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.

17 of 21 photo by Channel 4

91 #4: It's a Sin

This five-episode British miniseries (which came to the U.S. in February via HBO Max) follows a group of young gay men in 1980s London against the backdrop of the unfolding AIDS crisis and comes from Years and Years (and Queer as Folk) creator Russell T. Davies. Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Nathaniel Curtis, Lydia West, Keeley Hawes, Stephen Fry, and Neil Patrick Harris star. The series was hailed by the UK press as "a masterpiece" when it debuted there in January, and American reviewers were equally enthusiastic.

“As a vital television document about AIDS and the hard-earned freedoms that were crushed on human and systemic terms — and as purely just a piece of masterful writing and acting — 'It’s a Sin' is right up there with Tony Kushner’s epic 'Angels in America' as must-see queer viewing. It’s capable at once of breaking your heart, putting it back, then breaking it all over again.” —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire

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