviews celebs in and out of a studio. Season 5 premiered in 2024 and featured Grammy-winning singer Miley Cyrus and NBA superstar Charles Barkley.

Thanks to TikTok, Tommy Richman's 2024 single "MILLION DOLLAR BABY" quickly peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and like many other popular songs that experienced success from the app, it's one tune you have to add to your daily rotation.