Get a load of this fresh crop of Oscars precursors! The American Film Institute released its top-ten lists for 2021’s best movies and television series today, and they span from intimate to sweeping, Earth to outer space, HBO all the way to HBO Max. AFI has a pretty high batting average when it comes to predicting Best Picture nominees, usually landing around seven out of ten. This year’s Academy Awards will have a guaranteed ten Best Picture nominees for the first time since 2011, so who knows? Maybe this whole list will make it to the Dolby Theatre. In addition to the AFI’s top-ten lists, they also announced three “Special Awards†for “works of excellence that fall outside of the Institute’s criteria of American film and television.†Netflix leads the film list with three entries, while HBO and HBO Max had four series among the TV awardees.
AFI Movies of the Year
Coda
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
tick, tick … BOOM!
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
AFI Television Programs of the Year
Hacks
Maid
Mare of Easttown
Reservation Dogs
Schmigadoon!
Succession
Ted Lasso
The Underground Railroad
Wandavision
The White Lotus
AFI Special Award
Belfast
Squid Game
Summer of Soul (… or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)