TVLine Is Thankful For: Longer Lasso, Supergirl's Finale Return, SNL Newbies, Marvel-Ous TV, Diverse CBS And More

Thanksgiving dinner might be imminent, but the real feast this year has been the sheer amount of television offered to us in the last 11 months. (And we don't need to loosen our belts after binging!)

In the spirit of giving thanks this holiday season, Team TVLine has compiled the below list of television happenings for which we're grateful in 2021, from a long-awaited Insecure reconciliation to a Saturday Night Live bit we're still rewatching months later.

TVLine staff members Matt Webb Mitovich, Kimberly Roots, Andy Swift, Dave Nemetz, Vlada Gelman, Rebecca Iannucci, Ryan Schwartz, Nick Caruso, Keisha Hatchett and Mekeisha Madden Toby have each singled out two things from this TV year that satisfied us. Gruff male characters getting in touch with their emotions? Sign us up. A steady stream of Jean Smart content? Yes, please. Even more dramatic antics from Bravo's Real Housewives? Keep 'em coming.

Our gratitude also extends to Disney+'s reliable rollout of Marvel content, a Supergirl return we were eagerly anticipating, an animated Netflix series that's must-see TV for musical theater geeks and much more.

Scroll through the list below to see all of our 2021 gratitude, then drop a comment with your thoughts! (And come back on Thursday to see what you, the TVLine readers, were thankful for this year.)

A MARVEL-OUS YEAR OF TV

As deep a funk as we were in when Netflix's street-level heroes fell like dominoes, which was followed by Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s farewell run, for 10 months now we have been feasting on the rollout of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and the What If...? animated series. With Hawkeye's premiere upon us and at least three more MCU series on tap for 2022, the future looks like it will continue to be just as super.

TV'S VULNERABLE MEN, IN ALL THEIR FORMS

Several 2021 TV entries doubled as paeans to the Deeply Feeling Man, and I was here for it. Ted Lasso gave us Dealing With His Grief Ted, Trying to Find His Place Roy, Reckoning With His Father's Abuse Jamie and Simmering With Hurt Nate. Sex Education's Adam, a bully I loathed (!) in Season 1, continued to work on his self-hatred, got all schmoopy with Eric and spent a lot of quality time with his pup. And even Law & Order's Det. Elliot Stabler, who would always rather break rules than break down his emotional walls, conceded that therapy would be the best place to work out his feelings. All of these dudes getting in touch with their emotions made me so happy and also [sniff] a little [sniff] verklempt. In the words of Coach Lasso himself: Can I have a hug?!

THE HOUSEWIVES' REALEST SEASONS IN YEARS

To quote Angelica Schuyler on behalf of all Real Housewives fans, "Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now." Sure, New York was kind of a snooze this year (no reunion? no big loss!), but the rest of Bravo's fabled franchise has been firing on all cylinders — from Nicki Minaj crashing the Potomac reunion to the ongoing legal drama surrounding Beverly Hills' Erika Jayne and Salt Lake City's Jen Shah. And I have yet to even mention Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip on Peacock, which is somehow even crazier and more compelling than we could have hoped from an all-star edition of this delicious franchise.

SUPERNATURAL AND SCI-FI SHOWS GETTING FUNNY

These two genres aren't usually known for their senses of humor, but CBS' Ghosts and HBO Max's Made for Love added some welcome comedic flair to a supernatural ghost story and a futuristic sci-fi dystopia, respectively. Add in a riotously funny new season of FX's What We Do in the Shadows, and now we can geek out and crack up all at the same time.

SERIOUSLY CATCHY TUNES

After finally binging Peacock's hilarious and underrated comedy We Are Lady Parts, which follows an all-female Muslim punk band, I got some major earworms stuck in my head. The show's original songs, particularly "Voldemort Under My Headscarf" and "Bashir With the Good Beard," are legit jams! Add in Schmigadoon!'s Broadway tunes and Girls5eva's pop ditties, and this past year has been music to my ears.

A SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSION RETURN

Any show that's been on hiatus for two years would elicit some high expectations for its eventual return. But after that bombshell of a Season 2 finale, Succession became one of TV's buzziest series, and its subsequent 24 months off the air allowed new fans to discover it; by the time Season 3 finally premiered in October, the anticipation was sky-high, and it seemed almost impossible for Succession to clear the bar it had set for itself. What a massive relief it was to realize the show had returned even stronger, with a power struggle so tense, it's deliciously uncomfortable to watch any of the Roys even breathe in close proximity to each other. Plus, Kieran Culkin's Roman remains as quotable as ever, and for that, I'm giving many thanks.

SNL GIVING ITS NEWCOMERS A CHANCE TO SHINE

Whereas first-year featured players of seasons past have been lucky to get a line or two per episode, if that, Season 47's newcomers — James Austin Johnson (with his Trump and Biden impersonations), Aristotle Athari (with the hilarious Angelo and Laughingtosh 3000) and Sarah Sherman (with her recent roast of Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost) — have already been given ample screen time to prove what they bring to the table. New writers Martin Herlihy, John Higgins and Ben Marshall (aka Please Don't Destroy) have also given us some of the very best digital shorts since the departure of the Lonely Island trio.

CBS DOUBLING DOWN ON DIVERSITY

It's no secret that the network's reality staples have had race issues throughout the years (remember Big Brother's Camp Comeback?). But after pledging to fill at least 50 percent of its unscripted casts with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) contestants, the shows benefitted from richer storytelling that better represented the macrocosm of our society. Here's hoping CBS will continue to elevate as many voices as possible.

