The Thanksgiving dinner and holiday decorations may make it feel like wintertime, but that pesky calendar reminds us that we’re nearing the end of the fall 2021 season. With the pandemic still keeping many of us close to home, TV has again been a reliable source of entertainment, escape and information.
It’s been fun to ogle the beauty of Oprah Winfrey’s rose garden (“Adele One Night Only”), and strangely reassuring to see rich people who, despite their wealth, still aren’t happy (“Succession”).
The fall 2021 TV season has also brought its share of duds, including the critically roasted “Tiger King” sequel on Netflix, which shows that what may have riveted viewers as the pandemic was beginning feels totally unnecessary now.
Before we settle into the holidays, here’s a look back at fall TV 2021 winners and losers.
WINNERS
“Yellowstone”: After a lengthy break of more than a year, the contemporary western returned with a Season 4 premiere that showed what happened after the cliffhanger end of Season 3. Not only did ranching patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), his son Kayce (Luke Grimes), and daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) survive attacks intended to take them out, “Yellowstone” drew more than 14 million viewers with its Season 4 debut.
As Variety reported, those numbers were enough to vault “Yellowstone” into a position as “the #1 series of 2021 across all television – which includes broadcast, cable, and premium networks.” Want to see what all the fuss is about? New episodes air Sunday nights on the Paramount Network. You can also stream the show on Philo and fubo TV (both of which offer free trials). But you can’t find the series on Paramount+. Instead, you can watch the first three seasons on Peacock, the streaming service from NBCUniversal.
Related: Confused about where to see ‘Yellowstone?’: Here’s how to watch new and past seasons
Oprah Winfrey and Adele: First, Oprah Winfrey scored a sought-after sitdown with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that generated considerable buzz after it aired on CBS. This fall, Winfrey made more news thanks to another CBS special, “Adele One Night Only.” The show featured the mega-selling pop star performing at an exclusive concert filmed at Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory. In addition, Winfrey interviewed Adele about the singer’s new studio album, “30,” her divorce, her new music, her relationships and more. (Streaming on Paramount+)
Britney Spears: There are no doubt many reasons why the 13-year conservatorship under which Britney Spears had been placed was at last terminated this fall. Most importantly, the singer herself spoke up about her wish to see the conservatorship -- which was controlled by her father -- end, and her desire to finally regain her independence.
At least some of the attention that surrounded Spears’ case can be credited to “The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears,” a documentary that aired earlier this year on FX and streamed on Hulu. With its details about Spears, and the controversy surrounding the conservatorship, the documentary helped heighten awareness of the singer’s situation, as did supporters in the #FreeBritney movement. A follow-up, “Controlling Britney Spears,” which premiered on FX on Sept. 24 and streamed on Hulu, explored in more detail allegations about how being subject to the conservatorship had impacted Spears’ life. (Stream on fubo TV)
“Succession”: After another agonizingly long absence, the HBO drama finally returned for Season 3, which once again threw viewers into the power struggles among members of the wealthy Roy family. As always, they’re a fairly despicable bunch, including media mogul and patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), and his offspring, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck). Whether trying to strike out on their own by defying their Rupert Murdoch-like father, or scrambling to score daddy’s approval, the Roy children are pathetic and deluded, and their frailties are brought to enthralling life by a superb cast. We’re not asked to like the Roys, but they make for great TV, which makes it especially satisfying to know that HBO has renewed “Succession” for Season 4. (Stream on HBO Max)
“Squid Game”: The South Korean dystopian drama became an overnight phenomenon when it began streaming on Netflix. You’d think these stressful times would make the idea of watching a show in which people in debt compete in deadly games in the hope of winning money seem like the least appealing thing on Earth. But, evidently, millions of people welcomed the chance to vicariously experience tension, fear, and desperation. Go figure. (Stream on Netflix)
LOSERS
“Y: The Last Man”: After going through a notably extended development process, fans of the comic book by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra were thrilled when the TV series finally began streaming in September, on FX on Hulu. The series told the story of what happened in the wake of a mysterious event that wiped out every mammal with a Y chromosome. Everyone, that is, except for Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer). Though the critical reception was mixed, many found enough good elements in the series – including the performances of Diane Lane and Amber Tamblyn – that there was hope a second season would be even better. That isn’t happening, since the series was abruptly canceled, even before all the episodes of Season 1 had premiered. (Stream on fubo TV)
“Impeachment: American Crime Story”: The drama inspired by the actual events involving Monica Lewinsky, then-President Bill Clinton and the political and media atmosphere that surrounded them seemed likely to generate weeks of discussion, debate and loyal viewership. But as The New York Times noted in a piece titled, “The TV Hit That Wasn’t,” the FX series instead drew disappointing ratings and suffered from a lack of buzz. Considering that one of the executive producers was Ryan Murphy, who generally commands attention, the lackluster performance of “Impeachment: American Crime Story” was especially striking.
Though the series had its strong points, including intriguing performances by a talented cast that includes Sarah Paulson (as Linda Tripp) and Clive Owen (as Clinton), the Times story suggests the show suffered from not being available to stream on any of the major services, and won’t be for nearly a year. As the piece notes, “in 2021, a show that’s not easy to stream risks becoming almost invisible.”
Jen Shah: Anyone who watches “The Real Housewives” shows on Bravo already knows to expect over-the-top arguments, embarrassing revelations and people who seem to be living way beyond their means. Which makes it not all that surprising that Jen Shah, one of the cast members of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” is in hot water from a legal standpoint. Shah has been arrested for conspiring to commit wire fraud, and for conspiracy to commit money laundering. As if that isn’t alarming enough, the show’s cameras captured some of this real-life drama going down. In a recent episode, we saw the women preparing to depart on a trip to Vail, Colorado. Then, the police showed up. Not only did Shah not join the trip, the women found out that Shah and her assistant, Stuart Smith, both faced charges connected to an alleged telemarketing scam. Shah has pleaded not guilty. In a related development, Shah’s assistant, Smith, has changed his plea from not guilty to guilty. (”The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” streams on fubo TV; Season 1 is streaming on Peacock.)
“Tiger King 2″: When the original “Tiger King: Murder Mayhem and Madness” first streamed on Netflix, it become a pandemic hit. Viewers who were staying home because of the coronavirus gobbled up the outlandish saga of Joe Exotic, the eccentric zoo owner who was convicted on charges relating to animal abuse and his role in a murder-for-hire plot intended to kill his rival, Carole Baskin.
However, a sequel series, “Tiger King 2,” has been greeted as an attempt to get more mileage out of the sordid story and the disreputable characters involved in the shoddy world of private zoos. The animals forced to live in these operations are the victims. They deserve more attention, not the sleazeballs who exploit them. (Stream on Netflix)
-- Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
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