91 Best Movies & Shows Released in 2021 (Page 5)

The brainchild of Lisa Hanawalt (one of the creative forces behind Netflix's BoJack Horseman), Tuca & Bertie departed from that other show's no-holds-barred look at addiction and depression to focus on the freewheeling adventures of two best friends in the wacky city of Birdtown. The series wears its silliness like a badge of honor and takes pride in portraying adult women as weird, insecure, sexual beings who are still fully capable of anything. And while it mostly plays as a manic romcom (with an incredible Steven Yeun playing Bertie's boyfriend, Speckle), there are enough moving moments sprinkled throughout that remind you this is all rooted in authentic emotion.

Genre: Animation, Comedy

Actor: Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, Tiffany Haddish

From Mike Flanagan, creator of The Haunting anthology, comes Midnight Mass, a miniseries that is just as gory, unsettling, and supernaturally twisted as any Flanagan horror flick. The series follows an ex-convict who returns to his small town just upon the arrival of a mysterious but alluring priest. As inexplicable events start to happen, the townsfolk hang onto the churchman's words, seeking reassurance where they can. 

With lots to say about religious fanaticism and perpetual grief, Midnight Mass is part of a new wave of layered and thoughtful scary stories currently dominating the genre. While its stately and meditative pace can be overbearing sometimes, it never runs out of things to shock and unnerve the soul.

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, History, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Alex Essoe, Annabeth Gish, Annarah Cymone, Crystal Balint, Hamish Linklater, Henry Thomas, Igby Rigney, Kate Siegel, Kristin Lehman, Louis Oliver, Matt Biedel, Michael Trucco, Rahul Abburi, Rahul Kohli, Robert Longstreet, Samantha Sloyan, Zach Gilford

Rating: TV-MA

Once you get past its kiddy dialogue and somewhat overenthusiastic voice performances, Maya and the Three delivers one of the most thrilling action spectacles for children's television. Taking its cue from Mesoamerican folklore, this nine-episode miniseries is draped from head to toe in lavish, intricate visuals and is directed with a surplus of stylistic choices, with characters frequently breaking out of the frame itself. And once the action starts, it almost never lets up. It never becomes too frightening for kids, and it's mounted on a seriously impressive scale that any adult should appreciate. The fights are dynamic, intense, and beautifully constructed almost like dances—giving kids and kids-at-heart lots to marvel at together.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Kids

Actor: Alfred Molina, Allen Maldonado, Cheech Marin, Chelsea Rendon, Danny Trejo, Dee Bradley Baker, Diego Luna, Eric Bauza, Gabriel Iglesias, Gael García Bernal, Isabela Merced, Joaquín Cosío, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Kate del Castillo, Queen Latifah, Rita Moreno, Rosie Perez, Stephanie Beatriz, Wyclef Jean, Zoe Saldana

You just wouldn't expect yet another superhero show from The CW to carry the sort of emotional weight typically reserved for prestige melodramas, but Superman & Lois gets close. In contrast to recent darker portrayals of the Man of Steel, this series allows Clark Kent to remain a nerdy, wholesome dad, whose greatest challenges come from the problems he can't solve with his powers. In fact, some of the superheroics only slow the show down from doing what it does best: navigating different relationships within the Smallville community, exploring various conflicts that can still pop up in a loving marriage, and looking at how Clark and Lois's kids deal with the secrecy around having (or not having) powers.

Strong, character-focused writing and mature, measured performances help put Superman & Lois above a number of its superhero contemporaries. It still falls victim to cheesy situations and occasional stretches of monotony (especially in the second season), but its dedication to human drama over action set pieces and expanding its lore makes it easy to be moved by their most personal problems. This is what DC has needed all this time.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Alex Garfin, Chad L. Coleman, Dylan Walsh, Elizabeth Tulloch, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Sofia Hasmik, Tayler Buck, Tyler Hoechlin, Wolé Parks

These days, pandemic stories can go either of two ways: horribly or profoundly. The realism may be too much to bear, causing so-called pandemic fatigue, or it can compel you to move in the world in kinder, more self-aware ways.

Thankfully, HBO’s overlooked Station Eleven falls under the latter category. Epic, poignant, and lighthearted, the ten-episode miniseries (adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name) is one of the few pandemic-set, post-apocalyptic shows that takes a closer look at the kind and creative ways humans approach survival.

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: Daniel Zovatto, David Wilmot, Himesh Patel, Lori Petty, Mackenzie Davis, Matilda Lawler, Nabhaan Rizwan, Philippine Velge

Rating: TV-MA

I Told Sunset About You isn’t the most original series out there. The school setting, the tense rivalry, and the years spent apart are familiar tropes, even for heterosexual coming-of-age dramas, though the added dimension of Teh’s Chinese Thai background is new. That being said, it doesn’t hold up the series alone. I Told Sunset About You gets specific, and in delving deep into Teh and Oh-aew’s characters, it’s clear how heartfelt and genuine the show is in depicting its story. There are moments that can be cheesy, but with the sweet way the show depicts these tender teenage years, it’s no wonder I Told Sunset About You easily reminds queer people about their own experiences in navigating these feelings.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Arachaporn Pokinpakorn, Chayapak Tunprayoon, Christiaan Churaporn Bos, Jirayus Khaobaimai, Krit Amnuaydechkorn, Naphat Vikairungroj, Nat Kitcharit, Oabnithi Wiwattanawarang, Parada Thitawachira, Pongpol Panyamit, Putthipong Assaratanakul, Putthipong Assarattanakul, Theethat Suk-im

Director: Naruebet Kuno

Four college freshmen from different parts of the country come together as roommates to earn their bachelor’s degree, sure, but more than that, to explore their newfound independence, experiment with each other, and establish a sense of self that they can truly be proud of. In other words, they’re out to get an education, in every sense of the word. This is The Sex Lives of College Girls, a ten-episode series that delivers everything the title promises and more. 

More than just a raunchy show (although it’s exciting in that regard too), The Sex Lives of College Girls is an earnest and charming account of what it’s like to navigate that murky, undefined space between youth and adulthood. This gives way to honest and sometimes brutal experiences, but they’re always balanced with the kind of fun, flirtatious hilarity that has long defined showrunner Mindy Kaling’s work (Never Have I Ever, The Mindy Project). Hilarious, relatable, and incredibly breezy, The Sex Lives of College Girls is one perfect binge. 

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Alyah Chanelle Scott, Amrit Kaur, Pauline Chalamet, Reneé Rapp

Rating: TV-MA

This English-language adaptation of the 1973 Swedish miniseries by Ingmar Bergman stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, whose palpable chemistry is at full force here. It’s daunting to adapt a work from such a legend of the screen, but director Hagai Levi finds new nuances and modern situations to the story—infusing a different cultural identity into some characters, and playing with typically gendered tropes such as infidelity. While it can be frustrating to watch this couple's failure to communicate properly, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain’s powerful, heartbreaking performances should keep fans and casual viewers hooked to the screen.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac

Rating: TV-MA