Our 21 most popular film and TV stories of 2021
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Thatâs why, for our final edition of 2021, weâve drawn inspiration from the Los Angeles Timesâ roundup of its top 21 stories of the year to create a list specifically focused on reviews, essays, features and investigations produced by The Timesâ film and TV teams â the very same people whoâve brought you this weekly fix of pop culture since we launched Screen Gab in August.
With coverage of the âRustâ shooting, âThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsâ and the most shocking TV death of the year â all of which appeared on the newspaper-wide list and so have been excluded here â the 21 stories below represent the full complement of Times film and TV coverage, including pungent criticism, wide-ranging conversations, must-read profiles and enterprise reporting.
Consider this the ultimate 2021 ICYMI, and all the best to you and yours in 2022. Thanks, as ever, for reading along.
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21. âTed Lassoâsâ Christmas episode wasnât part of the plan. Hereâs how they pulled it off
The writer and director of âCarol of the Bellsâ take us inside the Apple TV+ seriesâ midsummer Christmas episode, balanced âon the edge of schmaltz.â
20. The Tokyo Olympics are turning into NBCâs worst nightmare
The Times TV team discusses watching an often deflating, thoroughly chaotic Olympics â and why NBCâs approach to televising it was part of the problem.
19. âSNLâ nearly squashed Natasha Rothwell. Then âInsecureâ helped her find her voice
The multi-hyphenate calls her directorial debut for the HBO series âa call to arms for authenticity.â But getting there took a lot of growth.
18. How an unusually approachable fitness guru became one of the pandemicâs biggest stars
COVID-19 made Pelotonâs celebrity-obsessed Cody Rigsby famous in his own right. A turn on âDancing With the Starsâ is just the beginning.
17. These are the real-life figures who inspired Netflixâs âThe Harder They Fallâ
A brief history of the real-life people who inspired characters in Netflixâs âThe Harder They Fall.â
16. David Spade knows heâs not Americaâs No. 1 star. Heâs found other ways to survive
The Hollywood veteran opens up about the cancellation of his Comedy Central show, stand-upâs #MeToo reckoning and his history of dating famous women.
15. The racist violence in Amazonâs new series left execs âshaken.â Does it go too far?
âThem,â about a Black family fighting racism and supernatural forces in the 1950s, includes warnings about its graphic depictions of racist violence.
14. Sarah Paulson has regrets about playing Linda Tripp. But sheâs not ready to let her go
After reclaiming Marcia Clark, the actor expected her latest role to change minds about âthe most hated woman in America.â She may have miscalculated.
13. Whatâs authentic and whatâs acting for the real-life nomads of âNomadlandâ?
How three nomads â Linda May, Charlene Swankie and Bob Wells â brought authenticity and heart to Oscar contender âNomadland.â And an update on Swankieâs health.
12. Sandra Oh wonât return to âGreyâs Anatomyâ before it ends: âI have moved onâ
The âGreyâs Anatomyâ veteran says sheâs not interested in reprising the role of Cristina Yang. But she appreciates being asked about it.
11. Netflix makes rare true-crime misstep with salacious series on L.A.âs Cecil Hotel
The first season of the streamerâs new anthology docuseries, âCrime Scene,â falls too in love with the Cecilâs lore to tell its central story effectively.
Morissette did not support HBOâs documentary about her music career, saying the filmmaker betrayed her trust.
9. How Kate Winslet mastered the near-impossible accent TV fans canât stop talking about
The âaccent nerdâ went to extraordinary lengths to sound like a Pennsylvania native for HBOâs âMare of Easttown.â Hereâs how she did it.
8. Olivia Munn is in a no-win situation. So sheâs decided not to âplay the gameâ at all
Munn opened up to The Times about pregnancy anxiety, the response to her relationship with John Mulaney and her film âViolet.â
7. A âBig Brotherâ alliance could make history. Not everyone is thrilled
The showâs most diverse season was set to produce its first Black winner. And the alliance behind it, âthe Cookout,â sparked both anger and praise.
A Times investigation found that the nonprofit HFPA regularly issued substantial payments to its members in ways that some experts said could skirt IRS guidelines.
5. HBOâs devastating âAllen v. Farrowâ is a nail in the coffin of Woody Allenâs legacy
For years, observers wondered what would seal the disgraced filmmakerâs fate. Kirby Dick and Amy Zieringâs four-part docuseries could be it.
4. Molly Shannon is a comedy legend. Now sheâs opening up about the tragedy that shaped her
Shannonâs comic roles are suffused with something darker, more complicated. âI donât like when comedy people make fun of their characters,â she says.
3. To reprise her âKarate Kidâ role in âCobra Kai,â Tamlyn Tomita had some ground rules
To play Kumiko again 34 years on, Tomita told the Netflix seriesâ creators sheâd need to âinject a truer pictureâ of the characterâs heritage â and her own.
2. Why is RegĂ©-Jean Page leaving Netflixâs âBridgertonâ?
In network TV, seeing a breakout star bolt from a hit show would be unusual. In the streaming world, itâs a different story.
1. âThe Bachelorâsâ first season with a Black lead is swept into a firestorm over race
The controversy that erupted around the ABC reality seriesâ 20th season drew in contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and former âBacheloretteâ Rachel Lindsay, and eventually led to host Chris Harrisonâs exit from the franchise.
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