Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
March was an interesting month for television. With broadcast schedules still reeling thanks to the COVID shutdown a year earlier, some shows were wrapping up their runs, and others weren’t even getting started — which left a nice gap for some continuing shows to jump onto our list of the best TV shows of March.
That includes NBC’s Superstore, which has been bopping around our list for months now, but never grabbing that top spot. Guess what? This month, thanks in large part to the series finale, Superstore went out on a high note, nabbing number one on our list. But don’t worry, there’s plenty more to sift through here beyond the beloved sitcom… You’ve got two Marvel series, a harrowing HBO documentary, Michelle Obama chilling with puppets, and even a show from… Guy Fieri? Yep, really.
A note on process: the staff at Decider sends in their individual top five list. Those are each weighted, culled together, and then ranked to form the list you see below. Yes, that means shows that more people watched probably get more weight. But if you don’t like it? That’s cool! Make your own list!
Looking to catch up on 2020? The best of January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November are here, as well as our Best of the Year. You can also start fresh with January, 2021 or February, 2021. But that’s old news. Let’s get to the new stuff:
'Tournament of Champions II'
Food Network
Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions is back, and the TV foodie landscape is the better for it. 16 elite chefs (including Cat Cora, Michael Voltaggio, Anthonia Lofaso, Jet Tila and returning champ Brooke Williamson) from the East and West coasts are competing for the title belt and a brand-new SUV. Perhaps the best new twist for Season 2 of this wildly entertaining cooking competition is that every time a chef wins a round, TOC donates $10,000 in his or her name to a local restaurant in need (of the winner’s choosing). Intense head-to-head matchups and Fieri’s truly evil randomizer wheel threaten to rattle the contestants, but these battle-hardened chefs (no matter the duress) manage to serve up delicious, mouthwatering dishes every time. — Karen Kemmerle
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'
Disney+
Marvel Studio’s second Disney+ series is not quite as genre-breaking as the first (more on that below), but it is fun to see two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) heroes back in action. Both Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. The Winter Soldier, are charming, funny actors and getting to spend an hour with them every Friday is a delight. Thankfully, though, there’s more going on than two goofballs goofing each other between explosions… From the emotional battle for Captain America’s (Chris Evans) shield, to some bubbling commentary about race, to world-building for the post-Blip MCU, TFatWS is just getting started. — Alex Zalben
'Staged'
Hulu
The biggest TV plot twist that no one is talking about is the Season 2 premiere of Staged. The first season of this meta British comedy—which first aired on the BBC, before coming to Hulu in the U.S.—starred Michael Sheen and David Tennant as arrogant versions of themselves attempting to put on a play over Zoom. But this season, creator Simon Evans—also playing himself—went full meta. Rather than rehearsing a play, now the Good Omens co-stars are working on an American reboot of Staged. The only problem? Sheen and Tennant are being recast. It’s hilarious, self-deprecating, and sardonic in that specifically British way, and it remains the best Zoom-based content I’ve seen during the pandemic. — Anna Menta
'RuPaul's Drag Race'
VH1
After two months of anticipation, including one solid month of introductions, RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 really leveled up in March with four absolutely iconic episodes. There were so many highs (Denali’s Jonathan Van Ness?! Utica in Symone’s drag?! Gottmik’s roast?!) and so many lows (Denali’s elimination, that squirrel wig, those whale sounds). This month of episodes showed what makes Drag Race a perfect reality TV series: wild challenges, sickening looks, and unexpected eliminations that really throw your entire fantasy Drag Race game off. March just proved what we already knew to be true: corona can’t keep a good queen down, and these queens are great. — Brett White
'For All Mankind'
Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s For All Mankind combines the throwback swagger of Mad Men with a thrilling love of science and exploration. Set in an alternate timeline where the space race only heated up after the first moon landing, For All Mankind explores not only what could have been — in terms of tech — but the bigotry and biases that still persisted in our own timeline. But that’s not what makes this show so damn compelling. For All Mankind has some of the greatest character development on television. For All Mankind is a gem of a show that only gets better week by week. — Meghan O’Keefe
