The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2021 So Far

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – July 1, 2021

Which newcomers on the small screen have impressed reviewers the most during the first half of the year? Above, find the highest-scoring first-year TV shows (including limited series and specials) debuting between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Only shows with at least 7 reviews from professional critics are included.

11 of 21 photo by Robert Viglasky/Jed Bessell/AMC+

84 #10 (tie): Too Close: Season 1

Emily Watson stars as a forensic psychiatrist who is charged with assessing the fitness of a suspect (Denise Gough) to stand trial—only to be caught up in the latter's manipulations—in a three-part psychological thriller (adapted from the novel of the same name) that was produced by the UK's ITV and came to the States in May on the AMC+ streaming service.

“Too Close feels like the most woman-centred, woman-driven mainstream production we’ve yet seen. That’s a bonus. Too Close is a fantastically compelling, brilliantly scripted whydunnit that is unquantifiably better than it needs to be.” —Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

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