Ten Top Moments of Care on TV in 2024

Vicki Shabo

By Vicki Shabo, Better Life Lab at New America, and Lydia Storie, Caring Across Generations

This blog post is cross-posted with Caring Across Generations' blog.

Even though more than 40 percent of adults in the U.S. are providing unpaid care for someone in their life, TV shows that feature care as a central or even ancillary aspect of characters' lives and the plots are rare-as of 2021, just 10 percent of shows depicted some aspect of caregiving. Only a small fraction of those acknowledged the very real financial tolls, workplace consequences, and social isolation that often accompany caring for children, older loved ones, or disabled family members.

Research shows that 84 percent of streaming audiences are hungry for stories that more authentically reflect their daily experiences managing work, family, and care responsibilities. When these realities are thoughtfully portrayed on screen, it directly impacts how we as a society collectively value and support caregivers and those who need care.

For the third year in a row, we're highlighting 10 impressive examples of care-related storytelling on television. We love a list for a good (binge) watch. And as advocates for culturally inclusive storytelling, we are excited to see more shows that draw large audiences embedding care in central plot points and the lives of main characters.

Here are 10 top moments of care from 2024 on TV, in alphabetical order because we don't play favorites! Note: some spoilers ahead!

1. Expats (Amazon)

Limited dramatic series challenging traditional TV portrayals by developing immigrant domestic workers as fully realized characters with their own motivations and challenges. It explores with nuance the intimate and complex relationships between paid care workers, employers, and care recipients.

TV and film typically relegate domestic workers (including nannies and home care providers) to one-dimensional, background characters, according to research from the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project. Episode 5 of Expats offers a powerful counter narrative by centering the perspectives of Essie (Ruby Ruiz) and Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla), two domestic workers from the Philippines. The episode delves into these women's interior lives, showing how they-like the affluent women they work for-navigate the conflicting demands of work and family, secrets, and heartbreak, but with far less privilege, power, or access to resources.

2. High Potential (ABC)

Dynamic procedural drama portraying common, yet rarely depicted, experiences of motherhood, like serving as their family's primary breadwinner and navigating job and care responsibilities on a daily basis.

The series introduces Morgan (Kaitlin Olson), a divorced mother, working the night shift as a cleaner at the Los Angeles Police Department while raising three children-a baby, tween and teenager-with her ex-husband. Living paycheck to paycheck, Morgan faces prohibitively expensive child care costs (which she explicitly mentions) causing her to rely on her neighbor for help and coordinate alternating schedules with her ex-husband to share caregiving duties. When offered the opportunity to work as an investigative consultant to the police, Morgan negotiates for the LAPD to pay for her youngest child's care costs.

Throughout the series, Morgan navigates life at home and on the job as her household's key breadwinner-a common experience for many moms in the U.S. that research from New America/MarketCast shows viewers want to see more of on screen, but is vastly underrepresented. The show also delivers another underrepresented narrative through Morgan's ex-husband Ludo (Taran Killam), who models engaged fatherhood through his active involvement with their children, another reality viewers are eager to see on TV and in film.

3. Lopez v. Lopez (NBC)

Sitcom exploring aging and intergenerational caregiving in a Mexican household in humorous and relatable ways.

George Lopez (as himself), lives under one roof with his daughter Mayan Lopez (as herself), her partner Quinten (Matt Shively), and their son Chance (Brice Gonzalez), with frequent appearances from Rosie (Selenis Leyva), Mayan's mother and George's ex-wife. Season 2, Episode 4 features a relatable stand-off between Mayan and Quinten as each of their job responsibilities intensify. Mayan pushes back against Quinten's expectations that she will continue managing most of the housework and cooking. In other episodes, the family, including Rosie, also supports George in recovering from alcohol addiction, showing a dimension of caregiving and support that many families dealing with substance use face. Season 3 introduces physical challenges of aging with humor and authenticity.

4. Man on the Inside (Netflix)

Comedy series challenging harmful stereotypes of aging adults and direct care workers, following a main character seeking a new purpose after being a caregiver.

Recent widower Charles (Ted Danson) seeks purpose by taking an undercover job as a private investigator in a retirement community. His journey shows him how connection with others and caring for people in his community give life meaning. While comedy drives the story, Charles' experience as his late wife's dementia caregiver emerges with emotional depth and authenticity. The show's central mystery-the possible theft of a resident's necklace-subverts stereotypes of care workers as untrustworthy, instead showcasing dedicated staff members committed to their jobs and residents' wellbeing. A subplot follows Charles' daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) as she manages work, co-parenting three boys with a husband who takes on primary parenting duties, and supporting her father-reflecting challenges many working parents and adult children face.

5. Matlock (CBS)

Legal drama featuring a grandfather serving as a primary caregiver for his grandson and upending harmful stereotypes about older women in the workplace.

Madeline "Matty" Kingston (Kathy Bates) and her husband Edwin (Sam Anderson) raise their grandson Alfie (Aaron D. Harris) after their daughter dies of an opioid overdose. Matty rejoins the workforce as a lawyer at a high-powered litigation firm, posing as "Matty Matlock," in an attempt to find evidence that the firm's leadership engaged in improper conduct to protect opioid manufacturers responsible for the addiction and deaths of people like her daughter. The show takes a notable turn by positioning Edwin as Alfie's primary caregiver, who prevents Matty from monopolizing their grandson's time in service to her mission. The series challenges stereotypes about older women's power and capabilities, while illuminating challenges faced by Black professional women like Matty's boss, Olympia-herself a working mom of two married to another firm lawyer-who constantly faces pressure to prove her worth.

6. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Amazon)

Spy dramedy highlighting an often overlooked form of care, long-distance caregiving, by a male character.

As spies posing as a married couple, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) supposedly sever ties with everyone in their lives. Yet Episode 3 reveals John maintains regular contact with his mother, helping her navigate computer issues remotely. This technological support represents a common but rarely depicted form of care (as shown by a study of care representation on TV in 2021 from Caring Across and the Geena Davis Institute). More significantly, John's choice to prioritize family connection despite risking his safety challenges the American ideal of work above all else, modeling values that emphasize human connection and interdependence.

7. The Neighborhood (CBS)

Long-running sitcom explicitly addressing a care-related policy, paid paternity leave, while exploring shifting societal norms around fatherhood, masculinity, and caregiving.

Season 7 opens with new father Marcus (Marcel Spears) informing his father Calvin (Cedric the Entertainer) about his plans to take eight weeks of paternity leave offered by his company, to care for his newborn baby, Daphne. Later episodes show Marcus caring for Daphne in a very hands-on way, including holding her in a Baby Bjorn. The paternity leave storyline stands out for its rare explicit discussion on television of care policy and the benefits of paternity leave. The show thoughtfully depicts intergenerational conversations about evolving roles and expectations when it comes to gender, race, and care, acknowledging how societal pressures often discourage Black men from taking on caregiving roles despite their desire to give care.

8. The Penguin (Max)

Batman villain origin series featuring a disabled male family caregiver as its antihero and depicting day-to-day dementia care experiences.

Falcone mob lieutenant Oswald "Oz" Cobb (Colin Farrell) manages care for his mother Francis Cobb (Diedre O'Connell), who has early-onset dementia, while pursuing control of Gotham's underworld. Oz prioritizes his mother's care even when it jeopardizes his crime operation or personal safety. This series-long storyline portrays often-omitted caregiving activities like helping with bathing, dressing and medication management. It acknowledges common care challenges including financial strain, managing work and care, and the mental health impacts on family caregivers. The show upends harmful gender and disability stereotypes by depicting men and disabled people as capable caregivers. A key theme emerges: no one is purely hero or villain, and we all share a universal drive to care for those who matter most.

9. Shrinking (AppleTV+)

Dramedy series showing family members working through disagreements and resentments that come up when navigating care for an aging parent.

Following Season 1's exploration of Paul (Harrison Ford) managing his Parkinson's while working, Season 2 introduces a new storyline about Gabby (Jessica Williams) and her sister Courtney (Cesili Williams) coordinating their aging mother's care. When Gabby misses their mother's cataract surgery in Episode 6, tensions and guilt arise. Years of resentment surface as Courtney reveals her frustrations as the default full-time family caregiver while Gabby maintained independence. The show goes beyond typical sibling care disputes to show them processing long-held grievances and finding new ways to share responsibilities.

10. True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Anthology crime drama showing how race, culture, and gender affect the way people navigate their jobs and care responsibilities for siblings, spouses, and children.

Season 4 weaves multiple complex family relationships into its central focus: a murder investigation in Alaska in the dead of winter. Conflicts and tensions about work, family, and care are everywhere. Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) are workplace rivals striving to prove themselves in law enforcement while managing family challenges. Evangeline cares for her sister, Jules (Aka Niviâna), who struggles with her mental health and dies by suicide. Liz navigates tensions with her step-daughter Leah (Isabella Star LaBlanc), who wants to explore her indigenous heritage and protest environmental harms on native lands-putting her at odds with Liz and law enforcement.

The series thoughtfully depicts how parenthood influences work perspectives while showing care as both an asset and an obstacle; Liz sees parenthood conferring practical knowledge that helps her on the job, while also facing the challenges it presents in focusing on work. More care themes shine through as Liz interferes with her younger colleague, Peter (Finn Bennett), being an involved dad to his infant son and a supportive partner of his wife, Kayla-creating tensions in their household that are are exacerbated by cultural differences between white people (Liz, Peter) and Iñupiat people (Kayla and her family, who Peter lives with).

The interdependence of people in this stark landscape is also notable-they look out for one another even as multiple fault lines around gender, race, ethnicity, and power create high drama.

Honorable Mentions

We also want to recognize a handful of other shows that demonstrate aspects of care:

• 9-1-1 (ABC) portrays same-sex parents in a foster care custody battle while managing work and family tensions.
• The Bear (Fx/Hulu), which we applauded in last year's roundup for a different storyline, models reconciliation and forgiveness in a parent and adult child relationship when caregiving is required.
• Girls on the Bus (Max) shows the realities of caregiving related to a character's medication abortion.
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC), which we have recognized before for a range of storylines, shows a supportive workplace when a doctor needed time away from work to care for a sibling in cancer treatment.
• St. Denis Medical (NBC) centers a working mom whose older male co-worker urges her to change her workaholic ways.

Vicki Shabo is a senior fellow at New America's Better Life Lab and the founder and director of the Lab's entertainment-focused narrative and culture change practice. She is also a policy expert, advocate, and strategist on issues related to workplace gender equity and care.

Lydia Storie is the director of culture change for Caring Across Generations, leading the organization's work with the entertainment industry to advance and amplify authentic storytelling related to aging, disability and care. Prior to joining Caring Across, Lydia spent over a decade as a creative executive and producer in film and TV.