20 Best TV Dramas of 2021

TV dramas have the power to bring us to our knees, get our hearts pounding, and embrace us with shared experiences. Every year we get to enter the lives of characters and settings that we would never encounter in real life, but that make us feel more alive.

The new streaming landscape has provided writers and creators the ability to stretch their narrative legs. When it comes to TV, there simply isn’t a formula anymore. As a result, game-changing shows like Squid Game exist right alongside solid, more traditional dramas like All American.

In 2021, the drama genre blossomed and showed us there are a wide variety of ways we can be entertained. We were able to select the shows that did it the very best. 

In no particular order, here are the 20 Best TV Dramas of 2021:

1. Squid Game

Squid Game took TV by storm when it dropped on Netflix in 2021. The show’s outlandish filming style, with over-the-top colors and angles, matched the insanely high stakes game that it portrays.

It isn’t just the gore and the shock of the brutal games that make this show one of the best of the year. When you realize that the players choose to go back to the games, the show goes from freaky to downright profound. Getting to know the backstories of the players that we see go through torturous trials is a deftly heartbreaking construct. 

If you were sleeping on Korean shows until now, it is time to wake up! Squid Game is just one example of the strong offerings coming from the Asian island.

2. Succession

Succession Season 3 continues the tradition of the first two seasons of series: we love to abhor the ruthless members of the Waystar Royco operation. These are not good people. In fact, like when Kendall spits out at Roman, “you’re not a real person,” it is not clear that these billionaires are people at all. 

Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy gives a particularly captivating performance on the season. His snark takes on a more vicious edge and it makes us wonder if he might not just be the worst of them all. That is certainly a contest with a lot of runners in the race. Kendall is under-your-skin cringe-worthy. Even when he’s going against his father, he elicits zero sympathy.

Many of us turn to our TV screens to escape reality. Succession provides just that. It is a capitalist fever dream, where the super-wealthy turn on each other every chance they get and never stop to consider if they simply have enough. If the best society is built by letting competition rule all, as capitalism suggests, then this show is a grim and searing picture of that ideal. 

3. This Is Us

The lead ensemble on This Is Us has had five seasons to sink deeply into their characters and it shows. In 2021, the Pearson’s get to dig deep into their relationships with each other, in multiple timelines. The Big Three get their time to sand down their identities, but Miguel and other less central members of the family get valuable development too. 

The pandemic has forced This Is Us Season 5 to zoom in on pairs and individuals, but it turns out that this gives us some of the most compelling character study episodes of the entire series. 

It is clear that This Is Us isn’t losing steam heading into its final season. The shocking surprise on the finale of Season 5 proves that this is a show that’s still got it and isn’t going to lose it any time, ever. 

4. One of Us Is Lying

The new Peacock series One of Us Is Lying takes the YA novel source material and adds some new twists and a hefty dose of inclusivity. There are Black boyfriends, childhood cancer survivors, lesbian rebels and more. The result is a solid mystery drama with a supporting cast, who are sidelined in the book, that steals the show.  

A somewhat surprising strength of One of Us Is Lying is the visual storytelling. The cinematography, costuming, and set design are excellent and add serious gravity to the stories. The neon tones in the scenes by the abandoned pool allow the creepy mood to be decidedly Gen Z. 

The freshman offering hits its stride around the halfway point. It ends on a cliffhanger and we crossing our fingers for a Season 2 renewal so it can continue to grow into itself. Addy’s terrible wig aside, this is a series that deserves our attention and fandom. 

5. Dexter: New Blood

Our favorite serial killer is back! Dexter: New Blood revives the story of our violent, yet also heroic, psychopath and places him in the chilling new setting of upstate New York. There isn’t an itch we needed scratched more.

The hallmarks of what made the original Dexter series so strong are still present. Dexter is still grappling with his complicated morality, but now he is dealing with the proliferation of his kind: his son. Deb is dead but stays a lead character by haunting Dexter.

The freezing temperature is a departure from the sweltering landscape of the original, and Dexter: New Blood smartly uses this to usher us back into Dexter’s rituals and careful execution of murder. It’s not that the protagonist has changed, exactly. It is that he, like the show, like our world, has adapted to a new environment. 

Ten years is both long and brief enough for us to be ready to revisit the unforgettable character Michael C. Hall brought to life. The killer is a real life-saver in 2021. 

