The Best TV Shows of 2021, So Far

“All Creatures Great and Small” (PBS)

It would have been simple for this series to coast on the reputation of the beloved 1970s miniseries as well as the series of James Herriot books that inspired it. But this reworking of Herriot’s semi-autobiographical story brings its own sweet, distinct verve, largely on the back of one of the most endearing ensembles you’ll find anywhere on TV. From newcomer Nicholas Ralph as Herriot to Samuel West as the prideful and sometimes-stoic Siegfried to Anna Madeley as Mrs. Hall, the woman who makes Skeldale House run smoothly, all seem perfectly at home in this version of Darrowby. Through the keen eyes of writer/creator Ben Vanstone, this Skeldale crew and their neighbors each enjoy the care and attention that the skillful veterinarians bring to their chosen craft. There’s romance and heartbreak and resilience, all set against the backdrop of the circle of animal life. All the way through its charming Christmas special, it’s a true and utter delight. —SG

“All Creatures Great and Small” Season 1 is streaming now on your local PBS website. Read our full review here.

“Blindspotting” (Starz)

On the surface, adapting the 2018 feature film “Blindspotting” into a TV show sounded impossible. The movie, which focused on a parolee witnessing an officer-involved shooting, was far too timely (and has, sadly, remained so), but also didn’t seem to yield an avenue for an extended series. But the film’s writers, Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, were up to the challenge and what has been produced for Starz is nothing short of revolutionary. Following the character of Ashley (Jasmine Cephas Jones) from the feature, the show has continued to explore social topics like mass incarceration and gentrification with a slick and hilarious twist. Ashley’s the one straight man in a sea of flamboyance, especially compared to her sister-in-law, Trish (Jaylen Barron). So far this season has given us song and dance, beautifully eloquent spoken word poems, and a complex story of one woman picking up the pieces and starting out on her own. It’s a series that deals in heavy topics, but so gracefully you can’t stop watching. —KL

“Blindspotting” Season 1 debuts new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz. The series is also streaming via the Starz app. Read our full review here.

“Couples Therapy” (Showtime)

The first season of Showtime’s intimate docuseries set within a doctor’s office created an engrossing balance of relationship studies and studying relationships. Viewers could get invested in the weekly sessions with specific coupules, rooting for them to find a healthy path forward or begging them to end their stale, unsalvageable partnerships. At the same time, they got to see the burden of responsibility thrust upon Dr. Orna, as she tried to stay alert, empathetic, and insightful, guiding her patients to the best possible decisions.

Season 2 amps up every aspect of the doctor-patient relationship. As the pandemic sets in, meetings are moved to the virtual realm, and everyone’s anxieties start to spike. The high drama of such relatable scenarios makes for great television on its own, but like the best TV always does, “Couples Therapy” grows and expands in its follow-up season, finding more to say and better ways to say it, under a different set-up and in the same amount of time. Watch for the vicarious viewing experience, or find the fitting parallels for your own life — either way, it’s a rewarding experience. —BT

“Couples Therapy” Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now via Showtime.

“Creepshow” (Shudder)

The second season of the Greg Nicotero-produced “Creepshow” sailed under the radar when it dropped earlier this year. But for horror fans, it continues to be one the most thoughtful, fun, and gory horror anthologies you’ll see. Season 2’s premiere, “Model Kid/Public Television of the Dead,” was a one-two punch of heart — about a boy’s love for monster movies helping him cope with the loss of his mother — with an additional episode focused on the terror of a public access channel dealing with the Necromonicon. Other episodes have attempted to put their finger on the pulse of current events, like the episode “Pipe Screams” about an evil landlord — appropriately named Karen — and a drain monster straight from the world of “CHUD.” Even episodes like “Dead and Breakfast,” which focuses on an influencer staying the night at a murderous bed and breakfast whose reputation is in dispute, contains laughs and terror. It’s just a fun show for gore hounds that deserves far more attention. —KL

“Creepshow” Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Shudder.

“Dave” (FXX)

To better understand what makes “Dave” such a standout success for FXX, it’s worth looking at the executive producer whose name isn’t part of the show’s title. Dave Burd, aka Lil’ Dicky, deserves a ton of credit for opening up his personal life and rap persona in a scripted comedy about a version of himself (played by Burd), especially considering the critique on white privilege that’s been so masterfully built into Season 2. But EP and showrunner Jeff Schaeffer has done this before: He’s helped Larry David craft a compelling comedy out of his own cantankerous antics in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” since its premiere, 21 years ago, capturing his famous central character’s identity without getting lost in its often singular point of view. Now, he’s doing it again with Dave Burd, and the results are mesmerizing. There aren’t that many shows out there that can surprise you every week, and that’s a testament to the many minds steering “Dave” down exciting new paths. —BT

“Dave” Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now via FX on Hulu. Read our Season 2 review here.

“Exterminate All the Brutes” (HBO)

An impossible-to-define docuseries, Raoul Peck’s four-part examination of how manmade atrocities can manifest again and again over the course of time — yes, all the way through to the present day — is a spellbinding rectification told through visual poetry. The documentarian behind “I Am Not Your Negro” weaves archival materials and scripted scenes together, repeatedly breaking the fourth wall to amplify the past’s connection to our present, and even using his own memories as another means to contextualize history. “Exterminate All the Brutes” is a challenging piece, but always accessible, focused, and revealing. Not enough TV series demand our eyes as well as our ears to fully appreciate their meaning; Peck makes sure you can’t look away. —BT

“Exterminate All the Brutes” is streaming now via HBO Max. Read our review here.

“Girls5eva” (Peacock)

What can I say about “Girls5Eva” that I haven’t already said? It certainly deserved more than just one Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Writing. Really, the Peacock show about a ’90s girl group reuniting as grown women could have easily run out of steam after its six-episode first season, but it was just enough to whet appetites for a Season 2. From Renee Elise Goldsberry’s Wickie Roy going Patti LuPone on an audience dressed like Jim Carrey from “The Mask” to Sara Bareilles singing a song about the fear of losing a tampon, every episode had me laughing and singing along. Seriously, how “New York Lonely Boy” isn’t on everyone’s playlist rotation remains egregious to me. —KL

“Girls5eva” is streaming now on Peacock. Read our Season 1 review here.

“The Good Fight” (Paramount+)

Few pieces of entertainment channeled anger toward the previous occupants of the White House as distinctively or effectively as “The Good Fight.” For similar reasons, no other show was as equipped to respond in near-real time to 2020 (and the opening weeks of 2021). Following a season premiere that took the dangling threads of Season 4 and fashioned them into a fascinating patchwork, the episodes following it have taken full aim at the power — both justifiably and not — that we concede to the institutions holding sway over so many lives and livelihoods. The always electric cast (led by Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, and Sarah Steele) adds another thunderbolt to its roster with Mandy Patinkin, having the most fun he’s had on screen in decades. Along with the always provocative “Evil,” Michelle and Robert King stand at the helm of two of the most thrilling series in all of TV. —SG

“The Good Fight” Seasons 1-5 are streaming now via Paramount+. Read our Season 5 review here.

“Hacks” (HBO Max)

First things first: Ending Season 1 the way that co-creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky did is very nearly unforgivable. It’s not that it ends badly; quite the opposite. Without spoiling exactly what happens in the first season of “Hacks” — which follows a legendary comedian (played by the legendary Jean Smart) and an up-and-coming comedy writer (played by up-and-coming comic Hannah Einbinder) as they form an odd-couple working relationship to better both of their careers — let’s just say the tease for (an already greenlit) Season 2 is so enticing that not providing us with episodes immediately should violate the TV writers’ Hippocratic Oath.

