10 Best TV Episodes Of 2021
The very best small screen highlights of the year.
With many of us spending long stretches of 2021 locked inside or finding our entertainment options otherwise capped by the ongoing global nonsense, we’ve been blessed by the small screen once again stepping up to the plate and blessing us with some grade-A entertainment.
From the traditional broadcasters to the increasingly diverse range of online streaming options, this has been a solid year for TV, with inventive and bold comedies, dramas that continue to tempt the biggest stars away from the movies, and breakthrough hits from around the world that will hopefully lead audiences to continue to investigate entertainment options worldwide.
Picking a top 10 from the myriad great episodes and shows we’ve had to enjoy hasn’t been easy, but there are some TV events that just couldn’t be ignored, from long awaited returns of gripping dramas to surprising new discoveries and sublime new work from entertainment icons who just never miss.
Whatever becomes of the world in 2022, no doubt we’ll need to lean on our old friend the TV once again, so in the meantime, here’s a tribute to the stuff that’s kept us going over the past 12 months.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm - "Irma Kostroski"
At this point it feels like we take Curb Your Enthusiasm for granted. Two decades in, we still tune in to see Larry David talk his way into trouble, but feel like we know what we’re going to get. And yet, quietly, Curb has had its best season in a few years, with its best episode being "Irma Kostroski".
For reasons too complex to rattle through, Larry finds himself obliged to bond with the titular councilwoman in order to affect zoning laws. This leads to the wonderful sight of LD on the campaign trail, winning his erstwhile colleague votes with promises he feels will appeal to the common man, like respecting wood.
Meanwhile Larry continues to develop his latest project, Young Larry, featuring young amateur actress Maria Sofia, who he has been blackmailed into casting. Keyla Monterroso Mejia has been the star of this season with her brutally funny bad acting and rapport with Larry.
The episode also features an all-time great bit of Curb logic: in a long line for the polling booth, Larry finds a man intending to vote for the opposing candidate to his; instead of waiting, they acknowledge that they cancel each other out, and both leave. 20 years on, he still sees the world like no one else.