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Why X-Men ‘97 Reigns As The Top TV Show Of 2024
A continuation of a ’90s children’s animated series is a surprise TV hit
Author’s note: This article contains spoilers for events occurring during season one of X-Men ‘97.
I’m going to go ahead and call it: X-Men ’97 is the best television series of 2024. I credit much of that success to its former head writer, Beau DeMayo.
For those of you who may not know, DeMayo is a very talented screenwriter. He is also a queer Black man who is a massive fan of X-Men, and it shows in the intelligent, nuanced writing of X-Men ‘97.
Now, I’m also going to circle back to DeMayo later. There are two primary reasons I feel that X-Men ’97 is resonating with audiences:
- Number one, DeMayo and his team of talented writers recognize that X-Men has always been a story about a marginalized group fighting against oppression and discrimination
- Number two, X-Men has always been a soap opera. We’re talking high drama.
X-Men is always at its best when it is exploring the complicated interpersonal relationships between its team members.
DeMayo and his writing staff carry over those two hallmark themes into X-Men ’97 with intention and boldness.
