In 2020, we’ve all clung to the comfort of our favourite streaming services to get us through the pandemic and the consequent upheaval to our lives. Luckily for us, platforms such as Netflix, Stan, Prime Video and Foxtel have gotten us through the tough times with a flood of new releases. We’ve rounded up a list of the best shows of 2020 (so far) in case some of these have escaped your radar till now.
The Great
Genre: Comedy-drama
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Stan
Forget historical accuracy — the rise of Catherine the Great’s anti-historical ride through 18th Century Russia is worth more laughs than you can handle in 10 hours.
The Last Dance
Genre: Documentary
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Netflix
The docuseries deep dives into Michael Jordan’s career and the 1990s Chicago Bulls. It even has unaired footage from the 1997-1998 season. Even if you aren’t a basketball fan you’ll still be able to appreciate the highly captivating documentary.
Normal People
Genre: Romance
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Stan
Based on Sally Rooney’s popular novel of the same name, Normal People follows the lives of Marianne and Connell. They’re from the same small town in Ireland but come from very different backgrounds. The story line’s based on how two people can profoundly impact each other’s lives.
Schitt’s Creek
Genre: Sitcom
Seasons: 6
Where to stream: Netflix
Anything that gets you laughing hysterically is a winner in our eyes. Schitt’s Creek is still going strong since its first airing in 2015 because fans just can’t get enough. The sitcom is based on a married couple going bankrupt only to be left with a crappy small town called Schitt’s Creek.
Better Call Saul
Genre: Drama
Seasons: 5
Where to stream: Stan
Better Call Saul is based on ex-con artist Jimmy McGill’s transition to a small-town lawyer as he transforms into his alter ego Saul Goodman, a morally challenged criminal lawyer. Fans of Breaking Bad will love this prequel to the show which is set six years before Goodman became Walter White’s lawyer. Its latest season was released this year in February.
Feel Good
Genre: Comedy-drama
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Netflix
Feel Good’s a messy story about stand-up comic Mae Martin who tries to navigate a complicated relationship with her girlfriend while trying to stay sober. It’s a smart take on the highs and lows of starting a new romance.
Upload
Genre: Sci-fi
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Prime Video
Upload is a hilarious sci-fi series based on the future where people can ‘upload their consciousness to a luxurious digital afterlife’. It’s another gem by American television writer Greg Daniels who also won fan hearts with The Office and Parks and Recreation.
Never Have I Ever
Genre: Comedy-drama
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Netflix
This coming-of-age comedy TV series is based on the life of first-generation Indian-American teenager. Mindy Kaling, creator of Never Have I Ever, adapts some of her own experiences into the show about teens.
Little Fires Everywhere
Genre:
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Prime Video
Set in the ’90s, the show starring Reese Whiterspoon is based on the novel of the same name by Celeste Ng. It’s about a picture-perfect family and a mother-daughter duo who turn the family’s lives upside down.
Westworld
Genre: Sci-fi
Seasons: 3
Where to stream: Foxtel
This intelligent, enthralling drama may not be everyone’s cup of tea from the get go but once you get into it, there’s no turning back. The story line focuses on a futuristic Western-themed amusement park, Westworld, where everything gets thrown into chaos when the robots start to malfunction. The latest season was released in March.
Ozark
Genre: Crime
Seasons: 3
Where to stream: Netflix
Crime fans will love the series which follows a financial adviser’s move from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks with his family, where he must launder a massive about of money in five years to appease a drug lord. It’s latest season also aired in March.
Cheer
Genre: Documertary
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Netflix
The docuseries follows a competitive cheer squad from Corsicana, Texas as they prepare for the National Cheerleading Championship held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. It looks at the ups and downs of the cheer squad and how, like any competitive sports, cheering isn’t safe from the bad and the ugly either.
Queer Eye
Genre: Reality
Seasons: 5
Where to stream: Netflix
The newest season of Queer Eye was released in June and we’re obsessing over the Fab Five’s tips, makeovers and emotional reveals. It’s truly giving us all the feels. If you haven’t ever watched the show before, you’re going to love following a team of professionals as they give lifestyle and fashion makeovers to their guests.
Tiger King
Genre: Documentary
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Netflix
Even if you haven’t watched it yet, we’d be surprised if all the media hype surrounding Tiger King escaped your attention. The doco is based on big cat breeding in the US and its underworld dealings. The characters, including zookeeper Joe Exotic, are eccentric and will give you many WTF moments. It may not be the best show in the world but it gets you talking and discussing the wider issue of animals rights in America.
Mrs. America
Genre: Drama
Seasons: 1
Where to stream: Foxtel
Mrs. America, from the Mad Men writer Dahvi Waller, is a ’70 feminism drama. It dives into ‘the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly, also known as the ‘the sweetheart of the silent majority’.
The Bold Type
Genre: Comedy-drama
Seasons: 4
Where to stream: Stan
The Bold Type follows the journey of three young women in New York, who work for ‘Scarlet’, a global women’s magazine. It’s an inspiring story line which tackles some of the complexities of being a young woman in the 21st century and the war between print and digital journalism.
If you think we’ve missed any series that would be perfect for our ‘best shows of 2020’ list, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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