The Best TV Shows You Missed in 2021—and How to Watch Them

With so many streaming networks creating so much original content, not to mention the imported series that are regularly streaming on Netflix and beyond, there aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with every new (or new-to-you) TV series. But here are five shows you might have missed that are worth your time.

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Stath Lets Flats

Stath Lets Flats is a well-known comedy in its native UK (creator/star Jamie Demetriou won two BAFTAs in 2020—one for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Program and the other for Best Scripted Series). But it’s much less known in the US, which is a crime against comedy. Demetriou plays Stath, a realtor who works for his dad’s business and hopes to one day inherit it. Except he’s terrible at his job, doesn’t know anything about real estate, and doesn’t seem to like people much either, which makes watching him navigate the daily drill of apartment showings and tenant complaints even funnier. Demetriou is the brother of What We Do in the Shadows star Natasia Demetriou, who also stars in the series (playing his sister, of course—an aspiring singer and dancer). The series’ third season just dropped on HBO in November.

Hellbound

First there was Squid Game, then came Hellbound. In late November, this South Korean series overtook Squid Game to become the world’s most popular Netflix series. But that doesn’t matter. What you need to know is that it’s directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the visionary behind Train to Busan, and that it opens with the kind of WTF? moment that will have you hooked. It’s a supernatural crime show in which a mysterious bunch of beasts appear, attack, then disappear—leaving the authorities to figure out what the hell happened.

Wellington Paranormal

Before there was What We Do in the Shadows: The TV Series, there was What We Do in the Shadows: The Movie. But in between, there was Wellington Paranormal—a New Zealand-made comedy cocreated by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Like WWDITS, it’s a mockumentary-style production. But this time around it’s shot from the police department’s point of view and features all sorts of strange happenings, like a man being attacked by a “dog wearing jeans” and a group of zombie cops. The series originally premiered in 2018, but it was only made available in the US in 2021.

Made For Love

In the dark comedy Made for Love, the always-charming Cristin Milioti is a put-upon wife who is on the run after spending a decade of her life married to—and controlled by—her tech billionaire husband. As she works to reestablish her life and regain her independence, she doesn’t realize that her husband has implanted a chip in her brain that not only tracks where she is, but allows him to watch her and read her thoughts. (Hey, we said dark comedy.)

Resident Alien

Alan Tudyk stars as Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, physician to the residents of a small town in Colorado and also an alien who crash-landed on Earth and assumed the identity of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle. Fortunately for Harry, no one seems to notice the difference … except for a local kid who can somehow see Harry’s actual form.

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