CAT GRANT'S SUPER RETURN

I only wanted to see one person return for Supergirl's final episode, and The CW really delivered! I loved Calista Flockhart's Cat Grant and was sad to see her leave in Season 2. When she showed up for the finale, it felt like all was right in the world. And having her reveal — spoiler alert! — Supergirl's identity to the world? Icing on the cake.

OPRAH'S INTERVIEW REACTIONS TO MEGHAN MARKLE

Oprah Winfrey has both "cool auntie" vibes and hairdresser/confidant/kind-lady-on-an-airplane energy — meaning you can tell Winfrey any and everything, and it won't shock her. But when the Duchess of Sussex told the talk show goddess back in March that members of the Royal Family had "concerns and conversations on how dark [her son Archie's] skin might be when he was born," Winfrey shed all pretenses of objectivity and visibly let her jaw drop during the CBS interview. A nearly speechless Winfrey, who also threw up her hands, did manage to get out the words, "What? Who is having that conversation?" while unwittingly giving the Internet some of its best GIFs and memes.

SLEEPER HITS

Had anyone heard a peep about Squid Game prior to its stealthy premiere? Who thought that one of CBS' biggest fall hits would be a single-camera comedy? And while The White Lotus boasted a solid cast, don't you recall it all coming together in but a matter of months? In a biz driven by "name" IPs, it was refreshing to see original fare (and one UK sitcom adaptation) — including Reservation Dogs, which is likely to land on many Best of 2021 lists— come out of nowhere and make big impressions.

THE END OF LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME'S EDDIE ASHES (AND HIS BEARD)

I can think of no better way to put an endcap on Stabler's stint with the Albanian mob than by shaving that furry nonsense — I'm sorry, "undercover aid" — off his stoic mug. A jawline like that was meant to be displayed like a Botticelli, not hidden under a bristly bushel!

HORSES WHO GET IN TOUCH WITH THEIR FEELINGS THROUGH SONG

Broadway junkies, if I told you there was currently a show on Netflix featuring original songs performed by the likes of Kimiko Glenn, Megan Hilty, Jessie Mueller, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Lea Salonga (among so many others!), would you believe me? Because it's true. Even better, those songs are woven into a story that's as gut-bustingly funny as it is heartbreakingly relatable. If nothing else, Centaurworld is easily the year's best Netflix project starring Glenn as a magical singing horse — and there were several.

GREAT SHOWS FINDING A SECOND HOME

The bright side of having countless channels and streaming services to choose from these days? Underappreciated gems can get a new lease on life by moving to a new network. Evil (which moved from CBS to Paramount+), The Other Two (from Comedy Central to HBO Max) and Tuca & Bertie (from Netflix to Adult Swim) all had shaky futures, but then they shifted locations for their sophomore runs — and hit new creative heights in the process.

EVIL SNEAK PEEKS

While I'm all for streaming shows that release episodes weekly, far too few of them include "Next week on..." promos to keep the anticipation going. So it's wonderful that Evil has not only kept up that broadcast tradition on its new streaming home at Paramount+, but it's also given us cleverly crafted teasers for its next installment, narrated by the cheeky demon George.

SEX EDUCATION'S THERAPY SCENES

Aimee's sexual assault had already been compassionately and delicately handled in Season 2, culminating with her friends' sweet decision to ride the bus in solidarity with her. But in its recent third season, Sex Education recognized that Aimee's journey of working through trauma was not yet done, making way for therapy scenes between Aimee and Gillian Anderson's Jean that were among the show's most emotionally affecting. Jean's gentle honesty — namely when she reminded Aimee that the assault was not her fault simply because she had smiled at her eventual attacker on the bus — was profound, moving and, hopefully for Aimee, healing.

TED LASSO'S TRANSFORMATION INTO AN HOUR-LONG SHOW

While some streaming series could use a shorter runtime, the Apple TV+ comedy's extended episodes (which began ranging anywhere from 40 to 50 minutes — or, the length of a broadcast network drama) greatly benefited Season 2, allowing for quieter, more intimate character moments to unfold as the series took a turn toward the dramatic. Take, for instance, how Episode 10 — the one with Rebecca's father's funeral — allowed Ted and Rebecca to open up about their deep-seated daddy issues without rushing either of them to reach any sort of conclusion. With a shorter runtime, there's no way we would have gotten the sublime (and highly emotional) scene wherein Rebecca quietly sang the entirety of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" as part of her eulogy, which was easily one of my favorite TV moments this year.

A DOUBLE DOSE OF JEAN SMART

Two of my favorite series this year had one major thing in common: TV veteran Jean Smart. In Hacks, Smart sizzled as a no-nonsense stand-up comic full of acerbic wit and zingers. Then, in Mare of Easttown, the actress stole scenes as Kate Winslet's sharp-tongued mom whose introspective reveals ran the gamut from hilarity to pain. Smart elevates every script that lands in her lap, and this one-two punch of performances was an absolute TKO.

BOWEN YANG'S ICY MONOLOGUE

I can't tell you how many calories I've burned just from watching this already iconic SNL sketch repeatedly. The moment Yang popped up wearing a bedazzled white suit and a baby blue turtleneck — along with a giant, fake piece of iceberg strapped to his head — to reluctantly explain why Titanic's sinking wasn't his fault, I was sold. It was a memorable moment that still brings me so much joy.

INSECURE REUNITING ITS BESTIES

Let the #Lawrence and #Nathan hives bicker all they want. True fans know the HBO comedy's real love story is between Issa and her BFF Molly. The two fell apart horribly in Season 4, but the current fifth and final season reunited the South LA ladies after they survived a robbery committed by a duplicitous friend from college — and now, they're back and closer than ever.