'Allen v. Farrow'
HBO
It’s difficult to overstate the degree of bravery and vulnerability Dylan Farrow has shown through Allen v. Farrow. For four weeks Farrow allowed HBO and the world at large to enter her life and reexamine its most horrific corners: Farrow’s alleged abuse against her father Woody Allen. This deeply powerful series argued a new side of one of Hollywood’s most well-known stories. But more than that Farrow, by finally being permitted to tell her own story, gave the world a different view of the survivor narrative while demanding accountability. Allen v. Farrow is a project that will continue to haunt us the rest of 2021 and Hollywood for years. — Kayla Cobb
'Waffles + Mochi'
Netflix
When the trailer for Michelle Obama’s kids show first dropped, the internet was confused about why the esteemed former First Lady would hang out with a couple of oddball puppets. Now that Waffles + Mochi is out, though, we can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to cuddle up with Waffles and Mochi. Combining the heart of classic Sesame Street and the curiosity of a classic Bourdain show, Waffles + Mochi will charm even the hardest of hearts. (And it will get you and your kids psyched to eat your vegetables.) — Meghan O’Keefe
'WandaVision'
Disney+
Only one episode of Marvel Studios’ theory-spawning hit aired in March, “The Series Finale.” Easily the most MCU-esque of all the episodes, the final episode still managed to find time for some sweet, poignant moments between Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and The Vision (Paul Bettany) when they weren’t fighting off evil doubles, or blasts of magic from villainous witches (that would be Kathryn Hahn’s iconic Agatha Harkness). While some may quibble with how everything tied up, it’s inarguable that WandaVision was one of the most discussed TV series in years, and the finale found time to launch a million more buzzy moments: the Ship of Theseus discussion between two Visions; Wanda embracing her heroic (?) outfit as The Scarlet Witch; and of course, Ralph Bohner. We may never get another season of WandaVision, but thankfully we had 8 weeks of this wild ride to enjoy. — Alex Zalben
'The Real World Homecoming: New York'
Paramount+
It turns out that even if you’re a group of reality TV pioneers, you can go home again—and it’ll be every bit as cringeworthy and celebratory as any family reunion. Paramount+’s flagship (sure?) original series (I guess?) The Real World Homecoming: New York promised to reunite the original seven strangers who essentially invented reality television as a popular genre. The series has done that in the most 2021 way possible. Everyone’s apologizing to Kevin, who was done dirty by the “angry Black man” edit when everything he said was right. Eric has to telecommute into the reunion because he has COVID, because not even holistic hunks are immune. And then there’s Becky, whose insistence that she can’t be racist because she took an African dance class made a damn good argument to rename The Karen after her. The Real World Homecoming just proves that the original reality series can still bring the drama. — Brett White
'The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers'
Disney+
Disney+’s new Mighty Ducks series expertly captures the magic of the beloved ’90s trilogy. Starring Lauren Graham, Emilio Estevez, and a host of talented young actors, the charming revival basically asks: What if the Mighty Ducks evolved into their hated rivals, the Hawks? The scrappy underdogs have become the establishment as the once lovable Ducks are now a cutthroat, ultra-competitive youth hockey team. It doesn’t matter if you’re a long-time fan or new to the franchise, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is a streaming slapshot of fun and nostalgia. — Josh Sorokach
'Servant'
Apple TV+
If you haven’t jumped on the Servant train, you are missing out. The first season of M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ show served as a great slow-burn thriller. In Season 2 Servant cast aside even that measure of predictability. As the series told the story of a grieving family trying to find their child, it warped the very notion of what you came to expect from this show. One moment it was a bloodthirsty thriller between a hostage and her capture. The next it was a slapstick comedy. Still the next it was a cerebral reflection on religion and cults. Servant may have artfully flipped over its story countless times, but no matter what it was trying it was always disturbing. And isn’t that what you want? — Kayla Cobb
'Superstore'
NBC
It’s fitting that Superstore captures the top spot on our list. Throughout its six seasons, Justin Spitzer’s endearing NBC sitcom became a “best of the month” favorite here at Decider. The plucky show about a group of lovable oddballs who work in retail always found a way to expertly balance important real-world issues with smart, uplifting comedy. The show may be gone — the Superstore series finale aired on March 25 — but it won’t be forgotten. — Josh Sorokach
