CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Screenshot, Netflix, Screenshot, Screenshot

For the Year of Our Screens 2021, my list includes all the shows that I would recommend to my fellow viewers as “worth watching.” So that’s 77 shows! There’s a lot of TV nowadays, and a lot of it’s also pretty good.

I utilized a self-imposed rule in which I had to watch at least 50% of a show’s 2021 output for it to be eligible. However, there were some noteworthy shows that I watched less than 50% of, so I’ve spotlighted those in an honorable mention section:

Good Shows That I Watched Less Than Half Of:

Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix)
Disenchantment (Netflix)
Girls5eva (Peacock)
Rutherford Falls (Peacock)
The Snoopy Show (Apple TV+)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
That Damn Michael Che (HBO Max)
The Underground Railroad (Amazon)
The Wedding Coach (Netflix)
Welcome to Earth (Disney+)

I Can Honestly Say These Shows Are All Worth Watching:

77. Fantasy Island (FOX): A sunny reboot with a compelling lead performance from Roselyn Sánchez.
76. Y: The Last Man (FX on Hulu)
75. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)
74. Physical (Apple TV+)
73. Ziwe (Showtime)
72. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (Disney+)
71. The Shrink Next Door (Apple TV+)
70. Superman & Lois (The CW)
69. A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO)
68. Tuca & Bertie (Adult Swim)
67. College Bowl (NBC): Cooper Manning is the Sidekick of the Year.
66. The Problem with Jon Stewart (Apple TV+)
65. The Kids Tonight Show (Peacock): A joyous pint-sized “late night” talk show.
64. To Tell the Truth (NBC)
63. Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)
62. The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
61. Impeachment: American Crime Story (FX)
60. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
59. Ultra City Smiths (AMC+)
58. MacGruber (Peacock): Sam Elliott as MacGruber’s dad is dope.
57. RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
56. Rugrats (Paramount+): I’m still getting used to the CG animation, but Grandpa Lou as a hippie is an inspired decision.
55. Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail (TBS): If you’re enjoying Quinta Brunson on Abbott Elementary, you might also like her on the most recent season of this TBS anthology series.
54. The Chase (ABC)
53. Atypical (Netflix)
52. Chad (TBS): I’m pretty sure that Nasim Pedrad delivered the performance of the year as a terrible teenage boy.
51. American Housewife (ABC)
50. The Goldbergs (ABC)
49. Riverdale (The CW): This show is going completely for broke now.
48. Home Economics (ABC)
47. Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
46. The Wonder Years (ABC): Damn, what a strong year for reboots.
45. The Conners (ABC)
44. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX): Going to Ireland was fun, but I kinda wish that Sunny had instead devoted five episodes to replacing Dee with a monkey.
43. Young Sheldon (CBS)
42. Whose Line is it Anyway? (The CW)
41. The Masked Singer (FOX)
40. History of Swear Words (Netflix): Nicolas Cage had a lot of fun hosting this docu-series.
39. Chucky (Syfy/USA): The killer doll goes queer in a teen drama milieu.
38. PEN15 (Hulu)
37. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
36. Solar Opposites (Hulu)
35. Ghosts (CBS): I’ve heard of Casper the Friendly Ghost, but a whole house full of friendly dead folks? That’s what we’ve got here!
34. Conan (TBS): A GOAT bows out.
33. Big Shot (Disney+): Remember that Full House episode in which Uncle Jesse knew nothing about basketball? This show is the opposite of that, as John Stamos plays a coach who knows everything about basketball, but could stand to learn a little bit more about himself.
32. Big Mouth (Netflix)
31. Saved by the Bell (Peacock)
30. Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
29. Sex Education (Netflix)
28. A.P. Bio (Peacock)
27. Earth to Ned (Netflix)
26. Last Week Tonight (HBO)
25. Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
24. The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix)
23. Jeopardy! (Syndicated): The search for a new host was a little wonky, but then a pack of super-champs redeemed the year.
22. Evil (Paramount+)
21. The Other Two (HBO Max)
20. The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+): You can’t go wrong hanging out in the studio with the Fab Four.
19. American Dad! (TBS)
18. Wellington Paranormal (The CW): What We Do in the Shadows isn’t the only What We Do in the Shadows TV spinoff that exists.
17. Animaniacs (Hulu)
16. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu): The mystery and the humor both worked wonderfully well.
15. Dickinson (Apple TV+): A lot sure happened in Amherst, Mass.
14. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix): Have you seen the Ghost Tour sketch yet? It’s good.
13. The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO Max): Four roommates have various misadventures around campus … ain’t that always how it goes?
12. Succession (HBO)
11. WandaVision (Disney+): A Magical Journey Through Sitcomlandia.
10. Joe Pera Talks with You (Adult Swim): There’s still so much to learn from our gentle dispatches from the Midwest.
9. Holey Moley (ABC)
8. The Good Fight (Paramount+)
7. Resident Alien (Syfy): I love shows about conflicted extraterrestrials.
6. What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
5. Pose (FX)
4. Search Party (HBO Max)
3. March Madness (CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV): I normally don’t include sports in my TV list, but I had to make an exception, because following a year of COVID cancellation, the most recent edition of the men’s and women’s Division I NCAA college basketball tournaments were quite possibly the best of my entire lifetime. It was such a pure joy to have the Madness back in our lives.
2. How To with John Wilson (HBO): A singular experience from one person’s subjective POV that speaks to the entirety of existence.
1. Saturday Morning All-Star Hits! (Netflix): Kyle Mooney presents a pastiche of a particular moment in pop culture and ends up with a mosaic of interlocked, frenzied, exhilarating storytelling.