There has been no shortage of TV shows in 2021, and that makes our work of choosing the top ten shows a lot harder. It should come as no surprise that seven of our ten shows are exclusive to streaming platforms, and the other three also premiered concurrently on HBO Max in addition to HBO.
If you were crazy about Squid Game and Arcane this year, then you’ll be happy to know that both of them have made it on this list. If you have any other favorites that aren’t on this list, please let us know.
Wandavision
No one would have expected a metatextual show paying homage to the different eras of television to center around a pair of less-explored Avengers. Yet Wandavision made the premise work for most of its nine-episode length. Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) arrive at the town of Westview, where things slowly progress from a black and white setting to the 2010s. Does this have something to do with Wanda’s actions post Avengers: Endgame? The series is at its most fun when it’s peeling back the mystery and introducing new characters, such as Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and ‘Pietro’ (Evan Peters). Although it falters in the last episode, it’s still a daring experiment that deserves its place on this list.
Squid Game
Although Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Korean drama Squid Game arrived with almost no buzz, it quickly mustered a word-of-mouth following that eclipsed the height of even other Netflix hits like Money Heist. It’s a scathing, anti-capitalist satire that follows poor Koreans- chiefly the gambling addict Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae)- as they try to win the grand prize in a series of deadly games that are riffs on popular children’s games. Boasting impressive visuals and an almost sickening amount of gore, Squid Game has quickly cemented its place in the pop-culture consciousness, leading to the announcement of a second season.
The Great
The Great is one of the most criminally underrated shows on television right now. The second season follows Catherine (Elle Fanning) as she succeeds in her coup and replaces her casually cruel husband, Peter (Nicholas Hoult), and tries to enact widespread reform to modernize Russia. The series’ wit jabs at you with the sharpness of a rapier, buoyed by surprisingly nuanced performances from Fanning and Hoult, as well as excellent portrayals from the supporting cast, such as the delightful Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow) and General Velementov (Douglas Hodge). The series skewers historical accuracy in favor of maximum drama, which leads to interesting situations such as Voltaire attending Catherine’s court, and Catherine seemingly murdering the Ottoman Emperor after a failed attempt at her life.
Reservation Dogs
Created with the participation of several Native American creative voices (and also Taika Waititi), Reservation Dogs follows four indigenous teens in Oklahoma, Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), as they hustle and commit small crimes to leave their reservation behind and run away to California. Along the way, they deal with the resident reservation cop, an uncle, their pasts, and tradition. The show balances its dry wit with touching moments, and the infusion of Native American folklore gives it a surreal, dreamlike quality.
Maid
Adapted from a memoir, Maid tells the story of single mom Alex (Margaret Qualley) as she leaves an emotionally abusive relationship behind to provide a better life for her daughter, Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh). She keeps hanging on by a thread as she tries to secure a job as a maid while dealing with her eccentric mother (Andie MacDowell) and a distant father, as well as her ex, Sean (Nick Robinson), who seems to be teetering between sincerity and self-destruction. Although this is a grueling journey, Alex’s determination keeps you coming back for more. Qualley puts in a star-making turn, and her real-life mother MacDowell also makes an impact.
Arcane
Arcane is probably the most successful video game adaptation to date. Part of that has to do with how the series takes a handful of characters and reimagines them in a dynamic narrative. The core story is about two sisters, Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder (Ella Purnell) who drift apart due to extraordinary circumstances and eventually find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict raging between their home, the undercity and Piltover, the upper city of progress. The series excels not only because of its gorgeous animation and stylish action but also due to its focus on character development and themes.
Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building is a fresh comedy about three loners coming together to solve a murder mystery. It’s also a meta show that covers the process of making a podcast. It’s no surprise that Steve Martin and Martin Short deliver great performances in this, but Selena Gomez also holds her own with the duo. Then there are all the supporting characters portrayed by veteran actors. This is a quirky show that’s humorous rather than laugh-out-loud funny, but the unique tone will have you binging through the series, even if you do figure out the murderer by the mid-point.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus is about a group of tourists at the luxurious resort of the same name, as they deal with their issues and slowly unravel over a couple of weeks. The show features an incredible cast, including Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Steve Zahn, and Molly Shannon, among others. Then there’s the great soundtrack that infuses cult-like chants with jungle-like sounds that color the adventures of the rich and debauched. It’s a sharp, biting satire that gained so much word-of-mouth buzz that it has been renewed for a second season.
Succession
Succession returned to TV after a two-year absence with such gusto that made me wonder if it had been gone at all. I expected to see a more straightforward battle between Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and his father, Logan (Brian Cox), but Kendall slowly self-destructed through the third season, while his siblings hurried to curry favor with their father. The writing is as biting as ever, and we get lots of gems from the likes of Tom (Matthew Macfayden), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Greg (Nicholas Braun). While the third season isn’t as compelling as the second season, it still makes for a ridiculously good time and leaves the Roy siblings in a delicate state by the finale.
Mare of Easttown
Mare of Easttown sounds like a simple story on paper: a middle-aged, small-town detective has to handle an abduction case that might be tied to another case she couldn’t solve, while also dealing with her personal and family issues, including a looming custody battle for her grandson with her daughter-in-law, who’s a recovering drug addict. Mare of Easttown is one of the most literary shows of the year, providing engaging character studies of flawed individuals. The excellent cast puts in solid performances, especially Kate Winslet and Jean Sharp. Winslet delivers a raw, nuanced performance, showing a woman who seems to have it together on the surface but is slowly breaking down due to years worth of undealt trauma, that she courageously confronts throughout the show.