But I digress. Had the first 4 hours and 58 minutes of “Hacks” not been smart, striking, and hysterical, no one would’ve cared to know what came next. Smart is somehow better than the boatloads of praise rightly lavished upon her; Einbinder will burrow her way into your heart (or, at the very least, keep you snort-laughing every 10 minutes); the direction is sleek and informative; the writing crisp and self-aware; the whole package is exactly what you hoped for without ever skewing too close to what you’d expect. “Hacks” is quite simply must-see TV, and yes, when it comes to Season 2, I must see it this very second. —BT

“Hacks” Season 1 is streaming now via HBO Max. Read IndieWire’s review here.

“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” (Netflix)

One of television’s best sketch comedy series returned in full force on July 6. The sophomore season of “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson” boasts longer sketches, but the show’s latest batch of episodes are still as manically unpredictable, hilarious, and deeply re-watchable as ever. Each of Robinson’s screaming lunatics is instantly memorable in their own ways, as are the characters played by many of the show’s stellar guest stars — Sam Richardson’s return as the judge of yet another ludicrous competition is an instant highlight.

Robinson frequently pushes his vocal chords to the limit throughout the series and the show boasts plenty of surreal humor, but there’s also more than a few disarmingly empathetic moments scattered throughout the chaos. You never know what to expect in an episode of “I Think You Should Leave,” but it’s easy to keep coming back for more, long after each sketch has been burned into your memory. —TH

“I Think You Should Leave” Season 2 is streaming now on Netflix. Read IndieWire’s review here.

“Last Chance U: Basketball” (Netflix)

After five years as a Netflix doc series institution, Greg Whiteley and the rest of the “Last Chance U” lost nothing in the transition between the gridiron and the court. Bringing the same patient observations of junior college athletes it did to football teams from Mississippi to Oakland, this season took advantage of a smaller roster and a dynamic coach. Though the players of East Los Angeles College aren’t as synonymous with their immediate surroundings as some of their small-town juco counterparts, “Last Chance U: Basketball” still plants itself firmly at the intersection of dreams and realities, watching as actions on and off the court guide these players in one direction or the other. Facing impossible circumstances, the season’s final episode is a graceful close that puts the whole team’s efforts into an unexpected, touching perspective. —SG

“Last Chance U: Basketball” is streaming now via Netflix. Read IndieWire’s review here.

“Losing Alice” (Apple TV+)

It’s very easy for a story that blurs its own levels of fiction to lose itself. Yet Sigal Avin’s spellbinding story of a director trying to keep a grip on her family, her career, and the dividing line between art and reality thrives on keeping the audience firmly in that kind of limbo. Ayelet Zurer and Lihi Kornowski deliver two of the year’s most captivating performances, operating as opposite sides of a psychological pas de deux that comes to slowly devour everything in its path. There’s a meticulous way that this narrative nesting doll unravels that becomes far more than a self-contained mental puzzle. It’s shocking and thrilling at alternating turns, always in control even when it’s characters surely aren’t. —SG

“Losing Alice” Season 1 is streaming now via Apple TV+. Read our review here.

“My Love: Six Stories of True Love” (Netflix)

Almost a decade after Moyoung Jin’s film “My Love, Don’t Cross That River” told the story of a couple’s daily life 76 years after they were first married, this six-part series looks at a half-dozen other pairs celebrating similarly lengthy unions. Spanning four different continents, these episodes follow the natural pace of a partnership, as these couples face the fates of family businesses, various health-related realities, and the highs and lows of their children and grandchildren’s own lives. There are connections between some of these marriages, but the show overall proves that there’s no grand formula for “True Love,” no template that guarantees the kind of tenderness and understanding to build a life around. Even though everyone expresses their gratitude and their regrets in their own way, the main uniting force is that these people have each other. —SG

“My Love: Six Stories of Love” is streaming now via Netflix. Read our review here.

“Mythic Quest” (Apple TV+)

Honestly, there are lots of good reasons to dive into “Mythic Quest” at this exact point in time. 1. It’s highly addictive. 2. It’s very smart. 3. It’s consistently, propulsively, and creatively funny.

