The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2021

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 28, 2021

Above are the highest-scoring first-year TV series (including limited series) debuting in the United States between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. Shows are ranked by Metascore (an average of grades from top professional critics on a 0-100 scale) prior to rounding based on scores as of December 24, 2021, and any programs with fewer than 7 reviews are excluded. One-off TV specials and made-for TV movies are ranked separately at the end of the gallery.

6 of 23 photo by Emmanuel Guimier

82 Lupin (Netflix)

(#15) Netflix's second-best French-language original series (after Call My Agent, though your ranking may differ) is inspired by the century-old character of Arsène Lupin, though this modern-day drama is not quite as breezy and caper-filled as you might expect. Directed in part by Louis Leterrier, the suspenseful, stylish, and serialized thriller stars Omar Sy as gentleman thief Assane Diop, who seeks to avenge his father's death and steal a necklace that once belonged to Marie Antoinette. Netflix has already aired two five-episode batches this year (the first, in January, quickly became the streamer's most-watched non-English title, and was followed by a second batch in June), and a third installment is now filming and should begin streaming sometime in 2022.

“The series also doesn’t waste a single minute, packing each and every moment full of suspense. Put all of that together, and it’s an early frontrunner to steal a spot as one of the best shows of the year.” —Karen Han, Slate

Watch it on Netflix (10 episodes)

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