2021 looks set to be yet another huge year for the streaming giant Netflix. The company recently unveiled its entire movie lineup for the next 12 months and also has a wide selection of new television shows scheduled to make their debuts over the same period. As great as this all is though, most subscribers will be more excited about the impending return of some of the platform's biggest shows.
The ongoing pandemic has wreaked havoc on filming schedules worldwide causing delays and cancellations throughout the industry. As a result, many television shows had to sit 2020 out entirely. Thankfully, with things slowly return to normal, they are finally ready to release their new seasons; some of them for the very last time.
10 The Witcher
Aside from a few questionable casting decisions, the debut season of The Witcher fell very much into the "Exceeds Expectations" bracket. Some of the acting on display was truly fantastic and its interweaving narrative branches did a wonderful job of keeping viewers guessing right up to the season's thrilling climax.
Production of the show's second season has unfortunately been very stop and start which has, in turn, led to its expected release date drifting dangerously close to the end of the year. When it does finally arrive though, many fans are speculating that Geralt will be taking a trip to Kaer Morhen with several new Witchers expected to join the show's cast.
9 Ozark
Following the explosive third season finale last year, fans of Ozark have been patiently awaiting the show's return. Sadly, the upcoming fourth season will be the show's last; however, given the way things have been going for Marty and his family lately, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
There are still plenty of loose threads that need to be tied up though, so it seems safe to assume that the show's final season will be every bit as exhilarating as those which have preceded it. Marty and Wendy's blossoming relationship with Navarro should contribute a lot in that regard; as too should Maya's continued scrutiny of the casino and the Byrde family.
8 Stranger Things
Season three of Stranger Things ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Hopper somehow winding up in a Soviet prison. With this in mind, viewers can make an educated guess as to what the gang will be up to in season four. Whether or not the demogorgon will be returning once more remains to be seen though.
Given the age of many of the show's principal cast members, the two-year break between seasons will likely be pretty obvious to returning viewers, although this could very easily be explained away with a time skip. The bigger challenge will be convincing those viewers to come back to a show that is now starting to feel a little stale when compared with its blistering first season.
7 Dear White People
Satire isn't always easy to get right, but Dear White People somehow manages to make it look easy having done so time and time again over its last three seasons. The show's intelligent writing has played a huge part in keeping the show relevant and will likely be the highlight once more when it returns for its fourth and final season later this year.
One cast member who won't be returning, however, is Jeremy Tardy who accused Lionsgate of racial discrimination in a series of tweets towards the tail end of last year. The rest of the cast are all on board though and will be hoping to help the show to go out with a bang that's worthy of its brilliance.
6 Bonding
A few eyebrows were raised when this dominatrix themed dark comedy first premiered on the platform back in 2019. While the jury is perhaps still out when it comes to the show's long term sustainability, it did more than enough to warrant a second season.
Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell both excelled last time around and really did a great job of helping the show's many jokes to land. It might not be for everyone, but those with the right sense of humor should find plenty to like about Bonding.
5 Sex Education
For a while, it felt like Sex Education was merely treading water, but the tail end of the show's second season showed that there's still plenty of life left in this cringe-inducing comedy-drama. Sadly though, it doesn't look like things will be getting any easier for Otis in the immediate future.
Jean's pregnancy will likely dominate much of the show's third season, but there's still plenty of other sub-plots that are in need of further exploration. The fallout from Maeve's phone call to social services and the deleted voicemail are certainly quite high on that list but are far from the only things on it.
4 Dead To Me
Coming up with a great idea for a television show is only half of the battle. The other half is far more challenging as it requires fleshing that idea out and stretching it to fill ten or more hours of screen time. With that in mind, the creative team behind Dead to Me really did an incredible job.
Following Judy's confession towards the end of the first season, it was difficult to see where the show could really go next. Its second season, however, is arguably far superior to the first; providing more exciting twists while maintaining its high-quality acting. If they're able to provide even half as much entertainment in the show's third and final season then we're in for a treat.
3 Atypical
Another show bowing out this year is Robia Rashid's Atypical. It might not get everything right when it comes to its depiction of autism and the lack of autistic actors is a little disappointing considering the show's overarching themes. These things alone though are not enough to take away from what is otherwise an endearing and enlightening series.
The challenges faced by the Gardner family and the obstacles that Sam has needed to overcome over the last three seasons have at times been quite hard-hitting. As a result, it's difficult not to get a little emotional watching them unfold. Thankfully, the antics of characters like Zahid really help to take the edge off of things and make everything just a little bit easier to digest.
2 I Think You Should Leave
I Think You Should Leave is far from the strangest show to have ever appeared on television, but that doesn't mean it isn't still a little insane. Some of the set-ups and scenarios really don't make any sense at all and yet – when the punchline finally arrives – this just no longer seems to matter.
Sure, some might criticize the show for this, but doing so is akin to a teacher detracting marks because the student failed to show their working. The goal of the show is to make people laugh and it succeeds in that endeavor far more often than it fails. Expect more of that from season two when the show returns later this year.
1 Peaky Blinders
Netflix did incredibly well to acquire the rights to stream Peaky Blinders outside of the UK when it did, as since 2014 the show's popularity has skyrocketed. Now, almost seven years later and following a two-year break, Steven Knight's historical crime drama is gearing up for its sixth season.
Fans of the show will be hoping that they don't have to wait too long to discover who betrayed Tommy at the end of season five. At a glance, Johnny might seem like the most obvious candidate, but there are a whole host of people with both the means and motive to have pulled it off. Thankfully, viewers shouldn't be left guessing for too much longer.