Erin’s Top 10 New TV Shows of 2020

TV has never been more important than it has been this year.

I often turn to old favorites for familiarity and comfort, but with 2020 being as challenging as it has been, I found myself frequently on the lookout for shows that were new and exciting. There’s nothing quite like escaping into a new story and becoming acquainted with new characters.

Many of these shows are sure to become those old favorites that I rewatch over and over.

They have provided comedy when I needed to laugh, drama when emotions had to be let out, and thrills that excited me when absolute distraction was necessary. New characters have now become old friends and some have really challenged my way of thinking, offering me fresh perspectives on what it is to be human. 

In no particular order, here are my Top 10 New TV Shows of 2020 that have enriched my TV watching experience during this very peculiar year.

1. High Fidelity

High Fidelity is one of those shows that quickly became a favorite I could rewatch and enjoy many times over. 

I tried to pace my binge, but the attempt was futile—I had to see what happened next in the life of record-store owner, Robyn “Rob” Brooks, played by Zoë Kravitz, even being familiar with the story. I love both the book by Nick Hornby and the 2000 film starring John Cusack as Rob. It was exciting to see a fresh spin on it with this cool and endearing television adaptation.

Kravitz in the role of Rob is a natural fit for this fictional world—her mother, Lisa Bonet, played a singer and love interest in the movie. Many characters were gender-flipped for the show, including Rob and Bonet’s Marie De Salle. Making changes like this was an ingenious move that gave the show the ability to stand on its own and set it apart from the other iterations.

As Rob examines her romantic tendencies, we get to see glimpses into her past as well as the improvements and missteps she makes in the present and how they might inform her future. With great music, masterful pop culture references, and fun characters, Rob’s journey combines so many things that I love in one compelling and well-told story.

2. I May Destroy You

Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You is an anthropological deep dive into trauma and its effects on one’s psyche.

Coel takes a cerebral examination of an emotional crisis and makes it engaging and entertaining in ways I didn’t think existed. The structure she has created feels organic and alive with a lyrical nature, teeming with poetic substance. 

Arabella’s story is based on Coel’s own personal experience with sexual assault. The main character is suddenly untethered from herself and must find a way to heal. Coel shows this process through Arabella’s cognitive excavation that is nimbly weaved into the narrative. 

Such a concept needs to be handled delicately or else it could feel like therapy. Both on the page and on the screen, Coel crafts the plot and saturates it with artful introspection. The twelve scripts that comprise the season are her blood and guts in the form of words. She then plays Arabella with a truthfulness that literally only she can achieve.

I May Destroy You feels continually epiphanous for the viewer as we watch Arabella work through her trauma. Coel lends her soulful wisdom to the story, including elements relevant to the #MeToo movement and clarifying consent. 

In Arabella we see evidence of Coel’s own inquisitive and fast-working mind, but Arabella still maintains her individuality. It’s like going through the journey holding the hands of two friends instead of one. 

3. Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso is the comedy with heart that I didn’t know I needed. Not being a huge fan of sports or sport-related fictional stories, I was wary of this tale that follows an American football coach to London to manage a soccer team. I was pleasantly surprised and it captured my interest completely.

The titular character played by Jason Sudeikis is the Leslie Knope of the athletic world—optimistic, unrelentingly friendly, and not afraid of hard work. It is refreshing and inspiring to look at the world and the challenges life can throw at us from Ted’s positive perspective, not to mention comforting during these particularly tough times.

Being a hardcore Anglophile, the UK setting was the main pull for me to give this show a shot, and it did not disappoint in that department. Following a foreigner trying to navigate unfamiliar territory in a country that fascinates me provides so many payoffs. Cultural and communication differences result in amusing situations, clever dialogue, playful puns, and delightful interactions among the characters.

No matter the team’s scoring record, Ted Lasso is a winner in my TV playbook.   

4. Feel Good

I love queer stories and I love fiction that examines areas of mental health. Feel Good addresses both with a complex combination of comedy and drama. 

It’s a semi-autobiographical look into the life of Mae (Mae Martin), a Canadian stand-up comedian, as she deals with addiction, family drama, and a new relationship with a reserved and slightly repressed Brit named George (Charlotte Ritchie).

The two go through the typical ups and downs of a budding love story with some added issues that feed into both the humor and emotion of this nuanced romantic dramedy.

Mae is a recovering addict and George is closeted and new to the same-sex relationship, so, of course, there is loads of drama. Nonetheless, it’s cleverly balanced with situational comedy so it never feels too heavy. 

If you’re looking for a quick binge, Feel Good Season 1 is only six episodes. Netflix has renewed the show for a second and final season so we will get to see another chapter of Mae and George’s story. 

5. Work in Progress

Along similar lines to the previous entry on this list, Work in Progress is a queer rom-com that focuses on issues of mental health. It’s not without drama and conflict, but it still manages to stay playful with lots of lighthearted moments.

Another similarity it shares with Feel Good is that the story centers on Abby, a semi-autobiographical role for co-creator Abby McEnany, who starts up a new relationship—her first with a trans man—while suffering from depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

McEnany is a Second City alum, and like her character, is a self-described queer dyke with depression and OCD. She has skillfully injected this story with hilarious comedy and devastating drama, from both in front of and behind the camera.

Although the show employs the basic theme of a classic romantic comedy, it’s entirely unique. I haven’t seen anything quite like it on television before. It has originality and depth, humor and heart, while making me laugh and putting my feels through the wringer.

