2021 In Review: Which Of These TV Events Lived Up To The Hype?

Big things happened on the small screen this year. But which of those events most lived up to the hype?

Following a 2020 that was thoroughly waylaid by the early wave of the COVID pandemic, 2021 saw many TV events come to fruition, as several Friends finally got together and shared hugs and production was completed on anticipated fare such as a Sex and the City sequel series, the almost-mythical #SnyderCut and the realization of a live-action Cowboy Bebop.

The year gone by brought Chris Meloni back to the Law & Order: SVU-niverse by way of his own spinoff, and there were also some magical musical moments, as CBS cued up concerts from both Adele and the dynamic duo of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.

Throw in an illuminating Q&A with Meghan and Harry, season-opening "events" for The Flash and Riverdale, Succession's long-awaited return, a well-scrutinized SNL host and a moving (if virtual) reunion of ER docs, and you had more than a dozen hype-worthy TV events in 2021.

Which lived up to their promise? And which fell short? In chronological order, let's take a look, grading each on a scale of 1 to 10...

PROS: Clocking in at a hair over four hours, Zack Snyder's Justice League simply delivered more, of everything (detailed here). The super-extended cut of the tepidly received 2017 superhero team-up movie fleshed out backstories, connected many dots that had been left astray, and delivered a far more thrilling final showdown against a glowed-up Steppenwolf.

CONS: The 20-minute coda included Jared Leto's Joker (ugh), and teed up a provocative sequel that probably won't ever get made.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.0 (out of 10)

PROS: As advertised (ad nauseam), Winfrey's must-see sit-down with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry provided a fascinating look inside the world's most famous couple. It also started important conversations about (and opened an investigation into) racism within the monarchy.

CONS: Piers Morgan's inflammatory response to the interview, which he called a "diatribe of bilge," pushed him back into the news cycle, ultimately leading to his exit from Good Morning Britain. (Actually, wait, that turned out to be another pro.)

OVERALL SCORE: 10.0 (out of 10)

PROS: With his return to SVU followed immediately by the premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chris Meloni slipped right back into character — and into his terrific chemistry with Mariska Hargitay — as though no time had passed. In reality, it had been 10 years, and Stabler's absence (and radio silence) during that time has made for some captivating storytelling, particularly in regard to Hargitay's Benson. Meanwhile, Organized Crime is a tight, fast-moving and welcome addition to the franchise.

CONS: If you are not an "EO" 'shipper... you're probably not that jazzed about a lot of what has transpired since Stabler came back to town.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 (out of 10)

PROS: Our joy at having so many County General docs swapping stories in one (virtual) spot at the same time was topped only by the cast's clear glee over being together again. "What a fun thing to see every one of your faces," George Clooney mused, grinning — and we couldn't agree more. (Watch the reunion above.)

CONS: ER OGs Sherry Stringfield and Eriq LaSalle couldn't be there, which didn't flatline the entire evening, but definitely was a bit of a bummer.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.0 (out of 10)

PROS: Seeing all six stars together on the original set gave us (and apparently some of them!) goosebumps, as did their table reads of classic episodes. Plus, who had a secret crush on who?!

CONS: We probably could've done without the same old casting stories. And all those random celebrity cameos. And James Corden.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 (out of 10)

PROS: Kardashian was more than game to poke fun at herself and her family, and delivered one of the sharpest SNL monologues in recent memory (watch above).

CONS: The episode relied too heavily on cameos from her sister Khloe and her mother, Kris Jenner — the latter of whom looked like a deer in the headlights whenever she was asked to deliver a line.

OVERALL SCORE: 6.5 out of 10

PROS: The stunning staging at the Griffith Observatory exceeded our expectations for what an Adele concert experience could be like, and the mix of old hits and new songs was fantastic, of course.

CONS: Every time the special turned into a therapy session with Oprah, we just wanted to get back to Adele singing.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.5 (out of 10)

PROS: Netflix fired every last bullet with this long-gestating live-action adaptation of the beloved anime, filling each frame with hyperkinetic gun battles and karate kicks. The cast was game, too, highlighted by Daniella Pineda as the spiky, sarcastic Faye Valentine.

CONS: The kind of action that looks cool in a cartoon can come off too frenetic and gory when real people are being shot, and fans were also put off by some of the changes to the original. As a result, Netflix quickly pulled the plug after just one season.

OVERALL SCORE: 3.0 (out of 10) 

PROS: The 95-year-old Bennett sounded as good as ever opposite his Grammy-winning vocal partner, despite being in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease.

CONS: Not long enough! Filmed over two nights at Radio City Music Hall (which marked Bennett's last two concerts before announcing his retirement from touring), surely there was enough material for a special twice as long. (If you're going to give Adele two hours, you have to give a legend like Tony Bennett two hours. Them's the rules.)

OVERALL SCORE: 9.5 (out of 10)

PROS: HBO Max's And Just Like That... brought back three of the four original stars (minus Kim Cattrall) along with a slew of familiar faces, and at times, it managed to recapture the fizzy magic of the original.

CONS: The lack of Samantha Jones was glaring, and it threw out a lot of twists (R.I.P., Mr. Big) that only managed to alienate its most devoted fans.

OVERALL SCORE: 5.5 (out of 10) 

PROS: The HBO drama returned as strong as ever after a two-year hiatus with a roller coaster third season that pitted Logan Roy against his former No. 1 boy Kendall. Plus, the nail-bitingly intense finale might have been a series best.

CONS: Um... that we'll probably have to wait at least another year for Season 4?

OVERALL SCORE: 9.5 (out of 10)

PROS: The (eventual) reveal that this was in fact a Reverse-Flashpoint story was extremely cool, as were the peeks at the year 2031 (including an Iris/Ryan Wilder friendship and some future couplings). Also, there were some standout performances from guest stars such as Cress Williams and Neal McDonough.

CONS: We 100-percent "get" that this was never officially promoted as a crossover/team-up event, but man... this very much was not one. (Did Batwoman even get to throw a punch?) Also, whether Thawne is "playing the long game" or not, the finale fell a bit flat, ahead of a lonnng wait for the rest of Season 8.

OVERALL SCORE: 6.5 (out of 10)

PROS: It was fun to see the writers lean into Riverdale's inherent weirdness and add a heavy dose of supernatural horror, with main characters dying left and right.

CONS: It got a little confusing to keep all the parallel universes straight (OK, it was a lot confusing), and Kiernan Shipka's much-anticipated arrival as Sabrina was way too brief.

OVERALL SCORE: 4.0 (out of 10)