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Rank Your 2021 Shows Throughout the Year


Annara Snow

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It's already mid-March and it's high time to finally start this thread. 

Guidelines:

  • Rank the seasons of shows that are released this year.
  • You may expand your list to older seasons/entire shows if you feel like it, or you can have two separate lists, which I think would work better to give readers your thoughts on how new shows fare against each other.
  • But if you missed out on a show that aired late last year, and you sneak it in with shows from this year, that's fine. Or go back to the 2020 thread.
  • Rank however you wish: numbers 1-infinity, quality grades (great, mediocre, bad, clusterfuck)
  • Simply list the shows, or talk a bit about them

 

I'll start:

  1. The Wilds season 1 - technically, this dropped out in December 2020, but since it was late in the year, and I finished it too late this year to keep adding to the 2020 list (which I did with a few other shows like The Last Kingdom or The Undoing, which came out earlier and I saw them in January), I'll count it as a 2021 show, as I did with The Witcher last year. This show turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. A Lost-like story with several teenage girls stranded on a deserted island, after what was not really an accident, as we quickly find out, it's particularly compelling as a character study, both with the flashbacks/character backstories and the character development on the island. On the other hand, I'm still not sure how I feel about the overall mystery - though Rachel Griffiths plays a good antagonist - so season 2 will make or break the show.
  2. WandaVision - I loved the way it played with the style and format and paid homage to various sitcoms, as well as Wanda's backstory and character development. I also enjoyed Vision and Monica, and Darcy - who was such a pointless character in the movies - finally grew on me. But I was a bit let down when it turned from a very interesting TV show into an MCU movie with CGI battles.
  3. Tribes of Europa season 1 - I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about this German Netflix original post-apocalyptic drama. It is very much standard post-apocalyptic stuff and uses all the standard tropes, but it's mostly well done, and has a lot of potential. But there are also a lot of things that could go very right or very wrong in season 2, or things about worldbuilding that bothered me and that could be resolved - or made worse. The most interesting character so far is a complex female villain, who's involved in the most compelling but also most disturbing storyline of the show so far - of one of the young male leads who ends up a captive and slave. So far, the show has done very well with this storyline, navigating the touchy issues of slavery, abuse and sexual assault and trauma, which increased my rating of it to about 7/10. Some other characters need more development and complexity, but I'm interested in the world-building and mysteries. The show at least feels unique because it's rare to see something of this genre set on the European continent - but I have a problem with the fact that, so far, 95% of the time we've only seen characters speak German or English.

Next up: I'm finally going to watch season 5 of The Expanse, which I haven't found the time for, since that show needs my full attentio, and will check out The Watch. Also watching weekly: Prodigal Son, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. 

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Thanks for starting the thread.

1. Cobra Kai - the year was off to a flying start with this one. I don't know why this show is so good, but it is. It is a karate soap opera, but I love the characters, and strikes a perfect balance between evoking nostalgia and telling its own original story.

2. The Expanse - half in 2020, half this year, but all good. Some plots were weaker than others, and I know some people disliked its direction. I still saw it as a great SF story, and found it mostly solid throughout, with some moments of greatness.

3. WandaVision - this was something else; it was fun and creative, but maybe it tried to pepper itself with too many hints and clues, thus still leaving unanswered questions. The two leads killed it, and visually, well it really doesn't have a rival right now.

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My list is stuff anything I am watching this year, even if its not new. I’ve not numbered the stuff that isn’t new but slotted it where i would rank it against my other shows, comparatively.

1) Its a Sin - This was excellent, truly. It  depicted both the joy of a queer group of friends living their life while also doing an excellent job of showing the horrific toll the HIV virus/AIDS had on the community, the prejudices faced by queer people...I think I may have cried at every episode. It really was excellent in and of itself but I think it was also a show that was great at raising awareness and starting a broader conversation. I've been doing my own research because I was horribly ignorant of so much of this. This kind of thing should be part of compulsory history in schools. If you haven't watched this yet go ahead and do so now. Probably not all in one sitting though because I was a wreck watching over three nights

2) The Expanse - New season started last year and concluded this year (unless I've lost all sense of time) I loved it, though the character development was fantastic, so many great moments and I''m already impatient for next season.

[Pose, Season 2 - I actually watched the first season last year and seemed to think that was jt, done. I did enjoy the First season more, the second season sometimes veered into the "why this?" territory, but for the most part it was great, full of emotion and heart and again telling important stories about the queer community.]

[Schitt's Creek - I'm late to the game and only two seasons in but I really am loving this show, its the perfect comedy to unwind to after work.]

3) Behind Her Eyes - It was fine, nothing I would revisit or go out of my way to recommend. I already feel like I have forgotten all of it.

4) American Gods, Season 3 - it was a flop for me. I watched two episodes before dropping it. I had a similar experience season 2 so maybe I will try again later in the year but it wasn't doing anything for me. So disappointing after how much i loved the first season.

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1 hour ago, HelenaExMachina said:

My list is stuff anything I am watching this year, even if its not new. I’ve not numbered the stuff that isn’t new but slotted it where i would rank it against my other shows, comparatively.

1) Its a Sin - This was excellent, truly. It  depicted both the joy of a queer group of friends living their life while also doing an excellent job of showing the horrific toll the HIV virus/AIDS had on the community, the prejudices faced by queer people...I think I may have cried at every episode. It really was excellent in and of itself but I think it was also a show that was great at raising awareness and starting a broader conversation. I've been doing my own research because I was horribly ignorant of so much of this. This kind of thing should be part of compulsory history in schools. If you haven't watched this yet go ahead and do so now. Probably not all in one sitting though because I was a wreck watching over three nights

 

I think this will be this years queens gambit. Pretty much in everyone's top 3 who has seen it.

It was remarkable television, though I agree its not one you binge in a few nights unless you want to lie in bed all night Staring at the ceiling crying not to weep. 

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6 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

My list is stuff anything I am watching this year, even if its not new. I’ve not numbered the stuff that isn’t new but slotted it where i would rank it against my other shows, comparatively.

1) Its a Sin - This was excellent, truly. It  depicted both the joy of a queer group of friends living their life while also doing an excellent job of showing the horrific toll the HIV virus/AIDS had on the community, the prejudices faced by queer people...I think I may have cried at every episode. It really was excellent in and of itself but I think it was also a show that was great at raising awareness and starting a broader conversation. I've been doing my own research because I was horribly ignorant of so much of this. This kind of thing should be part of compulsory history in schools. If you haven't watched this yet go ahead and do so now. Probably not all in one sitting though because I was a wreck watching over three night

 

This is the first time I've heard about this. Which is weird, as I'm active on some TV-focused websites like SpoilerTV, and between that and social media, I wonder why it doesn't seem to have been talked about. Will definitely be checking it out.

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This thread has made me realise how few shows from this year I’ve watched or enjoyed. Think it comes down to Netflix or Amazon being my main sources to find shows. 
 

Think this year I’ve seen Lupin on Netflix which wasn’t great and currently watching Alice in Borderland which I’m enjoying.

Would like to watch Its a sin but it’s on Channel 4’s app which I just hate using due to adverts. 

Is there an obvious lack of good shows this year or am I just imagining it?

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2 hours ago, Heartofice said:

This thread has made me realise how few shows from this year I’ve watched or enjoyed. Think it comes down to Netflix or Amazon being my main sources to find shows. 
 

Think this year I’ve seen Lupin on Netflix which wasn’t great and currently watching Alice in Borderland which I’m enjoying.

Would like to watch Its a sin but it’s on Channel 4’s app which I just hate using due to adverts. 

Is there an obvious lack of good shows this year or am I just imagining it?

Last year started fairly slow for me, so it's nothing new for me. I usually get to watching around 20-30 shows in a year, but seldom do I watch more than maybe 5 in the first quarter. 

Besides the 3 I've listed above, I'm watching the new Superman & Lois which is so far decent for a CW show, and in a couple of days The Falcon & The Winter Soldier starts. I will likely be watching all the new Disney+ live action shows and a couple of animated ones that come this year. If Netflix and Amazon manage to bring in some of the ones that were delayed last year, it will end up being a fairly busy year.

I don't have a cable subscription anymore, I occasionally use Hulu Live mainly for the times when there are more sporting activities I care to watch. 

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7 hours ago, Annara Snow said:

This is the first time I've heard about this. Which is weird, as I'm active on some TV-focused websites like SpoilerTV, and between that and social media, I wonder why it doesn't seem to have been talked about. Will definitely be checking it out.