6. Hightown

Hightown Season 2 grabs our attention in a big way. The character are given so much depth we root for nearly everyone (sorry, not you Frankie). 

A superb tension comes from the fact that all of the characters face realistic consequences from their choices. Ray doesn’t easily get his job back, like he (hopefully) wouldn’t in real life. Jackie relapses when stressors in her life overwhelm her. Key players in the drug trade die without warning to the audience of what’s coming. We don’t get a warning in real life either. As a result, we as an audience bond incredibly hard with these messed up people and their messed up lives.

Most of Hightown’s leads are newcomers to the top of the call sheet. Each rises to the challenge. The performances are almost hypnotic and we can’t help but crave more. 

Another aspect of Hightown that puts it on our list of the best dramas of 2021 is how it handles addiction. Jackie, played absolutely perfectly by Monica Raymund, is not on a road to redemption. Alcoholism isn’t that simple. It isn’t a path; it’s a wave. We are going to see ebbs and flows as Jackie tries to stay sober.

Hightown isn’t afraid to show addiction as it is: often lethal, never pretty. The Starz series has such captivating characters and plot that all that grit feels smooth to watch. 

7. Station 19

ABC’s drama Station 19 stands out from its peers because it is very centered on the work of firefighting. Not only do we get to see how relationships between the firehouse family members develop, but we also get to see the relationship that family has to their jobs.

Emergencies where people can die always make for dramatic television. Station 19 certainly takes advantage of that! However, in Season 5 the drama isn’t just the life and death scenarios and the romances. There is the added layer about the profession itself. That allows the show to take on narratives that are fresh. 

Station 19 is a drama you can count on, and that is a big deal in 2021!

8. 9-1-1

The emergencies on 9-1-1 get our heart rates up, but not as much as the sensual love between Athena and Bobby. It truly is refreshing to see a show where the most shippable couple is a bit older than usual.

9-1-1 is a show about relationships, and certainly not just romantic ones. The 118 family has all types of bonds and complicated connections. It is the fact that the show can intertwine the emergencies and the people who respond to them in a way that deepens their characterization that makes this show one of the best. 

The big disasters shown in Season 4 and Season 5, including the pandemic, ripple throughout the episodes. The format isn’t run of the mill case-of-the-week. As a result, the FOX show continues to be compelling television.

9. YOU

YOU pulls off the rare feat of a Season 3 that excels beyond the first two seasons. You’d think Joe, and therefore the show, would be stuck in a rut by now. Well, stuck in a rut or behind bars. Lucky for us, he’s neither!

Strangely enough, it is a move to the suburbs that makes the show more interesting and dynamic than ever before. Joe and Love are clearly the wrong-doers in the world YOU has built. However, in part because of the tunnel vision narration Joe provides, it feels like a scathing indictment of all of us in modern society who, well, buy into anything. 

Sherry and Cary, with their influencer status and optimized images are easy to roll your eyes at. But, we all have traits that would subject us to Joe and Love’s ire. The way the show unfolds suggests that none of us would be safe if we happened to fall under the gaze of this killer couple.

That’s such a complex place for a viewer. We love to judge the dastardly protagonists, but gosh darn it sometimes they make a good point. The show does an excellent job of revealing to us viewers how we engage in a culture of one-upmanship and viral flagellation.

Any discussion of YOU must include Victoria Pedretti. Her turn as Love Quinn can not be praised enough. She deftly maneuvers her way as a foil, a villain, a mirror, and, shockingly, an everyman. Love steers the show into new waters and makes sure the anchor is dropped. We are just laying in wait for Season 4!

10. Big Sky

Big Sky Season 1 and Big Sky Season 2 both graced our screen in 2021 and it gives us a Big Sigh of relief.

Don’t get us wrong, Big Sky isn’t soothing. It is twisty, naughty, frightening and fun. It is comforting, though, to have a show with ever-unfolding plot lines and risk-taking characters to watch throughout this year. 

In Season 2, the outstanding cast gets even deeper with talent. Jamie Lynn-Sigler and Arturo Del Puerto join the crime thriller as Tanya and T-Lock, respectively. We come to care about Tanya and hope for the demise of T-Lock, which make us even more connected to the series. Even with a lot going on, Jenny and Cassie ground the series and help us to have a good-guy home base. 

