The Best Movies & Shows Released in 2021 (+Mood: No-brainer)

Four college freshmen from different parts of the country come together as roommates to earn their bachelor’s degree, sure, but more than that, to explore their newfound independence, experiment with each other, and establish a sense of self that they can truly be proud of. In other words, they’re out to get an education, in […]

Harlem follows four 30-something friends trying to live their best lives in their New York neighborhood. It sounds cliché—another group of women navigating work, love, and personal growth in NYC?—but thanks to the deft direction of Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) and the dynamic performances of the show’s leads, Harlem is a blast to watch. The […]

It’s easy to see With Love and mistake it for a Hallmark special; both are filled with pretty people who spend the holidays looking for love. But where Hallmark tends to be simple and sappy, With Love is refreshingly complex and earnest. The characters, mostly Latino and queer, rarely sugarcoat their problems and desires, even […]

When long-term couple Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) sign up for a backpacking retreat to save their failing relationship, they find themselves instead in the magical town of Schmigadoon, where life is a vibrant, zany, 1940s musical and everyone—from the mayor to the carnie—sings their heart out. It’s all fun and games until […]

Based on the 2014 film of the same title, this mockumentary series manages the difficult, Seinfeld-ean task of being about nothing in particular and still being funny. Sure, the show’s episodes usually revolve around its core cast of vampires’ unfamiliarity with the real world, but the stakes are low—no pun intended—and the character relationships get […]

The brainchild of Lisa Hanawalt (one of the creative forces behind Netflix’s BoJack Horseman), Tuca & Bertie departed from that other show’s no-holds-barred look at addiction and depression to focus on the freewheeling adventures of two best friends in the wacky city of Birdtown. The series wears its silliness like a badge of honor and […]

Unabashedly embracing the ridiculous twists, rotating romantic pairings, and other tropes common to young-adult comedy-dramas, Good Trouble offers a massive number of storylines that are always delivered with an easygoing charm and real filmmaking flair. Set in a communal living space in Los Angeles, each character’s personal drama often intersects with everyone else’s—allowing the show […]

Wellington Paranormal is a wry and highly entertaining mockumentary series that follows a special force unit and their adventures in quelling paranormal activity. Taika Waititi executive produces this cross-genre sitcom, which serves as a spin-off to Waititi’s cult classic What We Do in the Shadows.  While the film focuses on the creatures, Wellington Paranormal is […]

Keir Gilchrist who you may know from the movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story plays Sam, an 18-year-old on the autistic spectrum trying to navigate the “typical” aspects of a teenager’s life: dating, independence, friendships, etc. Perhaps people dealing with autism can better attest to this, but the show feels genuine and realistic. Don’t […]

Search Party starts off with a simple mystery: whatever happened to Chantal, that girl Dory (Alia Shawkat) barely knew in college? She’s been pronounced dead by authorities but Dory is sure she’s seen her alive just recently. With nothing else going on in her life, a life she imagined would be filled with big feats […]