Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #1

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#1: The Great

I didn’t fully love the pilot for this reimagining of Catherine the Great’s rise to power, but it pulled me in by episode two and only got better after that. Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, and every member of the insanely talented ensemble enhanced a masterful blend of biting comedy and deeply serious drama. Season two is mercifully on the way. Watch season one now on Hulu.

Best Episode: “The Beaver’s Nose”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #2

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#2: Unorthodox

This limited series was an extraordinary exploration of one young woman’s search for herself after fleeing her religious community. Shira Haas delivered a powerful turn as Esty in a limited series that worked hard to capture the world it was portraying and create immensely compelling characters within it. Watch it now on Netflix.

Best Episode: “Part 1”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #3

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#3: Normal People

There are few television shows – or movies, for that matter – that I can think of that do as magnificent a job as this one with portraying the complexities and intricacies of a romantic relationship. Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones are absolutely wonderful, and it’s just a shame that this limited series had to end. Watch it now on Hulu.

Best Episode: “Episode 11”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #4

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#4: The Capture

It’s exciting to come upon the next great thriller, one that delivers tremendous suspense and a fascinating universe capable of much more intrigue. Its plot follows several distinctly different people wading through a major conspiracy, with an excellent cast led by Holliday Grainger. Season two is coming soon. Watch season one now on Peacock.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #5

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#5: Ted Lasso

This could have easily been a throwaway sitcom about an American out of his depth in coaching a British soccer team. Instead, it was a heartwarming and truly imaginative portrayal of rich characters. Jason Sudeikis leads a fabulous cast, and there’s a reason it has already been renewed for season three. Watch season one now on Apple TV Plus.

Best Episode: “Trent Crimm: The Independent”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #6

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#6: Upload

Technology is so present in our lives, so why wouldn’t it be a key part of our afterlife? This comedy series is a wonderfully creative and entertaining look at how our collective obsession with social media might translate to digital heavens. It’s a fascinating concept that was immensely interesting in season one, and a second season was commissioned very quickly. Watch season one now on Amazon.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #7

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#7: Pure

I’m sure many would have expected a show about someone who can’t stop thinking about sex to be gratuitous, but it dealt with its subject matter in a magnificently compelling way. Charly Clive and the rest of the ensemble complemented a truly interesting and stunningly-done look at anxiety in a comedic but still serious context. I’m still just sad there won’t be a season two. Watch season one now on HBO Max.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #8

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#8: The Queen’s Gambit

Chess is making a serious comeback thanks to this wholly involving portrait of a young prodigy who can’t help but see all the possible moves in her head. Anya Taylor-Joy was just one part of an outstanding cast that moved in perfect step with this exciting chronicle of addiction, chess games, and friendship. Watch it now on Netflix.

Best Episode: “Doubled Pawns”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #9

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#9: Breeders

I wouldn’t have thought that the world needed another comedy about struggling parents, but this British series brought with a wonderfully original perspective on exasperation. It also presented startling and deeply affecting drama, conveyed marvelously by its very talented stars Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman. Season two is coming soon – watch season one now on Hulu.

Best Episode: “No Dad”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #10

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#10: Ratched

I haven’t spent much time watching Ryan Murphy’s previous ventures into horror, but this show turned out to be a superb blend of insanely disturbing and immensely well-crafted. Sarah Paulson and the rest of the cast are fantastic, but the most impressive part is that it’s a prequel that feels so driven by its plot to follow events anywhere and not towards a set end. Season two is on the way – watch season one now on Netflix.

Best Episode: “Angel of Mercy”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #11

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#11: Mrs. America

It’s hard to decide which is more impressive – the characters this show presents or the remarkable actresses enlisted to portray them. Revisiting the fight for and against the Equal Rights Amendment is a wholly worthwhile exercise, with a perfect combination of real-life events and fictional composites to make it a mesmerizing watch. Stream all nine episodes now on Hulu.

Best Episode: “Jill”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #12

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#12: The Flight Attendant

Call it a comedy or a thriller, but this show is marvelous entertainment. Kaley Cuoco is a perfect choice to spearhead a series about a woman in way over her head who keeps making questionable decisions as her past ones catch up with her, and she embraces its frantic style to make watching it an even wilder experience. Fortunately, this limited series has officially become more than that with a season two renewal. Watch season one now on HBO Max.

Best Episode: “Other People’s Houses”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #13

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#13: Trying

On the surface, there isn’t all that much to this British comedy about a couple that wants to be parents but isn’t having an easy time of accomplishing. It was highly relatable and entertaining, and its best asset is actress Esther Smith, whose sweet nature and genuine desire to be kind makes her extremely sympathetic. A second season should be on the way soon. Watch season one now on Apple TV Plus.

Best Episode: “Tickets for a Queue”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #14

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#14: Perry Mason

My father-in-law is a devoted fan of the original series, and so expectations were high for this reboot/prequel. It might be very different from its predecessor, but the incredible visual artistry at work with the cinematography, costumes, and set design made it worthwhile enough without even considering the dark, brooding storyline and strong performances at its center. A second season is already on the way, which is sure to be just as intriguing. Watch season one now on HBO.

Best Episode: “Chapter Three”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #15

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#15: Tehran

This Israeli series got off to an enthralling start with a Mossad agent dropped in behind enemy lines in Iran to execute a covert mission, and things only intensified from there. There is a tremendous excitement in this show and in its stylized pace, with great performances and numerous twists. A second season hasn’t yet been ordered, but hopefully its popularity and unexplored territory means that it will be back. Watch it now on Apple TV Plus.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #16

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#16: Roadkill

Hugh Laurie leads a formidable cast in this intense British political thriller, which has so many different subplots that it’s a shame it was only ever slated to play out over the course of four episodes. It manages to deal with high-level corruption and intimate emotional drama at the same time and make the most of those four very involving hours. Watch it now on PBS.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #17

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#17: Little Fires Everywhere

This limited series assembled an extraordinarily talented cast led by Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon to confront racism in a suburban community in the 1990s. It seemed to get lost in the shuffle of other high-profile dramas in the first half of the year, but it was both a riveting watch and a highly thought-provoking one that probed the way people judge each other and feel bound to expectations. Watch it now on Hulu. 

Best Episode: “The Spider Web” 

Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #18

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#18: Five Bedrooms

In 2020, couldn’t we all use a lighthearted show about five acquaintances who decide to go in on a house together? This Australian dramedy delivered meaty, entertaining storylines about five very different people and the lives they live. For every predictable twist, there was something unexpected, and it just felt good to enjoy something that didn’t feel ultra-serious yet was still resonant. Watch it now on Peacock.

Best Episode: “Twenty Guests”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #19

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#19: Two Weeks to Live

It’s a delight to see Maisie Williams back on screen after her career-making “Game of Thrones” performance, and this couldn’t be a better role for her as a survivalist trained by her mother, played by an equally terrific Sian Clifford from “Fleabag,” to completely misunderstand the world. The comedy is superb and meshes well with an otherwise dark and violent storyline. Watch now on HBO Max.

Best Episode: Pilot
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #20

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#20: Stateless

This six-episode Australian limited series explores the complexities of immigration through the experiences of four very different people, and there is an incredible universality to the story it presents. Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, and Asher Keddie lead a strong cast that dramatically navigates the often contradictory notions of bureaucracy and justice. It’s not an easy watch, but its stark, powerful style elevates its important, very presently-relevant plot. Watch now on Netflix.

Best Episode: “The Right Thing”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews