Best TV of 2021

[Jon]

The Guardian has been counting down the top 50 TV programmes of the year. I think it's down to number 3 as of today:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...-shows-of-2021

I have no idea what numbers two and one might be but, given the appearance of the US Open tennis final at number 47, there might be room for some more sporting entries - a game from Euro 2020 or something from the Olympics maybe?

The other day, I read the entry of Succession (number 4):

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...o-4-succession

As others have mentioned in the Current Watching thread, after watching the first few episodes I thought it might have been losing its lustre. In October they revealed that it had been renewed for series 4, leaving me to think that they were just dragging things out and it was going to be stuck in a holding pattern with nothing really being resolved or moved forward. Similar to the big superhero comics, you have to portray that events are groundbreaking and earth-shattering without ever messing with the winning formula too much.

But, after a slow start, the last few episodes have been truly great TV. I actually thought there would be a final episode last night, as the previous two series had been 10 episodes each. But, no in fact last week's episode was the finale, which kind of makes sense I suppose as end of series cliffhangers are the way things are going, aren't they? Instead of getting viewers to tune in weekly, you have their eyeballs for one series and then come up with an incredible cliffhanger at the end of the series to get people to keep paying their monthly subscriptions.

(Having realised I have just finished all of series 3 now, I have just cancelled my subscription to NOW and will pay again when series 4 comes along. However, I have 6 days of it left so I hopefully have time to be able to watch the number 3 in the list - The Mare of Easttown. Also, I may be able to squeeze in number 33, Insecure. It looks good. Has anyone seen it?)

[Chris1963]

My vote goes to the 1977 series 'Secret Army' which is currently being repeated on the Talking Pictures channel. It's on twice a week - at 9 pm Sundays and also during weekday afternoons.

[Jon]

My vote goes to the 1977 series 'Secret Army' which is currently being repeated on the Talking Pictures channel. It's on twice a week - at 9 pm Sundays and also during weekday afternoons.

Oh, that looks good, Chris. Does Talking Pictures TV have a catch up service?

[diggedy derek]

These days, looking at best of TV lists is like looking at lists of best video games: "Don't have that platform... don't have that platform... don't have that platform... I've got that, does this look any good?! Meh..."

[MarkF]

Oh, that looks good, Chris. Does Talking Pictures TV have a catch up service?

Yes http://www.tptvencore.co.uk/

[San Bernardhinault]

I've seen strangely few of those. Mare of Easttown, Ted Lasso and Succession all warrant places on the list, although Lasso S2 was less good than Lasso S1, and Mare of Easttown flagged a bit by the end. And obviously Squid Game which also had some less good episodes towards the end.

I've mentioned already that I'm enjoying Yellowjackets but I guess until we know how it pans out it's hard to include it.

I'm surprised there's no mention of Hacks, which I thought was very, very good.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

My vote goes to the 1977 series 'Secret Army' which is currently being repeated on the Talking Pictures channel. It's on twice a week - at 9 pm Sundays and also during weekday afternoons.

I absolutely loved that series - and my mum's avidly rewatching it again, too. Pity that the BBC commissioned the elephant in the room that parodied the show in its entirety - which meant that few viewers could take it seriously again.

[Patrick Thistle]

I doubt I will have seen much on that list but my "Best of 2021" would include:

Loki and WandaVision on Disney Plus
The fourth and final season of Atypical on Netflix

And that's probably it in terms of TV released this year

[Patrick Thistle]

And welcome to the board Chris1963

[Hot Pepsi]

These days, looking at best of TV lists is like looking at lists of best video games: "Don't have that platform... don't have that platform... don't have that platform... I've got that, does this look any good?! Meh..."

I think a lot of those shows are just not available in the US yet. That's ok.

The difference is that video game platforms are expensive. You can check out a streaming platform for a month for $5-12.
But even with that, there are some platforms that don't have enough I want to watch to bother with for even a month at a time. Like Paramount and Peacock.

Anyway, any top TV list without Letterkenny is illegitimate.

But these TV lists are still better than most of the top film lists I've seen, which tend to be dominated by films that critics saw at festivals that haven't been widely released yet or, if they have, either require risking COVID in a theater or paying $30 on-demand (And I'm not sure how much longer that option will be available.)

