The top 20 streaming TV shows of 2021, from 'WandaVision' to 'The Witcher'

20. "Doom Patrol" (HBO Max)

Times more in demand than the average show: 16.6

Description: "Doom Patrol is a team of traumatized and downtrodden superheroes, each of whom has suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities but also left them scarred and disfigured. The members of the team have found their purpose through The Chief and have come together to investigate some of the world's weirdest phenomena. After The Chief mysteriously disappears, though, the reluctant heroes find themselves called to action by Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission that they cannot refuse. Doom Patrol, part support group, part superhero team, is a band of super-powered freaks fighting for a world that wants nothing to do with them."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 97%

What critics said: "'Doom Patrol' has learned the lesson that pathos not need require a morose tone. The show is at its finest when these flawed and funny people are allowed to be uproarious even when they're in pain." — AV Club (season 3)

19. "Harley Quinn" (HBO Max)

Times more in demand than the average show: 16.7

Description: "Harley Quinn has finally broken things off with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City in this adult animated action-comedy series which also features Poison Ivy and a whole cast of heroes and villains, old and new, from the DC Universe."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "By almost entirely removing the Joker from the equation, 'Harley Quinn' has so much more space to figure out what makes Harley as a character so compelling, and it uses every inch of it." — Variety (season 2)

18. "Money Heist" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than the average show: 17.3

Description: "Eight thieves take hostages and lock themselves in the Royal Mint of Spain as a criminal mastermind manipulates the police to carry out his plan."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 93%

What critics said: "It looks like the show might have changed genres in its final season." — Ask (season 5)

17. "Animaniacs" (Hulu)

Times more in demand than average show: 17.9

Description: "They're back! The Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister Dot, have a great time wreaking havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. After returning to their beloved home, the Warner Bros. water tower, the siblings waste no time in causing chaos and comic confusion as they run loose through the studio, turning the world into their personal playground. Joining Yakko, Wakko and Dot, fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain also return to continue their quest for world domination."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 90%

What critics said: "The second season of Hulu's 'Animaniacs' revival is just as silly and entertaining as the first. Season 2 even makes a few small improvements over the first, with less reliance on stale political humor and more variety in terms of settings." — IGN (season 2)

16. "You" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 18.1

Description: "A dangerously charming, intensely obsessive young man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of those he is transfixed by."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%

What critics said: "'You' is a sly guilty pleasure as such things go. Joe's prolific and wry inner dialogue narrates and critiques the action, ensuring that we see him as weird, funny, appealing, carnal, sexy and menacing." — Salon (Season 3)

15. "Star Trek: Discovery" (Paramount+)

Times more in demand than average show: 19.0

Description: "After making the jump in the second season finale, season three of 'Star Trek: Discovery' finds the U.S.S. Discovery crew dropping out of the wormhole and into an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must together fight to regain a hopeful future."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 86%

What critics said: "It's not easy to maintain the right balance between intimate character moments and events that span the galaxy. 'Discovery,' however, gets it right more often than not, though there are definitely moments that swing and miss." — Slashfilm (season 4)

14. "Loki" (Disney+)

Times more in demand than average show: 19.4

Description: "In Marvel Studios' 'Loki,' the mercurial Loki (Tom Hiddleston) resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of 'Avengers: Endgame.'"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (season 1): 92%

What critics said: "The centrality of the romance in 'Loki' makes it stand out within the MCU-and signals how much potential there is in this kind of storytelling, should Marvel choose to mine it." — The Ringer (season 1)

13. "The Boys" (Amazon Prime Video)

Times more in demand than average show: 20.6

Description: "In a more intense, more desperate Season 2 of 'The Boys,' Butcher, Hughie and the team reel from their losses in Season 1. On the run from the law, they struggle to fight back against the Superheroes. As Vought, the company that manages the heroes, cashes in on the panic over the threat of Supervillains, and a new hero, Stormfront, shakes up the company and challenges an already unstable Homelander."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%

What critics said: "[Brian] Kripke and his writers have produced a show that's genuinely subversive in the way it critiques the superhero genre's big clichés." — Polygon (season 2)

12. "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (Disney+)

