Check out the series that were successful throughout 2021

Build a list of the “best” of the TV for 2021 represents a daunting task, thanks to the abundance of quality content and the blurring of boundaries between traditional and newer formats.

Overall, the miniseries were the standout genre of the year, producing more memorable shows than any other – at least, until the producers try to continue them, which rarely works well.

Television has also upped its game with some ambitious and downright fun new series, in addition to the usual by-product alphabet soup of procedural crime.

Documentaries, in turn, boosted the news cycle on some fronts (such as “Framing Britney Spears”) and captured the political challenges facing the U.S face at this point (“Four Hours at the Capitol” from HBO and “Q: Into the Storm” standing out in that sense).

As for those who comb through this list for oversights, there are certainly many, and rest assured that many other titles have been considered.

They include the winner of the Emmy “Ted Lasso,” who never hit the nerve in this quadrant as elsewhere and did even less with a rather bumpy second season, and “Round 6“definitely one of the most influential shows of the year, whose shortcomings (like those wealthy viewers) didn’t guarantee a spot among the best.

In addition, “WandaVision” by Marvel in a sense it represents everything the studio has accomplished in expanding to streaming as the most ambitious of the four shows. Disney+ introduced in 2021, although the others have their merits to varying degrees.

With this disclaimer, here, in no specific order, are the highlights of TV 2021, divided, whenever possible, into categories that reflect, in a small way, the breadth of what was available:

New series

Winners: “The Big Leap” (Fox), “Ghosts” (CBS)

Both shows provided a welcome mix of comedy and surprising warmth, the first involving the cast and crew of those putting together a fictional reality show, the second redoing a British comedy about a couple moving into a new home with an experience of near death giving the wife the ability to see and hear the ghosts that reside there.

I add an honorable mention to “Ordinary Joe” (NBC), an ambitious concept that also started with great promise but didn’t hold up, and the return of “The Wonder Years” on ABC.

New season

Winner: “Succession” (HBO)

Even with all the commotion surrounding this drama of the HBO, season three was a category unto itself, paving a path toward an epic ending that seemingly redefined the playing field.

Furthermore, with possible apologies to “The Crown” (which did not debut in 2021) and a few select others, the series currently has the best cast on television.

miniseries

Winners: “The White Lotus” (HBO), “Mare of Easttown” (HBO), “Dopesick” (Hulu), “The Underground Railroad” (Amazon), “WandaVision” (Disney+)

A true miniseries boom, with “The White Lotus” exploring the class divisions of a luxury resort, “Mare of Easttown” offering a glittering showcase for Kate Winslet, and “WandaVision” presenting the history of sitcoms through a pair of Avengers , in a strange and tragic love story.

“The Underground Railroad,” meanwhile, has presented a fascinating alternative history of the United States and slavery, while “Dopesick” – despite some hiccups – seems overly urgent with its dissection of Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis from multiple perspectives.

From theater to screen

Winners: “Come From Away” (Apple TV +), “Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself” (Hulu)

In a year with a glut of musicals, Apple’s one-stage performance of 9/11, based on the true story of those temporarily trapped in Newfoundland, was both uplifting and emotionally devastating.

As for DelGaudio, he apparently reinvented magic as a TV show in a solo show that deftly expanded his live performance.

Documentaries

Winners: “Framing Britney Spears” (FX), “Muhammad Ali” (PBS), “Four Hours at the Capitol e Q: Into the Storm” (HBO)

Arguably, no show has done as much to propel a particular news story as the first of several Britney Spears documentaries, with this New York Times Presents effort leading to end of your guardianship after 13 years.

Ken Burns’s eye for the greatest boxer of all time captured the champion in a year of notable documentary profiles, including those that debuted in theaters like “Val” and “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road.”

“Four Hours at the Capitol,” however, delivered a visceral portrayal of the events of January 6, while “Q: Into the Storm” connected with those events as it traced the movement’s sketchy roots, along with impact about them that descended through the rabbit hole.

new faces and voices

Winners: “Reservation Dogs” (FX), “The Sex Lives of College Girls” (HBO Max)

There was a diversity of series that showed new talents, but the advantages of these two must be recognized. One is about young Native Americans coming of age in Oklahoma. The other is about university students from a privileged university, capturing two very different sides of the young people who struggle to find each other.

Returns

Winners: Dexter: New Blood (Showtime), Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Despite initial skepticism about bringing “Dexter” back after the original ending, the new season recaptured what was great about the series, starting with Michael C. Hall’s mix of wry humor and vigilant threat.

As for the series about “Karate Kid” (which debuted in 2021, debuted on Jan. 1 and returns on Dec. 31), the show has proven incredibly creative as it enters its fourth season, updating and playing with its changing allegiances.

the fabulous four times two

Winners: The Beatles: Get Back (Disney +) e McCartney 3,2,1 (Hulu)

THE Beatles epic documentary Peter Jackson’s received all the attention, but can be seen in conjunction with the Hulu’s journey down memory lane with Paul McCartney – two lovers for those for whom “Yesterday” doesn’t seem so far away.