But we’ve gone over all that. A lot. So I’m going to give you a few bad reasons to start watching.

1. There’s a running a gag where Poppy (TCA Award nominee Charlotte Nicdao) shouts “fireball!” and throws something at Ian (Rob McElhenney). It almost always backfires, and when it doesn’t backfire, it doesn’t land the way she hopes it will. It’s great. And dumb. And funny.

2. Both Ian and Poppy (who, at the start of Season 2, serve as co-creative directors for the Mythic Quest MORPG video game) have a way of talking down to their staff that’s… highly entertaining. Poppy’s superiority complex is more overt, as she dismisses programmers and testers without a second thought to their self-esteem, but Ian — who prides himself on inspiring people — is built with a side of obliviousness, that makes him believe he’s saying all the right things, even when he’s taking people for granted (like, say, the art department head played by Derek Waters). Apart, their competiveness with each other pushes their frustrations with others to comic highs. Together, they will tear apart a tester even as they offer them an opportunity of a lifetime. Either way, the duo at the heart of “Mythic Quest” exude a cockiness warranted by their accomplishments, but it’s never toxic or ugly enough to undercut the enjoyment of watching them be a boss — whether it’s warranted or not. —BT

“Mythic Quest” Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Apple TV+.

“Philly D.A.” (PBS)

Making change in local politics or through the American judicial system is like trying to rotate a 200,000-ton ocean liner. One of the main takeaways from this documentary series is that it happens incrementally, and it requires the coordinated efforts of dozens, if not hundreds (if not thousands) of dedicated people. What began as a small-scale chronicle of an upstart district attorney campaign gradually morphed into a sprawling, expansive look at the inner workings of the office that longtime progressive Philadelphia defense attorney Larry Krasner would come to occupy. Through its looks at the employees affected by the transition to the tireless efforts of those within the office to overturn long-standing draconian sentencing laws, “Philly D.A.” expertly balances the small-scale and large-scale processes for shaping a city’s collective idea of justice. —SG

“Philly D.A.” is streaming now via Topic.

“Starstruck” (HBO Max)

Rose Matafeo is the brilliant force behind this U.K. import that blends showbiz comedy and sly modern romance. Co-writing and starring as Jessie, whose one-night stand with a stranger slowly develops into an unconventional fling with movie star Tom, Matafeo is impossibly at ease. Whether it’s one of the show’s sharp film-related one-liners or a morning-after jaunt across the canals of London (a strong Scene of the Year contender), Jessie is unapologetically herself, even when she’s not 100 percent sure of what she’s doing. From the thoroughly charming Tom (Nikesh Patel) to Jessie’s flatmate Kate (Emma Sidi) to her skeptical boss (Sindhu Vee), there are plenty of reasons to fall for this show, too. The timing is sharp, the chemistry (friend and otherwise) is instant, and the series’ overall approach to dating is refreshing as it is frank. “Starstruck” is a breeze, but don’t let that easy pace fool you: There’s plenty more going on here than at first glance. —SG

“Starstruck” Season 1 is streaming now via HBO Max. Read our review here.

“Tuca and Bertie” (Adult Swim)

Take a look at the above image. At first glance, a few things stand out: For one, everyone seated within the turquoise hull of this purple-accented passenger plane are bird-women. A little more consideration, and you’ll probably notice the titular Tuca (voiced by Tiffany Haddish) and Bertie (Ali Wong) embody their personalities in the way they’ve packed: Bertie has a bag on her lap, a big book on top, as well as a matching eye mask and neck pillow set, looped with a perfect little bow — she is prepared for this flight! Tuca is, too, but in her own way: She’s got a fanny pack so small you can’t even see it, and that’s all she needs!

Still, look even harder and you’ll find even more rewarding details: Bertie’s book is titled “Planteau,” which is the name of their destination (which shows how prepared she wants to be), and her eye’s iris isn’t the round little circle of her peers’ — it’s a puzzle piece, because the planner sitting in front of her just mentioned spending a day of their trip staying indoors with a puzzle.

