Spoils of Streaming Wars

As we prepare to enter 2022, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of best television series of the year. Streaming giants such as Netflix, Hulu and AppleTV+ have done a great deal in producing high quality shows with better stories and cinematography. The downside to this de facto streaming war, is that it is nearly impossible to enjoy your favourite show without subscribing to more than one streaming platform. Netflix users in America faced this harsh reality when The Office was removed from the platform in late 2020. At the time, NBCUniversal announced that they would start streaming the show on its new platform Peacock. Putting this aside, once you get through that financial hurdle the catalogue of content makes it worthwhile. Being that this list is for the most part subjective and not entirely based on metrics, two of the five shows included did not air in 2021. I discovered them quite late and obsessively binged them throughout the year.

List

5. Frontier

In an industry where Canadian history often gets overlooked, it is refreshing to see Discovery & Netflix team up to co-produce Frontier. Set in the 18th century, the show chronicles the historical North American Fur Trade. With the established monopoly of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Declan Harp (Jason Momoa) a half Cree and half Irish trapper, is determined to sabotage the British business. Co-created by Rob and Peter Blackie, this action-packed series is filmed across Canada, various scenes take place in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario.

Jason Momoa’s contribution to Frontier goes beyond the role he plays on screen; he also serves as one of the series’ directors. “I wanted to show my producers, my crew, -- my friends and family that I could direct television. I spent a lot of time with Peter (Blackie) crafting and composing a script and the direction I wanted to go with Declan,” says Momoa.

It is extraordinary and even somewhat (visibly) dangerous the lengths to which the production crew goes to capture the Canadian landscape, being from the country I found myself vicariously living through some of the extreme winter scenes. This show has a lot of societal significance as well. This past year, the Truth and Reconciliation Committee uncovered many unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools across Canada. As the country tries to reconcile with its history, we need more films that shine a light on these dark truths. Jessica Matten plays an essential role uncovering these narratives on screen, as an Albertan of Indigenous descent, her authentic portrayal of Sokanon completes the series. So far there are three seasons with a much anticipated fourth on the horizon.

4. Theran

Co-created by Moshe Zonder, the Israeli espionage thriller debuted on Apple TV+ back in June 2020. Niv Sultan plays the role of Tamar Rabinyan, an Iranian-born Mossad agent who is sent back to Iran on a covert mission. The series features Shaun Toub and Navid Negahban who both starred on Showtimes’ Homeland.

Zonder does an incredible job telling the story in such a way that you can not easily distinguish the hero from the villain. Being that this is an Israeli series, it is interesting to see the characters seamlessly switch between speaking English, Hebrew, and Persian. Season one consisted of eight episodes, while season two is expected to be released in early 2022.

3. Invincible

In a year where we saw the release of Wanda Vision, Superman & Lois, Hawkeye, and Loki; Invincible stood on its own as a superhero show. Based on the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, Invincible is an animated series that follows the journey of 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) who lives a relatively regular life until he discoverers he has superpowers. Helping him on this journey is his father Nolan Grayson voiced by J.K. Simmons, and his mother Debbie voiced by the talented Sandra Oh.

For Anime fans this series might be a no-brainer, but for people such as myself who are not well versed in this universe, you will be pleasantly surprised by the maturity and thoroughness of this series. This is not your classic superhero production, Kirkman does not omit the real-life conditions faced by humans to tell Mark’s story, in fact both worlds are cleverly intertwined. As Kirkman puts it, “ ‘Invincible’ is very much a story that presents itself as one thing and then slowly reveals itself to be something else -- everybody is aware of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, you can sit down and watch ‘Invincible’ and be pleasantly surprised that it offers something different.” Amazon released eight episodes back in March 2021, and the series has been renewed for a second and third season.

2. For All Mankind

The alternate history genre has given us some great shows such as The Man High Castle and The Plot Against America, in my opinion For All Mankind is probably the best amongst them. Creator and writer Ronald D. Moore considers a world where the Soviet Union stepped foot on the moon before the United States. This consequentially sets off a global space race with far reaching ramifications. Technically the shows’ lead character is Astronaut Edward Balwin (Joel Kinnaman), but in truth, the story extensively follows the lives of six other characters. Moore depicts each of these characters as a representation of different historical and contemporary issues that are relatable to the average viewer.

Most remarkably, the storyline is the only inaccuracy about the series; from the sets to the props there is a strong attention to detail. Former NASA astronaut and now technical director Garret Reisman echoes this belief when describing the accuracy of the mission-control set, “The hinges on the door, the color of the paint, the pens on the desks, its perfect down to the smallest detail.” The level of authenticity and the collection of stories unique to every character, are some of the factors that sets this show apart. With the recent conclusion of its second season on Apple TV+, the series has been renewed for a third season. 

1. Squid Game

This is a no brainer. There are not many contemporary shows that have impacted our culture like Squid Game. The Netflix original has become the platform’s biggest hit, amassing 1.65 billion hours of viewing time in it’s first 28 days. The South Korean series revolves around a group of people facing unsurmountable debt; they are given the opportunity to financially change their lives if they win a series of children’s games.

Hwang Dong-Hyuk originally came up with the script during the 2008 financial crisis. In the years that followed, many production companies rejected the series because they felt that the story was too complicated and violent. When Netflix expanded its operations to Seoul, South Korea in 2018, Hwang Dong-Hyuk successfully pitched his script. This Dystopian thriller could easily pass as a movie, every episode is purposeful, from the script to the set it always appears as if there is a puzzle to be solved.

The simplicity of the games offers deep sense of nostalgia, but this then clashes with the grim reality faced by the participants. For Hwang the message he hopes to convey is simple “I do believe that the overall global economic order is unequal and that around 90% of the people believe its unfair. During the pandemic, poorer countries can’t get their people vaccinated. They’re contracting the viruses on the streets and even dying. So, I did try to convey a message about modern capitalism. As I said, its not profound.”

Netflix has renewed the series for a second season.