Part of what makes Big Sky one of the best of the year is its clever mix of camp and crime. With this juxtaposition of innocent and evil, Big Sky is a show that always kidnaps our attention.

11. Pose

Pose is so powerful it changed the way television works. It expanded what is possible and what is expected for LGBTQIA+ representation, in front of and behind the camera. While we are sad to see it twirl away from the small screen, Pose Season 3 exits the stage with as much glorious hope and drama as it arrived with.

The show depicts the underground Ballroom scene in the 1980s and 1990s, during the heights of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The message, though, is always about taking care of each other, fighting to be seen, and doing it all with vivacity, not queer trauma porn. 

Pray Tell’s story brings us to tears, but it is the sacrifice he makes so Ricky can carry on the hopeful fight for their community that is so touching. 

The historic show that has the most trans characters ever, tells stories based in history. Pose educates us as it thrills us and it easily earns a spot on the best TV shows of 2021. 

12. Cruel Summer

The whiplash Cruel Summer induces from the perspective and year shifts is absolutely worth it. It’s not just figuring out the crime, it’s figuring out who these people are at a time when identity changes as frequently as yearbook pictures.

Cruel Summer is very much a show about what we fail to see, even when we’re face to face with someone. It plays with the idea of what it means to witness a crime, using the form to super highlight the inherent unreliability of an individual perspective. It’s the type of show you go to google to fill in the gaps of your understanding.

There is absolutely room for this mind-crunching concept in 2021. In fact, it’s the novel storytelling style that makes Cruel Summer one of the best dramas of the year.

13. Lupin

Lupin Part 1 and Part 2 give us something we desperately need in 2021: fun. The Netflix series follows protagonist Assane Diop as he sets out to heist his way to revenge. It has a Count of Monte Cristo vibe, but modern and flirty.

Omar Sy, who plays Assane, is sexy as hell and the entire show follows his lead. What else would we expect from a French story set in Paris? 

It isn’t that Lupin doesn’t have depth. It indeed does. It even has layered references to the novel it is named after. But, it isn’t heavy. The revenge motive doesn’t sour any of the characters or hold them back from enjoying the thrill of it all.

A killer soundtrack and exciting visual effects add to the overall effectiveness of the series that came out in two parts over 2021. Lupin Part 3 has already been ordered and we are thrilled to experience Assane and his accomplices stealing our attention once again. 

14. Ginny & Georgia 

Georgia’s syrupy southern accent drawls us into a false sense of security on Ginny & Georgia. What seems like a cute calamity drama akin to Hart of Dixie actually has an achingly serious core.

The central mother-daughter pair are captivating, each in their own ways. Antonia Gentry gives us a raw performance as Ginny. She lays the character as bare as her makeup-less face. Having no emotional buffer to the world is about as teenager as it gets, so the performance allows the material to shine. 

Georgia, on the other hand, is sleek and charming. She masks the emotional turmoil her own teenage years levied upon her so well, it convinces us right along with Paul. The Paul-Joe-Georgia love triangle on the show, which smartly is never the foremost conflict, is more about who is right for the “real” Georgia than anything else.

The parallel journeys to self-acceptance for both mother and daughter on Ginny & Georgia are a real delight to watch and help place this new show on our list of the best of 2021. Thank goodness it has been picked up for a Season 2 in 2022!

15. Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets is enthralling to the point of being downright addictive. The unfolding mystery is (at least) two layers. It is what actually happened after the crash and it is what did the crash make these young women into. 

The characters and the actors who portray them are superb. It is impossible to pick a favorite. We’re partial to adult Shauna but a moment later we’re Team Teen Tassia. It’s an ensemble show where each performer gets to cut their teeth on meaty character development and plot twists. 

It is oddly refreshing that Yellowjackets gives us teen girls, so often trivialized and undermined, who are brutal in their quest to make it out alive. This Showtime series takes teens seriously.  Yellowjackets is a force to be reckoned with and it is a must-watch, best of 2021 drama. 

16. All American

The hit CW show All American is soapy drama delivered with sincere and refined performances by a young majority-Black cast.

If that wasn’t enough, the series is brave. It tackles tough topics, like depression, alcoholism, and poverty, and it lets the issues ruminate with the characters over the course of seasons. Yes, seasons, plural. Not only does All American not relegate the real stuff to a single episode, it doesn’t have characters just get over things by the end of the season. 

