2021 was a fairly impressive year for new shows, although the major broadcast networks were once again woefully behind streamers and subscription services when it came to launching quality series. In fact, there were so many entertaining new series that kept us occupied throughout a very weird year that in order to put together a Top 10 list it was necessary to considerably restrict those in contention. Multi-part documentaries and limited series had to be booted from the list…sorry Midnight Mass, Colin in Black & White, WandaVision, The Underground Railroad, and Maid.
The shows that made the cut represent my personal favorites and, obviously, you have every right to disagree. Opinions are like…well, you know how that saying goes…and this Top 10 list reflects shows that kept me engaged throughout their first seasons.
TOP 10 BEST NEW SHOWS OF 2021:
- 10. The Chair
12-time Emmy nominee Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey’s Anatomy) stars as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the newly installed Chair of Pembroke University’s English department in the short first season of Netflix’s The Chair. Ji-Yoon is the first woman to chair the department, however it’s not exactly a coveted position as enrollments have tanked and the majority of the English department’s faculty are viewed as lumbering dinosaurs by the powers that be (and the students). Still, Ji-Yoon’s determined to resurrect the failing department despite the fact her fellow professors aren’t sold on the prospect of moving the department into the 21st century.
The six-episode season finds Ji-Yoon not only struggling with her new position at the university but also her feelings toward Professor Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass). Add in a misinterpreted gesture that sends the student body into protest mode, and Ji-Yoon’s professional life – not to mention her personal life – becomes incredibly complicated.
Sandra Oh’s perfectly cast as the well-meaning but overwhelmed English department chair whose high hopes and good intentions are constantly challenged by her friends, fellow professors, and the school’s dean. With support from a stellar cast that includes Holland Taylor, Nana Mensah, and Bob Balaban, Oh’s comedic timing is put to good use in this amusing glimpse at the behind-the-scenes maneuverings of a university’s English department attempting to prove its relevancy.
- 9. Ghosts
iZombie‘s Rose McIver and Never Have I Ever‘s Utkarsh Ambudkar lead the cast of CBS’s Ghosts, based on the popular BBC series of the same name. McIver and Ambudkar star as Samantha and Jay, a young couple who inherit a rundown mansion and pour all their time, energy, and money into fixing it up with the goal of transforming it into a bed and breakfast. The estate’s weird collection of ghosts initially plot to scare the new homeowners away, but that changes once a minor accident leaves Sam with the ability to interact with the spirit world.
Season one of the original Ghosts provided this American version with a plethora of comedy bits to use as storyline fodder. Although it took a couple of episodes to do so, the new Ghosts has found its footing and is equally as entertaining as the original series.
- 8. Yellowjackets
A high school soccer team’s plane crashes on the way to a tournament and the players are forced to do whatever it takes to survive in Showtime’s riveting drama, Yellowjackets. The series, which has been favorably compared to Lord of the Flies, gives audiences so much to unpack in the first season, including trying to figure out what went down during the team’s nearly 20-month ordeal in the Ontario wilderness.
Season one alternates between filling in the events that transpired in the woods and catching up with the survivors as the 25th anniversary of the plane crash nears. The survivors swore to never tell what happened during those horrific days in the middle of nowhere, but as the anniversary approaches their ability to keep their survival stories a secret is challenged.
Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis star as the adult survivors while Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sammi Hanratty, and Sophie Thatcher play the younger versions of the same key characters. The casting is spot-on and the writers take their time doling out clues, allowing each of the characters to be slowly fleshed out as the pieces of the puzzle come together.
- 7. Loki
The God of Mischief got his own series on Disney+ in 2021 and Tom Hiddleston spent season one charming the pants off audiences. The relationship between Loki‘s dynamic duo of Hiddleston and Owen Wilson was so much fun to watch evolve that it hardly mattered the series’ overall goal was to reinvent the MCU.
Season one catches up with Loki after the events in Avengers: Endgame and finds the charismatic character learning all about the Time Variance Authority and variants (different versions of a person who populate different timelines). Loki encounters various versions of himself, including an alligator Loki, and even falls in love with one of the variants. Played by Sophia Di Martino, Sylvie (aka Lady Loki) is every bit as capable as Loki at causing chaos and a perfect match for Hiddleston’s Loki. Their relationship, although short-lived, changes Loki and helps him evolve in unexpected ways.
