We are entering the era of hyper-production of a serial program, which was especially confirmed in the last two years when the world faced a covid pandemic. Cinemas are occasionally closed, and the Internet is available to practically everyone, so it is quite normal that the series has more and more fans every day.
Production companies are investing more and more money in the production of series, stories and themes are diverse in various genres, production is often equal to film, and in recent years more and more A-list actors play in them. In addition to the giants in the world of serial programs like HBO or BBC, we are witnessing a mega-expansion of streaming services that produce their own material, such as Netflix-And, HULU-And, Amazon-And, Disney + and Apple TV.
Unfortunately, hyper-production has led to the recording of everything and anything, which further makes it increasingly difficult to find a quality worth watching. Some series like Squid Game Lupine or La Casa de Papel they attract a lot of attention, although I don’t consider them nearly as good. Series aimed at target groups and containing horror, superheroes or epic fiction have become popular, which doesn’t interest me too much. That is why this year I watched by far the smallest number of series in the last few years.
This time, I singled out ten seasons of the series that left the best impression on me from the previous year. The title of the series contains a link to the review on the site, and if it does not exist, it may be written in the coming period. I repeat once again that this is SUBJECTIVE a list of the best series from the previous year, which primarily serves to remind you if you forgot to watch a series, if you missed mine or forgot someone’s recommendation. As you can probably guess, there are no series in the genre of fantasy, epic fiction, superhero or horror.
The series that are not on the list are worth mentioning Dopesick, Sweet Tooth, Reservoir Dogs, Only Murders In The Building and the second season of the series Breeders.
10. The Serpent
This is a British crime eight-dimensional drama co-produced by BBC 1 and Netflix. The story follows the French serial killer Charles Sobray, whose victims were young hippies in Southeast Asia during the seventies. Described as handsome, charming and unscrupulous, this man used his looks and cunning to “advance” his criminal career, but also to gain the status of a celebrity. The main role is played by the increasingly popular and very high-quality actor Tahar Rahim, who was the reason why I watched this series, which perfectly combines the dark attraction of true crime stories and the environment bathed in sun and beauty.
The Serpent | Official Trailer | Netflix
9. Snabba Cash
This series is based on the so-called Stockholm trilogy, crime novels written by the Swedish writer Jens Lapidus and which had members of the Yugoslav mafia among the characters. At the beginning of the last decade, the books were screened in the form of three films Easy Money (2010), Easy Money II: Hard to Kill (2012) and Easy Money III: Life Deluxe (2013). The plot of this series takes place ten years after the events in the trilogy, and the second season has been confirmed. This series is characterized primarily by an impressively colorful casting, then a good tempo, a lot of excitingly choreographed and quite violent action scenes, but also a sense of growing, inevitable tragedy.
Snabba Cash | Official Trailer | Netflix
8. Halston
Halston is a biographical five-part mini-series that follows Roy Halston Frowick, a fashion designer who presented his work as Halston and who redefined the fashion of American women in the mid-1970s with his fancy creations. He is played by Juan McGregor, and the screenplay is based on a book Simply Halston from 1991. In this Netflix series full of fashion, drugs, sex and drama, we follow the designer’s glamorous circle of muses, clients, friends and associates, as well as his personal and financial crises that led to his downfall.
HALSTON | Official Trailer | Netflix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCgdWHwEnrg
7. Time
It is a three-part television drama backed by the BBC with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in the lead roles. This series amazingly illustrates that neither of us is a complete saint or a complete sinner, following two men, a convict who has just arrived in prison and a veteran warden, who are going through their crises on both sides of the bars. I love movies and series whose plot is set in prison and this series finds great humanity in such an inhumane prison system.
