Best Television of 2021

 

Another year. Lots of television and, with pandemic restricting a ton of "going out," a lot of time to view. Particularly with a stressful world/life, I'm continuing to lean towards the half-hour dramedy format. Lots of HBO Max and Netflix though plenty of other streaming sources, particularly with my top five. Here we go.

Favorite Shows

21. Love Life (season 2, HBO Max)

Same universe, mostly new cast. This season hit. Protagonist Marcus (William Jackson, aka The Good Place's Chidi) stumbles his way through a number of relationships and modern woes. I'm here for it.

20. Genera+ion (season 1, HBO Max)

SoCal teenagers doing their thing. Making mistakes, dealing with issues present distinctly today. All very Gen Z. It's removed from my personal experience but congruent with what I see with current college students. Wonderfully shot, sound-tracked, acted, and written. 

19. Special (season 2, Netflix)

Wonderfully funny and engaging and, of course, opening a lens on a person with a disability's experience. 

18. Rupaul's Drag Race (season 13, Paramount+)

Ok, so here's the thing: Since September 2020, I started Rupaul's Drag Race and have caught up on the show, including All Stars and a few seasons of UK and Canada. So, Rupaul has played a large part of my past year and a half. For the latest season, I loved the top five and was very pleased with the winner. The lewks, the kiki-ing, the whole structure of the show. I'm a decade+ behind but I'm all in now.

17. Sex Education (season 3, Netflix)

Wonderfully scripted and explores so much of teenager's (and human's) sex lives. British and Gillian Anderson elevate it. Give us another season or two!

16. Atypical (season 4, Netflix)

Confession: I haven't finished this season but I'm connected to this family and navigating life and it's just good.

15. Feel Good (season 2, Netflix)

This show is hella funny. Lead Mae is perfect, full of insecurities and flaws and so funny. The seasons are real short but pack a lot of plot and humor in, in the best way possible.

14. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (season 2, Netflix)

Sketch genius. Bizarre premises, perfect timing, great guests, and just the right amount of sketch wants. 

13. Hacks (season 1, HBO Max)

Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are fantastic leads. Great writing, great generational comparison.  

12. How To With John Wilson (season 2, HBO Max)

This show is brilliant. Documentarian John Wilson wanders around NYC, chooses a topic, and somehow threads dozens of clips into his theme for the week. Funny and human and unlike anything else I'm watching. 

11.Search Party (season 4, HBO Max)

The gang is back together. Moving on from "solving a crime" and now dealing with the consequences of their actions. Perfectly Millennial but not annoying about it. The show takes bizarre turns in the best way. 

10. Mare of Easttown (season 1, HBO Max)

Watched this hour-long seven-episode season in a two-day period. I'm a sucker for long-form detective shows and this one reeled me in perfectly. Kate is amazing and I'm all about the Philadelphia accents and references.   

9. Tuca & Bertie (season 2, Cartoon Network / Adult Swim)

Netflix dropped this gem but thankfully CN picked it up. Ali Wong & Tiffany Haddish as the lead voices. Their work is perfect. The animation is Bojack Horseman style but they've upped the ante in a creative direction. Love these gals.

8. Only Murder in the Building (season 1, Hulu)

Somehow a comedy, detective thriller, inter-generational, and a meta-commentary on podcasts and true-crime. The leads are fantastic and somehow Steve Martin and Martin Short pair perfectly with Selena Gomez.

7. The Other Two (season 2, HBO Max)

NYC sibling seek to elevate their professional careers in the entertainment industry while watching their mother and brother's careers blow-up with little effort. Both a great family relationships comedy and an incisive commentary on modern day definitions of success.

6. Insecure (season 5, HBO Max)

Issa! You and your crew will be missed! As always, a fantastic exploration of a thirty-something making it in the world, trying to find love, and uncompromisingly black. The final season kept it fresh, kept up the perfect sound-tracking, and kept up a near perfect show.  

5. Girls5eva (season 1, Peacock)

This show slapped. Tina Fey funny and I'm here for it. A group of women come back a couple decades later to revive their careers. So bizarre and somehow plot driven without being overly-complicated. Yes to a second season!

