Best shows of 2021: ‘Succession,’ ‘Mare of Easttown’ and more

The golden age of television continues to roll in, giving us more money than ever — the stupendous influx of more binge-worthy offerings during the pandemic didn’t help — as we try to make sense of and pick the best of the best. Let’s try …

wandavision

choice of Loki, the Falcon and the Winter Soldier And Hawkeye Can be hit-and-miss at times, but there really can’t be any faults in the MCU’s first and best Disney+ series that carried two beloved characters avengers The Movies -Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision – set in an idyllic, suburban town in the 1950s. With a tremendous amount of heart, the format (a loving parody/homage to the classic sitcom) changes with every episode, jumping from decade to decade, along with all the TV tropes associated with the enthusiast of that particular era. It’s brilliantly inventive, written and executed with shrewd assurance, and Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany dazzle in career-defining performances. Also, leave it to Marvel to give us the best movie line of the year: “What’s sadness, if love doesn’t hold firm?”

Chair

Co-produced by actors Amanda Peet — first-time showrunner — and Annie Julia Wyman, the Netflix limited series, set in a fictional university, was an absolute delight over the duration of its three-hour runtime. Sandra Oh is hilarious as Ji-eun Kim, who has just been appointed the first female chair of the English department at her university, and has to deal with sexism and racism in order to quash culture and crush one of her fellow professors. Something has to be dealt with. A knock-out ensemble cast (Jay Duplass and a scene-stealing Holland Taylor) further adds to the easy binge-watch nature of the play, which is always sharp, witty, and diligently self-aware.

Succession (Season 3)

Jesse Armstrong’s masterpiece remains the coolest thing on television for a while, and it was one to wonder if they could live up to the skyrocketing expectations before the third season. In the end, it mocked our skepticism, raising the bar even higher, because when Kendall publicly denounces her father Logan we all reconcile with the Roy family after hell breaks loose. There’s a lot to admire about the show, from razor-sharp dialogues to huge, fiery twists that seem to come out of nowhere, but it’s the performances—Matthew McFadden as Tom Wambgsgans deserves special mention here—that really. elevate in succession To be one of the all-time greats. We can’t wait any longer.

squid game

In the wake of its global popularity, it’s easy to forget that Hwang Dong-hyuk’s K-drama followed the initial shock value of what went beyond the textbook survival show-template. As stated in our previous review of the show, it has unnecessary violence and nervous moments, but what really ticked it off are the moments of camaraderie shared by the contestants. Nearly every other participant in the game has a significant takeaway scene (Ho-Yeon’s breakout performance, in particular, stands out), aided by the technical genius behind its creation. A second season is now under production, after finding resonance with fans around the world by exploring topics like income inequality and unemployment, which may not be a completely good thing… but we really shouldn’t be complaining.

Ted Lasso (Season 2)

What more can be said for the most feel-good outing on television? The soccer comedy, which hit the awards circuit and helped a lot in its recovery from the pandemic, has now – deservedly – hit the big time, emerging as the flagship project of Apple TV+. After selling his ridiculous but believable premise in the first season, ted lasso Returned with its joyous cast of more silliness, truth bombs and of course, scams. Jason Sudeikis continues to portray Titanic with unwavering tenderness and belief in the basic goodness of people, while Hannah Waddingham gets to portray a softer side to Rebecca Welton this time, though you can already see her devilish icyness. miss. As the story lines deepen and are shared widely by other characters, the players’ mental health becomes a frequent topic, even as Lasso’s personal development progresses in such a way that he – or We didn’t see coming.

Maid

Based on the memoirs of Stephanie Land, Maid: Hard work, low pay and a mother’s desire to survive, the Molly Smith Metzler mini-series tells the story of Alex (Margaret Qualley), who leaves her abusive boyfriend to start life anew with her two-year-old daughter, Maddie. While trying to negotiate the labyrinthine bureaucratic process in order to get help, she supports herself and Maddie by cleaning the well-heeled’s beautiful homes. Once you’re able to see beyond the fact that Alex’s experience as a young, attractive white woman will be very different from that of a woman of color, the 10-episode series is a gripping take on relationships, parenting, and poverty. Testament. Kwali is dazzling as Alex and her real-life mother, Andie McDowell, shines as her free-spirited bipolar mother, Paula. Rylia Newah Whitett as Maddie is adorable.

Easttown’s Mare

Kate Winslet shines as a troubled detective sergeant in a small town in Pennsylvania. Among her many troubles are her ex-husband’s upcoming marriage, her son’s suicide, her daughter’s desire to move out, and a custody battle for her grandson. And a murder and a year old missing are also to be solved. Like all good crime fiction, Brad Inglesby’s show goes beyond genre to look at the impact of violent crime on a community. Guy Pearce with a highly questionable haircut plays a creative writing professor who’s dating a mare.

underground Railroad

Based on the eponymous Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead, underground Railroad Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, it is set in the 19th century and tells the story of two slaves, Cora (Thusso Mbedu) and Caesar (Aaron Pierre), who flee their Georgia plantation. They use the Underground Railroad, a series of historically safe houses, to escape. In the 10-episode series, like the novel, railroads are presented as an actual network of trains with stations and locomotives. Although difficult to watch, it is a layered and entertaining presentation of hard facts about American history. Joel Edgerton as slave-catcher Arnold Ridgeway overshadows his almost Ahab-like passion for the faraway.

white Lotus

Mike White’s six-episode mini-series is a brutal satire on a group of wealthy tourists at a luxurious resort in Hawaii. The ensemble cast including Jake Lacey and Alexandra Daddario as a honeymoon couple, Connie Britton as a CFO, her husband (Steve Zahn) and children, Fred Hechinger and Sidney Sweeney, and Jennifer Coolidge after the closure As a flaky, troubled woman struggling for her mother’s death, all equally great. Murray Bartlett takes an extraordinary turn as Armand, the Tennyson-cited resort manager. At a time when travel could only be dreamed of, seeing the luxurious resort in Hawaii’s sun-kissed beaches was a big, fat plus.

only murders in the building

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez star in this engaging comedy about a murder in their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building called The Arconia. Created by Martin and John Hoffman, the series follows three: an actor best known for playing a detective on the ’90s show (Martin); a Broadway producer of the musical Who Has Seen Better Days (short); and a young woman who knew the murder victim (Gomez) as they turn their neighborhood murder into a true crime podcast. Guest stars including musician Sting are hilarious as are Jane Lynch as Saez Pataki, a friend of Martin’s character and stunt double. Laughter and killing are certainly the best medicine to beat sadness.