Not entirely sure how fondly we'll all look back on 2021 really. But in the interests of proving at least some good things came out of the last 12 months, here's the first part of the Top Twenty TV Programmes that entertained, thrilled, amused and kept me diverted from the general bin fire of the year. How many have you seen/agree with?
20 - Yellowjackets (Sky Atlantic)
Bit of a risk putting this in the list when it hasn't ended yet, but what's aired so far certainly deserves a spot. US girls' soccer team crashes in the wilderness and the fun never stops (actually, far from fun, as you'd imagine). Coupled with flash forwards to the present day and star turns from Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci, the whole cast is very strong in both eras. Topped off with some strong 90's female-fronted tuneage to really set the mood.
19 - Flight Attendant (Sky Atlantic)
Not the obvious thing to expect Kaley Cuoco to choose as her star vehicle after the end of The Big Bang Theory, but all the better for it. Stretching her acting abilities to cover drama, action, the odd violent murder and touches of the more familiar comedy Kaley more than holds her own, even against the formidable Michelle Gomez. Bonus points for the Mad Men-esque title sequence.
18 - Slasher (Shudder on Dsiney+)
The fourth season of the even-more-horror-than-American Horror Story, Canadian ensemble piece which gives us a new gory tale every year. Unlike the hit-or-miss approach of AHS, Slasher stuck to a more simple premise this time round as much mystery whodunit as slasher-flick - focusing on a wealthy family forced to battle it out to 'win' the inheritance of their sadistic patriarch. Think Succession meets Squid Game via Saw. Not for everyone, but as not so much of a horror/slasher fan myself, this remains a high quality example of the genre.
17 - Y The Last Man (Disney+)
Anyone following the torturous journey of this comic from page to screen over the last decade would have been both as excited and worried as I was to see the quality of the final product. The result...well it sort of showed on screen, to be honest. A really strong first episode, outlining the impact of (almost) all the planet's men dropping down dead, then a bit of a muddled middle third before ending strong as it decided what sort of show it was going to be. Interesting premise, with a surprising take for those expecting the female-led world to not make the same mistakes as the men did. You could argue for years as why that would/wouldn't be the case. Or to summarise - a thought provoking update on The Two Ronnies' Worm That Turned.
16 - Stargirl (Amazon Prime)
Another strong year for Stargirl, showing that the previous season wasn't a fluke that would run out of steam once the titular hero earned her stripes (or S.T.R.I.P.E.S. as fans may say). Superhero adaptations of course aren't for everyone, but this show circumvents the stereotypical pitfalls that many fall into - both avoiding CGI-heavy fights when you would expect one and having real consequences when they do occur. The show is slowly living up to its early Buffy comparisons and developing a strong supporting cast that is both comic-faithful and complex.
15 - Hawkeye (Disney+)
Another comic adaptation, this time from the Marvel side of the tracks. They've been busy throughout 2021 with no less than five live action shows. Possibly one of the most 'but...why?' decisions was a Hawkeye show - after all other Avengers have had big budget movies made of them. The show poked fun of itself in that regard and, cleverly, fully-embraced the Christmas theme. The buddy chemistry between Jeremy Renner and relative-newcomer Hailee Steinfled was a joy as was the (spoiler-free) inclusion of guest stars. Above all, the six episodes were a bit of a rarity in modern TV, just a lot of fun: the Die Hard of the Marvel Universe.
14 - All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5)
What an unbridled (ahem) joy All Creatures is. Trying not to repeat myself from last year, but the same holds true (un)fortunately. It's easy to see how this programme hit a chord with global audiences, eager for a slice of cosy nostalgia to escape from reality for a bit. But the stellar cast and storylines go far beyond lowest-common-denominator Heartbeat-feelgoodness. I mean Dame Diana Rigg was in it before her death for God's sake. Callum Woodhouse in particular plays a blinder as Tristan, slowly developing the character from bratish tearaway to someone with the biggest heart on the show - and that's saying a lot in this one!
13 - Invincible (Amazon Prime)
Possibly the furthest away from All Creatures, a comic adaptation so violent and globe-spanning that it could only be afforded as a cartoon. Invincible (with a faithful-to-the-source-material twist) went further than other shows have gone but where it absolutely still made sense to the story. I mean, would an alien invasion pass off without mass carnage? Spoilers, no it would not. Also - hot cartoon dad.
12 - Ted Lasso (Disney+)
There was no way that Ted Lasso could have topped it's impactful premier season where the world sat up and took notice of a show about footy that wasn't about footy. If they'd repeated the 'everyone should just get along and then you'll be happier' approach then that wouldn't have worked. But instead, they went down a far more difficult path, digging deeper into the surface-level 'everything's okay' approach of Ted and proving there aren't any easy answers to people's problems. That may not have gone down as well with the pandemic-stricken audience but it proves there's a long shelf-life in the Ted Lasso show - not least to see where they go with Nate in particular.
11 - Mare of Easttown (Sky Atlantic)
Kate Winslet proving why she gets so many Oscars by transferring her considerable star talent to television. She easily adopted the US accent and mannerisms of the titular Mare (she's a policewoman, not a mayor - as I soon realised when watching - d'oh). The subject matter wasn't easy going by any means - a young woman murdered, Mare dealing with the death of her child, but the story was so gripping and the cast so top-notch that it was a surprisingly bingeable watch). This was primarily down to the mystery at the show's heart, the twists and shocks along the way and how at the conclusion it made perfect sense and was acted out superbly.
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