The Top 25 Programs of 2021 -- Part One

Ghosts CBS I don39t think I have chosen a broadcast network sitcom as my No 1 Program of the Year since the glory days of Friends and Frasier So why is CBS39 scary smart supernatural treat here Because in addition to ticking all my boxes clever dialogue marvelous multitiered storytelling great eccentric characters a genuinely original concept topnotch production values fine acting by a terrific new ensemble Ghosts pictured above also assumes a basic level of intelligence on the part of its audience Oh and it proves that broadcast programs can still be as distinctive and satisfying and interesting as shows on premium cable and streaming servicesDancing with the Stars ABC Why is a 16yearold broadcast competition series sitting in the second spot on my list Because DWTS roared excitingly back to life this fall even with a cast largely devoid of true quotstarsquot The production values for every single dance were dazzling and every episode felt like a grand achievement in live television Most episodes were built around a theme as such Grease night and those hours devoted to Disney heroes and villains were as entertaining as anything I watched all year And I39ll never forget at the end of the season watching Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten dancing to quotLive Your Lifequot a song written by Kloots39 late husband Nick Cordero which reduced everyone in the ballroom and more than a few of us watching at home to tears Nor the joy to be had watching the show39s firstever same sex dancing couple Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson enjoy one triumph after another Bravo to allReal Time with Bill Maher HBO Even without the many ugly urgencies of 2020 fueling his humoramp160and his conversations with guests Bill Maher continued to offer the only televised commentaries and insights worth watching about our increasingly twistedamp160times He can deconstruct conservative crap and liberal lunacy with equal aplomb a singular and stunning achievement that keeps him above the quagmire of cable quotnewsquot and a few hyperopinionated broadcast personalities too And he39s not afraid to defy the cancel culture and tell the woke mob to quotShut the fuk upquot My heroReservation Dogs FX on Hulu Leave it to FX on Hulu or anywhere else to deliver the most important new series of 2021 A comedy by indigenous creators about indigenous teens striving like most kids in their age range to extract themselves from the confines of the lives they were born into and get someplace better in this case Los Angeles There is nothing I can say here about Dogs that my colleague Juan Ayala hasn39t expressed in his review of the show or in his Multicultural TV Talk podcasts with series stars D39Pharoah Woonatai in a roundtable conversation that celebrated Native American History Month and Devery Jacobs Follow those links and be enlightenedSuccession HBO The twoyear stretch between its powerful prepandemic season two cliffhanger and its triumphant return this fall was certainly worth the wait as the powermad Roys resumed their family fight club without missing a beat down Not since the days of Dallas and Dynasty has it been so much fun to watch members of an obscenely wealthy family suffer their own slings and arrows eagerly cutting each other apartamp160at every turn But the Ewings and the Carringtons were all about oil amp8230 the rabid Roys are media moguls and that39s even more entertainingAcapulco Apple TV Chances are you haven39t watched this show yet so let me introduce you to another charming and disarming series brought to us by Apple TV the home of Ted Lasso and Schmigadoon I sense a pattern here By way of flashbacks to the 3980s Acapulco tells the story of a hardworking Mexican teenager39s slow climb from a workingclass background to a position in adulthood of tremendous wealth beginning with an entrylevel position at a fabulous oceanfront resort called Las Colinas Come for the natural beauty and the manmade luxuries stay for the sweet humor and hearttugging romantic drama Also worth noting Acapulco is I believe the first truly bilingual television series A genuine gemSchmigadoon Apple TV It39s hard to select one new show this year that was arguably more original than the rest WandaVision Ghosts Squid Game Yellowjackets but I39ll go with Schmigadoon a sixpart musical on Apple TV that came along after more than one year without Broadway musicals amp160or any musicals for that matter Every member of the eclectic multitalented cast toplined by the perfectly paired KeeganMichael Key and Cecily Strong was so delightful that it39s not right to say any one of them stole the show not even Kristin Chenoweth But I have to admit that Ariana DeBose leading a schoolhouse full of children in a spirited song and tap dance was the standout sequence for meSquid Game Netlfix Just as the South Korean thriller Parasite took the US movie industry by surprise in 2019 winning the Academy Award for Best Picture among other accolades the South Korean television series Squid Game this year came out of nowhere via Netflix to become what has arguably been the most talked about TV program of 2021 Small wonder I have never seen anything quite like it and just like you I couldn39t stop watching Its success inspired the hot Halloween costume of the year transformed those unremarkable Vans into the latest sick kicks and much more And here comes award seasonEvil Paramount This scary sexy funny and fascinating drama is a true horror show in the best sense of the term Series creators Robert and Michelle King continue to earn a place in TV history first by forcing broadcast drama to grow up with The Good Wife then by moving characters from that show into the streaming world via The Good Fight and now by moving Evil from CBS where it was equally creepy and challenging to Paramount Everyone in the cast is firstrate but Christine Lahti and Andrea Martin deserve special mention as scary good scene stealersThe White Lotus HBO After more than a year in lockdown we all needed a soothing warmweather vacation or at least a tropical diversion amp8211 and HBO more than delivered with Mike White39s lush limited series filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Maui about rich people trying to forget their problems by enjoying some fun in the sun with tumultuous results When it wasn39t sunny and sexy it was dark and twisty and always more engaging than Hulu39s somewhat similar stab at escapism Nine Perfect Strangers or Fox39s Fantasy IslandHacks HBO Max Jean Smart gave what I believe to have been the performance of the year as Deborah Vance a tough tireless brittle and ballsy legendary Las Vegas comedienne who worked her way to the top no matter the cost and seeks to remain there with the help of an entitled selfinvolved recently humbled young comedy writer named Ava nifty newcomer Hannah Einbinder Filled with support conflict suspicion and admiration their relationship is a fascinating mess that somehow bridges the widest generation gap we39ve seen in yearsThe Good Fight Paramount It was hardly the first time that this show reflected what was happening in our country remember the opening scene of the very first episode back in February 2017 had lead character Diane Lockhart exclaiming quotOh shtquot upon learning that Donald Trump had been elected president but its reflection this season of the January 6 madness was priceless So was the seasonlong guest appearance by Mandy Patinkin as quotJudgequot Hal Wackner emphasis on the quotes who was at the center of it all The current racial tensions running through almost everything smacked the narrative upside the head as well Consider this another grand accomplishment for the Kings see EvilFind programs 1325 hereClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

The Top 25 Programs of 2021 -- Part One

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

More Videos:

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

The Top 25 Programs of 2021 -- Part One

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Ed Martin

Stay in the know with more from MediaVillage

TAGS:

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

Cookies