The best streaming content in 2021 to watch out for

While last year will go down in the history books for all the wrong reasons, we did at least get to enjoy some truly exceptional new television shows.

Terrestrial broadcasters and streaming media platforms collectively helped us through lockdowns with everything from 15-minute socially distanced comedies to lavish period dramas.

But while the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky are developing their own original content, what can we expect from the UK’s main platforms regarding streaming content in 2021?

MoreWhere to stream the best of British drama

These are a few titles to watch out for in terms of streaming content in 2021…

Netflix

Netflix specialises in big-budget dramas, but with The Crown not back until next year, hopes are high for Inventing Anna – a ten-part drama about a con-artist in high-society New York.

This month will see the debut of Ralph Fiennes-anchored period drama The Dig, and the third series of action show Cobra Kai, while 2021 also promises CG anime (Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness).

If you can’t keep up with everything being released on this platform, meta show The Netflix Afterparty is a weekly round-up of new content, albeit with an American celebrity slant.

Amazon Prime Video

Now available on Sky Q and NOW TV devices, Amazon Prime Video is synonymous with The Grand Tour. Two episodes will arrive this year, including one filmed last autumn in the Hebrides.

Even The Grand Tour’s huge budget has been eclipsed by the $1 billion rumoured to have been spent on Amazon’s forthcoming Lord of the Rings TV series.

This would make it the most expensive programme in history. Confirmed for a minimum of five series, it’s set during the Second Age of Middle Earth, and filmed in New Zealand.

Amazon will also unveil a second series of Black Mirror-esque comedy Upload, as well as more Hunters, Tin Star, Hanna and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

BritBox

BritBox’s biggest debuts this year are likely to be shows migrating across from the likes of iPlayer and the ITV Hub, as BritBox consolidates its status as the national streaming service.

However, another series of Spitting Image has been confirmed. after breaking records on the platform when it debuted last year.

Other shows expected to get a second season include The Bay and The Bletchley Circle, while The Syndicate is onto Season 4.

Disney+

The topic of mental health is being given the Marvel treatment in WandaVision – an intriguing six-part look at alternate realities caused by grief and mental illness.

Disney+’s great strength is the array of franchises and universes it owns. It’s already confirmed ten separate MCU series, ten Star Wars series and 15 Disney/Pixar offshoots.

These will include Monsters Inc spinoff Monsters at Work, the crime Thriller Loki (based on the Avengers story arc), and the eagerly-awaited Obi-Wan Kenobi starring Ewan McGregor.