[Nocturnal Submission]

I've seen three of the 48 listed so far, all documentaries, which is frankly three more than I expected to have seen.

[Simon G]

I'm at two (Squid Game and The US Open Final). I did see a lot of Maid when the wife was watching it with me in the same room, etc... and I saw one episode of Stath Lets Flats.

[Tony C]

I’ve seen a lot on that list: Call My Agent and Alma’s Not Normal probably my favourites and the second series of Guilt the year’s biggest disappointment (although given a generous hearing here). Still never seen Mare of Eastown or a single episode of Succession or Ted Lasso so there’s still plenty for me to look out for. We’ve spent the last couple of months digging out ‘Walter Presents’ European dramas via the Channel 4 app with a very high strike rate of enjoyment.

[Nocturnal Submission]

No. 2 is up.

[Belhaven]

Maid, The White Lotus, Guilt, Mare of Easttown and Reservation Dogs are all series on that list that I greatly enjoyed, Succession and Lupin less so. The only one I stopped watching after a couple of episodes was We Are Lady Parts. I just couldn't get into it at all.

[Foot of Astaire's]

It was probably 2020 but I watched it again last week it was so good. Chernobyl. Just wow.

[Satchmo Distel]

I have to go with Peter Jackson's 'Get Back' as I've watched very little else except football and tennis; just not a TV person these days. 'Line Of Duty' was well made but very silly.

[Chris1963]

'Line Of Duty' was well made but very silly.

I don't watch 'Line of Duty' (I prefer repeats of programmes or films from the 1980's and earlier) but I did catch the last few minutes of a recent episode and was concerned to see that just before the end credits, it had some captions saying things like "so and so is currently serving a prison sentence" which might give some viewers the false impression that the series is based on fact, when of course it is fictional.

[San Bernardhinault]

White Lotus, huh? It was fine, but it felt very much like a generic prestige mini-series. Rich people, high-end location, everyone has secrets that come out, people are fucked up. The only thing that elevated it from Nine Big Lies About Little Fire Everywhere, etc, was Murray Bartlett's fantastic work as the hotel manager.

[Tony C]

I think Line of Duty jumped the shark a couple of seasons ago (and I fully understand that the expression “jumped the shark” actually jumped the shark about a decade ago).

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Line of Duty let everyone down. Line of Boaty, aka Vigil, was however very good. Anyone who liked the Squid Games really should also watch (if they haven't) Hellbound, which gets my vote in the 'compelling viewing' category.

[Ray de Galles]

I really enjoyed Mare of Easttown, Starstruck and Back to Life from that list. Need to finish the second series of Ladhood too and have only just started season one of Succession!

Really surprised Mortimer & Whitehouse : Gone Fishing doesn't feature.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Really surprised Mortimer & Whitehouse : Gone Fishing doesn't feature.

No. 1 has yet to be revealed, Ray

[Hot Pepsi]

White Lotus, huh? It was fine, but it felt very much like a generic prestige mini-series. Rich people, high-end location, everyone has secrets that come out, people are fucked up. The only thing that elevated it from Nine Big Lies About Little Fire Everywhere, etc, was Murray Bartlett's fantastic work as the hotel manager.

I don't know if that was the only thing that elevated it above those, but I gave up on those other two very early and yet watched all of White Lotus, so I'm not sure. He certainly was the best part of it.

mild spoiler....

Overall, it just felt really bleak to me. Everyone in it kind of sucks and nobody really learned anything except, maybe, the kid who ran off with the dragon boat crew. But he was so annoying and I found that part of the story to be completely implausible.

end of spoiler

I don't know if it was generic - it certainly was impressive that they were able to throw it together during the pandemic the way they did - but it was one of a number of "prestige" shows and awards-fodder films that I watch mainly just because I want to be conversant in the culture and it doesn't require much effort to watch a short TV series. I can't say I enjoyed the experience or that my life is really richer because I watched it.

Succession is starting to feel a bit like that too. I hope it wraps up in the next season. I want to know how it all turns out, but there's only so much evil stupidity I can take.

[Eggchaser]

Wandavision. I genuinely can't remember the last time I was so gripped and so desperate to see the next episode of a show.