Binge-r #271: Best New Shows of 2021 - 20 to 1

England’s Dreaming: Lily James (Linda Radlett) in The Pursuit of Love

20 – THE SERPENT

An historic period crime thriller that generates white-knuckle tension (Netflix)

[Full review in BINGE-R #235]

19 – VIGIL

The suspense constantly ratchets up in this mystery set aboard a nuclear submarine (Binge)

[Full review in BINGE-R #257]

18 – THE CHAIR

Sandra Oh is the perfect lead in this knotty drama about an academic’s travails (Netflix)

[Full review in BINGE-R #253]

17 – PHYSICAL

Full tilt Rose Byrne performance in a 1980s black comedy about self-improvement (Apple TV+)

[Full review in BINGE-R #247]

16 – BUMP

A frank, winning teenage pregnancy comedy set amidst family struggles in Sydney (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #222]

15 – THE PURSUIT OF LOVE

The period drama cuts anew in this adaptation where the farcical and tragic intermingle (Amazon)

[Full review in BINGE-R #252]

14 – LANDSCAPERS

A stranger than fiction British true crime drama headlined by Olivia Colman (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #269]

13 – FOUNDATION

A vast science-fiction epic that unfolds to become an exploration of destiny (Apple TV+)

[Full review in BINGE-R #258]

12 – SORT OF

Sly, winning Canadian comedy about a queer, non-binary Muslim learning to live their life (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #260]

11 – GIRLS5EVA

When a girl group reunites loopy comedy and smart verdicts sing together (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #241]

Let Me Hear Your Body Talk: Rose Byrne (Sheila Rubin) in Physical

10 – YELLOWJACKETS

A heady, potent mix of horror, teen spirit, and unsettling adult implications (Paramount+)

[Full review in BINGE-R #269]

9 – MADE FOR LOVE

An acerbic black comedy about a digital future you don’t want to share (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #236]

8 – IT’S A SIN

A heart-wrenching British drama about love and freedom in the shadow of HIV (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #225]

7 – HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON

A deadpan, discursive and hugely original instructional documentary experience (Binge)

[Full review in The Monthly]

6 – THIS WAY UP

Expertly played and bittersweet comedy about sisters trying to hold it together (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #239]

5 – PRETEND IT’S A CITY

Humourist Fran Lebowitz and filmmaker Martin Scorsese have the best talks (Netflix)

[Full review in BINGE-R #225]

4 – HACKS

Full tilt 90s weirdness as a young female filmmaker in L.A. gets dragged down (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #251]

3 – THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins delivers an intensely powerful depiction of slavery’s grasp (Amazon)

[Full review in BINGE-R #243]

2 – ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

A delightful, inventive comic thriller about true crime obsessives on a case (Disney+)

[Full review in BINGE-R #255]

1 – THE VIRTUES

Stephen Graham is amazing in this raw, riveting drama about trauma’s brutal hold (Stan)

[Full review in BINGE-R #227]

>> Missed the last BINGE-R? Click here to catch up on the first half of this year end list – numbers 40 to 21 of 2021’s best new streaming shows.

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>> Check the complete BINGE-R archive: 357 series reviewed here, 163 movies reviewed here, and 43 lists compiled here.