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.

4 of 21 photo by Anne Marie Fox/HBO Max

82 #15 (tie): Hacks: Season 1

The best original series produced directly for the year-old HBO Max to date, the dark comedy Hacks was created by Broad City alumni Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky and produced by Parks & Rec's Mike Schur. The great Jean Smart stars as a bitter, aging Las Vegas stand-up comic (think Joan Rivers) who—while on the verge of losing her career—becomes an unlikely mentor to a young comedy writer played by Hannah Einbinder. Kaitlin Olson and Carl Clemons-Hopkins also star in the 10-episode first season, which gets better as it progresses. It'll return for a second season next year.

“For all its gut-punch humor, ‘’Hacks’’ is dead serious about how show business treats women. You might be laughing too hard to hear it, but there’s a low frequency scream running just beneath the comedy. This show makes a rich contribution to the buddy comedy tradition, never superficial or skin deep and always very, very funny.” —Chris Vognar, San Francisco Chronicle

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