Shows or movies that premiered in the U.S. in 2021 – The Smart Awards are for shows or movies that aren’t dumbed down, that force you to use your brain. And the acting is subtle rather than over the top or playing to the camera.
2021 was a weak year for new movies and TV shows. Not much to pick from.
This prequel to Yellowstone follows the Dutton family’s cross-country trek from Fort Worth to Oregon. The journey is rough, and you feel it. Surprisingly, both Tim McGraw and Faith Hill can act. I felt I was watching actors, not singers. McGraw’s character, James Dutton, is the great-grandfather of Kevin Costner’s character in Yellowstone. But it’s his daughter, Elsa Dutton (played by Isabel May) who steals every scene and is the soul of the show.
Creator: Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Yellowstone)
Cast: Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May
IMDb: 9.1
Where: Paramount+
In this mashup of Broadchurch and Happy Valley, a small-town detective must solve the mystery of a murdered teenager amidst her own family dramas. Winslet slays as usual, and nails the Pennsylvania accent. It might be guilty of too much melodrama at certain turns, but this is one of the best of 2021. Winslet, Nicholson and Peters all won Emmys for the series.
Creator: Brad Ingelsby
Cast: Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Peters
IMDb: 8.5
Where: HBO Max
Chronicles the rise of Purdue Pharma’s deadly OxyContin opioid, focusing on those trying to expose Purdue Pharma’s crimes as well as some victims of OxyContin in a rural Virginia mining town. Not perfect but well done overall.
Creator: Danny Strong
Cast: Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable), Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, John Hoogenakker
IMDb: 8.8
Where: Hulu
Taylor Sheridan is on a roll with yet another hit series. The town of Kingstown’s main industry is prisons, having seven of them. Kyle Chandler and Jeremy Renner play brothers who are intermediaries/brokers among criminal gangs and prison personnel. This is a gritty show that reminds me of Cinemax’s Banshee. The first season builds to an intense finale.
Creators: Taylor Sheridan, Hugh Dillon
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Hugh Dillon, Emma Laird
IMDb: 8.3
Where: Paramount+
For Marvel Comics fans comes this series taking place after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019). Wanda Maximoff and Vision are trying to live idyllic suburban lives, but something is amiss. A very creative series with a hook that the trailer will allude to. Not your normal superhero genre stuff. I didn’t think I would like it but I did.
Creator: Jac Schaeffer
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn
IMDb: 8.0
Where: Disney+
Based on the writings of Isaac Asimov, this sci-fi series has some new ideas, for sure. I found it difficult to follow, which is not a bad thing. In fact, I’ll probably need to watch it a second time. Has some slow parts but overall it was pretty good if you’re into sci-fi.
Creators: Josh Friedman, David S. Goyer
Cast: Lou Llobell, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn
IMDb: 7.4
Where: Apple TV+
This Spanish-made, English-language mystery thriller with an international cast will remind you of Agatha Christie’s whodunits. Set in the South Pole, with characters dying one by one, it also resembles 1982’s The Thing with Kurt Russell, though this series is far less gory. Though I sort of saw the ending coming, it was still satisfying.
Creators: David Pastor, Àlex Pastor, David Troncoso
Cast: John Lynch, Katharine O'Donnelly, Alexandre Willaume
IMDb: 6.8
Where: HBO Max
While producing the first iteration of Justice League, Zack Synder’s daughter died, so a different director came in to complete the project. At the same time, the studio decided they wanted the film much shorter. The result was a movie with cringeworthy moments that lost the studio about $60 million. Ignited by public demand, Warner Bros. decided to greenlight a director’s cut from Snyder. The studio let him spend millions to rework things and reshoot scenes to match his initial vision of the story. This new version – although much longer, and divided into chapters – is significantly better than the 2017 theatrical version.
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot
IMDb: 8.1
Where: HBO Max