The 10 Shows Of 2021 That Deserve More Love (And Your Attention)
In a chaotic year, at least we've still got TV.
You watched Wandavision week-to-week; you binge-cried through It’s A Sin, were dazzled by Starstruck and you became briefly fixated with the Philadelphia accent because of Mare of Easttown. But beyond the must-see TV of 2021 are shows that are just as deserving as your attention.
Here are ten of them, by no means an exhaustive list. But here are the solid shows there’s a chance you’ve have missed, swallowed whole by the content churn and overlooked by both algorithms and people alike.
From solid sitcoms to revealing docu-series and post-apocalyptic New Zealand comedies that turn the dreary Handmaid’s Tale, uh, on its head, these are this year’s shows that deserve a few more eyeballs (and are readily streaming for Australian viewers).
Betty
Currently airing its second season, Betty is rolling with the punches — the female skateboarder comedy-drama tackles life during COVID-19 head-on and is all the better for it. Based off creator Crystal Moselle’s acclaimed 2018 film Skate Kitchen, Betty takes five Gen Z skateboarders and casts them in roles loosely modelled on themselves.
The result is a decidedly real drama, where the stakes are low but the vibes are high, as the show swaps out the heavy stylisation of most teen shows for a non-fiction air, one which lets us enjoy the friendships and lives of the characters.
Filmed on-location across New York City, Betty‘s S2 sees the characters adapt to their new world: the empty streets are theirs for the taking, but evictions, restrictions and frustrations loom over them. Still, the show’s core is their friendship, inviting the viewers into their world: it’s an understated joy.
Available on Binge.
Bump
Okay, Bump might not be so overlooked: after its New Year’s Day release, the Australian series became Stan’s most successful original series to date. But given our cultural reticence to anything homemade, there’s a good chance you were like me and avoided it on principle. That’s a mistake.
Co-created by Claudia Karvan and ex-journalist Kelsey Munro, Bump is an extremely bingeable light-drama about every woman’s horror story: not realising you’re pregnant until you give birth. Teen Oly (Nathalie Morris) is the surprise mother, whose own mum (Karvan) is entangled with the father of her daughter’s stoner baby daddy, Santi (Carlos Sanson Jnr.). Messy! Heartfelt and charming, Bump is well worth getting over any cultural cringe.
Available on Stan.
Can’t Get You Out Of My Head: An Emotional History Of The World
It’s easy to make fun of BBC documentarian Adam Curtis, whose latest decade-spanning, continent-jumping work take giant leaps to explain the evils of capitalism, conspiracy theories, the alt-right and the weak left.
Me when Adam Curtis tells me, through a collage of archival footage, that the course of my life was defined by the seemingly chance encounter of several powerful men in London in 1958: “Neat!”
— james hennessy (@jrhennessy) February 21, 2021
But while you might not remember every single key player or fact of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, his latest six-part series will leave you with optimism for the future, and a belief that just because we’ve landed in a neo-liberal hellscape where profits rule above all else, we don’t have to live this way.
Curtis’ distinct ability to weave together pop culture (clock the Kylie reference in the title) and historical movements is unparalleled, and his access to BBC’s endless archive of footage makes this doco an overwhelming watch — emotional in every sense. Best of all, he’s put it on YouTube for free — albeit with a few sections edited out for copyright reasons.
Available on YouTube.
Creamerie
If you’ve tuned out of Handmaid’s Tale‘s trauma-porn, this Kiwi twist takes on dystopia without feeling like one to watch. Creamerie is set in a distant future where a virus cleaves the world of its male population and a new world order called Wellness takes over. It’s a GOOP-esque blend of pretty solid health policies (menstruation leave, free healthcare) with new-age cult tendencies.
Created by Kiwi comedy-writers Roseanne Liang, Ally Xue, JJ Fong and Perlina Lau, Creamerie was created partially out of frustration at a lack of Asian representation on the antipodean screen. Xue, Fong and Lau star as three women working on a dairy-farm, who are astonished when Bobby (Jay Ryan) shows up one day. Equal parts ridiculous and poignant, Creamerie‘s six-episodes juggle questions of womanhood and patriarchy without over-explaining its ideas.