All American also has a bevy of excellent ships. Whether you root for Olivia and Spencer, Asher and Olivia, Layla and Spencer, or the severely under-storied Coop and Patience, you are sure to get your fill of angsty and flirty romance.  

Daniel Ezra as Spencer and Bre-Z as Coop are putting in some truly remarkable performances. They shouldn’t be overlooked or dismissed because they are delivered on a network that is geared towards a young audience. The stars get stronger every season, and Season 4 is no exception. 

17. The Handmaid’s Tale 

To say that The Handmaid’s Tale is morally complex is an understatement.

June has been so controlled and dehumanized by Gilead, nearly any choice she makes is justified. But, she doesn’t act based on what the right thing is. That simple type of moral compass went in the trash the day she became Offred. Now, she craves justice, vengeance, and safety too.

June is an antihero of sorts. She never takes the easy way or makes things easy on others. But, she saves people. She saves herself.

The characters on The Handmaid’s Tale are all complicated and dynamic. Janine, we’re looking at you. There was a time it felt like there couldn’t possibly be more story to tell. The Hulu series’ fourth season proves that these characters are the heartbeat of the story, not Gilead. 

The art direction is truly the toppest of top notches. The visual storytelling makes us ache. Whether it’s a finger in an envelope or the colors of a courtroom confrontation, the way that the show is filmed and edited alone places it on the list of best TV dramas of 2021.

18. The L Word: Generation Q

The second season of the Showtime drama The L Word: Generation Q tackles serious topics through a queer lens. Wlw (women-loving women) content is so rare on the small screen, and is not the singular focus of any other show, that any ills of the series are forgiven. 

Don’t get us wrong, there is much to love about the modern iteration of the lesbian classic The L Word. The performances carry the dialogue and plot to new heights, including Season 2 newcomers Vanessa Williams as Pippa and Rosie O’Donnell as Carrie.

Shane is always going to add special verve and sex appeal to every scene she is in. But, it’s actually Finley and Sophie’s relationship that ups the sex scene ante on The L Word: Generation Q Season 2.

The sexual chemistry between those two is even stronger once they’re together. Watching them navigate the hurdles and hitches that come with a relationship borne out of an illicit affair is some of the most entertaining parts of the season. 

The L Word: Generation Q hits the right spot when it comes to queer stories that don’t hold back from the soapy delivery of their non-queer counterparts. 

19. Yellowstone

If a show could swagger into a room, it would be Yellowstone. It is filled to the brim with manly men and machismo. Even when the testosterone is overflowing on the ranch, it’s an interesting study on masculinity.

These folks have faced the great wide open. The environment, showcased gorgeously on the series, is wild. So, the men (including Beth) take on the role of tamers. It is true of the taming of horses and fields, but it also applies to their emotions. All the manly content makes for some very good TV.

The family dynamics on Yellowstone Season 4 shift in such a way that who the bad guy is becomes murky. The face behind the smoking gun is anyone’s guess. While some of the stories are a bit disconnected, the intrigue and ruthless loyalty that makes Yellowstone a captivating show, are present in spades. 

The Dutton family stands their ground on the modern western. It easily wrangles a spot on our list of best TV dramas of the year.

20. Queen of the South

Teresa Mendoza rises to the top of the cartel on Queen of the South. But this isn’t your typical drug trade tale. As the show’s final season drives home, vesting power in women characters flips expectations and enhances the stories. Having the Queen as the center that everyone else gravitates to, rather than the King, changes everything. It isn’t heavy-handed about it, but Queen of the South is decidedly feminist.

Teresa is a stand-out, unforgettable character. She is quiet, but not meek. Merciful, but not naive. Loyal, but unafraid to make big moves. There isn’t another character like her on television, now or ever. Her happy ending is a win for us viewers, who want Teresa and those closest to her to get what they deserve.

Even with its violence and brutality, Queen of the South manages to be a show about survival and resilience, as much as it is about gangsters. Importantly, it provides Latinx representation and some significant portrayals of Mexican culture. While we will miss the USA series, we can look forward to bingeing all five seasons over and over in the years to come.    

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What shows did we miss? What were your favorite dramas of 2021? Let us know in the comments below! 

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