It aired here in the UK on channel 4. I'm not sure about international distribution but I know it was on HBO some time after it aired here. It got a lot of talk here in the UK and was well received critically too. It's made by Russel T Davies (Queer as Folk, Years and Years) and you can really see the thought that went into it

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On 3/17/2021 at 6:19 AM, Heartofice said:

This thread has made me realise how few shows from this year I’ve watched or enjoyed. Think it comes down to Netflix or Amazon being my main sources to find shows. 
 

Think this year I’ve seen Lupin on Netflix which wasn’t great and currently watching Alice in Borderland which I’m enjoying.

Would like to watch Its a sin but it’s on Channel 4’s app which I just hate using due to adverts. 

Is there an obvious lack of good shows this year or am I just imagining it?

Covid-19 is slowing down the TV pipeline.  The start of this year has been pretty barren.  It's a Sin and Wandavision have been the only prominent shows to air so far this year in my mind.

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I'm having trouble recalling any new 2021 shows I've seen yet.

There's a ton of stuff I'm waiting or hoping on like new seasons for Bad Blood, Ozarks, more Narcos, more Gomora, that Tony Soprano prequel.

Basically all new crime shows lol.

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22 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

I'm having trouble recalling any new 2021 shows I've seen yet.

There's a ton of stuff I'm waiting or hoping on like new seasons for Bad Blood, Ozarks, more Narcos, more Gomora, that Tony Soprano prequel.

Basically all new crime shows lol.

The Sopranos prequel is a movie. 

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  • 5 weeks later...

I'm going to be treating all December 2020 shows (like The Wilds or Equinox) as 2021 shows, and putting older shows' titles in italics. So far there are no more 2020 and earlier shows added, but I'll probably soon be adding It's a Sin (2021), I May Destroy You (2020) and The OA (cancelled in 2019) and a few other shows, depending on what I finish first, in addition to, obviously, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will be finishing this week.

1. The Wilds season 1 -

2. Made for Love season 1 - excellent dark comedy adapted from Alissa Nuting's novel (the author is also one of the writers for the show) about a woman trying to escape a control freak billionaire husband who put a chip in her brain to track her. (Can this and Upload be a start of a newgenre of dark comedies about relationships with futuristic SciFi plots?  In any case, I really enjoy them.) The setup feels like a parody of "50 Shades of Grey" and similar stories, where you actually get to see just how nightmarish such a emotionally abusive relationship would be, but the characters are well developed and not one-dimensional caricatures. Cristina Milioti is great and very charming in the lead role, Billy Magnussen is incredible and sutiably creepy, and I'm surprised how much I enjoyed Ray Romano in this (since he was always my least favorite part of Everybody Loves Raymond). I'm really curious where season 2 takes thie story.

3. WandaVision

4. Tribes of Europa season 1

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1. The Wilds season 1 

2. Made for Love season 1 

3. WandaVision

4. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier  - I didn't think I'd like it much during the first couple of episodes, especially as I tend to get bored with too many or too long action scenes. But from episode 3 onward, it got really fun and interesting. Episode 4 was probably the strongest. They developed both of the main characters and several supporting characters really well, and handled the political issues they raised mostly well, without going for black and white good guys vs bad guys.

5. Tribes of Europa season 1

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Updates

1. Cobra Kai - the year was off to a flying start with this one. I don't know why this show is so good, but it is. It is a karate soap opera, but I love the characters, and strikes a perfect balance between evoking nostalgia and telling its own original story.

2. The Expanse - half in 2020, half this year, but all good. Some plots were weaker than others, and I know some people disliked its direction. I still saw it as a great SF story, and found it mostly solid throughout, with some moments of greatness.

3. WandaVision - this was something else; it was fun and creative, but maybe it tried to pepper itself with too many hints and clues, thus still leaving unanswered questions. The two leads killed it, and visually, well it really doesn't have a rival right now.

4. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - I liked it, but it fell a little short in some areas. Good character moments, but with a bit of disjointed plot. Generally entertaining, and the MCU continues to provide great visuals.

5. Superman & Louis - I'll put this here for now, since the show is on hiatus. It's a CW show with the advantage of better visuals and a more cohesive story. But I'm keeping my expectations in check.

