Best Shows Watched in 2020

Let’s be honest, 2020 was a crazy year. If we were being extremely honest with ourselves we would admit that all we did was watch a lot of TV shows and films. Some of this media was amazing, while others were… less than exciting!

Thus I decided to list my favourite TV shows that I watched in the past years.

(It is important to note this list is not in order according to my favourites and not all of these are 2020 releases, they are shows that I watched in 2020).


The Best in 2020


Dark Series 3

If you follow me on Tumblr you might be aware of the fact that I am simply obsessed with this Deutsch television. The third and final season of this mind-bending show was released in June of this year and let me tell you, it blew my mind! I’m inclined to be somewhat hesitant towards certain shows especially when the new seasons drop because I have such high expectation and feel like my expectations might not be met. Yet, Dark is a show that has met those expectations again and again and the final season was honestly so crazy (in the best way). So, if you are intrigued by watching a show about the mystery of two children who go missing in a small German town, please watch Dark. (Also, it’s not the German Stranger Things, it’s way better!).

Halka

I am going to start by saying this once (and probably a billion times afterwards), Halka is the best Turkish Dizi that I have ever watched. It is super easy to dismiss Halka due to the fact that it is a Turkish Dizi and one that is a mafia one at that. Perhaps you might not like the cast. However, the writers of Halka were able to create such a wonderful world and constantly had me at the edge of my seat as they unravelled the story. Every aspect of Halka is enjoyable from the characters to the plot to the cinematography. All of the characters (including the villains) had such interesting story arcs and captured my attention. The plot of the dizi was simply amazing and the cinematography was truly breathtaking. If you like the action/thriller genre, I highly suggest Halka, because it is well worth the watch. 

ted lasso

Ted Lasso was another show that seemed easy to dismiss. It’s a comedy about a bumbling American (with no knowledge of football) who becomes the coach of an English football team. However, Ted Lasso is a show that is filled with so much empathy and heart. The show is brimming with such caring and heart-warming characters. Every member of the cast was so funny, quirky, and charming and that was a large part of Ted Lasso’s success. If you want to watch a show that is kind to your heart, I highly suggest Ted Lasso

churails

Churails is a Pakistani TV series that dropped on ZEE5. It was written and directed by the award-winning British-Pakistani director Asim Abbasi. I have loved Abbasi’s work ever since I watched his debut feature-length film Cake, so I was beyond excited to watch Churails. Churails follows four women from different classes and sector of Pakistani society who come together to form a detective agency to expose philandering husbands. As their work at the agency expands they find themselves involved in a conspiracy. The show utilised the exciting and thrilling plot to discuss various issues in regards that women face in Pakistan every day. It was honestly such a good show.

Giri/Haji

Giri/Haji is a Japanese/British crime drama that follows a detective from Tokyo who finds himself in England while chasing down his missing brother. His brother, a member of the Yakuza, has been accused of murder and is wanted by the Japanese and English poilice, as well as the Yakuza. This is another show that had all around tremendous talent involved from the acting, directing, art direction, and cinematography. The show does a lovely job of delving into juxtaposition, such as the juxtaposition between duty and shame, good and bad, and Japanese and English culture. The explorations of these ideas are amazing and show the writer has the ability to understand the ideas that they are talking about. The show is an interesting insight into the popular “mafia” genre. If you are a fan of Halka or the mafia genre, I highly suggest this watch. The female characters own my heart and the found family trope is so heart-warming.

Doom patrol Season 2

Though the production had setbacks, the second season of Doom Patrol dropped earlier this year. Doom Patrol is probably my favourite superhero media that I dived into this year. The show is simply wild, wonderful, with a sense that the writers were allowed to do anything creating a feeling of wild abandon. However, the show is also filled with such heartwarming moments as the characters become closer and deal with their internal struggle. It’s hard to talk about Doom Patrol without giving away major spoilers but know that the show continues to be the wildest and heartwarming piece of superhero media that I have watched.

Trickster

Trickster is a Canadian TV series that dropped on CBC during the fall of 2020. Based on Eden Robinson’s best-selling novels, it tells the story of Jared, an indigenous teen struggling to keep his family afloat. Jared’s life changes when he meets a mysterious stranger, and finds himself becoming aware of the magical events that seem to follow him, as well as his heritage. Even though the recent news about the director and showrunner of the show has soured Trickster for me, it still worth the mention because of the many other people who worked on the show. The show featured a heavy First Nations crew in front of and behind the scene and it was such a treat to watch. I would highly recommend the show to anyone who is a fan of the Percy Jackson series and books along those lines.

Miracle workers Season 1

The first season of Miracle Workers was honestly such a delight. The show stars Daniel Radcliffe, Karan Soni, Steve Buscemi, and Geraldine Viswanathan and is about two low level angels who have to convince God not to destroy the earth. Thus, they make a bet with him that they’ll be able to pull off an impossible miracle, causing two humans to fall in love with each other. Daniel Radcliffe is so endearing as the socially awkward angel Craig and Geraldine Viswanathan is simply delightful in the role of his partner in crime Eliza. The show is so heartwarming and I adored it. It was also a pretty timely watch, seeing I watched it Pre-Covid.


