The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Streaming Wars:
Favourite shows of 2020
The year 2020 won’t be remembered fondly for many reasons, reasons which I don’t need to get into here. But, despite everything we’ve collectively been through, at least we had some damn good things to watch while being stuck at home.
I submit to you, the top 10 things I watched this year.
But first, some notes. Yes, there will be things that came out prior to 2020 in this list, but they’re still available on the listed platforms. No, I didn’t watch every single piece of content that came out due to physics, so your favourite might not be on here. There are many more excellent shows and movies I watched that didn’t quite crack the top 10 as well.
Finally, thank you to everyone who sent me suggestions for things to check out on social media. We might not be able to have water cooler conversations about the latest episode of the hit show of the week, but at least there’s Twitter.
10. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, NETFLIX
File this under the first Netflix original show in a long time where its sophomore season was actually better than its first. The Umbrella Academy’s renewed focus on Elliott Page’s character arc is just the push the show needed to become truly great. This series is quickly becoming one of my favourite comic book series, period. Can’t wait for season three.
9. THE EXPANSE, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
I inhaled The Expanse. Devouring four seasons in what felt like four days. Despite the show’s somewhat problematic situation it finds itself in, due to allegations against cast member Cas Anvar, The Expanse remains a truly remarkable science fiction that’s worth exploring.
With another season launching earlier this week and a final season to follow in the years ahead, there’s still plenty to look forward to.
8. THE HANDMAID’S TALE, CRAVE
The Handmaid’s Tale is one of those important, brutal shows that shocks its audience into realization. Realization
of how bad things could get, the importance of our basic rights and the dangers of the patriarchy. Elisabeth Moss also delivers a stunning, nuanced performance filled with pain, rebellion and tenderness. Challenging to watch, but its vital gravity is too strong to miss.
7. THE MANDALORIAN, DISNEY+
Disney’s flagship show is back, and though the loveable characters (including Baby Yoda) are back, the episode-to-episode plot is more like a video game side quest narrative than a traditional action epic. “You need this? Do this for me and then I’ll help you.” Rinse and repeat.
Despite its somewhat formulaic plot, The Mandalorian remains a gorgeous treat for the senses, with some of the best Star Wars set piece moments fans could ask for.
6. FLEABAG, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
Fleabag is this low on the list only because its last season came out in 2019. If it had been this year, it may well have been at the top. Fleabag is simply one of the best comedies I’ve ever watched. Phoebe WallerBridge, who wrote and stars in the series, is brilliant as we watch her character grapple with grief, family, love and the minutiae of everyday life.
5. LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, CRAVE (HBO)
Much like last year’s Watchmen, Lovecraft Country is an excellent, pulpy yet extremely relevant science fiction thriller. On its surface, it’s a wonderfully creepy and cerebral series of horrors that the characters puzzle their way through. But its setting in the Jim Crow era of America, where the terrible treatment of Black people is put on full display — side-byside with the Eldritch horrors across the land — makes for a brilliant critique of the genre while also celebrating it.
4. SCHITT’S CREEK, CBC GEM
Canada’s little show that could finished its incredible run with a bang. Picking up nine Emmy awards, including a sweep in the performer category, it’s hard not to recommend this bastion of Can-con. I’ll admit I didn’t get it at first, but once Catherine O’hara’s delightful Moira Rose stumbled her way through a fruit wine commercial I was hooked.
The final season is lovely in its charming, folksy, way, bringing its cooky characters to their natural zenith. Finales are hard, but Schitt’s Creek sticks the landing.
3. I MAY DESTROY YOU, CRAVE (HBO)
I May Destroy You is a nuanced, well-written story about sexual assault and the trauma it brings to its victims, and for that it’s already worth a watch. But it’s also much more than that. Michaela Coel, who wrote and stars in the series, takes the idea of sexual assault, the aggression, the invasion of that experience and highlights the other barriers we build around us and what it’s like when those are violated. It’s an incredibly powerful performance and easily one of the best shows of the year.
2. TED LASSO, APPLE TV+
I never would have thought a sports comedy would have been one of my favourite things I watched this year, but here we are. As I described in an earlier column, what makes Ted Lasso so wonderful is that it serves as an anti-toxin for toxic masculinity. Jason Sudeikis in his performance as the main character and the incredible enthusiasm he brings to the screen is simply infectious. Every time I watched an episode, I felt warm and fuzzy inside and that’s a powerful thing.
1. THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, NETFLIX
The smash-hit that came out of nowhere, my favourite show wasn’t part of a major franchise or a big-budget action-adventure. Nope, it was a show about a brilliant chess prodigy who rises through the global competitive scene while battling addiction and trauma. Highly bingeable, incredibly captivating and mercifully short. There’s nothing better than a skillfully made, well-performed mini-series.
The Queen’s Gambit is the best thing I watched this year.
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Want to hear more of Colin’s views on the best content he watched this year? Check out the Streaming Wars video and podcast at Saltwire.com.