Top 5 international shows of 2021: Only Murders in the Building to The White Lotus

You will, however, read about an epic morality tale and a delightfully contained comedy; a darkly humorous miniseries; and two documentaries—both about voice-of-a-generation women.

Without further ado, the top five international shows of 2021, in no particular order:

Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building is created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman.

At a time when most mainstream ‘content’ seems to be produced and sold by algorithms, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building (available in India on Disney+ Hotstar) was a refreshing blast from the past. Largely restricted to an upscale New York apartment complex, the quirky comedy combined Steve Martin and Martin Short’s classic humour with the millennial sensibilities of their co-star Selena Gomez. A treat for fans of true crime podcasts, murder mysteries, and terrific television: C’est moi.

The White Lotus

The White Lotus is created by Mike White.

Like Only Murders, HBO’s The White Lotus (also available on Disney+ Hotstar) was another pandemic production—but despite being set on a sprawling tropical island, it felt just as claustrophobic as that show. Deeply uncomfortable and darkly comedic, creator Mike White’s stinging satire of white privilege felt both timely and disappointingly timeless.

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka is directed by Garrett Bradley.

Directed by Academy Award nominee Garrett Bradley, Netflix’s three-part series about the tennis champion Naomi Osaka could hardly be described as a sports documentary; calling it a character study would be more accurate. The show was far more comfortable spending time off the court than on it, staying by Osaka’s side as she tried to comprehend her newfound status as an icon, and how she used her platform to talk about matters close to her heart.

The Mosquito Coast

The Mosquito Coast is developed by Neil Cross and Tom Bissell.

The dark horse of the list, Apple TV+’s massively entertaining adventure series, based on the book by Paul Theroux, combined the pleasures of old-school Hollywood storytelling and socially conscious themes. A terrific new addition to the roster for a streaming service that is still, almost miraculously, only populated by original programming.

Pretend It’s a City

Pretend It’s a City is directed by Martin Scorsese.

The second Netflix series on this list, like the first, is also a documentary. Directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring New York City fixture Fran Lebowitz at her most unapologetically savage, Pretend It’s a City is essentially a follow-up to their 2010 documentary Public Speaking. Call it an acidic diatribe against the concept of time, or a wistful attempt by two elderly people to make sense of their rich lives, Pretend It’s a City felt like getting a seat at the hottest table in town for four hours. It could’ve gone on for 40.