Honorary Mentions


  • The Good Place: The Good Place came to an end earlier this year and it is a show that I truly adore. There was something so endearing about the group of misfits coming together to try to save humanity, and I will miss the show. 
  • Babylon Berlin (Series 3): Babylon Berlin is a Deutsch neo-noir television series that follows Gereon Rath, a police inspector and Charlotte Ritter an aspiring police inspector as they find themselves involved in a conspiracy. I adore Volker Bruch in the role of Gereon and Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter. Their chemistry is unmatched and the story is fascinating.
  • Good Trouble: Good Trouble is spin-off of the Freeform show The Fosters, though I have never watched The Fosters, I loved Good Trouble. Some of the characters are so endearing and their struggle is something that is so real. The show does a good job in balancing social commentary and entertainment.
  • Zone Blanche: is a French-Belgian television supernatural thriller. The series focuses on a police chief, Laurène Weiss, and an eccentric new prosecutor, Franck Siriani, as they investigate a string of grisly crimes and eerie phenomena in an isolated town at the edge of a forest. The show is filled with beautiful cinematography and eerie shots that caught my interest.
  • Schitt’s Creek (Season 6): The final season of the beloved Canadian sitcom dropped at the start the year 2020. I love and am going to miss the show so much! The comedy is so funny and endearing filled with hilarious and heart-warming moments. Every episode causes me to laugh and the characters are so lovely and heart-warming.
  • Menajerima Ara (Episodes 1 – 8 + Honorary Mention to episode 18): If you’ve been paying any form of attention to my Blog/Twitter, you may know that I absolutely loved the first eight episodes of the dizi. Menajerima Ara, which is a remake of theFrench series Dix Pour Cent and follows the lives of acting agents. Deniz Can and Ahsen Eroğlu chemistry are simply electric. The show’s commentary on social issues and feminism was splendid. It is one of my favourite dizis that I watched in 2020.
Amie and Elias from SVT’s Eagles
  • Eagles: is Swedish Teen drama that revolves around the lives of a few teenagers living in the Swedish ice hockey town Oskarshamn. The show depicts their struggles, friendships, loves, and rivalries. I simply adore terrible teen dramas, and this particular show reminded me a lot of One Tree Hill (a personal guilty pleasure of mine). In particular, I have much love for Elias and Amie.
  • SkamDuring the summer of 2020 I decided to allow the Internet to peer pressure me into watching the hit Norwegian TV series Skam (as well as its remakes). Ultimately, my favourite season and character in the original series remain Sana and Youssef. There was something super iconic about watching two young brown Muslim(ish) navigates life, love, and faith in Norway. The fourth season remains my favourite and the best.
Amira and Mohammed from Druck
  • DruckDruck is the German remake of the hit Norwegian TV series Skam. By far it is my favourite of the remakes of the show. The cast and art direction was superb. I adore the interruption of the Sana, Amira as well as her love interest Mohammed. The lengths they went to properly cast the character was truly quite amazing. Additionally, the fifth season involving an original cast of characters specific to the German remake dropped in the fall of 2020. I adore the new group of characters, and the main character of Season 5, Nora. The exploration of mental health issues through her season was truly poignant. 

Guilty Pleasures


Sex Education Season 2:
THEY ARE THE ONLY PART OF SEX EDUCATION I CARE ABOUT!

Let me be brutally honest: I don’t care about Sex Education as a show. I mostly watch it because my friends and siblings love it. However, in Season 2 they introduced the Viv, who ended up being Jackson’s tutor and friend. They have it all; enemies to friends, fake dating, respect and care for each other. I adore them. I adore their friendship. They live rent-free in my head.

Le Bazar de la Charité

Le Bazar de la Charité is a French drama miniseries based on the real event of the fire at the Bazar de la Charité in Paris. The show follows three women whose lives are turned upside down by the fire. I adored the show, in particular the characters of Alice and Victor. What can I say; I am a hoe for the rich girl falls for the poor boy plot.

Hunters

Hunters is Amazon Prime’s highly controversial series about a group of people who decide to hunt down Nazis following WWII. Though the show received a lot of backlashes, I adored because Logan Lerman is adorable, and because I want whatever Roxy and Joe have.

The Baby Sitters’ Club

The Baby Sitters Club is a TV series based on the children’s novel of the same name by Ann M. Martin. When I was younger I watched the 1995 film read the books and generally enjoyed the series. Watching the show as an adult was definitely different, but still enjoyable.

Çarpışma
THEY ARE SO HOT! I DON’T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY!

