The Shows I Watched 2021: Best, Good, Just Okay

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THE SHOWS I WATCHED IN 2021

Like I said in last year’s “shows I watched” post, I’m not proud of the amount of TV I’ve watched. I do this to help others find good shows or stay away from certain shows.

The Best Shows I Watched in 2021

Younger: Season 7. Younger is an excellent series, and I’m sad it’s over. I enjoyed the characters, the fashion, the love triangles, and the friendships. It’s light, sweet, and still smart. A winner all around. (Hulu)

Ginny & Georgia: I binged this one. I appreciated the subtle mystery and the way you end up rooting for a character who probably doesn’t deserve it. Excellent casting. (Netflix)

Handmaids Tale: Season 4. This show is a roller coaster ride at all times, and it’s mostly not even pleasant to watch. But I love the drama and suspense. (Hulu)

Shtisel: Season 3. I’m totally invested in this family. It’s one of two shows Bryan was willing to watch this year. (Netflix)

Never Have I Ever: Seasons 1 and 2. I love everything Mindy Kaling writes and produces. She just gets me and many women and teens. (Netflix)

The Sex Lives of College Girls: Season 1: Same explanation as Never Have I Ever since Mindy created this one too. However, the title is atrocious and does little justice to how good the show is. Ignore the title and give this show a try! (HBO)

Ted Lasso: Season 2. Heartwarming as ever with an extra dose of character depth for season two. Loved it. (Apple TV)

Hacks: Season 1. Jean Smart was so so so good. I’d watch her in almost anything. I really loved this one. Funny lines and depth for the characters, too. (HBO)

Maid: Very hard to watch but so good. (Netflix)

Love Life: Season 1. This is another show that’s light but clever and so enjoyable to watch. Casting was perfect. I started season 2 but it didn’t compel me to watch past two episodes. (HBO)

Succession: Season 3. Most of the season was boring, but the last two episodes made up for the rest. I started rewatching season 1 with my mom while I was with her for a while and it’s just as good as I remembered.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 10. Perhaps Larry’s best season yet. It’s perfect.

Station Eleven: I’m in the middle of this one, but I can still safely put it in the “best” category. This was my favorite book in 2015. I’ve been waiting for the show for what seems like forever, and it was well worth the wait. I do wonder if it’s confusing for someone who didn’t read the book. The timeline jumps a ton. Warning: it’s about a pandemic far deadlier than Covid. (HBO)

Emily in Paris: Season 2. I’m in the middle still. The perfect light, silly, eye candy show. (Netflix)

Good Shows, Not Great

Virgin River: This show is not that good. I want it to be good. But it’s not. Still, I watched season two at the beginning of 2021 and season three at the end of 2021. The only truly good episodes were the last episodes of season 2 and 3, which means I’m locked in for season 4. Darn it. (Netflix)

Life in Pieces: All seasons. I love this cast a lot, but I find it weird that no characters seem to have any friends. No family spends this much time together. (Amazon)

Cobra Kai: Seasons 2 and 3. This is the only other show Bryan would watch. I liked the first season better, but was happy to have an entertaining show to watch together. (Netflix)

The White Lotus: Everyone raved about this show. I liked it a lot, but it wasn’t amazing. Molly Shannon was a fun addition to the cast. (HBO)

The Morning Show: Season 2. I preferred season 2 to 1. I didn’t think I’d want to watch the early days of Covid play out, but I actually found it compelling. (Apple Tv)

This Is Us: Season 5. I will watch this show until the end even though I don’t love it anymore. While the way The Morning Show integrated Covid was intriguing, the way they did it on This Is Us was extremely annoying. (NBC)

 

Shows That Were Just Okay But I Liked Enough to Watch

A Teacher: Incredibly dark. Didn’t really like it, but I finished it anyway. (Hulu)

Scenes From a Marriage: A four-episode drama that is super intense and a bit too depressing. The acting was great. Not much happens, but I couldn’t not watch to the end. (HBO)

The Kominsky Method: Seasons 1 and 2. It’s the show I watch between other shows while doing tedious tasks like laundry. (Netflix)

I’m Sorry: Season 1. It’s a bit like Curb Your Enthusiasm starring a woman and not even close to as good I’m sorry to say. I want it to be better. I was rooting for it. (Netflix)

My Unorthodox Life: This show was silly, but I couldn’t stop watching it. I was going to refuse to watch, but after hearing an interview with Julia on Bethany’s podcast, I was intrigued. Thank you to my friend, Tina, for sending me the interview. (Netflix)

And Just Like That: What is with this title? Why not just call it Sex & The City: The Sequel? I’m still in the middle of this one and have hopes to move it up to “Good not Great” but so far it has not made the jump. Episode #1 spends way too much time letting us know that times have changed. We get it. Time has passed. Enough already. A few episodes in, it gets better. I will update this when I’m done. (HBO)

WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS???


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Photo by Piotr Cichosz on Unsplash

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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

2 Responses

  1. I agree with you about why not call it Sex in the City ? And Just Like That is a dated phrase. But someone did die just like that.
    And many other changes happen during a marriage. Maybe not as much sex in the city?

  2. I love Ginny and Georgia, also Shtisel. Love season one of never have I ever, struggled through season two. Could not watch more than a half an episode of Maid because it was so heavy, And know that handmaid’s tale will be too dark for me even though I should watch it because my nephews wife is a writer on the show. I found Emily in Paris insipid.
    You didn’t mention seeing the series called LOVE, which but that was a fave for me along with Imposters.

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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DEAR NINA: Conversations About Friendship is a podcast and newsletter about the ups and downs of adult friendship. I’m the host, Nina Badzin, a Minneapolis-based writer who accepted a position as a friendship advice columnist in 2014 and never stopped. DEAR NINA, the podcast, started in 2021, and has been referenced in The Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostTime Magazine, The GuardianThe Chicago TribuneThe Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere

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