The character’s always been a fan-favorite villain and in Loki he’s finally allowed to fully transition to reluctant antihero status.
- 6. Hacks
HBO Max’s Hacks had me at “Jean Smart playing a legendary Las Vegas comedian.” Seriously, the four-time Emmy Award winner can do no wrong in my book and, fortunately, Hacks is a vehicle worthy of her talent.
Season one focused on the dysfunctional relationship between Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance, a comedian on the downside of her career, and Hannah Einbinder’s Ava, an up-and-coming writer who found out the hard way what it’s like to be canceled on social media. Smart and Einbinder are terrific scene partners, and Hacks is at its best when these two extraordinary actors square off.
- 5. Reservation Dogs
FX on Hulu’s Reservation Dogs is the first series to star Indigenous actors and feature a behind-the-scenes team of Indigenous directors and writing staff. Season one is set in Oklahoma and focuses on four Native American teenagers – played Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, and Paulina Alexis – who are attempting to figure out a way to honor their dead friend, raise enough money (by any means possible) to leave the reservation, and move to California.
Reservation Dogs, created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, isn’t just a groundbreaking representation of a marginalized group in front of and behind the camera, it’s also incredibly entertaining. Clever writing, terrific chemistry between the four young leads, and a fresh take on coming-of-age comedies make this one of the best new comedies of 2021.
- 4. Squid Game
Netflix’s Squid Game is a truly twisted binge-worthy series that pits 456 competitors, each desperately in need of money, against each other in a brutal competition in which only one can emerge alive (and wealthy). Simple childhood games like Red Light, Green Light are transformed into battlegrounds where only the most adept players leave the field still breathing.
The blood flows and the body count rises as this disturbing thriller weaves biting social commentary into horrific scenes displaying the absolute worst of human nature. Lee Jung-jae leads the massive ensemble cast as G-hun, a simple man who’s recruited/forced into the competition and who, despite being tested in unimaginable ways, transcends his circumstances and becomes a better human being as the season goes on.
Squid Game‘s a difficult watch for the squeamish but the season finale makes it well worth the effort.
- 3. We Are Lady Parts
Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts is one of the smartest, funniest, and most relevant comedies to emerge in the past few years. The series follows the ups and downs of an all-female, all-Muslim punk rock group, with the band’s newest member – talented guitarist Amina Hussain (Anjana Vasan) – serving as the audience’s entry into the group. Amina’s more likely to toss her cookies than complete an actual song in front of an audience, yet the part-time guitarist/full-time microbiology PhD student refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a musician. Her journey to tackle her nerves and channel her inner rock star provides plenty of relatable moments and laugh-out-loud scenes.
Vasan and her incredibly talented co-stars Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, Lucie Shorthouse, Zaqi Ismail, and Aiysha Hart make this wild and witty series a must-see.
- 2. Only Murders in the Building
If you weren’t already into true crime podcasts before watching Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, it’s likely by the end of season one this hilarious comedy will have convinced you to check out a few.
Real-life friends Steve Martin and Martin Short star alongside Selena Gomez as residents of an Upper West Side apartment whose obsession with a true crime podcast prompts them to create their own following the death of a fellow resident. The unlikely trio of amateur investigators attempt to figure out the identity of the murderer and in the process reveal closely kept secrets about the building’s inhabitants as well as themselves.
Smart writing, strong chemistry between the three leads, and a story that kept viewers guessing add up to a killer first season.
- 1. Blindspotting
Season one of Starz’s riveting genre-bending series Blindspotting sits at a perfect 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The series, based on the 2018 film of the same name, was created by the movie’s writers/stars Daveed Diggs (“Collin”) and Rafael Casal (“Miles”) and although it features some of the same key characters, it also works on its own.
The show approaches the story from a female perspective, with season one told from Ashley’s (once again played by the absolutely terrific Jasmine Cephas Jones) point of view. Ashley’s dealing with life as a single mom while Miles is incarcerated, and much of the first season consists of simple, relatable stories told in innovative ways.
Blindspotting‘s filled with flawed characters just trying to make it through each day, and we can understand and appreciate their struggles.
Honorable Mentions: Lupin, The White Lotus, Starstruck, and Made for Love.
