Rotten Tomatoes picks ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Hellbound’ as among best new series of 2021

Jan 18, 2022 07:23 AM

Movie and TV show review online aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has announced the winners of its 23rd Annual Golden Tomato Awards, “honoring the best-reviewed movies and TV shows of 2021.”

“The industry was as chaotic as ever, with theaters re-opening, streamers churning out content, hybrid releases mixing the two, and, yes, the dreaded postponement of Hollywood movies. Audiences were expected to keep up, so whether you’re in the thick of your calendars or you’re looking back to see what you missed, these are the highest-rated series and movies of 2021,” it said.

O Yeong-su and Lee Jung-jae in "Squid Game" (left) and Kim Hyun-joo in "Hellbound" (Netflix)

The Netflix Korean dramas “Squid Game” and “Hellbound” were chosen among the top 20 Best New Series 2021.

“The order reflects Tomatometer scores (as of December 31, 2021) after adjustment from our ranking formula, which compensates for variation in the number of reviews when comparing movies or TV shows,” according to Rotten Tomatoes.

“Squid Game,” which garnered 1.65 billion hours viewed on its first 28 days of release and emerged as Netflix’s biggest show of all time, placed 15th in the top 20 Best New Series of 2021.

“Squid Game's unflinching brutality is not for the faint of heart, but sharp social commentary and a surprisingly tender core will keep viewers glued to the screen - even if it's while watching between their fingers,” according to Rotten Tomatoes.

The drama, starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung, recently bagged nominations at the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which will be held on Feb. 27.

Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon are nominated for Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series while the drama is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, competing and Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series.

On the other hand, “Hellbound,” which was released on Netflix on Nov. 19, is No. 18 on the Best New Series of 2021. It stars Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah and Yang Ik-june.

“Summoned by the devilish imagination of writer-director Yeon Sang-ho, Hellbound leverages its terrifying concept to thoughtfully explore human fallibility,” according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are the 20 Best New Series of 2021, according to Rotten Tomatoes:

1. Only Murders In The Building: Season 1

2. Hacks: Season 1

3. Invincible: Season 1

4. We Are Lady Parts: Season 1

5. Yellowjackets: Season 1

6. Sweet Tooth: Season 1

7. Reservation Dogs: Season 1

8. Starstruck: Season 1

9. Lupin: Part 1

10. Blindspotting: Season 1

11. Lularich: Season 1