Best of the year
Our annual guides to the finest cultural treats
2024
The best books of 2024
Readers will never think the same way again about games, horses and spies
The best podcasts of 2024
They cover AI, war and mass hysteria
The best films of 2024
They feature nuns and cardinals, robots and strippers
The best television shows of 2024
The small screen claims some riveting shows this year, both new and returning
2023
The best video games of 2023
They involve fighting, fishing and fantasy worlds
The best albums of 2023
Throwback sounds such as folk, punk and soul dominate our list this year
The best books of 2023
This year’s picks transport readers to mountain peaks, out to sea and back in time
The best podcasts of 2023
They covered subjects including empire, medical scandals and war
The best television shows of 2023
Exceptional comedies, crime dramas, and psychological thrillers have come to the small screen this year
The best films of 2023
They featured cattle barons, chefs, composers, physicists and whistleblowers
2022
The best books of 2022
Their subjects include financial scandals, a witness to the Holocaust and cell theory
The best television series of 2022
They were about chefs, comedians and washed-up spies
The best albums of 2022
Ten records that The Economist’s music critics enjoyed this year, from pop to hardcore punk
The best podcasts of 2022
They explored America’s democracy, the death of an artist and why people throw dinner parties
The best films of 2022
As well as Hollywood blockbusters, this year’s list includes French, Indian, Iranian, Irish and Swedish movies
The best video games of 2022
They involve cats, Norse gods and trombones
2021
The best books of 2021
Our favourite works considered God, opioids, China and cannibalism
The best memes of 2021
What distracted The Economist this year
The best films of 2021
The Economist’s watch list, including “Summer of Soul”, “The Power of the Dog” and “Titane”
The best albums of 2021
Desert blues, folk and punk rock are included in The Economist’s recommended playlist this year
The best podcasts of 2021
They were about economics, reality television, the German far right and the GameStop saga
2020
The best books of 2020
They were about corruption, revolutionaries, Glasgow in the 1980s, John Maynard Keynes and musical lives
The best films of 2020
They were about investigative journalism, abortion and 20th-century black British life
The best podcasts of 2020
They offered culinary advice, investigated catastrophes and told personal stories
The best television series of 2020
These excellent shows made the long evenings and weekends in isolation tolerable
2019
The best books of 2019
They were about the IRA, Harper Lee’s lost work, rational economics and an Ohio housewife
The best films of 2019
They were about class in Korea, divorce, mobsters and gentrification
The best albums of 2019
It was a fine year for British rappers, Billie Eilish and blues music
The best podcasts of 2019
They were about Dolly Parton, inanimate objects and workplace relations
The best television shows of 2019
In 2019 the best offerings were mostly from Netflix and HBO