Time | Sean Bean and Stephen Graham prison thriller | Trailer – BBC
6. The Underground Railroad
The author of this ten-part historical drama, which was shown on the streaming service Amazon Prime, is Barry Jenkins, a respected filmmaker and Oscar winner behind the critically successful films. Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. The screenplay was based on the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and follows the fictional story of people trying to escape slavery in the southern United States in the 19th century. In reality, the title of the series refers to a network of abolitionists, hidden routes and safe houses that helped enslaved people, and in this series the plot elements contain magical realism. There is a lot that makes this series quality, but I would single out Jenkins’ talent to adapt the novel with so much precision, skill and compassion.
The Underground Railroad – Official Trailer | Prime Video
5. Maid
This is another Netflix mini-series on this list. The screenplay is based on a memoir by Stephanie Land called Maid: hard work, low salary and the will of the mother to survive. The series focuses on a young mother who is a victim of domestic violence who, in an attempt to create a new life for herself and her child, got a job as a cleaner. This series excellently poses thoughtful socio-economic questions related to social barriers that hinder many people in trying to make their lives better. Also, this series had that bad luck for everyone to watch Squid Game when she came out, she was unjustly neglected.
MAID | Official Trailer | Netflix
4. The Beatles: Get Back
The Beatles: Get Back a documentary series directed and produced by Peter Jackson, the author of film trilogies Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. We are following the creation of the 1970 album Let It Be, and the material we are watching was originally made for a documentary that would accompany the release of that album. It consists of three episodes lasting between two and three hours, resulting in a total duration of eight hours. It premiered on the Disney + streaming platform. The creation of the album was marked by tensions and disagreements between the Beatles, and here we see a more optimistic side of the production. The biggest plus of this kind of unfiltered document of music history is that Peter Jackson does not play with narratives about the Beatles’ breakup, but is more interested in breaking myths and portraying band members as extremely talented people who had their flaws.
The Beatles: Get Back | Official Trailer | Disney+
3. Scenes from a Marriage
Scenes from a Marriage is a drama mini-series produced by HBO. It is a remake of the Swedish mini-series of the same name by Ingmar Bergman, one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, which was shown in April 1973, and later edited into a feature film. The adaptation follows a similar structure as the original, but focuses on two completely different characters and examines modern relationships with an emphasis on the success of monogamy in today’s world. Through five episodes, we follow the intimate stories of our protagonists from their life together. Although their marriage is recognizable as modern, progressive and idyllic, through confrontations with parenthood, careers, expectations and different needs, he begins to burst at the seams. This adaptation brings a fresh and modern perspective to Bergman’s exploration of love, resentment, loyalty and expectations, with impressive performances by Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac.
Scenes from a Marriage (2021) | Official Trailer | HBO
2. Mare of Easttown
Mare of Easttown is an HBO mini-series consisting of seven one-hour episodes and in which Kate Winslet plays a detective who encounters the murder of a local teenager. Many in the community doubt her detective skills, torn between business commitments, constant pressure and numerous private problems that include divorce, her son’s suicide and the struggle for custody of her grandson. She is a true portrayal of a tired, depressed woman whose combination of professional responsibility and family tragedy has collapsed on her back, leaving a person who has no will and energy for anything else except work and family obligations. The plot in the form of a mystery is set aside in favor of examining how tragedies define our present and exploring the dark side of the rural community. This series is more of a character study than following the finesse of detective work, which, combined with a slower pace, will not appeal to everyone. I did.
Mare of Easttown: Official Trailer | HBO
1. Succession S03
Legacy is a drama series produced by HBO, which started showing the third season in October and confirmed its fourth season. The series follows events related to the dysfunctional Roy family, owners of a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the Pater family. Casting has assembled an impressive cast, and individuals have picked up Golden Globes and Emmys for their work on the series.
There is nothing disputable if I say that this is one of the best written and acted series in the last few years. The third season goes beyond backstage agreements, family plots and everything that the world of rich people brings. In addition to the expected internal dynamics of the Roy family, that is, a kind of family civil war, we are now following Roy at investor conferences, lavish birthday parties and gala dinners. New events allow us to get new details about each of the characters, but also to make each of them the worst possible version of ourselves. Doubtless, Succession is the best that modern television has to offer.