Top TV Shows of 2021 Driving Music Discovery

Here at Tunefind we’re looking back at some of the highlights from 2021, including the top movie soundtracks, top new TV shows driving music discovery, top tv syncs, and most popular artists on Tunefind. Check out our handy compilation of all our year-end coverage at Round Up: Tunefind’s Best of 2021.

We cover over 2,000 television shows from around the world here at Tunefind. At any given time throughout the year some 250 or so of those are putting out new episodes – and featuring new music. But only some television shows use music in a way that drives fans to the ends of the internet to hunt down that song. That new artist you haven’t heard before. A cover that puts a new twist on an old favorite. That ear worm you can’t get out of your head. An unreleased mystery track…

These are the television shows that consistently send fans searching out the music and artists featured each episode. The viewers are super engaged with the music, following the soundtrack as closely as they follow the plot lines.

And, while television show production was thrown for a loop by Covid 19, the masses stuck at home were still desperate for entertainment. The streaming services were happy to oblige, and fans started tearing through past seasons of old favorites at a furious clip. Whether it was lighthearted sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother, or classic dramas like Criminal Minds, the archives are full of great television that provided critical distraction from this wild year.

But first we kick things off with the active shows, airing new episodes this past year. These were the most popular shows whose soundtracks were driving music discovery during 2021.

 

Music Supervisor: Paulina Marquez

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Music Supervisor: Maggie Phillips

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Music Supervisor: Derryck Big Tank Thornton

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Music Supervisor: Brittany Whyte

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Music Supervisors: Season Kent, Gabe Hilfer, Henry van Roden

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Music Supervisor: Amanda Krieg Thomas

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Music Supervisors: Laura Webb, Lindsay Wolfington

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Music Supervisors: Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe

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Music Supervisors: Jonathan Leahy, Alison Rosenfeld Moses

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Music Supervisor: Madonna Wade-Reed

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Music Supervisor: Ann Kline

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Music Supervisor: Lindsay Wolfington

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Music Supervisor: Alexandra Patsavas

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Music Supervisor: Andrea von Foerster

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Music Supervisor: Matt Biffa

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Music Supervisors: Tony Von Pervieux, Christa Miller

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Music Supervisors: Ann Kline, Carly Van Skaik

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Music Supervisor: John Bissell

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Music Supervisor: Justin Kamps

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Music Supervisor: Kasey Truman

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Honorable Mention

While not technically airing new episodes in 2021 (unless you count the two special episodes released in early December 2020 and January) HBO’s Euphoria has continued to have a huge audience throughout the year, all driven by the 8 episodes released in summer 2019. Also included in our honorable mentions is the Canadian hit series Letterkenny, which wrapped up season 9 in December 2020 and will return for season 10 the day after Christmas.

Music Supervisor: Jen Malone

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Music Supervisors: David Hayman, Cody Partridge, Sean-Michael Hamilton, John Rowley

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From the Streaming Vaults

Some of these shows haven’t aired a new episode in over a decade, but they still drew in audiences this year – and had those fans seeking out the soundtrack. Whether you’re motivated by the Gossip Girl reboot and just need to re-watch the original series, or The Many Saints of Newark had you wanting to dive back into the world of The Sopranos, everything old is new again.

These are the shows that kept us distracted through 2021, with hours upon hours of episodes ready for your bingeing pleasure. And amazing soundtracks to fill up those playlists.

For full details on this year’s most popular songs, artists, television shows, and movies in sync and more, check out our Round Up: Tunefind’s Best of 2021.