4. What We Do in the Shadows (season 3, FX on Hulu)

Comedy perfection. The show has fully hit it's stride. So funny and bizarre and exploring unchartered territory of premise (documentary style with a group of vampires living in Staten Island). 

 

3. Big Mouth (season 5, Netflix)

I keep waiting for this show to turn a corner and run out of jokes and premises yet they continue to delve into hilarious topics while being kind and considerate to the (raunchy) puberty themes. The hormone monsters are infinitely quote-able and I'm ready for more. 

2. Pen15 (season 2.2, Hulu)

The latter part of season 2 (seven episodes) was just so perfect. I guess I'm a sucker for puberty story-lines written/performed by thirty-somethings (see Big Mouth). Maya and Anna are hilarious middle school girls with all of the charm, annoyance, and illogic of that age. They are infinitely loyal and horny. The last episode was a crowd pleaser and I was more than pleased.

1. Ted Lasso (season 2, Apple TV+)

Along with everyone else, I find this show to be perfection. So heart-warming and good-natured without being saccharine. Each character is fully human and nuanced and they actually have character arcs. Give me season three. 

  

 

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically)

• 100 Foot Wave (season 1)
• Bob's Burgers (season 11)
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 8)
• It's a Sin (mini-series)
• Legendary (season 2)
• Loki (season 1)
• Pride (documentary series)
• Making It (season 3)
• Never Have I Ever (season 2)
• Q-Force (season 1)
• Reservation Dogs (season 1)
• Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6)
• Rutherford Falls (season 1)
• Schmigadoon! (mini-series)
• Shrill (season 3)
• Starstruck (season 1)
• Succession (season 3)
• Wandavision (season 1)
• We're Here (season 2)
• We Are Ladyparts (season 1)

Highly Anticipated (listed alphabetically)

• Betty (season 2)
• The Chair (mini-series)
• Dear White People (season 4)
• Maid (season 1)
• Master of None (season 3)
• The Morning Show (season 2)
• Modern Love (season 2)
• Landscapers (season 1)
• Sort Of (season 1)
• The White Lotus (season 1)

Best Albums of 2021

 

I'm trying to keep my music listening alive. I get distracted by podcasts, TV, and life. I still really love listening to music and discovering new or current artists and albums. Lots of my albums are for the vibes or mood. My top two albums were legit "sought out all of the time" though. Sidenote: ten years too late, I took the plunge and bought a record-player (in November). Hoping that keeps me hooked in to the scene. The following are my top ten along with a list of other honorable mentions.

10. Leon Bridges - Gold-Diggers Sound

Leon continues to bring the sweet, smooth tunes. He does so again on this one. 

9. Jorja Smith - Be Right Back

Okay Jorja just has incredible vocals and her sound is so silky. And British. 

8. Paris, Texas - BOY ANONYMOUS

This group is a vibe. I'm here for it. 

7. Adele - 30

Adele saturates our culture. She has the vocals and the tracks to back it up. I'm generally a fan and respect her. I also don't have her on repeat. With 30, Adele meanders in the best way possible. There's some Rolling in the Deep sounds, some Motown girl group sounds, and her usual powerhouse ballads. She knows herself, she gets musically adventurous here and there, and there's a freshness that I'm here for.

6. Snail Mail - Valentine

Front-woman Lindsey Jordan levels up on this one. Her indie hooks and lyrics are fresher than ever. When I first heard single Valentine, I think I listened 10x in a row.

5. serpentwithfeet - DEACON

Black, queer love coming at ya in R&B. More accessible (to me) than his last, this whole album is a vibe and a bop. 

4. Rhye - Home

My most listened to artist of the year according to Spotify. Rhye is generally smooth and sexy. But emphasis on the smooth. Thus, this one was played a lot of mornings while working. It's lovely.

Clairo - Sling

Clairo also leveled up on this one. Her sound got more full and mature. And she's a young 23 years old. I feel like I'm listening to 1970's folk. Yes, more, please. 

2. Olivia Rodrigo - Sour

Where did Olivia come from?? I was generally aware of the Driver's License phenomenon. And then Deja Vu dropped and I was hooked. Her full album rolled around and bop after bop. Pop-punk, ballad, pop-bangers. She's a force to be reckoned with. 