Available on SBS On Demand, with a S2 in the works.
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay
For all its similarities to Please Like Me, Josh Thomas’ follow-up show is very much its own beast. In S1, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay unfolded slowly from more of the same into a gentle, heartwarming story of 30something Nicholas (Thomas) moving to LA to look after his two younger sisters after their dad dies.
Matilda, the older of the two, is autistic (Kayla Cromer, who herself is autistic), though this doesn’t make her any more or less difficult than Gen (Maeve Press). Summing up the show reduces it to triteness: the three help each other ‘grow up’, and S2 deals with both the stresses of COVID-19 and Nicholas (and Thomas, behind the scenes) realising he, too, is autistic.
But somehow, it’s not an overly sentimental show, balancing schmaltz with dark humour. At times, it’s a little messy, bursting with plots and ideas, but its boldness makes up for it.
Available on Stan.
Feel Good
It must be warned: Mae Martin’s semi-autobiographical drama’s title isn’t incredibly accurate, but ‘Feel All Manner Of Emotions But Especially A Gentle, Non-Patronising Warmth For Traumatised Queer People Trying Their Best’ wouldn’t fit on Netflix’s menu screen.
The two-series show follows the relationship between Canadian comedian Mae and George (Charlotte Ritchie), as the two fall hard and fast. Mae’s substance abuse issues and George’s hesitancy to come out to her family caused friction in S1, and in S2, we dive deeper into each character — including Mae’s PSTD from childhood sexual assault. While a heavy watch, Feel Good is a stunning, empathetic portrayal of queer love and obsession, while questioning what it means to profit off your own traumas. Oh, and Lisa Kudrow is Mae’s mum.
Available on Netflix.
How To With John Wilson
Apologies: this HBO show actually came out in 2020. And it’s not legally available in Australia. But Isn’t the fact I’m still including it a sign that attention must be paid to How To With John Wilson?
Wilson is a documentarian and a frequent collaborator of Nathan ‘For You’ Fielder (who executive produces this show). How To… is his first major work, a six-part series that tackles questions like ‘How To Make Risotto’ and ‘How To Make Small Talk’.
As Wilson tries to find answers for these simple questions, he spirals out and into odd directions, guided by existential angst, weird encounters with conspiracy theorists, anti-circumcision activists and ‘only in New York’ scenes. Incredibly funny, expertly edited and surprisingly profound, How To… is one of the most innovative, silly shows out.
Love On The Spectrum
ABC’s docu-series Love On The Spectrum has recently returned for its second season, following a new group of autistic people looking for love. Empathy is its centre, as it’s a dating show where no-one is voted off or evidently there to launch a personal brand.
While the show isn’t perfect — and has been criticised for being somewhat infantilising — it is leaps and bounds above the cruelty we’re used to on dating shows, and a reminder of something we should already know: everyone craves love.
Available on ABC iView and Netflix.
Pretend It’s A City
Most of these shows are built around warmth: Pretend It’s A City, a seven-part series by Martin Scorcese on iconoclast Fran Lebowitz, is built around irritation.
At least, at first — Lebowitz’s trademark crankiness about everything and anything in her life secretly stems from a deep love of New York, and in an era where criticism often becomes toxic, Pretend It’s A City revels in a refreshingly light negativity. Give into your inner grouch.
Available on Netflix.
The Underground Railroad
Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of a Colson Whitehead best-seller should be the biggest show of the year on its the names attached alone, but The Underground Railroad hasn’t yet gained traction. There are a few barriers: Amazon Prime is a hurdle not all will cross, and a show about slavery can be a hard sell.
But The Underground Railroad is worth your time, as the Moonlight director’s distinct gaze offers a new perspective on the horrors of racism, one that offers more pain and joy than anything else on this list. Plus, that Nicholas Britell score.
Available on Amazon Prime Video.
Jared Richards is Junkee’s Drag Race recapper and a freelance critic for NME, The Guardian, The Big Issue and more. He’s on Twitter @jrdjms.