Tell-Tale TV’s Top 30 TV Shows of 2020
Even in a year where nothing went according to plan, there was no shortage of good television. This was also a year where people turned to television for escape, for comfort, and a little extra entertainment when they found themselves sitting at home more than usual.
Many of our critics have already broken down their own top TV shows in specific genres, top TV characters, and top TV couples. Now, we’ve taken on the task of collectively compiling the very best TV shows of the year overall.
Here are Tell-Tale TV’s Top TV Shows of 2020:
1. Schitt’s Creek
This year, the feel-good Canadian comedy chose to end its series with its sixth season. The show reminded everyone what it means to laugh and love during a really tough year. Then on top of a fantastic final season, Schitt’s Creek swept the comedy categories at The Emmys. Not a bad year for a show all about love, humor, and family.
2. The Haunting of Bly Manor
The Haunting of Bly Manor presented viewers with a well-rounded ghost story, expertly crafted with enough love and terror to transcend a simple jump-scare. Like its predecessor before it, The Haunting of Bly Manor gives us a story as much about people as it does place, defying Gothic trope in the process, and leaving audiences feeling utterly destroyed by what they’ve seen.
3. Ted Lasso
Sometimes, good conquers all. Ted Lasso is a breath of fresh air as it harnesses kindness and compassion with its take on the underdog sports story, this time told from the perspective of its coach, Ted (a fantastic Jason Sudeikis). The mixture of American and British humor turns out to be a rousing success on a show that values its characters and knows when to be complex but still with a note of hope.
4. Julie and the Phantoms
Julie and the Phantoms’ debut dropped the show in the middle of a very tough year and brought with it some levity and plenty of heart. Julie’s journey back to music and believing in her talents again with the support of the boys while also helping them figure out their “unfinished business” provided a fun and sweet story to follow along and root for while giving viewers songs that they’re still bopping along to.
5. Stargirl
Stargirl is the perfect show to sit down and watch with the entire family. The young cast makes the show relatable for school-aged children, while the old-school villains keep the interest of the adults. Add in current global concerns and moral lessons, and you have a flawless formula for family night.
6. The Crown
The Crown Season 4 took the Internet and the world by storm this year. With its introduction of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher, fans couldn’t turn away. It’s nice to have a show that’s so captivating to distract us yet engage us in a larger conversation with each other this year.
7. Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever, Mindy Kaling’s newest and most personal effort, is wholly original and easily one of the best romantic comedies and coming of age stories of the modern era. Devi’s journey to work through her grief after her father’s death, embrace her family’s culture, and have a damn good time in high school manages to be the rare story that feels both unique and universal. Plus, it’s a huge credit to the writers and the brilliant cast that even in its hardest, most emotional moments, the show is pure joy.
8. Legends of Tomorrow
Every superhero show has a big final fight between the good guys and the bad guys. However, not every show has the swag to set its big moment to “Thong Song” by Sisqo. Only Legends of Tomorrow would have said scene feature the singer in full late ’90s regalia performing his signature hit while our heroes fight history’s most famous villains. The confidence Legends has in its comedic absurdity, combined with the “never quit on each other” family the Waverider Crew has created makes this not just the best Arrowverse show, it’s the best comic book show on TV.
9. The Mandalorian
When you’re the latest entry in the most famous franchise in entertainment, there are big shoes to fill. From the moment we meet Din Djarin, The Mandalorian has no trouble establishing its place in the Star Wars universe. It perfectly balances introducing new locations and characters with familiar favorites. Between battles with stormtroopers, giant monsters, and other bounty hunters, we also got a sweet show about a single father willing to do anything to protect his child. Despite how Season 2 ended, we know there will be more adventures with Mando and Grogu.
10. What We Do in the Shadows
What We Do in the Shadows continued to blend the absurd with the mundane to create outstanding comedy in its second season. The vampire roommates interact with new corners of the supernatural world while still bumbling through everyday trials and tribulations. Harvey Guillen’s Guillermo, a disgruntled familiar who just happens to be descended from Van Helsing, steals the show once again as he puts up with their nonsense while navigating his own surprising journey.
11. Harley Quinn
When it premiered with the idea that Harley Quinn would finally end her toxic relationship with The Joker and set out on her own, fans of the clown princess were curious about what tone the titular show would take. We discovered very quickly that it was over the top nonsense in the best possible way. It’s a refreshing, hilariously obscene spin on the newly single woman trying to find her way post-breakup. In between all the violence, profanity and laugh out loud ridiculousness, there’s a sweet friendship/romance between Harley and Ivy to keep things balanced and surprisingly real.
12. Normal People
Normal People has an abnormally high quality of storytelling as it unfolds the intimate relationship between two Irish lovers. It’s the kind of series that stomps on your heart in the best way. The music and Connell’s chain just add to the compelling Hulu drama.
13. Dead to Me
Netflix’s dark comedy about grief returned with even crazier plotlines in Season 2. The magnetic performances of Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini carry the show even when the plot veers into the absurd. Judy and Jen are flawed and messy but also hilarious and genuine; you’ll enjoy spending this twisted journey with them.
14. The Boys
The Boys Season 2 is a twisted take on superheroes that is even more searing than the first. There is authentic anguish and friendship under the surface, deep under the surface, of the dark comedy. You have to pause or fast forward your viewing every now and then because it is beyond disturbing at time. The flawless acting makes us connect to characters even when it seems unfathomable. Season 2 also features an epic and memorable all-women fight scene.
15. The Queen’s Gambit
The world of chess got a little bit more exciting this year with the story of Beth Harmon. The Queen’s Gambit is a complex journey of self with the backdrop of being female in a mostly male game that keeps our attention hooked on her. Beth inspires us all to follow our passions, even if the world keeps moving against us.
16. Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul has known for a while that Kim Wexler is just as fascinating a co-lead as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman, but it’s this season that really cements Rhea Seehorn alongside Bob Odenkirk as impulse and power take control. Thick with tension and the dread that there’s only so much road left for the pair, Better Call Saul is a reminder that the draw for more has powerful consequences.
17. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
There are a lot of reasons to love Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but at the top of the list is its talented cast. In a comedy with such crazy, outlandish stories, it takes a strong core of performers to keep viewers 100 percent invested in the madness. There are no weak links in the 99th precinct. The way everyone fully commits to the insanity makes us feel like we’re in on every Halloween heist, Jimmy Jab Games, and good solve. Nine Nine!
18. The Good Place
The Good Place finished its four-season run strong, delivering a funny and unexpected ending. It was sad to see this complex, funny, and evocative comedy come to an end, but the bittersweet ending was entirely appropriate for a comedy that kept us laughing, taught us about philosophy, and made us contemplate what we owe each other.
19. She Ra and the Princesses of Power
Two years after it premiered She-Ra and the Princesses of Power came to an end with its fifth season and it was sublime. An epic adventure that turned out to be a beautiful (and groundbreaking) queer romance, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a bright, colorful story about love, agency, redemption, and forgiveness. It’s everything the best fantasy stories strive to be, a magical escape to a world full of characters that captivate, move, and maybe even inspire us.
20. Vida
We said goodbye to the Hernandez sisters and everyone in their orbit this year on Vida Season 3. As Lyn and Emma struggle to determine the bar’s future and the fate of their relationships, we mourned the fact that a series that portrayed the Latinx experience with so much depth and respect had such a short life.
21. The Baby-Sitters Club
Part of the recent surge of nostalgia fare, The Baby-Sitters Club was presented with a big task: how do you appeal to devotees of the original books while also modernizing the story to welcome new fans to the world of the BSC? The resulting update is an overwhelming success. The show excels because it understands the basic fundamentals of The Baby-Sitters Club — sincerity, friendship, and a revolutionary spirit — cross all generations and time periods (that, and Claudia Kishi is, and always will be the absolute coolest).
22. Evil
In just 13 episodes, Evil has established itself as one of the scariest shows to come to network TV in years. Relying on psychological horror more than just cheap jump scares– and seeing the story through the eyes of a skeptic– serves to make the fear that more real. There’s emotional depth, too, heightened by great writing and acting.
23. Killing Eve
Killing Eve came back with a vengeance this year presenting audiences with a tale of desire that they have been so accustomed to seeing. Killing Eve Season 3 doesn’t hold back, and while Eve and Villanelle spend most of the season apart, when they do share the screen together the electricity between them is enough. Rounded out with amazing performances from the supporting cast and some superb writing, and this show has multiple layers of amazing talent.
24. Mrs. America
Mrs. America expertly weaves together multiple narratives to craft an engrossing political drama about the still unfinished battle to ratify the ERA. It is elevated from a good series to an exceptional one on the strength of an all-star ensemble cast. From Cate Blanchett to Uzo Aduba to Margo Martindale, the cast of Mrs. America is a who’s who of Hollywood’s most gifted actors turning in powerhouse performances that make it one of the most captivating TV experiences of the year.
25. High Fidelity
High Fidelity proved that Zoe Kravitz is the ultimate cool girl and that record stores are cultural epicenters that deserve to have a place in modern society. The supporting cast, including breakout Da’Vine Joy Randolph, seemed like a group of friends you’d want to hang out with in the hustle and bustle of New York. It’s a real shame that Hulu didn’t want to bring back these characters for a second season.
26. This is Us
This Is Us has never exactly been escapism TV but well into its fifth season, it is comfort TV — like a worn-in oversized sweatshirt you can rely on. The series is addressing COVID this season, but that hasn’t stopped the Pearsons from dealing with compelling personal issues like Kevin’s impending fatherhood, Kate and Toby’s adoption journey, and Randall’s bonding with Malik. Old wounds are also opening up for Randall as he confronts the fact that he grew up as the only Black person in his family in the wake of the movement for Black lives.
27. One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time was the “little show that could,” year and year again. There aren’t enough shows with Latinx representation, and it’s a shame that the Alvarez family didn’t get a more official send-off. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be in awe of Queen Rita Moreno, and you might even learn a thing or two when you dive into this delightful comedy.
28. Superstore
As far as workplace comedies go, Superstore is high on the list because of its smart writing and talented cast. The series doesn’t hold back when it comes to jokes or with serious issues, often finding itself walking a line between the hilarious and the tragic. And in 2020, it provided what was likely the most perfect television episode dealing with the pandemic.
29. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist may have been one of the biggest surprises of the year. With a concept that felt a bit far-fetched, the musical series has proven to be as witty as it is comforting and heartfelt, with excellent performances and even better musical numbers that, at times, will have you breaking out the tissues. What this series has already pulled off in just one season is pretty remarkable.
30. Insecure
Using all the different tools of filmmaking, Insecure tells complicated, nuanced stories about the relationships and experiences of its characters. Exemplified by the frayed friendship between Issa and Molly in Season 4, Insecure approaches each character’s arc and every relationship with an astute honesty that sets it apart from other series. The show’s beautiful cinematography, smart writing, sensitive performances, and simply fantastic soundtrack all add emotional depth to the themes they explore, while its humor and wit continue to make it one of the most insightful comedies on TV.
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Tell-Tale TV is dedicated to offering insightful episodic reviews of a variety of television shows. Our passionate team of writers also works to provide previews, news, in-depth interviews, and other analytical pieces. Tell-Tale TV is a Tomatometer-approved publication.