Times more in demand than average show: 21.0

Description: "Marvel Studios' 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The pair, who came together in the final moments of 'Avengers: Endgame,' team up on a global adventures that tests their abilities — and their patience."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%

What critics said: "Disney's Avengers spinoff series offers up a patchy yet encouraging combination of exhilarating action and soapy drama." — Guardian (Season 1)

11. "The Expanse" (Amazon Prime Video)

Times more in demand than average show: 21.8

Description: "Holden and the crew of the Rocinante fight alongside the Combined Fleet of Earth and Mars to protect the Inner Planets from Marco Inaros and his Free Navy's campaign of death and destruction. Meanwhile, on a distant planet beyond the Rings, a new power rises."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "It's not exactly unfinished business, but this season is marked by the confidence of a show that's got six seasons under its belt and still doesn't particularly feel like stopping, no matter what any official announcement might say." — Indiewire (season 6)

10. "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu)

Times more in demand than average show: 22.4

Description: "A woman forced into sexual servitude struggles to survive in a terrifying, totalitarian society."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 83%

What critics said: "Female heroines can be in short supply on screen, but [Elisabeth] Moss has a knack for making them real, no matter the stakes." — Sydney Morning Herald (Season 4)

9. "The Witcher" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 22.8

Description: "Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 82%

What critics said: "More accessible than its complicated first season, Netflix's multi-tentacled fantasy builds on a commanding lead performance from Henry Cavill while leaning into its horror elements to increasingly impressive effect." — Empire Magazine (season 2)

8. "Lucifer" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 26.3

Description: "Bored with being the Lord of Hell, the devil relocates to Los Angeles, where he opens a nightclub and forms a connection with a homicide detective."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 88%

What critics said: "Over the years, it's gotten looser, funnier, more sure of itself and more emotionally engaging, all while showing admirable fealty to the building blocks of quality mainstream television." — Vanity Fair (Season 6)

7. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Disney+)

Times more in demand than average show: 27.2

Description: "From Dave Filoni, director and executive producer of 'The Mandalorian,' the new 'Clone Wars' episodes will continue the storylines introduced in the original series, exploring the events leading up to 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.'"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 93%

What critics said: "'The Clone Wars' ends by reminding us that 'Star Wars' is, at its core, a story about war. And the casualties that follow." — Film Inquiry (season 7)

6. "Ted Lasso" (Apple TV+)

Times more in demand than average show: 27.4

Description: "Jason Sudeikis plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "It all rests on Golden Globe-winning Sudeikis's affable, biscuit-proffering Ted, a new-minted character who already carries glimmers of comedy immortality." — Financial Times (Season 2)

5. "Titans" (HBO Max)

Times more in demand than average show: 30.9

Description: "'Titans' follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 86%

What critics said: "'Titans' still comes with a harder edge and better action than the average CW superhero soap, but it's risking its heart and wit with a story that clearly favors a small portion of its cast." — Polygon (Season 3)

4. (tie) "Cobra Kai" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 32.3

Description: "Decades after the tournament that changed their lives, the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel reignites in this sequel to the 'Karate Kid' films."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 93%

What critics said: "It's a shot of adrenaline that's sorely needed right now, and it's wild that this show can still bring the heart, hurt, healing, and honor while revisiting two men whose life paths diverged following one fateful crane kick." — Uproxx (season 3)

4. (tie) "WandaVision" (Disney+)

Times more in demand than average show: 32.3

Description: "Marvel Studios' captivating new series 'WandaVision' stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision — two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives — begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%

What critics said: "Marrying spectacle and emotion for a show that does credit to both its format and its franchise." — San Francisco Chronicle (season 1)

2. "The Mandalorian" (Disney+)

Times more in demand than average show: 37.7

Description: "After the fall of the Empire, a lone gunfighter makes his way through the lawless galaxy."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 93%

What critics said: "After 'The Rise Of Skywalker's' disappointment, this franchise is finally on an exciting new path. This is the way." — NME (Season 2)

1. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 40.0

Description: "When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 93%

What critics said: "... the show reveals how the kids-save-the-day model represents a romantic but ultimately uneven idealism that has echoes in our current political moment." — The New Yorker (season 3)