The year is almost over. So, it’s time to talk about the best bingeable content that dropped in 2021!
But this list isn’t dedicated to the most popular, buzzed-about shows of the year. You’ve already heard all about WandaVision and Squid Game and Succession. Instead, we want to highlight some of 2021’s severely underrated gems. Shows that aired without the fanfare and attention of, say, another new Marvel series, but are still great TV.
Check out our list (in no particular order) below to get some great TV recommendations for shows you may have missed this year.
The Chair (Season 1)
Synopsis: This six-episode comedy stars Sandra Oh as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, newly appointed Chair of the English department at Pembroke University. The Chair explores the unique challenges Dr. Kim faces as the first woman to chair the department, as well as one of the few staff members of color at the university.
Why it made our list: The Chair is darkly hilarious, brilliantly acted, and manages to be topical without taking itself too seriously. At only six 30-minute episodes, it’s a quick and easy binge well worth your time. Also, Sandra Oh. Need I say more?
Where to watch: Netflix
Status: TBD (Not cancelled, but not renewed so far)
Read our full review of The Chair:
Them (Season 1)
Synopsis: In Them, a Black family moves to an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles in the 1950s. The Emory family’s idyllic home becomes ground zero as malevolent forces, next-door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage, and destroy them.
Why it made our list: If you’re a Jordan Peele fan, this series is perfect for you. It hits you hard with terrors both natural and supernatural, and will leave you thinking long after the credits roll.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Status: Renewed for season 2 (But it’s an anthology series, so season 2 will follow new characters and a new story.)
The Only Murders in the Building (Season 1)
Synopsis: The Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth.
Why it made our list: Only Murders manages to balance humor and mystery beautifully. This show is truly a treat for fans of comedy and crime shows alike.
Where to watch: Hulu
Status: Renewed for season 2
Read our full review of The Only Murders in the Building:
Kim’s Convenience (Season 5)
Synopsis: Kim’s Convenience is a sitcom about a Korean-Canadian family that runs a convenience store. The fifth and final season aired this year.
Why it made our list: Kim’s Convenience has always been one of my favorite underrated sitcoms; I love all the characters and every episode gets genuine laughs out of me. Plus, you can see Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu, in his first main featured role. (Also, you will see why Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is going to make the perfect Uncle Iroh.)
Where to watch: Netflix
Status: Ended. (You can stream all five seasons now.)
The Irregulars (Season 1)
Synopsis: The Irregulars dives into the supernatural side of Sherlock Holmes. The series follows a group of misfits hired by the famous detective to solve supernatural crimes around London.
Why it made our list: This series is a strangely addicting mashup between a Holmes mystery, a supernatural horror story, a dark comedy, and a YA romance. It’s dramatic and emotional, without being as soap-y as something like The Vampire Diaries.
Where to watch: Netflix
Status: Cancelled. (Season one is all you get!)
Read our full review of The Irregulars:
Slasher: Flesh and Blood
Synopsis: Slasher: Flesh and Blood follows a wealthy, dysfunctional family that gathers for a reunion on a secluded island only to learn they’ll be pitted against one another in a cruel game of life and death, all while being stalked by a mysterious masked killer.
Why it made our list: This series combines a couple basic horror tropes into something bigger and better, proving the slasher genre can translate to television when everything is written and acted so well. Shudder has a lot of underrated horror content, but this one is a standout.
Where to watch: Shudder
Status: TBD (Not cancelled, but not renewed so far)
Read our review of Slasher Flesh and Blood:
The White Lotus (Season 1)
Synopsis: The White Lotus shows a week in the life of vacationers as they relax and rejuvenate in a Hawaiian paradise. But with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.
Why it made our list: The White Lotus is very much not a traditional sitcom. You’re going to laugh, but you’re also going to squirm in your seat from the tensions playing out on screen. It’s at times even uncomfortable to watch, but consistently compelling throughout. Once you start, you won’t be able to look away.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Status: Renewed for season 2 (But as an anthology series, so season 2 will follow new characters and a new story.)
Read our full review of The White Lotus:
Ghosts (Season 3)
Synopsis: A cash-strapped young couple inherit a rickety country mansion, only to find it teeming with needy ghosts from different eras of the home’s long history.
Why it made our list: Every sitcom can’t pull off an ensemble cast. But Ghosts leaves you SO attached to every single spirit – and brings the laughs every episode, too. It’s one of my favorite shows on TV right now. Originally a BBC One series, the popularity overseas led an American version of the show to debut on CBS this year.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Status: Renewed for season 4
What did you watch in 2021?
So, did you catch any of the shows on our list? What underrated TV show do you recommend to people every chance you get? Let us know in the comments below.
Meanwhile, check back to THS for more highlights from 2021 and news going into 2022.
