It's been a year am I right? 2020 has forced us to be cooped up in our houses amid this pandemic and left figuring out what to do to occupy our time. Most of us turned to binge watching TV shows as a way to stay entertained. Luckily for us there were still good and new TV seasons being pumped out this year despite the Coronavirus plaguing our nation; as many of these seasons are filmed far in advance. With that being said, I watched my fair share of TV shows this past year and like many of you, I have formed an opinion and comprised a list of the top 10 TV shows of this past year. Let me also preface this by saying my selection is based on shows I've actually seen. There might be some other series just as good but I did not see them so I cannot rank them.
Here is my ranking of the top 10 TV shows of 2020:
1) Schitt's Creek - Season 6
This show is just phenomenal. I cannot say enough good things about the series that introduced us to the Rose Family. This show honestly appeals to many different age groups. They concluded the series this year in a great and appropriate way. I highly recommend this show. You just cannot help but laugh and feel good when watching it and I think we all need that extra positivity this year.
2) The Mandalorian - Season 2
What's not to like about this series? I am not even the biggest Star Wars mega fan and this show is just awesome and so much fun. It gave us Baby Yoda or excuse me, Grogu (spoiler alert) and it's hard not to LOVE Baby Yoda! The Mandalorian gave us action and more content from a classic franchise in a new way. It really was just a cool series.
3) The Umbrella Academy - Season 2
Great second season. I'm a sucker for the comic book/action series and this show with diverse characters containing various supernatural abilities trying to save the world is just great fun and entertainment. The second season had us travel back to the 60s with each character thrown into a different year/time period and having to adapt to a life in the 1960s until Five comes along and trying to unite them all and save the world from extinction. It's quite good and fitting for all age groups. There is never a dull moment in this series and it's honestly not that predictable so I highly recommend. I also read the Umbrella Academy comics by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba and the TV show remains true to the original storyline so that's always a plus.
4) Dead To Me - Season 2
This dark comedy is brilliant! I found myself LOL for a good 5 minutes with one of their opens. I still remember it, it was so funny yet dark in context. Only Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini could deliver the performances of Jen and Judy in such a stellar way. This dark comedy is thoroughly enjoyable and you just have to see it to know what I mean!
5) Ozark - Season 3
This show just surprisingly gets better and better and after their first season you didn't know if it was possible. I won't spoil this but the season finale is just unreal and leaves you pining for season 4. Marty and Wendy Byrde just somehow keep finding ways to survive and it's nothing sort of amazing. Furthermore, it's always an absolute pleasure watching Ruth Langmore be a complete badass on this show.
6) The Crown - Season 4
I'm an absolute sucker for anything about the Royal Family and this show is no different. I'm thrilled that the show is now diving into the story line of Princess Diana, and that's part of the reason this season is so good. The show is already a fascinating adaptation of the life and history of the most famous family in the world but it gets even better with the introduction of Princess Diana as well as other political figures the family has encountered such as the Iron Lady. It's cool for me that the show has entered into a phase of their history I am more familiar with so I'm intrigued how they capture it. This show is a great one for those who are fans of the Royal Family or just in general are curious about how Princess Diana and Prince Charles came to be. The acting is superb as well, it does not disappoint.
7) Yellowstone - Season 3
What a action packed show! Then, the finale, whoa! All the actors in this show are great. Beth is my favorite character. What a total badass. I like that this season dives further into some of the characters back stories and thus explains why they are the way they are. It's fascinating and I personally enjoy character dives that dig deep into their background. I also like that this show appeals to many age groups and it's a show that literally both my mother and I watch and can talk about so that's a plus. This is just a good show, period.
8) The Queen's Gambit
This was a limited series I actually enjoyed that I thought I would not. It's about an orphan girl who is a chess prodigy. I did not think I would get invested into a show about chess but it's more than that. Beth Harmon is a fascinating character that you cannot help but route for throughout the series; that is a huge part of the appeal of this show. We all want someone to route for. This is a different type of show to watch. It's drama that captures the competitive spirit of a young woman in a world dominated by men. It's good.
9) Upload
This was a quirky, futuristic show that was surprisingly entertaining. The trailer piqued my interested but didn't immediate sell me on it but eventually I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. It's not the best show of 2020 but it's worth a watch. It's a fun, creative show that gives us a different world that I think is fun to watch. It includes mystery, comedy, and drama. If you're looking for something different, this is a good option.
10) Nightside PreGame
DUH! HA! How could I not include our daily Nightside FaceBook LIVE feature that yours truly hosts half the time? Obviously I think it's good content! This is also half a plug, half a joke. In all seriousness, if you are a big fan of WBZ NewsRadio, WRKO's sister station, and in general a fan of long time Boston journalist Dan Rea, then you will want to check out our daily PreGame hit every Monday-Friday at 4:30pm. We introduce the topics that will be featured on that night's radio show as well as engage with the viewers and give commentary on the daily topics. It's a fun time, here's a preview...
That's my breakdown of the top 10 best TV shows of 2020! Did your favorite TV show make the list? If not, what would you suggest? Leave your suggestion in the comment section or feel free to tweet at me, @LightningMarita on Twitter!
-Producer Lightning