I used to count the days before a new season of a favorite show, or a new series starring a favorite actor. Now, it’s like new seasons just happen. Fire up a streaming service and something good is suddenly there. We’re spoiled, and I think that’s why so many people hate so many shows and there’s little consensus about what’s elite on TV right now. But here are my 2 cents on the 10 best:
10. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (miniseries, Amazon Prime)
This Hawaii-set reboot crafts a more layered story than the 1997 horror movie that perhaps benefited from its rising-star cast and the slasher surge more than I’d like to admit. In addition to being layered, it’s also ridiculous at times, even hinting at magical resurrection. (But remember, the third movie does feature the supernatural.) Speaking of rising stars: Madison Iseman does yeoman’s work by playing Lennon, Allison, Allison-pretending-to-be-Lennon, and possibly even more variations. (Full review.)
9. “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous” (Seasons 2-4, Netflix)
This (almost) all-ages series (little kids might find it too scary) seems like an odd place to expand “Jurassic Park” lore. But we ain’t gonna see a yacht attacked by a mosasaur anywhere else, so I’ll take it. Plus, it gradually looks better as it goes along and we meet new dinosaurs, highlighted by Season 3’s creepy Scorpius rex. And I like the sextet of teens who bond on this escape quest that increasingly seems like “Gilligan’s Island” or “Lost”-for-Kids. It’s light, fun viewing in a franchise I love, and I can’t predict where it will go next. (Season 2 review; Season 3 review.)
8. “Only Murders in the Building” (Season 1, Hulu)
The appeal is almost entirely in the way Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez play off each other in an “odd couple plus one” scenario. There is a murder-mystery going on in their NYC apartment building, but the details matter less than the way the trio seeks out the clues. They take jabs at each other, but we also see they are becoming friends, even as we learn about their specific personal problems … which may or may not tie into the plot. Including a deaf-person’s-perspective episode that calls to mind “Buffy’s” “Hush,” “OMITB” is sometimes more experimental than excellent, but I enjoy hanging out with this trio every week. (Full review.)
7. “Yellowjackets” (Season 1, Showtime)
The question is “who will eat whom” as a planeload of teen girls tries to survive in the northern Canadian Rockies. It’s not overtly stated, but everyone is watching for this reason, right? Same as with the first season of “The Terror”? Or am I weird? If so, it’s no wonder I like this show, which is weird in many ways. But “Yellowjackets” adds grounded appeal in its present-day story as we follow Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci. The characters have decent doppelganger actors in the 1990s scenes, and all have been affected by what happened back then. We’re still learning exactly how. (Full review.)
6. “Mare of Easttown” (miniseries, HBO)
This murder-mystery slots alongside other dying-small-town potboilers of recent years. But in 2021, it particularly sent out a vibe, as “American Rust” copied it (accidentally, as the shows were produced at the same time) and “Mayor of Kingstown” almost copied the title (I’m suspicious of that coincidence). Kate Winslett unashamedly dresses herself down to play the titular police detective investigating a murder of a teen that emotionally wrenches the whole town. I guessed whodunit and therefore ruined the last episode for myself and my friend, thus showing a rare downside of discussing an ongoing mystery. But hey, it happens sometimes. (Full review.)
5. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Season 11, HBO)
I love how Larry (Larry David) is the same in Season 11 as he was in Season 1, often saying or doing the wrong thing but then moving on. “Seinfeld” was about nothing; “Curb” is about shrugging. Macro analysis aside, it’s the micro level that provides “Curb’s” humor, and Season 11 draws chuckles about everything from blackmail to the stereotype of black people loving watermelon. Meanwhile, Tracey Ullman steals scenes as hilariously unappealing city councilwoman Irma Kostroski, whom Larry must date so he doesn’t have to build a 5-foot fence around his pool.
4. “Cruel Summer” (miniseries, Freeform)
If someone wants to engage me in a debate about whether “Cruel Summer” (or “Yellowjackets” or “I Know What You Did Last Summer”) are good, they’re not wrong to do so. I’m not sure myself. But I know this one especially had a vice-grip on my attention over the course of its weekly airings. (By the way, I’m thankful for the return to prominence of that weekly structure; not everything is ideally binged.) Olivia Holt and Chiara Aurelia are great as friends-turned-rivals, the ’90s setting is heartfelt, and the supporting cast provided plenty of additional color and mystery for me and my buddy to theorize about. (Full review.)
3. “The Nevers” (Season 1, HBO)
After this six-episode season, I found myself increasingly thinking about how much I like “The Nevers” and want to see more episodes. Joss Whedon shows have that effect on me. (He’s a touchy person to praise in 2021, but I’m not going to pretend he’s not talented.) From Whedon, witty banter truly is witty, and kick-butt heroines truly are kick-butt. Here it’s Laura Donnelly as a Victorian woman with “X-Men” powers. A lot of new “woke” stories overstate their point; by setting “The Nevers” more than a century ago, we can go deep into the weeds of the oppression of women without feeling like we’re attending a lecture. (Full review.)
2. “Cobra Kai” (Season 3, Netflix)
Of all the returns to seemingly defunct franchises in recent years, this remains the most impressive. “The Karate Kid” films are not merely being revisited, but being reinvigorated. When Daniel (Ralph Macchio) visits his Japanese girlfriend from the second movie, and when he and Johnny (William Zabka) find themselves in a new sort of triangle with Ali (Elisabeth Shue), it’s in the context of continuing the story, not merely saying “Hey, remember her!?” When the story cuts to the next generation’s storylines, it’s no problem: We love the new batch of karate kids too. Especially when they’re tearing up a house with an epic fight between rival dojos. (Full review.)
1. “Midnight Mass” (miniseries, Netflix)
This original yarn that makes vampires scary again is the latest masterpiece from Mike Flanagan, who knows how to blend deep psychological horror with the beauty of human existence. Here, he teases out another fine line: The church can be a source of comfort or terror. Consider ex-theist, now atheist Zach Gilford chatting on the couch with ex-atheist, now-theist Kate Siegel about where we go after we die. Both versions are tear-inducing in their poetry. Later, a strikingly horrible death scene brings us back to that chat and we struggle with imagery and meaning like Flanagan wants us to. (Full review.)