Work in Progress is, fortunately, a work in progress itself. It is slated to return to Showtime for a second season, furthering representation that is important and essential.

6. The New Pope

The New Pope is a follow-up series to the 2016 series The Young Pope created by Paolo Sorrentino. I adored its predecessor’s artful eccentricity, and was exultant to see that its successor continued in that vein with a whole new strange story.

I’m often at a loss when trying to describe these two outlandish shows. They seem to fit into a niche genre enjoyed by those with a rarefied taste for esotericism and Lynchian weirdness.

I am one of those people, and this is, for sure, my jam.

It’s a wild and wondrous fictitious world set in the Vatican with pious politics and holy people with unholy agendas vying for power. Nothing is quite what it appears to be and a certain amount of cinematic faith is required for viewing. 

Jude Law reprises his role from The Young Pope and John Malkovich is the titular leader on The New Pope. Great performances, curious artistic choices, and mysterious storylines make for an engaging TV watching experience like none other. 

7. P-Valley

Katori Hall’s P-Valley is classified as Southern Gothic by critics and Delta Noir by the creator herself. It delves into the cutthroat world of strip club culture in the fictional town of Chucalissa, Mississippi.

P-Valley began as Hall’s stage play with the full title, Pussy Valley. Nicco Annan starred as Uncle Clifford in the play and reprises that role on the series. Annan did his due diligence researching the role as did Hall who learned first-hand the skill and athleticism involved in exotic dancing.

The dark drama revolves around The Pynk and its employees and clientele. It’s a raw, unflinching look into the lives of these dancers who take their craft seriously, making stripping and pole dancing a true art form.

Uncle Clifford is the Black nonbinary proprietor of the indebted club and is desperate to keep her business afloat. Mercedes (Brandee Evans) is the veteran performer who has been saving up for her retirement while contending with her born-again Baptist mother. Hailey (Elarica Johnson) is the newbie with the tragic past that comes to work at The Pynk.

The experiences of these characters are imbued with the rich, soulful history of the area. Hall shines the spotlight on the struggles, successes, familial camaraderie and rivalries that are unique to the Southern Black community and woefully underrepresented in the media.

Hall didn’t stop at just showing on-screen representation but did so behind the camera, too. She hired all women directors for P-Valley‘s first season to ensure the story was told through a decidedly female gaze, especially considering what these women do for a living. 

8. Run

Run had me from the start when I learned of the involvement of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Merritt Wever. The intriguing plot kept me locked in and made for a really fun binge sesh. 

This quirky tale explores double-lives as well as double-selves that can exist, second chances, and alter egos. Ruby and Billy’s game prompts them to make big life decisions in a split-second. It makes them examine the things they are willing to risk or settle for.

Sounds fascinating, right? It is! And made more so by the stellar cast.

Wever is Ruby to Domhnall Gleeson’s Billy. Waller-Bridge plays an oddball taxidermist and has a sublime sub-storyline with policewoman Babe Cloud, charmingly portrayed by Tamara Podemski. I would, one-hundred percent, watch a spin-off with these two.

Archie Panjabi as Fiona, Billy’s personal assistant, inserts herself into their game and chaos ensues. 

Run takes a discriminating, satirical look at soulmates and the paths we choose to take in life.

9. Dave

In terms of laughs per minute, Dave gets the award for funniest show I watched this year. 

Dave Burd stars in the eponymous comedy that follows a white Jewish rapper (whose stage name is Lil Dicky) on his quest for hip hop stardom. Hijinks and absurd situations abound with Seinfeld-esque observational comedy sprinkled throughout.

On the outrageous end of the spectrum there are circumstances such as Dave being asked by two grieving parents to perform as Lil Dicky at their deceased child’s memorial. The other side consists of mundane yet hilarious moments like Dave wondering out loud in a drugstore about the effectiveness of a 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

Dave is hysterical and the characters around him are great, too. His girlfriend, Ally, is extremely patient and takes his shenanigans in stride. Friends Mike and Elz are there to support and torment Dave as he pursues his goals.

GaTa is the real Lil Dicky’s onstage hype-man and plays himself backing up the fictionalized version of the rapper on the show. Dave Season 1 features many celebrity cameos and guest stars from the hip hop world like YG, Young Thug, and Macklemore who Dave is often compared to.

It’s non-stop hilarity on this show so if you’re looking to laugh, I highly recommend checking it out.

10. Big Sky

Set against the backdrop of a small town in Montana, Big Sky packs a big punch. 

From the prolific mind of David E. Kelley, comes another intriguing crime drama based on a book. This seems to be his specialty as of late, and Big Sky is next in the line of shows that have captivated me after Big Little Lies and The Undoing. 

It’s fast-paced and thrilling from the get-go. The first episode of Big Sky has sex, murder, kidnapping, a barroom brawl, a high-speed chase, and even a cult. This new show is recently new, and only a quarter of the season has aired, but consider me hooked. My jaw has dropped at least once per episode, and I often find myself yelling at the screen.

The most interesting aspects for me so far have been the nonbinary character of Jerrie, a sex worker and aspiring singer, played by nonbinary actor, Jesse James Keitel, and the Norman/Norma Bates-type relationship between Ronald (Brian Geraghty) and his mother (Valerie Mahaffey).

There’s been a lot of action already and I can’t wait to see what will shock and excite me next. 

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What new TV shows have you enjoyed this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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