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1.  Made for Love.  Very good plot, great acting.  It had a surrealness that I couldn’t stop watching.  Not sure what else I could possibly add after @Annara Snow's excellent review of the show.
2.  Taskmaster S11.  This is my favorite comedy show.  It’s endlessly entertaining.  But, if I compared this season against the other seasons, it would have to be ranked at the bottom.
3.  WandaVision.  It was fascinating to see how the gimmicky, nostalgic premise morphed into a superhero plot.  Sure, it had its plotholes/retcons, but it had a lot of plusses as well. 
4.  Mandolarian S2.  (I have a feeling that I might be stretching the rules a little bit here.  But, I hate watching dramas week-by-week, and this show’s last episode was released on Dec. 18, 2020.  I didn’t watch any of it in 2020, so for me it fits the “missed out on a show that aired late last year” rule.)  I enjoyed the series.  Yet, since I’m not deeply invested in the SW universe as a whole, I didn’t fully understand and appreciate the cameo appearances within each episode.  Also, the big cameo appearance in the final episode to me felt like a deus ex machina.

Non-2021
Ted Lasso S1.  I went into it thinking it would be a one-note comedy and was highly surprised to discover some high-quality dramatic storytelling.  Each actor gets a chance to shine.  Every character is equally interesting and dynamic, and they all evolve as the season progresses.  Can’t wait for S2 to start at the end of May.
 

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1. The Wilds season 1 

2. Made for Love season 1 

(gap)

3. WandaVision

4. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

5. Shadow and Bone season 1 - Not one of the greatest fantasy stories, but not one of the worst either.  The second half of S1 was definitely better than the first. The worldbuilding is interesting though it took some time to understand all of it, as someone who hasn't read the books. From what I have heard about the differences from the book series, it seems the changes were mostly for the good. Characters and relationship are interesting enough (the main character starts off very bland but gets better and grows a backbone over the course of the season), but there's not a lot of groundbreaking stuff, the storytelling seems reminsicent of other fantasy or SciFi stories. The Crows were the most interesting characters and I was disappointed me didn't learn more about their backstories. I liked the way that some subplots and characterizations were dealt with towards the end of the season - the show avoided falling into some annoying tropes I was afraid it might. Good enough to make me continue with the show, though it was, for me, only the 3rd most compelling show that started this April (I'm more invested in Cruel Summer and The Nevers, but both of these are weekly shows).

(gap)

6. Tribes of Europa season 1

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1) Its a Sin 

2) The Expanse 

[Pose, Season 2 ]

[Umbrella Academy Season 2 - Enjoyed it more than season 1, I felt a better connection with all of the characters this time and the plot still had me engaged. Number Five was once again a standout but honestly I grew to like most of the Umbrella Academy, except maybe Luther who continued to be rather uninspiring. Special shout out to Klaus who was so much fun to watch]

[Schitt's Creek - I've now finished the entire series and loved it, start to finish. The character growth while still remaining true to who the characters are, they often understated dry comedy, the cast. Loved it.]

[Umbrella Academy, Season 1 - Enjoyable enough though I had issues with some of the central characters feeling bland and unlikeable in a way that was difficult to connect with. The plot was interesting enough to keep me coming back though, and Number Five was the standout. Since I watched season 2 straight after, I will also say that Hazel and ChaCha were excellent in this season and far more interesting as the evil henchpeople]

3) Shadow and Bone, Season 1 - A decent fantasy series from Netflix. Some poor pacing and occasional sloppy writing. Some characters felt extraneous but the Crows were definitely my favourite part. I'd watch another season.

4) Behind Her Eyes - It was fine, nothing I would revisit or go out of my way to recommend. I already feel like I have forgotten all of it.

[Dead to Me, Season 2 -I enjoyed season one but this was just completely off the rails and terrible. So much nonsense]

5) American Gods, Season 3 - it was a flop for me. I watched two episodes before dropping it. I had a similar experience season 2 so maybe I will try again later in the year but it wasn't doing anything for me. So disappointing after how much i loved the first season.

 

Shows in [ ] are not from this year

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I think I only watched one true 2021 show, I'm barely catching up with the decade!

So, my favorites watched this year, so far:

1. Gentleman Jack

2. It's a Sin

3. For All Mankind (prefer the first season, but haven't finished s2 yet)

 

I probably haven't watched any other show beyond 1 or 2 episodes, but these three are really good.

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