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By now the critics have spoken, and we already know what’s best. Succession, Hacks, and The White Lotus have been lifted up by several publications (including this one) as the pinnacle of what TV has to offer. We know that The Power of the Dog, Licorice Pizza, and West Side Story are capital G, Good. But what about everything else?
What do we do with the rest of the shows and movies that were released this year, projects that were inspired enough to bring us joy yet had just enough problems to exclude them from best-of lists? What do we do with the shining stars that hid in so-so movies? The heart-breaking scenes that made us reevaluate entire shows? This list, it’s for them.
Today we take a moment to celebrate the truly remarkable actors and actresses who surprised us. Whether they made us pause because of their comedic chops or their delicate vulnerability, these performers truly gave it their all. And in the process, they made our 2021 just a tiny bit brighter.
Chiara Aurelia in 'Cruel Summer'
Cruel Summer was arguably one of the best Freeform thriller mysteries since Pretty Little Liars. However, Chiara Aurelia as Jeanette Turner, or should I say, three completely different versions of Jeanette Turner, deserved much more praise for her role as the dork turned prom queen turned criminalized loner.
It was Aurelia’s performance that carried the suspense, the plot twists, and ultimately was the reason I am itching for the second season. She’s able to make us feel simultaneously creeped out and sympathetic. In fact, it was her exceptionally believable role as the victim that made the last scene of the show so shocking. We can’t wait to see where Aurelia takes Jeanette in season two. — Sam Nungesser
Lauren Ambrose in 'Servant'
Lauren Ambrose doesn’t feel like a force on Servant. She feels like a freaking sledgehammer. With only the flex of her eyebrows and a well-placed tonal change, Ambrose can alter the entire world of M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller. Is this show a black comedy? Is it a nightmare-inducing horror story? Is it a sorrowful reflection on grief? Is Dorothy someone we’re supposed to feel for? Is she our unredeemable villain? Is she crazy? Is she perhaps the sanest character on this show? In Ambrose’s hands, all of these questions and a dozen more feel valid yet infuriatingly unanswerable. — Kayla Cobb
Patti Harrison in 'I Think You Should Leave'
Move over, Nic Cage! There’s a new national treasure in town and her name is Patti Harrison! While the second episode of I Think You Should Leave features Harrison as a wine-love, Charlie Brown balloon-fearing entrepreneur, my favorite Harrison performance was, say it with me, TABLES.
The final episode of the second season includes one of the funniest, strangest sketches of 2021 as Tim Robinson portrays a Driver’s Ed instructor who shows his class a series of bizarre instructional videos. Harrison plays the star of the vids, a woman curiously obsessed with her tables. The peculiar story of the tables, Harrison’s over-the-top performance and pitch-perfect delivery (“These tables are how I buy my house!”), and Robinson’s combustible frustration combine to make I Think You Should Leave’s tables sketch an instant classic. — Josh Sorokach
Callum Scott Howells in 'It's a Sin'
Callum Scott Howells had a perfectly endearing breakthrough performance in British limited series It’s a Sin, which released earlier this year on HBO Max. But that warmth and kindness became Colin’s downfall in the series. The middle of the series took a twist when Colin fell ill with AIDS, a tragic fate for the happy-go-lucky kiddo looking to strike it big in the London business scene. Although he may have made the world cry, I’ll forgive Howells — his performance is cheery, whip-smart, and wonderfully breathtaking. — Fletcher Peters
Ashley Romans in 'Y: The Last Man'
Look, I will end 2021 shouting the same refrain: Y:The Last Man deserved a second season. If you need proof about why I’m right, look no further than Ashley Romans’ absolutely breathtaking portrayal of Agent 355. The second Romans appeared on screen, she was as badass and cutthroat as you would expect a super-secret government agent to be. Seriously, her fight scenes are so natural they feel as effortless to her as breathing. But it wasn’t her high kicks or swift punches that stole my heart. It was her dry wit and quietly devastating vulnerability. Romans took a character we’ve seen a million times — a hardened fighter — and gave her an internal life that was as rich and delicate as her external life was mysterious.
