Top TV moments of 2021
From undeniable triumphs to shocking deaths, this year served up plenty of content that got us talking
1 Performance of the year Sarah Paulson in Impeachment: American Crime Story (Binge)
It was a role that presented numerous challenges – not least being that Linda Tripp, who betrayed her friend Monica Lewinsky by secretly recording their conversations to expose the former White House intern’s affair with President Bill Clinton, is still seen as a deeply unsympathetic character. Then there was the well-intentioned but misguided criticism over Paulson donning a fat suit to portray Tripp. But Paulson’s transformation ultimately owed nothing to prosthetics and everything to a nuanced, poignant and flawless performance.
– Sarrah Le Marquand
2 On-screen death of the year Prison manager Ann Reynolds at the hands – literally – of The Freak in Wentworth (Foxtel)
Notorious for its high body count and epic death scenes, Wentworth’s final season did not disappoint. A garrotting with a bed sheet and an impaling caused by an explosion were just some of the ways that inmates met their maker. But it was vengeful prison boss Ann Reynolds (Jane Hall) having her neck snapped by Joan “The Freak” Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) that ultimately proved the most memorable. Die-hard Wentworth fans have watched psychopath The Freak commit many unspeakable atrocities over the course of eight shocking seasons, but never in the name of love.
– Siobhan Duck
3 Moments worth a second look Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston in The Bachelor Australia (Network 10)
There was a lot of talk about ratings when it came to The Bachelor Australia franchise this year. While I agree the format could do with a shake-up, this season delivered on drama, heartbreak and, most importantly, a happy couple. Pilot Jimmy Nicholson and his winner Holly Kingston (both pictured) are loved-up and living together, with talk of marriage in the future. And special mention goes out to this year’s Bachelorette Brooke Blurton. She not only gave us a great season, but she was also our first Indigenous and bisexual star on the dating series.
– Bree Player
4 Twist of the year The killer is revealed in Mare Of Easttown (Binge)
Spoiler alert! In retrospect, the clues about young Ryan Ross (Cameron Mann) being the killer of Erin McMenamin (Cailee Spaeny) were there all along: the hushed conversation with his father and the look on his face when the titular character and brilliant detective (Oscar winner Kate Winslet, in career-best form) turned up at his house in the penultimate episode revealed the truth. But seriously, who would have predicted that middle-school student Ryan killed the young single mother, given all the other suspects who seemed to be vying for top position? Easily one of the best shows of 2021.
– Lisa Woolford
5 Funniest moment of the year Roy Kent in Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
There’s a good reason why this wholesome comedy has everyone talking – and that’s because the characters are simply delightful. From Ted Lasso (Golden Globe winner Jason Sudeikis), an American football coach recruited to guide an English mid-tier soccer team, to young up-and-coming striker Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), each one is fully formed and oftentimes very funny – none more so than the gruff Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), who, in the laugh-outloud moment of the year uttered, “I think you might be dying” to his young niece after he copped a face full of her bad breath.
– Adrienne Tam