The Guardian - Best TV of 2021
by wopzz | created - 13 Jul 2022 | updated - 13 Jul 2022 | Publichttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/03/the-50-best-tv-shows-of-2021
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1. It's a Sin (2021)
TV-MA | 48 min | Comedy, Drama, History
The lives of a group of friends living in 1980s London are irreparably changed by the AIDS crisis.
Stars: Olly Alexander, Nathaniel Curtis, Shaun Dooley, Omari Douglas
Votes: 36,918
2. The White Lotus (2021–2025)
TV-MA | 353 min | Comedy, Drama
The exploits of various guests and employees of a luxury resort over the span of a week.
Stars: Jennifer Coolidge, Jon Gries, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco
Votes: 208,450
3. Mare of Easttown (2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
Stars: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice
Votes: 187,931
4. Succession (2018–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
The Roy family is known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company in the world. However, their world changes when their father steps down from the company.
Stars: Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Peter Friedman
Votes: 273,476
5. Squid Game (2021– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes: a survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Dylan Besseau, Yasushi Iwaki
Votes: 542,931
Netflix
6. Feel Good (2020–2021)
TV-MA | 315 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The series follows recovering addict and comedian Mae, who is trying to control the addictive behaviors and intense romanticism that permeate every facet of their life.
Stars: Mae Martin, Charlotte Ritchie, Phil Burgers, Jack Barry
Votes: 13,840
Netflix
7. Time (2021– )
TV-14 | 59 min | Crime, Drama
Eric is a prison officer who tries to protect those in his charge. When one of the most dangerous inmates identifies his weakness, Eric faces an impossible choice between his principles and his love for his family.
Stars: Siobhan Finneran, Sean Bean, Jodie Whittaker, Stephen Graham
Votes: 27,264
8. Alma's Not Normal (2020– )
28 min | Comedy
Working class wild child Alma Nuthall comes from an eccentric family of unruly women. Both Brilliantly life affirming and gloriously funny, 'Alma's not Normal' is an uplifting story of one woman's desire to take control of her own destiny.
Stars: Sophie Willan, Jayde Adams, Lorraine Ashbourne, Siobhan Finneran
Votes: 1,585
9. Starstruck (2021–2023)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Romance
A millennial in London is juggling two dead-end jobs and navigating the awkward morning-after-the-night-before when she discovers the complications of accidentally sleeping with a film star.
Stars: Rose Matafeo, Nikesh Patel, Emma Sidi, Al Roberts
Votes: 8,607
10. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019– )
TV-MA | 16 min | Comedy
A sketch show where Tim Robinson and his guests spend each segment driving someone to the point of needing -- or desperately wanting -- to leave.
Stars: Tim Robinson, Sam Richardson, Patti Harrison, Conner O'Malley
Votes: 21,245
Netflix
11. Stath Lets Flats (2018– )
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
Comedy following incompetent Greek-Cypriot lettings-agent Stath, who works for the family business, Michael and Eagle.
Stars: Jamie Demetriou, Al Roberts, Natasia Demetriou, Kiell Smith-Bynoe
Votes: 4,903
12. Uprising (2021)
TV-14 | 177 min | Documentary
Uprising tells the extraordinary story of three intertwined events from 1981: the New Cross Fire, which killed 13 young black people; the Black People's Day of Action; and the Brixton riots.
Stars: Peter Bleksley, Alex Wheatle, George Rhoden, George Ruddock
Votes: 340
13. The Underground Railroad (2021)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
A young woman named Cora makes an amazing discovery during her attempt to break free from slavery in the deep south.
Stars: Thuso Mbedu, Chase Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Reshonnah Harvey
Votes: 8,444
14. Ted Lasso (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
American college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team.
Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster
Votes: 348,843
15. We Are Lady Parts (2021– )
TV-MA | 24 min | Comedy, Music
A look at the highs and lows of the band members that make up a Muslim female punk band, Lady Parts, as seen through the eyes of Amina Hussein, a geeky PhD student who is recruited to be their unlikely lead guitarist.
