Outtake No. 6
Looking back on some of my favorites of 2021.
“Outtakes” is (finally) back with another installment about all things pop culture as I look back on some of favorite moments of the past year.
Typically, I would share a long, running list of things from film, TV and theater, but this year—given some key changes, like my title, which is now Senior Editor of TV & Streaming, and the fact I officially joined the Television Critics Association—I’m focusing only on TV highlights.
As always, I want to celebrate LGBTQ storytelling and performers in addition to everything else that defined the 2021, which you’ll see broken out in the the lists below.
Thanks for reading. And I can’t wait to share even more in the new year!
LGBTQ Series: It’s a Sin
Spanning a decade starting in 1981, the five-part show follows a group of gay friends, Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Roscoe (Omari Douglas) and Colin (Callum Scott Howells), and their straight girlfriend, Jill (Lydia West), as they go from chasing their dreams to fighting for survival in a prejudiced society.
Described by creator Russell T. Davies as an “innocent story of a young generation walking into a slaughter,” It’s a Sin strikes a remarkable balance between comedy, sex and heartbreak that fills every episode with a full range of emotions that plays out in unexpected ways. “That is how I write,” he says, adding that even when writing darker scenes, jokes have an equal place in that moment. “I think life is like that.” (Read More)
Other Notable LGBTQ Series (in alpha order): Big Mouth, Chucky, Dickinson, Generation, Gossip Girl, Hacks, Legendary, Pose, Q-Force, Queens of the Universe, Saved by the Bell, Schmigadoon!, Sex Education, Special, The Lady and the Dale, The Other Two, Work in Progress
Thanks to fans of The Other Two for making “Outtake No. 4” the most read newsletter so far!!
Other Favorites: Black Lady Sketch Show, Dopesick, Generation Hustle, Girls5eva, Impeachment: American Crime Story, Loki, Love Life, Mare of Easttown, Mythic Quest, Only Murders in the Building, Squid Game, Station Eleven, Succession, The Great, The Great North, The Good Fight, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Morning Show, The White Lotus, WandaVision, What We Do in the Shadows, Y: The Last Man, Yellowjackets
LGBTQ Performer: Mj Rodriguez (Pose) and Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)
“It’s quite a beautiful arc that we see Blanca go on,” Rodriguez told me about season 3, happy that after all the obstacles she faced, Blanca “reaches all the obtainable aspirations that she’s always dreamed of.”
“I’m often asked to play characters that are much closer to myself. And so this was really exciting for me to step out of that,” Bartlett said about his character. “He’s this showman and someone who has to be completely together. He has to take care of these really difficult guests often, and so, he has to present himself as a professional and hold it together But underneath, we find out everything is sort of unraveling.”
Other Notable LGBTQ Performers: Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!), Billy Porter (Pose), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), Brandon Kyle Goodman (Big Mouth), Callum Scott Howells (It's a Sin), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Hacks), Cole Escola (Search Party), Harvey Gullien (What We Do in the Shadows), Justice Smith (Generation), Molly Bernard (Younger), Neil Patrick Harris (It’s a Sin), Nico Santos (Superstore), Paula Pell (Girls5eva), Sam Jay (Pause With Sam Jay)
Other Favorites: Annaleigh Ashford (Impeachment: American Crime Story), Ashley Nicole Black (Black Lady Sketch Show), Dylan McDermott (Law & Order: Organized Crime), Evan Peters (Mare of Easttown), Florence Pugh (Hawkeye), Gillian Anderson (The Great), Greta Lee (The Morning Show), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven), Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus), Jessica Walter (Archer), Jessica Williams (Love Life), Julianna Margulies (The Morning Show), Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale), Michael Greyeyes (Rutherford Falls), Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), Molly Shannon (The Other Two), Naomi Ekperigin (The Standups), Natasha Rothwell (Insecure), Nicholas Hoult (The Great), Owen Wilson (Loki), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Girls5eva), Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus)
LGBTQ Episode: “From Curse to Worse” (Saved by the Bell)
“I think recognizing Lexi’s privilege, like, within her own trans community, is something that’s extremely interesting and is very nuanced and something that I haven’t seen anywhere,” Josie Totah said of the powerful, midseason episode. “So, I was really excited when we started talking about this and figuring out a way to tell a story that is authentic and ultimately leads us to see Lexi becoming closer with herself.”
Other Notable LGBTQ Episodes: “Grief is a Mouse” (Dickinson), “Episode 05” (It’s a Sin), “Take Me To Church” (Pose), “Pride & Prejudance Adventure” (The Great North), “Chase & Pat Are Killing It” (The Other Two)
Other Favorites: “Anna Delvey Takes Manhattan” (Generation Hustle), “Echoes” (Hawkeye), “Everything Gonna Be, Okay?!” (Insecure), “Please Sign Here” (Mythic Quest), “The Boy From 6B” (Only Murders in the Building), “Gganbu” (Squid Game), “Goodbye My Damaged Home” (Station Eleven), “Too Much Birthday” (Succession)
Most Underrated Series: Pig Royalty and Sasquatch
On the fascinatingly addictive Discovery+ series Pig Royalty, rivaling Texas families, the Baleros and the Rihns, battle it out for buckles and bragging rights in the fiercely competitive world of pig showing. While both teams are full of real-life characters that feel plucked straight out of Dance Moms or the Christopher Guest film Best in Show, two of the breakout stars are Mandy and Kristen Tyk, a married couple and parents of their 16-year-old son and competitor, Brandon. (Read More)
From Lorena director Joshua Rofé comes the Hulu docuseries Sasquatch, which he describes to ET as a “paranoid thriller meets a graphic novel come to life.” Over three episodes, Rofé follows gonzo journalist David Holthouse as he investigates a haunting rumor about three men who were brutally murdered by Bigfoot in Northern California cannabis territory to find out if there’s any truth behind what happened that night in 1993.
As Holthouse digs deeper into various conspiracy theories, Rofé also sits down with several Bigfoot believers, including life partners Wayne and Georges, who truly are the unexpected breakout stars of this docuseries. (Read More)
Quick Takes
In addition to all the links to my coverage above, here are a few other stories I wrote this year that are worth checking out:
My interviews with the cast of Succession throughout season 3: Alan Ruck, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen, J. Smith-Cameron, Sarah Snook
My other interviews with the cast of American Horror Story and American Horror Stories: Aaron Tveit, Angelica Ross, Dylan McDermott, Kaia Gerber (!), Leslie Grossman, Lily Rabe, Neal McDonough, Sierra McCormick
My other, other interviews with the cast of The Handmaid’s Tale throughout season 4: Madeline Brewer, Mckenna Grace, O-T Fagbenle
All the insane stories I wrote about The Morning Show season 2: episode 1, episode 3, episode 4, episode 6, episode 8, episode 10
My official dip into the MCU with coverage of WandaVision (Evan Peters; Josh Stamberg) and Hawkeye (Rogers the Musical; directing duo Bert and Bertie)
My coverage of the final season of Pose, from the ballroom scenes to Elektra’s flashback episode to the heartbreaking finale to Mj Rodriguez’s historic Emmy nomination
My deep dive with the cast and crew of Archer on Jessica Walter’s lasting impact as Malory
The 2021 list of Standout Performances, including Emmy nominees Aunjanue Ellis, Carl Clemons-Hopkins and Evan Peters
My conversation with Alan Ball about the 20th anniversary of Six Feet Under
Getting the low down on all things Uncle Clifford from P-Valley breakout Nicco Annan
A quick chat with Wentworth Miller on playing authentic characters