If we don’t get more of Y: The Last Man, it’s going to be sad. But if we don’t get more of Ashley Romans? That’s criminal. — Kayla Cobb
Sara Bareilles in 'Girls5eva'
We all know that Renee Elise Goldsberry devoured every bit of scenery in Peacock’s Girls5Eva. We recognize that Paula Pell is a ferocious force for all things funny, and we’ve honored Busy Phillip’s hilarious take on daffy ‘90s pop stars. However, the one Girls5Eva star whose comic chops seem to be grossly underrated? Sara Bareilles. As the “straight” player in the group, Bareilles has to juggle anchoring the emotional drama of each scene along with delivering ziplock tight punchlines. She does so like a pro. Which all the more impressive considering she’s the star with the least comedy training or action experience. Sara Bareilles deserves all the kudos for Girls5Eva. — Meghan O’Keefe
Annaleigh Ashford in 'Impeachment: American Crime Story'
When your co-stars are Sarah Paulson, Beanie Feldstein, and Edie Falco, it’s hard to stand out. Yet that’s exactly what Annaleigh Ashford did time and time again. Ashford’s vulnerable take on Paula Jones consistently grounded this often confusing story, adding a much-needed dose of pathos to the Clinton impeachment scandal. Jones’ big eyes and quietly accented words showed how a woman who just wanted to help her governor was dragged into one of the biggest moral trials of our nation’s history. The motivations, ethics, and characters of Impeachment‘s version of Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp can be think pieced to death. Yet only Ashford’s fragile portrayal shows how we, as the U.S. government and the American public, abused these women far beyond their alleged sins. — Kayla Cobb
Simon Helberg in 'Annette'
I was very prepared to hate Annette, the bizarre rock opera from filmmaker Leos Carax featuring the world’s creepiest puppet. But then Simon Helberg showed up on my screen. Yes, the guy from The Big Bang Theory, a show I’ve never watched but may now start, for Helberg alone. In Annette, Helberg plays a piano accompanist who is secretly pining for Marion Cotillard’s character, and, in the film’s best scene, he recites an impassioned monologue to the camera while conducting a symphony. The timing is impeccable, the camera work is awe-inspiring, and Helberg’s delivery is heart-wrenching. It’s emotional and natural, and yet impossibly precise; timed perfectly to fit the rhythm of the song he’s conducting. It’s a jaw-dropping showcase of talent, and, in that moment, I loved Annette with my whole heart. — Anna Menta
Michael Dornan in 'For All Mankind'
I will never stop screaming from the rooftops about how good the underwetched Apple TV+ drama For All Mankind was in 2021 and how good Michael Dornan was in it. For All Mankind Season 2 was a miraculous upgrade on the show’s solid first season, in huge part thanks to Dornan’s arc. His Gordo Stevens started the season as a washed up drunk, still reeling from the mental trauma of having a secret breakdown on the moon. By the season’s end, he had not only used love as a motivator to kill his demons, but to literally save the world. Dornan made us feel every Gordo’s journey in a visceral, human way. — Meghan O’Keefe
Rob McElhenney in 'Mythic Quest'
“Mac from Always Sunny will make me cry” wasn’t on my 2021 Bingo card. Yet it happened anyway. Through Always Sunny and Mythic Quest, McElhenney has proven that he’s an incredible comedic actor as well as an insightful creator. But it wasn’t until “Juice Box” that McElhenney revealed just how acutely he understands the human condition.
In Season 2’s penultimate episode, Ian is resigned to a hospital bed. He’s lonely, scared, and for one of the first times in his life truly vulnerable. Yet at his lowest, he doesn’t reach out to any of his yes men. He reaches out to Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao), the friend who’s unafraid to call the expansion that literally sent him to the ER “shit.” As he’s crying, he wants to be with the one person who has always seen right through him, the one who’s so in tune with his creative side she feels carved from the same mind. There’s a quiet beauty to Ian’s need to be seen rather than coddled. In his quest to portray that, McElhenney captures the lonely pain we’ve all felt during this pandemic. — Kayla Cobb