Stars: Lucie Shorthouse, Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Faith Omole
Votes: 5,235
16. WandaVision (2021)
TV-PG | 39 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Blends the style of classic sitcoms with the MCU, in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision - two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives - begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris
Votes: 370,303
17. This Way Up (2019– )
25 min | Comedy
A young woman puts her life back together after suffering from a nervous breakdown.
Stars: Aisling Bea, Sharon Horgan, Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma
Votes: 8,171
18. Back to Life (2019–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
After 18 years behind bars, Miri Matteson returns home and stumbles back into adult life in the claustrophobic coastal town she once knew in this half-hour comedy series.
Stars: Daisy Haggard, Geraldine James, Richard Durden, Adeel Akhtar
Votes: 6,746
19. Line of Duty (2012–2021)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Drama series following the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit.
Stars: Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, Craig Parkinson
Votes: 70,254
20. Can't Get You Out of My Head (2021)
80 min | Documentary, History
Love, power, money, ghosts of empire, conspiracies, artificial intelligence and You. An emotional history of the modern world by Adam Curtis.
Star: Adam Curtis
Votes: 2,361
21. Maid (2021)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama
After fleeing an abusive relationship, a young mother finds a job cleaning houses as she fights to provide for her child and build them a better future.
Stars: Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, Rylea Nevaeh Whittet, Andie MacDowell
Votes: 100,693
Netflix
22. Inside No. 9
Comedy, Horror | Announced
Nine years have passed since Joe and Chas started dating. Being completely in love with someone takes a long time. But how long does it take to say goodbye properly?
Stars: Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith
23. Vigil (2021– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death onboard a Trident nuclear submarine bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services.
Stars: Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Gary Lewis, Orla Russell
Votes: 27,948
24. Call My Agent! (2015–2020)
TV-MA | 52 min | Comedy, Drama
French serial about the lives and jobs of people working at a talent agency in Paris.
Stars: Camille Cottin, Thibault de Montalembert, Grégory Montel, Liliane Rovère
Votes: 16,736
Netflix
25. Only Murders in the Building (2021– )
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Three strangers - who live in the same New York City apartment building and share an obsession with true crime - suddenly find themselves embroiled in a murder.
Stars: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton
Votes: 156,419
26. Reservation Dogs (2021–2023)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Crime
Comedy series about four Native American teenagers growing up on a reservation in eastern Oklahoma.
Stars: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor
Votes: 24,254
27. The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
PG-13 | 156 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
In January 1969, The Beatles set out to write and record new songs for their first live show in more than two years, culminating in an impromptu concert atop their Savile Row studio.
Votes: 28,121
28. Help (2021 TV Movie)
98 min | Drama
Sarah seems to have found her calling working in a Liverpool care home where she has a special talent for connecting with the residents. Then, in March 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic hits.
Director: Marc Munden | Stars: Jodie Comer, Lesley Sharp, Stephen Graham, Ian Hart
Votes: 12,087
29. Guilt (2019–2023)
660 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two brothers accidentally run over and kill an old man. They cover their tracks, but their lives start to fall apart when neighbors and relatives of the dead doubt the way he died.
Stars: Mark Bonnar, Emun Elliott, Henry Pettigrew, Jamie Sives
Votes: 5,368
30. Master of None (2015–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
The personal and professional life of Dev, a 30-year-old actor in New York.
Stars: Aziz Ansari, Eric Wareheim, Lena Waithe, Noël Wells
Votes: 76,322
Netflix
31. Unforgotten (2015– )
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
London detectives investigate crimes from the past, unravelling secrets left buried for years.
Stars: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jordan Long, Carolina Main, Nicola Walker
Votes: 30,543
32. The Cleaner (2021– )
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician, is responsible for the removal of any signs of death from crime scenes.
Stars: Greg Davies, Zita Sattar, Jane Lewis, Sam Ward
Votes: 6,309
33. Insecure (2016–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern-day African-American woman.
Stars: Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell
Votes: 22,391
34. Ghosts (2019–2023)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A group of spirits restlessly squabble in an abandoned country house. To their despair, a young couple inherits the house with hopeful plans to renovate it into a luxury hotel.
Stars: Lolly Adefope, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas
Votes: 26,531
35. Motherland (I) (2016–2022)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
This is a programme about navigating the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood. It looks at the competitive side and unromantic tale on parenting--not the cute, acceptable face of motherhood.
