THE BEST TV SHOWS FOR 2021 (SO FAR)

As 2021 continues to wind down, it’s time that we take stock of what has been made available for us to gobble up for our nightly TV binges. And boy, has there been a lot to take in for the real streaming warriors! You got a massive slate of shows from Disney+ and Netflix and Hulu and Amazon and HBO and other networks, too. We’re we supposed to get any sleepy?

If you’ve been paying attention, you know it’s been The Year of Jean Smart. She’s eating everyone alive (er, making them laugh?) with her comedic chops in Hacks, and infusing necessary moments of levity in the otherwise bleak The Mare of Easttown. And speaking of just HBO comedy, The White Lotus is a dark but delightful limited series from the genius mind of Mike White. Plus, it features a whole host of Jennifer Coolidge meme material.

Those were just the offerings from this summer. Earlier this year, we also saw Disney+ prove its narrative prowess with the release of WandaVision. Barry Jenkins had an Underground Railroad drama on Amazon. Netflix came out with one of the best food docuseries we’ve seen in years, and then they allowed Martin Scorsese to sit down with Fran Lebowitz and shoot the shit as they traverse New York City.

All to say, 2021 television has been good. It’s been funny and intense and it’s had absolutely no shortage of Jean Smart. We’re all the more grateful for that.

Only Murders in the Building

Listen, no one expected for this Hulu whodunnit starring Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin to be this good. (Chalk it up to underestimating the comedic timing of Gomez, which we’ll never do again.) The series follows a trio of NYC neighbors whose true crime obsession becomes a bit too real when they find themselves swept up in the throes of a crime committed in their own hallways. It’s a perfect pairing, and it’s getting a Season Two.

Maid

While everyone has been busy tearing through Squid Game, you might have noticed another series popping up on the trending list on Netflix. Starring Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers) and the chronically under-appreciated Andie Macdowell, Maid is an alarmingly relevant limited series that follows a woman on the path to freedom from an abusive relationship. Brutally honest about class and expertly crafted, it’s a series whose message will leave you questioning what we’re not seeing in each other’s lives.

Squid Game

It’s the K-drama that broke Netflix. Following a young man who enters a battle royale competition for $45.6 billion has become one of the biggest shows of the fall. Actually, of all time. The demented premise, the horrific gore, the human nature at the center of the madness? It all plays a part in making Squid Game an unforgettable watch.

Midnight Mass

This third installment of the pseudo-anthology series from Mike Flanagan does not disappoint. Mixing religious horror with a modern day small town experiencing its final breaths, the tone of Midnight Mass shifts a bit from the Haunting series that preceded it, but with Zach Gilford and Hamish Linklater at the helm (and a perfectly pious performance from the deeply underrated Samantha Soylan), the series will keep you awake at night in the best of worst ways.

The Chair

A warning for those who work in higher education: Mentions of overzealous students, poorly-researched debate skills, Jay Duplass.

The Chair is an outstanding, bite-sized comedy on Netflix starring Sandra Oh as the first female chair of an English department at a “low-tier Ivy.” The series, dark and biting, skewers the irreverence of college administrators, divorced from the world of their students. But it doesn’t let its coeds off without a bit of snarky commentary on a generation more influenced by a social media post than actual action.