John’s top 10 TV shows of 2021
2021 television: Mystery miniseries dominated 2021. But at least one reliable old standby cracks my list of the year’s 10 best TV shows.
Showtime
‘Yellowjackets’ soapier than I’d like, but has some sting
First episode impressions (TV review): This miniseries has a great premise of teen girls thrown into an extreme situation, but it’s also a little soapy.
Murder mystery almost an afterthought on ‘American Rust’
First episode impressions (TV review): The genre of a dead body in a dying town is well-worn. But “American Rust” is at least appealingly well-worn.
‘Piranha’ (1978, 1995) cheaply knocks off ‘Jaws’
Frightening Friday (Movie reviews): “Piranha” is often called a “Jaws” parody, but really it’s a knockoff. Still, it has a place in film history.
‘Total Recall 2070’ (1999) taps into ‘Blade Runner’
PKD flashback (TV review): Despite its low budget, this single-season Showtime series taps into what makes Dick’s cinematic worlds so engrossing.
First episode impressions: ‘Roadies’ (TV review)
“Roadies” (10 p.m. Eastern Sundays on Showtime), the new series from Cameron Crowe, feels a little more like “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” or “Love Monkey” than it feels like “Almost Famous.” The pilot episode […]
John’s favorite TV shows of the Aughts (Commentary)
Next, here are my top 10 TV shows. Some started in the ’90s, but for this list, I am just showing the years they aired during this decade. This top 10 is front-loaded (the most […]
‘Dead Like Me’: The best show ever about a dead girl named George (TV review)
Ellen Muth is one of the harder to categorize actresses out there. As George Lass — the audience-surrogate reaper on “Dead Like Me” — she went around with a depressive look all the time. Of […]