Çarpışma is a Turkish action drama that focused on the lives of four individuals who find themselves in a car crash. Let me be brutally honest: I didn’t love care Çarpışma. I found the plot mostly entertaining. However, there was something about Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ as Kadir Adalı that caused my flight or fight response to engage. That being said, I love Melisa and Alperen in the roles of Kerem and Cemre. They had it all; rich girl/poor boy, enemies to lovers, communication skills, and respect and care for each other. I adore them.

Get Even

Get Even is a BBC Drama based on a book series by Gretchen McNeil. It was compared by my sister to Pretty Little Liars, and focuses on a group of schoolgirls who form a group to expose bullies at their school. However, they soon find themselves involved in a murder investigation when that they are framed for. What can I say; sometime you just need a dramatic BBC drama to get your mind off a global pandemic.


Worth the Rewatch


Watchmen

Watchmen is definitely one of the best super-hero TV shows I have ever watched. The show acts as a sequel to the comic of the same name that was released in 1986. The show is a fascinating take on the superhero genre and talked about racial violence, White supremacists, and police brutality. It used the Tulsa race massacre as a backdrop and really delved into it.

It retrospect re-watching Watchmen was extremely timely, especially in regards to the riots that happened in America earlier this year.

Altered Carbon (Season 1)

The first season of Altered Carbon is my guilty pleasure show (though I feel absolutely no guilt from watching and loving it). It is a tech-noir about a former soldier turned investigator, Takeshi Kovacs who lives in a world where consciousness can be transferred to different bodies.

There is something about Joel Kinnaman in the role of Takeshi that honestly is too much. He and Martha Higareda have crazy chemistry and I love the show and the world that it is set in.

The OA

The OA is one of those strange and unforgettable shows. Many fans of Dark have recommended The OA as a show to watch. It is a mind-bending show that tells the story of a young woman, Prairie Johnson, who resurfaces after having been missing for seven years. The show is part mystery, part drama, part sci-fi, part supernatural, and part fantasy. It has one of the most compelling and mind-boggling plots and I adore it.

Cloak and Dagger

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is a superhero series based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name. It too is one of the best superhero TV shows, as far as I am concerned. The series is set in New Orleans and tells the story of two teenagers from different backgrounds that acquired super-powers due to the same life-changing event.  The show discussed assault, police brutality, racial profiling and human trafficking through the superhero genre. It had the best slow burn and established wonderful enemies to friends to what could have been presumed as lovers if the show had not been cancelled.

Sanditon

Sanditon is a Period drama based Jane Austen’s unfinished manuscript of the same name. It stars Rose Williams and Theo James in the lead roles and follows the plot of a young woman who finds herself in a new seaside resort of Sanditon.

The show has everything: wonderful costuming, Jane Austen’s wit, a beautiful cast, the most lovely height difference as well as enemies to lovers slow burn. The show is a simple delight and I suggest it to any fan of Brigerton.

Emerald City

Emerald City is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz books. Directed by the acclaimed visionary director Tarsem Singh, the show is honestly breath taking. It features the ever-beautiful Adria Arjona alongside the Internet’s heartthrob Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

The show is simply beautiful and such a fun re-imagining of the popular and beloved story. It has absouletly gorgeous costumes and Adria Arjona and Oliver Jackson-Cohen have electric chemistry.

Still-Starcrossed

Still-Starcrossed is a period drama based on a book by Melinda Taub and produced by Shonda Rhimes. The show is pretty much an elaborate fanfic that is set after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. To keep the peace between the Houses Montague and Capulet, Rosaline Capulet is betrothed against her will to Benvolio Montague. The two, though they hate each other, must prevent their marriage from going through and uncover a sinister plot as they do.

To be completely honest, Still Starcrossed has everything Brigerton wanted. It has people of colour in Period Drama, has that simply delicious enemies-to-lovers relationship, as well as hints of the fake relationship plot. It stars Lashana Lynch as the main character, which as far as I am concerned is everything one needs to know about the show.


A Love So Beautiful

A Love So Beautiful is a Chinese series based on the novel To Our Pure Little Beauty by Zhao Qianqian. A Love So Beautiful tells the story of Chen Xiaoxi who has been in love with her neighbour and schoolmate Jiang Chen for a long time. The show depicts the ups and downs of school, family and growing up. It is a personal guilty pleasure of mine, though I feel like I only love it becomes it reminds me of my favourite Taiwanese film, Our Times.

Community

Community is a sitcom about a study group at a community college. The group of misfits and the hijinks that they got up to was too funny. I watched this show during the height of the pandemic and it was the perfect show to take my mind off all the pressing issues of the world.

The Nanny

The Nanny is a sitcom starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York-British high society. The show was one of my mom and I’s favourite’s when I was younger, and I rewatched it recently. Fran Drescher as Fran Fine is honestly so endearing and hilarious. The humour is hilarious, and Fran and her boss Mr Sheffield have the most funny will they won’t they. And of course a special shout out to the king of sass, Niles!