These kind of details are part of every frame in “Tuca and Bertie,” and this isn’t even one of the more elaborate scenes; creator Lisa Hanawalt as well as her skilled team of animators pack every inch of their excellent series with character-centric additions, world-expanding flourishes, and endlessly inventive ideas, making each half-hour episode a cornucopia of creativity worthy of experiencing again and again. So make sure you do. —BT

“Tuca and Bertie” airs new episodes every Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET on Adult Swim. Season 1 is streaming on Netflix. Read our review here.

“The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video)

Best appreciated in manageable bites, rather than consumed all at once (as it was released), “The Underground Railroad” is an endearing, resounding story of one woman’s quest to find peace in a hostile place. That woman is Cora, played with human command by newcomer Thuso Mbedu, and that place is America, circa the mid-1800s. Barry Jenkins tells her epic journey with unparalleled intimacy, enriching and exploring each person she meets along the way to such a point that I’m reluctant to describe “The Underground Railroad” as “about” just one person. Part of that hesitancy comes from how attached and enamored you’ll become, in regard to so many other characters, but another part stems from knowing this isn’t a period story trapped in time. Cora is unique to herself, and Cora is all of us, searching for a corner of this country that’s not touched, if not overrun, by its original sin. Can peace exist in this world, or can it only be found within? How that question is answered makes “The Underground Railroad” utterly of the moment, and it’s best if you examine each moment, each thought, each scene, for much longer than it lasts onscreen. Then, and only then, will you feel full. —BT

“The Underground Railroad” is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Read our review here.

“Waffles + Mochi” (Netflix)

Rather than merely link to IndieWire’s review of this Netflix children’s gem, here’s an informative excerpt from our initial report, which called the series “the best kids’ TV show in a generation”:

As all parents know, there are three tiers of children’s TV. At the bottom, there is the “Please, just please, give me 20 minutes to finish this” tier — shows you throw on in the hope they’ll anesthetize your child into silence for the amount of time it takes to just make this goddamned call to the pharmacy, please.

The middle tier is the “Huh, this is pretty cute” level — shows with a little sass and verve that you don’t regret displaying to your child’s still-developing sense of self: the “Octonauts” and the “Storybots” and “The Muppets.”

The top tier, inarguably, is “Sesame Street.” Sweet, kind, watchable even for adults, full of smarts and in-jokes and characters that make mistakes but learn from them in a way that isn’t cloying.

And now “Sesame Street” has a companion in that top tier. Netflix, Higher Ground Productions, and creators Erika Thormahlen and Jeremy Konner have done something truly special with “Waffles + Mochi.” It’s the ethos of Michelle Obama’s work as a first lady on childhood health transformed into a show that’s part “Chef’s Table” food travelogue and part totally unhinged “Drunk History” homage — and one that’s all wrapped in a big, diverse, inclusive hug from “Sesame Street.”

“Waffles + Mochi” Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.

“The White Lotus” (HBO)

If you were hooked on “Mare of Easttown’s” murder-mystery but just wished things weren’t so dark, cold, and dour, then “The White Lotus” might be the summer apertif you’re searching for. Written and directed by Mike White (“Enlightened”), the six-part limited series takes place at a Hawaiian resort where a group of VIP guests have just arrived. A grieving adult daughter, a family of four (plus a friend), and honeymooners are taken in by The White Lotus’ staff, including a cheery hotel manager about to be pushed to his limit, a relaxation coordinator about to be teased with her dream job, and a staff about to be tested by everyone’s increasing demands.

“I’m sorry: You mentioned a murder?” Yes, I did! And there is one! And finding out who dies and who did it provides a lingering edge to these privileged proceedings, as White finds hilarity and horror amid what should’ve been a holiday reprieve for the guests and just another work-week for the locals. But someone won’t leave the island — just like some know they never could. —BT

“The White Lotus” airs new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The full season will stream via HBO Max. Read IndieWire’s review right here.