Thread by @TheAtlantic

1/ Last year, TV became essential, our Culture team writes. When the stages we used to go to—concert halls, movie theaters, sports arenas—closed amid the pandemic, the small screen became the only outlet for safe viewing entertainment. bit.ly/3sMvFtN

2/ In their list of the top TV shows of 2021, @shirklesxp, @sophieGG, and @megangarber reflect on how TV kept us enthralled during the pandemic. Below, we look back at what they thought about some of the year’s best shows.

@shirklesxp @sophieGG @megangarber 3/ “I wanted to convey a very beautiful relationship between our ancestors and the land,” the director Barry Jenkins told @hannahgiorgis of his “The Underground Railroad” adaptation. bit.ly/3mEP9ws

4/ The best crime shows rely on their setting for dramatic impact. But HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” uses its Delco location to tell a truly specific story, @sophieGG writes. bit.ly/3sGwRyR

5/ Why is television using period settings to tell modern stories lately? Listen to @sophieGG, @shirklesxp, and @skornhaber discuss the Apple TV+ show “Dickinson”: bit.ly/3qBCRGi

6/ “Only Murders in the Building” could have been a simple true-crime spoof. Smart casting turned the Hulu TV series into an insightful exploration of the generational divide, @shirklesxp writes: bit.ly/3mIUhjs

7/ “Hacks” is a comedy full of twists. The biggest of them, @megangarber writes, might be this: The show takes the marriage plot and applies it to work. bit.ly/34biKYl

8/8 Reply with what TV show got you through the year below. 👇