1. Lucy Dacus - Home Video

Been a fan for a minute. Singles Hot & Heavy and Brando were solid and I was into the "exploring hometown" concept. Then VBS dropped and it was non-stop listens. That track's recollection of a religious upbringing, held not with rejection but rather growth and at a different place in the present. Plus the Slayer rock moment at the three minute mark. Single Thumbs is outrageously good too. Lastly, I saw Lucy live this September in Richmond, VA with good friends and doing something resembling normal life was such a gift.

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically)

• AJ Tracey - Flu Game
• Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams
• Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
• Cautious Clay - Deadpan Love
• James Blake - Friends That Break Your Heart
• Jose Gonzalez - Local Valley
• Lil Nas X - Montero 
• Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
• Semler - Preacher's Kid
• SG Lewis - times
• Sufjan Stevens & Angelo de Augustine - A Beginner's Mind
• Vince Staples - self-titled
• The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore

Best Movies of 2021

Movies are back, in a way. Pandemic impact kept me from theaters until June (post-vaccine, of course). Movies originally meant for 2020 eventually released and other movies' productions have been delayed and whatnot. Regardless, the theater experience came back (for me) and there's always home-viewing. Last year took a significant hit on the amount of movies I watched compared to a normal year. All that said, there were lots of solid films; few that struck me deeply though I'm still in a weird head/heart space because of life.

I had a hard time ordering my favorite movies. No obvious frontrunner or absolute top three. Plenty that I thoroughly enjoyed though. I ordered my favorite twenty-one+ movies in the following way: eleven-to-twenty-one, top ten, then a list of honorable mentions. Due to the heightened pandemic precautions last year, I have a few 2020 movies on here. They technically "released" in 2020 but were not in theaters and eventually dropped on streaming services weeks or months into 2021. So, I'm adjusting my parameters to include some of those and have noted with a "(2020)" marker. Anyhow, my favorites.

Twenty-One to Eleven (listed alphabetically)

Candyman

Admittedly, I'm unfamiliar with the 1992 Candyman original. So, I can't compare or comment on the two in tandem with one another. That said, I was here for this horror/thriller that is shot from a distinctly black perspective. And I'll almost always check out anything with Jordan Peele's involvement (as co-writer).  

CODA

Heart-felt and inspiring and yes, a few tear-jerker moments. This one follows a blue-color Massachusetts fishing family with two deaf parents, their deaf son, and their hearing daughter who just happens to love singing. The hurdles and struggles are real and also (to my knowledge) realistically presented. The tone felt like watching an episode of Parenthood, lived-in and messy while also effective and true to life. This one flew under the radar for many though I think (hope) gets some award season recognition. Check this one out. (PS. CODA stands for :child of deaf adults.")

Encanto

Okay so maybe not Disney's most revolutionary movie in terms of premise but the visuals were absolutely lovely, it spoke to the importance of family, the songs were fun, and they (Disney) have expanded their empire to Colombia.

F9

My hard work in watching all of the Fast & Furious movies has finally paid off where I can now watch in theaters. This franchise is meant for summer viewing where on can check their brain at the door. All you need to know is that they take cars to outer space in this one. 

The Green Knight

This one was weird. A King Arthur era tale with Dev Patel. Dreams and journeys and who knows what else. But it had me engaged. 

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

This family movie was so fun. The animation was creative and story-oriented, the pop culture references were on point and not annoying, and the voice acting was a hoot. 

Nomadland (2020)

Well, this was a lovely movie. It won Academy Awards for best film and director (Chloe Zhao) so it's not wanting for recognition though it also wasn't necessarily buzzed about much outside of film nerds (to my knowledge). The story follows a woman (Francis McDormand) as she drifts from job to job, living in her converted van. Not intentionally depressing though certainly highlights the impact of our modern society on the lower-middle class, particularly for those that don't subscribe to traditional lifestyles. 

