The best TV shows of 2020

There’s nothing small about these series, spin-offs, docs and anthologies…

20 We Are Who We Are

Luca Guadagnino’s first TV effort, this free-wheeling tale of American military base brats snatched Euphoria’s teen angst crown. A vibrant ensemble (led by Jack Dylan Grazer), kicking soundtrack and sultry Mediterranean atmos make up this compelling look at the pain and pleasure of youth.

17 Mrs. America

The movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment is told from the perspective of the women on the front lines of the culture war in this illuminating nine-part miniseries. Cate Blanchett is teeth-clenchingly brilliant as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.

19 The Eddy

This Netflix original series delivered on the promise of its international calibre. Written by screenwriting supremo Jack Thorne and with episodes directed by Damien Chazelle, Houda Benyamina, Laïla Marrakchi and Alan Poul, it’s a gritty yet vibrant bop around the Paris jazz scene.

16 Quiz

Perfect casting, telly nostalgia and 50:50 ambiguity made Stephen Frears’ take on the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? scandal unmissable. Quiz boasted winning turns by Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford, and Michael Sheen’s Chris Tarrant impression was bang on the money.

18 Ted Lasso

Love or loathe the beautiful game, this Apple TV+ comedy about an American college football coach (Jason Sudeikis) who’s hired to run an English Premier League team is a warm and witty watch, and the perfect antidote to most of 2020’s woes.

15 Bojack Horseman S6

The alcoholic equine bowed out in typically chaotic fashion: with his world crashing inward. After a gut-wrenching penultimate episode, a perfectly measured finale solidifies Bojack as a classic. Who’d have thought a TV show about a cartoon horse could be so moving?

14 Lovecraft Country

Misha Green’s feverish portrait of segregated ’50s America skilfully blended dagger-sharp social commentary with flights of horrorfantasy. Secret societies, time warps, mad tentacular sex… you never quite knew what to expect – aside from breakout stars Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett radiating charisma.

11 I’ll Be Gone In The Dark

HBO’s six-part true-crime doc tracked how Michelle McNamara unearthed new evidence while researching her same-titled 2018 bestselling book on the Golden State Killer, who committed at least 13 killings and 50 rapes between 1973 and 1986. Riveting viewing, and incredibly moving.

8 The Boys S2

The sophomore season of Amazon’s superhero series was messier than the first and without the surprise factor. But boy was it dark, with all-American hero Homelander (Antony Starr), egged on by Stormfront (Aya Cash), going full-psychopath to genuinely disturbing effect.

13 Schitt’s Creek S6

Dan and Eugene Levy’s sleeper hit bids a witty farewell to the Roses and the eccentric titular town, as David (Dan Levy) gets hitched, Alexis (Annie Murphy) finds her independence, and Moira (Catherine O’Hara) and Johnny (Eugene Levy) expand the motel chain. Simply the best, indeed.

10 I Hate Suzie

Billie Piper’s semi-autobiographical collab with Lucy Prebble (Secret Diary Of A Call Girl) was an unflinching, brutally funny and reflective look at the female experience (mother/wife/friend/lover) via singer-turnedactor Suzie (Piper), whose life unravelled after a phone hack. Ballsy and brilliant.

7 Better Call Saul S5

The penultimate season of Vince Gilligan’s rich Breaking Bad prequel saw Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) slippin’ closer to the Saul Goodman character we know from BB, and an increase in cartel activity. Kim (Rhea Seehorn) continued to be the show’s MVP.

12 The Last Dance

This eight-hour Netflix doc took us inside the dressing room of the Chicago Bulls as they won six NBA championships in the ’90s… and inside the head of star player Michael Jordan. Don’t like basketball? Jason Hehir’s slam-dunk doc will electrify you nonetheless.

9 Dead To Me S2

The tragicomedy’s second instalment ramps up the twists as polar opposite pals Jen and Judy (Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, both sensational) struggle to keep the aftermath of last season’s criminalising cliffhanger a secret. A masterful blend of dark thrills and laugh-out-loud one-liners.

6 The Queen’s Gambit

An introverted US chess prodigy (Anya Taylor-Joy, see page 42) takes on the Russians and discovers life beyond the board is far less patterned and symmetrical. Scott Frank’s stunning ’60s-set drama proved a worthy follow up to his 2017 western series Godless.

5 Devs

Alex Garland’s first foray into TV matched up to his features Ex Machina and Annihilation. A big-brain chin-stroke on free will and determinism, it followed software engineer Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) as she investigated the disappearance of her boyfriend after he went to work for a top-secret division of a quantum computing company. Just mesmerising.

4 Normal People

If viewers were craving intimacy during lockdown, Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel more than delivered, its heart-piecing romance resonating across generations. Following high-school lovers Connell and Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal) as they navigate early adulthood on opposite ends of the social spectrum, Normal People was binge-viewing to obsess over.

3 I May Destroy You

Confirming creator/writer/co-director/star Michaela Coel as a major talent, I May Destroy You defied all small-screen expectations. A vivid depiction of the aftermath of surviving a sexual assault, the 12-parter confidently tackled themes of consent, race, gender and social media, while evading genre shackles. By turns funny, moving, shocking and relatable, but always thought-provoking.

2 The Mandalorian

There was gratification with Disney+’s delayed UK launch: we got two seasons of Jon Favreau’s superlative Star Wars serial in one year. Arguably an even more satisfying visit to the galaxy far, far away than the sequel trilogy, both seasons lean into the franchise’s early pulp and western roots.

The Mandalorian has a cool hero, kick-ass action and movie-quality production values, which it didn’t even need, because quite frankly we’d tune in every week just for Baby Yoda/The Child.

1 Small Axe

Expectations were high when Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Widows) turned to TV for a five-film anthology series based on London’s West Indian community in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. But it was impossible to anticipate just how impactful this collection would prove to be. Featuring stories of oppression, hope, love and adversity, it was a remarkably potent mix: moving, thrilling, funny and sensual. True stories of the likes of the Mangrove Nine and Leroy Logan were told with historical and cultural specificity, and gave a brace of talented actors a chance to shine: John Boyega, Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright and more made fine work of complex roles. A powerful, personal TV event to savour each week.