The streaming wars got a whole lot more competition in 2021 as more and more companies launched their sites. While NBCUniversal released their streaming service Peacock in 2020, the streaming site truly saw its best year in 2021.
To compete with giants like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, Peacock had to step up its original movie and TV show content. They dabbled in teen dramas, took part in the revivals and reboot craze, and even got in on the holiday spirit with their first original Christmas movie. While Peacock might not have the most original content, it’s important to remember that quality always trumps quantity, which is exactly what Peacock is doing.
The Housewives Of The North Pole – 6.0
While Hallmark and Lifetime have long since dominated TV Christmas movies, the streaming services have started to get in on the action. Including Peacock which released one of their first Christmas movies, The Housewives of the North Pole, this year.
The Christmas movie sees real-life The Real Housewives star Kyle Richards as Trish, the so-called Queen of North Pole, Vermont who regularly wins the town’s house decorating contest thanks to the help of her best friend (Betsy Brandt). All of that changes though when the two have a falling out. Meanwhile, their adult children are falling for each other.
Hart To Heart – 6.4
Late-night television has long been a staple on broadcast television but has struggled in other areas like the world of streaming. However, that hasn’t stopped Peacock from trying to bring late-night style talk shows to its platform like Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart.
The talk show premiered in August 2021 and puts Kevin Hart opposite some of the best entertainers, athletes, and public figures as they chat over a glass of wine. Notable guests have included Miley Cyrus and talk show legend, Jay Leno.
Rutherford Falls – 6.5
One of the benefits of there being so many streaming services is that it gives more people opportunities to tell their stories that might not have gotten a chance. Which is exactly how Rutherford Falls came to be on Peacock.
Co-created by Michael Schur, Ed Helms, and Sierra Teller Ornelas, the comedy centers on Nathan (Helms) and Reagan (Jana Schmieding), two longtime friends whose friendship hits a rock in the road as their town deals with a clash between its Indigenous culture/history and the more prominent white settler history.
One Of Us Is Lying – 6.8
Peacock entered the teen drama genre in 2021 with the release of One Of Us Is Lying. The drama series is based on the best-selling book by Karen M. McManus and follows the events of the book closely enough that fans of both weren’t outraged at the adaptation.
The series kicks off when 5 students are sentenced to after-school detention on their first day back which leaves one of the students dead. While the school and law enforcement try to figure out what happened and pin Simon’s (Mark McKenna) death on one of the four, they must stick together to figure out what actually happened.
Punky Brewster – 6.9
Revivals and reboots are just as popular as streaming services these days which is why it’s no surprise Peacock has launched several revivals/reboots of its own. This year, Peacock attempted to revive the 1980s sitcom Punky Brewster which unfortunately did not pay off since it was canceled after one season.
The 2021 version of the series follows an adult Punky (Soleil Noon Fyre) who is now a single mother to 3 children. As Punky tries to juggle her own chaotic life, she meets, befriends, and ends up fostering a young girl who reminds her a lot of herself.
Girls5Eva – 7.0
Girls5Eva was arguably Peacock’s biggest hit during 2021. The musical comedy series was so successful that it was quickly picked up for a second season.
The series follows a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 1990s who make a small comeback thanks to a young rapper sampling their music. Thinking this is their second chance, the women decided to reunite but making music is a lot harder when they all have made lives for themselves outside of music. Not only is the series hilarious but it also features original songs, many of which were co-written by the stars of the show which include Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
MacGruber – 7.2
MacGruber has a long history with NBCUniversal, first having come to be as a recurring skit on Saturday Night Live which was originally a parody of the action-adventure series MacGyver. The character and sketch are one of SNL’s most popular of the 2000s which is what led to it getting its own television series.
The series starts when MacGruber (Will Forte) is finally released from prison after serving time for over a decade. MacGruber has learned little while being locked behind bars and immediately restarts his mission to stop a villain from his past.
Dr. Death – 7.7
Medical dramas continue to be popular amongst television and streaming audiences so it’s no surprise that new medical shows are created year after year. This year Peacock got into the game with the release of Dr. Death, a miniseries based on a podcast of the same name.
Based on a true story, the series chronicles the life of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson) who became internationally famous because of his history of malpractice which included permanently mutilating his patients. Realizing Duntsch’s dangerous practices, several surgeons and assistants set out to get his license revoked.
Psych 3: This Is Gus – 8.0
One of Peacock’s biggest original movies this year was Psych 3: This Is Gus. Based on the beloved USA Network series Psych, the film is a sequel to the series and the third Psych made for TV movie of the franchise.
As Gus’s (Dulé Hill) wedding day approaches. he and Shawn (James Roday Rodriquez) must track down Selene’s (Jazmyn Simon) estranged husband so he and Selene can finalize their divorce papers. Meanwhile, Shawn becomes suspicious of Selene’s past, and Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) struggles with his next career move.
We Are Lady Parts – 8.0
Despite being one of Peacock’s highest-rated original shows of 2021, We Are Lady Parts is still highly underrated. The British comedy series centers on Amina (Anjana Vasan), a Ph.D. student who gets recruited by an all-female Muslim punk band to be their lead guitarist.
Not everyone is as welcoming to Amina’s presence as bandleader Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey) which causes tension in the band. Amina has her own hesitations as she struggles to keep her university life separate from her band life.
