Another year of pandemic-induced lockdowns and restrictions forced a lot of us in front of our televisions again and thankfully, TV put on quite the show in 2021. We got new Marvel titles, Emmy awards were handed out, and a whole new streaming service launched in Australia.
There was definitely no shortage of new TV shows to binge in 2021, but which ones should you definitely be adding to your watch list? Here’s what our team loved this year.
Lifehacker Australia’s Best TV Shows of 2021
Absolutely loved it. Every episode had spectacular twists and turns – especially the finale. Who knew we needed a Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez combo to get through 2021, but here we are. – Melissa Matheson, Business Insider, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker Australia.
Watch Only Murders In The Building on Disney+.
So, it has to be the third season of You. I made the mistake of reading Hidden Bodies before season two premiered, ruining the show completely, but this year I was too slow to read the third book aaand the season was absolutely phenomenal, making up for the bad 2nd season. It has love, Love, murder and thrills. What more could you want? – Asha Barbaschow, Gizmodo Australia.
Watch You on Netflix.
Helluva Boss
It’s edgy, it’s gross, and it’s in your face. The art style and animation are absolutely fantastic for a show that is available for FREE on YouTube, it’s incredibly entertaining with a stellar voice acting cast to match. It’s the kind of adult animated series that leaves a bad taste in your mouth in the best kind of way. – Ruby Innes, Kotaku Australia.
Helluva Boss is available on YouTube.
Arcane
It’s beautifully animated in a way no other TV show has been animated, it has a brilliant story, and you don’t even need to know anything about league of legends to enjoy it. – Zachariah Kelly, Gizmodo Australia.
Watch Arcane on Netflix.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Season 2)
This is hands down the best season of Drag Race and I won’t be told otherwise. The fashion was exquisite and had some of the best runways in any season of the show.
The drama was off the charts and it’s full of classic UK humour and slang that we all love so much. The hit song from the show Bing Bang Bong (UK Doll version) even made the top 3 in UK Charts and hit global charts elsewhere. Above all, long live Bimini Bon-Boulash. – Ky Stewart, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Kotaku Australia.
Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on Stan.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Season 3)
The most accessible sports docuseries on Netflix. Turns one of the most inscrutable, technical sports in the world into a captivating character drama about deeply strange people.
It’s recruited a ton of new F1 fans over the last couple of years due to its addictive watchability. Season 3, which covers the outbreak of Covid at the Melbourne Grand Prix in 2020, came out in March and Season 4 is set for the same in 2022. – David Smith, Kotaku Australia.
Watch Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series. Wanda and Vision have never been super high on my list of favourite characters in the MCU. But the show completely blew me away with its creativity and emotional depth.
I mean, it’ll stay with me forever just for the line “what is grief, if not love persevering,” alone. Also, Kathryn Hahn! Obsessed. – Stephanie Nuzzo, Lifehacker Australia.
Watch WandaVision on Disney+.
Mare of Easttown
It was incredible. The characters were so real and raw about grief. Kate Winslet deserved all the awards. – Melissa Matheson, Business Insider, Gizmodo, Kotaku, Lifehacker Australia.
Watch Mare of Easttown on Binge.
I simply MUST give Ted Lasso a shout out here, too. I avoided the show for ages, purely because it seemed cheesy from afar. In reality though, Ted Lasso is an incredibly powerful watch.
It really beautifully looks at the complexities of relationships and pain and life in general, and it shows just how far a little kindness can go. – Stephanie Nuzzo, Lifehacker Australia.
Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.
I’m a sucker for a good fantasy series and so far, The Wheel of Time is filling the Game of Thrones void in my life. I’ve been totally sucked in by its epic new world and the way magic impacts politics and relationships. Plus Rosamund Pike is amazing!
The Witcher may swoop in last minute to change my mind, but for now, this is my favourite fantasy show of the year. – Lauren Rouse, Lifehacker Australia.
Watch The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime Video.
Did your favourite TV show make the list? If not feel free to shout it out in the comments.
You can also find our team’s picks for the best movies of 2021 here and everything else you can watch until the end of December in our streaming list.
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