Resident Alien (Sky Max/Now)
“The sci-fi murder mystery doctor dramedy Earth needs now!” That was the US marketing blurb for Resident Alien, a plucky attempt to turn the show’s audacious genre-mashing into a marketing angle. While it certainly has a lot going on – an alien crash-lands in small-town Colorado and attempts to evade detection by hijacking the identity of a big-city doctor – it only took a few episodes for me to realise why I was enjoying it so much. This story of a fusspot out-of-towner clashing with the rhythms of a town full of curious eccentrics is a spiritual descendant of 1990s fish-out-of-water touchstone Northern Exposure, complete with snowy setting and covetable local bar.
But what makes it truly special is Alan Tudyk’s performance as the literal-minded, self-regarding ET who finds himself beginning to empathise with humans while still plotting to annihilate us all. It’s a winning combination of black humour and doofus slapstick. Graeme Virtue
Breeders (Sky One)
By rights, Breeders should not be a hidden gem: it stars Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman, two of our finest comic actors, and was co-created by the latter alongside Chris Addison and Simon Blackwell, best known for The Thick Of It. In terms of viewing figures, however, it qualifies. That’s partly because it airs on Sky One, a channel that provides its programme-makers creative freedom, but very few viewers to actually witness it. Yet it’s also due to the highly discomfiting nature of the show itself: this is a comedy about parenting whose chaos is in no way cosy. Following the domestic travails of Ally and Paul, Breeders unflinchingly catalogues how well-meaning mothers and fathers can fail their children: series one involves many trips to A&E, a social services visit and Ally mistakenly believing Paul has murdered their insomniac children. In series two, which aired this year, the action revolves around Paul’s anger issues and the breakdown of his relationship with his son. None of these things are laughing matters. Except, in this cathartic, troubling and gratifyingly complex show, they somehow are. Rachel Aroesti
The Dog House (Channel 4)
Possibly the most under-appreciated mainstay of Channel 4’s primetime scheduling, The Dog House’s second season inexplicably flew below the radar in 2021. And yet, it was an unalloyed televisual joy whose matching process between wannabe dog adopters and adorable pooches was like First Dates for pet owners. Think surprisingly emotional interviews from people longing for the companionship of a dog – tempered with waggy tails and often tearfully grateful humans. It was an uplifting joyful romp of a show, with redemption at its heart. Alexi Duggins
The Hermit of Treig (BBC Scotland)
When Ken Smith was 26, he was brutally beaten up during a night out and spent 23 days unconscious. Doctors told him he would never speak or walk again. But he did. In fact, he walked and walked until he finally arrived somewhere he felt comfortable. Now, Smith is 74 and has been living alone in a self-constructed cabin in the Scottish Highlands for almost 40 years. Lizzie McKenzie’s beautiful, redemptive documentary finds Smith contemplating the possible end of both his lifestyle and his life itself – intimations of his mortality are becoming more frequent and the wisdom of him remaining in his cabin is debatable. And yet somehow, this film never feels sad or regretful – it’s simply the story of a man who made a very unusual choice and seems entirely at peace with it. And seeing him, still lost in wonder, still awed by the dazzling nature that surrounds him, you understand why. Phil Harrison
Cooking With Paris (Netflix)
The Friends reunion, The OC’s arrival on All 4 and a Sex and the City reboot: the pandemic has proved that nostalgic noughties television is hugely popular. And any millennial who grew up watching work-phobic heiress Paris Hilton trying her perfectly manicured hand at grafting on The Simple Life knows no one embodies those simpler times more than her. So when she returned with a “cooking” series in the summer, it served as a sort of therapy for those of us looking for a bit of familiar comfort while trapped indoors. It is inexplicably pleasing to see this bizarre being – with her endless resources, state-of-the-art kitchen and team of staff – struggle to serve up unapologetically on-brand and disgusting looking creations such as Frosted Flakes french toast and Unicorn-oli Cannoli to guests including Kim West and Demi Lovato. We also see a different, sweet side to Hilton – one which actually reminds us she is a human, not a caricature – as she talks about wanting to start a family. For the most part, though, Hilton really is on another planet, and it was a pleasure to escape this plagued one to join her there for a few glittery hours. Hollie Richardson
History of Swear Words (Netflix)
You have to remember that 5 January 2021 was an unbelievably dark day. We were one day off our third national lockdown. Everything felt heavy and apocalyptic. But then what should Netflix throw up? Why, a series entitled History of Swear Words, where a range of comedians and historians explored the usage of the words fuck, shit, bitch, dick, pussy and damn. Better still, it was presented by none other than Nicolas Cage, his hairline tugged all the way down his forehead like a hood, apparently for the sole reason that there is nothing as entertaining on Earth as Nicolas Cage screaming swear words at the top of his lungs. Had History of Swear Words been shown at any other time in human history, it would have been automatic filler. On 5 January 2021, though? My god, it was just what we needed. Stuart Heritage
Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (BBC Four)
Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America took one song an episode, avoiding tracks already widely acknowledged as classics, and did a deep dive into its provenance, cultural history and the aftershocks it left in its wake. It looked at Kanye West’s Jesus Walks and Kendrick Lamar’s Alright, but the two best episodes came later in the run: one that studied Outkast’s Elevators, which took us back in time to see high school-era Big Boi and Andre 3000; and one on The Bridge by Marley Marl and MC Shan, which played out like an in-depth alternative history of American rap. It occasionally massaged the story into the shape it wished to present, but for the most part, you came away feeling as if it was very good value indeed. It was chatty, informative, each story was ushered along briskly, and it made a refreshing change from the usual folk/prog BBC Four music docs. Rebecca Nicholson
Only Murders in the Building (Disney+)
What’s scarier than a friend announcing they’re starting a podcast? Only Murders in the Building took this very 2021 concept and spun it into murder mystery gold. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez starred as true crime podcast obsessives who start their own show after a neighbour’s death. The case was intriguing enough but it was the trio’s chemistry that captivated, making good use of their generation gap (see Steve Martin’s inability to write a casual text) with Gomez, famous from her smiley Disney Channel days, playing their straight-faced foil. Throw in some star cameos – like Tina Fey’s imperious true crime podcaster and Sting, playing to insufferable pop star type – and there wasn’t a more delightful show about homicide this year. Not least due to its frequent, playful ridiculing of true crime tropes, plus a cleverly scripted episode whose minimal dialogue movingly delved into the perspective of a deaf character. Things ended with a cliffhanger – what else? – for a second season. Henry Wong