Plan B

A female-led teenage buddy comedy. (Obvious comparisons to Booksmart, for sure.) The general premise is that a "follow the rules" teenage girl discovers a boy didn't correctly use protection during a sexual encounter, thus setting her and her friend on a journey to track-down a Plan B pill in South Dakota. Suffice it to say, the journey is complicated for a couple of <18 year-olds. Obviously, there's social commentary. Though the movie relies on the writing, the chemistry of the two leads, and the execution to deliver a hilarious viewing experience. 

A Quiet Place: Part II

Even quieter! An incredible first ten(ish) minute sequence detailing the onset of the franchise (alien monsters attracted to noise). The rest: nail-biter thriller, hoping folks stay alive. Wouldn't be mad if there's a third installment to close out the storyline.

Summer of Soul

Music documentary directed by Questlove, showcasing a summer of 1969 Harlem festival. Iconic performances by Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and many more. Expertly edited and contextualized while reviving some incredible footage from fifty years ago.

Zola (2020)

The first major studio movie based on a Twitter thread. Stripper Zola (Taylour Paige) is convinced by her new friend to travel to Florida from Michigan based on a boyfriend's suggested opportunity for some gigs. There are twists. And turns. Wonderfully unique and bizarre while also inciteful and nuanced.

Top Ten (listed alphabetically)

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Perfect Kristen Wiig comedy. Weird and out of left field. I repeatedly didn't know where it was going or what was going to come at me next.

Belfast

Amidst the conflict in Ireland in the late 1960s, this is a small movie following one family. There's societal violence and turmoil literally on the doorstep of the family home. Yet the movie takes the point of view of one of the boys in the family. There's fear. There's consideration of "who is the enemy?" There are small decisions to be made that have big consequences. It's a lovely shot movie and expertly acted one.   

Dune

I'm not a Dune guy. Zero interest in reading the book(s). But director Denis Villeneuve and a slew of solid actors had me intrigued. The vast universe was beautiful to watch, the complex plot was made relatively simple to follow, and there was a nice balance of exposition with action. I'll be here for the sequel. 

Derek Delgaudio's In & Of Itself

This recording of a live off Broadway performance was arresting to watch. Part story-telling, part magic show. Emotional and impactful. An experience I've not had before. Really interesting watch.

In the Heights 

What a spectacle. And, this was my first movie to watch back in theaters which was a good choice. The music and dancing and cinematography was all so fun. I know some folks have had enough Lin Manuel Miranda but this served the perfect summer blockbuster musical magic that I needed. 

Inside 

Bo Burnham's stand-up has always been insightful and layered. He has long dealt with mental health and privilege and his place as a straight-white-man. Then he wrote/directed Eighth Grade, a nuanced look into a middle school girls' experience. Here on Inside, Bo may be struggling personally due to life and pandemic and everything else but he is operating at peak creativity. The entire concept, the music, it's all done expertly. 

Luca

A simple coming-of-age story on the Italian Riviera. Cute, beautiful to look at, and queer leaning in premise. Would love more of these straight-to-streaming gems. 

Promising Young Woman (2020)

This feminist vigilante movie was so fascinating to watch. The trailers give the premise but not to what level of depth or where it goes. This one also has so many twists and turns and a frustrating ending though also maybe realistic one. The script is fantastic and execution is very well done.

 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

As with much of the world, I show up to the Marvel movies. I'm not a die hard fan. But I'm there and they're generally fun to watch. Every once in a while, one comes along that changes up the game and I think Shang-Chi did just that. Simu Liu is a fantastic lead and Awkwafina is great, as usual. The fighting was fun to watch and I'm hoping for more.

Together Together

This indie-leaning movie follows Matt (Ed Helms) on his journey to find a surrogate (Anna, played by Patti Harrison). It's sweet. And funny. And emotionally resonates. It's an unusual story though an enlightening one. 

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically)

• Fear Street 1994, 1978, 1666
• Judas and the Black Messiah
• Licorice Pizza
• No Time to Die
• Nobody
• Pray Away
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Supernova (2020)
• The White Tiger
• West Side Story

Highly Anticipated (listed alphabetically)

• Being the Ricardos
• The French Dispatch
• The Lost Daughter
• The Power of the Dog
• Roadrunner
• The Rescue
• Roadrunner
• Titane