Stars: Anna Maxwell Martin, Lucy Punch, Diane Morgan, Paul Ready
Votes: 8,156
36. Gods of Snooker (2021)
Documentary, Sport
For a remarkable period in the 80s, snooker became a national obsession, eclipsing even football. This is the story of the characters who turned the game into a soap opera, catapulting it from smoky halls to the public conscience.
Stars: Gary Lineker, Steve Davis, John Virgo, Ken Doherty
Votes: 164
37. Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution (2021)
Documentary
A documentary about the rise of New Labour with all the key politicians of the time providing a distinctly intimate window into the stunning rise of Tony Blair and how he succeeded in ... See full summary »
Stars: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Patricia Hewitt
Votes: 174
38. Clarkson's Farm (2021– )
TV-PG | 45 min | Documentary, Comedy, Reality-TV
Follow Jeremy Clarkson as he attempts to run a farm in the countryside.
Stars: Jeremy Clarkson, Kaleb Cooper, Charlie Ireland, Lisa Hogan
Votes: 55,940
39. Pose (2018–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
In the New York of the late '80s and early '90s, this is a story of ball culture and the gay and trans community, the raging AIDS crisis, and capitalism.
Stars: Michaela Jaé (MJ) Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Angel Bismark
Votes: 32,844
40. Bo Burnham: Inside (2021 TV Special)
TV-MA | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
A musical comedy special shot and performed by Bo Burnham, alone, over the course of a very unusual year.
Director: Bo Burnham | Star: Bo Burnham
Votes: 54,475
Netflix
41. The Hunt for a Killer (2020)
45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Based on true stories about real homicide investigations in the south of Sweden between 1989-2004
Stars: Anders Beckman, Lotten Roos, Håkan Bengtsson, Lars Schilken
Votes: 2,108
42. Hellbound (2021– )
TV-MA | 150 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Unearthly beings deliver bloody condemnations, sending individuals to hell and giving rise to a religious group founded on the idea of divine justice.
Stars: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah
Votes: 28,684
Netflix
43. The Flight Attendant (2020–2022)
TV-MA | 719 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A reckless flight attendant with an alcoholism problem wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man - and no idea what happened. Unable to piece the night together, she begins to wonder if she could be the killer.
Stars: Kaley Cuoco, Zosia Mamet, Griffin Matthews, Rosie Perez
Votes: 62,747
44. The Pursuit of Love (2021)
60 min | Drama, Romance
Set in Europe before World War II, the story follows the adventures of charismatic, fearless Linda Radlett and her best friend/cousin Fanny Logan. Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, each seeks out the ideal husband.
Stars: Lily James, Emily Beecham, Dominic West, Emily Mortimer
Votes: 5,389
45. Lupin (2021– )
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.
Stars: Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Soufiane Guerrab, Etan Simon
Votes: 138,722
Netflix
46. Together (VI) (2021)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A husband and wife are forced to re-evaluate themselves and their relationship through the reality of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Directors: Stephen Daldry, Justin Martin | Stars: James McAvoy, Sharon Horgan, Samuel Logan
Votes: 4,915
47. The North Water (2021)
TV-MA | 300 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
A disgraced former military doctor embarks as a surgeon aboard a whaler bound for the Arctic, where his quest for redemption becomes a fight for survival.
Stars: Jack O'Connell, Colin Farrell, Sam Spruell, Roland Møller
Votes: 16,369
48. Four Hours at the Capitol (2021)
TV-MA | 92 min | Documentary, Crime
A chronicle of the incursion at the U.S. Capitol, when thousands of citizens from across the country gathered in Washington D.C., many with the intent of disrupting the certification of Joe Biden's presidency.
Director: Jamie Roberts | Stars: Eddie Block, Buddy Carter, Jim McGovern, Leah Han
Votes: 3,852
49. Ladhood (2019–2022)
25 min | Biography, Comedy
A coming-of-age comedy from BAFTA-nominated comedian Liam Williams, who explores the roots of modern-day masculinity by delving into the memories of his own misspent adolescence.
Stars: Liam Williams, Oscar Kennedy, Samuel Bottomley, Aqib Khan
Votes: 1,137
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